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Human life is meant for... (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

So this is going on, very abominable condition of this age, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). First of all, they are very much slow, or bad. Manda means bad or slow. Slow means the human form of life is meant for making progress in spiritual understanding. So in this age every man is very slow. They do not know that there is need of spiritual understanding, there is need of making progress in spiritual life. They have forgotten. They have become just like animals. Therefore they are called mandāḥ.

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

Now, because the human life is meant for reviving his eternal position, sanātana. This word is used here. Kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ. The real purpose of life, especially human life, is meant for reviving our sanātana-dharma, sanātana occupation, eternal occupation. By observing the rules and regulations of varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas..., that is called kula-dharma. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Each one of them must strictly observe the rules and regulations of that particular āśrama. Why it should be observed so strictly? Because by observing the regulative principle of each stages of life, one will be able to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

The human life is meant for extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. But we are not in regulative principles. We have lost everything, our sanātana-kula-dharma, everything. Under the circumstances, Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives us the greatest facility according to śāstra. That is the boon of this age: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, everyone becomes free from all contamination of this age, mukta-saṅgaḥ, paraṁ vrajet. And he becomes so purified that he becomes fit to go back to home, back to Godhead. So this opportunity, chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we should not miss.

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

Not personal satisfaction, Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Whatever you do, it doesn't matter. You have to test it, whether you are doing it for Kṛṣṇa. That is your perfection. Not only perfection, that is the perfection of your mission of human life. This human life is meant for that purpose. Because less than human form, the animal life, they are trained, perfection of sense gratification, personal satisfaction. They have no such feeling that "Other animals also..." When there is some eatable, one dog, he will think "How I can get it?" He will never think how other dogs also will be able to take it. This is not animal nature. Animal nature means their own satisfaction. There is no question of "My friend, my family members." Even, they do not share even with their own children.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

The modern civilization is practically... They are evading, evading the real sufferings. They are engaged in temporary sufferings. But the Vedic system is Vedic knowledge. They are meant for ending the sufferings of.., for good, sufferings for good. You see? The human life is meant for that, ending all suffering. Of course, we are trying to end all kinds of suffering. Our business, our occupation, our education, our advancement of knowledge—everything is meant for ending suffering. But that suffering is temporary, temporary. But we have to end the sufferings for good.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

There must be original source of everything. That is Brahman. Those who have read the Vedānta philosophy... The Vedānta philosophy describes Brahman. The first aphorism in the Vedānta philosophy is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta philosophy says that this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth. One must be... Human being must be interested to know the Absolute Truth. That is perfection of human life. Because in the cats' and dogs' life... Unfortunately, at the present moment, people do not know what is the distinction between cats and dogs and a human being. That is another defect of the modern education. The distinction between cats and dogs...

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

I am existing in this body; you are existing in your body—how it is known? By the consciousness. If I pinch your body, you feel pain. You pinch my body; I feel pain. Similarly, cats and dogs, they also feel pain or pleasure. So that is the proof of existence of the soul even in cats and dogs and human beings. The only difference is in the human form of life the consciousness is developed. So developed consciousness means to understand the Absolute Truth. That is the special function of the human being. Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra says, "Now this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth, what is the original cause of everything." Because there must be some cause. That is education. Just like your appearance is caused by your father. Your father's appearance is caused by his father. Similarly you go on researching, his father, his father, his father... Then ultimately you will come to the original father, whom you call God, Kṛṣṇa, or whatever you call. There must be some original father. So the Vedānta-sūtra explains when the question is that what is the original cause of everything... What is Brahman? What is the Absolute Truth? Athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." What is that Absolute Truth? The next answer is janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), means "The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything emanates," or "The Absolute Truth is the original cause of all causes."

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

As soon as we are free from this conditional life, that is our real, actual life. That is called liberated life. The human form of life is meant for getting this liberation. So long one does not get this human form of life by the evolutionary process...

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:

So Bhagavad-gītā means to understand what is God, the science of God. And God Himself is speaking about Himself. Otherwise it is not possible to understand what is God. So if we carefully understand the ślokas and the passages mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, we can understand what is God. And the human form of life is meant for understanding God. He has no other business. In the lower bodies, less than human form of body... According to Darwin's theory, the human form of body comes from monkey. But the evolution is accepted in the Vedic literature but not like Darwin's. The evolution, again according to Vedic scripture, is that the living entity is different from the body, and the living entity is passing through many forms of body. We shall read that. So the bodies are according to my desire. I am desiring something.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:

The body has no value. It has value so long the soul is there. Otherwise suppose a big man... They are lamenting such, "A great man has passed away." But what is that such great man? He is lying on the floor, on the bed, the same man. So why you are seeing that he has gone? Then who has gone? You have never seen him who has gone. This is knowledge. So our human life is meant for understanding what has gone from the body which makes the body a lump of matter... (break)

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Manila, October 12, 1972:

The human life is meant for understanding what I am and what is God, what is my relationship with God. That is the real purpose of human life. Otherwise, "Where is food?", "Where is shelter?", "Where is service?", "Where is sex?", these are the inquiries of the animals only.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Manila, October 12, 1972:

The human life is meant for inquiring "Where is God?" That is human life. Not "Where is stool?" That is hog's business. So we should not encourage this hog civilization. Hog civilization is to work hard day and night to find out where is food, where is shelter, where is sex, and where is defense. Wrong type of civilization. The human civilization means "Where is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?" Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is the Vedānta-sūtra. "Where is God?" "What I am?" These are the inquiries.

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

The more we are engaged in sinful life, we cannot understand what is sat-saṅga and what is asat-saṅga. So we should be purified. The whole human life is meant for purification.

Lecture on BG 2.19 -- London, August 25, 1973:

This human life is meant for tapasya, to refrain from sense gratification. That is knowledge. Not that how to enjoy sex life or sense gratification. This is known to cats and dogs without any education, without any philosophy.

Lecture on BG 2.28 -- London, August 30, 1973:

So this human life is meant for that realization, that "I am not this material body, I have a spiritual body." Then next question will be, "Then what is my function?"

Lecture on BG 2.62-72 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:

This human life is meant for restraining the senses. Tapaḥ. This is called tapasya, penance. Suppose I am habituated to some type of sense gratification. Now, I take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. My spiritual master or the scripture says, "Don't do this." So in the beginning, I may feel some inconvenience, but if you can tolerate that, that is tapasya. That is tapasya. Tapasya means I am feeling some inconvenience, bodily, but I am tolerating. That is called tapasya. And this human form of life is meant for that tapasya. Not that because my senses are demanding this satisfaction, I shall immediately offer. No.

Lecture on BG 3.11-19 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:

So human life is meant for raising oneself to the perfection of consciousness, and that is Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture on BG 3.11-19 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Have we fallen from higher to lower or do we come from the very bottom of plant then to animal?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Naturally fallen from higher to lower. Then you make progress, again come to this human being. This is a via media with good consciousness. If you utilize your good consciousness then you go still higher, you go to God. But if you don't use your higher consciousness then again go to down. This is going on, cycle of birth and death. This human form of life is meant for self-realization, God realization. If you don't use properly our this life for God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back to the kingdom of God, then we have to suffer again in the 8,400,000 species of life cycle, one after another. That is our choice.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

Now, every man has got his prime duty of life. If that duty is checked, that is violence. So I wanted to place, and that is a fact from Vedic literature, that human life is meant for realization of God consciousness or reestablishing his relationship, lost relationship, with God. This is the claim of every human being. Human being... I have several times explained to you. The human being is distinct from animal life in this way, that animal, they do not know what is the aim of life. The human life is meant for realizing, self-realization. If any civilization, that is checking people's progress in the matter of self-realization, that is the most virulent type of violence because people are being checked from the natural advancement of life.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

Because this human life is meant for this purpose. Forgetting our father, forgetting our God, we are criminal within this material world. Therefore our only business is how to get out of this prison house and go back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

In the Vedānta-sūtra it is inquired, athāto brahma jijñāsā. What is Brahman? This human life is meant for understanding Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is real education.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa therefore presents that "Your real problem is birth, death, old age, and disease, your real problem. You are making solution of all the problems by scientific advancement, by education, by so on, so on, political maneuver, everything. It is all right, but how you are going to solve this problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)? How you'll solve this problem?" Actually human life is meant for solving this problem, not this temporary problem.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

Because this human form of life is meant for that purpose. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... (BG 13.9). This human life is meant for getting out of this encagement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is human form of life.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

Human life is meant for tapasya, a little tapasya. Little tapasya. Not very difficult. We are asking these boys, European, others, that "You simply give up these four principles of sinful life because if you remain sinful, you cannot understand God. That is not possible."

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:

The human form of life is meant for finishing all these problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), and go back to home, back to Godhead.

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

The human life is meant for making a solution of the repetition of birth and death. That is real problem.

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

In the lower nature we are busy in the matter of eating, sleeping, defending and sense gratification. So we should not be satisfied, simply remaining in the lower nature. The human life is meant for developing the higher nature.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Public Meeting -- Rome, May 25, 1974:

The human form of life is meant for attaining jñāna. Jñāna means knowledge that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul." This jñāna can be attained by tapasya. Tapasya means austerity. And if we attain knowledge and undergo austerities, then we become purified.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Calcutta, September 23, 1974:

Our this human form of life is meant for going back to Kṛṣṇa, back to home, back to Godhead. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving information to the people in general how to make life successful.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Calcutta, September 23, 1974:

So this human life is meant for jñāna and tapasā. Then we become purified. Jñāna-tapasā pūtā. Pūtā means purified. We have to purify our existence. This is human activity.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:

The Vedānta-sūtra, the Vedānta philosophy, begins from this inquiry, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "This human life is meant for inquiring for the Absolute Truth, what is the ultimate truth of life." Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1).

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

The real business is mumukṣā, how to get out of this business of repetition of birth. People do not know it. They do not know what is the aim of life. The aim of life is mumukṣā. This human life is meant for that, to get out of the cycle of birth and death.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Bombay, April 7, 1974:

So the first question was that, "What is the method of progress in human life?" Sādhya-sādhana. So Rāmānanda Rāya gave Him the information,

varṇāśramācāravatā
puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān
viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā
nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam
(CC Madhya 8.58)

Because human life is meant for understanding position of Viṣṇu, and his position, what is the relationship with Viṣṇu, and how to achieve the highest success of life. Sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. These things are there.

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:

To keep your health and body, and the body and the soul together, you must live very nicely so that you may not be diseased. Because this human form of life is meant for making progress so that all the problems of life may be solved.

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:

People have forgotten now. They do not know what is the austerities. But the human life is meant for that purpose. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yena brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). These are the instruction of the śāstra. The human life is meant for tapasya.

