Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Dissolution (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973:

The plan is already known to everyone how the management of the cosmic manifestation is going on. The cosmic manifestation is there. This material world. It is, although temporary, it has got a purpose. The purpose is to give chance to the living entities who are rotting in this material world to revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or original consciousness, and go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the plan. This material cosmic manifestation is there, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). The nature is, it is sometimes manifested and sometimes it is dissolved, annihilated. Everything material, that is the way. Just like our body. It is created at a certain date, and it will be annihilated at a certain date. Similarly, this gigantic body... That is also body of the Supreme Lord, virāt body. Virāt means gigantic. Kṛṣṇa will show His virāt-rūpa to Arjuna. So this external body, exactly just like we have got our this external body. Internal body. The soul is covered by two bodies, the external and internal. External means these gross elements—earth, water, air, fire, sky. And internal means the mind, intelligence and ego. They are also material.

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. You should read. So many nice books you have got. What is Māyā doing? That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā is Māyā. Now what is the position of Māyā? Māyā is so strong, that sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya. She can perform creation, maintenance, and dissolution of this whole universe. She's so powerful. The material nature is so powerful. So sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhan a-śaktir ekā. Alone, she can do this as good as Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva (Bs. 5.44). But she is just like shadow. Chāyeva yasya. Chāyeva yasya... She is working just like shadow. Just like here is shadow of my hand. If I shake my hand, the shadow also shakes. The Māyā is acting like that. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "Under My superintendence, prakṛti, the nature, or Māyā, is acting." Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā.

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:

You'll find in this Bhagavad-gītā, as you make progress. That is called sanātana nature. Sanātana means that nature never annihilates. This nature, this material nature, it is manifested at a certain time, and it remains for a certain period, and then the whole thing is dissolved again. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is manifested and again dissolved, and in, in the spiritual sky. That is the function of this material nature, there is another nature, superior nature, which is called the kingdom of God, sanātana, eternal. Yes. So from that eternal nature all these, either God or representative of God, or incarnation of God, they come down. At times. When there is necessity...

Just like the other day I explained to you, just like there is scheduled time of the appearance of the sun. In your America, just like at 4:30 a.m. in the morning, you find the sun rising, scheduled time, and again, twenty-four hours after, you'll find the sun set, sun rising. In every country, there is a scheduled time of the sun rising.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Montreal, June 13, 1968:

Aśoka, and therefore practically all Indian population turned to be Buddhist, with few exceptions.

Then Śaṅkarācārya came and he preached this almost Buddhism. The Buddha, Lord Buddha preached that there is no God, there is no soul. This body is combination of matter and if we dissolve this material combination then there is no more perception of misery or happiness. That is nirvāṇa. That is his philosophy. But later on, Lord, I mean to say, Ācārya Śaṅkara, he appeared and he preached that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. This bodily combination is temporary, or mithyā. He said flatly that it is false. False means... Of course, Vaiṣṇava philosophy, they say temporary. Temporary or false you can take on the same category. But Śaṅkarācārya said that brahma satyam. That spirit soul, Brahman, that is reality, and this external feature of the Brahman, or the body, that is false.

So anyway, here the point is that in any religion there is a conception of worshiping God or symbol of God. Even in Jain philosophy they also worship Mahāvīra. In Buddha philosophy they worship Lord Buddha. In India there is Jainism.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:

That is described here. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then this transmigration of the soul stops. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti.

Punar janma naiti, does not mean that soul is finished. No. This body, material body, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This material body, when it is dissolved, pañcatvaṁ prāpta, mixes with these five elements, earth, water, fire, air, it does not mean that the soul is finished. The soul is there. The soul is transmigrating to another body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). By the supervision of the external energy, and superior superintendent, we are transferred to a different body by the subtle body, mana, buddhi, ahaṅkāra. But these foolish people, they do not know how the soul is... They do not know what is soul and how the soul is being transferred. But these things are all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like we cannot see the flavor, but when the flavor passes through carried by the air, we can smell. Similarly, we can smell how the soul is being transferred. These processes are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:

So here the Lord says that janma karma me divyam: (BG 4.9) "My appearance and disappearance..." Mark this word, "appearance and disappearance." "Birth and death" is not applicable to Lord. "Birth and death" is applicable to this material body. The material body has its birth, and the material body has its death, dissolution. But the spiritual body is eternal. It has neither death nor birth. Therefore the spiritual body—the exact language to be used, "appearance and disappearance."

I have several times spoken in this meeting. Just like the sun. The sun disappears and appears. For the sun there is no question of birth and death because sun is eternal. So anything eternal... So when the Lord comes it is just like the sun appear and sun disappears. It does not mean because we do not see Kṛṣṇa just now in our presence... Of course, in transcendental sense, when we acquire that transcendental sense, we see Kṛṣṇa through this Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā is Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavad-gītā is not different from Kṛṣṇa. That is the, I mean to say, sense of absolute knowledge. In the absolute world there is no difference between the person and the words.

Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:

Similarly, we say that this world is false, or shadow. The shadow, without being the reality, how there can be possibility of shadow? If there is no reality of my hand, how the shadow of the hand can be there? So this world is temporary shadow. That is accepted. But there is the real world which has no destruction. This world is destructive. It will be dissolved. Just like our body is temporary, but it will be dissolved. Anything material that has got a birth, a stay for some time, a byproduct, a growth, a dwindling, and then vanish. That is the nature, anything. Just like this body. It was born from the mother's womb at a certain time, and it is staying for some time. It is staying for some time, and the body has got some byproducts, like children. We have got some children, the byproducts. Then it is dwindling. Just like I am getting older. Anyone, everyone, we are getting older. And at the last, it will vanish. Similarly, the whole material world, it has a time of its appearance, it grows, it makes so many varieties of byproducts, it dwindles and again vanishes.

Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:

Atheist means they don't believe in any transcendental nature. Even they do not believe in the existence of the soul. They simply concern themselves with this material body. Just like Buddha philosophy. Buddha philosophy does not accept the existence of the soul. Buddha philosophy says that this material body is a combination of matter. Now, as soon as the matter is dissolved, then the feelings of happiness and distress is gone. But according to Bhagavad-gītā, the existence of soul is accepted in the Vedic literature.

Just like after Lord Buddha, Śaṅkarācārya, Śaṅkarācārya came. He gave hint about the spiritual nature of the soul, and he said, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "This matter is false and temporary, but spirit is eternal." And other ācāryas, just like Rāmānujācārya and Madhvācārya, they came after Śaṅkarācārya, and they established that in the spiritual world there is also life like this, but that is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge.

So here Kṛṣṇa also give us instruction that vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). There are persons who are too much attached to these material activities. They are called rāga. They are in the atmosphere of rāga. And there are persons who are atmosphere of fear: "Oh, again we have got to..., a personal life?" They are afraid of personal life.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

Material gods means their existence is so long this material world.

Just like here we have got the president, the governor and so many big, big officers. But suppose, somehow or other this whole planet or the whole thing is gone, destroyed—because we can expect destruction every moment, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19)—then the whole thing, I mean to say, the president and the governor, everything is gone. Iha devatāḥ. So we are taking shelter of this material world, something big, but that will not exist with the annihilation, with the dissolution of this material world. Everything will be dissolved. Everything will be... So we have to take the leadership of the Supreme. Then it will be the largest perfection, the greatest perfection of life.

Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, karmaṇām, karmaṇāṁ siddhim. How in the material world people are working? He is analyzing the process of different occupation. What is that?

Lecture on BG 4.25 -- Bombay, April 14, 1974:

The third layer is ten times thicker than the second layer. In this way, this universe is covered tight, very fortified. And there are innumerable universe. They are clustered together. And all these universes together is called the material world. And this is a very fortified place, and the predominating deity of this material world... Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā (Bs. 5.44). There is a power. That is called Durgā. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā, icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā (Bs. 5.44). Although this Durgā is so powerful that she can create, she can maintain and she can dissolve, the whole cosmic manifestation... It is so powerful. At any moment it can dissolute.

