In his Srimad Bhagavatam Class at Iskcon Newtown Kolkata, HG Prabhavishnu Prabhu said, “The purpose of life is to cultivate Krishna Consciousness.” Prabhuji who is a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada and has served as Governing Body Commission (GBC) visited Iskcon Newtown Kolkata on 28th March 2025.
He has been preaching Krishna Consciousness in different parts of the world for last several decades.
He gave class on Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.38.
avidyamāno ’py avabhāti hi dvayo
dhyātur dhiyā svapna-manorathau yathā
tat karma-saṅkalpa-vikalpakaṁ mano
budho nirundhyād abhayaṁ tataḥ syāt
“Although the duality of the material world does not ultimately exist, the conditioned soul experiences it as real under the influence of his own conditioned intelligence. This imaginary experience of a world separate from Kṛṣṇa can be compared to the acts of dreaming and desiring. When the conditioned soul dreams at night of something desirable or horrible, or when he daydreams of what he would like to have or avoid, he creates a reality that has no existence beyond his own imagination. The tendency of the mind is to accept and reject various activities based on sense gratification. Therefore an intelligent person should control the mind, restricting it from the illusion of seeing things separate from Kṛṣṇa, and when the mind is thus controlled he will experience actual fearlessness.” Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.38
During his class prabhuji shared many pastimes of Srila Prabhupada and also how he came to Krishna Consciousness.
Below is what prabhuji said during the Srimad Bhagavatam Class
Focus should be on Krishna
In this verse, Kavi Mahara is responding to the question of Nimi Maharaj.
This is the essential topic of Srimad Bhagavatam. Devotional service is eternal bhakti. Somehow or other we have fallen in the ocean of birth and death.
And because of forgetting Krishna, we are prone to sinful life and we turn our attention to dangerous material objects.
We see that so much energy is spent in making arrangement for comfortable living in this world. We accumulate assets, money, property, furniture and many other paraphernalia. In this way our attachment becomes strong to our house and things of this world.
Then we have offsprings and offsprings of offsprings and we get attached to them. But in Krishna Consciousness focus is on Krishna – in chanting his names like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and hearing his glories. Our purpose of life is to cultivate and develop bhakti.
Using opulence in the service of Krishna
One can use wealth in the service of Krisna. Even a poor person can be Krishna Conscious and if he is Krishna Conscious then even if he is poor, he is not troubled.
When we were in Kheturi Dham, the birthplace of Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura, we saw people living a simple life. They were walking around barefoot. They were simple farmers leading a simple life. We are not able to do so. We travel in airplanes, motorcars, live in airconditioned rooms and so on.
Srila Prabhupada when he got opulence he used it in the service of Krishna. When he was living in Radha Damodar temple in Vrindavan, he lived a very simple life. Srila Prabhupada would say that I had only Rs 40 but now Krishna has given by Rs 40 crores.
When Srila Prabhupada first came to Bhaktivedanta Manor (an Iskcon Temple) in United Kingdom then he came by helicopter which was arranged by Shyamsundar Prabhu. Referring to his disciples, he would say that I have so many sons and daughters around the world. Prabhupada’s disciples would take care of him very nicely.
Prabhuji shared how Beatles helped in spreading Krishna Consciousness
Beatles made album on Hare Krishna Mahamantra which became a hit. They also made album on the vaisnav song bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana/
abhaya-caraṇāravinda rehe re man and govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami. govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami song sung by Yamuna Mataji is daily played in the morning in all the Iskcon temples around the world.
Because of these albums devotees got famous and they were invited for kirtan and different programs. They were invited on TV shows. In one of the TV shows in United Kingdom, devotees were invited to perform kirtan. But as per the format of the TV show when the songs were to be performed some young ladies dressed in mini skirt would come and dance.
But when devotees came to know about this they refused to perform. When the organizers learnt about this, they immediately brought some clothes, and these ladies wrapped it around their body like saris. And then the devotees performed the song.
Srila Prabhupada always encouraged devotees to do something big. If you do not succeed, then no problem but if you succeed then it will be great.
Prabhuji shared few pastimes of Srila Prabhupada
Once Srila Prabhupada was walking in a park in UK. He asked one of his disciples to pluck a twig from a tree. Prabhupada would use twig to clean his teeth. When the devotee went to pluck the twig, one British came and said you cannot take the twig from the tree. Prabhupada commented that these British has taken so much from India but are not allowing us to even take a twig.
Once while on a morning walk devotees were chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. One person sleeping on the footpath got up and shouted at the devotees. Prabhupada looked at him calmy and greeted him. The person who was very angry immediately calmed down and greeted Prabhupada and the devotees. Srila Prabhupada had peaceful and pleasing personality.
In UK, Prabhupada would be speaking to many influential people like political leaders, scientists, historians, sportsperson but with whoever he spoke he was always preaching Krishna Consciousness and injecting Krishna Consciousness in them.
