Confine

Expressions researched:
"confine" |"confined" |"confinement" |"confines" |"confining"

BG Chapters 13 - 18

BG 18.61, Translation and Purport:

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.

Arjuna was not the supreme knower, and his decision to fight or not to fight was confined to his limited discretion. Lord Kṛṣṇa instructed that the individual is not all in all. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, or He Himself, Kṛṣṇa, as the localized Supersoul, sits in the heart directing the living being. After changing bodies, the living entity forgets his past deeds, but the Supersoul, as the knower of the past, present and future, remains the witness of all his activities. Therefore all the activities of living entities are directed by this Supersoul.

SB Canto 1

SB 1.12.7, Purport:

Death generally involves remaining in trance for seven months. A living being, according to his own action, is allowed to enter into the womb of a mother by the vehicle of a father's semina, and thus he develops his desired body. This is the law of birth in specific bodies according to one's past actions. When he is awake from trance, he feels the inconvenience of being confined within the womb, and thus he wants to come out of it and sometimes fortunately prays to the Lord for such liberation. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, while in the womb of his mother, was struck by the brahmāstra released by Aśvatthāmā, and he was feeling the burning heat. But because he was a devotee of the Lord, the Lord at once appeared Himself within the womb by His all-powerful energy, and the child could see that someone else had come to save him. Even in that helpless condition, the child Parīkṣit endured the unbearable temperature due to his being a great fighter by nature. And for this reason the word vīraḥ has been used.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.31.17, Translation:

Fallen into a pool of blood, stool and urine within the abdomen of his mother, his own body scorched by the mother's gastric fire, the embodied soul, anxious to get out, counts his months and prays, "O my Lord, when shall I, a wretched soul, be released from this confinement?"

SB 3.31.17, Purport:

The precarious condition of the living entity within the womb of his mother is described here. On one side of where the child is floating is the heat of gastric fire, and on the other side are urine, stool, blood and discharges. After seven months the child, who has regained his consciousness, feels the horrible condition of his existence and prays to the Lord. Counting the months until his release, he becomes greatly anxious to get out of the confinement. The so-called civilized man does not take account of this horrible condition of life, and sometimes, for the purpose of sense gratification, he tries to kill the child by methods of contraception or abortion. Unserious about the horrible condition in the womb, such persons continue in materialism, grossly misusing the chance of the human form of life.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.11.19, Purport:

An example can help us to understand the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Lord. In the recent history of warfare the Supreme Personality of Godhead created a Hitler and, before that, a Napoleon Bonaparte, and they each killed many living entities in war. But in the end Bonaparte and Hitler were also killed. People are still very much interested in writing and reading books about Hitler and Bonaparte and how they killed so many people in war. Year after year many books are published for public reading regarding Hitler's killing thousands of Jews in confinement. But no one is researching who killed Hitler and who created such a gigantic killer of human beings. The devotees of the Lord are not much interested in the study of the flickering history of the world. They are interested only in Him who is the original creator, maintainer and annihilator. That is the purpose of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.26.34, Translation:

Those who in this life confine other living entities in dark wells, granaries or mountain caves are put after death into the hell known as Avaṭa-nirodhana. There they themselves are pushed into dark wells, where poisonous fumes and smoke suffocate them and they suffer very severely.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.1.28-29, Translation:

A grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other think of Kṛṣṇa, who is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.2.20, Translation:

Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead was within her womb, Devakī illuminated the entire atmosphere in the place where she was confined. Seeing her jubilant, pure and smiling, Kaṁsa thought, "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who is now within her, will kill me. Devakī has never before looked so brilliant and jubilant."

