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Accept God (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973:

That's all. That is religion. Because here is the religion: sarva-dharmān parityajya māṁ ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is religion. Bhāgavata says. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra: "All cheating type of religion is kicked out from this Bhāgavatam." Only nirmatsarāṇām, those who are not envious of God... "Why shall I love God? Why shall I worship God? Why shall I accept God?" They are all demons. For them only, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, for them only those who are actually serious to love. Ahaitukī apratihatā yenātmā samprasīdati.

So real success of life is that when you learned how to love God. Then your heart will be satisfied. Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. If you get Kṛṣṇa or God... Kṛṣṇa means God. If you have got another name of God, that is also accepted. But God, the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Person. When you have got this... Because we are loving somebody. The loving propensity is there. In everyone. But it is misdirected. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "Kick out all these loving objects. Try to love Me."

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Pittsburgh, September 8, 1972:

That is the struggle for existence. But if we understand these three principles, that God is the supreme father, God is the supreme proprietor, God is the supreme friend, these three things, if you understand, then you become peaceful immediately. Immediately. You are seeking friends to get help, so many. But if we simply accept God, Kṛṣṇa, as my friend, supreme friend, your friendship problem is solved. Similarly, if we accept God as the supreme proprietor, then our other problem is solved. Because we are falsely claiming proprietorship of things which belong to God. By falsely claiming that "This land, this land of America, belongs to the Americans; the land of Africa belongs to the Africans." No. Every land belongs to God. We are different sons of God in different dresses. We have got right to enjoy the property of father, God, without infringing others' right. Just like in family, we live, so many brothers. So whatever father, mother gives us to eat we eat.

Lecture on BG 2.26-27 -- London, August 29, 1973:

You cannot stop this process. Jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca tasmād aparihārye 'rthe. Duty. The same thing is going on. Duty is very important thing. Kṛṣṇa is stressing on it. One cannot stop his duty. Then he becomes sinful. That is karma-vāda. If, just like so many people, they argue that if we discharge our duties nicely, then where is the need of accepting God? The karma-vāda philosophy is that if there is God, then he's giving us the result of our activities, and if I do nicely, then He gives me nice opportunity, and if I do not do things very nicely, I am put into suffering. So there is a karma-phala-datta, decides... Just like the high-court judge, he is giving judgement according to the case, different cases. Similarly, our goodness or badness will be decided according to our karma. That is also fact. Then what is the use of accepting one God? If I do my duties very nicely, then He must give me nice result. Why shall I worship Him? Why shall I become a devotee of God?

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

So there is no question of sectarianism, that "In this temple the Christians will come" or "The Muhammadans will not come." Anyone. Because we are teaching what? Teaching love of Godhead. Either you become Christian or Muhammadan, Hindu, how you can deny God? Those who are denying God, their case is different. But one who is accepting God as the central figure in religion, how they can deny this movement? Because we are teaching love of Godhead. That's all. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

Or where is God. That is perfection. So long one does not understand what is God or the Absolute Truth by whom everything is being emanated, the knowledge is imperfect. Knowledge is not finished. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births of cultivating knowledge, one comes to the understanding of accepting God is the prime source, fountainhead of everything." That is perfection of knowledge.

At the present moment people are denying the existence of God, or they are thinking that God is dead. That means imperfection of knowledge. They have to still make progress to the perfectional point. And that test is to understand, "Here is God, and He is the fountainhead of everything." That perfection of knowledge you will have simply by reading... Any scripture you can read. The same conception is there. But in the Bhagavad-gītā it is more clearly explained so that you can understand with all reason, arguments, and scrutiny too. It is not dogmatic.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:

This is bhāva. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so great." When one understands greatness of Kṛṣṇa, how great He is. Because people do not understand... They generally speak, "God is great." That is very good. At least, one accepts God is great. But how He is great and what is the extent of His greatness, if we understand, then our regard and reverence for Kṛṣṇa increases. Just like we have got some friend, but if we know the opulence of the friend, how great he is... He may be a very big man, very big business magnate or minister. If we know, then our, "Oh, you have got such a nice friend." Similarly, we should try to understand Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:

We accept some leader and follow his principles. Just like you have elected your leader as President Johnson, the president of your state. He is supposed to be the leader of your nation, and he is asking you to go to the Vietnam and sacrifice your life. So you are following. So this is the natural position. Even if we do not accept God, if we do not accept the leadership of God, we have to select another leader. We cannot get rid of this principle, that we can live without leader. That is our constitutional position.

So the difficulty is that... Our difficulty is that instead of following the supreme leader, we are creating by mental concoction some leader according to our material conception of life, and we are following. That is our position.

Lecture on BG 6.6-12 -- Los Angeles, February 15, 1969:

You must theoretically know, or at least some experience what is gold. Otherwise people will cheat you. So these people are being cheated, accepting so many rascals as God. Because they do not know what is God. Anyone comes, "Oh, I am God," and the rascal—he is rascal, and the man who says that "I am God," he's also rascal. So rascal society and one rascal is accepted God. God is not like that. One has to qualify himself to see God, to understand God. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). If you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, then you'll be qualified to see God. Otherwise it is not possible. Go on.

Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:

That is bhakti-yoga. Because they accept God. Unless you accept God there is no question of bhakti-yoga. So Christian religion is also Vaiṣṇavism because they accept God. Maybe in the, some stage different from this. There are different stages of God realization also. The Christian religion says "God is great." Accept! That is very good. But just how great God is, that you can understand from Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But there is acceptance that God is great. That is therefore that is beginning of bhakti. You can apply that bhakti. Even the Mohammedan religion. That is also bhakti-yoga. Any religion where God is the target, that is applied in bhakti. But when there is no God or impersonalism, there is no question of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means bhaja jayukti bhaja-sevayā(?). Service. Service means three things: the servitor, the served, and service. One must be present who will accept service. And one must be present to render service. And in the via media, the process of service.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 26, 1968:

You may want Kṛṣṇa as your lover. You may want Kṛṣṇa as your son. You may want Kṛṣṇa as your friend. You may want Kṛṣṇa as your master. You may want Kṛṣṇa as the supreme sublime. These five different kinds of direct relationship with Kṛṣṇa is called devotion, bhakti. Without any material profit. Now the concept of accepting God as son is superior than the concept of accepting God as father. There is distinction. The relationship between father and son is that the son wants to take something from the father. But the father's relationship with the son is that father always wants to give something to the son. Therefore the relationship with God or Kṛṣṇa as father is better than relationship with Kṛṣṇa...

Just like if I accept God as my father, then I am the son. Then my business will be to ask only for my necessities from the father. That is my business. But if I become father of Kṛṣṇa, then from the beginning of His childhood, my business will be to serve Kṛṣṇa. The father, the parents, they serve the child from the beginning of his birth.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:

Materialistic means demon. Don't you see the example of Hiraṇyakaśipu? What was his fault? He is called a demon. Why? What was his fault? His fault was to..., not to accept God. His small child was a devotee. He was thinking of God, and the father was angry: "Why you are thinking of God? Why you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa?" Just see. But materially the father was so powerful that he conquered all over other planets. He was so powerful. So any materialistic person, if he has got more money, wealth, strength, he is worshiped. So this is demon worship. Demons are generally very powerful. They are so-called educated. They are so-called... So many things they have got. But the test is: if he has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness, he is demon. That's all. That is the study of demon. Yes. Go on.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:

God being absolute, His name, His form, His quality, His entourage, they are all the same, as good as God. So if you associate with any one of them, either God personally or with His name or with His form or with His quality or with His paraphernalia, immediately you become in contact with God. This is the science. This is not fiction; this is science. Because if you accept God as absolute, there cannot be difference between God and His name and His form. So this is science. You'll realize as you make progress. You'll realize. Just like these boys, they're chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they are realizing; otherwise I've not bribed them. They're mad after Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. It is not due to my bribing them. They're actually realizing that they are in touch with Kṛṣṇa. So anyone can do that. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, therefore, that there are many thousands of names of God. Although we say that the only perfect name is Kṛṣṇa, but if you think, "No, we have got another name," that's all right. But it must be the name of God. It must be full with the conception of God.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

So we are teaching not to formally accept there is God, but know what is God and love Him. So those who are interested for higher knowledge of God, they'll take it. The point is simply officially to accept God, There is God, know. You know what is God, what is His..., what He is doing, what He is acting, what is His name, what is His address. Everything you know and try to love Him. That we are teaching. So those who are actually serious to know about God, they'll come to this movement. And those who simply know God officially: "There is God. That's all," that is different thing. That is also good. But if you want to know more, then you have to take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are therefore presenting these books, eighty books, four hundred pages each, and just to explain what is God. So it is a great science. Any intelligent man will appreciate. And we are getting good response. Especially in America, big, big university, college, professors, they are now purchasing.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968:

So to know God and how things are working and how it is being controlled, these things are to be known. We should not go simply by sentiment. Religious sentiment is good for persons who follow blindly. But at the present moment, people are advanced in so-called education. So Bhagavad-gītā gives you full information so that you can accept God with your reason, with your argument, with your knowledge. It is not blind following. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a sentiment. It is backed by knowledge and practical knowledge. Vijñānam. Jñānaṁ vijñāna sahitam. So without vijñāna sahitam... And the process is to understand this knowledge is to be a surrendered soul. Therefore we disciple... Disciple means one who accepts the discipline. Without accepting discipline, we cannot make any progress. It is not possible. Any field of knowledge, any field of activities, if you want to be aware, scientifically and factually, then you should accept the controlling principle. Samagreṇa vakṣ ya svarūpaṁ sarvokaraṁ yatra dhiyaṁ tad ubhaya-viṣayakaṁ jñānaṁ vyaktum.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- London, March 10, 1975:

Therefore our process is—we have repeatedly explained this—that we do not speculate about God. Just like there are so many others, theosophists and theologists, they're speculating what is God. They don't accept... God personally explaining, they would not accept. They would simply speculate. This is their disease. When God is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā... Rather, they will mislead the readings of the Bhagavad-gītā in different interpretation, but they will not accept what is being taught by God Himself. This is their misfortune. "Why shall I accept Kṛṣṇa as God?" Although He has proved Himself when He was present by the qualification which God needs...

To become God is not easy thing. There are some qualification, yesterday we discussed, that He must be the richest, He must be the most powerful, He must be the most famous, He must be the most learned, He must be the most beautiful, and He must be the most renounced.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- London, March 10, 1975:

That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Their activities are mentioned, wonderful activities. We accept Lord Rāmacandra as God, Lord Kṛṣṇa as God, Caitanya Mahāprabhu as God, because They are mentioned in the śāstras, all the incarnations, even this age. One may say that "Lord Rāmacandra is accepted God, Lord Kṛṣṇa is also accepted, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is the greatest devotee of God, but..." There are some persons in the Nimbārka-sampradāya, they put this argument. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu's name is there in the śāstra, many Upaniṣads, especially in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in the Kali-yuga this incarnation of God should be worshiped. What is that description?

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa is there, and Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself, "I am like this." But unfortunately we'll not understand Kṛṣṇa, but we'll try to speculate what is God. This is our disease. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself; God is explaining Himself. We shall not take that statement, but either we shall deny or we shall accept God without any head and leg and so on, so many things. This is our disease. Therefore in the previous verse it has been explained,

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
(BG 7.3)

Out of many millions and millions of persons, actually they are serious to understand, "What is the aim of life? What is God? What is my relation..." Nobody is interested. Just like... Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Everyone is interested with this bodily conception of life like cats and dogs. This is the position. Not only now, always, this is the material condition. But somebody, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu, out of millions, one tries to understand, to make his life perfect. And out of such perfection...

Lecture on BG 7.9 -- Vrndavana, August 15, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Kṛṣṇa is a person, and from His energies so many varieties of productions are coming out. But still, He is existing. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). He's pūrṇa. Not that because so many things have been taken from Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is finished. This is material life. They cannot conceive of the omnipotency. They accept God is omnipotent, but they cannot understand what is that omnipotency. The omnipotency is that so many things are being manifested by the Kṛṣṇa's energies, but Kṛṣṇa is not lost. Kṛṣṇa is there. We haven't got to worship so many things, pantheism. No. That is not our... Pantheism, the same idea, that "Kṛṣṇa, or the Absolute Truth, has become divided into so many ways; therefore everything combined together is the Absolute Truth," this is the theory of pantheism. But ours is Vedic proposition, that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of everything. Varieties of material and spiritual things are there, but Kṛṣṇa's identity is there in Vṛndāvana. Vṛndāvanaṁ parityajya padam ekaṁ na gacchati. Kṛṣṇa is there.

Lecture on BG 9.10 -- Calcutta, June 29, 1973:

So unless there is a sensible driver there, it cannot move. Very plain truth. Anyone can understand. But we are so foolishly educated that we do not accept this fact. We say that: "Matter is the cause of life. We do not accept this theory that life is the cause of matter." Because they are atheistic persons. As soon as they accept that life is the cause of matter, they have to accept God. Immediately. Immediately they have to accept God.

So these atheistic persons, in order to avoid Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in order to avoid Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, they push forward this theory that life is caused by matter. But that is not the fact. There are many instances. We can give many instances that life produces matter. Life... I can give you one small example. Just take, for example, one lemon tree. Lemon tree, it is also a living entity. Because there are eight million four hundred thousand species of living entities. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Sthāvarāḥ means these trees, plants, creepers.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is not an ordinary man. Therefore Kṛṣṇa warns this. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Mūḍha rascals. To accept God as man and to accept man as God, this is rascaldom. Rascaldom means to accept a man as God and to accept God as man. This is rascaldom. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. We can understand who is an intelligent man and who is a rascal by this criterion. In another place Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ: (BG 7.15) "Mūḍhāḥ, rascals, they do not surrender unto Me." Kṛṣṇa is canvassing... Especially in India He appeared. He is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He is canvassing. But the mūḍhas, they will not accept it. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. "Oh. Why shall I accept Kṛṣṇa? I have got my own God. I manufacture my God." So we have got very short-cut criterion to understand a rascal and intelligent man. What is that? If he is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then he is intelligent man. If he is not, then he's rascal. That's all.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- South Africa, October 18, 1975:

Their other philosophy is that there is no God. Jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8). As soon as you say that "God has created the cosmic material world, the sky. God has created," they will laugh at you "Ha, God has created. Why you bring God?" Someone was telling me that in some scientific conference they first of all warn that "Don't bring God in any of your statements." What is that? Do you know? So these asuras, their first business is how to convince people that everything has taken place by accident or by combination of matter. There is no question of accepted God, the creator. That's all. What is that?

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hawaii, February 3, 1975:

So why don't you produce life in the laboratory? Matter is there. Chemicals are there. You mix them and produce a life. When some such chemist is inquired, "Whether you can produce life if I give you the chemicals?" they will immediately say, "That I cannot say." Then why do you speak like that? So this is asuric. If they accept that everything comes from the living being, then they will have to accept God. So they want to avoid this: "Everything matter." But that is not the fact. Origin is life. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Aham. Kṛṣṇa is life. He's not dead matter. So...

Now, what to speak of Kṛṣṇa, you can, if you think of yourself... This material body, how it has developed, such big body? Because the living spark is there. The gigantic material thing grows on the basis of spirit soul.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

Similarly, we may be foolish—we do not know; we cannot understand who is the original father—but there must have been the original father. That is God. That is God. Where is the deficiency to understand this fact?

Therefore, accepted, God is accepted as the original father. The Christian, they go to the original father: "O Father, O God, give us our daily bread." So we also accept. That is the godly conception. That is the beginning of religious conception. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). What is dharma, religion? It is the codes given by God. That is dharma. Just like the state, the government, gives law: "You have to do like this. Keep to the right." You have to keep your car to the right. This is law. You cannot say, "Why not to the left?" You cannot say. Then you are criminal. Similarly, there are codes and description in the śāstra what God wants. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā God said that bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasām: (BG 5.29)

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975 Final Part 2 :

Without your research work, you take it. That is our mission. They are searching after God. We are giving God: "Here is God. Here is His name. Here is His address. Here is occupation. Here is His father's name, His mother's name." Everything here is. This is not bogus, bogus (indistinct). Kṛṣṇa is accepted God. How is He accepted? Vedic literature, the Brahma-sūtra, says. The Brahma-sūtra commentary, explanation, is the Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyaṁ brahma-sūtrānām **. Brahma-sūtrānām, commentary... (break) ...and according to your consciousness, in this way they have become entangled, entrapped in this material (indistinct). That is not the life of human being. The life of human being is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and you will be peaceful as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa. What is that Kṛṣṇa?