Lecture on BG 4.24 -- Bombay, April 13, 1974:

Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The first code is athāto brahma jijñāsā, "Now, this human life, is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth."

Lecture on BG 4.34-38 -- New York, August 17, 1966:

The more we shall advance this material way of life, the more we shall be away from spiritual life. The human, human life, is meant for spiritual realization. Nothing more.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that human life is meant for inquiring the Absolute Truth.

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

Every conditioned soul has natural inclination. Pravṛtti. But one has to control that. That is human life. If you put yourself in the waves of natural inclination, that is not human life. You have to restrict. The whole human life is meant for learning restriction. That is human life. That is perfect Vedic civilization.

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

So there are many descriptions in many śāstras that one should avoid asādhu and try to associate with sādhu. Then his life will be successful. Because human life is meant for spiritual advancement of life, not for advancement of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is cats and dogs life. Human life means advancement in spiritual life.

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

So this human form of life is meant for purifying this existential position. No more birth, no more death. As soon as there is birth, there is death. If there is no birth, there is no death. So this can be done simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

Tapasya, human life is meant for tapasya. We know in our Indian history all big, big kings, they went to the forest, tapasya.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971 University of Florida:

Actually, this human form of life is meant for researching this: athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra says. This human form of life is meant for searching out about Brahman, or the spirit, Absolute Truth.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Diego, July 1, 1972:

This human life is meant for self-realization. Ātma-tattvam. Otherwise it is animal life. The animals, they are cats and dogs; they are not interested in self-realization. But human life is meant for self-realization.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Upsala University Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

So God is giving us different types of body for enjoying different types of material pleasure. But if we want to enjoy spiritual pleasure, then you do not require to change body. That is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That every one of you want pleasure, but that pleasure, in the material world, you cannot enjoy perpetually. But if you purify yourself of this material contamination, if you do not accept this material body again, and you remain in your spiritual body, then you enjoy transcendental bliss eternally. So this human form of life is meant for that purpose.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Fiji, May 24, 1975:

So the human being, civilized human being, is the topmost of the creation, and the consciousness is developed than the lower animals. Therefore the Vedānta philosophy says that this human form of life is meant for understanding knowledge Absolute, knowledge of the Absolute.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

Of course, in the human society, advanced human society, Aryan society, there is search after God, the Absolute. And the human life is meant for that purpose. Human life is not meant for wasting like dogs and hogs.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa is instructing us how to understand Him. That is our only business. This human form of life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa because we are very thickly related with Kṛṣṇa, just like father and the son.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has come to explain Himself, what He is. We should take advantage of it, because this human form of life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is the Vedānta-sūtra. "Now you should inquire of the Absolute Truth." In the Bhāgavata also it is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. Jīvasya, all living entities, especially the human being, his only business is inquire about the absolute knowledge, Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

They have become mad, simply mad, to gratify senses. But they are forgetting that this human life is meant for making a solution for all the problems of life. They are not interested in that.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

So Ṛṣabhadeva says that "This life is meant for tapasya." Tapaḥ. Tapaḥ divyaṁ putrakā: "My dear sons, you are so... If you think that this human form of life is meant for, oh, sex happiness and working day and night so hard, oh, this life is not meant for that purpose. That is visible in the cats' and dogs' and hogs' life. They are also laboring the whole day and satisfied by sex life. So your life is not meant for that."

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:

So if human life is meant for that purpose, from early in the morning till one goes to sleep, simply find out where is money, "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?" then where is the difference between this pig life and the human life? If human life is meant for that purpose, "Where is money? Where is money?"... Of course, for the human being the money is very sweet; similarly, to the hog the stool is very sweet. So it is the question of sweetness, not the matter. Taste. So he finds good taste in stool, and we find good taste in money.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, February 22, 1974:

Therefore indirectly he is giving hint that human life is meant for worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, February 22, 1974:

In this way we have to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then our life will be successful. Because our, this human life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). This is the real knowledge.

Lecture on BG 7.11-12 -- Bombay, February 25, 1974:

These are the mahātmās, symptoms of mahātmā. They are always engaged in chanting the holy name. Satatam. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu also recommends: kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. This is life. Human life is meant for this purpose. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.

Lecture on BG 7.11-16 -- New York, October 7, 1966:

And narādhama, why narādhama, lowest of the mankind? Oh, because this human form of life is meant for recognizing our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God. This is an opportunity. In the life of cat or dog, oh, they cannot come here to understand what is spoken in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

They do not know their self-interest, that this human life is meant for understanding that reality and prepare for being transferred into that real reality, not to remain. The whole Vedic literatures instructs us like that.

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

So everyone should try to go there. God Himself comes to call you, He sends His son to call you, and the literatures are there, the scriptures are there. We should take advantage of this. This is meant for human body, human life, not for the cats and dogs. So we should take advantage of it. Human life is meant for that achievement.

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

So human form of life is meant for understanding, as I am explaining, what is the problem of my life.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

Because this human form of life is meant for accepting these principle, they're not accepting, therefore they are the lowest of the mankind.

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Melbourne, April 21, 1976:

But if we think that "I am body," then that is the same thinking as the dog is thinking. Therefore I have given in the statement that if we think this lump of matter as "myself," then we are no better than the dog. The dog is also thinking like that. That human form of life is meant for understanding that "I am not this lump of matter; I am..." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." That is required.

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

Brāhmaṇa means there is chance of understanding Brahman. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa. And this human life is meant for inquiring about Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

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

The human life is meant for understanding ātma-tattvam. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Brahman, ātmā, the same thing, absolute. The human life is meant for inquiring about ātmā, what I am. And when he comes to the understanding ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that is his perfected education... Otherwise he remains a fool, rascal.

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

So actually if we want jñāna and knowledge... because human life is meant for jñāna and knowledge. Human life is not meant for living like animals, cats and dogs.

Lecture on BG 9.13 -- New York, November 28, 1966:

In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said very nicely, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, the greatest."

Lecture on BG 9.22-23 -- New York, December 8, 1966:

So long you have this material body, you have got life, you have got birth, you have got death, you have got diseases, and you have got old age, besides other miseries. This is a permanent thing. Now, your human form of life is meant for curing for good all these inconveniences. You should not be satisfied by curing disease and again falling diseased.

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

Just like if you have to play on the stage, you have to perform several rehearsals, or if you have to appear in some examination, then you prepare yourself, what sort of question may be there, and so, similarly, if we at all want to transfer ourselves to that planet, Kṛṣṇaloka, cintāmaṇi-dhāma (Bs. 5.29), then we have to practice. We have to practice in this life. This human form of life is meant for practicing. Just like apprentice. Here those who are even apprentice, they are already liberated because... Just (like) a nice student who is preparing himself, he is already passed. Passed means he is preparing himself in such a nice way that his passing of the examination is guaranteed. Similarly, if we take the trouble of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious always, then our transference to that planet..., mad-yājino 'pi mām, that is guaranteed.

Lecture on BG 10.4 -- New York, January 3, 1967:

Once spiritual knowledge begun, it will not be stopped. The best thing is to finish it cent percent in this life because this human form of life is meant for cultivating spiritual knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Miami, February 25, 1975:

Guru is required for a person who is very inquisitive to know about the transcendental subject matter. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). It is not a fashion; it is necessary because human life is meant for understanding the real position of his identity. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is necessary.

Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

In this way you have to develop your God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There are books. There are explanations. There are teachers. So the human life is meant for this purpose, to understand how God is working, what is God, even what is His name, where does He live, what is our relationship with Him, how things are being managed.

Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Bombay, September 28, 1973:

Human life is meant for achieving knowledge and vairāgya, not that to increase the animal propensities even up to the point of death. That is not human life. Human life is meant for tapasya.

Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Bombay, September 28, 1973:

Brahma-sūtra means Vedānta-sūtra. It is called Brahma-sūtra because the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra is athāto brahma jijñāsā: "This human life is meant for inquiry about Brahman, the Absolute Truth." That is human life. Therefore it is called Brahma-sūtra.

Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Bombay, September 28, 1973:

The human life is meant for making solution of birth, death, old age and disease, but they will not take it. "Oh, that's all right. Let us die." "You are going to accept a next life as a tree." "Never mind." They say like that. "I'll forget." "No, you'll have to stand up seven thousand years in one place." "That's all right." They have become so dull. This is called Kali-yuga.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

Because human life is meant for attaining perfection. And what is that perfection? That also we do not know. The perfection is to get out of this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is perfection.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

Human life is meant for tāpo divyaṁ yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). You have to purify your existence.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

This human life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, not this rice, dahl, share market. No.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

Human life is not meant for becoming more and more attached to the material enjoyment. Human life is meant for tapasya, vairāgya.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

We are under the clutches of death. "It is as sure as death." So this human life is meant for stopping this death. But if you don't see that this is the problem, that is ajñāna. That is ignorance.

Lecture on BG 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973:

But the human form of life is meant for increasing your interest in the matter of viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ. This means kṛṣṇa-kathā.

Lecture on BG 13.18 -- Bombay, October 12, 1973:

So human life is meant for understanding this. Athāto brahma-jijñā... These are all Brahman subject. They are not material subject matter.

Lecture on BG 13.21 -- Bombay, October 15, 1973:

So now we have got higher consciousness, developed consciousness we should try to understand the problems of life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life is meant for inquiring about this Absolute Truth, the Supreme Soul.

Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Bombay, October 25, 1973:

Because human life is meant for realization of God. That is the only necessity, not to increase a type of civilization how instead of eating simple thing, how you can eat beef. That is not advancement of civilization. That is animalism.

Lecture on BG 16.1-3 -- Hawaii, January 29, 1975:

The human life is meant for sattva. Sattva. Sattva means existence. We are existing. I am existing; you are existing. But we are sometimes appear to be not existing. That is called death. We, every living entity, we are eternal. That is stated in the Second Chapter, that ajo nityaḥ śāśvataḥ, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). These things required to understand, that "I am a living being, not only I am, everyone. We are eternal, nityaḥ śāśvataḥ."

Lecture on BG 16.4 -- Hawaii, January 30, 1975:

So human life is meant for developing divine characteristic, not this demonic char... Demonic characteristic is already there. Just like dambhaḥ. A dog has also pride: "I am this dog, grr." (laughter) "I am fox terrier. I am this. I am that." So dambhaḥ is there even in the dog, even in the lower animal, even in the cat. But the divine characteristic, "Oh, I am so low," Tṛṇād api sunīcena, "I am lower than the grass. I am lower than the grass"... This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching.

