Teachings of Queen Kunti [1978 (first) Edition]

Translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This book is based on one chapter from the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Queen Kunti's teachings are the simple and illuminating outpourings of the soul of a great and saintly woman, revealing the deepest transcendental emotions of the heart and the deepest philosophical and theological penetrations' of the intelect.

Here the world's most distinguished teacher of Vedic culture and philosophy, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada presents The Teachings of Queen Kunti with startling clarity and power.

"So we are unhappy? In the Western countries there is no scarcity of wealth, no scarcity of food, no scarcity of cars, and no scarcity of sex. Everything is available in full abundance. Then why is there still a section of people who are frustrated and confused? Why? Because there is no balance. We are taking care of the necessities of the body, but we have no information of the soul and its neccessities. The soul is the real substance, and the body is only a covering. Therefore neglect of the soul is a form of pollution of duty...

"Bodily comfort, however, is not enough. Suppose a man is very comfortably situated. Does it mean he will not die? Of course not. We speak of a struggle for existence and survival of the fittest, but bodily comforts alone cannot enable anyone to exist or survive permanently. Therefore, taking care of the body only is called a pollution of one's duty.

"One must know the necessities of the body and also the necessities of the soul. The real necessity of life is to supply the comforts of the soul, and the soul cannot be comforted by material adjustments. Because the soul is a different identity, the soul must be given spiritual food, and that spritual food is Krishna consciousness.

"When one is diseased he must be given the proper diet and the proper medicine. Both are required. If he is simply given medicine, but not a proper diet, the treatment will not be very successful. Therefore the Krishna consciousness movement is meant to give both the proper medicine and the proper diet for the soul. The diet is food that has been first offered to Krishna and the medicine is the Hare Krishna mantra:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

(from The Teachings of Queen Kunti)