Alexander Hakimov

Question from the audience: Maharaj, you gave a lecture — thank you — … [difficult to hear], there was a lecture back in 2012, about 10 years ago, and you mentioned something — that there would come a moment when some influential person would arrive who… and you said this had already begun… while it grows… more than 10 years have passed… Krishna says that whatever a great person does, all others follow, and the norms they set become universal for everyone.

Alexander Hakimov: Has that person come?

Clarification from the audience: Well, yes — has the time come for this situation to unfold?

Alexander Hakimov: Yes, the time is coming.

Clarification from the audience: Some major changes…

Alexander Hakimov: Now I think that not just one person will come — there will be a whole team of such people. There was an interesting decree in Russia I was told about recently — literally yesterday: that every school should have a school theatre. Where does this idea come from? They are taking it all from Hare Krishna [laughter in the hall]. In our Movement, we've always had theatre. We've been saying for a long time that every children's school should have a theatre. Now a decree has been issued. And there are many such things. Do you see what is happening? That means there are people who are already hearing something, thinking, understanding, taking an interest, already accepting it, making sense of it — making sense is the right phrase. And of course, if you take our ruler — he is different. He is different. He is the only ruler I know, in non-religious states, who speaks publicly about the soul and about God. Islamic countries — yes, where Islam is the basis, presidents speak of God, only of God, on the basis of the scriptures. But secular states — I have never heard any president publicly declare such things. Yet our president said that the highest authority belongs to God [exclamation from the audience: Jai!]. Therefore this is not an ordinary situation. It means others throughout the country will also think this way. They heard it from the president. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ. And when they proposed the gender policy to him, he said: why would I legalise mortal sin? How about that? That is very bold. I'm saying — these are good trends.

Alexander Hakimov: When we speak of an extreme situation, one must understand that this is, of course, a temporary situation. One must realise that these are temporary events. Not to fall into depression, into panic. As for military action, this also relates to our military duty, to the laws of the state. This is not simply something unjustly imposed upon me by providence — it is what I must do in my fate, it is my duty. And here one must act according to one's own level of understanding, but one must, as was mentioned, focus on the will of the Almighty. In everything there is the will of the Almighty. As Shrila Prabhupada said, if a bomb falls on my head, I will see Krishna there. One must try, in those circumstances — I think they even help us to surrender to Krishna. Because it is a matter of life and death. And Krishna actually protects such sincere devotees very strongly in the most difficult circumstances. Just as Arjuna and Krishna — the same classic example — not a single hair fell from Arjuna's head in such a terrible battle, a truly terrible, horrifying battle.

Yuga Dharma das (Igor Anikanov): (regional secretary for Belarus): Achyutatma Prabhu, you have essentially just answered a question that some devotees also ask. And I understand that there is probably no definitive single answer to this question. Should a devotee be mobilised, or should he avoid it? And this can be framed in various ways — defending the motherland, not defending the motherland. But in effect, from what you are now saying about nature, it seems each devotee will have their own specific answer. Or is there, after all, a universal answer to this question?

Achyutatma das: (head of the Russian Society for Krishna Consciousness): That's one thing, but I get dozens of questions like this every day, phone calls. My friends, let us not shift responsibility onto others. That is also a theme here. Yes, I transfer responsibility to a mentor, to the guru, to someone else, to Krishna. But we must also sort things out within ourselves and accept. Everyone has completely different situations, different conditions, different possibilities. So each person must make their own choice. That is also an important point — especially in such moments, such nuances. Because shudras were also actually taken to war when situations were critical and there was a need for mass forces — historically, if you look at the chronicles. Not only kshatriyas fought on the battlefield at Kurukshetra. There were different people, military commanders, heroes, and not that many maha-rathas. Therefore here, my friends, each person must sort out their own situation and accept responsibility, duty, and their decision.

Alexander Hakimov: No, no, not just that, not just that. There are also the laws of the state. One must remember this. The question has been posed somewhat imprecisely. Not everything is for me to decide.

Achyutatma das: Of course, I mean within the framework of the law.

Alexander Hakimov: Yes, yes, yes, within the framework of the law — not everything is for me to decide, you understand? Sometimes I simply must — I am not asked whether I want to go somewhere or not. I must do it, because the law is such, the time is such, the circumstances are such, I must fulfil my duty, in accordance with the current law that exists and the circumstances. So what question can there be — if I were being asked whether I would go or not, then the question would be appropriate: should I go or not, if I am the one deciding. But I may not be the one deciding anymore. That is, I submit only to the will of providence. I accept this as the will of Krishna. Because there is a law, and I must follow the rules, the law.