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

We don't want to stop the tendency of material enjoyment. No nivṛtti. The human life is meant for nivṛtti. The cats' and dogs' life is for pravṛtti. The sex desire, they cannot stop it. It is not possible. If you teach some dogs that "You forget the sex life," it is impossible. That is not possible. So they cannot stop this desire of sex life. But if a human being can be induced... Therefore there is brahmacarya system, there is Vedic education, there is Bhagavad-gītā, so many other things. If people take advantage of these books they can stop this pravṛtti, this intense desire for enjoying this material world.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:

So human form of life is meant for understanding the original cause of all causes. That is human form of life. Inquisitiveness.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 14, 1976:

Human life is meant for nivṛtti-mārga. We have got so many bad habits. To give up these bad habits, that is human life. If we cannot do that, then we are not making any spiritual progress of life.

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

This is Vedānta, beginning. So therefore human life is meant for understanding the absolute truth, God, the background of everything.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:

Those who are not in bad association from childhood, if they practice celibacy, they are not disturbed. They are not disturbed. That is called brahmacārī life. Why? To train the child of a human being. Because this human life is meant for stopping the cycle of birth and death. That is the mission.

Lecture on BG 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

Now, this life, this human form of life, is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Brahma means the Absolute Truth. So, that should be the subject matter for studying in human form of life.

Lecture on BG 18.45 -- Durban, October 11, 1975:

So the human life is meant for solving these four problems: birth, death, old age and disease. And that can be done by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 18.45 -- Durban, October 11, 1975:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, śamo damas tapaḥ. This śamo damaḥ, how it can be practiced without tapasya? It is so easy thing that you can control your mind and senses? But with tapasya. You must agree. That is human life. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Ṛṣabhadeva was advising his sons, "My dear boys, this human form of life is meant for tapasya, tapaḥ." What for tapasya? Divyam, to realize the Supreme, deva. Why it is required? Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam: "Your existence will be purified if you practice tapasya."

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

So long we are in this material world, we are associating with different modes of material nature. And prakṛti is giving me different types of bodies. In this way, we are rolling, we are wandering. Now, this, this human form of life is meant for understanding that there is spiritual life, there is eternal life, there is blissful life, and prepare for that. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.3 -- London, August 20, 1971:

The human life is meant for being trained up to be detached. Just like we are training our students. They are not... If not cent percent, major portion, major percentage, they're detached. That is perfection.

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

The human form of life is meant for spiritual realization. That is the distinction between human form of life and animal form of life. The animals are not interested, or they do not know what is spiritual life. But the human form of life with developed consciousness is meant for understanding our identification. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life is meant for inquiring about our spiritual identity. That is real business.

Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- London, August 10, 1971:

Human life is meant for understanding what is God, what is my relationship with Him.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Vrndavana, October 16, 1972:

This human life is meant for doing, do, doing well to others, not exploiting others. That is animalism.

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

So human life is meant for understanding this science. This is the ultimate science. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Human life is not meant for wasting like cats and dogs, simply eating, sleeping, mating.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Somehow or other we have to turn to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the aim of life. This human form of life is meant for this purpose.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:

Because human life is meant for vairāgya and jñāna. Vairāgya. We are attached to this material world. So perfection of life is how to become detached from this material world.

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

This human form of life is meant for advancing knowledge of brahma, brahma-jñāna. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. One who is advanced in knowledge of Brahman, he is called brāhmaṇa.

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

Athāto brahma jijñāsā - "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." And what is that Brahman, brahma-jijñāsā? Immediate answer is janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "Brahman, or the Absolute Truth, is that from which or from whom everything has emanated." That answer is there, the meaning of Brahma-sūtra, in the Bhagavad-gītā.

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

Just like in the Brahma-sūtra the first aphorism is athāto brahma jijñāsā: "This human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." Brahman means Absolute Truth, the supreme truth.

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

So human life is meant for living very comfortably, brain clear to understand what is Absolute Truth, what is our life, what is the goal of life, because the hogs and dogs, they will also die and we will also die, but we can understand what is the goal of life; the dogs and hogs, they do not know what is the goal of life.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

This human life is meant for understanding God because we are part and parcel of God and we have forgotten.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

So this human form of life is meant for understanding God and scientifically, with full knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:

From lower animals, from fish to plants, trees, insects, reptiles, birds, beasts. In this way, we come to the human form of life, and this human form of life is meant for dharma.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:

This human form of life is meant for jñāna and vairāgya.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:

You are discharging your occupational duties. But if it does not awaken your dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is useless. Śrama eva hi kevalam. Because the human life is meant for awakening Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:

Because ultimately, human life is meant for elevating to the standard of spiritual consciousness. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So unless in the society there is an ideal class of men, brāhmaṇa, how people will learn it? That is necessary.

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

So here we have discussed that everyone can cultivate his particular type of occupational duty with the aim for attaining ultimate salvation. Because the human life is meant for salvation, to get free from the bondage of repetition of birth, death... But the modern civilized men or the so-called intelligent, intellectual class of men, they have no such information. Therefore they have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍhāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:

Actually, human life is meant for tapasya, not to become like cats and dogs and hogs, simply eating and sense gratification. That is not human life. This is Vedic civilization. Because human life is meant for making solution of all problems.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:

The human life is meant for tapasya, self-realization, tattva-jijñāsā. That is the basic principle of Vedic civilization.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

The so rich nations, young boys and girls, they are turning to be hippies. Because they do not find... It is hackneyed. The same wine, same women, and same motorcar and same road, it has become disgusting. That is the nature's way. Because human life is not meant for that purpose. Human life is meant for, as it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. You are working so hard... You are so working hard... Why? Is it meant for simply sense gratification and satisfying the bodily needs? That is being done by the hogs and dogs. The... We see the hogs and dogs, they are always busy. So this human form of life is not meant for that purpose. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Earn money, but... Be comfortable, but utilize time—tattva-jijñāsā, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is your aim of life.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

Means this human form of life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa and surrender unto Him, but they'll not do. They're busy in so many other rascaldom except Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972:

Just like one man is given the chance of become some minister or magistrate. If he does very nice, he is promoted; otherwise degraded. Similarly, this human form of life is meant for understanding God. That is the only business. If we don't understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa and our relationship with Him, then we are missing the point. Then we become entangled, entangled.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972:

The human life is meant for understanding what is God. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is meant for simply understanding what is God.

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

Our aim of life, the human form of life, is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth: athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is the Vedānta-sūtra says. Brahma—what is brahma? What is Absolute Truth? This inquisitiveness must be there in human life, then it is human being. Otherwise, he is animal.

Lecture on SB 1.2.26 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:

But actual life, this human form of life, is meant for to get out of this darkness of material world. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. This is the information, Vedic information: "Don't remain in this darkness."

Lecture on SB 1.3.13 -- Los Angeles, September 18, 1972:

And the human life is meant for understanding God. That is the only business of human form of life. Not like cats and dogs—how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse, and how to defend. These the animals know.

Lecture on SB 1.3.25 -- Los Angeles, September 30, 1972:

So anyway, actually, human life is meant for some other purpose—God realization. Because this is not possible in other lower animals. And we get this chance by evolutionary process. We come to this human form of life, civilized form of life. Now we should know what is God, who is the supreme controller, who is the supreme source of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the life for inquiring about Brahman, the Supreme, the great.

Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:

So everything is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you read carefully then you'll understand things as they are. That is our mission. We have published all these authentic books, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, and you can read them. The human life is meant for that, that here māyā is deluding us, yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. Ātmānam, I am self. I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God. I am eternal. I am ever illuminated. But I am thinking, "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am man," "I am woman," "I am this and that," so on—designations. So bhakti means we have to become free from all these designations.

Lecture on SB 1.7.5 -- Vrndavana, September 4, 1976:

Our life is meant for understanding God. This is human life: athāto brahma jijñāsā. Human life is meant for this purpose.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1976:

Therefore if we want to abolish all unwanted things of life, simply we come to the spiritual platform. Because that is our aim. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life is meant for spiritual understanding, not for any other purpose.

Lecture on SB 1.7.38-39 -- Vrndavana, September 30, 1976:

There are two kinds of objective: śreya and preya. Preya means immediately sense gratification. Just like a child. Child wants to play because it gives him immediately some sense gratification, satisfaction. He does not like to go to a school or to study or to take lesson. He does not like. That is actually preya (śreya). Preya... That is śreya, future benefit. So the parents, the guardians, engage him for future benefit. "You must take education. Otherwise, in future you'll suffer without education." So this is called śreya. Similarly, our human life is meant for śreya, not for preya. The modern civilization, they are interested in preya: immediate some sense gratification. That is not wanted. Therefore śāstra said śreya, not preya.

Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1974:

This life, human life, is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth: athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is not meant for any other purpose. This life, any life... There is no question of inquiring about "Where shall I eat? Where shall I sleep? Where shall I have sex? How shall I be saved from fear?" There is no such question. This is already arranged.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Los Angeles, April 24, 1973:

This human form of life is meant for athāto brahma jijñāsā, for understanding the Supreme. the Absolute Truth. But if we do not do so, if we simply remain like animal, then again we are going to the animal form of life. Misuse of the opportunity.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Los Angeles, May 4, 1973:

Human form of life is meant for that purpose, that in this life we have to understand our relationship with God, sambandha, and, according to that relationship, we have to chalk our plan of working. Because we must fulfill that relationship.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Los Angeles, May 4, 1973:

Similarly the human life is meant for reestablishing our relationship with God.

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

These rascals, they do not know that human life is meant for pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

Say, four or five years ago, you did not know what is Kṛṣṇa. By cultivation you are coming to know Kṛṣṇa, what is God, what is our relationship. So the human life is meant for such cultivation, not for seeking where is food, where is shelter, where is sex. These are already there.

Lecture on SB 1.8.52 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1973:

So the human life is meant for purification. Sattva-śuddhi.

Lecture on SB 1.8.52 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1973:

That is called sattva-saṁśuddhi, purifying your existence. By nature, by constitutional position, every living entity is as pure as God. But God does not become impure. We become impure. Therefore we are suffering. That is the... So this impurity can be rectified in this life, this human form of life. Therefore human form of life is meant for purification.

Lecture on SB 1.8.52 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1973:

Just like for being cured from your attack of cold and cough, you take so many medicine, go to so many physician, you spend some money. Why? You want to be cured. Similarly, if you understand that "This is my disease, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease," so you'll have to sacrifice. Just like you are sacrificing money for being cured from the diseased condition, similarly, śāstra says that this human life is meant for tapasya, tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). This human life is meant for tapasya, not for indulging in sensual gratification like the animals.

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

Because this human life is meant for practicing austerity. Human life is not meant for extravagancy. Tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). This is the principle of human civilization.

