Translation: It does not matter whether one is a man or woman. Anyone who, with great respect, hears this narration of Mahārāja Pṛthu will become the parent( father) of many children if without children, and will become the richest if without money .

That's interesting. Women will become men according to this verse here

Purport- Materialistic persons who are very fond of money and great families worship different demigods to attain their desires, especially Goddess Durgā, Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā. Such materialistic persons are called śriyaiśvarya-prajepsavaḥ. Śrī means “beauty,” aiśvarya means “riches,” prajā means “children,” and īpsavaḥ means “desiring.” As described in the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one has to worship various demigods for different types of benedictions. However, here it is indicated that simply by hearing of the life and character of Mahārāja Pṛthu one can have both riches and children in enormous quantities. One simply has to read and understand the history of the life and activities of Pṛthu Mahārāja. It is advised that one read them at least three times. Those who are materially afflicted will so benefit by hearing of the Supreme Lord and His devotees that they need not go to any demigod. The word suprajatamaḥ, “surrounded by many children,” is very significant in this verse, for one may have many children but may not have any qualified children. Here, however, it is stated (su-prajatamaḥ) that all the children thus attained would be qualified in education, wealth, beauty and strength — everything complete.  (End of Purport)

vande ’haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-
kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca
śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-
raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam
sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-
sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ
śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-
lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca

So here it's by hearing the life and character of Mahārāja Pṛthu, one can hear everything. So one may say, but what about worshipping Kṛṣṇa? I've heard that worshipping Kṛṣṇa, who is the God of the Gods you get all benefits. But actually, it's stated if you want to be a devotee of Krishna the proper way is to become a devotee of the devotee of Krishna. Krishna is not so pleased when we worship Him directly. Just like we offer our obeisances to the spiritual master. We just had Prabhapada vyas, puja celebration. Krishna wants to see how much you are the devotee of the devotee. That's the actual key. In fact, we hold the whole disciplic succession. When you worship the spiritual master, you are worshipping him, his guru, his guru, his guru, all the way up top, all these great acharyas that you worship. Actually, you have that list in the Bhagavad Gita. Amazing, that when you worship the spiritual master, here's mercy you get.

Let's see if I can find that list. It's a very, very wonderful thing to worship the spiritual master. Let's see, where we have it... We have it handy here. You go through that list. Very, very wonderful list. It is disciplic succession. Yeah, here it is. You worship the spiritual master. You worship, you know, of course, nowadays we have

33. Prabhupada, many of Prabhupada 's disciples have also taken the service of spiritual masters so when you worship 33 then you worship 32- A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, 31- Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, 30- Gaurakiśora, 29- Bhaktivinoda, 28- Jagannātha, 27- Viśvanātha, 26- Narottama, 25- Kṛṣṇadāsa 24-Raghunāthaand Jīva Goswami, 23- Rūpa Goswami (Svarūpa, Sanātana), 22-Lord Chaitanya goes on and on and on through the whole list all the way to Krishna number 1. So just imagine, you just worship Krishna, He's not so pleased. And when you worship the spiritual master, you get the mercy of all these whole list, all these great Acharyas. They're worshipping, they're getting their blessings, they're worshipping the bonafide spiritual master.

So that's why it says here to hear the life and character of Mahārāja Pṛthu. And then you get everything in full abundance. And even the children you have will be all qualified. They won't be ordinary children like the, like karmic children. They'll be great devotees of the Lord. In fact, it says here three times. So that, please know, those of you who are studying the Bhagavatam, go over this portion of the Bhagavatam, the life and character of Mahārāja Pṛthu, go over it three times. That's the instruction of Prabhupada.

Let's look at the verse again..” It does not matter whether one is a man or woman. Anyone who, with great respect, hears this narration of Mahārāja Pṛthu will become the parent ( father) of many children if without children, and will become the richest if without money”.