SB 10.2.21, Purport:

According to Vedic principles, a woman, a brāhmaṇa, an old man, a child and a cow should never be killed. It appears that Kaṁsa, although a great enemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was aware of the Vedic culture and conscious of the fact that the soul transmigrates from one body to another and that one suffers in the next life according to the karmas of this life. Therefore he was afraid of killing Devakī, since she was a woman, she was his sister, and she was pregnant. A kṣatriya becomes famous by performing heroic acts. But what would be heroic about killing a woman who, while confined in his custody, was under his shelter? Therefore, he did not want to act drastically by killing Devakī. Kaṁsa's enemy was within Devakī's womb, but killing an enemy in such a nescient state would not be an exhibition of prowess. According to kṣatriya rules, an enemy should be fought face to face and with proper weapons. Then if the enemy is killed, the victor becomes famous. Kaṁsa very conscientiously deliberated upon these facts and therefore refrained from killing Devakī, although he was completely confident that his enemy had already appeared within her womb.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 19.57, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately replied, "Sanātana has already been released from his confinement, and he will very soon meet with Me."

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 28:

In Stotra-ratna (46), Yāmunācārya writes: "My Lord, those who keep themselves independent of Your service are helpless. They work on their own account, and they receive no support from superior authority. Therefore I long for the time when I shall engage fully in Your transcendental loving service without any desire for material satisfaction and without being confined to the mental plane. Only when I engage in such unalloyed devotional service will I enjoy actual spiritual life."

Nectar of Instruction

Nectar of Instruction 3, Purport:

"In the course of traversing the universal creation of Brahmā, some fortunate soul may receive the seed of bhakti-latā, the creeper of devotional service. This is all by the grace of guru and Kṛṣṇa." (CC Madhya 19.151) The material world is a place of confinement for the living entities who are by nature ānandamaya, pleasure-seeking. They actually want to be free from the confinement of this world of conditional happiness, but not knowing the process of liberation, they are bound to transmigrate from one species of life to another and from one planet to another. In this way the living entities are wandering throughout the material universe. When by good fortune one comes in contact with a pure devotee and hears from him patiently, one begins to follow the path of devotional service. Such an opportunity is offered to a person who is sincere. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is giving such a chance to humanity at large. If by fortune one takes advantage of this opportunity to engage in devotional service, the path of liberation immediately opens.

Nectar of Instruction 3, Purport:

In all phases of life one has to perform devotional activities under the direction of the spiritual master in order to attain perfection in bhakti-yoga. It is not that one has to confine or narrow one's activities. Kṛṣṇa is all-pervading. Therefore nothing is independent of Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa Himself states in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4):

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ

jagad avyakta-mūrtinā-

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni

na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

"By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them." Under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, one has to make everything favorable for Kṛṣṇa's service. For example, at present we are using a dictaphone. The materialist who invented this machine intended it for businessmen or writers of mundane subject matters. He certainly never thought of using the dictaphone in God's service, but we are using this dictaphone to write Kṛṣṇa conscious literature.

Easy Journey to Other Planets

Easy Journey to Other Planets 2:

Try to find that planet from which one will never return, where there is eternal life, and where one can dance with Kṛṣṇa. This is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Take this movement seriously, for Kṛṣṇa consciousness gives one a chance to reach Kṛṣṇa and to dance with Him eternally. From Vedic literature we understand that this material world is a manifestation of only one fourth of the complete creation of God. The three-fourths portion of God's creation is the spiritual world. That we find in Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, "This material world is but a fractional part of the whole." If we look as far as we can see—up to the sky—our vision is still confined within only one universe, and there are unlimited universes clustered together within what is called the material world. But beyond those clusters of unlimited numbers of universes is the spiritual sky, which is also mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā, where the Lord says that beyond the material world is another nature, which is eternal; there is no history of its beginning, and it has no end. "Eternal" refers to that which has no end and no beginning. The Vedic religion is therefore called eternal because no one can trace back when it began. The Christian religion has a history of two thousand years, and the Muhammadan religion also has a history, but if one were to trace back Vedic religion, he would not find its historical beginning. Therefore it is called eternal religion.