Lecture on SB 1.10.2 -- Mayapura, June 17, 1973:

Generally, all people, they do not know what is God. And what to speak of understanding whether God is pleased or not pleased. They do not know what is God. This is the position of the world. They do not know what is God, neither there is any education to understand, although the human life is meant for understanding God. That is human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

One man's food, another man's poison. That is... What is to be eaten, what is not to be eaten, that is discrimination. Now our discrimination is, because human life is meant for becoming God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, we have to act in God consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.10.20 -- London, May 24, 1973:

Anyway, human life is meant for knowledge. That's a fact. Therefore athāto brahma jijñāsā. And what knowledge? Knowledge does not mean how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life, and how to defend. That is not knowledge. These things are there in the animals. The animals also know very well how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life and how to defend. No. That is not... Human life is meant for different business, and that is brahma-jijñāsā. So brahma-jijñāsā, if one begins the life of brahma-jijñāsā, brahma-jñāna, and when it ends in understanding Kṛṣṇa, that is perfection of life.

Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:

Because this human life is meant for knowing God. This temple is meant for human being, not for the cats and dogs. So if you (do not) know God, then you are a rascal. You are exactly like the cats and dogs. That's all. This is the verdict.

Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:

So the dog civilization cannot help us. This will not help us. Human life is meant for something else. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām (SB 5.5.1). Everything is discussed in Bhāgavata. Therefore we request the whole human society to read these valuable books, valuable. Oh, they are missing the opportunity. Let them read these books. Then life will be successful.

Lecture on SB 1.16.20 -- Los Angeles, July 10, 1974:

Human life is meant for performing yajña.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

Prabhupāda: Nowadays, in every college, university, the students are allowed to mix, intermingle, both sex. What is called? Co-education?

Sudāmā: Co-ed. Yes.

Prabhupāda: But this is not the process of human civilization. Therefore, at the present moment, the population is so much degraded. There is no restriction. That is the difference between animal life and human life. Human life is meant for restriction. The more you restrict your material sense gratification, the more you are advanced. This is the standard. Not that "Because I have got the tendency to act like this, let me do it unrestrictedly." That is not human civilization; that is cats' and dogs' civilization. Human civilization means tapasya, austerity.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa conscious means God conscious. The human life is meant for realizing God. So every religious system is meant for giving education about God. That is the system. Either you take Christian religion or Hindu religion or Muslim religion, the idea is to understand God.

Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1974:

But the human form of life is meant for God realization, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is Vedānta-sūtra.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

Your only business is to inquire about the soul, about the spirit soul. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the Vedānta-sūtra. This human life is meant for only inquiring about the soul. That is the only business.

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

Tad-vijñānam means transcendental knowledge. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. And the human life is meant for tad-vijñānam, to understand.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:

So the whole process is to stop this illusion, bodily contamination. Then we are in real life. And then we can understand what is love, what is reciprocation of love, everything. That is real, healthy life. So this human form of life is meant for getting out of this illusion to the spiritual life. That we have been discussing.

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Delhi, November 7, 1973:

Because human being, human life is meant for understanding ātma-tattva. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is meant for understanding "What I am."

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

In this way we are wasting time, although this human form of life is meant for Brahman realization. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. They have forgotten that. They have forgotten that.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

But the śāstra says that this human life is meant for understanding God, nothing else. Other things are already arranged.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

Actually, human form of life is meant for preparing for the next body. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). If we actually serious about our life, to get free from all the problems of life, then this is the only medicine.

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

Actually human life is meant for making a solution to the problems of life. One can never solve such problems by satisfying the different demigods, by different modes of worship, or by so-called scientific advancement in knowledge without the help of God or the demigods.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

Actually human life is meant for understanding the spiritual value of life, but on account of the people being śūdras, they are not interested. They are forgetting the real purpose of life.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

So this dharma, or spiritual life, means to have no more interest in material activities but only in the understanding of God, the Supreme, and His service. That is spiritual life. So actually the human life is meant for that purpose, because sense gratification, material happiness, the hogs also, they are enjoying.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

So anyway, this human life is not meant for imitating the hog's life. Human life is meant for tapasya.

Lecture on SB 3.25.4 -- Bombay, November 4, 1974:

Actually, human life is meant for understanding tad-vijñāna. Tad-vijñāna means transcendental knowledge, not material knowledge, bodily.

Lecture on SB 3.25.4 -- Bombay, November 4, 1974:

The human life is meant for understanding tattva.

Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:

Narādhama means the lowest of the mankind. Why lowest? Now, because the human life is meant for understanding God and he does not know. Therefore he is lowest of the mankind, narādhama.

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

If somebody wants to eat without any discrimination anything... There are many persons, even in the so-called civilized world, they eat anything and everything. But that is misuse of life. Human life is meant for eating Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, not anything and everything. That is not human life. Human life is meant for eating... Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ.

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

This human life is meant for getting rid of this business, taking birth and dying, taking birth and dying.

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

Human life is meant for tapasya.

Lecture on SB 3.25.12 -- Bombay, November 12, 1974:

Similarly, at the present moment, the human society has become exactly like animals. They do not know what is meaning of apavarga or liberation. They do not know. But time was there when people understood that this human life is meant for apavarga. Apavarga, to cease from the business of pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. That is called apavarga-vardhanam. So the questions made by Devahūti and the answers, which will be given by Kapiladeva, that is apavarga-vardhanam. That is wanted. This is the instruction of the whole Vedas. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. For apavarga everyone would try. Everyone should try his best.

Lecture on SB 3.25.12 -- Bombay, November 12, 1974:

Eating, sleeping and sex life, and defending, and dying. So this is... Under these regulations the dogs and cats are there. But the human life is meant for other purposes besides this.

Lecture on SB 3.25.14 -- Bombay, November 14, 1974:

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is singing, hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu: "My dear Lord, Kṛṣṇa, I have wasted my time for nothing, uselessly." Why? Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā viṣa khāinu: "Because I got this opportunity, the human form of life... It was meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa." Or add Kṛṣṇa with Rādhārāṇī. That is perfect Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa alone is Vāsudeva, and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is perfect, with all potencies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Absolute Truth with potencies. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the source of all potencies. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktiḥ. The Rādhārāṇī is the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency. Kṛṣṇa, when He wants to enjoy, He does not enjoy anything material. He expands His energy, potency. That is Rādhārāṇī. Hlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau. So these are the... So if we want... That is the... Human life is meant for that.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

So the human life is meant for understanding that how we are undergoing this tribulation of birth and death, old age and disease.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. Why lowest of the mankind? Because the human life is meant for purifying your existence. You are under condition of birth, death, old age, and here is the chance to purify yourself. If you don't do that, then you are mūḍha, duṣkṛtina, narādhama.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

The human form of life is meant for to make this existence uncontaminated: no more birth, no more death.

Lecture on SB 3.25.18 -- Bombay, November 18, 1974:

Actually, the human life is meant for jñāna and vairāgya, for two things. Otherwise, we remain animal.

Lecture on SB 3.25.19 -- Bombay, November 19, 1974:

So for brahma-siddhi, for self-realization, people are trying in so many ways. First of all, the business of human life is only meant for this purpose, brahma-siddhaye. So long we are... athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the Vedānta-sūtra. Brahman... Because, unless you become inquisitive, then how there can be brahma-siddhi? Therefore, this human life is meant for brahma-jijñāsā.

Lecture on SB 3.25.19 -- Bombay, November 19, 1974:

This life, this human life, is meant for brahma-jijñāsā. Other jijñāsā, inquiries, that is in the cats and dogs and hogs and crows and everywhere. So don't be bothering.

Lecture on SB 3.25.20 -- Bombay, November 20, 1974:

But actually, the human life is meant for not enjoying the senses. That is called tapasya. To deny. That is human life. That is Vedic civilization.

Lecture on SB 3.25.21 -- Bombay, November 21, 1974:

Human life is meant for how to become free from this process of repetition of birth and death. That is liberation.

Lecture on SB 3.25.26 -- Bombay, November 26, 1974:

Rāga means attachment, and vi means vigata. Vigata-rāga. And from virāga-vairāgya. Jñāna-vairāgya. This is wanted. Human life is meant for jñāna and vairāgya. Two things required.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

This life, human life is meant for inquiry. What is that inquiry? Brahman inquire, about the absolute truth.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

Formerly, especially in India, the cātur-varṇyaṁ, the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, so at least the most intelligent class of men, the brāhmaṇas, they were interested to understand brahma-jijñāsa. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. But at the present moment they are all śūdras. They are not interested about brahma-jijñāsā. They are interested how to get more money, where is the cinema, where, what picture is going, they are interested in that, not about brahma-jijñāsā. But the human life is meant for that purpose. Therefore we learn from Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna is personally teaching us.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

One should be inquisitive. If you remain fools and rascals like cats and dogs to maintain this body only, then what is the benefit of this human life. Human life is meant for understanding this science that I am not this body, but I am busy with this bodily comfort. I am soul within the body, what I am doing for that which is Brahman? This is required.

Lecture on SB 3.25.39-40 -- Bombay, December 8, 1974:

So if a man thinks that "I am this body," then what is this position? He is no better than a dog. You should not be that. This human form of life is meant for this inquiry, athāto brahma-jijñāsā. "If I am Brahman, then what is...? Brahman means eternal. So why I am busy with these bodily affairs?" This is called brahma-jijñāsā.

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

We are so foolish rascals that we have forgotten. We are suffering every moment, and still, we are thinking we are very happy. Therefore it is our misfortune that human life is meant for understanding, "What is the position of my life? Why I am suffering?" So for that understanding Kṛṣṇa has given us so many Vedic literature: four Vedas and the Purāṇas and the Upaniṣad and Vedānta-sūtra, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata. We have got enough source of knowledge, treasure house of knowledge, but we are reluctant. We are busy with the newspaper. We have got time to waste our time to read the newspaper, bunch of newspaper, but we have no time to read Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Vedānta-sūtra, the books of actual knowledge. This is our misfortune.

Lecture on SB 3.26.3 -- Bombay, December 15, 1974:

So this human life is meant for self-realization, not simply wasting time like cats and dogs, eating, sleeping, mating, and... No. That is not human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Everyone should be interested himself, God, and his relationship. Then the life will be successful.

Lecture on SB 3.26.11-14 -- Bombay, December 23, 1974:

Go-khara. Go means cow, and khara means ass. So in spite of all our educational advancement, if we remain in the darkness of bodily concept of life, then we are no better than go-khara. Go, go means cow, and... So we should not remain that. The human life is meant for above this. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life is for inquiring about the soul.

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

It is very difficult to convince the present society. Still, we are trying our bit, that "This is not the right type of civilization, godless civilization, no sattva-guṇa, only rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, mostly tamo-guṇa. This thing will not improve your situation, neither solve your problem. The problem... Human life is meant for solving the problem."

