Empire (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"empire" |"empire's" |"empires"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:

There is no happiness actually, expanding selfishness. Just like a national leader like Mahatma Gandhi in our country. He planned that "Let the Britishers go away. My countrymen will be happy. My countrymen will be happy." But when the Britishers went away, giving the responsibility of Indian empire to the Indian people, Gandhi was thinking in the morning, "Oh, I am so unhappy. Now only death will please me." And the next, the same evening, he was killed. He was so unhappy. Because everything was topsy-turvied. He wanted Hindu-Muslim unity. Now the country was divided. The Muslims became separated.

Lecture on BG 1.37-39 -- London, July 27, 1973:

So other party, Duryodhana's party, they were not considering all these pious or impious, sinful or vicious, activities. Because lobha-upahata-cetasaḥ: "They have lost their sense on account of greediness for acquiring the empire." When one becomes lusty or overpowered by greediness, then he loses all intelligence.

Lecture on BG 1.37-39 -- London, July 27, 1973:

Because this body, human body, is a chance for understanding, for my position. I can get out of the clutches of this māyā of transmigrating from one body to another. So this opportunity I have got by the grace of my forefathers. These are feelings of obligation. And there is duty. Therefore Arjuna is considering so many things because he is devotee. Kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ mitra-drohe ca pātakam (BG 1.37). "These rascals, they have become lost of their intelligence on account of greediness for acquiring the empire. But so far I am concerned," Arjuna said, kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ (BG 1.38). Plural number: "By us." "Us" means including Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 2.2-6 -- Ahmedabad, December 11, 1972:

Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Arjuna's grandson, when he was touring in his empire... The whole world was at that time Indian empire. Not Indian exactly. Bhārata-varṣa. Now we have imitated some name, Bhārata, the "Indian," "Hindustan." But formerly the whole planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa.

Lecture on BG 2.6 -- London, August 6, 1973:

So similarly, in this fight, to the last point, Kṛṣṇa tried to avoid the war. He proposed to Duryodhana that "They are kṣatriyas, your cousin-brothers. You have usurped their kingdom. Never mind, you have taken some way or other. But they are kṣatriyas. They must have some means of livelihood. So give them, five brothers, five villages. Out of the whole world empire, you give them five villages.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:

Even five hundred years or four hundred years, India was so opulent that Europeans were attracted to go to India. Even during the time of Mogul Empire. It was so opulent.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

Material education, material advancement of civilization, is just like building for setting fire in it. It will be lost. It will be lost. So many empires have been built up, and so many empires have been demolished. That is the history of the world. Even from that history point of view, this very world in which we are standing, this very platform, this will also be vanquished. That is the law of this material nature.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

In the war between Rāma and Rāvaṇa... Rāma is also the Personality of Godhead, incarnation of... And Kṛṣṇa was also present... In two wars the God is present. You see? God is present. You see? And Hanumān. Hanumān, for the sake of pleasing the Lord, he set fire to the empire of Rāvaṇa, to the empire of the Rāvaṇa. And here also you find that Arjuna, he fought for the sake of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. So fighting, fighting is not bad, provided it is fought for the, for pleasing the Supreme Lord.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

This was the system of Indian life. Hindus, Mohammedans, they used to live very peacefully. It is not a fact that Mohammedans were always aggressive. Otherwise, how they could rule over India for eight hundred years? The Britishers could not rule even two hundred years. But they ruled over India eight hundred years. Only due to Aurangzeb's policy, the Mogul empire dismantled.

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

As soon as the mind is contaminated, I rebel, because I have got little independence. "Why shall I serve Kṛṣṇa or God? I am God." It is simply a dictation from the mind. And the whole situation turns. He's under false impression, illusion, and the whole life is spoiled. And who has failed to do so, if we fail to conquer the mind, we are trying to conquer so many things, empire, but if we fail to conquer our mind, then even you conquer an empire, that is a failure. His very mind will be the greatest enemy.