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

"All right," He does not inquire that "Sir, you are also blind. I am also blind. How you can help me crossing over the road?" No. He is also blind. This is going on. One blind man, one cheater is cheating another blind man, cheating. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say this material world is a society of cheaters and cheated. That's all. Combination of cheater and cheated. I want to be cheated because I don't accept God. If there is God, then I become responsible for my sinful life. So therefore let me deny God: "There is no God," or "God is dead. Finish, finished."

Therefore somebody comes, "Yes, I am God." "Oh, sir, you are God? Yes. That's all right." Because he wanted to be cheated, so somebody comes and declares himself that "I am God," and he is cheated. We cannot accept such God. We shall say, "Oh, you are God? All right, you lift this hill first of all with your finger. Then I shall accept you God." We don't accept such so cheap God. The rascals may accept some cheap God.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

Brahmā said, "God is here, Kṛṣṇa." Brahmā is the original person who distributes knowledge, Vedic knowledge. So we accept Kṛṣṇa. The Brahmā has said. And we see, "Yes. He is God. He is lifting hill. He is killing Pūtanā at the age of three months old only. A seven years old boy is lifting hill." So God must execute uncommon acts; otherwise, how shall I accept God if He's like me? Kṛṣṇa devoured the whole forest fire. His friends appealed, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, there is fire." The cows were crying. Kṛṣṇa said, "Don't worry." Boy of six years old. So that is God. We accept Rāmacandra as God. He brought big, big stones and floated over the ocean. Does a stone float over the ocean? Yes, it floats under the order of God. He can do it. The law of gravitation will not act there. He can change. You can see. Million tons heavy, this earth, so many hills, and Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean. It is floating in the air just like a swab of cotton. You are explaining "weightlessness," but that's all right. But you float such thing. You can say so many things.

Lecture on SB 1.2.1 -- New Vrindaban, September 1, 1972:

Yes. Because our business is to love God, so this is very higher conception. There are different stages of love. Love in silence, love in servitorship, love in friendship, love in paternal relationship, love in conjugal relationship. So to accept God as son is a process of loving God. Just like the parents and a small child. Nobody can love the small child better than his parents. Similarly, one who wants to love God, he prays to God, "Kindly you become my child." So God is so kind, He becomes child of a devotee. Although God is the original Father, but this is a process of loving God. Just like Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Mother Yaśodā, because they underwent severe penance in their previous life, both the husband and wife. They underwent severe penance, and Kṛṣṇa appeared before them, "What do you want?" They said, "My dear Lord, we want a child like You." So God said, "That, where shall I find a child like Me? I shall become your child". (laughter) That's it.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Montreal, August 2, 1968:

That is called Bhāgavata-dharma. First of all we must know what is God. Then we must know what is our relationship with God. Then, as soon as relationship is known, then what is our duty? Just like if you are admitted in some institution or in some office... (break)

...our relationship. So everyone, every religion, accepts "God is great," sum total definition. That's a fact. God is great. And we are minute, small. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). God says, Kṛṣṇa says, that "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel." Part and parcel means... We can understand very easily. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. Everyone can understand it. So we are part and parcel of God. Take the whole body of God, the virāḍ-mūrti or the gigantic universal form. In whichever you like, you take. So every one of us is part of that universal body. Mamaivāṁśaḥ. So the same example: the finger or the one piece of hair, whatever you take, it is the part and parcel of the body.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

Mathematics two plus two equal to four everywhere. It is not that in Calcutta University two plus two equal to five, and in London University two plus equal to three. No. Everywhere two plus two equal to five, four. Similarly, dharma means obedience to the laws of God. That is dharma. Either you become Christian or Hindu or Muslim, whether you accept God as the supreme authority and whether you abide by the laws of God, then you are dharmic. Otherwise, it is cheating. If there is no conception of God, if one does not know what is God and what is the order of God, then that type of religion is cheating religion and that kind of religion is completely thrown out from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura said, pṛthivīte āche yata..., pṛthivīte yahā kichu dharma nāme cale. Cale means it is passing on in the name of religion but it is not religion. Because religion without conception of God, what is the meaning of that religion? If that is religion, that is not parā dharma. That is aparā dharma. Aparā dharma. Just like sometimes we take deśa-dharma.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- New Vrindaban, September 7, 1972:

So anyone who is going to church and asking God for bread, he's thousand times better than that rascal, who is not going to church, because he's, after all, approaching God. Maybe he does not know what to pray from God, but he's approaching God. Therefore, he's thousand times better than the rascal who is atheist, who does not care for church or temple. That is stated. Sukṛtinaḥ, he's pious, he's accepting God, that "God gives us bread." That principle he is accepting; therefore he is pious, he has been accepted as pious. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna. "Those who are pious, they come to Me." Ārto arthārthī jñānī.

So jijñāsu. There are four kinds of men who come to God. They are all pious. The first is ārta. A common man, if he's pious, if he's in distress, he prays to God, "My dear Lord, kindly rescue me from this difficulty." But he's to be considered as pious, because he's approaching God for relief. Arthārthī, those who are poor, they are going to temple or church for some money, praying to God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14-16 -- San Francisco, March 24, 1967:

Now this mentality, to have some attraction to hear about Vāsudeva... Vāsudeva-kathā means Kṛṣṇa, to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has many activities. In the world there are many scriptures-undoubtedly they accept God. But there is no information of God's activities. That is the difference between Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other scriptures. In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa is speaking about Himself personally, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also speaking about Kṛṣṇa spoken by Vyāsadeva. Practically the subject matter is the same. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Supreme Personality of Godhead speaking Himself, and in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the compiler, the author, Vyāsadeva, he is speaking of Kṛṣṇa. So kṛṣṇa-kathā. This is full of kṛṣṇa-kathā. These two important Vedic literature is full of kṛṣṇa-kathā. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu... We are worshiping Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is supposed to be... He is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. So He also advised everyone, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-kathā. Tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-kathā.

Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Los Angeles, August 18, 1972:

This rascal is saying, "No, there is no need of God. Ah, book. Simply I say; you accept it." The people are accepting. How foolish rascals they are. Just see. There must be a test. We are accepting Kṛṣṇa as God not blindly, but by testing. By testing. His character is mentioned in the books. Therefore, we accept God, not by blind faith, but by testing. Although we cannot test, but śāstra gives us the chance of testing. We accept spiritual master by testing, not by blind faith. No. According to the Vedic instruction, tad-vijñānārtham.

Lecture on SB 1.2.24 -- Los Angeles, August 27, 1972:

By Vedic injunction, the human society, civilized human society, they require to perform sacrifices, fire sacrifices. Just like we do in all auspicious ceremonies... It is said that through the fire, God eats. We give to the fire the grains and the fruits and other thing. That is, means, God is eating, through fire. So sacrifice means you sacrifice for God, and God is accepting. God is accepting also when we offer prasādam to the Lord, He's accepting, but we want to see. That is our disease. We want to see everything. Therefore, the fire sacrifice, you can see that whatever is offering, it is being eaten up. God can eat in many ways. Because a third-class man, they want to see that God is eating, therefore this is required, sacrifice. God, as it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā: aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. His every limb of the body is as good as the other part of the body. Just like we have got our eyes. With eyes we can see, but we cannot eat. But God can do that. He can see, eat also, through the eyes.

Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972:

That is nirīśa; he's godless. Because all the scientists, all the philosophers in this age, their only tendency is how to get out God, "No more God. That is very primitive. To talk of God is a primitive idea. Now we are advanced in science; why we shall talk about God?" This is the tendency. This is the tendency. But how you can solve all these questions without accepting God? Without accepting a supreme source of everything, how you can solve? It is not possible. You are simply a product of this cosmic manifestation. Your brain, your teeny brain is composed of some muscles and veins. That is product of this material world. You cannot even produce a brain. Just consider. Can you produce a brain? You are eulogizing a great scientist like Professor Einstein. All right. Why not Professor Einstein creating a brain like him? Why? What is the difficulty? He may create a brain like him and keep it in the glass case so that there will be no shortage of scientific men. But why he dies? Why he dies? Who is forcing him to death? Why he becomes diseased? Why he becomes old man?

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:

So here we see that you can have God as your son. There are so many instances. Just like Devakī got Kṛṣṇa as his (her) son; Mother Yaśodā got God as his (her) son; Śacī-mātā, (s)he also got Caitanya Mahāprabhu as son. So this is better philosophy than to accept God as father. That is especially in the Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Others, the impersonalist, voidists, they have no conception of God. Voidists—"Ultimately everything is zero," and the impersonalists, "God has no form." Both are the same thing, in a different language. The voidists, they say, "Ultimately there is nothing but zero," and the impersonalists statement that "Maybe something, but it is not person, it is imperson."