Lecture on SB 3.26.34 -- Bombay, January 11, 1975:

Only thinking of Kṛṣṇa, serving Kṛṣṇa, simply busy in Kṛṣṇa's service—that is the perfection of life. And if we can maintain that bhāva, that situation, mentality, then yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6), and at the time of death, if that bhāva is maintained, that is saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ. That is the highest perfection of life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness practice, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are trying to... We are not trying to give others. We are trying ourself also, how to get that bhāva. That is the perfection of life. So human life is meant for that purpose, not to practice how to imitate barking like the dog, no. That is not human life. Human life is meant for acquiring this bhāva.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Los Angeles, January 20, 1969:

Because we require this human form of life is meant for being purified. So just like a diabetic patient is advised by the physician not to take so many things—not to take sugar, not to take this, not to take this—that prohibition is meant for his curing. Similarly, here also, if we accept some voluntary pains in giving up our sense gratificatory process, then our existence will be purified.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Tittenhurst, London, September 12, 1969:

So Ṛṣabhadeva says, "My dear boys, you should not spoil this body, human form of body, like the hogs." He has specifically mentioned the name of the hogs, viḍ-bhujām. Then what it is meant for? He said, tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). This human form of life is meant for austerity, penance. You should voluntarily accept some regulative principles, even they are not very much liking to you.

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

So the aim should be how again we come to the original position like God or the same type of body—blissful, full of knowledge and eternal. That is the aim of human life. Therefore it is said, tapo divyam: (SB 5.5.1) "My dear son, don't become like cats and dogs and work hard for the bodily necessities of life. This human form of life is meant for austerity."

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1976:

So here Ṛṣabhadeva is stressing on this point. "My dear boys, do not spoil your life living like cats and dogs." Do not. This is not meant for this life. This human form of life is meant for different purposes.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Bombay, December 25, 1976:

The human life is meant for inquiring about our permanent life.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:

But here Ṛṣabhadeva says that the human life is meant for tapasya, and not for living like pigs, hogs, and dogs. Next he says tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1), because tapasya means to accept voluntarily some painful situation. It is not very much painful, but they consider. But we are undergoing already, some painful situation working day and night. To satisfy the senses that also requires tapasya, hard labor, but here Ṛṣabhadeva says that you accept some painful condition. It is not at all painful, but it appears. Tapo divyam, for God realization.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Bombay, March 25, 1977:

Human life is meant for tapasya, not to imitate the hogs and dogs. This is not human life.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

Then, the question will be, then what do you say the human life is meant for? The answer is tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed (SB 5.5.1). Human life is meant for tapasya, tapasya. Tapasya means austerity. Denying this, denying. The cats and dogs are satisfied—as they eat more, they think they're enjoying. Nowadays the human being also.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

It is not that the previous ācāryas and others, they did not know what is airplane, what is speed, how to run. Don't think foolishly, as if they have manufactured. It is nothing, not even third-, not even fourth-class, tenth-class. There were so nice airplanes. Now here is the suggestion that you can manufacture an airplane which can run on the speed of mind. Now here is a suggestion—do it. You can manufacture an airplane which may run at the speed of the air. They are thinking that at the speed of the light, if we can manufacture one airplane, still, it will take forty thousands of years to reach the topmost planet. They're thinking, if it is possible.

But so far we can see, those who are busy with bolts and nuts, how this dull brain, they can manufacture such things? That is not possible. It requires another brain. The yogīs can go, the yogīs can go. Just like Durvāsā Muni. He went to Vaikuṇṭha-loka, and he saw personally Lord Viṣṇu in the Vaikuṇṭha-loka for being excused because His disk was after him to kill. He insulted a vaisnava. That is another story, so in this way actually human life is meant for that purpose to understand God and His potencies and to revive our old relationship with Him. That is the main business. But unfortunately, they are being engaged in factories, in other work, to work like hogs and dogs, and their whole energy is being spoiled.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

Last night we had discussion on the first verse, Fifth Chapter, Fifth Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that this human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). We have to purify our existence. This is the mission of human life.

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

This life, this human form of life, is meant for inquiring about Brahman, not for anything else. Anything else—Where is food? Where is shelter? Where is sex? Anybody's different?—this is animal life. Above this, when we, in human life, our main business is brahma-jijñāsā. Not that "Where is food?" "Where is shelter?" "Where is sex?" and "Where is difference?" These are animal propensities, animal inquiries.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

Sreya means the ultimate benefit of life. And preya means immediate benefit of life. There are two things: śreya and preya. The human life is meant for sreya.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Vrndavana, October 24, 1976:

Human life is meant for tapasya, and tapasya means beginning tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). This is tapasya. Tapasya begins with brahmacarya, celibacy. No sex life. That is tapasya.

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

So anyone, if he is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is a paśuḥ, animal. Because human life is meant for that purpose. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Otherwise he is animal.

Lecture on SB 5.6.4 -- Vrndavana, November 26, 1976:

Human life is meant for understanding the Supreme Lord. That is human life.

Lecture on SB 5.6.11 -- Bombay, December 29, 1976:

It is very dangerous civilization. They are spoiling their human form of life. This human form of life is meant for different purpose, tapasya. But they have been engaged in the lives of hogs and dogs, work very hard, get some money, and enjoy for sense gratification. This is not human civilization. So following their own mental concoction they automatically fall down into the dark region of existence.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

This is our position. Kāma, krodha, lobha, mohaḥ, mātsarya, in this way. So by good association, by saintly man's association... That is recommended: mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). Mahat-sevā. This human life is meant for rectification.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

The human life is meant for understanding God. Then... He can understand, but the attempt is not there. They are after sense gratification. Nobody is interested to understand God. Everybody is interested in cats' and dogs' business, sense gratification. Therefore out of many millions of men, one can understand that "My life is meant for other purpose." That is called siddhi, perfection, "How I shall make my life perfect?" This desire arises in one man out of millions.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Honolulu, May 5, 1976:

So this human form of life is meant for nivṛtti-mārga, not to indulge the sense gratification but minimize sense gratification as far as possible. Try to make it zero.

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

One of the evidence is hypothesis. That hypothesis is that "Because we see that no machine works without operator, therefore we should conclude it, even though we do not know what is God, what is the nature, we must conclude it that the nature is working under some supreme operator. That is God." It is not necessary to see the operator, but we can guess that there must be operator. So human life is meant for finding out who is there to operate. That is human life. Otherwise it cats' and dogs' life. They are eating, sleeping, mating, and dancing. That's all. That is not human life. You must find out who is the operator. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is called, in Sanskrit word, "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about the supreme operator."

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Sydney, February 17, 1973:

So at the modern age the people are simply kept into ignorance so that they can work like ass and cow and be satisfied. This is the present civilization. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a fight against this civilization, this wrong civilization. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness... the people are being denied their privilege. The human life is meant for getting out of this ignorance of life. But people are being put into ignorance, and their human life is being spoiled. So therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the greatest welfare activity to the human society.

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

So long a man does not develop consciousness to understand his self, ātma-tattvam, the truth of the self, then whatever he's doing in ignorance, it is all defeat for his life. This human life is meant for victorious, to become victorious over the laws of material nature. Actually we are trying for that purpose. The whole struggle is how to counteract the onslaught of material nature. The whole activities are going on. But what is the ultimate victory? The ultimate victory is how to conquer over birth, death, disease and old age. That is the outcome, victory.

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:

Tapasya means you have to accept some austerity. The same example can be given that the doctor says... Suppose a diabetic patient. So doctor prohibits him that "You cannot eat. You have to starve for some days." So I do not like to starve, nobody likes to starve. But because doctor says you have to starve, if you want to cure a disease, then I have to voluntarily accept, accept starving. This is called tapasya: voluntarily accept some miserable condition of life. That is good. And human life is meant for that purpose.

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:

Man should be educated to understand the Absolute Truth. Therefore in the human society there is school, colleges, universities, philosophers, scientists, mathematician. Because human life is meant for knowledge. The animal life, they're not required to take education.

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:

Human life is meant for tapasya, austerity, so that human life you can stop your repetition of birth and death and come to your eternal life and enjoy blissful eternal life of knowledge. That is the aim of life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Auckland, February 22, 1973:

By nature's evolutionary process, we come, gradually, through the 8,400,000 forms of life, we come to human life. And this human life is meant for curing this material disease. What is that? Birth, death, old age and disease. But people are so unintelligent that they do not care for it. They are simply busy in producing some material, temporary comfortable situation of this body. That's all. They are wasting time.

Lecture on SB 6.1.16 -- Denver, June 29, 1975:

So unless we are pure we cannot approach Kṛṣṇa. That is the statement in the śāstra. Without becoming fire, you cannot enter into fire. Similarly, without becoming completely pure, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That is accepted by all religious system. The Christian system is also like that, that without becoming pure you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. So the human life is meant for this purification.

Lecture on SB 6.1.17 -- Denver, June 30, 1975:

This life, the human form of life, is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth. That is life. And without trying to understand the Absolute Truth, if we simply are busy how to eat little comfortably, how to sleep little comfortably, or how to have sex little conveniently, these are animal activities. These are animal activities. Human activity means to know what is God.

Lecture on SB 6.1.18 -- Denver, July 1, 1975:

The human life is meant for that. Purify. Don't keep yourself unclean. Purify. Then you regain your original, spiritual life. That is the only business.

Lecture on SB 6.1.18 -- Honolulu, May 18, 1976:

Human life is meant for understanding "What I am? What is God? What is relationship with God? Why I am here in this material world? Why I am suffering?" These are the questions for human life.

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

So our endeavor should be, instead of being attached to this false enjoyment like cats and dogs, like the animal is running after the false water, the human life is meant for understanding that "The animal is running after false water. Why I shall go there? I am not animal." That is human life.

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

Why people are taught to work so hard? Simply for morsel of bread and little sense gratification. So Ṛṣabhadeva says that that is done by the hogs and dogs. Daily they are whole day and night working: "Where is some food? Where is some stool?" But that human form of life is meant for that purpose, working hard, so hard like hogs and dogs simply for fulfilling the belly and having sex life? No. So they should be taught for tapasya. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). Ṛṣabhadeva was advising, instructing His sons, "My dear boys, this life is meant for tapo-divyam, for spiritual realization, austerity. That should be taught."

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

Just like in the Western country Lord Jesus Christ, he was unhappy for others. So that is the business of devotee, God's son or God's devotee. That is the duty, that people are suffering on account of proper knowledge, and the most grievous ignorance is without any knowledge of God. That is the most dangerous ignorance. Because human life is meant for understanding God. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. But they do not care to understand God.