But she is working just like chāyeva. Chāya means shadow. Just like you have your hand and here is the shadow. If the hand moves, then shadow moves. Therefore it is said chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā. (end)

Lecture on BG 8.15-20 -- New York, November 17, 1966:

Devotee: Swamiji, night and day... The day that's the birth of the universe and night, the dissolution, is that also Brahmā's day and night?

Prabhupāda: Just like day and night differs. Now, it... Suppose you take a small germ. At night... Of course, I do not see here. In India we find some small worms. Their duration of life is only a few hours in the night. They, they, they get their birth, they grow, and they beget children and in the morning you'll find so many worms, dead, you see, on the floor, in this month especially. It is called divali poga(?). So that is also a living entity. But if you speak to them, "Oh, there is a human being whose life is... Our duration of life, within that, he has got... That is only night. He has got day. And that day and ni..." (end)

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:

Yes, eternally means that this creation, the material creation, it takes place at a certain date and it continues for certain millions and trillions of years, and again it becomes annihilated, dissolved. There is no creation for... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). And again millions of years passes, and again there is creation. So one who does not take advantage of this creation, manifestation, especially in the human form of life, as I was discussing, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, then he remains in the path of birth and death in this creation, and because he does not deliver himself, then next creation and next creation. So unless he takes to it, it is eternally going on. If he does not take advantage of this opportunity, then he remains in the cycle of birth and, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. And the mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani continues in this creation, next creation and before that it is going on.

Lecture on BG 9.4-7 -- New York, November 24, 1966:

Otherwise, air is everywhere. Yathākāśa-sthito nityaṁ vāyuḥ sarvatra-go mahān. "As the air is spread all over, anywhere, similarly," tathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni mat-sthānīty upadhāraya, "similarly, everything that is there that is existing, it is within Me. It is within Me." Sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām. And when this manifestation, material manifestation, is dissolved, then where does it take place? Where does it go? He says, sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām: "My prakṛti, My nature, My nature, is manifested and when the time is finished, that nature is wound up." And kalpa-kṣaye punas tāni kalpa, kalpādau visṛjāmy aham: "In this way, at a certain interval, this material manifestation is exhibited, and again it is wound up."

This material manifestation is... Sometimes it is created, and sometimes it goes into the nature of the Lord. But spiritual creation is not like that. Spiritual creation is permanent. In the material creation everything is temporary, nonpermanent. Just like this body. This body is created. And take for example. In our personal self, we are spiritual spark, fragmental. We have several times discussed this point, that we are all spiritual spark, fragmental part of the Supreme Lord.

Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:

Guest (1) (Indian man): Some of the latest findings of the psychologists says that when child grows and becomes a man, his ego also develops and it also becomes a man. Now, if the, if it is all the ego and his personality and identity also dissolved, and, and how he can live or how we can develop or how we can progress? Because the whole, whole progress is this, the progress of ego.

Prabhupāda: First thing is that ego, if you are qualified with false ego, that ego development is dangerous for you. Suppose you are..., you are falsely thinking that you are king. Although you are a servant, you are thinking, "I am king." This is false ego. And if you increase this false ego, then where is the benefit? You are misled. Is it not?

Guest (1): That is the personality of man today.

Prabhupāda: No, personality, falsely, he should be personal. You, you should be egoistic in right way. As your position is. If you falsely think that "I am this," so what is the use of such increasing that ego? It is psychologically wrong. Just like madman, he is thinking, "I am the king of this Ahmadabad." And if he increases that ego, what benefit he'll get? Just like the madman does also. He falls down on the street: "I am the king." So this kind of false ego increasing is simply suicidal. If it is right ego... Therefore the Vedas says that "You are not this body. You are spirit soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi." That is right ego.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:

And those bubbles are manifested as universes. This is stated in Brahma-saṁhitā: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). That breathing, exhaling and inhaling... Just like we also do that. So we have inherited that exhaling-inhaling, from that Viṣṇu.

So how these brahmāṇḍas or universes, each of them has a predominate deity? He is called Brahmā. Brahmāṇḍa, the master of this brahmāṇḍa is called Brahmā. The duration of this Brahmā, duration of life, is only the inhaling and exhaling period of Mahā-Viṣṇu. When He's exhaling, all the brahmāṇḍas are coming in existence. And when He's inhaling, they're all vanquished. This process is going on. And the Supreme Person who is doing this, I mean to say, creation and dissolution, He is called Mahā-Viṣṇu. Viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So the reference is in the Brahma-saṁhitā that that Mahā-Viṣṇu is also part and parcel of Govinda, Kṛṣṇa. Just try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Then? Go on.

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

So we don't accept this material nature as final. We have Kṛṣṇa on the background, that He is, only, the master. So therefore we are monists. Simply we know Kṛṣṇa and everything emanating from Kṛṣṇa. That is described everywhere. In the Brahma-saṁhitā the same truth is... Sṛṣṭi-sthiti, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). This material energy is called Durgā, but she is so powerful... Sṛṣṭi-sthiti.... She can create wonderful things. She can maintain wonderful things. She can dissolve wonderful things, so powerful, but she is acting under the direction... Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā. Chāyeva. Just like shadow moves by the movement of the reality, similarly, this material nature is working under the direction of the Supreme.

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

So therefore we are monists. Simply we know Kṛṣṇa and everything emanating from Kṛṣṇa. That is described everywhere. In the Brahma-saṁhitā the same truth is... Sṛṣṭi-sthiti, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). This material energy is called Durgā, but she is so powerful... Sṛṣṭi-sthiti.... She can create wonderful things. She can maintain wonderful things. She can dissolve wonderful things, so powerful, but she is acting under the direction... Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā. Chāyeva. Just like shadow moves by the movement of the reality, similarly, this material nature is working under the direction of the Supreme.

Therefore, any way you, either way you go, if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, simply come to this understanding that Kṛṣṇa is everything, and "By serving Kṛṣṇa, all my objective, all my perfection is there"—this conviction makes you perfect. And this is real, this is reality. There is no imposition. It is reality. Simply one has to understand. The same thing is expressed here by Nārada, urukramasya. Who is urukrama? Wonderful actor.

Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:

And similarly, there is the spiritual world. Spiritual world. That we cannot see. That is not within our experience. But we get it from the śāstra. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). Kṛṣṇa says, "There is another nature." Paras tasmāt. "This material nature, beyond that there is another nature." Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That is eternal. This material nature is not eternal. Just like your body, my body, it is not eternal, similarly, this gigantic body of universe, that is also not eternal. It has a date of creation, and it has a date for dissolution. That is the nature. Therefore it is said that "That material nature is sanātana. That is never created; neither it is annihilated."

Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:

"There is another nature." Paras tasmāt. "This material nature, beyond that there is another nature." Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That is eternal. This material nature is not eternal. Just like your body, my body, it is not eternal, similarly, this gigantic body of universe, that is also not eternal. It has a date of creation, and it has a date for dissolution. That is the nature. Therefore it is said that "That material nature is sanātana. That is never created; neither it is annihilated."

So we, marginal... Marginal means actually we belong to the spiritual nature. Because we are spirit soul, but we have come in contact with this material nature, some way or other. So therefore we are seeing our position incompatible. We cannot adjust here. Therefore we are getting one type of body and enjoying or suffering another type of body, another type of body, another type of body. This is going on. Therefore we are called marginal. If we like, we can transfer ourself to the spiritual world and remain eternally, because we are of the spiritual nature. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).

Lecture on SB 3.22.20 -- Tehran, August 9, 1976:

Pradyumna: (chants synonyms, etc.) Translation: "The highest authority for me is the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom this wonderful creation emanates and in whom its sustenance and dissolution rest. He is the origin of all prajāpatis, the personalities meant to produce living entities in this world."

Prabhupāda: So the purpose of marriage is explained here. Putrātve kriyet bhāryā putra pinḍa prayojanam. For the purpose of one or two nice children one should marry, not for sense gratification. This is the Vedic purport of marriage. So in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we allow marriage on this principle, not for sense gratification. All the chief devotees of Lord Caitanya... Or even Lord Caitanya Himself, he married twice. So marriage is not prohibited, but everything should be under regulative principle according to the law. Then either one is sannyāsī or a married man or a brahmacārī, it doesn't matter.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu stressed, ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya. He never said that the sannyāsīs should be guru and not the gṛhasthas. He says ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya. Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can become guru. And that guru Caitanya Mahāprabhu says everything very simplified.

Lecture on SB 3.22.20 -- Tehran, August 9, 1976:

Pradyumna: (chants synonyms, etc.) Translation: "The highest authority for me is the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom this wonderful creation emanates and in whom its sustenance and dissolution rest. He is the origin of all prajāpatis, the personalities meant to produce living entities in this world."

Prabhupāda: So the purpose of marriage is explained here. Putrātve kriyet bhāryā putra pinḍa prayojanam. For the purpose of one or two nice children one should marry, not for sense gratification. This is the Vedic purport of marriage. So in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we allow marriage on this principle, not for sense gratification. All the chief devotees of Lord Caitanya... Or even Lord Caitanya Himself, he married twice. So marriage is not prohibited, but everything should be under regulative principle according to the law. Then either one is sannyāsī or a married man or a brahmacārī, it doesn't matter.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu stressed, ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya. He never said that the sannyāsīs should be guru and not the gṛhasthas. He says ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya. Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can become guru. And that guru Caitanya Mahāprabhu says everything very simplified.

Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974:

This is Māyāvāda theory. But Kṛṣṇa says that "These living entities, they are eternally My parts and parcel, small particle." It is not that sometimes they were one, homogeneous; now they have become part. That we do not get.

Therefore those who have got complete knowledge, they never expect like that: "I shall become one with the Supreme." Na eka, ekātmatām. Na ekātmatāṁ me spṛhayanti. They even hate to desire it. They simply want to remain... That is the constitutional position. Here we are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, although we are now covered by this material body. That can be dissolved. This material, it can be easily dissolved by bhakti-yoga. Therefore it is said that jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ nigīrṇam analo yathā. Just like if you have got good digestive power, you eat anything—it will be digested. You will not find any difficulty. Similarly, if you have got strong bhakti-yoga, then you are not any more in material body. You are free. You are in spiritual body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that māṁ ca yaḥ avyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate. Avyabhicāreṇa means without any deviation. Śuddha-bhakti, pure devotional service. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). They... Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam means any kind of material desire. The, this desire, that "I shall become one with the Supreme," that is also material desire. That is not spiritual desire. That is artificial.

Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974:

So as in this material condition... Of course, a devotee is not under material condition. As soon as he becomes servant of Kṛṣṇa and gives pure devotional service with love and faith, immediately he becomes spiritually situated. Therefore it is said, jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ nigīrṇam analo yathā. Just like if you put something in the fire, immediately it is burned and turned into ashes, similarly, as soon as you put yourself in the devotional service without any material desire, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), immediately your subtle body and gross body become dissolved; you remain only spirit soul, immediately. The same example is given here. Immediately. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66), as "you surrender." Then what...? Immediately you become purified. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyaḥ. We are contaminated by sinful activities. We are getting different types of bodies on account of our sinful activities—or pious activities, you take it. Pious activity or sinful activities, they, they are meant for giving you different types of body. That is suffering.

Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974:

Therefore those who have got complete knowledge, they never expect like that: "I shall become one with the Supreme." Na eka, ekātmatām. Na ekātmatāṁ me spṛhayanti. They even hate to desire it. They simply want to remain... That is the constitutional position. Here we are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, although we are now covered by this material body. That can be dissolved. This material, it can be easily dissolved by bhakti-yoga. Therefore it is said that jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ nigīrṇam analo yathā. Just like if you have got good digestive power, you eat anything—it will be digested. You will not find any difficulty. Similarly, if you have got strong bhakti-yoga, then you are not any more in material body. You are free. You are in spiritual body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that māṁ ca yaḥ avyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate. Avyabhicāreṇa means without any deviation. Śuddha-bhakti, pure devotional service. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). They... Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam means any kind of material desire. The, this desire, that "I shall become one with the Supreme," that is also material desire. That is not spiritual desire. That is artificial.

Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974:

Therefore it is said, jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ nigīrṇam analo yathā. Just like if you put something in the fire, immediately it is burned and turned into ashes, similarly, as soon as you put yourself in the devotional service without any material desire, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), immediately your subtle body and gross body become dissolved; you remain only spirit soul, immediately. The same example is given here. Immediately. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66), as "you surrender." Then what...? Immediately you become purified. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyaḥ. We are contaminated by sinful activities. We are getting different types of bodies on account of our sinful activities—or pious activities, you take it. Pious activity or sinful activities, they, they are meant for giving you different types of body. That is suffering.

So long you will have this material body, you will have to suffer. You cannot avoid it. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). That is stated in the Bha... Mātrā-sparśāḥ. What is the suffering? Suffering means on account of this body.

Lecture on SB 3.25.42 -- Bombay, December 10, 1974:

Then we are calculating, "This is Asia. This is America. This is Europe." Land is coming out. And gradually land, land, land, land—there will be only land, no water. That means destruction. When there will be no water and scorching heat, the whole earthly planet will be ablaze and everything will be burned into ashes. Then again there will be rainfall, and everything will be mixed up, and then again there will destruction. This is going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). And similarly, our position with this body. This will be also dissolved again. This nice form you have got, I have got, but when it will be finished, this is finished forever. We are not going to get any more. You will get different body, not exactly this body. It is bubble. One bubble lost, that is lost forever. That is lost forever. But we are so foolish, we are thinking, "This is permanent settlement, permanent settlement." This is called ignorance. There is no question of permanent settlement. Temporary under the... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Under the laws of nature we are getting different types of bodies, different types of opportunities. And it is going on. But we are spirit soul; we are not this material body.

Lecture on SB 3.25.42 -- Bombay, December 10, 1974:

When there will be no water and scorching heat, the whole earthly planet will be ablaze and everything will be burned into ashes. Then again there will be rainfall, and everything will be mixed up, and then again there will destruction. This is going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). And similarly, our position with this body. This will be also dissolved again. This nice form you have got, I have got, but when it will be finished, this is finished forever. We are not going to get any more. You will get different body, not exactly this body. It is bubble. One bubble lost, that is lost forever. That is lost forever. But we are so foolish, we are thinking, "This is permanent settlement, permanent settlement." This is called ignorance. There is no question of permanent settlement. Temporary under the... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Under the laws of nature we are getting different types of bodies, different types of opportunities. And it is going on. But we are spirit soul; we are not this material body.

So we must have sense and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to save ourself from this material condition of life, repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease.

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

There is one feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is called Mahā-Viṣṇu. That Mahā-Viṣṇu, that is the origin of this material creation. So Mahā-Viṣṇu is in sleeping condition. So in sleeping condition, with the breathing, universes are coming. And when it is inhaled the whole universe is annihilated, dissolved. So this is only one portion. There are many devidences(?).

So you cannot claim to become Bhagavān so cheaply. Bhagavān is different thing. One who is devotee of Bhagavān, he knows something about Bhagavān. And the other rascals, they claim Bhagavān—simply ludicrous. Only the rascals can accept another rascal as Bhagavān. It is not so easy.

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

There is one feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is called Mahā-Viṣṇu. That Mahā-Viṣṇu, that is the origin of this material creation. So Mahā-Viṣṇu is in sleeping condition. So in sleeping condition, with the breathing, universes are coming. And when it is inhaled the whole universe is annihilated, dissolved. So this is only one portion. There are many devidences(?).

So you cannot claim to become Bhagavān so cheaply. Bhagavān is different thing. One who is devotee of Bhagavān, he knows something about Bhagavān. And the other rascals, they claim Bhagavān—simply ludicrous. Only the rascals can accept another rascal as Bhagavān. It is not so easy.

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.48)

So that Bhagavān is speaking. Kapiladeva is that Bhagavān. Therefore He says that atha te sampravakṣyāmi. Sam means samyak. Samyak means complete. Unless one has got complete knowledge, how he can say things complete? It is not the so-called scientist: "Perhaps," "It may be." No, not that kind of knowledge, simply theorizing, "It may be like that." No. There is no question of "maybe." Exact knowledge. Exact knowledge.

Lecture on SB 3.26.2 -- Bombay, December 14, 1974:

So by keeping yourself always in the fire of Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you are transferred to the spiritual world. Very nice example, this iron rod, red hot. You cannot use it for any other purpose. It is simply for burning. Similarly you can become Kṛṣṇized. That we have already discussed in the previous verses. The, anyone who is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service he is two kinds of external body, namely the gross body, material body, this gross body made of earth, water, fire, air and sky, and the subtle body made of mind, intelligence, and ego. These two kinds of body become dissolved. Just like if you eat something, put into your stomach, and if you have got good digestive function, then everything will be digested. Similarly if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, spiritualized, the material activities will have no effect. It is dissolved. Otherwise, any material things you will do, it will have repercussion or reaction. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Yajñārthe, yajña means Kṛṣṇa, Yajña-puruṣa, Yajñeśvara. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Yajñeśvara. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasām (BG 5.29), Kṛṣṇa says. Yajña-tapasām, bhokta, so therefore there is Yajñeśvara. So whatever you do for Kṛṣṇa, it will have no reaction. Digest everything. And if you do not do for Kṛṣṇa, then it will take time to digest.

Lecture on SB 3.26.2 -- Bombay, December 14, 1974:

That we have already discussed in the previous verses. The, anyone who is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service he is two kinds of external body, namely the gross body, material body, this gross body made of earth, water, fire, air and sky, and the subtle body made of mind, intelligence, and ego. These two kinds of body become dissolved. Just like if you eat something, put into your stomach, and if you have got good digestive function, then everything will be digested. Similarly if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, spiritualized, the material activities will have no effect. It is dissolved. Otherwise, any material things you will do, it will have repercussion or reaction. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Yajñārthe, yajña means Kṛṣṇa, Yajña-puruṣa, Yajñeśvara. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Yajñeśvara. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasām (BG 5.29), Kṛṣṇa says. Yajña-tapasām, bhokta, so therefore there is Yajñeśvara. So whatever you do for Kṛṣṇa, it will have no reaction. Digest everything. And if you do not do for Kṛṣṇa, then it will take time to digest.

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

These varieties... According to the Western Darwin's theory, they do not give any nice description of the varieties. But the varieties of living entities are there before creation. They become manifest in next creation. Just like in this creation one is dying as demigod, I mean to say, at the last dissolution, and one is dying as dog, or one is dying as a fish. So when the next creation will come out, they also will come out in that way, again as fish, because his activities in the form of fish was not completed. So one has to complete the term of one particular type of body. That is the law of nature. So they remain in dormant stage in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu at the time of dissolution. Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmi... Then, at the time of creation, they come out again in the same body as it was in the last creation. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Of course, the evolution takes place, but at the time of creation the particular type of body which I inherited in my last birth or millennium I get again, and again begin evolution. This is the process, going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). The dissolution takes place.

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

So when the next creation will come out, they also will come out in that way, again as fish, because his activities in the form of fish was not completed. So one has to complete the term of one particular type of body. That is the law of nature. So they remain in dormant stage in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu at the time of dissolution. Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmi... Then, at the time of creation, they come out again in the same body as it was in the last creation. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Of course, the evolution takes place, but at the time of creation the particular type of body which I inherited in my last birth or millennium I get again, and again begin evolution. This is the process, going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). The dissolution takes place.

Lecture on SB 3.26.20 -- Bombay, December 29, 1974:

Nitāi: "Thus, after manifesting variegatedness, the effulgent mahat-tattva, which contains all the universes within itself, which is the root of all cosmic manifestations and which is not destroyed at the time of annihilation, swallows up the darkness that covered the effulgence at the time of dissolution."

Prabhupāda:

viśvam ātma-gataṁ vyañjan
kūṭa-stho jagad-aṅkuraḥ
sva-tejasāpibat tīvram
ātma-prasvāpanaṁ tamaḥ
(SB 3.26.20)

Viśvam ātma-gatam. This body, everyone's body, is also a small universe. Whatever the arrangement is there in this body, the similar arrangement is there in the whole universe. The principle is the same. The same arrangement is within the seed of a banyan tree. We have got practical experience that a small seed of banyan tree, very small, but the potency within the seed is there, a big tree.

Lecture on SB 3.26.20 -- Bombay, December 29, 1974:

Nitāi: "Thus, after manifesting variegatedness, the effulgent mahat-tattva, which contains all the universes within itself, which is the root of all cosmic manifestations and which is not destroyed at the time of annihilation, swallows up the darkness that covered the effulgence at the time of dissolution."

Prabhupāda:

viśvam ātma-gataṁ vyañjan
kūṭa-stho jagad-aṅkuraḥ
sva-tejasāpibat tīvram
ātma-prasvāpanaṁ tamaḥ
(SB 3.26.20)

Viśvam ātma-gatam. This body, everyone's body, is also a small universe. Whatever the arrangement is there in this body, the similar arrangement is there in the whole universe. The principle is the same. The same arrangement is within the seed of a banyan tree. We have got practical experience that a small seed of banyan tree, very small, but the potency within the seed is there, a big tree.

So these universes are also coming like a small seed. Therefore innumerable universes: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48). From the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu, the small particles are coming, and they are developing into big manifestation of universal form. Similarly, our desire is also very small. We are very small, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. Still, we have got desires and everything.

Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:

So in the association of bhāgavata, devotees, if we read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... Sajātīya snigdhasya. Sajātīya means people thinking in the same way. So that means devotees who are interested in bhagavad-bhakti, to understand Bhagavān, they should read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the association. We should have regular classes. Just like school and colleges, eight hour, six hour. Be engaged always in reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, discussing amongst yourself. Then you'll make progress. Otherwise, if you take it as an official routine work... You should take as routine work, but with consciousness that "We have to learn something," not simply attending the class, but to learn something. In this way make your life successful. Because after all, everything is being done, daiva-coditāt, impelled by the Supreme Person. The Supreme Person is behind everything. So in the association of devotees, if we read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly, then your, our, material contamination will be dissolved, and our spiritual consciousness will come out, and that will make our life successful.

Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:

So that means devotees who are interested in bhagavad-bhakti, to understand Bhagavān, they should read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the association. We should have regular classes. Just like school and colleges, eight hour, six hour. Be engaged always in reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, discussing amongst yourself. Then you'll make progress. Otherwise, if you take it as an official routine work... You should take as routine work, but with consciousness that "We have to learn something," not simply attending the class, but to learn something. In this way make your life successful. Because after all, everything is being done, daiva-coditāt, impelled by the Supreme Person. The Supreme Person is behind everything. So in the association of devotees, if we read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly, then your, our, material contamination will be dissolved, and our spiritual consciousness will come out, and that will make our life successful.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

Not that in the creation there was no human being. From Vedic history we understand that in the creation, when everything was all water, at that time, a lotus flower grew out of the abdomen of Viṣṇu and there was creation of Brahmā. So Brahmā is supposed to be the most intellectual personality within this universe. My point is that in the beginning the creation was the most intelligent personality, not that in the creation there was lower animals, no. Lower animals were there. The... Just like at the present moment all kinds of living entities are there. If there is dissolution of this universe, everything will be destroyed, but again, when there will be creation, all the species of life, they'll take birth in the same way if they have not fulfilled their mission. The mission is that living entities are given chance to develop consciousness. They develop consciousness from the lowest form of life up to the brightest and the most intellectual form of life like Brahmā, and above that also, transcendental. That is called spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this chance is given to the living entities who are aspirant for material enjoyment. You should always remember that all living entities, 8,400,000 species of life, every one of them after material enjoyment. So they are given a chance. Vedic knowledge means that you have desire for material enjoyment, so therefore you can..., you are given the chance here for material enjoyment.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

So Brahmā is supposed to be the most intellectual personality within this universe. My point is that in the beginning the creation was the most intelligent personality, not that in the creation there was lower animals, no. Lower animals were there. The... Just like at the present moment all kinds of living entities are there. If there is dissolution of this universe, everything will be destroyed, but again, when there will be creation, all the species of life, they'll take birth in the same way if they have not fulfilled their mission. The mission is that living entities are given chance to develop consciousness. They develop consciousness from the lowest form of life up to the brightest and the most intellectual form of life like Brahmā, and above that also, transcendental. That is called spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this chance is given to the living entities who are aspirant for material enjoyment. You should always remember that all living entities, 8,400,000 species of life, every one of them after material enjoyment.

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

So similarly, this is also diseased condition, to... (aside:) Don't... Down. Atonement, the sinful life, this is also diseased condition. Just like we have accepted this chain of birth and death. This is diseased condition of the soul. The soul has no birth and death, no disease. Because it is spirit soul. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na jāyate: "Soul has no birth." Na mriyate: "It has no death." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) "Soul is eternal," śāśvataḥ, "existing everlasting. Don't think that it is lost along with the dissolution of this body. No." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na hanyate means it is not killed, or it is destroyed, even after the destruction of this body. This is the missing point of modern civilization. They do not know... There is no educational system in the university, what happens after death. There is no such educational system. The most defective education, because without this knowledge, what happens after death, without this knowledge, one who is dying without this knowledge, he's an animal. The animal does not know that what he's going to have, another body, how it is... He has no such knowledge. But human life is not meant for becoming an animal, simply interested in eating, sleeping, sex life and defense.

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

This is diseased condition of the soul. The soul has no birth and death, no disease. Because it is spirit soul. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na jāyate: "Soul has no birth." Na mriyate: "It has no death." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) "Soul is eternal," śāśvataḥ, "existing everlasting. Don't think that it is lost along with the dissolution of this body. No." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na hanyate means it is not killed, or it is destroyed, even after the destruction of this body. This is the missing point of modern civilization. They do not know... There is no educational system in the university, what happens after death. There is no such educational system. The most defective education, because without this knowledge, what happens after death, without this knowledge, one who is dying without this knowledge, he's an animal. The animal does not know that what he's going to have, another body, how it is... He has no such knowledge. But human life is not meant for becoming an animal, simply interested in eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. You may have very nice arrangement for eating or you may have very nice building for sleeping, or you may have very good arrangement for sex life, or you may have very good defense force to protect yourself.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:

This is a place simply for suffering. Therefore everyone's business is how to get out of it. You cannot stop what is going on in Bangaladesh. It may be in Bangaladesh or it may be in Vietnam or it may be in some other places—this is nature's law; it will go on. You cannot stop it. The best thing is to get out of the scene. That is your business. You cannot stop it. Even if you show sympathy, that is useless. Because this is the way of nature. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). Paritrāṇāya sa... vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. The vināśa is there. The two things are going on: maintenance and dissolution and creation. So you cannot stop the process. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha. All these ephemeral things which come and go, if one is not disturbed by all these things, then he is the right candidate for liberation.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:

That is going on since the creation. How can you stop it? The history repeats itself. This butchering, this attack by one country by another or by one king to another, that is going on. This is the nature; therefore it is called duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This is a place simply for suffering. Therefore everyone's business is how to get out of it. You cannot stop what is going on in Bangaladesh. It may be in Bangaladesh or it may be in Vietnam or it may be in some other places—this is nature's law; it will go on. You cannot stop it. The best thing is to get out of the scene. That is your business. You cannot stop it. Even if you show sympathy, that is useless. Because this is the way of nature. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). Paritrāṇāya sa... vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. The vināśa is there. The two things are going on: maintenance and dissolution and creation. So you cannot stop the process. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha. All these ephemeral things which come and go, if one is not disturbed by all these things, then he is the right candidate for liberation.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- New York, August 1, 1971:

He is the greatest. So we accept it immediately from the Vedic information. Therefore our position is safe. We do not falsely declare that "I am God." Just give proof that you are God. Then claim. But some rascal claims that he's God, and other rascals, they accept that he's God. God is not so cheap. God, as we get description from Brahma-saṁhitā: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Many millions of universes are coming out from the exhaling of God, and again they are disappearing by inhaling of God. That is God. By simply breathing, millions of universes are being created and millions of universes are being dissolved simply by inhaling. This is going on. So how we can claim? So our, this unnecessary, puffed-up claim is not there. Therefore we are already liberated. We don't have to seek for liberation. Liberation means to become liberated from these nonsense, false ideas. That is liberation. As soon as we think that "I am this body," I'm not liberated. And as soon as I know perfectly well that "I am not this body," I am liberated. This knowledge gives liberation. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam. To develop your knowledge, that will give you relief.

So our knowledge is perfect because we know that we are very small particle of spiritual spark. That is our constitutional position. And God is the Supreme, the greatest spiritual identity.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- New York, August 1, 1971:

Many millions of universes are coming out from the exhaling of God, and again they are disappearing by inhaling of God. That is God. By simply breathing, millions of universes are being created and millions of universes are being dissolved simply by inhaling. This is going on. So how we can claim? So our, this unnecessary, puffed-up claim is not there. Therefore we are already liberated. We don't have to seek for liberation. Liberation means to become liberated from these nonsense, false ideas. That is liberation. As soon as we think that "I am this body," I'm not liberated. And as soon as I know perfectly well that "I am not this body," I am liberated. This knowledge gives liberation. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam. To develop your knowledge, that will give you relief.

So our knowledge is perfect because we know that we are very small particle of spiritual spark. That is our constitutional position. And God is the Supreme, the greatest spiritual identity. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. He's supplying all the necessities of the small, spiritual sparks. Because we know rightly, and as we are part and parcel of God, minute particles, therefore our duty is to serve God.

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975:

So when a living entity is constitutionally sanātana, if he wants to go back to that sanātana nature, that is called sanātana-dharma. It is called... You have heard the name sanātana-dharma. Sanātana-dharma means when the sanātana-jīva, living entity, tries go to back home... That is our real home. Here it is not home. We have taken America as home. How long it is your home, sir? Say, fifty years, hundred years, that's all. Not this kind of home. So that home is eternal. That is called, therefore, sanātana. Avyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Yasmin sarveṣu naśyatsu means when in the material world everything will be dissolved, annihilated, then it is said that the other nature... We have tried to describe in our Easy Journey to Other Planets, anti-material, material and anti-material. So that world, the spiritual world, there is if you go beyond this covering of the sky. You cannot touch even the ultimate covering even, Brahmaloka. We can see there is a covering round, what is called? Horizon. That is covering. This covering is covered by seven layers, same earth, water, fire, ether. One layer is ten times bigger than the other layer. If you can penetrate and go through, then there is the other world, spiritual world. So this is the position. We should be clever enough to understand the constitution of this material world, this material body, and the spirit soul, how the spirit soul can be liberated, how the spirit soul can go to the spiritual world and live there eternally. Everything is very nicely described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Everyone can go. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25).

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975:

That is our real home. Here it is not home. We have taken America as home. How long it is your home, sir? Say, fifty years, hundred years, that's all. Not this kind of home. So that home is eternal. That is called, therefore, sanātana. Avyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Yasmin sarveṣu naśyatsu means when in the material world everything will be dissolved, annihilated, then it is said that the other nature... We have tried to describe in our Easy Journey to Other Planets, anti-material, material and anti-material. So that world, the spiritual world, there is if you go beyond this covering of the sky. You cannot touch even the ultimate covering even, Brahmaloka. We can see there is a covering round, what is called? Horizon. That is covering. This covering is covered by seven layers, same earth, water, fire, ether. One layer is ten times bigger than the other layer. If you can penetrate and go through, then there is the other world, spiritual world. So this is the position. We should be clever enough to understand the constitution of this material world, this material body, and the spirit soul, how the spirit soul can be liberated, how the spirit soul can go to the spiritual world and live there eternally.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Honolulu, May 28, 1976:

The tongue becomes disordered, the mind becomes disordered. There is a verse by Kulaśekhara. He was praying to Lord, adyaiva me viśatu mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ, prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ smaraṇaṁ kutas te (MM 33). He was praying to the Lord, "My Lord, Mukunda, now I am healthy, very strong. Everything is all right. My mind is in order. My health is in order. So I am praying to You, let death come immediately so that I can soundly remember Your name. Otherwise natural death, it may be that on account of dissolution of the..., arrangement, physiological arrangement of the body..." Just like in sleep we forget everything. In sleep we forget everything. The subtle mind, intelligence work. I am sleeping in a nice bed, but mind and intelligence have taken me far away near the desert. And I'm seeing I'm in the desert. That is happening daily. Dream means the stock in the mind of our experience past, may be many, many years past, but the stock is there. Sometimes they come. That is dreaming. Just like you'll find in a lake all of a sudden... There is discussed in psychology also how this remembrance comes all of a sudden. The example is given just like in a lake all of a sudden you'll find there is a bubble. So similarly, the mind is the subtle matter. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano (BG 7.4). This gross is this land, bhūmi, earth, straw.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Honolulu, May 28, 1976:

"My Lord, Mukunda, now I am healthy, very strong. Everything is all right. My mind is in order. My health is in order. So I am praying to You, let death come immediately so that I can soundly remember Your name. Otherwise natural death, it may be that on account of dissolution of the..., arrangement, physiological arrangement of the body..." Just like in sleep we forget everything. In sleep we forget everything. The subtle mind, intelligence work. I am sleeping in a nice bed, but mind and intelligence have taken me far away near the desert. And I'm seeing I'm in the desert. That is happening daily. Dream means the stock in the mind of our experience past, may be many, many years past, but the stock is there. Sometimes they come. That is dreaming. Just like you'll find in a lake all of a sudden... There is discussed in psychology also how this remembrance comes all of a sudden. The example is given just like in a lake all of a sudden you'll find there is a bubble. So similarly, the mind is the subtle matter. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano (BG 7.4). This gross is this land, bhūmi, earth, straw. Water is a little more subtle. Just like in land you can stand, but in the water you cannot stand. It has become little subtle. Then fire, then air, and then ether.

Lecture on SB 6.1.41 -- Los Angeles, June 7, 1976:

So Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa, He's controlling everything. And this material world is made of three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). The Bhagavad-gītā also says the same thing. Prakṛteḥ, this material nature, is working under three modes of material nature—sattva-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa. In the rajo-guṇa, the material world is created. In sattva-guṇa, the material world is maintained. And in tamo-guṇa, this material world is dissolved, or annihilated. This is the way, going on. So sattva-guṇa, maintenance, in charge is Viṣṇu Himself. Without Viṣṇu, nobody can maintain. Just like one contractor, he can manufacture a very big skyscraper building, but to maintain it, it requires another management, how to manage and maintain. And dissolution, anyone can break this big skyscraper. These three things are going on. So the maintenance in charge is Nārāyaṇa, His expansion, Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu is supplying all the needs of our... We are so many living entities, innumerable, but Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, He is supplying all our needs. Just like father, he supplies the needs of the family, children. Similarly, Viṣṇu is maintaining. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. So many different varieties of living entities and they have got different demands, different necessities, everything is supplied by Viṣṇu. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is God.

Lecture on SB 6.1.41 -- Los Angeles, June 7, 1976:

The Bhagavad-gītā also says the same thing. Prakṛteḥ, this material nature, is working under three modes of material nature—sattva-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa. In the rajo-guṇa, the material world is created. In sattva-guṇa, the material world is maintained. And in tamo-guṇa, this material world is dissolved, or annihilated. This is the way, going on. So sattva-guṇa, maintenance, in charge is Viṣṇu Himself. Without Viṣṇu, nobody can maintain. Just like one contractor, he can manufacture a very big skyscraper building, but to maintain it, it requires another management, how to manage and maintain. And dissolution, anyone can break this big skyscraper. These three things are going on. So the maintenance in charge is Nārāyaṇa, His expansion, Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu is supplying all the needs of our... We are so many living entities, innumerable, but Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, He is supplying all our needs. Just like father, he supplies the needs of the family, children. Similarly, Viṣṇu is maintaining. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān.

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

That thundering may be very loud, but there will be no rain. That means you can neglect. As you can neglect the fight between two goats, as you can take not seriously the śraddhā ceremony of muni, as you do not take very seriously the thundering sound of the cloud in the morning, similarly, dāmpatye kālahe caiva, similarly, whenever there is fight between husband and wife, you should take like that. Don't take it seriously. But at the modern civilization, the husband and wife quarrel is taken so seriously that immediately they go to the court and there is filing of divorce, and the combination, the married life, dissolved, and both are unhappy. And this psychology is, as it is stated... I do not know, but probably it is right, that disagreement between husband and wife is due to sex difficulty. That's all. It is clearly stated here. Either the husband or the wife, if there is not complete sex satisfaction, one of them must be very unhappy, and disagreement and dissolution.

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

Don't take it seriously. But at the modern civilization, the husband and wife quarrel is taken so seriously that immediately they go to the court and there is filing of divorce, and the combination, the married life, dissolved, and both are unhappy. And this psychology is, as it is stated... I do not know, but probably it is right, that disagreement between husband and wife is due to sex difficulty. That's all. It is clearly stated here. Either the husband or the wife, if there is not complete sex satisfaction, one of them must be very unhappy, and disagreement and dissolution...

Strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir vipratve sūtram eva hi. Vipratve means... Just this morning I was explaining vipra, who is vipra. Vipra means one who has studied Vedas nicely, or one who has passed in the studies of Vedas, he is called vipra. And before becoming a vipra, there is sacred thread ceremony. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. There are stages: śūdra, dvija, vipra, and brāhmaṇa. These four steps. One is born a śūdra. Śūdra means the lowest class, almost animal. So anyone who is born of father and mother, he is accepted as śūdra. And Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth, everyone is born a śūdra, the lower class. And saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. And if that man, the boy, or the child, is reformed by education gradually, then he is, saṁskārad bhaved dvijaḥ, his second birth is there.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.66-76 -- San Francisco, February 6, 1967:

In this way, there is lucid explanation of Vedānta-sūtra. Now, if you take Vedānta-sūtra, this janmādy asya aphorism, that Brahman is that Absolute Truth from where everything emanates, or everything is born... Janma means, janma means born, birth. And sthiti, sthiti means maintenance. Janmādi. Janma sthiti and pralaya. Pralaya means dissolution. This material world, it has got a date of its creation. Just like your body, it has got a date of its creation. It stays for some time, and again there is a date of its dissolution. You take the history of everything material, either you take this body, or take this world, or take any empire or any... Just like your American country, oh, it has a date of its beginning. Now it is staying. Now it will be, some day will come, there will be no more America. You should know it. That means, that is nature's law. Everything. Everything is born, it stays for some time, then it is dissolute, dissolved. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate. All this thing, whatever material, that manifests, it comes out, it is manifested. It... Just like bubbles in the ocean.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.109-114 -- San Francisco, February 20, 1967:

Guest (1): (static) ...your description of the impersonalist philosophers does not correspond..., it's happening, say, by themselves they make a distinction how those things make... (static) ...a part of that philosophy that seems crucial to extending it, and that is sometimes called the "little self" and the "big self," the "big self" being the person who we are—personality, ego—and the other type of ego is the actual ego. And when one's ego is dissolved, he will wake up, as it were. As, like you wake up out of a dream and you find that you thought you were one of the characters in the dream while you were dreaming, when you wake up you realize that you didn't have this limited identity. You had a greater identity which encompassed all the characters in the dream.

Prabhupāda: Where you lose your personality? Either in dream or in awakened, you are person. When do you lose your personality? When you become imperson?

Guest (1): When do you lose it? When you wake up from the dream of this material world.

Prabhupāda: You are not imperson at that time. You are person. You are thinking, "I was dreaming." So your ego is there.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.109-114 -- San Francisco, February 20, 1967:

Prabhupāda: Where do you lose your ego? Where your ego is dissolved?

Guest (1): Where is it dissolved?

Prabhupāda: Yes? It is never dissolved.

Guest (1): It is dissolved into a finer form of consciousness.

Prabhupāda: No, finer... Just now, your example: you were dreaming. Now you are awakening. You are now seeing, "Oh, I was dreaming." So the same person who was dreaming and who is thinking that "I was dreaming"—the same person. Where your identity is dissolved? In both the cases, you are standing, "I." This is...

Guest (1): Yeah, but they say at the next awakening you dissolve this "I."

Prabhupāda: This "I" is..., this "I" is not in dream. That is the difference. The "I" in dream and "I" in not-dream, but "I" is there. Where is your "I" dissolved?

Guest (1): Well, when you're chanting it's dissolved, actually.

Prabhupāda: Never.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.109-114 -- San Francisco, February 20, 1967:

Prabhupāda: No. We don't forget. We always remember that we are servants of God. We don't forget. We forget this material nonsense. That's all. But don't forget ourself. Our identity is there. We are all servants of God, Kṛṣṇa dāsa. And this is real ego. So ego is not dissolved. Ego is there, but it is purified. It is purified. Yes?

Kīrtanānanda: Well, er, it's so difficult to control the senses. So we're engaging all of our senses in chanting and dancing and so forth. Now, the thinking mind is most difficult. So we can engage that in thinking of Kṛṣṇa. So...

Prabhupāda: Well, when you are chanting, that is thinking, practically thinking. When you are chanting, you are practically thinking. When you are cooking, it is practically thinking. You are cooking for Kṛṣṇa. You are typing for Kṛṣṇa. You are chanting Kṛṣṇa's name.

Kīrtanānanda: But there seems to be also a stage of not thinking. Is that... When one is chanting, should they not think or should they think of Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: No, no. Not thinking is not there. Thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa means thinking of Kṛṣṇa and His energy. There is no question of destruction. It is purification. The psychic power—thinking, feeling and willing—is purified. Tat-paratvena nirmalam. Nirmalam means purified. But it is not lost. It is not lost. Purified. And when it is purified, hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170), with that purified sense, purified mind, when you apply it for Kṛṣṇa, that is called bhakti, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

This is the Absolute Truth qualification. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate, na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. There is another qualification: that Supreme Personality of Godhead is so that nobody is equal or higher than Him in opulences. Na tasya samaḥ. Samaḥ means equal, and adhikasya, adhikasya means higher. He has no equal; neither anybody is more than Him. Therefore everybody is under Him, subordinate to Him. Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. Similarly, in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad there is another statement that tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Viṣṇuṁ padam. Viṣṇu is the highest Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this material world, which is being conducted by three modes of material nature, so Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara... Brahmā is in charge of the creation, Viṣṇu is in charge of maintenance, and Lord Śiva is in charge of destruction, dissolution. Janma, janma-sthiti-pralaya. Everything material, it has got a fixed date of its birth, its duration and its dissolution. So the Viṣṇu, in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, out of these three Deities, viṣṇoḥ tat-paramaṁ padam, that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

Not otherwise. Not by imitating how to become God. That is impossible. How you can become God? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). There are innumerable universes, and within the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu so many universes are coming out by exhaling. And when He inhales, so many universes are dissolved within His body. So how we can become God? God is not so cheap.

Therefore sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ, on who is actually advanced in knowledge, mahātmā, who has accepted Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme... Here it is also said that kecid kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ, aghaṁ dhunvanti. They exterminate all kinds of resultant reaction of sinful activity. Aghaṁ dhunvanti. How it is? Now Kṛṣṇa, Vasudeva, personally says also that "You surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "You give up everything, all other occupation. You simply surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo. So this aghaṁ dhunvanti, He destroys all kinds of resultant activities of sinful life. Not he does; it is done by Kṛṣṇa. He says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo: "I'll help you. I will release you from all kinds of reaction.

Initiation Lectures

Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969:

That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir eka chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā. What is that Durgā? Durgā is the material nature, very powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktiḥ. She has got the power of creating, maintaining and dissolving. She is so powerful. You have seen Durgā's picture. She has got ten hands. That's a long story, of course, Durgā, Caṇḍī. These are all described in the Vedic literatures. But she is not the absolute personality. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir eka chāyeva. She is working simply just like shadow. As the shadow moves when the original substance moves, similarly, she is only working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. She is the external potency. Similarly, Rādhārāṇī is a pleasure potency, and these gopīs are expansion of Rādhārāṇī, pleasure potency. So they are not ordinary girls, neither Kṛṣṇa is enjoying like us, that in the hotel at dance and in the morning the garbage. No. It is not like that. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis (Bs. 5.37).

General Lectures

Lecture to Technology Students (M.I.T.) -- Boston, May 5, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. You can go in another planet also. Because it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-gā. Sarva-gā means the soul can be transferred to any place. It may be in America, it may be India, in moon planet, sun planet, or any..., anywhere.

Student (13): Has the universe existed forever, or does soul have a beginning?

Prabhupāda: No. This material universe is created and dissolved. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Just like this body: it is born for some time, it will stay for some time, it will go for some time, then it will become old, and it will vanish. Similarly, the whole universe is like that. It has its creation, it stays for some time, a long duration of time, and it creates so many other things, by-products, and there will be time when everything will be vanquished.

Student (13): And where were the souls before the universe began?

Prabhupāda: That is called spiritual kingdom. In the spirit.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972:

Four words. So it contains volumes of philosophy. The next aphorism is janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Janma, ādi, asya, yataḥ. "From whom," asya, viśvasya, "of this universe, cosmic manifestation." From where this cosmic manifestation has come, and where it rests, and where it will dissolve. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). In this way, Vedānta-sūtra means, gives you the whole purpose of Vedas, knowledge, in small code words. So to understand these code words, one must have very big brain, or very highly standard educational qualification. Then... All the ācāryas, those who are controlling Vedic civilization, like Śaṅkarācārya, Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya, they have all written their commentaries on the Vedānta-sūtra. Because unless one explains Vedānta-sūtra, he'll not be accepted as an authorized ācārya. He's not... Not that anyone can become ācārya. He must give explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra, prasthāna-traya. There is system. So ultimately, Vedānta-sūtra, as Kṛṣṇa says, vedaiś ca sarvaiḥ. Sarvaiḥ means including Vedānta-sūtra. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). "I am to be understood."

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

Actually, that's a fact. Just as the America, two hundred years ago, this land did not belong to the Americans. It was there already. So to whom it belonged? Similarly, everything... This is the statement of the Vedas: īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). If we accept this, if the United Nations makes this resolution, that "From this date, let us dissolve this so-called nationality, accept this whole planet belonging to us, all the human beings, all the animals, all the birds, beasts, trees, as they are on this planet," if we accept this philosophy, there is no question of chaotic condition of the society. Actually, that is the fact. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that whatever there is, property, on the land, on the sky, or on the water, anywhere, everything belongs to God. This is, some way or other, communistic idea, but it is spiritual communistic idea. The Communists, they are making their center as the state. The Bhāgavata makes the center as God. Everything belongs to God. The Communist says that everything belongs to the state, and the Bhāgavata says everything belongs to God. So from the idea, this is very nice idea. Now we are... Kṛṣṇa claims in the Bhagavad-gītā that "All the species of life, they are My sons. I am the seed-giving father." So the property is belonging to God, the supreme father, and we are the sons of God. Not only human being. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu: "All species of life." Therefore God has provided for everyone's sufficient necessities of life.

Evening Address to Pandas and Scholars -- Jagannatha Puri, January 26, 1977:

What is that? So people will come in your Jagannātha Purī now from all parts of the world. That is beneficial from various point of view. From the point of tourist program, the government will benefit. And when they're attracted to see Jagannātha Purī, Jagannātha Swami... Unfortunately, you do not allow these foreigners to enter the temple. How it can be adjusted? This stumbling block should be dissolved. If you want Jagannātha Swami to pack up within your home, and you do not expand the mercy of Jagannātha... He is Jagannātha. He's not only this Purī-nātha, or Oriya-nātha; He's Jagannātha. Kṛṣṇa declares in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). That is the definition of Jagannātha, sarva-loka-maheśvaram. So why you should deny the inhabitants of Sarva-loka the darśana of Jagannātha? That is not... Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never approved such thing. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He said,

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
(CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

When that thing is being done and when they are eager to come here, why you should restrain? What is the cause? This is not very good. Arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. It is not good.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: No, it can supersede, provided you get knowledge from authority. Just like somebody is sitting here, he has not seen India. But somebody who has full knowledge of India or seen or gone there, he can describe, and he can understand that there is place, India, the place is like this, like that. So similarly, from authority, just like Kṛṣṇa says, there is another nature: paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That nature is eternal. Here, this nature as we find, it is not eternal. It is temporary. It takes birth, it is maintained for sometimes, it changes, it becomes old, and again destroyed, finished. And therefore in this material there is dissolution, but there is another world, which has no dissolution. That information we get from authority, Kṛṣṇa. Sanātanaḥ. Everything finished here, that is not finished. So we have to receive this knowledge from authority, not necessarily by your personal experience. Parokṣa, aparokṣa this is called. There are different stages of knowledge. Pratyakṣa, parokṣa, aparokṣa, adhokṣaja, aprākṛta. So that requires advancement of knowledge. So, not that all knowledge we can have by direct perception. That is not possible.

Hayagrīva: He says, "This is probably why earthly life is of such great significance and why it is that what a human being brings over at the time of his death is so important. Only here in life on earth can the general level of consciousness be raised. That seems to be man's metaphysical task." So since consciousness survives death it must therefore be elevated while man is on earth.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Hayagrīva: He feels that the only thing that keeps modern man..., that will keep modern man from simply dissolving into the crowd is, he says, "We must ask, 'Have I any religious experience, an immediate relation to God and hence that certainty which will keep me as an individual from dissolving in the crowd of humanity?' " So one's relation with God assures one of one's individuality.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone is individual. God is also individual. So one individual is subordinate to the chief individual. That is the Vedic version. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13), God is also individual being, but He is the Supreme Being, and we are individual being, innumerable. So the difference is that the supreme living being is maintaining us, and we are being maintained. That we should understand. The same example as I gave, the father and the children in the family. The father is maintainer and the children are maintained. This is the real conception of philosophy. The mother is the material nature and father is God, and we are all children. We have got rights to enjoy the father's property, but not encroaching upon others', but as it is allotted by the father. "You sit down here, you take this, that's all," that, that much right I have got. I do not transgress the order of the father; then it is peaceful situation.

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:

Prabhupāda: So our teachers do not ask any payment. They go freely. Why don't you take advantage of these teachers?

Devotee: One thing they (indistinct) Prabhupāda, that we are thinking in terms of Vedic culture, and they say well, if this Vedic culture was previously existing, then why did it dissolve? Why did it fall apart and now we have to make a new one?

Prabhupāda: That is not (indistinct). A new way we cannot. If you want perfection, you must take to Vedic culture, because it is not with the four defects of human beings. Anything introduced for... Just like we are pushing on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and some of the students are falling back. How (indistinct)? That is not the defect of the institution. That is some other power. So people might have fallen from the standard of Vedic culture, but they cannot invent any new one. That is it.

Devotee: That is the same thing we say about the scientific process. The scientific process isn't imperfect, it is just the masters who are imperfect. They claim that the empiric process is perfect. We have not developed it to perfection.

Devotee (2): For instance, they would say if our students are falling back, that is because of the environment.

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Hayagrīva: Well he was hoping that this process would eventually lead to the total dissolution of religion.

Prabhupāda: No.

Hayagrīva: That if everyone worships..., well not everybody, but if you must worship God, worship Him in your own way, in your own home.

Prabhupāda: So dissolution of religion means animalism. That has happened actually, because one does not know what is God, soon there is misunderstanding of religion. Therefore if he, actually anyone is serious about religion, then they should sit down together, that "We call God as supreme father, then why should we fight ourselves? Let us obey the order of the supreme father." Then there is no dissension. But they do not do that, neither they know who is the supreme father. That is the defect.

Hayagrīva: You have been to Communist Russia, and was there any church worship? The Eastern Orthodox church used to be the standard Russian religion. Is there any church worship in Russia today?

Prabhupāda: I, I, I did not see, but I saw some mosquelike building in the, what is called, Red Square. I saw that building, but that is vacant. They are worshiping Stalin, no, Lenin. Yes. They are worshiping Lenin's tomb. That I have seen in the Red Square. And there was a church or mosque, I do not know. The building is, can be called a church or mosque.

Philosophy Discussion on Mao Tse Tung:

Devotee: The antithesis is there in his teaching. He defeated his own instruction in his preface. That's what I was trying to... One thing about Mao's Communism in Russia in its relation to the Soviet Communism is that Soviet Russians are finding that the (indistinct) in a commune is going down because the family life is broken up. The children are taken away from the parents. The parents live separately and see one another occasionally. Similarly, it's dropping still more sharply in Red China, Mao's state. So Mao, in an effort to curb back and to reduce things to their natural order, wants to still further dissolve the struc...

Prabhupāda: But we don't accept either Mao or Marx. We don't accept anyone.

Devotee: Why are you discussing them?

Prabhupāda: Discussing to defeat their philosophy. Because their philosophy is accepted in the world, so we are giving the weak points of that philosophy.

Devotee: When I (indistinct) they simply say I'm dogmatic, but when I defeat them in terms of their own premises, that they have to admit.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That we are doing. We are defeating on their own principles. On principles. Just like we are speaking that Mao thinks that he is not controlled. He should be controller. But he is controlled by heart attack. Then how he can be controller? The same example. If you are blind, how you can lead other blind men? First of all, he has to know that "I am so powerful, why I am being controlled by heart attack?" Let them philosophize on this point. You must admit that "I am controlled." So if I am controller, then how I can be supreme controller?

Philosophy Discussion on Plotinus:

Hayagrīva: He uses this following metaphor. He says, "We are like a chorus grouped about a conductor who allow their attention to be distracted by the audience. If, however, they"—that is we, the individual souls—"were to turn toward their conductor, they would sing as they should and would really be with him. We are always around the One. If we were not, we would dissolve and cease to exist. Yet our gaze does not remain fixed upon the One. When we look at it, we then attain the end of our desires and find rest. Then it is that all discord passes. We dance an inspired dance around it. In this dance the soul looks upon the source of life, the source of the intelligence, the root of being, the cause of the good, the root of the soul. All these entities emanate from the One without any lessening, for it is not a material mass."

Prabhupāda: Yes. There is good sense, that God is individual and the soul is individual. As he has given the metaphor or analogy that the con..., parties of a concert party...

Devotee: Conductor and a chorus.

Prabhupāda: ...they are singing in the tune, sometimes attention diverted by the audience, it becomes out of the tune. Similarly we, when we divert our attention to the illusory energy, then we fall down, and although we remain the same part and parcel of the Lord, but the influence of the material energy covers us, and we identify with the covering elements, and life after life bodies changing, and we are identify with the covering, and this is our miserable condition of material existence. And therefore first education is that "I am not this covering." That is spiritual education.

Philosophy Discussion on Origen:

Prabhupāda: So our conception is—"our" means Vedic conception—that Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: (BG 10.8) "I am the origin of everyone." Either you call the son or the Holy Ghost, it doesn't matter, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin. Then, He has got expansion. That expansion is not actually His son... Or there are two kinds of expansion: His personal expansions and His expansion as part and parcel. His personal expansion is called Viṣṇu-tattva, and the part and parcel expansion is called jīva-tattva—in Sanskrit technical words, svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. The personal expansion there are also many varieties—puruṣa-avatāra, saktyāveśa-avatāra, manvantara-avatāra, many varieties. So generally, His personal expansion for creation of this material world are three also, accepted as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. Viṣṇu is personal expansion, and Brahmā is expansion of the living entity, or the vibhinnāṁśa. And another expansion, via-media between the personal expansion and expansion of jīva, the via-media expansion is called Śiva. So the material creation is done by personal expansion primarily—the whole material ingredients, and then with the ingredients the guṇa-avatāra, Brahmā, he creates particularly. And Lord Śiva, when the time is right, he annihilates. So this creation, material creation, is created, maintained for sometimes, and again dissolved or annihilated.

Page Title:Dissolution (Lectures)
Compiler:Mayapur, RupaManjari, Visnu Murti
Created:22 of Sep, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=71, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:71