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:

So here we see that you can have God as your son. There are so many instances. Just like Devakī got Kṛṣṇa as his (her) son; Mother Yaśodā got God as his (her) son; Śacī-mātā, (s)he also got Caitanya Mahāprabhu as son. So this is better philosophy than to accept God as father. That is especially in the Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Others, the impersonalist, voidists, they have no conception of God. Voidists—"Ultimately everything is zero," and the impersonalists, "God has no form." Both are the same thing, in a different language. The voidists, they say, "Ultimately there is nothing but zero," and the impersonalists statement that "Maybe something, but it is not person, it is imperson."

One who does not accept the authority of Koran, they call "kafir." And the Christians also, they call "heathens." So there are different terms. So according to our Vedic line of thought, anyone who does not accept the Vedic way of life, he is called atheist. Therefore Buddhist, according to Vedantists, Buddhist are called atheist. Actually Buddha philosophy does not accept God, neither soul. They simply philosophize on the material elements, and they want to finish the material exis..., dismantle the material elements. Nirvāṇa. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has remarked that the Buddhists are honest. They frankly say that "We don't accept your Vedas." But the Shankarites, they are cheaters, because they are accepting Vedas, but on the basis of Buddha philosophy. That is cheating.

So there are many conception of God. But there is a conception of God: to accept God as son. That is only in Vaiṣṇava philosophy, because we are eternal servants of God. That is our philosophy.

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:

"We love Kṛṣṇa unconditionally. That's all. We do not know anything except Kṛṣṇa." This is Vṛndāvana atmosphere.

So Mother Yaśodā, Nanda and other elderly gopīs, they used to treat Kṛṣṇa as son, as beloved son, because if we accept God as father or mother... There is conception of mother also. The śāktas... There are many devotees of Durgā, Kālī. They also accept the mother. The Christians accept as father. The conception of father and mother, that is good, but there is little service... Because children, they take service from the mother and father. They give, render very little service to the father and mother. Every children, every man, every woman has taken so much services from the father and mother. Everyone knows that. Just like those who are mothers here, how much service they are giving to the little children, how much careful they are that their child may not be in some difficulty, always anxious.

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:

Similarly, this philosophy, to accept God as son, means opportunity for rendering more service than to accept God as father.

God is neither father nor... He is father. Actually He is father, because He is the origin of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Kṛṣṇa also says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Pitā means father. So actually, God's position is father. He is father of everything. Not... All living entities, all material energy. As... If you discover something, it is called "the father of this scientific discovery." So He has discovered everything, material and spiritual both. Therefore He is original father of everyone. Not only of the living entities, but also stones, woods, earth, water, fire, everything. He has created. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva..., prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā, bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). In the Bhagavad-gītā. So He has created everything. He is actually the father. But out of love, the devotees, they accept the father as son, to give more service. Father is obliged to give service to the son. He has given birth; therefore he has obligation to maintain the son, to give service.

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:

So here, if you accept God as son, then you cannot avoid the obligation of service. In other way you can avoid. This is compulsory. Therefore sometimes devotees, they pray... Here it is said..., prayed for. The sixth incarnation of the puruṣa was the son of the sage Atri. He was born in the womb of Anasūyā, who prayed for an incarnation. She requested that "You all three, you become my son." So next.

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-8 -- New Vrindaban, May 23, 1969:

Now Nārada Muni says that "Not as sidelight. Completely you have to write one book simply glorifying the Supreme Lord. Then you'll be satisfied." Not sidelight. Completely. Bhavatānudita-prāyam (SB 1.5.8). Here it is said, parāvareśa... Anudita-prāyam, anukta-prāyam. A sidelight. People take... Just like, "All right, yes, we accept God. But we cannot devote our whole time for God. We shall go weekly once or fortnightly once, or one hour in a day, partial. Our business is another. We want to enjoy sense gratification, and we shall go to church or temple just to ask God to supply our ingredients of sense gratification: 'Oh God, give me this. Give me this. I am poor man. I am this. I am this. I am suffering. I have got some disease.' " But still Bhagavad-gītā says that they are sukṛtina. Because they go to temple or church asking God something, because they are accepting that "There is God who can satisfy our needs," therefore they are sukṛtina. But those who are duṣkṛtina, miscreants, they don't believe in God.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

What wonderful things he has done? We are accepting anyone as God, but we do not test what, what proof he has given to become God? Here is God: Urukrama. Here is God. We accept Kṛṣṇa as God. He has done from the very childhood uncommon, wonderful activities. We are not fool that we accept somebody, a nonsense having a great beard, and we accept God. No. We must see that he has wonderful activities. What is that wonderful activities? First of all test.

So here it is said, urukramasya. "If you describe the activities of the Supreme Lord, who acts wonderfully, then..." Samādhinā. That you can... That samādhi, yoga-samādhi. After passing all these stages, when one comes to the samādhi, fixed up, his concentration, meditation, fixed up on Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, that is called samādhi, and in that samādhi, one can become liberated simply by thinking of the activities of the Lord.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

Unalloyed means no motive, no motive. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Other motives, completely zero. Generally, they go to temple to church, to..., or mosque, generally, they go with a motive. Just like in the Christian world, they go that "God must be order supplier. We shall pray to God, and He must supply. Then I accept God. This is the condition. And if He does not supply my order, I don't care for this God." So they are not going to become servant of God. They want to make God his servant: "God, give us our daily bread." That's all right. God is giving daily bread. Why you are asking, bothering God? He is supplying food to millions and trillions of living entities, and why not to you? He'll also supply. That is not our problem, that God will supply our bread. He is supplying without asking. Do the animals go to the church and ask for bread? But they are getting sufficient. They are getting sufficient.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

Do the animals go to the church and ask for bread? But they are getting sufficient. They are getting sufficient.

Therefore God consciousness does not mean any motive to take from some God, something from God. That is not God consciousness. You give everything to God. That is God consciousness. Just like the conception of accepting God as child. That is better conception (than) to accept God as father, because from father we simply take away: "Father, give me this, give me that, give me that, give me that." And if you accept God as child, then you have to give everything. This is Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava conception. Yaśodāmāyi. (S)He has accepted, (s)he is worshiping God as child, so that she is always engaged that Kṛṣṇa may not be in any inconvenience, about His body, about His comforts. Always Mother Yaśodā is anxious that "Kṛṣṇa is now very naughty. He may not capture some monkey, He may not fall down on the water, He may not be burnt in the fire." Always anxious. Because this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

The best service. Kṛṣṇa does not require anyone's service. He is complete, pūrṇam. But for pleasing His devotee, He becomes dependent. He is bothering mother, "I am hungry. Why don't you give Me food. I will steal butter, your stock."

So this philosophy, Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava philosophy, is very sublime, to accept God as subordinate. Kṛṣṇa says in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, you will find, that "Everyone worships Me with awe and veneration. But if anyone worships Me without any awe, veneration, and treats Me as insignificant, I like that. (laughter) I like that." So that exchange of Kṛṣṇa's feelings you can find in this Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava philosophy, that Mother Yaśodā is treating Kṛṣṇa as very insignificant. "He is my child. If I don't give Him protection, He will die." Therefore Kṛṣṇa is very much obliged to Mother Yaśodā. Yes. But nobody... Everyone comes to God, "Oh, God is so exalted and..."

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

Father means to exploit him, to exploit.

So the father conception of God, mother conception of God, is not bad. Just like in Bengal especially, they have got mother conception. Mother conception means the same thing, to exploit, take from mother, or father. But the Vaiṣṇava conception is not to accept God as father or mother but as son. Son means to give. Father means to take from him, and son means to take from the father. So if you become father of God, then your business will be to give, not to take. That is Vaiṣṇava conception. From the very beginning of the son's life, the mother is giving service to the son, the father is giving service. Therefore the service is there. Even Kṛṣṇa is afraid of Mother Yaśodā. Why? Why Mother Yaśodā was trying to bind Kṛṣṇa? Because He disrupted the process of service of Mother Yaśodā to Kṛṣṇa. That is... Mother Yaśodā tried that "You have broken the butter, and You have distributed to the monkeys, You rascal. Then how You will live? I kept the butter for You so that You will eat and You'll become fatty.

Lecture on SB 1.8.38 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1973:

Therefore God comes before you: "Here, see what is God." He's so kind. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7).