Lecture on SB 6.1.48 -- Dallas, July 30, 1975:

Because this human life is meant for God realization. It is not meant for sex enjoyment or sense gratification. It is simply meant for... Here is an opportunity to understand one's constitutional position, that he is spirit soul, and Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Lord is also spirit soul. So the spirit soul, individual soul, is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is his duty to remain with the whole.

Lecture on SB 6.1.48 -- Detroit, June 14, 1976:

Manda, there are two meanings, "slow" or "bad." Slow means bad. Slow, if you take the meaning of slow, that will be like this, that this human form of life is meant for spiritual realization. That is the advantage. In the cycle of birth and death, we are rotating. Once a chance is given to decide whether we shall rotate in the cycle of birth and death or we shall go back to home, back to Godhead. That decision rests on this life. It is a very responsible life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975:

This is animal life. Therefore Vedic injunction is, "Don't keep in this animal life." Tamasi mā: "Don't keep yourself in this darkness." Jyotir gama: "Come to the light." So jyotir gama means... That is tapasya. To come to the platform of light, it requires tapasya, austerity. That is required. The human life is meant for tapasya, to come to the life platform. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Tamasic or tamas, or darkness, means just like a person is attacked with tuberculosis, but he doesn't care for it. But intelligent man goes to the physician, asks that "Why I am suffering? What is the medicine?" That is intelligence. So human life begins when one is inquisitive to know, "Why I am suffering?" That is human life.

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

Human life is meant for tapasya, not to live like cats and dogs and hogs. That is not human life. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This body, all bodies, are there in the darkness. Therefore it is said, dehy ajñaḥ. The lower animals, they are ajñaḥ. They cannot control. But human body is meant for controlling.

Lecture on SB 6.1.55 -- Paris, August 11, 1975:

Human life is meant for being elevated to the highest platform of good character and controlling the senses, controlling the mind, remain very clean. Then you can make progress and your life can become successful.

Lecture on SB 6.2.2 -- Vrndavana, September 6, 1975:

So in the material world, more or less, we are susceptible for being punished by the Yamadūtas or Yamarāja, not all. Who are punishable? They are nondevotees, those who are sinful. So anyone who is not following the principles of religion, they are to be punished, because the human form of life is meant for executing religion.

Lecture on SB 6.2.3 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1975:

Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so important, because the human life is meant for stopping the cycle of birth and death. Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. This is the only process.

Lecture on SB 6.2.15 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1975:

So the Vedic injunction, tattva-jijñāsā, that is the first aphorism in the Vedānta-sūtra. Athāto brahma-jijñāsāḥ: "The human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth."

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- Mauritius, October 2, 1975:

Jñāna means knowledge. So human life is meant for taking knowledge, jñāna.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1968:

So human form of life is not meant for spoiling like cats and dogs. Human form of life is meant for something else. And that "something else" is Kṛṣṇa conscious or God consciousness because without human form of life, no other body can understand what is God, what is this world, what I am, wherefrom I have come, where I have to go. These things are meant for human life.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 Excerpt -- Toronto, June 17, 1976:

Why you should understand God from the beginning of life? That is explained here: because the human life is meant for understanding God.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

So Vedic knowledge, the ultimate goal of Vedic knowledge is to know God. Not only Vedic, any scripture, any book of knowledge. So the ultimate goal of knowledge is to know God. If you do not... Because this human form of life is meant for that purpose.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

And brāhmaṇa means one who utilizes this opportunity of human form of life to the fullest extent and can understand what is God, what is my relationship with Him, how I have come here, why I am subjected to birth, death, old age, and disease. So many things have to be learned. So the human form of life is meant for that purpose, but there is no facility in the educational institution. Many universities there may be, but not very perfectly well-situated. But we are trying our bid, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, to give education about this bhāgavata-dharma and we are trying to present in so many languages.

Lecture on SB 7.6.2 -- Toronto, June 18, 1976:

So aindriya sukham, sense pleasure, that is available everywhere. Even cats and dogs, they have got sense pleasure. But human life is not meant for that purpose. Human life is meant for, this is the idea: yathā hi puruṣasyeha viṣṇoḥ padopasarpaṇam. This is required. They do not know it.

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

If we want to keep body in healthy condition, then the demands of the body—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending—must be provided. But it should not be aggravated. Therefore in the human form of life, tapasya. Tapasya means austerity, penance, vows. These are the teachings of all scriptures. Either you take Hindu scripture or Christian scripture or Muhammadan scripture, in every scripture human form of life is meant for training.

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

The human life is meant for viṣṇu-ārādhanam. That is therefore the varṇāśrama: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. The aim is viṣṇu-ārādhanam. Viṣṇu-ārādhanam param. We are flattering so many people to get some benefit. Everyone has to flatter. Businessman has to flatter his customer; a servant has to flatter his master; and so on, so on, some friend, some minister to get some favor. But Lord Śiva says, "So why don't you flatter Viṣṇu? Viṣṇu-ārādhanaṁ param." Tadīyānām ārādhanam. This is the sastric injunction.

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

So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was written by Vyāsadeva under the instruction of Nārada. Mahā-purāṇa. So we have to take advantage of this. So many valuable literatures. The human life is meant for that. Why you are neglecting? Our attempt is, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is how to spread this knowledge of the Vedas and the Purāṇas so that the human being can take advantage of it and make his life successful.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- Vrndavana, December 8, 1975:

The human life is meant for gaining victory over the senses. "No, better be victimized by the senses"—this is modern civilization. Modern civilization means the more you become victimized by senses, you are advanced.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- Vrndavana, December 8, 1975:

These ajitātmanaḥ means they are passing their days without any benefit, niṣphalaṁ, without any result. Human life is meant for good result. Arthadam adhruvam. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam. That is the Prahlāda Mahārāja's description. That is the fact. The human life is so valuable, and I shall waste it simply by sleeping?

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- Vrndavana, December 11, 1975:

So actually we should not increase our foolishness. Human life is meant for utilizing our intelligence. That is human life. Instead of utilizing intelligence, if we increase our foolishness, that's the wrong type of civilization. That is not actual civilization.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Mayapur, February 15, 1976:

So this is an opportunity, this human form of life, to decide where you want to go. Are you going to hell or heaven or back to home, or back to Godhead? That you have to decide. This is human intelligence, not like working like cats and dogs and dying like cats and dogs. That is not human life. Human life is meant for to decide where you want to go next.

Lecture on SB 7.9.15 -- Mayapur, February 22, 1976:

These are the... Therefore you'll find, all transcendentalists, they are practicing tapasya very, very severely. That is required. The human life is meant for tapasya. That is human life. Human life is not meant for living like cats and dogs. That is not human life. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). To live like cats and dog is not meant for the human life. Human life is meant for tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). We have to execute tapasya, austerity. Why? Now, to purify our existence.

Lecture on SB 7.9.15 -- Mayapur, February 22, 1976:

This human life is meant for spiritual life, not for material life like cats and dogs. This is not required. This is Vedānta philosophy, athāto brahma jijñāsā. One must try to learn what is the ultimate source of everything, not that theorizing or, what is called, imagining something.

Lecture on SB 7.9.30 -- Mayapur, March 8, 1976:

Our, this human form of life is meant for achieving love of Godhead. That is perfection of life.

Lecture on SB 7.9.32 -- Mayapur, March 10, 1976:

The human life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa. There is no other business. If you simply stick to this business, your life is successful. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for that purpose.

Lecture on SB 7.9.37 -- Mayapur, March 15, 1976:

So human life is meant for understanding the Supreme, our connection with the Supreme Being. That is real human life. Therefore the Vedas are there.

Lecture on SB 7.9.39 -- Mayapur, March 17, 1976:

This life, human life, is meant for understanding Brahman, the Absolute Truth. So a person who has understood what is Brahman—ahaṁ brahmāsmi—so he is called brāhmaṇa. Anyone who understands Brahman, he is brāhmaṇa. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. And one who does not understand, he's kṛpaṇa. In the Upaniṣad also it is said, etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti sa brāhmaṇaḥ, etad aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa kṛpaṇaḥ. This human life is meant for understanding Brahman—athāto brahma jijñāsā, Vedānta—simply meant for understanding Brahman, such a nice life, human life, not cats' and dogs' life.

Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Visakhapatnam, February 22, 1972:

So this human form of life is meant for realizing our relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is the mission of this human form of life.

Lecture on SB 7.9.53 -- Vrndavana, April 8, 1976:

For that purpose, how you can see God or you can please God, tasyaiva, hetoḥ, for that purpose only, prayateta, one should endeavor. No other endeavor. Human life is meant for... That is Vedānta-sūtra. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Where is Brahman? Where is the Absolute Truth? Where is God?

Lecture on SB 7.12.1 -- Bombay, April 12, 1976:

So as it is stated that human life is meant for tapasya, austerity... Tapasa. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1), that this human form of life is meant for tapasya, not to live like cats and dogs. That is not human life. And tapasya, austerity, begins from brahmācārya.

Lecture on SB 7.12.1 -- Bombay, April 12, 1976:

This human form of life is meant for tapasya, to learn how to become detached from this material world. And the beginning is this brahmacārī life. Brahmacārī gurukule vasan dāntaḥ. Dānta means self-controlled. That is real teaching.

Lecture on SB 7.12.1 -- Bombay, April 12, 1976:

But we should always remember that this human life is meant for controlling the senses. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. It is simply meant for inquiring about our spiritual life. That is perfect civilization.

Lecture on SB 10.22.35 -- Bombay, March 19, 1971:

So dehinām iha dehiṣu, of all the embodied souls, this embodied soul, this human form of life is meant for liberation. We are entangled in this chain of repeated birth and death, old age and disease, but we are not yet fed up. We think that, "All right, let us go on like this," but that is not actually advancement of knowledge. That is ignorance.