Achyutatma das: Yes, I want to clarify that naturally I am speaking within the framework of the law. It is just that within the framework of the law there are different situations, different nuances, and people still have some degree of choice. For example, I can go to the military registration office and bring one certificate, another, a fifth, a tenth — how many children I have. Because the situation is such that when people were called up for military service they were 18–20, yet now people who have already served are being called up — and their life situation has changed significantly, but the military office has no record of this. I have many such cases. A person receives a summons but has four children, for example. There is simply no record of this there. So naturally I am speaking within the framework of the law.

Alexander Hakimov: Yes, yes, the law decides that.

Alexander Hakimov: In Omsk, during the last call-up, many young people were conscripted. And through some acquaintance, a certain general reached out to Gaurapriya. They had a problem feeding their recruits. Where they were conducting their training — for a month, I believe — they needed to be fed. And he approached her through mutual acquaintances — it is actually prohibited to let just anyone feed them, in case of poisoning and so on. But through acquaintances they asked her: can you feed 600 people? She said: we can. They fed them. They fed them so well that they came back again. They liked it so much. The next day their cooks couldn't be found again. They asked: can you feed another 500 people? And so they kept coming every day — the devotees went out of their way, fed these conscripts, came right to them and fed them prasadam. They are simply eating in silence because they know they may be sent off to war any moment — they are not even talking. And so they are eating prasadam, you understand? It was an event for the devotees — a great event. A special kind of contact. They are already coming to us, you see?

Audience member (female): Hello, my name is Alyona. You said that what you have done will come back to you. So — if you kill, you will be killed. The men who are now in the SVO — they are, it seems, defending the motherland. What should they do?

Alexander Hakimov: What should they do?

Audience member (female): Yes — what will catch up with them?

Alexander Hakimov: That is duty.

Audience member (female): What awaits them?

Alexander Hakimov: That is duty. That is different. One who dies in the fulfilment of duty rises higher, is purified of karma. There are two kinds of glorious death — as written in the Vedas. First: when a person dies fulfilling their duty, perishes in doing so. And second: in Vedic trance. These are glorious deaths. Everything else — no. That is, heroes are purified. There are such heroic acts — when a person performs one, it purifies them from all karma very powerfully. Literally, as the ancients used to say… When soldiers were afraid and fled from the battlefield, then the leaders would say to them — it is described in the Puranas — where are you running? What will you gain by avoiding battle? If you die on the battlefield, you reach the higher planets. If you conquer, you win a kingdom — what do you lose? In neither case do you lose. But what do you gain if you do not fulfil your duty? You lose your reputation, you lose your honour, and you lose everything while saving your life. Therefore for a warrior, the honour is to die on the battlefield — it is their honour, their very dream; great warriors do not want to die in bed, they want to die on the battlefield — it is their honour, the nature of warriors. Not all people have the same nature, so those who end up at the front today without being warriors will have a harder time, of course — but even so, fulfilling their duty, they are purified. It is simply harder for them — for warriors it is easier by nature to go forward into heroic deeds. People of the intellectual class are structured differently. They should not be at war. But today we do not have that kind of education, culture to establish this. These are Vedic rules, ancient ones. They have not yet been established today — we live according to the laws of the state.

Alexander Hakimov: And the third type of problem: it depends neither on me nor on others. But the problem exists. Right?

Questions about Ukraine came in. From those sitting here in the hall, perhaps it doesn't depend — well, a convergence of fateful laws, cause-and-effect connections, everything was heading towards this anyway — if you look carefully, it was simply inevitable. And it no longer depends on us — what can we do? What is the solution? To endure. Here one must bear it with dignity. Not to hurl ourselves at one another, not to shout, not to be aggressive, not to prove things, not to accuse anyone — but to endure. Since it has already happened. No one wants pain, no one wants it. No, there is no such person who would deliberately want pain for themselves, for their loved ones. But it is happening. It is inevitable, as long as we do not receive knowledge. We were just discussing this topic backstage a little. Do you know what the ancient sages say? Don't fall off your chairs. As long as people eat meat on this scale, war will be unavoidable. That is the connection. That is the level of understanding one must have — to understand how food is connected to our fate, in general. How our speech, our tongue, is connected to our fate. On the words we pronounce, on what we say, our future depends — and the future of many people. With one word one can destroy everything. And with one word one can resurrect. How are we using language? How often do we say cruel words to one another? And do you know what a cruel word is? It is written in the Puranas. Cruel words are a harbinger of death. Such subtle laws were understood by people and sages. That is how they could govern language, speech, thoughts. How undisciplined we have become today. At the slightest thing, we immediately throw ourselves at someone, accuse, make things worse still — you understand? It is already bad — and it will get worse.