Lecture on BG 6.13-15 -- Los Angeles, February 16, 1969:

Just like we have seen a practical example of Mahatma Gandhi in India. Now, he started a movement, non-violent, non-cooperation. The movement, the fight was declared against the powerful British Empire, just see. And he determined that "I shall fight with the Britishers non-violent. Without any weapon," because India was dependent, there was no weapon. And several times it was attempted armed revolution. But these Britishers and more powerful, they cut down. So Gandhi, he invented this method, that "I shall fight with the Britishers, even they become violent, I shall not become violent. So I shall get world sympathy." So this was his plan.

Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:

And what is the weapon? Nonviolence. "All right, you fight, you kill me, I shall not attack you." You see? He became, what is that? Determination. People laughed. "Gandhi is declaring war with the Britishers, so powerful, British Empire." And actually after the Britishers lost India, they lost all Empire. Because that was the jewel of British Empire. They lost all possession in the Far East, they lost possession in Egypt, they lost possession on Suez Canal, everything lost. So determination is so nice thing.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 27, 1973:

Even in your country, the British Empire, the Empress Queen, oh, so many people are lying on the street. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. Unfortunate. They can get all the facilities of life, but because unfortunate, they are lying on the street. In America, such a big nation, with everything complete, no scarcity, so many hippies. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. Unfortunate. If one is unfortunate, you cannot make him correct. Condemned. You cannot check one's unfortunateness. If one's unfortunate position can be changed, that is only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- Rome, May 26, 1974:

Because the Britishers thought that "India is going to be independent, that cannot be checked, so make them smaller, smaller, smaller." That is the European history. Yes, in... Formerly, under Roman Empire, all the Europeans were one nation. Is it not? I think it was, under Roman Empire. But when the empire dismantled, they became different nations-Germany, English, French. I see the same culture, the same civilization all over Europe.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Bombay, December 26, 1972:

Just like we have seen British Empire. While I was in London I was thinking that "These Britishers brought money from all parts of the world, by business or all other means." I saw in front of St. James Park, Lord Clive's statue. Very, very nice buildings, but it is now difficult for them to repair. That opulence has gone. They have lost their empire. No more income, sufficient income. This is the nature of material world. So many empires were there. There was Roman empire, there was Carthaginian empire, there was Mogul empire, there was British empire, and so many empires. They are no longer existing. Sometimes when I pass by the side of the Red Fort, we see the department, the apartments of the great Mogul emperors in Red Fort, they are now lying vacant. So this is the material nature.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14 -- Los Angeles, August 17, 1972:

Artificially, you cannot remain opulent for many days. There were so many empires-Roman Empire, British Empire, Moghul Empire. These were artificial. If you systematically follow the Vedic principles as it is ordered by Kṛṣṇa... Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). You must divide the society according to quality and work, four classes of men: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And less than śūdra, they are neglected. Not neglected, they are incorrigible. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, even those who are incorrigible, they can be devotee.

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

This motorcar civilization will be finished within another hundred years. It has begun, say, for the last hundred years, and after a hundred years, when... The scientists say the petroleum will be finished within fifty years or like that, so, say hundred years, this motorcar will be finished. So anything we manufacture, the so-called empire, so-called material civilization; it is finished, it will be finished. That is another knot only, that we become captivated.

Lecture on SB 1.3.28 -- Los Angeles, October 3, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham, "To the rascals and the demons, I am death. I take away everything." Sarva-haraḥ. Sarva-haraḥ means these rascals are trying to possess so many things: cars, motorcars, skyscraper building, bank balance, big family, big friends, big empire, and so many things. But when death comes, he cannot protect himself, what to speak of protecting other things.

Lecture on SB 1.7.32-33 -- Vrndavana, September 27, 1976:

This is government: to see that people are in good atmosphere in everything. That is the first duty of the government. Of course, we have seen at the present moment also, in some of the European government they have got very good arrangement. In England I have seen, although they have lost their empire, still, people get free education, free medical treatment.