Lecture on SB 11.3.21 -- New York, April 13, 1969:

The whole Vedic instruction is just to deliver all suffering humanity from the threefold miseries of material existence. That is the aim and object of Vedic civilization. That means this human form of life is meant for finishing all kinds of troubles. That should be the effort of human being.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

The human form of life is meant for acquiring knowledge, not to keep one in ignorance. Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ. That is the Vedic injunction. "Don't keep yourself in darkness," darkness of ignorance. But jyotir gamaḥ: "Go to the light." That is the Vedic injunction.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.1 -- Mayapur, March 25, 1975:

Human life is meant for one thing, athāto brahma jijñāsā, to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth. But instead of doing that, they have created so many "isms." That is their misfortune.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.3 -- Mayapur, March 27, 1975:

That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā: "Jīvasya, for living being, the only business is to enquire about the Absolute Truth." That is the only business. People are in trouble because they have given up their real business. Human life is meant for this business, brahma-jijñāsā, to enquire about the Absolute Truth.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.10 -- Mayapur, April 3, 1975:

That human life is meant for tapasya, austerities, not to live extravagant life, irresponsible life like cats and dogs. No. That is not human life. That is animal life. So therefore śāstra says that you undergo austerities. Then your existence will be purified, and then pure knowledge you will get, and you will understand what is your position, why you are in this material world, why you are suffering the threefold miseries, why you are obliged to die, why you are obliged to become old man. So many things you have to learn. But if we learn like cats and dogs, then we spoil our life.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975:

Reclaim the fallen souls means in this age of Kali, almost 99.9%, they are all fallen. Their qualification is mandāḥ. Mandāḥ means they do not know that the human life is meant for qualifying oneself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, spiritual consciousness.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-99 -- Washington, D.C., July 4, 1976:

Our real value of life, human being, means spiritual understanding. This is... This human life is meant for spiritual understanding. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Absolute Truth. That is the only business.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.103 -- Washington, D.C., July 8, 1976:

The injunction in the Bhagavad-gītā is that tad viddhi, try to understand. Not try, but must try. The human life is meant for understanding tattva, the Absolute Truth. That is the special advantage of the human life.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.110-111 -- Bombay, November 17, 1975:

To purify the existence we have to practice tapasya, not running like cats and dogs here and there. This will not make solution of life. Human life is meant for tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam. This is the process. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). If you want to get out of this entanglement of distressed condition of material body, then mahat-sevām: you associate with mahātmās and serve him.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.121-124 -- New York, November 25, 1966:

So many facilities the Lord has created. And therefore the human form of life is meant for utilizing all these facilities. In the animal form of life there is no facility. They cannot read śāstra. They cannot understand scripture. They cannot take the advantage of a bona fide spiritual master. They cannot consult within with God. They have no this capacity. Their consciousness is so undeveloped that it is not possible to have, utilize all these facilities. But in human form of life we can utilize all these facilities.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.144-146 -- New York, December 1, 1966:

There is no possibility of changing the laws of nature. It is simply futile attempt. Therefore those who are sane people, they understand that this life is meant for not fighting with the material laws, which I cannot change. Better stop this nonsense and realize yourself, what you are, what is your duty, and what the human form of life is meant for. That is stated here, that you have to realize Kṛṣṇa. You have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your life's mission is fulfilled.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967:

The duty is only to worship God, and nothing more. That is the duty. All other duties are māyā's spell only. There is no other duty. Because this human life is meant for that duty. The animals cannot execute that duty. Only the human being. Therefore our only duty is to understand God and engage ourself in that way.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 9, 1968:

Life is athāto brahma jijñāsā: "This human form of life is meant for inquiring Brahman." And if you engage yourself in this Brahman business, for Kṛṣṇa consciousness business, rest assured, Kṛṣṇa will take care of you.

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, July 5, 1970:

So this human form of life is meant for spiritual realization. Please try to understand that this human form of life is a chance to get out of this material entanglement.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973:

To work very hard like dogs and hog for sense gratification is not the ambition of human life. Human life is meant for little austerity. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam. We have to purify our existence. That is the mission of human life.

His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971:

Animal does not know beyond these four principles of life: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That's all. No. Human life is meant for something else: "What I am? What is God? What is my relation with God? What is this material world? Why I am here? Where I have to go next?" So many things one has to learn. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is human life. Not that eat and sleep and have sex life and die someday like cats and dogs.

Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami's Appearance Day -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:

Everyone should know, at least, that human life is meant for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if he, if he knows, at least he gets this information... Just like we are broadcasting this information all over the world, that everyone should become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So in spite of this knowledge, broadcast of this knowledge, if a person does not take advantage of this movement, then it is to be understood that knowingly he's drinking poison.

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

If I am habituated to smoke, if I am habituated to illicit sex life, if I am habituated to intoxication and gambling, etc., this is my pravṛtti. But if we can stop it by practice, that is called tapasya. And human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddyeta satyam (SB 5.5.1). Ṛṣabhadeva's instruction: "My dear sons, you practice tapasya." The human life is meant for tapasya. "I have got tendency to do this, but that will not help me, that will degraded me." So tapasya means instead of being degraded, be elevated. This is called tapasya. Tapo divyam. This human life is meant for this purpose, to practice tapasya, or to practice nivṛtti. Then our life is successful.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976:

This human life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa, but instead of understanding Kṛṣṇa, we are understanding the so-called material science for sense gratification. This is our position. The energy which was given by nature to understand Kṛṣṇa, that is being utilized how to manufacture something for sense gratification. This is going on. This is māyā, illusion.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975:

And if you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. Janma karma ca divyaṁ me yo jānāti tattvataḥ. The human life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection of life. Any other so-called understanding, that is simply waste of time because we are under the grip of the material nature.

Six Gosvamis Lecture, Sri Sri Sad-govamy-astaka -- Los Angeles, November 18, 1968:

This human form of life is meant for searching out, understanding, inquiring, about Brahman.

Six Gosvamis Lecture, Sri Sri Sad-govamy-astaka -- Los Angeles, November 18, 1968:

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is dovetailing ourself with the spiritual energy and thus become perfect. And this human form of life is meant for that purpose.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Paris, July 20, 1972:

Therefore this human form of life is meant for cultivating the knowledge of the nonperishable. Unfortunately, our science, philosophy in school, college, university, they are simply concerned with the perishable, not with the imperishable. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for taking into account of the nonperishable.

Arrival Address -- Paris, August 11, 1975:

So we are trying to educate all people, all nations of the world to understand this one verse, that's all. Na jāyate vā mriyate vā kadācit. If he simply understands this one verse, he immediately becomes liberated. And actually, human life is meant for understanding this philosophy or this truth. Then his life is successful.

Arrival Talk -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

So the human life is meant for understanding what is the position, "What I am?" This is intelligence.

Arrival Talk -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

And one is subodha, he is victory. So human life is meant for becoming subhodha, not abodha. But they are keeping abodha. This is difficulty. Everyone is abodha.

Initiation Lectures

Lecture & Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968:

At any moment we can die. But this life, this human form of life, is meant for a sublime gain. What is that? To make a permanent solution of the miserable condition of our life. In this... So long we are in this material form, this body, we have to change from one body to another, one body to another. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Repeated birth, repeated death. Soul is immortal, eternal, but changing, just like you are changing the dress. So this problem they do not take into account, but this is a problem. The human life is meant for making a solution of this problem, but neither they have any knowledge, nor they are very much serious about solving these problems.

Lecture and Initiation -- Chicago, July 10, 1975:

Human life is meant for performing yajña, give in charity and practice austerities, three things. Human life means that. Human life does not mean to live like cats and dogs. That is failure. That kind of civilization, dog civilization, is failure of human life. Human life is meant for three things: yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyā. One should know how to perform sacrifices, how to give in charity, and how to practice austerities. This is human life.

Gurudasa Sannyasa Initiation -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

All devotees of God, Vaiṣṇava, they are merciful. You know Lord Jesus Christ, how he was merciful. So this human life is meant for paropakāra, for doing good to others. So therefore sannyāsa order means one that dedicates his whole life by word, by body and by mind, everything.

Initiation Talk Excerpt -- Vrndavana, April 4, 1976:

The human form of life is meant for understanding transcendental knowledge. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth.

Initiation Lecture -- Toronto, June 17, 1976:

Human life is meant for spiritual realization. And sense gratification is animal life.

Initiation Lecture -- Toronto, June 17, 1976:

So human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo-divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Don't be carried away by the general, menial, abominable tendencies. Therefore tapasya required. Tapa, we prescribe for tapasya no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication and no gambling. This is tapasya. This is tapasya. We have to accept if we want superior position of life. Tapo divyam. Tapasya, the aim of tapasya is to be situated on the transcendental platform of knowledge. Tapo divyam. So this life, this human form of life, is meant for tapasya and transcendental knowledge. This is the purport. Not to waste this life, this human form of life, ayaṁ deha.

Initiation Lecture -- Hyderabad, August 22, 1976:

Human beings, from this dog platform, can be raised to God platform. That is possible. And human life is meant for that purpose. Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said athāto brahma jijñāsā. Human life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, the Absolute Truth.

General Lectures

Lecture at Engagement -- Boston, May 8, 1968:

Human life is meant for advanced knowledge. And what is that advanced knowledge? To know oneself, what I am.

Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:

The fact is that we have to learn how to love Kṛṣṇa. So direction is there and method is there, and we are trying to serve you as far as possible. We are sending our boys on the streets and the town to invite you. And if you kindly take up this opportunity, then your life will be successful. Premā pum-artho mahān. Because this human form of life is meant for developing love for God.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 18, 1968:

The difference between material life and spiritual life is that if somebody is simply engaged in sense gratification business, that is called material life. And out of many thousands of such materialistic persons, if somebody is trying to understand, "What I am? Why I have come here? Why I am put into so many miserable condition of life? Is there any remedy...?" these questions, when arises, then, practically, his spiritual life begins. And the human form of life is meant for that.

Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968:

So we have to come to the platform of goodness from the platform of ignorance and passion. Then our life will be successful. Our life, the human form of life, is meant for changing the platform of activities.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968:

In the Vedānta-sūtra, the first sūtra, aphorism, is atha ataḥ brahma-jijñāsā: "This human form of life is meant for inquiry about the spirit, Supreme Spirit, Brahman." That is the beginning of spiritual education.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968:

So spiritual education—first to understand "What I am," then "What is God," "What is this world." "What is our interrelation," then "What is God's position," "What is my position," "How I shall deal with God"—these things are spiritual education, and human life is meant for that purpose.

Press Release -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1968:

The human life is meant for ending the miseries of material existence.

Engagement Lecture -- Buffalo, April 23, 1969:

Anyway, the idea is that beautiful life, beautiful education, beautiful situation, should be utilized for beautiful end, not degrade to the platform of hog worship. That is not very palatable thing at least. So Ṛṣabhadeva says, "My dear boys, the sense gratification process after hard work day and night is available in the hog's life. That is not a very important thing. This human form of life is meant for a different purpose." And that purpose he explains, that tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattva śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam: (SB 5.5.1) "This human form of life is meant for austerity and penance."

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

So in the Bhāgavata it is said that not only they are living for short duration of life, they are not intelligent enough that this human form of life is meant for God-realization.

Lecture Excerpt -- Boston, May 5, 1969:

So as one intelligent person puts himself under the treatment of a physician to get out of the disease, similarly, human life is meant for putting himself to the expert physician who can cure you from your material disease. That is your business.

