Direct (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"Direct"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 6, 1971:

Pradyumna: Shall I take up where we left off yesterday?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Pradyumna: "Śrī Vyāsadeva asserts herein that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead and all others are His direct or indirect plenary portions or portion of the portion. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has even more explicitly explained the subject matter in his Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha, and Brahmā, the original living being..."

Prabhupāda: Jīva Gosvāmī has got six sandarbhas, theses: Bhagavat-sandarbha, Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha, Tattva-sandarbha, Prīti-sandarbha, like that. So these books are... I don't think it is published in English. So these sandarbhas are so philosophically discussed that throughout the whole world, there is not a single philosopher who can defy these Jīva Gosvāmī's six sandarbhas. Our, this Gauḍīya-sampradāya... We belong to Gauḍīya-sampradāya—Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, from the disciplic succession of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We have got immense literature to understand God. One who wants to understand God through philosophy, science, argument, logic, so to supply them material, we have got immense literature, Vedic literature. So one of them is mentioned here, Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha, what is Kṛṣṇa. Go on.

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971:

Pradyumna: "Obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, directly indicates Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the divine son of Vasudeva and Devakī. This fact will be more explicitly explained in the text of this work. Śrī Vyāsadeva asserts herein that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, and all others are His direct or indirect plenary portions or portions of the portion."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This will be explained in the Third Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto. When describing different incarnations, so in that list of different incarnations, Kṛṣṇa's name is also there. So Vyāsadeva has purposefully explained in that verse that there are so many incarnations. It has been described there that Kṛṣṇa, or God, has got so many incarnations, just like so many waves of the river. If you have got some experience of the flowing river you'll find so many waves are coming, one after another, one after another.

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971:

One portion of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has direct expansion and expansion of the expansion. Just like Kṛṣṇa, His immediate expansion is Baladeva, Balarāma. Then from Balarāma the next expansion is Catur-vyūha, quadruple: Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. Again, from this Saṅkarṣaṇa there is another expansion, Nārāyaṇa. From Nārāyaṇa, another expansion. Again, second status of Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva... Not only one Nārāyaṇa, but innumerable Nārāyaṇas. Because in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the spiritual sky, there are innumerable planets. How many? Now, just imagine here in this universe there are planets. This is one universe. There are millions of planets. You cannot count. You cannot count. So similarly, there are innumerable universes also.

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

How much rascaldom it is, you can just imagine. God is not like that. God knows everything. That is God. Anvayād itarataś ca. Indirectly and directly. Directly I can see this is my finger, but I do not know what is the composition of the finger. So direct, indirect. Indirectly I do not know. Directly I can see. So we may have some experience of direct perception, but God has got both direct and indirect perception. We do not know how a flower is coming out, but God knows how the flower is coming out.

So in this way, if we study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we can understand what is the nature of God. Not we manufacture, but the reason, the philosophy, the authority, is everything there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So if we simply scrutinizingly study how, what sort of body God has got. It is a simple language, it is given. Sac-cid-ānanda, and ānanda means blissful. Always blissful. You have seen our Kṛṣṇa, how blissful He is. He is playing on His flute, and His eternal consort, Rādhārāṇī, is there. He's not blissful?

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

Anything, whatever you see, within your experience, that is in God. We are practically sample of God. Whatever propensities there are in God we have got, because we are part and parcel of God.

Just like Atlantic Ocean and a drop of Atlantic Ocean water. Chemically it is the same. If you taste one drop of Atlantic Ocean water it is salty. Immediately direct perception. And if you analyze the whole ocean you will find it is salty. But the difference is the Atlantic Ocean contains millions and trillions of tons of salt, but the drop of water contains a grain of salt. Similarly, whatever propensities you have, that is result of God. If you can study yourself, that is called meditation, study yourself and you will find that you are sample of God. He is vibhu, God is great, and we are small. That is difference. Therefore our knowledge is imperfect.

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

Akṣaja, adhokṣaja. Akṣaja means experimental knowledge, things which you can perceive by your present senses. Just like you can touch. You can understand a thing by touching, if it is hard or soft, liquid or solid. You can smell, you can hear—so many sensual activities. So things which you can perceive by your sensual activities, they are called direct knowledge or knowledge by experiment. But which is beyond your experiment, that is called adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means beyond your sense perception. So God's another name is Adhokṣaja, means beyond our perception. You cannot understand God by directly seeing or directly smelling, or directly hearing, or directly tasting or touching. It is not possible at the present moment unless you are spiritually advanced, unless our seeing power is rectified or hearing power is modified. In this way, when our senses are purified, then we can hear about God, we can see God, we can smell God, we can touch God.

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

So when one learns how to render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, direct service, then that is the ultimate goal of religious principles. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, the Lord says, sarva-dharmān parityajya: (BG 18.66) "You give up all types of religious principles." Sarva-dharmān. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: "Simply just surrender unto Me," because this is religion. Anything which does not teach how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa of God, that is not religion. Therefore I said in the beginning, there is some difference of meaning between "religion" and dharma. Religion and dharma. Religion is a faith, but dharma is the original characteristic of the living entity.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 11, 1973:

That is also dharma. That is temporary. But paro dharma means permanent dharma, eternal dharma, or sanātana-dharma. That is called para. Para means superior. So sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means God. Adhaḥ. Adhaḥ means cut (curbed?) down. Akṣaja means direct perception. Adhokṣaja. You cannot understand God by direct perception. You have got your eyes, but if you want to see, "Where is God? Show me," that is not immediately possible. You have to prepare your eyes to see God. So therefore God's another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛta-akṣajan jñānaṁ yatra(?). Not by direct perception you can understand God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here in this chapter as Vāsudeva Adhokṣaja. Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa's name, another name is Vāsudeva, and His another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means not to be understood by direct perception of our senses. Akṣaja, we try to understand everything with our senses, we want to see something, we want to touch something, we want to smell something, we want to hear about something, we want to taste something, these are our direct test. So Kṛṣṇa, God, cannot be understood by these direct tests. Therefore He is called Adhokṣaja. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is here, but because we have no training, we see that it is a stone statue. But He is Kṛṣṇa. We do not know that Kṛṣṇa is so kind but because I cannot see Kṛṣṇa at the present stage of life therefore Kṛṣṇa has appeared in a form which I can see.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

So He has appeared in this material energy, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). So He has appeared just like stone, because we cannot see except stone. Therefore He has appeared like stone, but He is not stone, He is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means we cannot perceive Kṛṣṇa by direct sense perception but He is so kind, so merciful that He appears before us as we can perceive Him directly.

That yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, and that bhakti, that devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, should be ahaituki. This is first-class, this is their system. Because the enquiry was where is now dharma. So he is describing what is the nature of dharma. The nature of dharma is that bhāgavata is the topmost knowledge. He is giving directly the topmost religious system.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

So he is describing what is the nature of dharma. The nature of dharma is that bhāgavata is the topmost knowledge. He is giving directly the topmost religious system. The topmost religious system is devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Who is not perceived by direct senses. And that devotional service should be ahaituki. No hetu. Hetu means cause. I am going to the temple with some cause. For mitigation of some difficulties, I shall pray to... That is also nice, but that is haituki, there is some hetu, or cause. We should serve Kṛṣṇa without any cause, not that by serving Kṛṣṇa I shall improve my material position and so many causes maybe. But real service, real devotional service must be without cause. That is pure devotional service.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

So God's name is there according to His pastimes, relationships. So Kṛṣṇa is the supreme name because it means all-attractive. Similarly, here it is name, God's name, Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja. Adha. Adha means defeated. Adha-kṛta. Subdued. What is that subdued? Akṣaja-jñānam. Akṣa. Akṣa means eyes, direct perception. We want... We say sometimes, "Can you show me God?" Akṣa. Or akṣaja means ah, the alphabet, and kṣa, beginning from ah up to kṣa. So all the letters are there. So we make words by combination of these letters. So akṣaja, so within our power, we make so many words by combining these alphabets, but God is beyond that. Akṣaja-jñānam. Either you are beyond the direct perception or beyond your word-making capacity. Therefore God's another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhaḥ-kṛta akṣaja jñānam jata. So adhokṣaja means beyond direct sense perception. That is also nice name of God. God is not understood by speculating our senses.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, July 23, 1973:

We cannot understand God, Kṛṣṇa, by our present senses. Therefore His name is adhokṣaja. Here this is the verse, it is said, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Adhokṣaja. Akṣaja means direct perception. Just like somebody says, "I want to see." This is called akṣaja. Akṣa means eyes or senses. So He is not perceived by these blunt material senses. Therefore He is known as Adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛta akṣaja-jñānaṁ yatra, where this direct experimental knowledge is defeated. You cannot understand God by your this blunt material experience. No. That is not possible. Therefore we have to submit. We have to surrender.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

The sunshine is expanded all over the universe. But if you are in the sunshine, you cannot say that "I am in the sun planet." No, that is not. Sun planet is 93,000,000's miles away. But the sunshine is not different from the sun. That is also fact. But still, you cannot say, because the sunshine has entered in your room, you cannot say that "I am in direct connection with the sun-god or the sun planet." No.