So God comes here in His person. He leaves behind Him His instruction, just like Bhagavad-gītā. He leaves behind Him His devotees who can explain. But still we are so stubborn, we shall not accept God. This is the foolishness, mūḍha. They have been called mūḍhāḥ, rascals, fools. God is there; God's energy is there. If you cannot see God, you see God's energy. Just like if you cannot see the electric powerhouse and the engineer who is within the powerhouse generating the power, but you should understand you are using electricity in so many ways. You are using in kitchen, you are using floor cleansing, using your, I mean to say, cleansing and so many things you are using. Your tape recorder, everything. In your country, especially, everything electric, every... So one should inquire—that is intelligence—that wherefrom this electricity's coming?

Lecture on SB 1.15.35 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1973:

Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Religion is the law given by God. This is religion.

So what God is giving as law? The law is that "You give up all nonsense religion, simply surrender unto Me." This is religion. So a religious person, it does not mean whether he is Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Buddhist. He must accept God and surrender unto Him. This is religion. This is religion. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7), that means when religion becomes polluted, at that time Kṛṣṇa comes as bhū-bhāraḥ. Because as soon as... Religion means to abide by the laws of, to abide by the laws of God. So dharmasya glānir bhavati means when people do not abide by the laws of God. That is dharmasya glāniḥ, discrepancy in the matter of discharging religion. Just like when you begin to break laws, everyone, then government becomes very furious, arrest, punish, hang—these things are going on. But if you are abiding by the laws of government, there is no such question to harass you.

Lecture on SB 1.15.49 -- Los Angeles, December 26, 1973:

So just try to understand that death is there. You have to die. You may declare yourself, "I am very dependent. I don't care for God or anyone," but God will not excuse you. You have to die. You will see God in the form of death. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu, he is seeing. Prahlāda says, "My dear father, why don't you accept God?" "Who is God? I don't care for your God. You rascal boy, you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." So God... The atheist may declare like that, "There is no God," but he will see God as death. That is compulsory. There is no excuse. So at the time of death, the mentality which you have created by practice, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitāḥ (BG 8.6), will act. This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is simply educating people so that at the time of death one can remember Kṛṣṇa. That's all. This simple... And if he is fortunate enough to do this, immediately he is transferred to the Kṛṣṇaloka. Immediately, within a second. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9).

Lecture on SB 1.16.17 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1974:

"I am now liberated. I have now become God by mystic yoga, by meditation." So therefore it is called māninaḥ. Māninaḥ means they are thinking wrongly like that. Actually, they are not liberated, not liberated. They are in darkness. Because he is foolishly thinking that he has become God. How you can become God? What is your power? What you have shown like God? We accept God, Kṛṣṇa, Lord Rāmacandra, and others, by seeing His activities. Kṛṣṇa, at the age of seven years old, He lifted Govardhana mountain. Govardhana-dhārī, Giridhārī. So what you are? You cannot raise even five kilos of load, and you are becoming God?

So these so-called gods are accepted by so-called devotees. These are all rascaldom. Therefore it is called māninaḥ. They are thinking, by mental speculation, that "I have become God." What you have got, power? What you have done that you have become God? But they are foolish. They do not calculate the value of his, strength of his becoming God. But they are thinking of... Therefore it is called māninaḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.16.19 -- Los Angeles, July 9, 1974:

This is the version of my one German Godbrother friend. So he said that all of them became atheists. Why? They prayed so much to get back their husband or son or father: nobody came back. "Then there is no God." This is their conclusion. That means, "God is our order supplier. God is our servant." Just like I ask my servant or my disciple, "You do this," and he must do it. We cannot accept God like that. God is neither going to be your servant.

So those who are going to religious life, making God as their servant, they will be failure. You must approach God as master. You should become servant. The so-called religionist, they accept God as their order-supplier servant: "I must pray to God." Whenever there is some inconvenience, "I must pray," or "I must... " Not "must." "At that time I shall pray, and then I shall finish that prayer, and God must supply. If God does not supply, then there is no God." This is the general attitude.

Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

You accept Christianity—very good. You accept Muhammadanism, Islamism—very good. You accept Hinduism—that's all right. We have no quarrel with Hindus and Muslims or Christians or Buddhists. But our objective is that religion means there is connection, relationship with God. Take, for example, Christian religion. They accept God: "God created this," the beginning of Bible. That's a fact. So the God consciousness is there. "God is great," the God consciousness there. Now these Christmas holidays you have begun in your country. Throughout the whole month of December you'll observe nice festivals, festivities. Why? Where it began? God consciousness. Lord Christ he came to give you God consciousness, and in his relationship these festivities are going on. It may be degraded in another form. The beginning is God consciousness, but we have lost it. So people cannot be happy without reviving God consciousness. It may be named in a different way—"Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That means God consciousness.

Lecture on SB 3.26.1 -- Bombay, December 13, 1974:

Pharmacopeia, the characteristics. The soda bicarb, its characteristic is like this; its taste is like this; it is formed like this, granules or powder or so many things. They analyze. And when the characteristics are accumulated, then they accept: "Yes. It is this." Similarly, you have to accept God from the characteristics, by analysis. Not that any rascal comes and says, "I'm Bhagavān." You must know, have to analyze Bhagavān. That is there in the śāstra. This word Bhagavān is used not loosely. It has got many characteristics.

Just like Kṛṣṇa said when he was present, He said, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "Nobody's superior than Me." He proved it. So long Kṛṣṇa was on the planet, he proved it, that no one superior. Even from ordinary life as gṛhastha... Kṛṣṇa was gṛhastha, householder. Now he married 16,108 wives. So who has got this potency to marry sixteen thousand? One wife... It is very difficult to maintain one wife.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

I may be, however great politician, prime minister I may be, but when nature will say, "Please get out," we have to do it. You cannot, by your so-called scientific method, you can say, "No, no, I shall remain. Who can drive me away?" That is not possible. So this is a fact, that they are defying the authority of God. They say that "What is the use of accepting God?" because foolish. They...

Just like the communist class men, they say, "The religion is the cause of all falldown of the human society, religion." Therefore they are very much against religion. When I was in Moscow, in the airport, my custom checking was being done. So they found out one Bhagavad-gītā. So immediately the custom officer called police. So I thought, "Now my destiny is finished, because... (laughter) Because I know that these people send anyone to some unknown place. You cannot question." In our country that is also coming very soon. Anyone government can send anywhere.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Johannesburg, October 20, 1975:

So when Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānāṁ (Bg 10.2), ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8), that means God is not within this material world, created being. He is the creator. So creator was there in the beginning, and then the created material world was in existence or is in existence. Therefore God is not one of these created things. He is beyond created. He is transcendental. If we accept God is also one of the created beings, that is our mistake. Because if God created this material world, He was existing before the creation. Therefore He is not one of the product of this creation. Therefore He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). His body is eternal, full of bliss and full of knowledge. Creator means He must have full knowledge.

How God creates this material world? That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ (SB 1.1.1). This creator is well conversant directly and indirectly every details of the universe.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:

They are accepting God, but they did not disclose the name of God because the people are unable to understand. "Kṛṣṇa" means "the all-attractive." That is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa. So unless God is all-attractive, how He can be God? "Kṛṣṇa" means all-attractive.

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
(BG 10.8)

When one understands Kṛṣṇa... To understand Kṛṣṇa it takes little time. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). So Kṛṣṇa revealed Himself in India before Arjuna, and what the others will understand about Kṛṣṇa unless he's advanced like Arjuna? So there are different persons, so different types of religion they have revealed. That is also Kṛṣṇa—but, to some extent. The full extent they cannot understand. Just like Lord Jesus Christ says "Thou shall not kill." Just imagine what the audience were.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:

Prabhupāda: But what do you mean by divine?

Guest (4): A creator. A God creator. And therefore, since we are included, we are created by God and should have divine compassion.

Prabhupāda: There are so many creations, but which creation you have to accept? God is creator of so many things.

Guest (4): Well, He created us also.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. He is creator. He is creator of everything. But why divide everything "bad" and "good"? Now, why do you distinguish "This is good" and "bad"? If everything is created by God, but that does not mean that everything is divine. Do you follow? Yes. You have to learn what is divine. Not that because God... God is creator of everything.