Easy Journey to Other Planets 2:

We are only a fractional portion of all the living entities in the many universes of the material world. Those who are in the material world and material body are condemned. For example, the population in prison is condemned by the government, but their number is only a fraction of the whole population. It is not that the whole population goes to prison; some, who are disobedient, are confined in prison. Similarly, the conditioned souls within this material world are only a fraction of all the living entities in the creation of God, and because they have disobeyed God—because they did not abide by the order of Kṛṣṇa—they have been put into this material world. If one is sensible and inquisitive, he should try to understand: "Why have I been put into this conditional life? I do not wish to suffer."

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book Preface:

Within the prison of His maternal uncle Kaṁsa, where His father and mother were confined, Kṛṣṇa appeared outside His mother's body as the four-handed Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa. Then He turned Himself into a baby and told His father to carry Him to the house of Nanda Mahārāja and his wife Yaśodā. When Kṛṣṇa was just a small baby the gigantic demoness Pūtanā attempted to kill Him, but when He sucked her breast He pulled out her life. That is the difference between the real Godhead and a God manufactured in the mystic factory. Kṛṣṇa had no chance to practice the mystic yoga process, yet He manifested Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead at every step, from infancy to childhood, from childhood to boyhood, and from boyhood to young manhood. In this book, Kṛṣṇa, all of His activities as a human being are described. Although Kṛṣṇa plays like a human being, He always maintains His identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Krsna Book 2:

Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thus entered the body of Devakī from the body of Vasudeva without being subject to any of the conditions of an ordinary living entity. Since Kṛṣṇa was there, it is to be understood that all His plenary expansions, such as Nārāyaṇa, and incarnations like Lord Nṛsiṁha and Varāha, were with Him, and They also were not subject to the conditions of material existence. In this way, Devakī became the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second and the cause of all creation. Devakī became the residence of the Absolute Truth, but because she was confined within the house of Kaṁsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire, or like misused education. When fire is kept in a jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot be very much appreciated. Similarly, misused knowledge, which does not benefit the people in general, is not very much appreciated. So Devakī was kept within the prison walls of Kaṁsa's palace, and no one could see her transcendental beauty, which resulted from her conceiving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Krsna Book 6:

It is concluded, therefore, that even a little energy expended in the service of the Lord gives one immense transcendental profit. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so sublime that even a little service rendered to Kṛṣṇa, knowingly or unknowingly, gives one the greatest transcendental benefit. The system of worshiping Kṛṣṇa by offering flowers from a tree is also beneficial for the living entity who is confined to the bodily existence of that tree. When flowers and fruits are offered to Kṛṣṇa, the tree that bore them also receives much benefit, indirectly. The arcana process, or worshiping procedure, is therefore beneficial for everyone. Kṛṣṇa is worshipable by great demigods like Brahmā and Lord Śiva, and Pūtanā was so fortunate that the same Kṛṣṇa played in her lap as a little child. The lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, which are worshiped by great sages and devotees, were placed on the body of Pūtanā. People worship Kṛṣṇa and offer food with great reverence and devotion, but automatically He sucked the milk from the body of Pūtanā. Devotees therefore pray that if simply by offering something as an enemy Pūtanā got so much benefit, then who can measure the benefit of worshiping Kṛṣṇa in love and affection? Therefore only Kṛṣṇa should be worshiped, for so much benefit awaits the worshiper.

Krsna Book 20:

In Vṛndāvana the autumn season was very beautiful then because of the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. The mercantile community, the royal order and great sages were free to move about in order to achieve their desired benedictions. Similarly, the transcendentalists, when freed from the encagement of the material body, also achieve their desired goal. During the rainy season, the mercantile community cannot move from one place to another and so do not get their desired profit. Nor can the royal order go from one place to another to collect taxes from the people. As for saintly persons, who must travel to preach transcendental knowledge, they also are restrained by the rainy season. But during the autumn, all of them leave their confines. In the case of the transcendentalist, be he a jñānī, a yogī or a devotee, because of the material body he cannot actually enjoy spiritual achievement. But as soon as he gives up the body, or after death, the jñānī merges into the spiritual effulgence of the Supreme Lord, the yogī transfers himself to the various higher planets, and the devotee goes to the planet of the Supreme Lord, Goloka Vṛndāvana or one of the Vaikuṇṭhas, and thus enjoys his eternal spiritual life.