This is called acintya-bhedābheda philosophy: "simultaneously, inconceivably, one and different." So everything is God. That is a fact. And still, everything is not God. That is also fact. So we have to understand this philosophy. Everything is God. Without God's energy... The same thing, that the whole material world is existing on the sunshine. All scientists know it. But at the same time, the sunshine is different and nondifferent from the sun. Similarly, whatever we are experiencing, that is energy of God. Brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. These are energies of God, tathedam akhilaṁ jagat (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.22.53), the whole creation, cosmic manifestation.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, April 18, 1974:

Everyone thinks. If he is in position in the material world, he thinks like that. That is not fault. That is natural.

But here it is said, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaja. God's another name is Adhokṣaja, "beyond," I mean to say, "material conception." Adhah-kṛta akṣaja-jñānaṁ yatra. Akṣaja means direct perception, that I see directly by my eyes, I can hear directly by my ears, or I can smell. Not by direct. Directly, because our senses are imperfect. (break) Then you can understand that we are not different.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

Then they are explained or supplemented by the Purāṇas, eighteen Purāṇas. Then they are further explained by hundred eight Upaniṣads. Then they are summarized in Vedānta-sūtra, Brahma-sūtra. And then again, the Brahma-sūtra is explained by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyāyāṁ brahma-sūtrāṇām. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the direct commentary by the author himself. Therefore you will find at the end of each chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-purāṇe brahma-sūtra bhāṣye. Bhāṣya means commentary. Commentary means to explain. Just like in the Brahma-sūtra the first aphorism is athāto brahma jijñāsā: "This human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." Brahman means Absolute Truth, the supreme truth.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

So that is explained here: sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharma yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaje. Beyond the sense perception. We have got different stages of knowledge: direct perception... Pratyakṣa, parokṣa, aparokṣa, adhokṣaja, aprakṛta—these are five stages of knowledge. Direction perception, knowledge received from others, then realization, then anubhūti, understanding what is the position of God and His situation. That is called aprakṛta. Aprakṛta means not within this material world but above that. Śaṅkarācārya, he has described, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. Avyaktāt. This material world is manifested. And above this, there is the total stock of material energy. That is called avyakta. And beyond that, there is spiritual world. Nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. So we have to understand God, where He is situated. He is situated everyone, everywhere, but still, we cannot see.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

He is situated everyone, everywhere, but still, we cannot see. In Kuntī's prayer she said that "Kṛṣṇa, You are without and within also, but still, You cannot be recognized." Naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā. Just like one person's father or relative is playing on the stage, still, he cannot recognize him—"Who is playing?"—so similarly, Kṛṣṇa or God's position is adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja. Akṣaja. Akṣaja means direct perception. Akṣa means eyes. Sometimes we say, "Can you show me God?" This is called akṣaja. But He cannot be seen by these eyes; therefore His name is Adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛtaḥ akṣajaṁ jñānam. You cannot see God by direct perception. You have to create your eyes, you have to create your senses, so that you can see God, you can touch God, you can talk with God, you can feel God's presence. Therefore His name is Adhokṣaja. When sometimes God is described as impersonal, that does not mean that He has no personality. He has His personality, but He is not a person like us.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Los Angeles, August 21, 1972:

A devotee Bhāgavata is as good as the book Bhāgavata because the devotee Bhāgavata leads his life in terms of the book Bhāgavata and the book Bhāgavata is full of information about the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhāgavatas. Bhāgavata book and person are identical. The devotee Bhāgavata is a direct representative of Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead, so by pleasing the devotee Bhāgavata one can receive the benefit of the book Bhāgavata. Human reason fails to understand how by serving the devotee Bhāgavata or the book Bhāgavata one gets gradual promotion on the path of devotion. But actually these are the facts explained by Śrīla Nāradadeva, who happened to be a maidservant's son in his previous life. The maidservant..."

Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Los Angeles, August 28, 1972:

So Bhagavān is the last word in the Absolute Truth. So here it is said they did not worship Brahman or Paramātmā; they worshiped directly bhagavantam adhokṣajam. Adhokṣajam.

Another name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is adhokṣajam. Akṣaja, akṣaja means direct perception. Direct means sense perception. Just like we see so many things directly with our eyes; we touch with our hands; we smell by our nose. These are direct perception by our senses. But bhagavantam, Bhagavān, is adhokṣajam. He is beyond direct perception. Adhokṣajam. Adhaḥ, you cannot reach there by direct perception. Just like I do not see God. Then what do you see? Your seeing power is very limited. Why don't you accept that? So He's not appreciable by limited senses. Therefore His name is adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja. Sattvaṁ viśuddham. Sattvaṁ viśuddham. Sattva, goodness, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Los Angeles, August 28, 1972:

We are all created beings. But Kṛṣṇa is not created. He is above creation. Before creation, He was existing; therefore His existence is not within this creation. That is adhokṣaja. Within this creation we can understand by experimental science, but which is beyond this creation, because we cannot reach there, adhokṣaja... Because we take everything by direct perception, but that is beyond direct perception. Adhokṣaja. Kṣemāya kalpante ye 'nu tān iha. That is our real benefit, adhokṣaja. In the beginning also of this chapter it is said, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). The same word, adhokṣaje. Ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati. If you want real happiness, then you engage yourself in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṣemāya. Then you'll be happy. And if you take to other demigods, those who are material, that will not be your perfect happiness or permanent happiness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.34 -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1972:

Your life is not finished. Your life is not finished simply by finishing... When the, this body is ended, it is not that you are also ended. This knowledge, there is nowhere throughout the whole world. There are so many big, big universities. That is our lamentation, that what is this education? They do not know how to direct education. In the śāstra it is said that your activities should be conducted in such a way that Kṛṣṇa becomes satisfied. Hari-toṣaṇam. But they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Hari. And how to satisfy Him, that is another question.

Lecture on SB 1.3.26 -- Los Angeles, October 1, 1972:

And the same Paramātmā, when He comes before you, being very much merciful upon you, to teach you from outside, that is guru. Therefore it is said, sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. Guru is the mercy incarnation of God. Sākṣāt, direct. Hari-tvena, he is Hari, God. Samasta-śāstraiḥ. It is not that somewhere it is stated, somewhere it is not stated. No. In all Vedic literature. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ **. Uktaḥ means "it is said." And tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ. Sadbhiḥ, those who are real devotees, they accept this. "Yes, guru is exactly representative of Kṛṣṇa, mercy representative."

Lecture on SB 1.3.27 -- Los Angeles, October 2, 1972:

Then there are divisions: prābhava, vaibhava... In this way, as you have learned from previous verses, many thousands of expansions. We are also expansion, but we are separated expansion, living entities. Svāṁśa-vibhinnāṁśa. Svāṁśa. Just like this my hand is my part and parcel of my body, direct expansion. And from the hands there are so many hairs. They are also from the hand. Just as my head. And from the head there are so many hairs. So they are also expansion. But they are separated expansion. I can cut my hair, but I cannot cut my throat.

Lecture on SB 1.3.29 -- Los Angeles, October 4, 1972:

There is no difference.

So don't consider that incarnation means less important. No. But because Kṛṣṇa is the original source, therefore Bhāgavata is pointing out that "These incarnation, all these incarnation, they are expansion of the original Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or expansion of the expansion," kalāḥ. Aṁśa and kalā. Aṁśa means direct expansion, and kalā means expansion of the expansion. Just like Kṛṣṇa's direct expansion is Balarāma. Then, from Balarāma, there is further expansion: Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, like that. Then Mahā-Viṣṇu, another expansion. Then from Mahā-Viṣṇu to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Then Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Paramātmā, Īśvara. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). The all-pervading. So all of them are expansion and equally powerful. But still, for understanding, for pure knowledge, we should under stand that Kṛṣṇa is the origin. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8).

Lecture on SB 1.5.8-9 -- New Vrindaban, May 24, 1969:

Just like they are trying to go to the higher planets by sputniks, similarly, there are ritualistic ceremonies. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). By performing all the ritualistic ceremonies, sacrifices, you can elevate yourself to the higher planets: yānti deva-vratā devān. That is another method. And this method also, another method, they want to go direct by machine. But that tendency is there everywhere, that "We may go to this sun planet, moon planet, this planet."

But Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he says, (chuckling) "Oh, you are trying to go to other higher planets by your karma, by his work? Oh, this is just like horse egg. Huh? Why should you bother yourself?" Horse egg means it has no substance. As, like there is no existence of horse egg, similarly, even if you attain that higher planetary system, what do you gain by that? You don't gain anything, because the four principles of material existence will continue there also. Birth, death, old age, and disease, you cannot stop. You may live for a greater period—that is possible in higher planets.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

"If you do not do this..." Śrīdhara Svāmī comments, vipakṣe. Vipakṣe means if you do not understand this philosophy, that simply Kṛṣṇa consciousness can save the human race, then you are faulty. If you do not understand... If you understand it nicely, it is very good. But if you do not understand it, if you direct your activities in a, in a different way, then it is faulty. You'll never be happy. Because the whole thing has begun-Vyāsadeva was unhappy. Even after producing a literature like Vedānta-sūtra, he was not happy, and Nārada is giving him instruction how to become happy. Here is the answer, that "If you do not accept this proposition, that you have simply to be in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then vipakṣe, it is just against your welfare."

Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:

And avaroha-panthā is deductive process, getting knowledge from higher authorities. So our Vedic understanding is to receive knowledge from the authorities. That is perfect knowledge.

So there are three kinds of processes to receive knowledge: pratyakṣa, aitihya and śabda. Pratyakṣa means by direct perception, experimental knowledge. And aitihya, or anumāna. Anumāna, hypothesis, "It may be like this," "Perhaps like this." Just like modern scientists say, "Perhaps it is like this." That is called anumāna, hypothesis. And another process is śabda-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa. Śabda means sound vibration, and śruti means aural reception. So out of three processes, the śabda-pramāṇa, or receiving vibration, sound vibration from authorities by aural reception, that is considered to be the perfect.

Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:

"Yes, the Supreme Lord is only Kṛṣṇa." Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Āra, "Any other demigod or even viṣṇu-tattva, even Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu"—there are so many, I mean to say, manifestation of viṣṇu-tattva—"they're all subordinate to Kṛṣṇa." Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1).

So here the point is that just direct people to Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord. Don't misguide them that "Here is another god, here is another god, here is another..." The Bhagavad-gītā also, in the last instruction, Bhagavān says, mām ekam. Ekam means one. "Only surrender to Me." So this is the verdict of all Vedic literatures. But if somebody thinks that "I can worship Brahmā, I can worship Kālī, I can worship Śiva, or many other demigods, and still the same thing," this is impersonalist view. It is not a fact. Because according to them, "The Absolute Truth is impersonal.

Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:

And ultimately they become impersonal, merge into the effulgence, brahma-jyotir. That is their philosophy. The Māyāvāda philosophy and Vaiṣṇava philosophy differs here. Our Bhāgavata says that ultimate truth, Absolute Truth, is a person. Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti (SB 1.2.11). Vyāsadeva says that "You direct people, attention, to the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Now, the question may be that one may take to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without understanding the truth, by sentiment. Just like sometimes... It is mostly in this country. Some of the disciples, some of the students, they are coming, not that one has understood this philosophy very nicely and he is convinced. Some of them are coming by sentiment: "All right, let me join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement." So in that case what happens?

Lecture on SB 1.7.34-35 -- Vrndavana, September 28, 1976:

To your son? No. I must give very good advice. So Kṛṣṇa is advising Arjuna, "Don't excuse this rascal brahma-bandhu. Don't excuse." This is Kṛṣṇa's advice. But it does not mean that we can do anything and everything under the pretext of Kṛṣṇa's advice. You must be first of all a confidential friend or servant of Kṛṣṇa. You must receive direct order from Kṛṣṇa. Then you can do it. Otherwise not. Otherwise not. Under the pretext that "Kṛṣṇa said," "My spiritual master has said," "Prabhupāda has said," we manufacture something. Don't do that. Unless you are directly ordered, you cannot do at least such things as to chastise a brahma-bandhu. This should not be done. Here is direct order.

So bhagavān ambujekṣaṇaḥ. Although He's angry, although He's the Supreme Lord, Bhagavān... He's not so-called nonviolent. How nonviolent? Nonviolent or violent. Violence is also one of the qualifications of God. Especially in political matters, when the kṣatriyas are dealing, there is always violence.

Lecture on SB 1.7.43 -- Vrndavana, October 3, 1976:

So here the example that even Sītā-devī, the direct potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, she is showing that without being protected, she can be ravished, she can be kidnapped, she can be misused by the rākṣasas. This is the example. Sītā-devī was quite competent, but this is the example.

Another example is that because Lord Rāmacandra took Sītā in the forest... From moral principle, He should not have taken Sītā. Pathe nārī vivaryaya(?). The moral principle is that when you are going out of home, you should not take your wife with you, pathe nārī vivaryaya, because there may be so many dangers. That actually happened, Sītā-devī, because Lord Rāmacandra was ordered to go to the forest.

Lecture on SB 1.7.51-52 -- Vrndavana, October 8, 1976:

It is summarized in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that there are so many descriptions of the incarnation of Viṣṇu, but at the end, Vyāsadeva concludes that whatever incarnations are described here, they are aṁśa-kalā. Aṁśa means direct expansion, and kalā means expansion of the expansion. Just like Kṛṣṇa, the first expansion is Balarāma, Baladeva. And the next expansion is Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. The next expansion is Nārāyaṇa. The next expansion again second catur-vyūha. Saṅkarṣaṇa again. Dvitīya-catur-vyūha. Then next expansion, Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu. Next expansion, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. And next expansion is Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. In this way, there are different expansion, but kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Ādyaṁ puruṣaṁ śāśvatam. Kṛṣṇa is the original person. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). "I am not expansion of anybody."

Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:

Their knowledge has been taken away by māyā. Apahṛta means taken away. Here also, the same thing, Kuntī says, māyā-javanikācchannam ajñā. Māyā-javanikācchannam ajñā adhokṣajam avyayam. They cannot see Adhokṣaja. Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is also known as Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja. Akṣaja. Akṣa means direct perception. Just like we sometimes say, "Can you show me? Can you show me?" So the answer is, "Whether you have got eyes to see?" God or Kṛṣṇa cannot be seen by these eyes. So Adhokṣaja. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhaḥ. Adhaḥ means down, made down, or defeated. Your sense perception will be defeated if you want to realize by God by your imperfect sense perception. That is not possible. You will be defeated. Adhaḥ akṣaja. Akṣaja means akṣa. Akṣa means eyes. Just like we say, "Can you show me?" You cannot see. Because māyā-javanikācchannam, by the māyā there is a curtain.

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :

This is the description of the mūḍhāḥ. Here it is said, ajñā. Ajñā means ignorant. And what is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is adhokṣajam. Adhok..., adhokṣaja. Adha, adhakṛta. Adhakṛta means subdued. Akṣaja, our knowledge, direct perception. We are very much proud of our eyes, akṣa. So Kṛṣṇa's another name is Adhokṣaja. Where your eyesight fails to see you, see Kṛṣṇa; therefore he is Adhokṣaja. Akṣaja jñānam. Knowledge received through direct perception of the senses is called akṣaja jñānam, and Kṛṣṇa is adhokṣaja, where knowledge by direct perception cannot reach. And perfection of life is when you become attached to that adhokṣaja. In another place of Śrīmad... (break) Peace will be possible when you develop your loving propensity for the Adhokṣaja, who is beyond your senses. Therefore those who are duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ-many languages have been used in the Vedas they do not know what is the aim of life, they are simply thinking "I am this body," then this kind of thought is there in the dogs and cats also. He is also thinking "I am this body."

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :

"What is that?" "Atlantic Ocean." "How big is it?" "Very, very big." Maybe, he is in the three-feet well. "Four feet?" "No, no, very, very big." "Five feet?" "No, very big." "Six feet?" (laughter) How he will understand the Atlantic Ocean? He can simply imagine, maybe three-feet, four-feet, five-feet well. But beyond all feet, that he cannot understand. Because of mūḍha-dṛśa, the direct perception, and he is a rascal.

So by mental speculation, so-called big, big philosophers, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can be understood by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is visible. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. When you are trained up how to love God, Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself, and you will see Him. Premāñjana-cchurita. Not with these eyes, but another eyes. What is that eyes?

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :

So then when your eyes are clear, then you can see, hṛayeṣu, always existing. But so long you are mūḍha-dṛśa, you are mental speculator, the curtain is covered, the covering is there, you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. Māyā-javanikācchannam ajñādhokṣajam avyayam na lakṣyase, "You are not visible," mūḍha-dṛśa, "by persons who are rascal and simply believe in direct perception," mūḍha-dṛśa. How it is? In Sanskrit language you will find exact example is given, naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā. Just like you have gone to see a performance, dramatic performance, and some of your relatives, say your brother or father, is playing there, but he is dressed in such a way that you can not recognize he is your father. Although he is in your front, the father or the brother whom you see every day, this man, being, has dressed himself in such a way, he is playing the part of a king or something else, you can not understand. Somebody says, "Did you see your father is playing?"

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Los Angeles, April 26, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Brahmā, or the first living being born just after the creation, is the direct son of Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa, as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, first of all entered the material universe. Without spiritual contact matter cannot create."

Prabhupāda: This is the beginning of creation. Those who are finding out the original cause of material creation, they should know this fact, that creation takes place when there is spirit soul. That means living. The matter is not created. Matter is created by the spirit soul. Not the soul is created by matter. This is rascal theory, that this living condition, living force, living energy which we have got, it is created by material condition. This is Buddhist theory. At the present moment, the whole world is going on on this Buddhist theory. That under certain condition the matter develops living force. No, that is not. Actually the fact is: upon the living force, matter increases.

Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Los Angeles, April 28, 1973:

Nobody requires any lamp to see the sun. Everyone can see. But if it is covered by the cloud, it is very difficult to see. So this Māyāvāda interpretation is, explanation, means covering the real meaning. That's all. They do so like that. They'll never accept the direct meaning. Kurukṣetra dharmakṣetra... Even big, big political leaders. They will cover: "Kurukṣetra means this, dharmakṣetra means this." No. Hearing should be ... Our policy is hearing the original, as it is. Then it will be effective.

Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). Viṣṇu should be heard as He is. Gṛṇanty abhīkṣṇaśaḥ smaranti. The same, meditation, remembering, smaranti nandanti. Nandanti means he becomes jubilant, pleasure, reservoir of pleasure, nandati. Nandana means pleasing. Nandanti... Who? Tava īhitaṁ janaḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1973:

That is also knowledge. And smṛti. Smṛti means statement derived from śruti. Just like Bhagavad-gītā is called smṛti, the Purāṇas are called smṛti. But Upaniṣad is called śruti, and Vedānta is called nyāya. So three ways, nyāya-pramāṇa, śruti-pramāṇa and smṛti-pramāṇa. So of all these, the śruti-pramāṇa, or the evidence by the śruti, is very important. Pratyakṣa, anumāna and śruti. Pratyakṣa: direct perception. Direct perception has no value because our senses are all imperfect. So what is the value of direct perception? Just like we are seeing every day the sun just like a disc, say, about twelve inches or eleven inches. But it is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth. So therefore our direct perception with the experience of these eyes has no value. Similarly all the senses, either eyes or nose, by smelling, by touching, by tasting, by hearing...

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

It is not the... It is avidhi-pūrvaka. And if you... Suppose you are in trouble. You have to satisfy the police commissioner. But you are trying to satisfy the police commissioner by bribing the constable. That is avidhi-pūrvaka. If it is known, then you'll be punished. So don't try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa-avidhi-pūrvakam. Vidhi-pūrvakam. That vidhi-pūrvakam is direct. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is wanted. That is vidhi-pūrvakam. Otherwise avidhi-pūrvakam. And how? The avidhi... The vidhi-pūrvaka, how? Just as the Ganges water is flowing automatically toward the sea, similarly, your devotional service like that, automatically, without any check... Then your life is perfect.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Mayapura, October 24, 1974:

Once one has become debauch, to reform him is very difficult. But still there is way. And that way is suggested when... Rāmānanda Rāya suggested that... It is the words of Lord Brahmā that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya: "One should not very much endeavor to speculate, speculating process." Just like these theosophists, the philosophers, the scientists. They, instead of having direct knowledge from the superior, they, more or less, speculate. So one has to give up this speculating habit. If one thinks that "I know. I am very educated. I am very advanced. I can discover what is God," that is not possible. That is not possible. Athāpi te deva-padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). You cannot understand God by your speculative method. Big, big scholars, they have speculated about Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Misled, they could not understand.

Lecture on SB 1.8.48 -- Los Angeles, May 10, 1973:

Mama janmani janmanīśvare (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Janmani janmani, it doesn't matter. What kind of janma will be... Of course, from the śāstras we can understand that śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). To take birth by a devotee is different little than another's. Because one who has dedicated to Kṛṣṇa, He is under Kṛṣṇa's control, direct. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). So that bhakti means he is sinless, spotless. So therefore there is no possibility of his taking birth in lower animal group. That is not. He will get birth; that is assured—śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe—either in a very rich family or in a pure brāhmaṇa's family. Because he will get another chance of developing his devotional service in a pure brāhmaṇa family or pure Vaiṣṇava family. Vaiṣṇava is greater than a brāhmaṇa. That is a great opportunity. Because the father, mother, they are engaged in devotional service. Just like these children who were born amongst our devotees, they are not ordinary children.

Lecture on SB 1.10.14 -- Mayapura, June 27, 1973:

This is love. "Let me try to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. If it is done, all right. If it is not done, I shall remain in my position. What is the loss?" Not like that. One must be so eager that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one should become mad. One should become mad. That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching, separation, not direct contact.

Direct contact is not possible. Neither that is the way of worshiping by the method of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That is sahajiyā-vāda. "I am talking with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is snatching my cloth." There is a book, one lady has written, his (her) experience, that Kṛṣṇa comes, He talks with her and snatches her cloth. She has written openly. But this is not Caitanya Mahāprabhu's way. There is one gentleman, Mr. Raya, in Poona, and he has got also woman.

Lecture on SB 1.15.30 -- Los Angeles, December 8, 1973:

Now here, the same thing is repeated: Arjuna, who directly heard from Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes some people say that "Arjuna heard directly from Kṛṣṇa, but we don't find Kṛṣṇa in our presence, so how can I accept?" It is not a question of direct presence, because you have no idea of the absolute knowledge. Kṛṣṇa's words, Bhagavad-gītā, is not different from Kṛṣṇa. It's not different from Kṛṣṇa. When you hear Bhagavad-gītā, you are directly hearing from Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa is not different. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's quality, Kṛṣṇa's instruction, everything Kṛṣṇa's, they're all Kṛṣṇa. They're all Kṛṣṇa. This has to be understood. They're not different from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's form here, He's Kṛṣṇa. He's not a statue. "He's a marble statue." No. He's Kṛṣṇa. He has appeared before you because you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. You can see stone, wood; therefore He has appeared in that form.

Lecture on SB 1.15.30 -- Los Angeles, December 8, 1973:

So Arjuna here says, bhagavatā, "What I heard from that personality, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān." Bhagavān means full of six opulences. I've described it many times. So here is the direct hearer, listener. He says bhagavatā. How you can say that Kṛṣṇa is not Bhagavān-ordinary person? How you can say? One who heard the message, he says directly. This is called paramparā system. This is called paramparā. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So if we understand Bhagavad-gītā, as Kṛṣṇa..., as Arjuna understood. that is perfect. That is Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. And if you try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as some rascal commentator says, then you are reading somebody else; rubbish. There's no meaning. You're simply wasting your time. He may be such scholar, such big politician, like this.

Lecture on SB 1.15.51 -- Los Angeles, December 28, 1973:

So when Nārada Muni, his spiritual master, came, he inquired that "Why you are not satisfied?" So Vyāsadeva said, "My dear sir, yes, as you say, I have done so many activities. I have written so many books. But still, I don't feel any satisfaction. So I do not know why it is. You can direct me. You are my spiritual master." So he said that "You have done, you have labored so hard in writing so many books, but you have not glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Simply ordinary dealings with man to man, how to deal, dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90), how to make people religious, how to develop economic position, how to satisfy senses, how to go to heavenly planet to enjoy more—these things you have described. But you have not described about yena ātmā samprasīdati, by which your ātmā, your soul will be satisfied. That you have done nothing."

Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:

This is the paśu. "In which way I will..." Pravṛtti and nivṛtti, these two things are there, but the difference between a demon and demigod is that a demon does not know how to direct these two propensities, pravṛtti and nivṛtti. And a demigod knows how to guide these two things, pravṛtti and nivṛtti. These two...One who does not know... Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. Śāstra says that these things... Just like, loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantor na hi tatra codanā. This eating, sleeping, mating and defending, every animal, every small animal, knows it very well, how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex intercourse and how to defend. These four things, everyone knows by nature. So this is called pravṛtti. Pravṛtti. But it has to be made nivṛtti, stop.

Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:

And I am going in a secluded place and thinking, "How many women I have hunted." What is this nonsense? Eh? And showing, "I have become very much advanced. I am leader." And my leading is I'm thinking of woman. That's all. And money.

This is not spiritual life. This is all cheating. Dhohka-bhaje(?) they are called, dhohka-bhaje,(?) cheaters. Don't be cheaters. Kṛṣṇa knows whether you are cheater or you are sincere. If you are sincere, then He will give you intelligence how you will make progress. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām... Find out this verse.

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ

bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam

dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ

yena mām upayānti te

(BG 10.10)

To whom, He gives direct instruction? Satata-yuktānām: one who is twenty-four hours busy in His service. Twenty-four hours, satata. Satata means, read it.

Lecture on SB 1.16.36 -- Tokyo, January 30, 1974:

The guidance is, the spiritual master, he orders that man-manāḥ, "Always think of Me," bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, "just become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your obeisances unto Me." And here is the Deity. So that is our business. Think of always, "Here is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, here is Jagannātha, here is Lord Caitanya." What is the difficulty? In the temple we get direct contact, and if I go out from the temple and lie down on the station, is that very good, do you think? (laughter) Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. So will it help me to think of Him twenty-four hours by going to the railway station or in the temple? This is common sense. Any sensible man can understand that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, here is Rādhārāṇī, worship is going on, the devotees are offering prasādam, always they are constantly engaged—that is man-manā bhaktaḥ." Or "I give up the association of the devotees and temple and go to hell, that will help me?" This is common sense thing. I manufacture my own way by the advice of some, another rascal.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Boston, December 22, 1969:

Only responsible persons, they can understand. Sanātana Gosvāmī was minister of government. His society was very aristocratic. Very rich men they were. So rich society, aristocratic society, could not satisfy him. He... They resigned the post and joined Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu for ultimate solution of life. These examples are many. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's disciples, direct disciples, they were all very important men, just like Six Gosvāmīs. Even Svarūpa Dāmodara, His private secretary, he was very learned man, Vedantist. And next to his secretary, the six Gosvāmīs, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, they were very, very important rich men of that time. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī happened to be the son of a very big landlord, zamindar. That father's income was twelve hundred thousands of rupees in those days, five hundred years ago.

Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

So why I am worshiping this demigods? Why not Viṣṇu?" Suppose if I get some facility from somebody, and if I see that this man is taking sanction from another superior man.

So my intelligence should be, "Why not go direct to the superior man? Why I am flattering this man?" That is sense. So therefore demigod worship is recommended in Vedas, that one day he may come to his intelligence that "Why demigod? Why not God, personally, directly?" Therefore, it is not that it is encouragement, it is encouragement(?). Just like, you know amongst the Hindus, the flesh-eaters, they're recommended that "If you want to eat meat, then you sacrifice one goat before the goddess Kālī." And Goddess Kālī is worshiped once in a month, on the dark moon day, at night. And there are mantras. The mantras say that...

Lecture on SB 2.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, May 29, 1972:

Apart from the gross materialists, who care very little either for God or for the demigods, the Vedas recommend worship of different demigods for different benefits, and so the demigods are neither false nor imaginary. The demigods are as factual as we are, but they are much more powerful due to their being engaged in the direct service of the Lord in managing different departments in the universal government. The Bhagavad-gītā affirms this, and the different planets of the demigods are mentioned there, including the one of the supreme demigod, Lord Brahmā. The gross materialists do not believe in the existence of God or the demigods. Nor do they believe that different planets are dominated by different demigods. They are creating a great commotion about reaching the closest celestial body, Candraloka, or the moon, but even after much mechanical research they have only very scanty information of this moon, and in spite of much false advertisement for selling land on the moon, the puffed-up scientists or gross materialists cannot live there, and what to speak of reaching the other planets, which they are unable even to count. However, the followers of the Vedas have a different method of acquiring knowledge.

Lecture on SB 2.9.4-8 -- Tokyo, April 23, 1972:

Your eyes should be... Actually we are doing that. Now, directly we are seeing the sun. We see just like the disk. But when you go through scientific books, geographic and other authorit..., astronomy, they, "No, the sun is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet." So actually we are understanding about the sun not by our direct eyes but through the authoritative knowledge, through the śāstra, through the books.

Śruti-pramāṇam. That is evidence, śruti-pramāṇam. Śruti means Veda. In the Vedas it is stated... Just like Brahmā. He is receiving Vedic knowledge from, directly from God, Kṛṣṇa. Brahmaṇe darśayan rūpam. This is the process of understanding. Brahmā, how Brahmā is receiving knowledge? Directly he sees there is nobody there, but he is receiving knowledge. Directly he could not see. Upāśṛṇot, upāśṛṇot. Upāśṛṇot: "He simply heard." Upāśṛṇot. Ear, not the eyes.

Lecture on SB 2.9.10 -- Tokyo, April 26, 1972:

So this is the description, beginning, just to get an idea of the spiritual world. Unless we go there... Just like we have come to Japan. We are getting direct experience. But before coming here, from books and literature and maps—it is an example—we can get some information, what is Japan. Similarly, the spiritual world, what is that spiritual world, in other places, in Upaniṣad also describes. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, this description, na tad bhāsayate sūryo na candro na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6). There is no need of sunlight, moonlight, what to speak of the stars, neither na pāvakaḥ, neither electricity. Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na candro na pāvakaḥ. Here in this material world we cannot see things without sunlight, moonlight or electricity. We are proud of our eyes, but as soon as there is no light... Now there is sunlight; we can see very nicely. The spiritual world is not like that.

Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974:

Although a woman is married with a brāhmaṇa, the woman is not offered the sacred thread. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is also accepted like that by the Supreme Personality... Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrāḥ. And another place it is said that Mahābhārata was compiled by Vyāsadeva because the direct Vedic knowledge is not understandable... Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). Trayī means Vedic literature. They cannot understand. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām: women, and the śūdras, and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means born in a brāhmaṇa family, but not qualified as brāhmaṇa. They are called not brāhmaṇa. They are called dvija-bandhu.

Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974:

Just like these Māyāvādīs, they cannot understand that this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa name is actually getting direct association with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī in Benares, He considered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a crazy fellow. Crazy fellow. Why? Now, because He was sannyāsī, and He was not reading Vedānta-sūtra. He was simply chanting and dancing. So some devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very much praised Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at the, in the presence of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī became very angry, "Ah, don't talk of this rascal sannyāsī. He is a sannyāsī, He does not read Vedānta-sūtra, and in sentimental moods He chants and dances. Don't talk about Him. Better don't go there." So that devotee became very sorry, and he arranged a meeting between this Māyāvādī sannyāsī and Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Lecture on SB 3.25.11 -- Bombay, November 11, 1974:

You are the best of the propounders of the sad-dharma because You know the reality." And that is the actual reality. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam... (BG 18.66). That is sad-dharma. So the Gosvāmīs worked... Sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. So these Gosvāmīs, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's direct disciples, they tried to establish sad-dharma, and we are trying to follow their footprints, footsteps, to establish real dharma all over the world. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Lecture on SB 3.25.31 -- Bombay, December 1, 1974:

Just like we are sitting here. If there is some sound on the roof... Now we are, say, one hundred persons sitting here. We can speculate that "This sound may be for this reason." That, all of them, may be imperfect, and if somebody says from the roof that "This sound was caused for this reason," that is perfect. That is perfect because he has got direct experience. That I was speaking in the evening, that you have to accept Bhagavad-gītā by this āmnāya-patha. Tattva āmnāyam. Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna that this bhagavad-bhakti-yoga or Bhagavad-gītā yoga... That is a yoga. Yoga means which connects, and viyoga means which disconnect. So we are now disconnected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now we have to connect again our relationship. That is called yoga. That yoga is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, and aṣṭāṅga-yoga, and at last bhakti-yoga.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

This is the verdict of all śāstra. Guru never says that "I am Kṛṣṇa. I am God. I am Bhagavān." No. He never says. He is not guru then. He will say, "I am the most humble servant of the servant of the servant of God, not direct servant-servant, servant, servant, servant, hundred times down (CC Madhya 13.80)." Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's words. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. The more you become servant, servant, you are perfect servant. Don't try to become direct servant. That is not possible. You cannot become direct servant. You first of all become servant of the servant. The guru is the servant of Kṛṣṇa, and you become his servant. Then you, you are bona fide servant. That is our real position.

Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974:

Just like the sunshine, the sun globe, and the sun-god, Nārāyaṇa, within the sun globe, that is one thing. One thing means that Nārāyaṇa within the sun globe, his bodily effulgence is so glowing and bright. This is called sun's blazing effulgence. So the sunshine is also expansion of that glowing effulgence. So they are one thing. Just like fire. Fire, direct fire, temperature, and just outside the fire, temperature, and the heat of the fire outside—although they are one, but the temperature different. Similarly, the sun-god and the sun globe and the sunshine, they are one, but different temperature. So one who knows this... That means one who knows that the Brahman effulgence is just like the sunshine outside, and the Paramātmā feature is the expansion of the Supreme Lord everywhere.

Lecture on SB 3.26.17 -- Bombay, December 26, 1974:

That law... At least the Hindus or the followers of the Vedic principle, their law is Manu..., Manu-smṛti. Manu-smṛti is also translated in Russian language. Professor Kotovsky told me. In my statement there is. He has admitted that "We have translated the Manu-smṛti." So the mānava, the human race, has come from Manu. Therefore it is called mānuṣya, mānava. And the Manu's direct daughter, Devahūti, is addressed here by his (her) son, Kapiladeva, mānavi.

Prakṛter guṇa-sāmyasya nirviśeṣasya. Guṇa-sāmya. When the three modes of material nature is not agitated, it is in the neutral stage, guṇa-sāmya. The guṇa-sāmya... The Buddha philosophy is... The highest goal is guṇa-sāmya, where there is no manifestation by the agitation of the guṇas. That is their ultimate goal, guṇa-sāmya, nirvāṇa. On account of agitation of the three guṇas, these manifestations are there, and that is called viśeṣa. Viśeṣa means varieties.

Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:

So we can at least imagine that there is some management. Otherwise how the sun is rising exactly in time every day, according to the calculation, almanac? The moon is rising, the ocean is flowing, and the breeze is blowing. Everything is doing its own duty. Unless there is some superior brain, arrangement... This is common sense, because in the material world we have no direct connection with the Supreme Lord. But in the spiritual world there is direct connection. That is exactly like heat.

So either material world or spiritual world, they are two different energies of the Supreme Lord: parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. They are śakti. Parasya. Just like here it is said, paraḥ pumān. Parasya. Parasya means beyond this material world. That is paraḥ. Śaṅkarācārya also, he admits, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, He is paraḥ.

Lecture on SB 3.26.35-36 -- Bombay, January 12, 1975:

So prākṛta stage is pratyakṣa knowledge, direct perception, and knowledge received from paramparā. Pratyakṣa, parokṣa, then aparokṣa, self-realization, then adhokṣaja, aprākṛta. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is aprākṛta knowledge. It is the topmost platform of knowing Kṛṣṇa, aprākṛta knowledge. So, so long we are up to the adhokṣaja knowledge, that is regulative principles. We have to follow the regulative principles strictly. And aprākṛta knowledge is for the paramahaṁsa. There is... That is called rāga-bhakta. In these stages, pratyakṣa, parokṣa, they are called viddhi-bhakti. But without viddhi-bhakti, you cannot reach to the platform of rāga-bhakti, although that is our aim. Rāgānugā, rāga-bhakti is executed following the footprints of the devotees in Vṛndāvana. That is called rāga-bhakti. Kṛṣṇa's personal associates. Not to become directly Kṛṣṇa's personal associate, but following the footprints of Kṛṣṇa's eternal associates, we can come to the stage of rāga-bhakti.