Lecture on SB 5.5.19 -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1976:

Therefore we have to accept in that way. Idaṁ śarīram, but He has His body. He has His body, and because we cannot conceive, He, out of His causeless mercy, He presents Himself in a form which we can see. That is arcā-vigraha, arcā-mūrti. A vigraha. Arcā means the form which we can worship. If God is impersonal Avyaktāsakta-cetasām. Kleśo adhikataras teṣām. If we accept God as impersonal He is not impersonal. He says idaṁ śarīram. He is personal. But our present senses cannot perceive. That is the difficulty. Therefore out of His causeless mercy He has appeared in a form which you can see, you can touch, you can dress, you can offer garland, you can offer food—to accept your service. That is God's mercy. Don't think that "Because God mercifully has come before Me in a form which we can perceive, which we can see, with which we can serve," not that "He is not God." That is rascaldom. God is there. Otherwise Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as soon as He entered the Jagannātha's temple, immediately He fainted. Does it mean He made a fun? No.

Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975:

So that is a fact. This human form of life is made according to the form of Lord. It is imitation; that is real. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). But we are thinking that God has no form. Why? Wherefrom you got your form? You are daily praying, "O God, O Father, give us our daily bread," and we accept God as the supreme father. So if I have got form, the father must have got form. It is reasonable. How you say, "There is no form"? This is all not very reasonable argument. God is also a living entity, but what is the difference between God and all these living entities? They are all dependent on God. That's all. God is great; we are small. Just like father maintains all the children, so we are all children, and the supreme father maintains. So if the children have got forms, so it is naturally concluded the father has got, even though you have not seen the father. Suppose a posthumous child, a child is born after the death or disappearance of the father.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Surat, December 22, 1970:

Just like Christian religion. Christian religion, they are also searching after God—Lord Jesus Christ advising, "Be lover of God." He presents himself as son of God. The Muhammadan, Muhammad, he also presented himself as servant of God. In this way, everyone is accepting. Or if anyone is accepting God as the ultimate goal of religious process, that is also Vedic. Because Kṛṣṇa says that vedaiś ca sarvair aham. And a godless scripture, that is not accepted as religion. Therefore in India, although Lord Buddha appeared in India—he was a kṣatriya, and he started some religious principle—it is not accepted because it is not, in the Buddha religion, there is no acceptance of God or soul.

So these are some of the points. But the Bhāgavata says that although in the Buddha religion there is no, I mean to say, mention of worshiping God, but Lord Buddha is himself incarnation of God, and he induced his followers to worship him. Therefore in the Bhāgavata it is said that he cheated the atheists. The atheists were against God.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Vrndavana, December 4, 1975:

Just like at the present moment ninety-nine per cent of the population, they are daityās, demons. What is the difference between a demon and a demigod? Daityā means the sons of the Diti. So daitya. And deva. Deva means devotees or those who accept the supremacy of the Lord. They are called deva. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daiva āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ. Anyone who is viṣṇu-bhakta, accepting God as the supreme controller, they are called demigods. And āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ, and just the opposite number... What is that opposite number? "What is God? Why shall I accept God? God is dead. There is no God. God is impersonal." They are daityās or demons.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was also born in a demon family, but he was not daitya. He was a devotee, although he is born... So it is, not that a devotee has to take his birth in the devotee's family. That is not necessary. Ahaituky apratihatā. One man can become a devotee without any cause and without being checked. There is no such thing which will check to become a devotee.

Lecture on SB 7.6.10 -- Vrndavana, December 12, 1975:

You are finished. Because as soon as you have become infected with the Māyāvāda philosophy, it will take millions of years to come to the platform of devotional service. It is so dangerous. Māyāvādī-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. Sarva-nāśa means everything is finished when you become godless, or you think yourself as you are God. The Māyāvādīs do that. They accept God, Kṛṣṇa, as God, but Kṛṣṇa's body is māyā. He has assumed a form, with a body which is created by māyā, just like our body is created by māyā.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Montreal, August 21, 1968:

You see. So actually, it is the fact.

So Brahmādaya, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "These demigods, they are not disturbing like that." Brahmādaya. Brahmādaya vayam means "We are disturbing because we are atheistic. We do not accept God. My father never accepted God and he wanted to teach me that there is no God. So I refused my father's teaching. So he tortured me so much." Still, he is taking his father's side. Now we have to study this fact, that a Vaiṣṇava is never proud of his assessment. He'll never think, "Because I am Kṛṣṇa conscious, so I have become so great." No. He thinks always very humble and meek. This is the example. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was so powerful devotee that Lord Caitanya used to come daily at his place. But he was thinking, "Oh, I am born in Muhammadan family, so I cannot enter into Jagannātha temple." Similarly Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was also not entering the temple of Jagannātha.

Lecture on SB 7.9.21 -- Mayapur, February 28, 1976:

The māyā manaḥ is so strong that māyā manaḥ sṛjati karmamayaṁ balīyaḥ. Very strong. His material existence began from this point, that "Why shall I serve Kṛṣṇa? I shall remain independent." But the rascal does not know that he cannot become independent. That is not possible. But this is the beginning of material life. "Why shall I accept God? I am God." So the same thing is continuing in different phases.

So māyā manaḥ is very strong. It is very, very difficult. Therefore we have to voluntarily surrender. It takes very, very long time, balīyaḥ, but if one is intelligent, if one is fortunate, he takes immediately. That is the difference. Otherwise it will take many, many births. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Even if he is jñānavān, full knowledge of everything, scientific knowledge, physical, chemical, metaphysical, mathematical, all this knowledge, but denying God, "I am God. There is no need of God. Now we shall do everything.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.113-17 -- San Francisco, February 22, 1967:

"If somebody thinks that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His body is material, that is the greatest offense." The greatest offense is that... To accept a material thing as God, that is the greatest offense, and God..., and to accept a material thing as God or to accept God as material. Just try to understand. Just like they are preaching that "Anything you worship, that is God," or "God is also material. When He comes, when He appears, He is also material." So these kinds of conclusion is the greatest offense. Viṣṇu-nindā āra nāhi ihāra upara. Blasphemy. So this should be avoided.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-142 -- New York, November 29, 1966:

That bhakti, that process of devotional service, is very dear to the actual transcendentalist, very dear. Bhaktiḥ punāti man-niṣṭhā. Man-niṣṭhā. To know simply "I believe in God," that is not sufficient. The ultimate goal is to attain very intimate relationship or love of Godhead. That is required. Of course, to know, to believe in God, to accept God, that is all right. It is better than the atheist. But that is not end. You must develop yourself. You must... You should not simply make God as your order-supplier, but you should be order-supplier. When I become order-supplier to God, that is my perfection. And so long I keep God as my order-supplier, that is not bhakti. Generally, people keep God as his order-supplier: "O God, give us our daily bread," "O God, I am in distress, "O God, I am in difficulty, "O God, I am..." God supplies them. God is supplying. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. But that is not ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is that you should supply God. God will be dependent on you. That is bhakti.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971:

That's it. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja requested his father so many times, but still, he did not agree that there is God. (break) But he agreed there is God when he was killed by God. Yes. That you cannot escape. Then you'll see God: "Here is God." The asuras, they'll never accept God, but when they are killed by God, they understand that "Yes, there is God." That is the difference between asuras and devas. The devas, they accept God while living, and the asuras accept God by being killed. That's all. And who can escape killing? Is there any scientist, is there any philosopher, any great man who can stop being killed by the cruel death? Is there any man? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). "I am mṛtyu." Mṛtyu means death, which takes away everything at a time. Just like "I am very rich man," "I am very big industrialist," "I am prime minister," this, that, so many things. "I am in possession of all I survey. I am the master of my country and everything." That's all right.

Festival Lectures

Govardhana Puja Lecture -- New York, November 4, 1966:

So, asti ced īśvaraḥ kaścit: "Supposing there is some God..." "There is some God." Just see. A God is preaching atheism. He is God Himself, and He says, "Supposing if there is some God." "Supposing if there is some God," kaścit phala-rūpy anya-karmaṇām, "and He gives the result of your work." The karma-mimāṁsā philosophers, they accept God in this way, "Suppose there is God and He is to give us the result. So He is obliged. If we do nice work, He is obliged. So what is the use of flattering God? Let us do our duty nicely. Then He will be obliged." So Kṛṣṇa is following that argument. Asti ced īśvaraḥ kaścit phala-rūpy anya-karmaṇām, kartāraṁ bhajate so 'pi: "He also worships the worker. The worker has not to worship God. Because God gives you good result out of your good work; therefore, because you are doing good work, therefore God is worshiping you." Just see the argument. He says, kartāraṁ bhajate so 'pi na hy akartuḥ prabhur: "And one who does not do good work, even God does not like him.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:

That is all right; that is real communism. This is actual understanding of communism: everything belongs to God. Just like the Communists, they are thinking everything belongs to the state, and the citizens must work and enjoy. So our philosophy is the same. Only difference is that they are, what is called, ignorantly accepting the state is the proprietor. No. If they accept God is the proprietor, Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor, then Communism is very perfect. That is missing. That is missing. Actually, God is the proprietor. What is the state? That is artificial. This state, American state, or African state, Russian state, these are artificial. Actually the land belongs to God. We are demark: this is India, this is Russia, this is America. That is the beginning of spiritual education, to understand this fact:

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971:

Nanda Mahārāja, there're serving Kṛṣṇa, accepting Kṛṣṇa as their on, because the son is served. Son takes service from the parents. So devotees, they do not like to accept Kṛṣṇa as father. They would like to have Kṛṣṇa as their son. Father means to exact "Father give me this. I want. Mother give me this"—to take service. And to accept God as son means to give service.