Krsna Book 68:

For the most part it was the practice of the kṣatriya kings to inaugurate some kind of fighting between the parties of the bride and bridegroom before the marriage. When Sāmba forcibly took away Lakṣmaṇā, the elder members of the Kuru dynasty were pleased to see that he was actually the suitable match for her. In order to see his personal strength, however, they fought with him, and without respect for the regulations of fighting, they all arrested him. When the Yadu dynasty decided to release Sāmba from the confinement of the Kurus, Lord Balarāma came personally to settle the matter, and, as a powerful kṣatriya, He ordered them to free Sāmba immediately. The Kauravas were superficially insulted by this order, so they challenged Lord Balarāma's power. They simply wanted to see Him exhibit His inconceivable strength. Thus with great pleasure they handed over their daughter to Sāmba, and the whole matter was settled. Duryodhana, being affectionate toward his daughter Lakṣmaṇā, had her married to Sāmba in great pomp. For her dowry, he first gave 1,200 elephants, each at least 60 years old; then he gave 10,000 nice horses, 6,000 chariots, dazzling just like the sunshine, and 1,000 maidservants decorated with golden ornaments. Lord Balarāma, the most prominent member of the Yadu dynasty, acted as guardian of the bridegroom, Sāmba, and very pleasingly accepted the dowry. Balarāma was very satisfied after His great reception from the side of the Kurus, and accompanied by the newly married couple, He started toward His capital city of Dvārakā.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.7:

So, who can bring us news of the great ocean? Is there any record of how long we have been struggling in the water to stay afloat in the well of this material world, sometimes going up to the higher planets, sometimes coming down? Only the Supreme Lord Himself or His empowered representative can possibly free us from confinement in this dark well. Under their guidance we can come to know of the limitless ocean of the spiritual sky. This process—hearing from higher authorities—is called the deductive, or descending, process of knowledge. It is the only authorized way to learn transcendental knowledge. By this method alone is eternal truth transmitted.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966:

So difficulty is as living entity, we want enjoyment. Because I am not only simply existence. I have got bliss. Sac-cid-ānanda. I am, I am composed of three spiritual existence. I am eternal, and I am full of knowledge, and I am full of bliss. So those who enter into that impersonal effulgence of the Supreme Lord, they can remain eternally and with full knowledge that "I am now mixed up. I am now homogeneous with the Brahman. Bas." But they cannot have that eternal bliss because that part is wanting. So the difficulty is that when he feels... Just like you, if you are confined in a room alone, you may go on, you may engage yourself in reading some particular book or in some particular thought, but still, you cannot remain alone for all the years and all the time. That is not possible. You'll find some association. You'll find some association, recreation. That is our nature. So similarly, if we merge into the impersonal effulgence of the Supreme Lord, then there is chance of falling down again in this material world. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Every one is trying to become President Johnson or something like that. Does it mean that he will become? The arrangement is pre-arrangement. You may work day and night, hard labor. But you'll get whatever is destined to you. That's all. You cannot get more. That is being taught by Prahlāda Mahārāja. Just like a dog, he has got a particular type of body. He is confined in that bodily activities. If a dog likes that "I shall be President Johnson," is it possible? However, how much he may try, that body will not allow him. Similarly, we have got a particular type of body to enjoy a particular type of sense gratification. If we try to go beyond that, it is not possible. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Don't try foolishly in that way. If you have got any energy, try to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will make you happy." Don't misuse your energy in that way, that "I shall become this, I shall become that." That you cannot become. (break) ...the example, yathā duḥkham ayatnataḥ. You are trying to be happy in a different way. That is not the way of happiness.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 5, 1973:

Here, in India, the brāhmaṇas, they are doing everything. Still they are going in the name of brāhmaṇa. But here, these European brāhmaṇas, American brāhmaṇas, they're real brāhmaṇas, because they have given up all sinful activities. The brāhmaṇa's life is first of all truthful. Truthful. Satya śama dama titikṣa. Controlling the senses, controlling the mind, forbearance and simplicity, full knowledge, application of knowledge, belief in the Vedas—these are the symptoms of brāhmaṇa. Satya śama dama titikṣa ārjavam āstikyaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, these brahminical qualifications automatically come. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). This is the test. A devotee shall be qualified with all the godly qualities. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said if you induce people... Because His mission is to propagate this Vedic culture all over the world. He's not confined within some limited area. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. As many villages and towns are there in the world, His mission is to be preached there. So, so if we, in the beginning we say, "You have to become a brāhmaṇa first of all," Who's going to become a brāhmaṇa? Our people are not becoming brāhmaṇa. They'll say, "It is all nonsense. Let us become śūdra." So that is not possible. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, ihā bāhya āge kaha āra.

General Lectures

Class in Los Angeles -- Los Angeles, November 15, 1968:

So only Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the perfect... So Bhāgavata says, na te viduḥ... matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. So actually gṛha means this material confinement. Gṛha, real gṛha, means one is bound up within some limited space. So gṛha means to keep oneself within some boundary. So Bhāgavata says so long one is interested to keep himself within the boundary of some limited area, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Matir na kṛṣṇe. He cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness. He's limited within certain boundary. So Bhāgavata says Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not possible for persons who are limited by certain boundary, including universal concept of life. That is also boundary. And matir na kṛṣṇe svataḥ. Svataḥ means by his personal mental speculation. Just like many philosophers are thinking to reach the Absolute Truth beyond this limitation. That is called svataḥ, by personal speculation. Svataḥ, parataḥ. Parataḥ means from authorities. From a spiritual master, from scriptures, from authoritative books, authoritative source of knowledge, that is called parataḥ. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho. Mitho means by great assembly. Just like the United Nation is trying to solve the problem for the last many years, twenty to twenty-five years, all the nations. This is called mithaḥ, assembly. Mithaḥ means assembly.

Engagement Lecture -- Buffalo, April 23, 1969:

Just like you take another example: just like in the prison house. The prison house, population in the prison house, they are condemned by the government. But their number is only fraction of the whole population, not that whole population of the state goes to the prison house. Some criminals who are disobedient to the laws of the state, they are put into the prison house under confinement. Similarly, these conditioned souls within this material world, they are only fractional portion of the whole living enti..., number of living entities in the creation of God, and because they have disobeyed or declined to obey or abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa, or God, they have been put into this material world. Now, the problem is: if one is sensible, if one is inquisitive and serious, he should try to understand that "Why I am put into this material conditional life?" That should be the inquiry. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. In the Vedānta-sūtra this is the first inquiry, that people should be educated to that standard of life when he will be inquisitive to know, "Why I am put into this conditional life? What is the condition? I do not wish to suffer."

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: But if you say that you have studied all over the world, I say you have not studied all over the planet. That is still defective.

Śyāmasundara: Let's just confine it to this planet.

Prabhupāda: No. Why should you confine it? Nature is not only within this planet.

Śyāmasundara: Because you said that millions of years ago there were many complex forms of life existing on this planet.