So, three types of problems are solved differently. And something is resolved through endurance — because we learn not only in life but in death. It will inevitably come to each of us in its own time. But what is the task? How to live and how to die. Quality — that is the meaning. This is fated for everyone — but how to do it is up to us. To do it with dignity, to do it in a human way, to do it in a divine way, or to become eternal enemies. We each choose this. And if someone must be there, must fulfil their duty… It is duty, understand — it is also duty. It was inevitable.

As one friend of mine told me — he was talking about parachute jumping, there are such simulators. With a parachute — you actually fall, but you are attached, so it is a training jump from a tower. A kind of extreme entertainment, so to speak. And he too stood in line. He stood in the queue, and his friends are watching — men, women — he can no longer back out, it would be awkward. He climbs the tower, and it is frightening — it is high, it is his first time — and he simply has to jump down, that's all. Do you know what he said to me? "I understood how fate works. You can do nothing — you are standing in the queue, you must go there." And once I felt that feeling in an aeroplane when it started shaking over the Himalayas. I suddenly realised: I can do nothing, nothing. It already depends on fate — what will be, will be. Whom to blame, at whom to be angry? The plane, or the weather, or the pilot, or yourself for buying the ticket, or to curse your fate? And with such thoughts am I to die — with curses? Oh Lord. Two types of death are honourable in this world — all others are not. Either you die in Yogic trance, departing with elevated thoughts — or you give your life on the battlefield for some HIGH CAUSE. That is honourable. That elevates the spirit. That brings glory, it gives a good example. You have not lived your life in vain, you have not left this body in vain. Everything else — no.

Female disciple from the audience: [difficult to hear] A question — a very difficult situation has formed at this moment, and [begins to cry] I would like to know what you could advise — how we should act correctly, how to relate to this, and [difficult to hear, continues crying] not stand aside, but do something. Because, for example, I periodically have a feeling that I am silently watching a terrible crime take place. What can we do? [crying]

Alexander Hakimov: I did not understand — between whom is this happening?

Female disciple: Between two peoples — Russia and Ukraine.

Alexander Hakimov: Aaa, hmm. Well, if we speak purely transcendentally — chant Hare Krishna, be happy, eat prasadam, there is a mission. If you want to understand the situation in the world, you need to understand it very well. Otherwise you will simply suffer emotionally. You will experience all of this emotionally. Emotions alone are not enough, yes. Because — there is death there, there is war, you understand? Sometimes one must also feel this, I understand. But that is not enough — one must see the situation in the world as a whole. And understand it well. I don't understand it very well myself. But I know one thing: the entire Western world that exists, our world, the way it has manifested — it is a continuation of Ancient Rome. That is where it comes from. These are ideas of empire. The whole world strives toward this. Once there was the British Empire. It had colonies in Africa, it had colonies in India, it had… The sun never set on the British Empire. That is, an attempt was made to build an empire. The Russian Empire also tried. Then, what else — the German Empire, all such attempts have been made. The American empire — some economic matters, the striving toward this. One must understand what an empire is. There was an empire under King Yudhisthira — read carefully — King Prithu, Maharaja Yudhisthira — there were empires, but on a spiritual platform. On a material platform, empire is impossible. And this means that conflicts between states in the struggle do not cease. And wars are predetermined — understand. Try to see the whole picture. Well, all right — I came into this world, and the first thing I learned about was the Vietnam War, then Beirut, Lebanon, Palestine, Bangladesh, Israel, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine, Syria, then Donetsk, Ukraine. LUGANSK WAS BOMBED FOR 8 YEARS. No one was worried — and now everyone is crying, somehow? Well, look carefully — it never stops anywhere, it simply… simply moves from one [difficult to hear] planet, it all travels around. What is this? Try to understand that this is an attempt to create an empire where people have no transcendental knowledge — where people have no transcendental knowledge to build such an empire. That is, if we simply impose some national idea and think that this is an empire, there will be war. To create an empire one must attain transcendental, supranational knowledge. So whoever does this first — Ukraine or Russia, or America, or India — that is who will finally create a spiritual empire where people will be happy. Where nations will not be disdained, where one country will not dominate another, one culture will not dominate another — you understand? No dominance. Therefore — spread spiritual knowledge. The spiritual empire is all described in the Bhagavad-Gita. Get to work — no need to shed empty tears now. Shake off this apathy and fight, preach. That is our task now. Maybe this will help you, I don't know… Will it help, or will nothing help anymore [changes to a playful tone] [female disciple responds — inaudible] I also have loved ones there, I have many disciples there — thank God, so far everyone is alive and well. All the devotees are so far alive and well. One of my godbrothers was wounded — shot through and through. Two days later, or three days, or four — he had already gone to distribute Food For Life. Shot through, the bullet passed just above his heart. He lay there for a few days — now he is serving Krishna. What an example the devotees are setting! Food For Life is being distributed there, books are being distributed, people are preaching — the devotees are doing so much there. Understand — this was inevitable. How can you not understand? If you knew what is happening in the world, what the politics are — if someone works in politics, you must be an expert in these matters, not simply for or against someone, but understand what is happening in the world as a whole. Do not spread some national idea. If you ask my position — political, let's say, in this situation — I will say one thing: I am against fascism, wherever it may be. In Russia, in Ukraine, in America, in Germany — wherever it may be, I am against fascism. That's all. That is my position.