So, everybody is looking for money, isn't it? What did I say? Money, money, money. Sweeter than honey. They go for what kind of job, ‘I can get to make the most money or what kind of business I can start to make the most money.’ It's like this Bezos who started Amazon became one of the richest people. Everybody is looking for money, money, money, money, money. They don't realize that actually money doesn't buy happiness. How much money can you take with you at the time of death? How many rupees, how many dollars, how many pesos, how many euros? Zero…. You can't take anything with you at the time of death. So, therefore the intelligent person thinks, ‘well, what can I take with me at the time of death? What great benefit can I take? What kind of riches can I take at the time of death?’ There's only one type of riches you can take at the time of death and that is called Krishna consciousness. So therefore, when you come to Krishna consciousness you become the wealthiest person in the whole world because now you have a treasure that can stay with you eternally. Even if you don't perfect it in this lifetime, let's say you get 97% Krishna conscious before you leave your body. Well guess what? Your next lifetime, how much you start with ? Zero?. No, you start up at 97% in your next lifetime. So whatever spiritual advancement you make, it's your eternal asset. Even if you fall down and become a prostitute or whatever it may be, like that Ajamil. Even if you become completely degraded…, I have so many god brothers that didn't make it. I'm just thinking of one godbrother Parasara das. Maybe he lasted about one year and then he's gone, unfinished. He went back and became a karmic agent. But whatever advancement he made in that one year of devotional service, it's eternal asset, never lost. So where is any other kind of asset you can accumulate that is eternal benefit? Can you name anything? What about fame? Somebody becomes a famous rock singer like the Beatles for example. In their next lifetime does that same go with them? No. No one even knows that they were a beetle in their previous life. Like John Lennon is dead and gone. He's another body now. Who knows whether he's even a human being? If he is a human being, he says,’ oh there's John Lennon the great beetle. No, he's totally forgotten’. Your fame is finished, your followers are finished, your wealth is finished, you take nothing with you at the time of death, only you can take whatever spiritual advancement you have made. Therefore, those who are intelligent, they think,’ let me accumulate the greatest asset, let me accumulate as much Krishna consciousness as I can possibly get’. Well, how do you accumulate Krishna consciousness? Hearing about Krishna, talking about Krishna, remembering Krishna, serving Krishna, serving the spiritual master, serving the Vaishnavas, worshipping the Tulasi tree, all these things accumulate our spiritual asset, the bhakti. So go for bhakti, go for bhakti, go for bhakti, that is the pathway of those who are actually intelligent, not the foolish people who are after material things. Why do they go after material things? Because they don't even realize that they're spiritual beings. They think, I'm this body, therefore let me get as much gratification of these senses as possible before death takes it all away. It's a great tragedy because here they are eternal associates of Krishna and there's a transcendental pastime in the spirit. The world totally captured by maya, totally absorbed in bodily consciousness. So, here's the beauty of the whole thing of Krishna conscious movement. The beauty of the whole thing is this. Deep within our heart, deep, deep, deep within our heart, everyone actually knows I'm eternal servant of Krishna. So, we don't need to water it down. We don't need to water it down to make it attractive to people. Well, that makes a little sense… ‘It's okay to smoke cigarettes or it's okay to go to a prostitute every now and then’. ..We don't need to water it down to make it attractive to more and more people. No, keep it exactly as it is, Bhagavad Gita as it is, Krishna consciousness as it is, because everyone will ultimately be attracted. The whole world will ultimately be attracted because it's bringing us back to our actual identity.

Deep within your heart you are actually a Krishna's eternal servant. jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa We do not need to water it down. Present it purely as it is and then people will be attracted. They will be attracted. Even the dogs will become attracted.