Prabhupāda: No. Not on this planet; maybe anywhere. It is when you say nature, nature is not confined—what is called—limited within this planet. That you cannot say. When you say nature, this material nature, there are millions of universes and millions of planets in each and every universe. If you have studied... Suppose you have studied this planet; that is not sufficient knowledge.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Hayagrīva: Three, he speaks of, "An immense elation, or happiness, and freedom as the outlines of the confining selfhood melt down."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). This material selfishness is māyā. Actually that is not selfishness. Real selfishness is to know the relationship with God. But persons who are engrossed with the spell of māyā, illusory energy, they do not know that. Mostly, 99.9%, they have vague idea of God, and how they will know the relationship? So, so that our actual business, first business is to have complete idea, complete sense of God and our relationship. That is the business of human life. Therefore in the Vedic process, the real business is realize God. Either you take yoga system or jñāna system, and bhakti is cent percent simply realization of God. That is the business of human life. He hasn't got to do any other thing. That is practical understanding of God. A perfect human being knows that "My necessities of life is supplied by God, so I have no business to improve the economic condition." That cannot be done also. Nobody is going to be very rich, all of them. According to the destiny he gets his position. So one who is self-realized, he does not want to improve the material condition of life, but he wants to improve the spiritual conception of life. That is human life.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: It is not obscure. It is, everything is obscure to the foolish person. So he is a foolish person. He does not know what is God. How he will know what is religion? Our definition of religion is "the order given by God." But if I do not know what is God, then how can I take His order? That is the defect.

Hayagrīva: In the same letter he writes, "I am entirely incapable of considering the survival of the personality after death, even as a mere scientific possibility. I think therefore, it is better if I continue confining myself to psychoanalysis."

Prabhupāda: What is that psy...? He is deficient in psychoanalysis also, because he is practically seeing in his daily life that a child is growing to become a boy, a boy is growing to a young man, but the body is changing and the soul is there. So if he has no sense to understand this, what kind of psychoanalysis he is? The body of the child is finished, then he accepts another body, boy. So how you can deny it? You say it has grown. I say that it is finished. Then what is the difference? Actually the child's body is not there. So you can show..., speak in a different language, but the, when the child's body is finished, there is the boy's body. When the boy's body is finished, the young man's body. So body is changing, but still my child, my son, John, I still call him John, although he has changed his body, because I know my son, the soul John, whom I call John, he is there. So the soul is there; the body is changing, we are experiencing every day. So what kind of psychoanalyst he is, that he cannot understand this simple truth? And still he says, "I cannot believe in the eternity of the soul." That how poor thoughts he is maintaining, and he is proclaiming himself a philosopher.

Philosophy Discussion on Benedict Spinoza:

Prabhupāda: So that is material thought. That is material thought, because the paper in your hand, if it is made into pieces and thrown, expanding, then the original paper is lost. So this is material conception. But the spiritual conception is that He may expand Himself unlimitedly; still, He remains in His own person.

Hayagrīva: He believed that as long as man is composed of body and soul, he will be under the mode of passion, and as long as the soul is confined to the body, the living entity will necessarily be attached to the physical world.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We call it māyā. So that can... The body and soul in the material world is there, and therefore the aim of life is how to separate this soul from material body and remain in his original, spiritual form. That is the whole ideal objective for human life, because as long as he remains attached to the body, and... But he has to change the body. That is our practical experience also. We are changing always the body, one after another, and if we give up our attachment for this body, then we are liberated. That is called mukti, to remain in a spiritual body. That is possible only by always thinking of God. That is meditation. That is actual meditation. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakta, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. To become Kṛṣṇa's devotee, to become worshiper of Kṛṣṇa, and always offering obeisances: "My Lord, I am Your eternal servant. Kindly keep me engaged in Your service"—that much prayer; nothing more.

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Hayagrīva: And, uh, we can go on to Hegel?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: He did quite a bit of reading in Indian philosophy, but it seems to be confined to impersonal...,

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: ...the Upaniṣads...

Prabhupāda: It is simply, Upaniṣads is just the opposite-spirit is not matter. That is the instruction of Upaniṣads.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 22, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: No, no. How do you say that you are better than him? If they are also doing, it may be difference of degrees, but we are also doing the same thing.

Pañcadraviḍa: If a person is having love of God, though, then his love is not simply confined to his own work. You say you are having love of God; we are also spreading this movement all over the world. So God is one...

Prabhupāda: "No, no, we are also preaching Christianity all over the world. Our number of Christians is higher than your number of devotees. Our preaching work is better than yours."

Pañcadraviḍa: We ourselves are coming from Christian country, and we see that the entire society is so-called Christian, but...

