I am in a dream

Hanuman: In your books you say that the world is like a dream.

Prabhupada: Yes, it is dream.

Hanuman: How is it a dream?

Prabhupada: Dream…well, it has no value. It is gone. And again, this night, when you'll sleep, you'll forget all these things. You'll dream. You don't remember during night, when you are dreaming, that "I have got my house, I have got my wife I have..." You all forget. So it is dream.

Hanuman: But I have the impression that "This (day) is true, and my (night) dream is not true." What is the dif...?

Prabhupada: No, no. Everything is untrue. How it is true? If it is true, why you forget at night? Why you forget? If it is true. Do you remember at night?

Hanuman: No, I don't remember.

Prabhupada: Then? How it is true? As you don't remember the dreams which you saw last night..., That, therefore we say "dream." Similarly this thing, because you forget at night, this is also dream.

Hanuman: But I have...

Prabhupada: This is day-dream, that is night-dream. That's all.

Bahulasva: When you dream at night, then you think that is real.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is real. You cry... It is dream, but you are crying, "There is tiger, tiger, tiger!" Where is tiger? But you are seeing it is fact, tiger. "I am being killed by a tiger." But where is tiger. [break] ...in dream you are embracing some beautiful girl. Where is that beautiful girl? Therefore it is called maya-sukhaya. The same thing, that at night you are dreaming you are embracing nice beautiful girl, as there is no such thing, similarly, in the daytime also, whatever advancement you are making, this is also like that. Maya-sukhaya. We are happy, we are dreaming, "This process will make me happy. This process will make me happy." But the whole process is dream only. You are taking this day-dream as reality because the duration is long. At night, when you dream, the duration is for half an hour. And this is for twelve hours, or more than that. That is the difference. It is a twelve hours' dream, and that is half an hour dream. But actually, both of them are dream. And because it is twelve hours' dream, you are taking it as, accepting it as real. That is called illusion.

Bahulasva: Illusion.

Prabhupada: Yes. We are making distinction between animal and ourself, but we're forgetting, we are forgetting, the animal also will die and I will also die. So where is my advancement? Will you remain? You'll also die. So where is your advancement upon animals? That is stated in sastra: ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanam etat pasubhir naranam. Business -- eating, sleeping, sex-life and defending -- this is also animal's business. And you are also doing the same. How you are distinct from animal? You'll die. The animal will die. But if you say, "I'll die after one hundred years, and this ant will die after one hour," that does not mean that you are in reality. It is a question of time. Just like this huge universe. It will be all be destroyed. As your body will be destroyed, this will be destroyed, annihilation, dissolution. Nature's way, everything will be dissolved. So therefore it is dream. It is a long duration dream. That's all. Nothing else. But the advantage is that even in this dream you can realize the reality, God. That is the... So if you don't take advantage of this dream, then you are missing.

Prabhupada: Therefore Vedas says, uttisthata. "Get up, get up, get up!" Jagrta. "Become awakened." Prapya varam nibodhata. "Now you have got the opportunity. Utilize it." This is Vedic injunction. Uttisthata jagrta prapya varam nibodhata. This is Vedic in... Tamasi ma jyotir gama. These are Vedic injunctions. So we are preaching the same thing, that "Reality is here, Krsna. Don't remain in this darkness. Come to this consciousness." That is our preaching. Tamasi ma jyotir gama. [break] ...experienced the sunshine, bright day, and this gloomy day. So when you are in darkness, we must have to admit, "There is light." Because darkness means absence of light. So as we are in the darkness of this material existence, there must be something life of light. That is spiritual world. That is reality. [break] ...aham brahmasmi. "Oh, I don't belong to this darkness, darkness atmosphere. I belong to the light atmosphere." That is self-realization. Aham brahmasmi.

Prabhupada: When you are chanting Hare Krsna. That is reality. When Krsna is there, then Krsna is there with everything. Krsna cannot be alone.

Bahulasva: This is the real science, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Yes. Vijnana. Yad vijnana-samanvitam. Jnanam parama-guhyam me yad vijnana-samanvitam. Is it not? Jnanam me... "My knowledge is very confidential and it is full of science." Jnanam parama-guhyam me yad vijnana-samanvitam. And in the Bhagavad-gita there is said, "Knowing this knowledge..." Yaj jnatva neha bhuyo 'nyaj jnatavyam avasisyate. In the Vedas it is said, kasmin tu bhagavo vijnate sarvam idam vijnatam bhavati. So this is the way. Try to understand Krsna and everything will be known. [break] ...guhyam pavitram paramam idam. Eh? Bhagavad-gita. Raja-vidya, the knowledge, the king of knowledge. [break]

Hanuman: Without your mercy, there's no way out of the dream of material life.

Prabhupada: Krsna's. Krsna's mercy. Yes. (pause) [break]

- Morning Walk -January 9, 1974, Los Angeles

If you do not believe the above conversation, please read the article in this link. Please pay special attention to the last line in the article.

Indeed, it is a dream!!

Hare Krishna