So devotees, they want to give service only. They do not want in exchange from Kṛṣṇa anything. That is pure love. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was teaching like that. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye: (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) "My dear Lord, I do not want from You any amount of riches, dhanam; janam, any number of followers." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitād, "not very nice, beautiful, attractive wife. I do not want all these things." Because materially we want all these things. All these people are struggling very hard. What for? For riches. "Money, money. Where is money? Where is money?"

Initiation Lectures

Initiation of Jayapataka Dasa -- Montreal, July 24, 1968:

He is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra. So indirectly the Buddhists are worshiping God. They are denying, there is no existence of God but they are accepting the incarnation of God.

So anywhere the four prime religions of the world, namely Hinduism, Christianism, Mohammedanism or Buddhism, directly or indirectly, they are accepting God. And without accepting God there is no meaning of religion. That is not religion. According to Bhāgavata, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma, what this dharma, religion means, the codes given by God. That's all. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Now Kṛṣṇa, in the beginning said that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. "I come, descend, in order to establish religion." Now again at the end He says sarva-dharmān parityajya. He came to establish religion. And in the end He says that "Give up all sorts of religion." What does it mean?

Initiation of Satyabhama Dasi and Gayatri Initiation of Devotees Going to London -- Montreal, July 26, 1968:

In any country, in any religion, anyone who has tried to spread God consciousness to the people, they are all respectable persons. Those who are atheist, those who do not believe in God or those who personally declare that "I am God," we have nothing to do with such persons. But anyone in any country who accepts God as the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28), such persons are respectable persons and we should offer our always respect to them. We have... Unnecessarily we do not want to criticize anyone. But when there is necessity, because we are preacher, it may be sometimes you'll be faced with opposite elements, so we have to criticize in that respect. Generally we don't praise or eulogize somebody or criticize somebody. That is not our business. Our business is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness, always thinking that we are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, October 9, 1968:

"I am incarnation," and therefore I become incarnation. No. Not in that way. If somebody comes here and says, "I am President Johnson," so any sane man will accept him simply because he says? And if somebody accepts him blindly, then he's a fool. Oh, he must... He says. Let us test whether he is bona fide, his credentials, how he is President Johnson. So we cannot accept even a man. How can we accept God without credentials? What is the credential of Ramakrishna that he is incarnation of God? These things are to be considered. Not that because Vivekananda accepted, therefore one has to accept. What is the credential? What is the proof? What is the extraordinary work? Lord Rāma is accepted God. There are so many extraordinary work. Kṛṣṇa is accepted as God. He has got so many extraordinary work.

Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969:

Take Bhagavad-gītā. Such a book of wisdom, knowledge. There is no comparison in the world. Take it philosophically or religiously or any way, there is no comparison. And renunciation. When Kṛṣṇa was present, His Yadu dynasty consisted of many hundreds of thousands members. And before His departure He finished them and went away. Renunciation. So my request to you all, that don't accept God very cheaply. If you don't like God, that's nice. That's not... Nobody is blaming you. But don't accept a false God. That will be great blunder. Don't do that. Try to understand actually what is God. And the man who is claiming, "I am God," whether he has got such qualification. That can be tested by only three, six things. Try—whether he's richest than all the people of his contemporary life. Is he the richest than all? Or is he the strongest man than all? Or is he the most reputed person than all? Or is he most beautiful? Or most wise? You have to test like that. Don't accept cheaply if some rascal comes, "I am God," and "Yes." Don't do it. You test like this.

Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969:

Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Plenary expansion. That person is not like us. Just like I am sitting here, but I am not in my apartment. God is not like that, person. He... He's in His apartment; at the same time, He is everywhere, in everyone's heart, and within the atom also. But we do not wish to accept God as person because we are thinking God must be a person like me. No. That is our less intelligence. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvaraḥ, the Supreme Lord, is residing in everyone's heart. Sarva-kṣetreṣu. Ksetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. In Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, kṣetra-kṣetrajña: the self and this body. And Bhagavad-gītā is stating what is this body and what is the self. So in that connection the Lord says that "You, the individual soul, he's the proprietor of this body." Or not exactly proprietor, but leaseholder. You cannot say you are proprietor, because as soon as you'll be asked, "Vacate," oh, you have to vacate.

Arrival -- Dallas, May 19, 1973:

We are trying to generate some population fully Kṛṣṇa conscious so that they may preach in future very nicely.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, dharmān: "People, children should be taught from the very beginning of their life about dharma, religion." What is that religion? Religion means to accept God as the supreme authority. That's all. The sum and substance. And try to love Him. Just like very, if you have got a very wealthy friend or very learned friend or beautiful friend, you try to love him. You want to make friendship with him. So God means He is the most richest, most powerful, most learned, most beautiful. In this way, there is no comparison of God's opulence. So why should we not be attracted with God? If some rich man in your quarter attracts the attention of the neighbor, neighborers... If God is the richest man... He is not man; He is God. But He looks like man. He... Just like we see Kṛṣṇa here, He has got also two hands and two legs.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is out of frustration. We see so many things, personal, varieties, but they are not giving us satisfaction; therefore we are thinking in a negative way, impersonal. But the person is first.

Śyāmasundara: He says that men, because they are...

Prabhupāda: The atheist demons are like that. If he exists to accept God, then he cannot work irresponsibly. To facilitate his sinful activities he is denying that there is a God.

Śyāmasundara: He says that God is an absolute necessity because we cannot conceive not-God. But man, individual men, are relative truths because they are not absolutely necessary. Because I can conceive that I am not here, that I may die. So he says that we are conditioned, that men are conditioned. They are governed by the principle of sufficient (indistinct).

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Hayagrīva: ...but that he rejects the traditional proofs of God. He says that God is morally necessary in a moral universe. His philosophy is a philosophy of ethics and morality.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. But if your, his morality does not accept God, and God is there—because we have already discussed that behind the nature there is God. So if his morality denies the existence of God, then where is the value of this morality? This morality can change at any time into degradation.

Hayagrīva: His, his emphasis are on morality is based on this. He says...

Prabhupāda: So what is morality?

Hayagrīva: He says, "For a rational but finite being..."

Prabhupāda: No.

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: So the second expression of the absolute mind, he calls religion. He says that "This is the absolute expressed as representations in our consciousness."

Prabhupāda: This is (indistinct) mean to accept God. Does he mean like that?

Śyāmasundara: Yes, but he means it as the opposite of sensuous form but as something intangible, something you can only relate to...

Prabhupāda: No. Intangible it may be at the present moment, that is another thing. But religion means understanding of God. Otherwise there is no religion. What do you mean by religion? First of all, you must define.

Śyāmasundara: What he means by religion is that the objects of our religious consciousness are mere representations in your consciousness, nothing more, but they are not tangible, like...

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: That means he accepts God is truth and that He's existing. Does he say like that or not?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. He says there is no absolute proof, but...

Prabhupāda: But that is proof.

Śyāmasundara: ...by my belief I get more...

Prabhupāda: That he is saying, that if somebody believes, he has got greater chance. Unless the fact is there, simply by believing, how there is chance?

Śyāmasundara: He says that by this belief I get some strength, some happiness, some practical advantage; therefore I have the right to believe, because I get a practical benefit.