Lecture on SB 3.26.39 -- Bombay, January 14, 1975:

So any system of yoga, either haṭha-yoga, jñāna-yoga, or... Karma-yoga is in the lowest standard. And above all, bhakti-yoga. Then, when you come to the bhakti-yoga, that is the perfection of life. Bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite amale (SB 1.7.4). Bhakti-yogena amala: "The mind becomes cleansed." Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). That is the effect of..., direct effect of bhakti-yoga, because the mind is now contaminated, and under the creation of senses and sense activities, we are making millions and trillions of ideas and become entangled in that idea. We have to accept millions and trillions of body and then go on in the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease. This is implication. So purify the mind. That is the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. When our mind is cleansed... This is mahā-dāvāgni. This expansion of mental ideas, thousands and millions, that is mahā..., bhava-mahā-dāvāgni. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni. So it is the duty of guru to get out his disciple from the bhava-mahā-dāvāgni.

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

Somebody is dog conscious, cat conscious, so many consciousness. But by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, this contamination of the consciousness will be cleansed, crystalized. It will be. Then you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

And as soon as you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are in direct touch. We are direct in touch with Kṛṣṇa, but it is covered by some cloud of ignorance. Otherwise, nothing can exist without Kṛṣṇa's touch. That is not possible. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4). Kṛṣṇa is... One Kṛṣṇa is expanded all over the creation. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, but due to the contamination of material modes of nature, we are thinking we are apart from Kṛṣṇa, separate from Kṛṣṇa, or we do not know Kṛṣṇa, although we are in touch. So that is to be cleansed. The via media impediment has to be cleansed. That is called ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).

Lecture on SB 3.28.17 -- Nairobi, October 26, 1975:

Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Rūpa Gosvāmī understood. When he first saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu he offered his respect in this way, namo mahā-vadānyāya: "the most munificent, charitably disposed incarnation." Why? Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: "People cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, but You are so merciful, You are giving direct love of Kṛṣṇa." When there is question of love? Unless I understand you fully—what kind of man you are, what is your position—you also understand, when we find of the same category or same..., then there is question of love. So people do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa. How they will love Kṛṣṇa? It is not possible. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Out of many, many millions of persons, somebody may try to become perfect. They do not know how to become perfect. They remain cats and dogs, simply engaged in eating, sleeping, mating and defending.

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

That is God, omniscient. He has got full knowledge. We may not have because we are very tiny. A child may not have knowledge, but the father knows everything. Similarly, He is the supreme father. He knows everything. He has got full knowledge. Anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu. There are things, indirect and direct. In both ways He is abhijña; He is well aware, everything. Then the next question is svarāṭ. Svarāṭ. Because we are thinking in our own way of life, that "If God has got so much knowledge, wherefrom He got it?" Because we have got experience that whenever we require knowledge we go to a superior person and take knowledge from him—"Then wherefrom God has got so much knowledge?" Therefore the answer is svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means He is fully independent. He is not dependent for knowledge to anyone else. So these things are there. We have to study very nicely.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:

You cannot argue, "Sir, you said me like this before." No, that is not your duty. What I say now, you do it. That is obedience. You cannot argue. Of course, Kṛṣṇa never said anything contradictory, but if when one thinks foolishly that Kṛṣṇa said something contradictory, no, that is not to be. You could not understand. So even though you could not understand, you take My direct orders now. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām e... (BG 18.66), that is your business. The master says like that, and the servant's business is to accept it as it is, without any argument. That's all right.

Lecture on SB 5.5.17 -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1976:

They will train the other people. Everything is required. The kṣatriya is required, the vaiśya is required, the śūdra is also required. Just like it is given in the śāstra that to keep a fully equipped body there must be head, there must be arm, there must be belly, and there must be leg. Leg is also required, not that simply brain is required. Brain is required to direct the way: "Go this way; go that way." In that sense śūdra is also... Brain cannot walk; the leg will walk. So the brain will give direction, the hand will give protection. Everything is required. Therefore we have named this "Kṛṣṇa conscious society." "Society" means all classes of men required. But we train them how to make life perfect. That is wanted, not that one-sided, simply brāhmaṇa. That variety. This is called variety, not nirviśeṣa-vada, classless: "No brāhmaṇa required, no śūdra required." No, everything is required. Everything is required, but they should be properly trained up.

Lecture on SB 5.5.21-22 -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1976:

Superior to animals are human beings, and superior to human beings are ghosts because they have no material bodies. Superior to ghosts are the Gandharvas, and superior to them are the Siddhas. Superior to the Siddhas are the Kinnaras, and superior to them are the asuras. Superior to the asuras are the demigods, and of the demigods, Indra, the king of heaven, is supreme. Superior to Indra are the direct sons of Lord Brahmā, sons like King Dakṣa. And supreme among Brahmā's sons is Lord Śiva. Since Lord Śiva is the son of Lord Brahmā, Brahmā is considered superior, but Brahmā is also subordinate to Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because I am inclined to the brāhmaṇas, the brāhmaṇas are best of all." (break)

Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:

Devotee (9): Because you're here(?) and all the devotees here are your disciples, Śrīla Prabhupāda, eternal disciples, eternal servitors. But what if we have to take birth in the material world in the next life? How will we be able to render direct service unto you?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Even if you remain in the material... If you are not completed your spiritual life, still, you will get good birth. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭoḥ sanjāyate: (BG 6.41) "One who is failure in completing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he is given next chance in a very aristocratic family or very nice, pure brāhmaṇa's family so that he can again cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness next chance."

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Honolulu, June 8, 1975:

In this way there are many description. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī concluded, "Mahārāja, I have described a few of them. There are many thousands and thousand kinds of suffering." So Parīkṣit Mahārāja is a Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava means devotee. So he did not appreciate the suffering of the human being in such a way. That is a Vaiṣṇava's nature. Vaiṣṇava himself is very happy because he is in direct connection with Kṛṣṇa. He personally has no complaint, because a Vaiṣṇava is satisfied simply by serving Kṛṣṇa. That's all. He doesn't want anything.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, at least, teaches us. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Dhanam means wealth, and janam means many followers or family members, big family, big factory. There are many businessmen, they are running on big factories and thousands of men are working at his direction. This is also opulence. And to have great amount of money, that is also opulence. Dhanaṁ janam.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-8 -- New York, July 21, 1971:

So these are the Vaiṣṇava philosophical thought, how they are thinking for the conditioned souls, fallen souls, how they can be delivered. They are making plan in that way. They are, they always they busy in that business, how to deliver. Just like Gosvāmīs, about the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, Lord Caitanya's direct disciples, what was their business? That is stated by Śrīnivāsācārya,

nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau

lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

So they were busy, nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika. They were consulting many authoritative scriptures, how to put people in the right religious way of life. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika, sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Why?

Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- New York, July 22, 1971:

So Kṛṣṇa is teaching us give and take. "You give something," Kṛṣṇa is begging. "You try to love Me. You learn how to love Me. Give Me." "Sir, I have nothing to give You." "Oh, you cannot collect a little fruit and flower and leaf and little water?" "Oh, yes. Why not? Anyone can collect." So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice. You can make direct friendship with Kṛṣṇa. You can become direct servant of Kṛṣṇa. Or, in higher stages, you can become father, mother of Kṛṣṇa. Or you can become lover of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to establish loving relationship... There is already loving relationship with us, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Just like father and son. Son is the part of the body of the father. Similarly, the supreme father... So as the relationship between the father and the son cannot be broken... It may be forgotten for some time, but as soon as one knows, "He's my father," and as soon as one knows, "He's my son," immediately affection develops.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1975:

So it is Your mercy. Tat te 'nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam (SB 10.14.8). He knows the same thing, that a man suffers on account of his past sinful activities or present sinful activities. The past or present doesn't matter. If one is sinful, then he must be punished.

Just like here it is said, dṛṣṭa. Dṛṣṭa means by direct experience. Direct experience everyone has seen, that a thief, he is arrested. This is our direct experience. He has committed theft, and therefore he is arrested by the police. It is our direct experience. And śrutābhyām, by hearing from the lawbook or scripture, whatever you take... In the lawbook it is stated that "You commit a theft, then you will be punished, imprisoned, for six months. Or if you commit murder, then you will be hanged." This is called śrutābhyām, by hearing. We have got two senses: one, by the knowledge-acquiring senses, and practical working senses.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1975:

So the whole world is going on like that, full of asses. Not only asses, but like other animal... That past sinful activities or present sinful activities. The past or present doesn't matter. If one is sinful, then he must be punished.