Male disciple from the audience: Hare Krishna! Thank you very much for the nectar that flows through you and melts our hearts. There is such a question — the global trends are changing now and it is as if a curtain is descending. And I would like to know your vision of how preaching will change. And perhaps your expectations from the devotees, from your disciples — what exactly the emphasis might be right now…

Alexander Hakimov: Perhaps the vision of Bhaktivinoda Thakura is being fulfilled, because a spiritual transformation of society is now taking place in Russia. This is no longer a secret — there is no need to keep it hidden. Because practically all reasonable people in Russia are already directly interested in this. Therefore it is precisely Russia — Russia has a great future. If Russia accepts spiritual knowledge, the whole world will change quickly. This would be a supranational idea — that is what we need, not a national one. A national idea leads to conflicts. Russians are not liked — Russian material culture is not liked by Western people, because Western material culture is higher, much higher. But as for spirit, Russia is rich in this. Rich. Yet it is such a wild country at the same time. Here there are of course many saints and many demons, and there are always many conflicts, many offences committed. Such a restless place — a place of extremes, as it is also called. When I was in India, one brahmin said to me: in America people are bad. In India they are good. In Russia — both bad and good. That is how they understand the whole world [laughter in the hall].

All very brief and clear. And of course the world is dividing — as we see now — into divine and demonic natures. The world is dividing too, everyone is forming their own viewpoint, but the internet space is already taking shape. A kind of virtual statehood is forming — much communication, many things — and the Internet is accelerating all these processes now. There is a lot of filth there, but there are also good things, and people are already choosing. This is happening of their own free will. Spiritual knowledge is never imposed. So the process is underway. Astrologers also assert that prosperity is already beginning — any moment now, a favourable spiritual period will come to Russia and its spiritual authority will grow. Such forecasts exist. And I believe in this. In general, the acharyas used to say that this golden age — when the Holy Name would be spread everywhere — they said that the prosperity would be unprecedented. They did not explain it all in detail. Unprecedented. I will not live to see that time, but many of you will live to see it. But I don't need to. No longer necessary — not obligatory — not a problem. But some of you must live to see that time, must witness it. Famous people are now interested in Krishna consciousness. Influential people are now interested. In Kazakhstan too they are interested — they come to me secretly, so that no one sees, so that there is no one in the house. But they are interested. We must preach, hey! [laughter in the hall, exclamations "Jai!"] I can see you've been waiting for the golden age — but who is going to do the work? Ha-ha-ha [exclamations in the hall "Haribol!", applause].