Prabhupāda: So practical benefit... Suppose you are getting some warmth, so you believe there must be some fire. So I believe. Unless there is fire, how there is warmth?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. So the belief itself is the proof.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: This is religion. Therefore I was talking in this morning that accept God as the supreme father and the material nature is the mother and we living entities, in 8,400,000 forms, we are all sons of God. So everyone has got the right to live at the cost of the father. The father is the maintainer—that is natural—and we are maintained. So every living being should be satisfied in the condition given by God. Man should live in his own condition, the animal also should live in his own condition. Why the man should encroach upon the rights, living right of other living entities like the animals? No. Nobody should encroach upon other's right. Everyone is son of God. Let him be maintained by the orders of God. That is ideal life, family life. All living entities are the members of the same family. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that kṛṣṇera saṁsāra kara chāḍi' anācāra: just live in the family of Kṛṣṇa without violating the rules and regulation. Then it is family life. Or without violating the orders of God. Just like in the family the father is the chief man, and the sons can live very happily by being obedient to the father. There is no trouble; father will give all supplies and necessities if we remain obedient to the father, and all the brothers can live peacefully. A very common example. But they will not do that. They will encroach upon others' jurisdiction. That is the cause of disturbance: obeying..., disobeying the orders of God.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: ...already explained. We have got five relationships. To realize the creation of God with awe and veneration, appreciation, that is one relationship. This is called śānta rasa. Then further progress is that to offer himself to serve God. That is called dāsya rasa. And further advancement, to treat God as friend, that is sākhya rasa. Then accept God as son, that is vātsalya rasa. And accept God as the most beloved, that is mādhurya rasa. So in this mādhurya rasa, to accept God as the most beloved includes other relationships; therefore here is the highest perfection of relationship. Although all other relationships they are as good, but it depends on the devotee's choice whichever relationship we like. The result is the same, but by comparative study it has been decided by the saintly persons that our relationship with God as the lover and beloved, that is the highest position.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is required. Because in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is also accepted that except a Vedic religion, all others are cheating religion because they have no perfect knowledge. It is clearly stated that cheating type of religion is rejected from the Bhāgavata religion. Bhāgavata... The sum and substance of Bhāgavata religion is accepting God as the supreme controller. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi. This is beginning. And what is that Absolute Truth? Janmādy asya yataḥ, itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ: (SB 1.1.1) that there is a principal, Brahman, from whom everything has come. So unless you find out what is the ultimate source of emanation, the knowledge is perfect, hum, imperfect. But you must have to admit, from your experience, that everything has a source of emanation. Anything has. You cannot go beyond your experience. You see this table. This table has got a history. Somebody has collected the wood and he has made into a shape. So everything that you see, it has got a history.

Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain:

Śyāmasundara: He says that this is..., because of this spiritual personality that he can know and love God.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Without person how there can be love? There is no question of love. You cannot love air or sky; you must find out a man or woman in the, under the sky. So therefore if you want to love God then you must accept God is a person; otherwise there is no question of love. Therefore for the Māyāvādī philosopher there is no question of love. They merge. They want sāyujya-mukti, to become one. They have no other conception, because they cannot conceive personal God. So there is no love. Therefore they manufacture an idea that in the material condition of life, you just imagine any form of God and love Him, and ultimately you become one. That is their philosophy. Ultimately you throw away this... The example is given that you want to rise on some top floor you take a ladder and go to the top and throw away the ladder: there is no need of this ladder, now you have come to the position.

Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:

Prabhupāda: No. What the philosophers, the... Not all philosophers they denied the existence, but from our practical study we can see that take personal existence, that before I got this body, there was my father and mother. So how can I deny this fact? This whole cosmic manifestation is exactly like the manifestation of my body. Everything you take, there is practical experience. So far you take this spectacle, it is created by some spectacle..., spectacle manufacturer, and it will exist for some time, then it will annihilate. Similarly, the whole creation, annihilation. There is another crude example, just like earthen pot is made from the clay, earth. It is, it gets a shape, and it continues to exist for a certain time, and then it is broken. So when it is broken, again it is clay. So in the beginning the clay was there, in the middle there is a form, and at the end again clay. So clay is the original. Similarly, God is everything original. That is explained by God in the Bhagavad-gītā: ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). And the Vedānta says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This is clear understanding where your existence comes from. You cannot say all of a sudden you dropped from the sky. You have your father and mother, and from them you have appeared. How you can say that "There was nobody else before my creation, and there will be nobody else after my annihilation"? That is foolishness. How you can do it? So you have to accept that before your manifestation there was your father and mother. So this is right philosophy. The mother is the material nature and father is God. So father gives the seed, and mother begets so many children. So it is a big family. Father is God and material nature is the mother, and then we, as children, we are taken care of by the father and mother, so our duty is to remain peacefully at the cost of the father and mother and become obedient to the father and mother. This is natural. Beyond this, all speculation. That will not give us real peace and prosperity. We must, have to accept. God is there, the nature is there, and we are also there, a big family. Let us live peacefully according to the order of the father. That is natural.

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Hayagrīva: But he felt that if this religion should be allowed, it should be individual and not communal. He says, "Liberty as a right of man is not based on the association of man with man but rather on a separation of man from man. It is the right of separation..."

Prabhupāda: No, there is no question of separation, that if we accept God as the supreme father. Now the Christian religion believes God as the supreme father. So if the supreme father is there, and if we become obedient to the supreme father, then why, where is the difference of opinion? But we do not know the supreme father and we do not obey the supreme father. That is the cause of dissension. The son's duty is to become obedient to the father and enjoy father's property. So if we know the supreme father, and if we live according to the father's order, so there is question of antagonism, dissension. It is all our own, father being the center. That, the difficulty is that we call supreme father but we do not accept the father's order or what is the order of the supreme father. That is the defect.

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas:

Hayagrīva: That means...

Prabhupāda: God created, that's all accepted. God created. What the second meaning?

Hayagrīva: Well, he would give the example of the creation of God walking through... In the Bible it's stated that God walks through Paradise in the afternoon. He would cite this...

Prabhupāda: No, no, God...

Hayagrīva: ...as having an interior meaning.

Prabhupāda: If God can create, He can walk also, He can speak also, He can touch also, He can see also. God is a person. So where is the second meaning? What is the possible second meaning?

Hayagrīva: The second meaning, as far as I could see, would be based on an impersonal interpretation.

Philosophy Discussion on John Locke:

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā: (ISO 1) everything belongs to God. Just like the father has got many sons and the father is the proprietor of the house. He gives one son, "This is your room," the other son, "This is your room." So the obedient son is satisfied what the father allows to him. Others, those who are not obedient, they want to disturb other brother that "This room also belongs to me." That creates chaos and confusion in the world. The United Nations, they have created a society for unity of the nations, but actually that is not unity. That is another way of encroaching upon others' property. Therefore there is no peace, unless they accept God is the Supreme proprietor. And we must be satisfied with the allotment God has given to us. Then there is no trouble. But the trouble is that we are not satisfied with the allotment given to us. That allotment can be understood by language or similar culture. So why one should encroach upon others' property which is allotted by God? That creates disturbance.

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Prabhupāda: That, if he accepts that, then why not man takes knowledge of God from God? Then his knowledge is perfect. Why he should speculate?

Hayagrīva: He considers man to be essential to God.

Prabhupāda: But he, he has accepted God as man...

Hayagrīva: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So to possess the knowledge of God, the best duty of man is to take knowledge from God about God. I know myself, that he says, that God knows Himself. So if God knows, that is natural. I know what I am. So if you take knowledge of me from me instead of speculating, that is perfect knowledge. So here, in the Bhagavad-gītā, the God is explaining Himself. So if you simply take the knowledge given by God, that is your perfected knowledge of God. Why you are speculating? You are wasting time. Take the knowledge from God about Him, and then you have perfect knowledge. Why should you speculate? Suppose I am studying you, I am speculating, "Well, Hayagrīva may be like this, he might have so much money, he might have so much bank balance, he is living like that," this is speculation. But if I say, "Hayagrīva, what you are?" you say, "I have got this, I do like this," that is my perfect knowledge. Why shall I speculate?

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Prabhupāda: He is Hegel now, what? What is his...?

Devotee: Hegel.

Hayagrīva: Hegel.

Prabhupāda: Ah. So if he accepts God and he inducts a man, the man should take knowledge from God about God. The his knowledge of God is perfect. He should not speculate. And if he has no such source of taking knowledge from God, then his conception of God is also false. If he has got actually the conception of God, then he should take knowledge from God what He is. That is perfect knowledge. He was talking of Oriental knowledge. This is Oriental knowledge: they know who is God and they take knowledge from God about God. But here, Occidental, they speculate about God. What they will know about God? Whatever they speculate, that is imperfect, because he is imperfect.

Page Title:Accept God (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:20 of Jun, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=89, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:89