Just like here it is said, dṛṣṭa. Dṛṣṭa means by direct experience. Direct experience everyone has seen, that a thief, he is arrested. This is our direct experience. He has committed theft, and therefore he is arrested by the police. It is our direct experience. And śrutābhyām, by hearing from the lawbook or scripture, whatever you take... "O my dear lion, O king..." Lion is considered as the king of the animals, paśu rāja. Actually, he is the king in the jungle. Everyone is afraid of him, he is so powerful. Even the elephant is afraid of the lion. So if the lion is praised by some small animals, does it mean the lion is not animal? Has it any value like the human being?

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Honolulu, May 10, 1976:

So śrutābhyām. Śruta means... Just like we are hearing the śāstra, so he has heard it from the lawbooks that if one commits theft he'll be punished. And he has seen also that a person who has committed theft, he is arrested by the police, so he was being taken to the prison house. So knowledge is acquired from two sources, by direct perception and by hearing. Just like we are hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is knowledge also. And when you see there are three kinds of receiving knowledge... One is śruti. Śruti means hearing. So our Vedic process is that we hear the Vedic information, and we become perfect, śruti. And somebody challenges that "Why shall I believe in the Vedas? I must see." But everything is not possible to see. For example somebody, the mother said to the son, "Here is your father." So you have to believe your mother; otherwise how you can see your father? It is not possible. If you want to see to take the proof, "Whether this gentleman is my father," that is not possible.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Chicago, July 6, 1975:

One is lost." Then another man will come, "Sir, I have got this gold lump. If you pay me something, I will give you." But that is not gold, actually, but he creates a situation that "Somebody lost his gold lump. Now he has got. He wants to sell me. All right, I give you ten rupees. Give me." (laughter) This is called kaitavaiḥ. I know some things. (laughter) So bandy-akṣaiḥ kaitavaiś cauryaiḥ, and then direct stealing.

So these kind of profession is garhitām, abominable. This is not human civilization. But this has become a common thing. Garhitāṁ vṛttim. Vṛttim means occupation. So if you become first-class man, you have occupation, that paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana. If you are second-class man, you have got your occupation. If you are third-class man, the kṛṣi-go-rakṣya. If you are fourth-class man, then serve other. If you are fifth-class man, then go to the jungle and hunt some animal and eat.

Lecture on SB 6.1.31 -- Honolulu, May 30, 1976:

So we should not be impersonalists. We should not be voidists. Nirviśeṣa śūnyavādī. Śūnyavādī means voidist, and nirviśeṣa means impersonalist. The whole world is going on like that. So we should be careful about this voidists and impersonalists. We should take direct instruction from Kṛṣṇa, and He advises, yat karoṣi, yat juhoṣi, yat aśnāsi, yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tat mad-arpaṇam: "You can do whatever you like, but the result should be given to Me." karmāṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadā... "Then you become Kṛṣṇa conscious." Of course, Kṛṣṇa does not advise that "You become a thief, and all the money stolen, you bring to Me." He does not say that. That is not. But even if you are a thief, still you can offer. Don't use it for your sense gratification. Yat karoṣi. "Whatever you've got. If you cannot earn honestly, dishonestly, you give it to Me."

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:

It is not theoretical: "Oh, I am a very great devotee." No. Simply theoretical understanding, "I am a great devotee..." From the very face it will be understood. Face is the index of mind, how you are thinking. If you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa always, then your face will be beautiful. Therefore it is called pratyakṣam avagamaṁ dharmyam, direct perception. There is no theoretical. It is practical. Pratyakṣyam avagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukham.

Then to become such spiritually advanced, is it very difficult task? No. Su-sukham: very easy and very happy. How it is happy? Happy because this spiritual consciousness is developed by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That is very pleasing. With music, with musical instrument we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. There is no trouble. Even a child can take part, experience. A child also claps; he also dances. So what can be easier method than this? Any other method you take, you have to exercise, you have to tax your brain, press your nose, or so many other things.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- San Francisco, July 17, 1975:

The Pacific Ocean cannot come beyond the jurisdiction. So who is managing this? Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. Even the biggest planet within this universe, the sun, it is also rotating in his orbit by the supreme order. So there is supreme order everywhere. There is government. There is ruling. But the rascals, they cannot see. They simply believe in the direct experience. Direct experience is not first-class experience. The first-class experience is to receive knowledge from the person who knows. That is first-class experience.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- San Francisco, July 17, 1975:

There are three types of experience. One kind of experience is direct experience. That is third-class. And another experience is by history, by books. And another experience is by hearing from the Supreme. So we are gathering experience by hearing from the Supreme. Just like here Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He has heard it from his father, Vyāsadeva. His father has heard it from Nārada Muni, his spiritual master. Nārada Muni has heard it from Brahmā, the first living creature within this universe. And Brahmā has heard it from Kṛṣṇa. This is called paramparā system. So this kind of knowledge is perfect knowledge.

Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:

Then Manu is one authority, Prahlāda Mahārāja is authority, Bali Mahārāja is authority, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is authority. So similarly, Yamarāja is also authority. They are authority who know exactly what is God, or Kṛṣṇa, and they can direct. Therefore śāstra says you have to follow the authority. Otherwise it is not possible. Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). You cannot understand the path of religion by your mental speculation. Dharmāṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma, religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No ordinary man can enact dharma. Therefore there is dharma-viparya. Real dharma, actual dharma, is to abide by the words of the Supreme Lord. That is dharma. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ. That is dharma, simply to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:

Then how I shall accept what is dharma, what is religion? Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. You just follow the footsteps of authorized persons. Then you understand what is dharma. You cannot manufacture. So, here is the same system, the Vedic system is the same. Either you hear from the direct Vedas or scriptures following the Vedas.

So here the Yamadūtas says that dharma means what is spoken or directed in the Vedas. And what is Veda? Veda nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Veda means God Himself. Just like... We can understand very easily. Just like the king and the king's law. What king has said, that this should be done like this, keep to the right, king or government, whatever it may be, authority... So that is Veda.

Lecture on SB 6.1.41-42 -- Surat, December 23, 1970:

So that surrender means to accept his orders. The spiritual master trains the disciple in the way of goodness quality. So if you do not abide the orders of spiritual master, what is the use of your surrender? Surrender means ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam. Anukūla, favorable things, should be accepted. And you do not know. Therefore spiritual master will direct you, "This is favorable. This is unfavorable. Don't smoke—this is unfavorable." But if you don't accept the instruction, what is the meaning of surrender? Simply by offering obeisances, falling flat for the time being, that is not surrender.

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:

Anumīyate means hypothesis. This is also an evidence. Pratyakṣa, anumāna, and śruta. According to Vedic principles, there are three different types of evidences. Everything must be proved by evidence. So these are primarily three evidences. Pratyakṣa, direct perception, pratyakṣa; anumāna; and śruti. Anumāna means I cannot see directly, but by the symptoms I can imagine. That is anumāna. Just like I have seen that in the month of April, May, June, we can get mangoes. That is our direct experience. So similarly, we can say, in the month of January, we can say that "In the month of April, May, June, we shall have mangoes." In the January there is no mango. But because I know, I experienced in my last April, May, June, so similarly, this intuition is nothing but experience of my last life. That is called intuition. The rascals, they say that there is no experience.

Lecture on SB 6.1.47 -- Detroit, June 13, 1976:

That is the duty of all saintly persons. The, according to our paramparā system... Just like the Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī. They were very exalted personalities, minister in government. Still, they resigned from the service and joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. That is the history. All the direct disciples of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they were very big personalities. Just like Rūpa, Sanātana. They were minister. Then Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha, Dāsa Raghunātha. Raghunātha Dāsa, he was coming, more than minister. His father and uncle were the biggest zamindar, landlord, in those times. And he was the only son of the father and the uncle. Huge estate, beautiful wife, everything—he left and joined this movement, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's. Similarly, Gopal Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, he also coming from a very aristocratic brāhmaṇa family in South India.

Lecture on SB 6.2.12-14 -- Allahabad, January 17, 1971, at Kumbha-mela:

Work for Kṛṣṇa. This... We have come here in this paṇḍal or in this Kumbha-melā not for any other purpose than to glorify the Supreme Lord so that people may understand the importance of this movement. So citta-śodhaka, here recommended by the Viṣṇudūta. Viṣṇudūta means the direct associates of Lord Viṣṇu. Tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatāṁ harer guṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ. Be always engaged in glorifying the transcendental qualities of Hari. Again it is said hareḥ, not any other person, Hari, Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:

"Why should we surrender? Kṛṣṇa has said about jñāna, about karma, about yoga. Why not these processes?" But he does not know that is the ultimate process. The jñāna, yoga, may help one to come to that point, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān (BG 7.19), after many many births, but that is not the direct process. The direct process is sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ iṣṭo 'si: "I am disclosing this most confidential part of My instruction unto you," iṣṭo 'si, "because I love you." Iṣṭo 'si me dṛḍham iti. "Because I am confident that you are My confidential friend." Dṛḍham iti tato vakṣyāmi te hitam: "Therefore I am disclosing this to you."