Lecture at Engagement -- Columbus, may 19, 1969:

This human form of life is meant for self-realization. This life is not meant for working hard like cats and dogs and hogs for sense gratification. No. This life is not meant for that purpose. We have got developed consciousness, intelligence. We should ask, "What is this life?"

Lecture at Engagement -- Columbus, may 19, 1969:

Human life is meant for this purpose, enquiring self-realization. And if we do not enquire, then we are no better than animals.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

This human form of life is meant for understanding. The human form of life is not meant for wasting the valuable life like cats and dogs in the matter of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That is not advancement of civilization.

Conway Hall Lecture -- London, September 15, 1969:

The Vedānta-sūtra says, the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman." And the Veda says that ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman. I am not this body. I am spirit soul." And when one understands that he is spirit soul, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), at once he becomes joyful.

Lecture -- London, September 16, 1969:

But the human form of life is meant for saving time for spiritual cultivation. We should be satisfied with the bare necessities of life, and the time should be saved to cultivate self-realization. That is the basic principle of Vedic civilization.

Lecture -- Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971:

This human form of life is meant for realizing what is my position.

Speech at Olympia Theater -- Paris, June 26, 1971, (with translator):

So it is the duty of every human being to understand his constitutional position, his relation with God, and understanding the relation, to act accordingly, and then our life becomes successful. This human form of life is meant for that purpose.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 12, 1971:

So the human form of life is meant for understanding what is my position.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 12, 1971:

So this material world is not our actual place of happiness. We should understand this. And the human form of life is meant for that purpose.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 13, 1971:

The human life is meant for composing an association where devotees may take part, sādhu-saṅga.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:

So this human form of life is meant for cultivating this bhāgavata-dharma. And if you are missing, then we are committing suicide, ātmahā. This very word is used in the śāstra, ātmahā. So our request to everyone is that you try to understand Kṛṣṇa scientifically.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

We should remember this fact, that this human form of life is meant for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate goal of life.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

So śāstra says that this human form of life is not meant for this purpose. The human form of life is meant for tapasya: tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Satya means my existence. We have to purify our existence.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

The Vedānta-sūtra begins with this sūtra, that "Now this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth and my relationship with Him." That is the human mission.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

Absolute Truth means the Supreme. In the Brahma-sūtra it is indicated that the human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. We have to inquire about the Absolute Truth. That is human form of life, not to waste our time simply going to the market and inquire, "What is the rate of rice and what is the rate of dahl?" That should go on, but along with it there should be inquiry what is the Absolute Truth and what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. That is beginning of human form of life.

Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972:

The human life is meant for austerity and penance, not for increasing the items of our sense gratification. That is animal life. Human life is meant for restraint.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

This human form of life is meant for understanding what is Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is human form of life.

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

So this human life..., athāto brahma jijñāsā, means, the Vedānta-sūtra says, that "This life, this human life, is meant for understanding God." Brahma-jijñāsā. At least, not understanding, at least inquiring, jijñāsā. Jijñāsā means inquiring.

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

This human, this civilized form of human life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, the Supreme, the Absolute Truth.

Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972:

This human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, or spirit soul. So long this inquiry is not there, one is animal. That's all.

Speech -- New Vrindaban, August 31, 1972:

Human life is meant for coming to that platform, the spiritual platform, transcending the gross and material bodily concept of life. That is possible.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

This human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. That is the duty of the human form of life.

Lecture -- Jakarta, February 28, 1973:

This human form of life is meant for this knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is teaching. This is brahma-jñāna. This Bhagavad-gītā is actually brahma-jñāna. To make one brahma-bhūta by understanding the Bhagavad-gītā, teachings of Bhagavad-gītā, one realizes that he's Brahman. That is called Brahman.

Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

The human life is meant for understanding God, for seeing God, for talking with God, for behaving with God. That is possible. But you require little training.

Lecture -- Bombay, September 25, 1973:

Only these classes of men, duṣkṛtina, always engaged in sinful activities, mūḍha, rascal... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. And lowest of the mankind. Because human life is meant for worshiping Kṛṣṇa.

Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973:

So everywhere this is going on; therefore there is necessity of awakening this God consciousness of the people. It is not a childish thing or sentimental fanaticism. It is real science. Because this human life is meant for understanding "What I am," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. "I am not this body; I am spirit soul."

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

So the human life is meant for systematic organization of spiritual realization. That is human life.

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

Therefore tapasya should be executed, how we can also revive our original constitutional position, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. This is called śuddhyet sattva. Just like when a man becomes diseased, it is his duty to go to the physician, consult him, take some medicine to get out of the disease, similarly, human life is meant for to get out of this disease. What is that disease? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, athāto brahma jijñāsā, means "This human life is meant for inquiring about God." So the first understanding of God is that He is the creator of everything.

Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

So human being, human life, is meant for understanding God and become God conscious.

Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974:

After all, this human life is meant for understanding God. That is the only business of human life. The nature, material nature, gives us this opportunity to have this human form of life. The facility of this life, of this form of life, is given to us just to understand God.

La Trobe University Lecture -- Melbourne, July 1, 1974:

Actually the human life is meant for being educated that he is not this body; he is soul. That is the Vedānta-sūtra philosophy, to inquire about the spirit soul.

Life Member House Lecture -- Hyderabad, April 14, 1975:

Human life is meant for tapasya. That is not possible by the hogs and dogs. Tapasya, austerities. By austerities, by tapasya we can purify our existence. You are existing at the present moment because we are changing body, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralī... Therefore it is polluted existence. This is not pure existence. Pure existence is eternal life, blissfulness and knowledge, full of knowledge. That is pure life. So the human life is meant for purifying our existence. Stop this continuation of birth, death, old age and disease and live eternally blissful life of knowledge.

City Hall Lecture -- Durban, October 7, 1975:

In this civilized form of human being, if we do not take this knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā personally given by the Lord Himself, then we are missing the point. This is the whole Vedic literature's lesson, that human form of life is meant for self-realization: "I am not this body. I am soul. I am spirit soul. My business is different from simply taking care of the body." This is human civilization. So therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important movement.

Tenth Anniversary Address -- Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:

Now the human life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth, jijñāsā. One should inquire what is the Absolute. That is human life, to find out the Absolute Truth.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- London, July 25, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa consciousness means God consciousness. I may say, "Kṛṣṇa;" you may say some other name. But this human form of life is meant for this purpose, to understand Kṛṣṇa, or God. Not vague idea, clear idea what is God, how he looks, what does he do—so many things we have to know.

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:

The Vedānta philosophy begins with the word athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman. The human life is not meant for any other purpose.

Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 19, 1977:

Now, this life, this human form of life, is meant for making inquiry about the Supreme. That Brahman, the Supreme... Brahman means bṛhatvad bṛhannatvad, the greatest which includes everything. That is Brahman.

Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 21, 1977:

Human life is meant for this purpose. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. If you do not inquire about Brahman, if you simply inquire, "Where is food? Where is sense gratification...?" The whole world is going like that.

Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator):

So our request is that if you at all want to understand what is God, don't go to the Māyāvādī or Śūnyavādi, but try to understand about God from God Himself. Sometimes they may say that "What is the use of understanding God? What is the necessity of understanding God?" No. That is not the right conclusion. Human life is meant for understanding God.

Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator):

So God is there, and there is no doubt of it, but because, due to our foolishness, we think there is no God, there is no father, that is our foolishness. But what is that God, how He is, what is His business, how He is formed—all these things we want to learn, and human life is meant for that purpose.

Departure Talks

Departure Lecture -- Mexico City, February 18, 1975:

So there is no objection for the material comforts, but actually we have to see whether they are comforts or miserable condition. Therefore our this human form of life is meant for saving time to develop our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not meant for wasting unnecessarily, because we do not know when the next death is coming, and if we do not prepare ourself for the next life, then at any moment we can die, and we have to accept a body offered by the material nature.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Mao Tse Tung:

Prabhupāda: The whole world is suffering. They do not know what is real progress or what the human life is meant for. They are taking human life is as good as hogs' life or animals' life. We don't take it. We say the human life has got a special importance for spiritual realization.

Philosophy Discussion on Auguste Comte:

Prabhupāda: Either you call this fatalism or destiny—every man is destined—that cannot be changed. His intelligence can change only his position with reference to God. His present position is he is forgetful of God and his relationship with God. So this position, forgetfulness, can be changed, and human life is meant for that purpose. So far improvement of economic condition or other condition, that is already fixed up. One cannot change it.

Philosophy Discussion on Auguste Comte:

Prabhupāda: So after hard working, when man comes home, if he finds out good foodstuff and nicely satisfied by eating, and then the woman gives satisfaction by sex, then both of them remain fully satisfied, and then they can improve their real business, spiritual understanding, because human life is meant for making progress in spiritual understanding.

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner and Henry David Thoreau:

Hayagrīva: He ultimately believes in bringing people under control. He says, "If there is any purpose or direction in the evolution of a culture, it has to do with bringing people under the control of more and more of the consequences of their behavior."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Human life is meant for control. That is the Vedic process, tapasya, because the aim is spiritual perfection. If we allow material activities according to the desire of the people, then they forget spiritual identity altogether. So that aim of life in the human form of body is missing, that Vedic civilization is how to raise one to the spiritual platform. Otherwise he remains an animal.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Nitai-Pada-Kamala -- Los Angeles, December 21, 1968:

Ordinary cats and dogs, even tiger, can be tamed. But a human being, when he goes out of his way, because human life is meant for being elevated to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if he doesn't take to that, then his higher intelligence will be simply misused for animal propensities, and it is very difficult to tame him.

Purport & Explanation to Hari Hari Biphale -- Los Angeles, December 26, 1968:

Jāniyā śuniyā "By hearing process and by experimental knowledge, in both ways, I know that this human form of life is meant for engaging in the loving service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, but I did not do that. That means purposefully I have drunk poison. I have committed suicide."

Purport to Bhajahu Re Mana -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

Śravana kīrtana, these are the devotional processes: hearing; chanting; remembering; arcana, worshiping the Deity; vandana, offering prayer. There are nine kinds. So human life is meant for this purpose. By this process, gradually we ignite the fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or spiritual consciousness. Then, by that fire, as by blazing fire the wood itself becomes burnt into ashes, so our, all of our covering... The spirit soul is covered by matter, by ignorance. So this covering and ignorance will be burnt into ashes, and you'll become free and go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the purport of this song.

Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975:

Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ: "Brāhmaṇa means one who knows the Absolute Truth." That is brahma-jñāna. The human life is meant for that purpose, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Everyone should be interested to enquire about Brahman, the Absolute Truth.

Page Title:Human life is meant for... (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Laksmipriya, Rishab
Created:28 of Nov, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=341, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:341