Prabhupāda: Do you mean to say entire society is after you?

Pañcadraviḍa: Pardon me?

Prabhupāda: Can you prove that the entire society is after you only?

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: (Aside to devotee:) You come here. I do not follow the accent, you hear and tell.

Guest: What would be important was Kṛṣṇa teachings. One must, could not be confined to any one period of time. He is incarnation of God and somebody who was talking for the truth and in the name of the truth, and... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...fact is that if you have got different views about Kṛṣṇa, then you cannot prove that from the Bhagavad-gītā. That you cannot prove. If you take Bhagavad-gītā, then you must present it as it is. Don't distort it. You may have got some idea, but you explain that idea in your different book. But don't place it as the explanation of Bhagavad-gītā. That is not very good. If you have got different theory, you can write in a different book. But we cannot permit or do not like that as the commentary of Bhagavad-gītā you will place something different. That is not very honest. You put your own theory. Why should you try to put your theory through Bhagavad-gītā? That we protest. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said that "There is no superior authority than Me." Therefore He is the God. Mām eva ya prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8): "I am the origin of everything." And if you have got different idea, that somebody else is the origin, that you can explain differently. But you cannot keep it as explanation of Bhagavad-gītā.

Room Conversation with Justin Murphy (Geographer) -- May 14, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Without cooking.

Justin Murphy: No cooking. No cooking. Immediately, wiggling. The fresher the better. They used to eat small furry animals, bandicoots, wombats. There were no rabbits, of course, in those days. Rabbit has been a disaster introduced by man, by European man. But they used to occasionally pound the grass seeds from a few species of arid sand grasses and make a kind of an unleavened bread, which they would then bake. But generally the aborigines were nomadic, they were shifting, and they didn't cultivate. They didn't till the soil ever. But we must, whilst attempting to provide for the inevitable Australian people and the growth of population, we must also try to do that within the confines and the dictates of nature and the natural resources which we have. Australia is very rich in a lot of natural resources; it's very, very poor in others. It is quite poor in water, and, of course, water is absolutely basic to the growth process. Australia has abundant sunlight, solar energy, which is the basis of photosynthesis.

Prabhupāda: Vegetable.

Room Conversation with Two Lawyers and Guest -- May 22, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: No, first of all... Suppose you are a lawyer, and some man has committed murder, and he wants your help. And suppose by your legal tricks you save him. So that will not please God. (laughter)

Guest 3: You've got a different consideration here.

Guest 2: You've got a lot of places and names for that.

Guest 3: We've got a different consideration here, you see, because the law that we have is very different from God's law. And I think that... (break)

Prabhupāda: You must accept God's law, not the people's law.

Guest 1: Well, the problem is that we're confined by the state law here just as the boys with the flowers. Now, maybe in Kṛṣṇa's law they did nothing wrong, but they were still subjected to being taken away like that.

Prabhupāda: Yes, but he saved them. He saved them.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 10, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: As soon as there is some controversy, avoid it. That's all. Tāla fruit and crow. You worship Nṛsiṁhadeva. Ito nṛsiṁhaḥ parato, yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiṁhaḥ. Nṛsiṁhadeva is everywhere.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Bahir nṛsiṁho hṛdaye...

Prabhupāda: Why Nṛsiṁha should be confined: "He was here"? He is everywhere. And as He is everywhere, He is here also. That's all. Finish the business. And you are without...? (shoes?)

Yaśodānandana: I missed it. I could not get my cappalas (sandals) off in time. They were lost. But that is okay.

Prabhupāda: No, no, it is not okay. It is not at all okay. Then you go and sit down. Don't.... That is very risky. Then let us go to the road. (break) Maybe.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 1, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Jayapatākā: When the people all understand our philosophy then they'll have to disprove us. Otherwise they won't stand. Why we should disprove their nonsense? They haven't proved it yet.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Well, at the moment they're the majority. So majority carries the vote. That's the slogan. But if they're open-minded, if they are honest... We say, "Be honest, be frank, and be open-minded. Why you confine your small theory?"