Alexander Hakimov: For example, imagine what buddhi Stalin had. He was a mystic. Stalin was on the level of yogis. Advanced yogis! He had surgery without anaesthesia. That is how he commanded his body. Do you know how he endured it? In silence — he didn't even groan. One spiritual teacher said that Stalin was so focused on affairs of state that he could endure surgery without anaesthesia. What yoga! Such buddhi, such power of the mind. When his son was captured by the fascists, and the fascists realised this was Stalin's son — oh! He could be profitably exchanged for a general, perhaps even more than one. And they went to Stalin — here is your son, and here are several generals in exchange. People watched and wondered: what would Stalin say? And Stalin said: "I don't exchange a private for a general!" Such a mind, such a force — the inner power to make decisions. But do not confuse this with some kind of cold calculation, something unfeeling — that is not quite right. If one looks at it from the position of love, then buddhi is real love itself. But it is not awakened love, and so it appears as a code of laws. If a person's sense of love for others has not been awakened, we say — he deceives no one, very strict....

Alexander Hakimov: Stalin could endure surgery without anaesthesia — he was operated on without anaesthesia during the war years and calmly bore it. Why? Concentration. He was so focused on affairs of state that he could remain unaware of such things.

Student: How does one get rid of criticism?

Alexander Hakimov: Get rid of criticism? By Stalin's method you can [loud laughter in the hall]. He was a very talented manager — an administrator — I don't know how good he was in a moral sense, but in terms of management he was a genius, of course, in certain respects. And so he gave a recipe [laughs]. I think it is a constructive thing that can also be applied [laughs]. He said: "Dissatisfied — criticise; criticising — propose; proposing — act; acting — be accountable." That is called being constructive. If we criticise without proposing anything, that is unconstructive — that is precisely what causes great agitation, quarrels. If you have nothing to propose yet, you must endure — it means the situation is not yet solvable, it happens. Endure.

Alexander Hakimov: To fall into criticism means that the criticism becomes unconstructive. You will not be able to avoid criticism entirely right now. To fall means that the criticism becomes unconstructive. As Stalin used to say — do you remember the formula? Dissatisfied — criticise; criticising — propose; proposing — be accountable; acting — be accountable. That is constructive.

Alexander Hakimov: When the communists came to power, many peasants were afraid to join the collective farms. Only the poor, who had nothing, went to the collective farms. Because to join a collective farm meant you had to surrender all your property to the collective. And those who had nothing to give — they went to the collectives with joy. The middle peasants didn't know whether to go or not, while the kulaks didn't go at all — they were dekulakised. "Leave the middle peasant alone," — "he will come to his senses," — said Lenin. "Dekulakise the kulak — he will not come to his senses, he will fight to the death for his property. And protect the poor — they will go and build the collectives."

Among us there are also poor, middle, and kulaks right now. The kulaks must be dekulakised with the Bhagavatam; the middle ones must listen and gradually realise that it is good to do everything in Krishna consciousness. And there are the poor who have nothing to lose — they have already surrendered to Krishna. They simply have nothing: "Take it, God, what I don't need" — I have nothing anyway. [48:37]

All of this must be perceived on the same level — not that one is better and another worse. Doubt is present in everyone, but the Bhagavatam will strengthen our faith, attentive chanting of the mantra will strengthen our faith. And if faith is strong — this movement cannot be stopped. That is called a movement. This is called a movement. [48:52]

Those who doubt — that is not a movement; there are many doubting people. What movement? Where do you see a movement? Prabhupada gave us complete faith in Krishna, in this process. We receive evidence every single day when we come here — and still we are in doubt within half an hour after the lecture. We start again about our family, about work... "I will surrender later... I listened to everything, and my devotion — just a little later. Right now I'm 30 — well, a bit later, at 50..." [49:34]

Then a person forgets about it. If we do not surrender in time, this will become an ordinary religion. But this — this is not an ordinary religion, Krishna Consciousness. We must receive the darshan of Krishna. This is what Prabhupada speaks about — how everyone here receives darshan when a pure devotee appears. One must receive this darshan. Nrisimhadeva appeared to the devotees, to the pure devotees. It is possible to receive darshan. And we must associate in such a way that we maintain our faith — not maintain doubts, not maintain criticism. [50:14]

Constructive criticism to improve something — please, that is fine; but this must not be our lot, so to speak — to criticise everyone and do nothing. You criticise — Stalin used to say, yes — propose. Everyone criticises, but then propose. Proposing — act; acting — be accountable. You begin to criticise — good, and the process has begun. And you are accountable for everything. Someone criticises you — the same: propose, act, be accountable. Everyone will be accountable, everyone will answer — good. [50:52]