It is like that dog in Chaitanya Leela. Sivananda sen..He was going on a pilgrimage from Bengal to Jagannath Puri. Many, many devotees... They were going down the road when the dog started tagging along with them. He just wanted to join the pilgrimage. He wasn't really invited. He was just a stray dog and he decided to join the pilgrimage. And they came to the river and those days they didn't have bridges. They didn't have the train or any buses. They were walking. And there was a boatman who was there. He had to pay the boatman a fee and the dog jumped in the boat. The boatman said,’ no, I can't take this dog for free’. Somebody has to pay him to go across the river. He wanted the dog on the boat. Somebody had to pay for the dog. So Sivananda said, okay, he paid for the dog also. And then, actually, across the river, the dog disappeared. And at Jagannath Puri. The dog was already there. He was there sitting in the lotus field of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And Lord Caitanya was throwing him some coconut pulp, and the dog was going, hari hari. And then the dog died and he actually achieved his original form of the spiritual world. So actually, every living entity, Krishna's eternal servant, Even the grasshopper, the squirrel, the tree, the cactus plant, every single living entity, everything that has life is actually the eternal servant of Krishna. So when you do the kirtan, they all benefit. It's like there's a messor ant crawling on the floor during the Bhagavatam. That ant is actually Krishna's eternal servant. By hearing the vibration of the Bhagavatam, of the Hare Krishna kirtan, that little ant is purified. He's going back, he's getting spiritual assets. Even when we go on the street and we chant Hare Krishna, the atheist walks by and hears the kirtan and goes like this, but he heard it. He had to close his ears, ‘oh those Hare Krishnas, why do they bother me?’ But he heard the kirtan. Even that atheist has gotten spiritual assets. He's got spiritual assets. And that will accumulate and finally you come out and become a Vaishnava. So, we should take this process of great enthusiasm and determination and patience. Why patience? one may ask. Well, because it takes some time. We've been caught up since time immemorial in this cycle of birth and death. We're addicted to sense gratification, laziness, craziness, sense enjoyment. We're addicted like anything to these madness, madness, so it's difficult to get out of addiction. It's like I have one disciple, he's having a hard time giving up cigarettes, but he's working on it, He's addicted to cigarettes. So we have this addiction to material sense gratification. We have this addiction to thinking, ‘I am the centre. I am the lord of all I survey. I am the centre of existence.’ We have an addiction to thinking we're the centre. Therefore we don't like someone reminding us we're not the centre. We say, ‘I can't handle this. Don't tell me I'm not the centre. I think I'm the centre’. But actually we're not the centre. Krishna is the centre. They actually want to deny God's existence. The atheists say there is no cause of all causes. There is an infinite chain of causality. There is no original cause. But Krishna says, the shastras say sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam, on the original cause of all causes.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

Krishna is the supreme Godhead. He has no origin. He is the origin of all, and he is the prime cause of all causes. The atheist might accept the prime cause of all causes as an invention of causality.

But consider this argument. It's called the domino theory. You've heard of domino theory? All these dominoes together, line them up and you know the domino theory. Shoooo. You know about domino theory? Do you know about domino theory? Domino…. So those square blocks you put a bunch of them in a line, and one of them knocks and goes, shoo, and all down the line. So they say there's no original domino, there's an infinite chain of dominoes. But our counter-argument is this. Even if you have an infinite row of dominoes, unless one can fall over on its own, nothing happens. They're just standing there. Even if an infinite dominoes, there has to be one domino that can fall over on its own accord without being pushed. Otherwise, they just stand there and nothing happens. So this argument of the atheist is easily defeated. It's easily defeated by the Vaishnavas. Because we say, all right, an infinite chain of causality, but something has to start on its own. Something has to start the motion on its own without being caused. There has to be a cause that is not caused otherwise nothing happens. We can prove it by <indistinct..>, you can <indistinct..> dominoes. If one of those dominoes falls over on its own, nothing happens at all. So we can defeat these rascal atheists with logic and with shastra. Shastra says sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. And even logic, by logic and philosophy you can defeat these rascal atheists.