Lecture on SB 6.3.18-19 -- Gorakhpur, February 12, 1971:

This is very important verse, that any manufactured religion, that is not religion. That is not... The principle of religion is our relationship with God. In any religion where is no such conception, that is not religion. This is bhāgavata-dharma, direct relationship with Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Personality. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is specially teaching this, I mean to say, fact, direct relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Na siddha-mukhyā asurāḥ, asurā manuṣyāḥ. Asurāḥ means they are also very powerful, but almost atheists. Just like in the modern world there are many powerful men and materially advanced, many powerful men. But because they are godless—they have no sense of God—they are called asuras. The example is Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu. And manuṣyāḥ, manuṣyāḥ, ordinary men.

Lecture on SB 6.3.18-19 -- Gorakhpur, February 12, 1971:

Just like there are entrusted bodies in every department, in every state, similarly, Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has got also several very faithful or confidential, confidential authorities who can speak about religion. Therefore paramparā system is so necessary, disciplic succession. Kṛṣṇa has got direct confidential servants. They know what is religion. Therefore it is said, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). If we are puzzled about the principles of religion, then we must follow the mahājanas. Mahājana. These mahājanas are described here. Who is mahājana? Svayambhū. Svayambhū means Brahmā. Svayambhū. He is called Svayambhū. Svayambhū means "one who is born by himself." Of course, he is not born by himself, but he is not ordinarily born. Just like a child is born by the sex intercourse of the father and the mother, Brahmā is not born like that.

Lecture on SB 6.3.20-23 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

First-class men, they know that by gymnastic process of exercising the material senses, one cannot understand God or religion. Viśuddham. It is beyond. Therefore another name of Kṛṣṇa, or God, is Adhokṣaja. Adhaḥ. Adhaḥ means falls down, and akṣaja, akṣaja means... Akṣa means direct experience, direct seeing, direct touching. And ja means born. Knowledge born of direct perception of the senses—this is called akṣaja. And adhaḥ means where akṣaja, the direct perception of material senses, is cut down. (curbed?) There is no possibility. He is called adhokṣaja. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa's another name is Adhokṣaja, "beyond the sense perception knowledge." Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ. We cannot understand God or religion by our mental speculation even by the speed of mind, manasa. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. And the speculation continues by, continues to hundreds and hundreds of years. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. Śata means hundred, and koṭi means ten million.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3-4 -- San Francisco, March 8, 1967:

That is illusion. So meditation means to understand oneself, that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," and farther advancement of that meditation is to know that what are the activities of the spirit soul, and when one is actually engaged in those spiritual activities, that is the perfection of meditation.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is direct engagement of spiritual activities. This is the concession, this is the concession of this age. We have got very little opportunity in the present age to meditate. It is very difficult. The so-called meditation for fifteen minutes and twenty-three hours all kinds of nonsense activities will never help you. Therefore meditation is out of question at the present age. I am not speaking from my own whims. It is stated in the śāstra. In the śāstra it is said that kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). Meditation on Viṣṇu was possible in the golden age, or in the Satya-yuga. Satya-yuga means at that time the people used to live for one hundred thousands of years. And they were all perfect in religious life.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:

And that was the mission of Lord Caitanya. He said, kalau, in this age, when everything has become topsy-turvied, there is no more chance for systematizing the whole human society. It is lost. The regulating processes are lost now, and neither it is possible to reintroduce it. It is not possible. People have become so much degraded that it is not possible. Therefore direct method. Direct method: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will revive your old consciousness. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā: "In this age there is no other alternative, there is no other alternative." The so-called meditation, yoga or karma, jñāna, mental speculation—everything will fail. They are, of course, standard processes, but that is not possible to execute in the present age.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:

Can you see it? Then it requires knowledge. Similarly, by knowledge you will understand that Kṛṣṇa is with you. That is the mistake of this modern civilization. Everyone thinks, "I know everything. I don't require any authority to understand anything." But the Vedic literature, the Vedic civilization, they direct, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "If you want to understand that science, you must approach a bona fide spiritual master." This is very simple thing. If you want to learn engineering, then you must admit yourself in engineering college. If you want to be a medical man, you must admit yourself in a medical college. Similarly, if you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then you must approach a person who knows Kṛṣṇa. It is not fanaticism or mental speculation. You have to learn the art scientifically. (starts playing karatālas and someone starts playing a melody on harmonium) What is that? Begin Hare Kṛṣṇa. (changes to Hare Kṛṣṇa melody on harmonium-kīrtana) (end)

Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):

So therefore you have to select. If you actually want to make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you have to select. It requires some labor, or it requires some intelligence. That's all. It is not very difficult. There are, there are still in this world direct disciplic succession. But you have got..., you must have got some intelligence. Then you can understand.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja said, tatra, uh, guru-śuśrūṣayā. So you have to begin your spiritual, your Kṛṣṇa consciousness by accepting a bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession. And your first business will be guru-śuśrūṣā. Ṣuśrūṣā means to please the Supreme, this is spiritual master, by service, sevayā. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34).

Lecture on SB 7.9.6 -- Mayapur, February 26, 1977:

Don't think the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is different from Kṛṣṇa. It is pūrṇam. Pūrṇaḥ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Everything pūrṇa. Pūrṇa means complete. We have tried to explain this completeness in our Īśopaniṣad. You have read. So stick to the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. You'll get the same benefit as Prahlāda Mahārāja got by direct touch of the lotus palm of Nṛsiṁha-deva. There is no difference. Always think like that, that as soon as you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, you must know that you are touching Kṛṣṇa with your tongue. Then you get the same benefit as Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Montreal, July 2, 1968:

And if anyone is engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, then it is to be understood that he has done all pious activities. This is this faith, this kind of faith, unflinching faith. When we have got this unflinching faith, that is the beginning of Bhāgavata life. Bhāgavata life means devotional life, direct connection with the Supreme God. That is Bhāgavata life.

So after one has got this unflinching faith, that "Simply by serving Lord Kṛṣṇa, all religious activities or all pious activities are done," that faith is the last word of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is explained to Arjuna in so many ways. But ultimately, he comes to the point through Him Himself. When He explains the yoga system, He explains nicely the process, how to execute yoga performances, the sitting posture, the breathing posture and eating and sitting and place. Everything explained nicely.

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 6, 1968:

So unless we come to that point, pañcama puruṣārtha, fifth dimension... The dharma, first, the artha, second, kāma, third, mokṣa, fourth, and devotion is the fifth, fifth platform. Adhokṣaja, adhokṣaja. There are different stages of understanding: pratyakṣa, parokṣa, aparakṣa, adhokṣaja, aprakṛta. The ordinary understanding, direct perception, is called pratyakṣa. Now, higher than the pratyakṣa understanding is parokṣa, means to gather knowledge from the higher authorities. And above that, aparokṣa, realization. And above that, adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means beyond the understanding of these material senses. And above that, there is aprakṛta, completely transcendental. So the bhakti is on the transcendental platform, beyond the adhokṣaja. (break)

Lecture on SB 7.9.33 -- Mayapur, March 11, 1976:

In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is mentioned, prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā, bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā. This material nature is separated energy, divided into eight elements: earth, water, air, and fire, then ether, mind, intelligence and ego. These are all prakṛti, material. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. Bhinnā. Bhinnā means separated. There is not direct connection, but another prakṛti, that is... Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā (BG 7.5). This is inferior energy, material elements, and there is superior element, prakṛti. That is also prakṛti. We are prakṛti. Prakṛti means under the control of the puruṣa. That is natural. We cannot conceive equal rights of puruṣa and prakṛti. That is not Vedic conception. Vedic conception is puruṣa, the superior, Supreme, and prakṛti means subordinate. Puruṣa is predominator, and prakṛti is predominated. So we living entities, we are prakṛti. Falsely if we try to become puruṣa, that is māyā. We should remain prakṛti, subservient, predominated.

Lecture on SB 7.9.47 -- Vrndavana, April 2, 1976:

And human life is a chance how to make this suffering null and void. That is apavarga. "A" means to make null and void. Pavarga. To make this pavarga life into apavarga. So these ten processes is, are recommended in the śāstra. I have already explained. Mauna, śruta, tapa, these things are required. But they are also not direct method. You cannot understand. There are many, many tapasvīs, raha. In Vṛndāvana you'll find many devotees, they are in a very secluded place. But my Guru Mahārāja did not like this process, secluded. We have discussed many times. Sometimes if you sit down in a secluded place, imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura, then you'll complain, "I am being disturbed in this way." One, that African boy, came? So he became disturbed. You must be disturbed. Because your mind is not controlled, if you sit down to get some extra credit, that "I have become so great devotee. I can remain in a secluded place and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa like Haridāsa Ṭhākura," it is cheating. It is cheating. You cannot do that.

Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:

As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, this knowledge is received by this disciplic succession. That is perfect knowledge. No adulteration. Just like if you see water directly from the sky, it is pure water. And as soon as you take water either from sea or river, it is adulterated. Similarly, we have to receive knowledge direct from Kṛṣṇa. So it is a great opportunity that Bhagavad-gītā is directly imparted by Kṛṣṇa. And if we take, accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is, we are full of knowledge. There is no question of research or bothering your brain. You take directly, immediately. We receive knowledge in that way, oh... Just mother gives the child education, "My dear child, here is your father. Here is your brother. Here is your sister," the child accepts it. He doesn't require to make research, "Who is my father?"