Prabhupāda: No, they are not open-minded. They have to be pushed within the water. (laughs)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That's our first remark, "Please let's be open-minded. We are not dogmatic. We're not presenting something religious, fanatic. But let's discuss in open platform, see which one is..."

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is our argument. Just like this plant is coming out of the womb of mother. Everything comes from the mother. So there must be father. Anything you see, it is coming from earth. Earth is the mother. Dhenu-dhātrī. So where is the father? "I cannot see." You cannot see? That does not mean there is no father. There must be father. And the father says, "Yes!" Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). The answer is there.

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Āpni, immediately come. Immediately come. (Bengali)

Dr. Ghosh: Ācchā. All right. Consider me as your servant. I'm always ready to serve you. (Bengali) I've never been confined to bed in these long years. (Bengali) I have given medicine to lakhs and lakhs of people, but I myself have never taken any. (Bengali) I am always ready. I am free now, absolutely free, with full energy.

Prabhupāda: Āpnāra life full successful. (Bengali) Āpnāra family life, successful. Āmāra family life, failure

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Your spiritual family life...

Dr. Ghosh: (Bengali)

Prabhupāda: We started life together. His life, family life, is very successful, and my family life is...

Jayapatākā: So better to have an unsuccessful family life, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and be successful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: And done big, big business. Eh? Whatever Kṛṣṇa wanted to bring me, so this is work. Anyway... So I was sleeping?

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Jawaharlal Nehru -- Allahabad 20 January, 1952:

"So we search for new ways, new aspects of the truth more in harmony with our environment. And we question each other and debate and quarrel and evolve any number of 'isms' and philosophies. As in the days of Socrates, we live in an age of questioning, but the questioning is not confined to a city like Athens: it is worldwide".

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Parvat Maharaja -- San Francisco 15 September, 1968:

Sometime back, I wrote you one letter but I did not receive any reply. I am very much obliged to you that you have proposed to help Jaya Govinda about his visa trouble. But I don't know why you make such condition that he has to remain with you so long he is in India. He has to work for the society freely and sometimes he might have to go to Bombay or other cities, so how he can be confined to a place? If you can help him without any condition, it will be a great favor to me.

Letter to Acyutananda, Jayagovinda -- Seattle 13 October, 1968:

Jaya Govinda, your article "Hrshikesa" is published in Back To Godhead. It has come out very nice. If you send such articles of different pilgrimages, that will be also a great service. You have got artistic idea, so please take courage and act enthusiastically. Do not depend on somebody, and become confined there. So on receipt of your reply of this letter I shall give you my final decision about your returning back.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Himavati -- Los Angeles 4 July, 1970:

Do not be worried by lying down. Chant Hare Krsna mantra and Krsna will help you to be free from this confinement very soon. In my previous letter I informed you that you better stick to the arcana bidhi of the temple, and I confirm the same again that in future you will always remain in the temple. So we should always consider that this material world is a dangerous place and therefore we shall chant Lord Nrsimha's Holy Name in order to be protected by Him in all dangers.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Dasarha -- Bombay 4 March, 1972:

Regarding your questions on Christianity, we are not very much keen to engage them in argument because for the most part they are sentimentalists and have no philosophy, therefore they become fanatics or dogmatists, and this type of person we cannot change. But if you find some Christian person who is intelligent to understand philosophy then you may argue that if God is unlimited, how He can be confined to having only one son? The son is the representative of the father, and in that sense he is the same as the father, but also he is different than the father. So Christ is speaking in this sense, that only through the representative of God can one come to God. Just like Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that one should surrender to a bona fide spiritual master, and then He also says that one should "Surrender unto Me." So there is no difference between surrendering to God or surrendering to God's representative, therefore Christ is also saying just surrender to me, the son or representative or spiritual master, and that is the same as surrendering to my father. Accepting the Lord or His representative as one's savior means to render loving devotional service to Him, and in return he will give you all protection.