We should not be led by this atheistic civilization which is engaged in horrible sinful activities, cow killing. Cows are meant to be protected just like my disciple Nitai Chandra in Bulgaria has a very nice farm. He sent me some photographs that will be coming out soon in thoughts of the day. Beautiful photographs of the cows, the little calf, the cow grazing, the cows going to the forest looking for food. Very beautiful thing to see the cows. They give us the milk. It nourishes our brain. It gives us longevity. It gives us good health by drinking the milk, gives us also tasty things like ice cream and yogurt and shrikhand and so many nice things from the cows. So these rascals are killing the cows, you see. But any…, Prabhupada explains that any civilization engaged in cow killing is doomed. That's very faithful, simple, than your own mother. You see you have your first mother giving you breast milk, and your first mother's breast milk dries up and you take milk from your second mother. So any civilization that kills the mother, they are doomed. Such a sinful activity, they are doomed. Eventually the civilization will fall down. They'll become like savages in the jungle, trying to survive in the jungle like savages. That, our whole civilization will crash. The automobiles, the internet, all these fancy machines, all the big cities and the cars, all this thing will be finished and become savages and barbarians. We'll go back to barbarianism. And living in the jungles ,those who survive  live like savages in the jungle scouting for food, scouting to kill an animal so they can eat something. That's where we're heading, by this cow-killing. So we try to convince these rascals to stop cow-killing, but they're so addicted to the taste of meat. Ham McDonald's and all this nonsense going on. It just makes me sick when I see these billboards advertising hamburgers. It's like a knife in my heart when I see these horrible billboards advertising hamburgers. It's very difficult. I just want to cry actually when I see them. It's a horrible thing. Killing their own mother and thinking, oh, how nice it is eating the flesh of my mother. So we have Krishna Consciousness movement. We know what is the actual solution to the problems of the world and we pray to that day that they will actually listen to us, they'll actually take guidance from us on how they can keep this civilization going on and make it better and better and better instead of completely destroying those civilizations. So we have a few minutes left of the ending of a very early day. We have work to do for the Sunday Feast.

Any questions coming in from the local devotees here? Any questions coming in from the internet? Let's see, we have no questions coming in.So, what can I say? There's no questions, we can end early. And look at the verse once again.

Here we go,

Vishnurata : How to decide that kids are not… they're a great asset… but the one who makes one die, old early.

Sankarshan Das:If the child is a great devotee, he will not make you... Of course, if one passes too much semen, you become old early. If he's overindulgent passing semen, then your death will become much quicker. So Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī says, ‘I'm prepared to have sex life 100 times if I can make saintly children’. So our standard is we have sex once in a month, 4 to 6 days after the wife's menstrual cycle. And anything beyond that is illicit sex. So once in a month a man can have sex life, but having children it doesn't, ..and that called religious sex life. Just like in the Vedic culture it's called Garbhādhāna saṁskāra, the whole ritual, the Brahmanas will be called, the mantras will be chanted, it's a whole ritual. ‘Now my wife and I are going to try to have a child, we're going to have sexual intercourse’ so they don't do it as whimsically as the whole yajna before they have sexual intercourse to purify it. So Prabhupada gave us a simplified version of the Garbhādhāna saṁskāra. The husband and wife both chant at least 50, that's 50 not 15…50, at least 50 rounds of japa and then they have sexual intercourse. So one follows that principle of sex only once in a month after 50 rounds of Japa. Such sex life will not deplete his life energy because that's religious sex life. Actually that will give his life energy. But that's not a religious sex life, when overindulgence in sex life because you're feeling really lusty, you want to satisfy a lusty desire, that sex life will definitely make you die much earlier. So if you have children according to religious principles, then having children  will not make you die earlier. It will be a great blessing for you. Of course, Prabhupada said sex is troublesome. Illicit or illicit, It's always trouble. There's a lot of trouble having children.. the crying, the cleaning, the diapers, the stool. It's a lot of work having kids. If one can avoid it altogether, that's a great victory for him. But if one has that desire, then one can also fulfill that desire. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī has authorized and Prabhupada also  …Okay, I'm going to end it. I have a few questions here.

Bhaktin Sheela:  If there is any  bhajan or specific prayer from scriptures that stop the mind talking.

