Address at Prize-Giving Ceremony

Giriraj Swami: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. Artha means that which is essential, and anartha means the opposite; that which is not required. So, the basic principle of anartha is the material body. Actually, we do not require the material body, and the material body is full of miseries. Birth, disease, old age, and death are all miserable, and we make great efforts to avoid such miseries, but we cannot escape such miseries by any means.

There are so many tablets, so many medicines, so many clinics, so many hospitals, so many doctors, so many nurses, all to counteract the misery of disease, but disease continues to exist. We cannot stop disease. Similarly, we cannot stop old age. With old age comes so many distresses. And ultimately, death. We cannot stop death by any material means. But if we become liberated from the body, the soul becomes liberated from the body, then the soul is no longer subjected to the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease.

So, how can the soul be liberated from the body? Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje, that all the unwanted miseries of material existence can be mitigated by the linking process of bhakti-yoga. And of all the items of bhakti-yoga, the most important is the chanting of the holy names; Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The Bhāgavatam continues to say lokasyājānato, that the mass of people do not know that the material miseries can be mitigated by the linking process of bhakti-yoga. And therefore, Vyasadeva compiled the Vedic literature in order to enlighten people about the actual solution to life’s problems. The solution to the repetition of birth, disease, old age, and death.

So, the Vedic literatures are most essential for the happiness of human society because without the knowledge of Vedic scriptures, we remain in the darkness of ignorance. We have to suffer repeated birth, death, old age, and disease. Therefore, because the mass of people is ignorant, Srila Vyasadeva compiled the Vedic literatures so that they can become free from the material miseries by understanding the science of Krishna. But for thousands of years, the knowledge of the Vedas remained locked in the Sanskrit language.

The actual purpose of Vedic knowledge is to realize Krishna, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo, but Krishna can be understood only by devotional service, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. Therefore, the real subject of the Vedic literature is bhakti-yoga, which can give complete relief from material miseries. So, the most important knowledge that can answer the most important questions, “Who am I? Why have I come into this world? Who is God? What is my relationship with God? Why am I forced to suffer? How can I be free from suffering?” The most important questions are answered in the Vedic literatures, and therefore, such transcendental knowledge is most important.

So, Srila Prabhupada also said that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but for so many years, so many hundreds of years, so many thousands of years, Krishna was kept locked up in a black box. Srila Prabhupada said, “Now, I have taken Krishna out of the box and I am showing Him to the world that here is God.” So, Srila Prabhupada’s books, which are just the same as Vedic literature translated into English language, can open the box and allow us to understand Krishna and realize Krishna, and simultaneously, to become free from material miseries.

Therefore, because transcendental literature is so important to relieve humanity from suffering and bestow upon them the greatest boon of Krishna consciousness, which is the highest perfection of life, Srila Prabhupada translated so many Vedic scriptures into English. And Srila Prabhupada’s disciples have translated the same literatures from English into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Hindi, so many different languages, Arabic, Swahili, so many different languages, Arabic, Urdu, Sindhi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi. And Srila Prabhupada’s disciples are personally going from town to town, village to village, street to street, house to house, to distribute these literatures.

So, today we are taking the opportunity to recognize the service of the great souls who have taken the most important knowledge of the Vedic literatures to the suffering humanity so that they may deliver from the repetition of birth and death and achieve the highest perfection of Krishna consciousness. So, the service that these devotees are rendering is immense. We cannot actually calculate the value of their service.

But just as a token of appreciation, we are reading the names and giving them some small gift, but we cannot begin to imagine how much benefit the people who get Srila Prabhupada’s books from devotees are deriving. Many people who are in this room right now are here because of Srila Prabhupada’s books. And not only our persons are brought to Krishna consciousness by Srila Prabhupada’s books, but they are maintained in Krishna consciousness by Srila Prabhupada’s books. Because maya is very strong, she can carry us away at any moment. And therefore, we constantly have to be reminded of who we are and what is our duty, what is our goal in life, and constant reading of Srila Prabhupada’s books will keep us fixed in devotional service to Lord Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada wanted us not only to distribute his books or buy his books, but also to read his books. So, all of you who are engaged in distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books or even keeping Srila Prabhupada’s books at home, please do justice to the great effort Srila Prabhupada put into translating the books by actually reading the books. And we are also very pleased now. For the last few years in Mauritius, we have the Bhaktivedanta College for Education and Culture, which is giving systematic classes in Srila Prabhupada’s books. So, we also request all of you or invite all of you to enroll with the Bhaktivedanta College and actually make a serious study of Srila Prabhupada’s books like Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.

So now, we shall continue reading the names of the devotees who have taken so much trouble to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books for the benefit of the suffering humanity, and to express our appreciation for their service. Hare Krishna.