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

We have got experience from our body, or any body. Everything here is created and annihilated. Even big, big empires like the Roman Empire, the Carthagian Empire, the Moghul Empire, and so many empires—they came, and they were annihilated. This is the nature. Therefore Vidyāpati has sung, kata caturānanam, mari mari yavat, na tuyā ādi avasana. Caturānana means the Brahmā. Brahmā, his life, duration of life, is very, very long. We know from Bhagavad-gītā that sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). He's not also immortal. He's mortal.

Lecture on SB 1.8.45 -- Los Angeles, May 7, 1973:

So the capital of the world empire is called Hastināpura or Gajasāhvaya. Gaja and hasti means elephant. Maybe there were many elephants, because formerly the kings, they used to keep many, many horses, elephants. Still, in New Delhi they have taken, kept some token elephants in the rājyapal bhavan(?), or the President's house.

Lecture on SB 1.9.1 -- Los Angeles, May 15, 1973:

This is the position to approach a guru, when you are bewildered. When things are not in order, brain is puzzled... Just like Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru when he could not ascertain whether he shall fight or not, bewilderment, so similarly, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja also became bewildered, that "I have killed so many prajās. What is my position? I have become so much sinful. How can I rule over the empire?"

Lecture on SB 1.9.48 -- Mayapura, June 14, 1973:

The father and mother, especially in aristocratic family, royal family, even in Western countries, the father, mother select the husband or wife. Even in England, the Kind Edward VIII, he was intimately in friendship with a common girl. So the state would not allow him that "You can marry a common girl." So at that time the prime minister, one Mr. Baldwin, he said to him that "Either you have to give up the company of that common girl or you have to give up this empire." So out of sentiment, he gave up the empire. Later on he was very sorry.

Lecture on SB 1.10.3 -- Mayapura, June 18, 1973:

The whole world was Bhārata-varṣa, and the emperor of Hastināpura, they ruled over, paridhyupāntām. Anujānuvartitaḥ. He was not alone. His brothers, Arjuna, Bhīma, Nakula, Sahadeva, great fighters, great commander-in-chiefs, generals, they were at his command. Anujānuvartitaḥ. Whatever Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira will order... Otherwise, how could he manage such great empire? He had generals and commander-in-chiefs like Arjuna and Bhīma, indefatigable. Nobody could conquer Arjuna or Bhīma also. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, personally he did not fight. His brothers were sufficient to fight for himself, as in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.

Lecture on SB 1.15.20 -- Los Angeles, November 30, 1973:

By grace of Kṛṣṇa you have become, but if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then you are again going to be mouse. Remember that. Nobody will care for you. Just like Englishmen. Englishmen, they established the British Empire, great, powerful, most powerful nation in the world. Now they are not so. Because they misused their power. So you get power, opulence, by the grace of Lord, Kṛṣṇa. And if you misuse it, then you become again... That is happening. That is the nature's law.

Lecture on SB 2.3.21 -- Los Angeles, June 18, 1972:

Any nation, any empire, any man, as soon as one begins to defy the authority of the Supreme Lord, like Rāvaṇa, he'll be finished. Sooner or later, he's going to be finished.

Lecture on SB 2.4.2 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1972:

He also gave up. He gave up is kingdom at the age of twenty-four years. Young wife, young, nice children, big, whole empire. And it is said that he gave up everything just like one gives up his stool, evacuates. Immediately goes away. So he gave up.

Lecture on SB 2.4.2 -- Los Angeles, June 26, 1972:

Because from his childhood, from his birth, from the womb of his mother, he was Kṛṣṇa conscious. So as soon as he understood that "Kṛṣṇa is my goal," immediately, virūḍhāṁ mamatāṁ jahau, immediately gave up. Jahau means "gave up." What kind of things he is giving up? The empire. Formerly the emperor in Hastināpura, they were ruling over the earth, the whole world, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, at least, 5,000 years ago when Parīkṣit Mahārāja was the king. He was emperor of the whole world. So he's giving up that. Not that a teeny village or something. No. And that empire also, without any disturbance. He was so powerful that nobody could go against him.

Lecture on SB 4.14.14 -- November 16, 1971, Delhi:

As it is going on in European and American countries, anyone who gets money, he utilizes it for wine and woman. He has no other engagement. He does not know how to utilize money. Therefore, now the British Empire, we have seen it practically, how opulent British Empire was and now how they are coming down. Recently we have seen in London that people are lying down on bench. So this is the nature. Luxury leads to poverty.

Lecture on SB 6.1.20 -- Chicago, July 4, 1975:

So Mahābhārata, the Battle of Kurukṣetra was executed by two section of brothers of the same family. It was the one empire, one king, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his younger brother... They were two brothers. So Dhṛtarāṣṭra being blind, he was not qualified to occupy the throne, so his younger brother, Pāṇḍu, he was given the throne.

Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:

Recently there was news that in Africa, Uganda, that, the President Amin, he asked some very respectable English gentleman to carry his palanquin just to insult them. But the Englishmen, now they are in a precarious condition. The British Empire is now finished. Now they had to carry this man.

Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:

There is a story that the Prime Minister Gladstone, somebody came to see him. And the Mr. Gladstone informed that "Wait. I am busy." So he was waiting for hours, then he became inquisitive: "What this gentleman is doing?" So he wanted to see within that He had become a horse, and taking his child on the backside. That business he was doing. You see? The prime minister, he is controlling the British Empire, but he is controlled by a child out of affection. This is called affection.

Lecture on SB 7.5.22-30 -- London, September 8, 1971:

They have seen that Roman Empire was lost, Greek Empire was lost, Mogul Empire was lost; still, they tried for British Empire, and it has failed. They are called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). The things which have been thrown away after chewing, again chewing the same thing, that is called gṛha-vratānām. You cannot make any permanent settlement within this material world. That is not possible. The nature is made so, whatever you do, for the time being you relish that "I have done something, I am now very comfortably situated," and so on, so on, but time will come, you will be kicked off from your position.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Montreal, June 16, 1968:

You can simply refer the history that the same thing is... "History repeats itself." When there was Roman Empire, Mogul Empire, the same strife, the same political dissension, the same fight. Everything was there two thousand years before, as history gives us evidence, and the same thing is happening also. So there is no adjustment. The only adjustment is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So long your life is there, you just improve, revive your original consciousness.

Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:

Everyone is engaged for developing economic condition. The whole world is engaged how to develop economic condition. There were so many empires, especially in the Western countries. The British Empire, what was their aim? To develop economic condition. Bring money from all over the world in London, and become lord, baron, this, that. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Don't endeavor for all these things." Don't endeavor. "Why not? Shall I not?" "No," he said, "No, you should not." Why? Yata āyur-vyayaḥ. "You are simply wasting time." Wasting time. The so-called economic development may be temporary.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

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

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.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101 -- Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:

The master, the Nawab Shah, was unwilling to give him release. He became very, very sorry, that "If Sanātana Gosvāmī resigns, then my empire will be ruined. I was so confident that he is managing. Now he's going to resign, the whole responsibility will be mine." So he became very much disturbed. He arrested him, "No, you cannot resign, then I'll keep you arrested." So many things happened. But still he resigned and he came to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Festival Lectures

Sri Rama-Navami, Lord Ramacandra's Appearance Day -- Hawaii, March 27, 1969:

The whole Nepal population, they are kṣatriyas. Oh, they are very good fighters. Similarly, the Sikhs, the Jātas. There are classes. So they're always forward for fighting. And you'll be surprised that the British Empire was voluntarily liquidated because they lost India. The Britishers, they understood that because we are now losing India, there is no more possibility to keep our eastern empire. Therefore they liquidated. Why? Actually, the whole British Empire were being administered or managed by Indian soldiers, these Sikhs and Gurkhas. They extended their empire. After taking their position with India, they extended British Empire in the Middle East and Far East simply by these Sikhs and Gurkha soldiers. They got supremacy on the Burma and everywhere.

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 30, 1968:

The duration life is short, and we are always embarrassed with so many problems, political, social, religious, cultural, so many things. And family, maintenance of family is more difficult than maintaining an empire.

Initiation Lectures

Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968:

All the people of the world, they are simply making plan how they will be happy within this material world. That's all. This is māyā. The history of the whole world studied, it is experience that the Roman Empire planned, the British Empire planned, the... So many empires, they flourish sometimes. All fail. The Britishers, they were, two hundred years ago, they were planning to rule over this vast land of America. George Washington declared independence; their plan failed.

General Lectures

Lecture Engagement and Prasada Distribution -- Boston, April 26, 1969:

Guest (3): You talk about different yogas reaching different platforms, like one the twenty-fifth, one the fiftieth, and one the eightieth. Now, is it really... Does each one really reach the same point? Say one reaches the eightieth. Does it first reach the fiftieth and then the eightieth? In other words, do two yogas get to the same point? Then one can take you further, but the other one...

Prabhupāda: Yes. You have got the alternative. The same example: Just like in that Empire State building there are staircases, and there is lift also. So if you want to go step by step, then you can go. That is your option. But if you take the advantage of the lift, oh, in a second you can go.

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

So that Shah Jahan lost his wife at an early age. She (he) was very fond of his wife. And because, affectionate father, he did not very much chastise his sons, and he spent all his money in constructing the memory of his wife, so when the sons grew up, the third son, Aurangzeb, came out very crooked. And he made a plan how to usurp the empire. He killed his elder brother and other brothers. He arrested his father, Shah Jahan. So this is the book subject matter, Shah Jahan. So whole activities. But the author says that "Aurangzeb is not the hero; hero is Shah Jahan." Then he explained why. "Now, because Shah Jahan was living, sitting in the Agra Fort as a prisoner, and all the reactions of Aurangzeb's activities, killing of his other sons, usurping the empire, that was beating on his heart; therefore he was suffering. He is the hero."

Hare Krishna Festival Address -- San Diego, July 1, 1972, At Balboa Park Bowl:

Because we want now Kṛṣṇa conscious population. Otherwise this world is going to hell. That's a fact. We are dwindling, liquidation. There were great empires like Roman empire, Greece empire, Carthaginian empire and, later on, Moghul empires, British empire. So many empires there were. There was Hitler. There was Mussolini. There was Napoleon. So these powerful emperors or men came and gone. Their name is only there, and nothing is remaining.

Lecture -- London, August 26, 1973:

The Germans, they could not do business throughout the whole British Empire. We know, Indians. So they are very much envious of these British people, and therefore they started two big wars, world war. So if we collect more... Now the British Empire is finished. So if we collect more, if you want to acquire more, then other becomes jealous. And in this way, our jealousies increase, and that is the cause of war, that is the cause of fight. But if you are satisfied with your minimum or maximum needs, nobody will be jealous.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Śyāmasundara: He says that the history will bear out whether a policy is good or bad. For instance the Roman Empire came, and then it fell. So their policy is...

Prabhupāda: So we say that any empire will come, and fail. Without studying history. Because godless empire will never exist.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: Spinning wheel, yes. Gandhi was himself devoting, just like we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, he thought that you spin. So he first of all inquired whether in your temple you spin this charka. They replied, "No, sir. We worship Kṛṣṇa, God, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This is our regular routine work." Gandhi replied, "Oh, then I am not going to your temple. My charka is my God." He said that. And actually, for him, charka was God in this sense: by introducing charka the whole Manchester closed. You see? And the British Empire half broken, simply by killing this Manchester industry. So many mills they closed. But later on the, (laughs) Manchester came to Ahmedabad. Now when we are taking supplies from Manchester, we are getting cloth, one rupee 8 annas per pair, now we have to pay twenty-five rupees per pair.