Sankarshan Das: Actually, Bhaktin Sheela of every …Hare Krishna mantra is the best mantra. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. every single verse of the Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Chaitanya Charitamrta, every single paragraph, every paragraph and sentence in Prabhupada’s books, these are all the greatest medicines for stopping the mind from wandering like a crazy idiot. Okay.

Devotee: Every living entity is eternal servant of Krishna. How does one see and accept him in their original position?

Sankarshan Das: What is the difficulty ? We know that ,even that dog walking down the street, we just understand philosophically that dog is Krishna's eternal servant, due to sinful activities, he has taken the body of a dog. It's through the scriptures we see this thing. It's called Shastra Chaksu.

Lila Manjari: Does one's spiritual progress depend on level of Austerity?

Sankarshan Das: Actually, Krishna Consciousness doesn't mean austerity. Austerity is used but Krishna Consciousness means how much you've developed, how much your heart becomes soft by chanting Hare Krishna. That's how you really measure. How much the heart becomes soft in chanting the holy names. Softness of heart is a measure, not austerity.

Tarun Lalcandani:  How does this save cows practically?

Sankarshan Das: Well, we have to start farm communities, cow protection communities. Yeah, we have to have, my disciples in Bulgaria, they have a farm, they are devotees, we need to have more and more cow protection communities in ISKCON. And those who are doing it, we support them and help them.

Akuti devi dasi: In case I'm not able to go to a local ISKCON temple for personal service , how to make up?

Sankarshan Das: Well, serve Krishna in the home. Cook for Krishna, have a nice arati ceremony, study scriptures, etc.

Govardhan Das :Please help me understand, how one should take it when it's said that one shall be the richest.

Sankarshan Das: It actually means wealthy, wealthy, literally means wealthy money , money and actually comes to one who's Krishna…. One who utilizes in Krishna's service, Krishna will actually give him more to engage in Krishna's service. One who is spending one's money for Krishna very nicely Krishna will give you more money. Using it for sense gratification…forget it,

okay

Bhaktin Sai Akshara: I'm unable to go to the  ISKCON temple

Sankarshan Das: Then serve Krishna at home, have a nice altar… make a nice altar and offer foodstuffs on the altar, offer nice aarti, you get, specially Gaur Nitai They are merciful, They don’t take any offenses, especially having worship Lord Chaitanya, and  Lord Nithananda, and offer one aarti every day, Prabhupad said, and you can offer them the aarti, offer nice foodstuffs to them, make it very nice and clean in this way.

Bhaktin Sai Akshara :Unable to attend classes?

Sankarshan Das:You're doing it right now, Bhaktin Sai Akshara, you're attending classes right now. So keep attending these classes as much as you can. And you can hear, you go to, on the internet, type in Prabhupada lectures. There's unlimited, there's hundreds of lectures of Prabhupada, you can hear that, and relish the classes given by Prabhupada. They're very ecstatic and very enlivening.

Anything else? if there is nothing else we can stop here…among the locals ..yes.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Srila Gurudeva , thank you for the nice class…If I am proud and if I don't know that I am proud ,how to help myself.

Sankarshan Das: how to understand  that you're Krishna’s…not your body?

Devotee: I am proud I am proud of myself

Sankarshan Das: then how to give up your false pride?

Devotee: I don't know that I am proud so how to help myself.

Sankarshan Das: How to give up false pride? Is your question how to give up false pride? Yes or No

Devotee:  No..

Sankarshan Das: Then what is your question?

Devotee: I don't know that I am proud. I don't know that..But people say I am  proud.

other people say I am proud of myself, how to help myself..

Sankarshan Das: How to rectify being proud of yourself. ?How do you know you are proud yourself

Sankarshan Das: Well it's false pride that got you here. The fact that you have a material body should be enough to remind you that you have a problem with false pride. You have a material body, not a spiritual body.

Anything else? If there is nothing else, we can stop here. Thank you everybody for tuning in.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare