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Hurt (Lect., Conv. and Letters)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

You cannot make any experiment, neither it is possible to understand who is your father by experimental knowledge. Then how you can make experiment the Supreme Father, God? That is not possible. Simply you have to hear from the authoritative sources. But you can make some experiment. But that is not very important thing. The important thing is to hear from the authorized person. That is important. Therefore, Vedas are called śruti. Śruti means aural reception. You have to hear. Just like when you are sleeping, all your other senses are not active. But ear, if somebody is coming, your enemy, to hurt you, and your friend says, "Mr. such-and-such, wake up, wake up," so you can hear and you wake up and see that somebody is coming. So the ear is very important. Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). Anyone who has heard perfectly from the disciplic succession of spiritual master, he is perfect. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Ācārya means... Ācāryavān, vān means possession. One who has possessed an authorized spiritual master, he knows. He knows. Veda, Veda means knowledge, knows.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- London, August 20, 1973:

"They were existing in the past, they are existing at present, and they will continue to exist. Simply the body will change. So why you are lamenting? Rather, it is a great facility that your grandfather has got now old body, he is not very comfortable, but he will get next life a very new body. So it is good for him if you kill him." Of course, that is not the point. (laughter) You cannot kill without any reason. That is not point. But here, "It is fight. It is duty. They have come to kill you." And the kṣatriyas, their determination is, when they go to fight, either to own victory or die, not returning back, sir, no. If a kṣatriya is hurt on the back side, he is degraded. He must be hurt on the chest, front side. That is kṣatriya. That means he has fought nicely. There is injury on the chest, not in the back side. Back side injury means he was fleeing. So kṣatriya's determination is, either you own the battle or die in the battle. That will be explained. "If you own the battle, then enjoy. You have got the kingdom. But if you die in the battle, you go to the heaven. Because you have fought for the right cause, you will go to the heaven."

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

You try to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa; automatically your senses will be satisfied. This is the secret of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The opposite party, they are thinking, "Oh, why shall I satisfy? Why shall I work for Kṛṣṇa the whole day and night? Let me try for the karmīs." Just like you are working whole day and night for Kṛṣṇa, they are thinking, "What fools they are. We are very intelligent. We are working for our own sense gratification whole day and night, and why they are working for Kṛṣṇa?" This is the difference between materialist and spiritualist. The spiritualist's endeavor is to work whole day and night strenuously without any hurt(?) simply for Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual life. And the materialist means the same endeavor, always trying to satisfy their personal senses. That is the difference, materialistic and spiritual. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we have to train our senses to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That's all. So long in other, previous, many, many thousands and millions of lives, we have simply tried to satisfy our senses, personal senses. Let this life be dedicated for satisfying Kṛṣṇa's senses. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One life. We have, several lives, we have tried to satisfy our personal senses. Let this life, at least one life, let me try, what happens. So we are not loser. Even we feel inconveniences by not satisfying our senses, but we are not loser. Try simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses; then it will be all right. So we shall stop. What is the time?

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

So violence is bad. That's all right. But sometimes it is required. Just like poison. Poison is bad, but sometimes it is required for administering medicine. Even poison is administered. When one's heart is... According to Āyur-vedic system, when the man's heart is almost to fail, at that time, poison is given. So the heart becomes again agitated. In the medical science also. So poison is poison, but sometimes it requires as medicine administration. Similarly, violence, killing is bad. But there is circumstances where violence is righteous, religious. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says dharmyāddhi-yuddha.

So it is the kṣatriya. Kṣatriya means who gives protection the citizens from being hurt by the irreligious person. That is called kṣatriya. Kṣat. Kṣat means injury, and tra means deliver. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. When he saw that a black man Kali was going to kill a cow, so he was going to inflict injury to the cow, and immediately Mahārāja Parīkṣit took his sword, that to give protection to the cow from the injury of black man. So that violence required. Tit for tat. One who is going to commit violence unnecessarily, the king, government, should immediately take the sword and kill that person. That is government's duty. Had it been Vedic culture prevailing now, all these persons who are unnecessarily killing the cows in the slaughterhouse, they would have been killed by the king. "You have done so sinful." So that kind of killing is pious.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

Prabhupāda: What he's speaking? Masochism? What is this?

Devotee: Self-inflicted pain. "I want to hurt myself."

Prabhupāda: No. It is not like that. Just like if you are diseased, doctor says that "You don't eat this." So that is not self-inflicted. The idea is that just to become cured from your disease you accept the instruction of the physician. So unnecessarily, that is also condemned. If you simply fast unnecessarily, that is condemned. No. For a better purpose, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Yes. You can take some, accept some painstaking—for better purpose. If there is no purpose, what is the use of painstaking? Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). That is simply labor of love. That's all. So here everything is recommended for understanding Kṛṣṇa. That is not very difficult. By Kṛṣṇa's grace it is not at all difficult, but it appears to be difficult for a person who is accustomed to do such things. Otherwise it is not difficult. Yes.

American man: But you're suggesting, I think, forgoing not just that which is the disease(?), but also that which one wants. I mean that somehow one should know that if one loves something... And yet to come to that, give it up...

Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

Yes. The difference is that Arjuna, being constant companion of Kṛṣṇa, he was also present when Kṛṣṇa said to sun-god, but he has forgotten. But Kṛṣṇa, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has not forgotten. Just like a, my child. I say, "My dear child, twenty-five years ago you fell down and you were hurt in this way." Although the child has forgotten, but the incident is fact. The father knows. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme father, He knows everything, and Arjuna might have forgotten. Because one has forgotten, one cannot give details. Just like we had many, many births before this form of body, but we have forgotten that. That does not mean that it did not take place. We had to pass through millions and millions of births. The other day I was explaining. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Simply we had to live in the water to pass through 900,000 species of life. Two millions species of life, plant and trees. In this way we have passed through. So we might have forgotten, but that does not mean it did not take place. Go on.

Lecture on BG 12.13-14 -- Bombay, May 12, 1974:

Then santuṣṭa, satisfied. Satataṁ yogī. A devotee should not be dissatisfied in any condition of life. He should remain satisfied. Because he knows that "My pains and pleasure are now dependent on the will of Kṛṣṇa. Not now, always. So if Kṛṣṇa desires that I should suffer like this, why should I bother? Let me suffer." Santuṣṭa.

There are many verses to support this. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtam (SB 10.14.8). A devotee, when he is put into distress, he thinks that "It is God's kindness that He is giving me little pain, hurt, although I should have suffered more." This is devotee's view. He is not, I mean to, disturbed by any kinds of pains and pleasure. Santuṣṭa. Satataṁ yogī. Even in distressed condition he also thinks of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is yogi. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47). A devotee always thinks of Kṛṣṇa. That is devotee. Yogi. Yatātmā. He does not neglect his duty, his devotional service.

And dṛḍha-niścayaḥ. Dṛḍha-niścayaḥ means he believes in the word of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). A devotee believes in this, that "I have nothing to do, simply to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Then my all business is done." That is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya: "Simply by serving Kṛṣṇa, all other duties are discharged." This is called dṛḍha-niścayaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), and the devotee takes it very seriously. That is called dṛḍha-niścaya. Dṛḍha means firmly convinced, "Yes, if I surrender to Kṛṣṇa, all other business is complete." That is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

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

Cheap Vaiṣṇava. Duṣṭa mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava. He sang a song, "My dear mind, oh, you are going to be a Vaiṣṇava. And what kind of Vaiṣṇava you are?" Duṣṭa mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava, pratiṣṭhāra tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava. "You are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura or Rūpa Gosvāmī, in a solitary place... Not solitary place. You are thinking of woman and money. That's all. Mind is filled with dirty things. So this kind of bhajana is simply cheating, cheating." He was after preaching. First of all, go door to door. Just like Nityānanda Prabhu did it at the risk of life. He was hurt by Jagāi-Mādhāi. Blood came out of His head. Lord Caitanya became very much angry. He wanted to kill immediately Jagāi Mādhāi. Lord Nityānanda said, "My dear Sir, You promised that this incarnation You'll not take any weapon, Please be kind upon them."

So this is Nityānanda. Nityānanda-vaṁśa means one who takes the risk of preaching work, he can claim Nityānanda-vaṁśa. Not that easy-going. The preaching work is not easy-going. There are so many difficulties. All the big, big preachers... Śrī Rāmānujācārya. His life was attempted to be killed. Why Rāmānujācārya? My Guru Mahārāja was attempted to be killed. Twenty-five thousand rupees were raised fund for bribing the police officer. He told me personally. The Navadvīpa, Navadvīpa Gosāis, they wanted to kill him. So preaching work is always risky. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. So kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ.

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

They will find something so nice that they will give up all this nonsense. This is the process. Unless you give something better, how one can give up his bad habits?

Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He delivered Jagāi-Mādhāi. They were all this: addicted to illicit sex, meat-eating, drinking and intoxication, gambling. That was their business. So Nityānanda Prabhu went to deliver them, that "First of all, these rascals should be delivered." Therefore He went there. They were very angry. They hurt Him by throwing one stone on His forehead, and blood came out. Still, Nityānanda Prabhu said, "All right, I don't mind. Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." This is preaching, Nityānanda. But when Lord Caitanya heard it, He became very angry. He wanted to kill them immediately. So Nityānanda Prabhu requested that "In this incarnation You have promised not to accept any weapons. Please become," I mean to say, "kind upon them." This is the person... This is the business of guru. Guru introduces with God and prays to God, "Please excuse him." This is guru's business. And by the request of guru, God agrees to excuse him. This is the process.

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:

They are His soldiers. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. In other incarnation, Kṛṣṇa comes with weapon. As Lord Rāmacandra He came with bows and arrows. As Kṛṣṇa He came with disc and club. Here Kṛṣṇa has come compassionately to distribute mercy to the fallen souls. So He has not taken any astra, any weapon. His weapon is His associate devotee. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's associate, Nityānanda Prabhu, He is going to kill Jagāi and Mādhāi, not by weapon, but by His mercy. He went to preach Jagāi and Mādhāi, the drunkards, the woman-hunters, flesh-eaters, and they hurt Him. Still, He delivered them.

So these astra..., this is the astra. By argument, by philosophy, by entreating, by flattering, they are giving Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Advaita Prabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu. Yes. Otherwise, they are already killed. Kṛṣṇa, if He kills them, then everything is finished. They are already killed by so many bad habits. They are going to hell. So those who are already killed, so what will be benefit by killing them? So deliver them. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. This is the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. It is stated. And how He is worshiped? Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). The worshiping method of Lord Caitanya incarnation of Kṛṣṇa is not very difficult. Simply yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ. You perform this yajña of saṅkīrtana: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was a minister. So to confirm this, he asked Caitanya Mahāprabhu that "How I can accept somebody as incarnation?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "That is not difficult. Everything is stated in the śāstras, and from the evidence of śāstra, you can accept who is incarnation."

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

So these two brothers were creating disturbance in the, on the street, and there was a crowd. Lord Nityānanda saw the crowd and inquired from persons, "What is this crowd?" Lord Nityānanda and Haridāsa Ṭhākura were out for preaching. So people informed that "There are two brothers, most sinful, and they are creating disturbance. So there is crowd." So immediately Nityānanda Prabhu said, "Why not deliver these two brothers immediately? Then it will be a great credit for Caitanya Mahāprabhu." This is preacher. He is thinking the credit of the master, not for himself. He risks his life. And the Jagāi-Mādhāi brothers hurt Him on the head by throwing a stone. So blood also came out, but still, they said "All right, it is all right. You have hurt Me. Blood is oozing out. That doesn't matter. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is preaching. Not that I remain safety and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. No. We have to go out, meet the Jagāi Mādhāi. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Because the world is full of Jagāi-Mādhāi.

Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969:

They have also meeting, crow's meeting. If you kill one crow, you'll see thousands of crows will come and hold their meeting: "Oh, one crow is dead by the human being. We shall..." And if the man is detected, this man has killed, these crows will, I mean to say, hurt the head of that man. They'll come in flocks. Yes. I have seen in India. Yes. They sometimes attack. So they have got also their own defensive measure. The crow's meeting.

So they are not interested (in) all these political affairs or so-called social affairs and resolution because they know this is not the method of becoming peaceful or prosperous. This is not the method. Without... Hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti. Without God consciousness, nobody can be happy. Therefore if we write something, if a devotee writes something about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness... Here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavaḥ. Such kind of creative energy which is trying to put something for understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, janatāgha-viplavaḥ, that brings a revolution to the people for killing their effect of sinful activities. Janatā agha. Janatā means people in general, and agha, agha means sins. And that will... That can be... By such literature, spreading such literature, Kṛṣṇa consciousness literature, there will be a revolution in the sinful activities of the people in general. Janatāgha-viplavaḥ.

Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

They do not know what is the solution of world problems. What is that solution? They do not know the solution is svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum, your interest is to love God. Unfortunately, you have been misled, durāśayā, by a false hope. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ, by external energy. The leaders... Now we are preaching love of God, nobody is interested. But if we had given some political bluff that "Here will be such and such party's meeting, and it will give you heaven hand to hand," oh, people will throng. You see. Because they are cheating. Satya bole ta mare lakta(?). There is a nice poet, he says that if you tell the truth, people will come with their logs to hurt you. And chuta jagat bolai(?): and if you bluff them, they will be very nicely follower. This is the position. Actually, this is the solution. It is not that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement or Bhaktivedanta Swami who has started, he has concocted this idea." No. It is standard. You come to argument, to reason. This formula that your interest is to love God. You have no other interest in this human form of life. Then your problems of life will be solved. Otherwise there is no possibility. If any other person is giving you any other idea, he's simply misleading you.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1 -- Los Angeles, May 19, 1972:

Therefore sometimes, when people say in India, "Swamiji, you have done wonderful." And yes, I do not know. I'm not a magician. But, so far I am confident that I did not adulterate the words of Kṛṣṇa.

That's all. That's my credit. I did not like to take the position of Kṛṣṇa. I remained a servant of Kṛṣṇa, and I spoke what Kṛṣṇa said. That's all. This is my secret. So everyone can do that. There is nothing magic. The magic will act as soon as you become a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. The magic will be done by Kṛṣṇa, not by me or you. He will do it. Just like a small child. Nobody can hurt him. The father will take care. He does not know. He's simply depending on father. "My father, mother." That's all. Kṛṣṇa says that "You surrender unto Me, I give you protection." He's not a liar. He's not inefficient. He's strong. He's sufficiently opulent. He can do that. So believe in Kṛṣṇa's word and surrender unto Him, and don't spoil this human form of life. Death is sure. Before death, we must prepare to go back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 2.9.14 -- Melbourne, April 13, 1972:

That is intelligent class. And administrator class means they are interested in giving protection to the people. Now it is under nationalism. And give them protection from the enemies, from thieves, from rogues. That is the duty of the kṣatriya. Kṣat. Kṣatta means injury, and tra means one who protects or liberates. "One who protects a human being from being hurt by others"—that is called kṣatriya. And brāhmaṇa means one who knows Brahman, the Absolute Truth. And vaiśya means those who know visampati, the economic problem. And śūdra means laborer. So each word has got meaning. So everyone has got his particular type of occupation, either as intelligent class of men, or as the administrator class of men, or as vaiśyas, traders, or merchants, or as a laborer. Everyone has got.

Lecture on SB 3.26.15 -- Bombay, December 24, 1974:

Here it is said that brahmaṇaḥ saguṇasya ha. Saguṇasya brahmaṇaḥ, these twenty-five elements, they cover him, that means the living entity who has come in this material world. But Kapiladeva or Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, He is not saguṇa; He is always nirguṇa. Nirguṇa guṇa ca. In... The Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Although He is nirguṇa, but He is the controller of the guṇas." Kṛṣṇa is not controlled. Mama māyā guṇamayī. Kṛṣṇa says, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). Mama māyā: "This māyā, this energy, is My energy." So energy is controlled by the energetic. Suppose if you have got some energy, you can control it. Suppose if you have got very good energy to kill anyone or to hurt one or to beat anyone, good strength, but that strength is not beyond you. The strength is under your control. When you like, you can use it; when you do not like, you cannot use it, you do not use it.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:

In every scripture, there is a process of atonement. Just like in Christian religion, at the time of death, if somebody admits that "I have committed this kind of sin," it is supposed that he is forgiven. Similarly, in Muslim scripture there is also similar injunction, and in Hindu scripture there are many such injunctions. And as far as possible, they are followed by different followers. So the same thing is confirmed here: "My dear King, if somebody does not atone for his sinful activities..." Sinful activities function in three ways. Here it is stated. What is that? Mana-ukta-pāṇibhiḥ. Mana-ukta-pāṇibhiḥ: by mind, by activities of the mind, and by activities of our words, and by activities of our senses. And if I hurt you by harsh word, then that is also a sin. And when actually commit violence or do something with my hands or legs or something, that is certainly sinful. So we can commit sins in three ways: mind and words and karma, by action. Thinking, feeling and willing and acting. Therefore a svāmī or gosvāmī means who has control over the function of the mind, of the words, and of the activities of the senses. There is definition. "One who can control the tongue, one who can control the mind, one who can control the words, one who can control the belly, one who can control the generative organ, he is svāmī." And pṛthiviṁ sa śiṣyāt: "He is allowed to create disciples all over the world."

Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:

He did not approve. He wanted to see that everyone is engaged in preaching work, some sort of preaching work, either indoor or outdoor. When you are indoor you have to be busy writing articles for a magazine and proofread and so many things indoors. And outdoors you have to go door to door, make them members, make them interested in this movement, collect money for expenses, outdoor. Preaching, you have to meet opposing elements. So many will criticize, so many will attack. Nityānanda Prabhu was hurt personally, but still, outdoor. This is missionary work, not that "Whenever I find some opportunity, go to some solitary place and sleep." This is not missionary life.

So we should adjust things, not that "All right, it is going on. That's all." You have got very responsible business, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is genuine, it is authorized, and Lord Caitanya wants us to do it all over the world. The things should be adjusted and keep us always alive to our self responsibility. That is missionary life, not to give away. (aside:) So it is working?

So I think we should now... Six-thirty, yes. You can have kīrtana, another kīrtana. Our business is very responsible.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Hawaii, March 21, 1969:

That is required. Similarly, there is no misuse by God or His devotee. Otherwise, there is no question of..., that the devotee or God should not be angry, but they know how to use it. That is the difference. As God knows where to use anger, similarly, devotee should also know where to use anger. "I am not angry. You can beat me with shoes. I am not angry." That is not devotional. You see? But, the thing is, a devotee is not angry on his personal account. Just like God also does not become angry on His personal account. Suppose Hiraṇyakaśipu wants to hurt Kṛṣṇa. What he can do to Kṛṣṇa? So where is the cause of anger? He was angry not that Hiraṇyakaśipu was a demon or nondevotee. He was angry because that demon was teasing the devotee. For His personal account, He cannot be angry. What anyone can harm Kṛṣṇa? He is so powerful. Suppose a small ant comes and bites me. So is that the cause of my anger? No. What is that? That is nothing. Similarly, what Hiraṇyakaśipu can do so that the Lord should be angry? But then why then He was angry? He was angry for His devotee. Similarly, we also, if we are devotee, we shall be angry when God is insulted. When devotee is insulted, we should be very much angry. But if somebody insults me, I don't be angry. "All right, he insulted. I tolerate." But when you speak against God, when you say, "I am God," I shall beat you with shoes. I shall be so much angry. You see.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

Pradyumna: "In the midst of the ocean, such volcanic eruptions can do very little harm, and similarly, those who are against devotional service to the Lord and who put forward many philosophical theses about the ultimate transcendental realization cannot disturb this great ocean of devotional service."

Prabhupāda: That sometimes, everyone knows, there is volcanic eruption in the ocean. What does it harm to the ocean? It throws out some lava, some little island may come out, but what is the harm to the ocean? Similarly, these rascal may go on with their philosophy for killing Kṛṣṇa. That does not hurt Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It will go on. This ocean will never be disturbed by these so-called philosophies. This will never be disturbed. Go on.

Pradyumna: "The author of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, very humbly submits that he is just trying to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, although he humbly thinks himself unfit for this work."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Every Vaiṣṇava, that is Vaiṣṇava's sadācāra (?), humble. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. Although Vaiṣṇava knows everything, still he presents himself very humble, lower that the straw, humbler than the tree. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā, amāninā, they don't..., the devotee does not claim any so-called popular respect, false respect. They go on with their Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Festival Lectures

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

And in that way, whatever the disciples bring, that is his income. No salary, no contract, that "If you pay me hundred dollars or five hundred dollars weekly, then I can teach you." No. There is no such contract. Teaching is free. It is the business of a brāhmaṇa to give free education to everyone. Now, it is the... Just like in our institution, I am your teacher, but there is no such contract that you have to pay me. But you pay me more than anything. So paṭhana pāṭhana, that is the means of livelihood of brāhmaṇa. And kṣatriya, they are kings. They can levy tax of the citizens because they are giving protection from being hurt by others. Kṣatriya means one who gives protection (to) a man being hurt by others. That is the real root meaning. Kṣatriya. And vaiśya means they should, kṛṣi-gorakṣya-vāṇijyam, they should engage themselves in producing foodstuff, foodgrains, kṛṣi, protect cows. Especially gorakṣya. As the king is meant for giving protection to the man, similarly, a vaiśya is supposed to give protection to the cows, or they keep cows and produce milk products. They are vaiśya. And śūdra, simply service. So these are the different types of employment of different kinds of social order. And a king, the king has to see that everyone is employed. Not that hundreds of people are unemployed, and government has to give welfare, subsidy. Not like that. The king's duty is that everyone is independently earning his livelihood. That is king's duty.

General Lectures

Lecture -- San Francisco, April 2, 1968:

So in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, when he actually came in front of his relatives, he decided that "It is no good fighting with my relatives and taking the kingdom. Better I shall beg. I don't want this kingdom." That is a very nice proposal, nonviolence, not to fight. But on this point the Bhagavad-gītā, or the science of God, developed from the lips of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa said that "Why you are deviating from your duty? You are kṣatriya. Your business is to fight." Now this term kṣatriya also to be understood. Kṣatriya means one who protects others from being hurt by others. This material world is so made that everyone is prepared to attack another person. And one who protects that person who is attacked, he is called kṣatriya. And the kṣatriyas were in charge of administration. That means the person who can protect the citizen from being hurt or from suffering, they are called kṣatriyas. So just like it is the duty of the police department or law order department to protect the citizens, and sometimes violence is required, similarly, the kṣatriyas also were meant for that purpose, and they were entrusted with the administration of the government. So when Arjuna decided not to fight, Kṛṣṇa instructed him this Bhagavad-gītā. It is very interesting. He said that "You do not deviate from your duty.

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

The social orders are the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, and the śūdras; or the intellectual class of men... Brāhmaṇa means intellectual class of men—one who devotes his life only in studying Vedas and acquiring knowledge and distributing that. Every time, in every age, there is a class of men who are intellectual class. So this intellectual class of men is called brāhmaṇa. And the next class, the administrative class. Those who takes part in politics for administration of the state, government, they are called kṣatriyas. The actual meaning of kṣatriya is "one who protects a man from being hurt by others." That is called kṣatriya. That means, that is the business of the administrators, government. So brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, then vaiśyas. Vaiśyas means productive class who are interested in producing things for consumption by the people. Mercantile class, industrialists, they are called vaiśyas. And the last class, fourth class, they are called śūdras. Śūdras means that they are neither intellectual, nor they're administrator, nor industrial or mercantile, but they can serve others. That's all.

Lecture (Day after Lord Rama's Appearance Day) -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1970:

So Lord Buddha, when he saw that people are sacrificing animals in the name of religious rituals without any pity for them, at that time Lord Buddha appeared. Therefore it is stated, sadaya-hṛdaya-darśita-paśu-ghātam: "My dear Lord, You have appeared as Lord Buddha, just being compassionate to the poor animals." Lord Buddha preached ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ: "The best religious principle is to become nonviolent." He preached this philosophy, that "If somebody hurts you, you feel pain, then why should you kill other animal and put it into painful condition? So don't do these sinful activities." That was his main principle of philosophy that he preached. He was Hindu, kṣatriya, Hindu prince, born in a kṣatriya family, and he was prince, a very luxurious life. So as young man, when he saw an old man and he is traveling, walking with great difficulty, he asked his servant, "What is this? Why this man is walking in this way?" He was explained that "This is old age, and in old age everyone has to become like this." So he at once left home and sat down in Gayapradesh, a province in Bihar in India. And he began to meditate how to make solution of this old age.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Martin Heidegger:

That is my concern. I am keeping my things in the closet, locked. Why? (So that) my things may not be taken by somebody. This is real concern. I am keeping gun, (so) one may not hurt me, or may not attack me. That is called self-preservation. That is the concern. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. So that is in the animal kingdom. Everyone is (indistinct). Defence, what you call defence, that we are defying, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Our concern are divided into four parts. My first concern is where shall I eat, how shall I eat. And the next concern is where shall I sleep. And next the concern is how shall I enjoy my senses, who will be my partner. And next concern is how shall I live, how shall I defend. These are the concerns. And these concerns are there in the animals. So how human beings becomes better than animals? If the human being has got the same concern as the animals, then how the human being is better than the animals? What is that concern?

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Śyāmasundara: It's not just a mental image.

Prabhupāda: No, not mental. If the table is thrown upon me, I will fall. Then we cannot say that it is mental image. And it hurts me and blood oozes out; then it is not mental.

Śyāmasundara: He says that even illusions are genuinely real objects which are uncreated by the human mind. In other words, if I think I see a snake and it is actually a piece of rope, but if I think it is a snake, then it really is a snake.

Prabhupāda: That is reality of a snake; otherwise how this imagination comes to me? I have got an idea of snake. Now, in darkness there is a rope. So I may falsely take it as snake. That's doesn't matter. But snake is there. That is our argument.

Śyāmasundara: He says that the mind never creates anything new. It simply rearranges things. Everything already exists...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview with LA Times Reporter About Moon Trip -- December 26, 1968, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Anyway, anyway, just like I am inhabitant of Vrndavana. Vrndavana, that is ninety miles off from New Delhi. The atmosphere is almost the same. So, if I could live at Vrndavana, I could live at New Delhi also. So if they stayed sixty miles off from moon planet how is it that they could not go further sixty miles? This is most ludicrous. At least, we cannot believe such things. Sixty miles is no much difference. It is almost in the same atmosphere.

Reporter: If the space program, either the Russian or the American program, which have plans to try to land on the moon and return safely, if this is successful, do you think this accomplishment would hurt the Kṛṣṇa movement in the United States? It would contradict Vedic...

Prabhupāda: Why? First thing is even they are successful, according to our principle, it is simply waste of time. Because we are not concerned even with the moon planet. We are trying to go to the planet of Kṛṣṇa from where nobody returns back to this wretched condition of life. So the wretched condition of life is as good in moon planet as it is in this earth planet. And do you know what is the wretched condition of life? Yes. The birth, death, old age and disease. This is the wretched condition of life. So you cannot avoid this wretched condition of life in the moon planet also. There is birth, death, old age and disease. But where we are trying to go by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no birth, death, old age and disease. So even there are, people are successful to go to the moon planet, what connection we have got there? We are not at all concerned with any planet where there is birth, death and old age and disease. Even in the highest planet of this universe.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 12, 1969, New York:

Prabhupāda: Yes. "She'll go later on. She'll go." So he went back. The father used to..., went back. In this way, several times. Then it was agreed that the girl would go there, father's house, and the father took the girl in the morning, and in the evening Tulasī dāsa went there. (laughs) His wife chastised, "You are so rascal fool that I have come this morning and you have, evening you are here? You have so much attachment for the skin?" Just like husband and wife talking. That struck him very badly, and he immediately left that place and went to... Left home for good. Yes. And that was the initiation that he took up writing about Rāma. That is Tulasī dāsa's life. Just being, I mean to say, hurt by the words of wife, that "I love her,"... Later on he understood, "Yes, she is right. So why should I be so much attached?" She uttered this (indistinct), "If you have got so much attachment for this skin and bone; if you had so much attachment for Rāma then your life would have been different." So he took it seriously. "Why not attachment for Rāma?" So he became a great devotee of Rāma, Tulasī das. His book, Rāma-carita-mānasa. "Thinking always of Rāma," that is his book. It is very famous book, and that is the only important literature in the Hindi language, Rāma-carita-mānasa. It is very popular in India. Village to village. Practically Gītā Press has flourished simply by selling the Rāma-carita-mānasa and Gītā. Gītā and Rāma-carita-mānasa. Two books. Millions of books they print and sell, this Rāma-carita-mānasa and Bhagavad-gītā. So he has written that din ka dakini. In the daytime she is just like what is called, witches. Witch? Witch?

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: No, you can stick to all regulative principles provided you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness process. Otherwise it is not possible.

Bob: Yeah, but this is it. I have... When I'm back in Bihar and my friends may say... Well, we're sitting in the evening, and there's nothing to do but fight mosquitoes, and they'll say, "How about smoking some marijuana?" And I say, "Sure, there's nothing else to do," and then I sit down and I enjoy myself for the evening. Now, we did this... we got carried away, we were doing it every day and realized we were hurting ourselves and stopped, but still, on occasion we do that....

Prabhupāda: You have to live with us. Then your friends will not ask you, "What about marijuana?" (Bob laughs) Keep the association of devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-ras... (SB 3.25.25). We are opening centers to give chance people to associate with us. Why we have taken so much land? Providing for those who are seriously desirous. They will come and live with us. Association is very influential. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. If you associate with drunkards, you become a drunkard. If you associate with sādhu, then you become sādhu.

Śyāmasundara: He can come and stay with you in Bombay.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Prasādam is always prasādam. So because we are not elevated sufficiently, therefore we do not like some prasādam.

Bob: I found, specifically what I mean, is some was too spicy and hurt my stomach.

Prabhupāda: Well, that is also due to ... not appreciate. But Kṛṣṇa should be... The cook should have consideration that Kṛṣṇa must be offered first-class foodstuff. So if he offers something last class, that is not his duty. But Kṛṣṇa can accept anything if it is offered by a devotee, and a devotee also can accept any prasādam, even if it is spicy. (break) Hiraṇyakaśipu gave his son poison and he drank it nectarine. So for the devotee even it is spicy to other taste, it is very palatable to the devotee. What is the question of spicy? He was offered poison, real poison. (break) ...she also offered Kṛṣṇa poison, but Kṛṣṇa's so nice that "She took Me as My mother." So He took the poison and delivered her. Kṛṣṇa does not take the bad side. Any good man, he does not take the bad side; he takes only the good side. (break) He wanted to make business with my Guru Mahārāja. But he did not take the bad side. He took the good side that "He has come forward to give me some service. So whatever he wanted he gave him."

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: What they are doing here?

Śrutakīrti: I think they have been taking out those posts from the sand. A little dangerous.

Prabhupāda: Dangerous, why?

Śrutakīrti: When the water covers them, they can't be seen. Someone can get hurt on them.

Prabhupāda: So many dangers. (break) So there are no more talks in your...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, there is a talk coming next week. There is a lecturer coming next week. He's slightly connected with evolution. He's a Nobel Prize winner. He's from Berkeley. He's coming next week, next Wednesday. He is going to give two lectures in our department. He is going to talk on evolution. The first lecture.

Prabhupāda: Darwin.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, evolution in general. And second lecture is on cancer, the causes of cancer disease.

Brahmānanda: Do they know the cause of cancer?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, there are several theories. (laughter)

Morning Walk -- May 5, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: There are sometimes white, they say, suppose when I am injured, my external something hurts. They say the white blood corpuscles are responsible to protect the body. But when the white blood corpuscles is not enough, then infection normally occurs.

Prabhupāda: Anyway there is change of corpuscles. And with the change of corpuscles there is change of body. That is scientific. Therefore body is changing every moment, so why not after death? Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So consciousness is also subject to body's changes, change of body.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Body's circumstances association. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. According to association, atmosphere, circumstances, the desires changes. So that is, desire means consciousness. Just like our boys, they had different consciousness before coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like you are also scientist, there are other scientists. But your consciousness is different from theirs. Therefore you could challenge him like that. If you can create life by accumulation of these facts. He says that I do not know. He is not confident in his science.

Room Conversation with Two Buddhist Monks -- July 12, 1973, London:

Buddhist Monk (1): According to us, if we know how to live together, eat together in a cooperative spirit, we are not going to violate the five fundamental precepts, starting with (Sanskrit or Pali:) panatipata o ermani siksa patan samanti ami, (?) that is, not to cause any hurt to any mentally conscious living being.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Buddhist Monk (1): And ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ, nonviolence is the highest righteousness. And from this can come so much good. If we love each other, we express that love in its purest form by sharing, and if we share, we are not going to steal anything from someone else, we're not going to commit adultery, we're not going to say lies, and we'll not be under the influence of narcotics and so on. So that's that purification process, which is very, very powerful, not only for oneself, but the society in which it is used. So this is why I emphasize this virtue, and wherever I go, I try to meet within the limitations of time and transport...

Prabhupāda: Where you are staying here? London?

Buddhist Monk (1): That has become a little difficult because... It's difficult. We didn't know these āśramas, and we came yesterday. The Guru Nanak temple people made arrangements for our transport. We were staying with them for one week, and they looked after us dearly, and they made arrangements for our transport to come here. Some people were coming on some other business.

Garden Conversation with Mahadeva's Mother and Jesuit Priest -- July 25, 1973, London:

Revatīnandana: But the culture that he has, he's giving to us.

Mother: Yes, but you're not mature. It takes years to become mature. Hurt, pain, happiness, everything together... You find God? Yes, I've found God. We all... I feel very close to God, and I feel very happy. But I would also still wish to be educated. And fortunately, I was given the chance to have an education.

Prabhupāda: Education means to know God.

Mother: And I don't misuse it.

Prabhupāda: That is education. Our Vedic culture, the high class man is called brāhmaṇa.

Mother: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Brāhmaṇa, you know that.

Mother: Brāhmaṇa, yes.

Prabhupāda: So who is a brāhmaṇa? Who knows God, he is called brāhmaṇa. Therefore culmination of education is to understand God. That is education. Otherwise, to get education how to nicely eat, how nicely sleep, how nicely have sex life, and how to defend, this education is there even in the animals. The animals also, they know how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life and how to defend.

Morning Walk -- December 5, 1973, Los Angeles:

Yaśomatīnandana: Prabhupāda, in our movement there are so many sannyāsīs. If we see the sannyāsī, same, so many times in one day, we should bow down every time we see him?

Prabhupāda: If you can, of course.

Śrutakīrti: It wouldn't hurt.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...this time He used to take His saṅkīrtana party for strolling all over the city.

udilo aruṇa pūraba-bhāge
dwija-maṇi gorā amani jāge
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa...

Hṛdayānanda: Prabhupāda, we are helpless without you.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Hṛdayānanda: We are helpless without you.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Yes. Today sky is clear.

Umāpati: With this energy crisis now, it'll be even clearer.

Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Where is scientist? Svarūpa Dāmodara?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Here Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: So, what is the standard of goodness according to your scientific view?

Hṛdayānanda: They say, "Just don't... If someone does what he likes and doesn't hurt anyone else, that's good."

Karandhara: They don't do that.

Hṛdayānanda: "If I just do my thing for God but I don't hurt anyone, that's good."

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They have no definition for standard of goodness.

Prabhupāda: No. No, no many times they...

Hṛdayānanda: Many times they say that...

Prabhupāda: They have no standard. But we have got definition of God. That is the difference. What is our definition?

Satsvarūpa: Supreme controller.

Prajāpati: That person who is complete with all six opulences...

Morning Walk -- December 10, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: No, I have already explained. What is not God? That is already explained. Anything you bring, He is, God is there. Without God, nothing can exist. So why this or that? Anything, that is God. But He's absolute. His love and His enmity, that is the same thing. We distinguish, here in this material world, "This is love and this is animosity." But God's animosity and God's love—the same thing. That is acintya. Here in the relative world we cannot adjust how animosity and love can be the same, one and the same. That is acintya, inconceivable by us. But God's love... Just like God's love for the gopīs and God's enmity for Kaṁsa, they're reaching the same result. Both of them are going to the spiritual world. Just like Pūtanā and Mother Yaśodā. Pūtanā came to poison Kṛṣṇa, and Mother Yaśodā is always anxious to save Kṛṣṇa, naughty child. He may not be hurt. So two opposite things. But both of them got the same result. Kṛṣṇa thought that "I have sucked her breast, so she is My mother. She must go to the same destination as Yaśodā Mā." Just see. That is His enmity. And that is absolute.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 16, 1974, Hawaii:

Prabhupāda: ...in the history there is no such action.

Devotee: There was one time on one of the other islands. It fell on someone, some child.

Bali Mardana: Sometimes during a storm it may be loosened.

Prabhupāda: That is another thing.

Satsvarūpa: Kṛṣṇa lets them fall in such a way that people don't get hurt.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...grow fruit, eh? (break) And if the fruit is green, it will never fall. Therefore when the fruits are grown, green, take it down. But that they do not know.

Bali Mardana: I don't know if they do.

Prabhupāda: Because they do not use coconut.

Sudāmā: No, they throw them away.

Bali Mardana: They are not intelligent.

Sudāmā: They don't know anything about dābs.

Bali Mardana: No?

Sudāmā: They think dābs is not good. Yes, karmīs don't like the taste.

Prabhupāda: The only good thing is meat, for them. Kadarya-bhakṣana kare. Nānā yoni sadā phire, kadarya-bhakṣana kare

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Guru dāsa: When Hanumān, he's a great bhakta. We should follow in his footsteps. "One who says he is My devotee, he is not My devotee. One who says he is a devotee of My devotee, he is My devotee." Very humble. Then we can make advancement (CC Madhya 13.80).

Guest (1): Mahārāja is teaching—you asked his teaching—these things are the same really, I, things that he's told me. But he said that the whole universe was God, and that you should never hurt anyone, that you should serve...

Prabhupāda: How you can serve whole universe?

Guest (1): I beg your pardon.

Prabhupāda: How you can serve whole universe?

Guest (1): How can you serve the whole universe?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (1): You love the beings that you find yourself...

Prabhupāda: You love? To whom you love?

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh, so...

Dr. Kapoor: ...struck against our car, you see, and the car bounced, it jumped. It's about four or five feet from the ground, and it fell upside down, and there was not a scratch, I tell you. Not one of us was hurt. Not one of us. And a camel on the roadside, so he and one passenger, they were both killed.

Prabhupāda: Killed?

Dr. Kapoor: Killed. I think (indistinct) to us.

Guest: At that time you remembered Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, at that time. He remembers Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān.

Dr. Kapoor: Baba, I did not (indistinct) (laughter).

Prabhupāda: He remembers Kṛṣṇa always.

Dr. Kapoor: But Kṛṣṇa remembered me (laughter), and you see it has been my experience, you see, on such occasions, if you are dedicated to Kṛṣṇa, even if you don't remember Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa remembers you always.

Prabhupāda: That is the special...

Morning Walk -- June 9, 1974, Paris:

Bhagavān: That is called madness when they...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Bhagavān: Madness when they keep creating things which are hurting them, but they don't stop.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is māyā. Māyā is very strong.

Bhagavān: We can go down this way.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Hare Kṛṣṇa... (break) ...different countries, they are very careful. When foreigners come, if they bring some fruit, "No, no. You cannot take it within." And they keep the lakes contaminated. You cannot bring in one fruit, but you can keep the whole lake contaminated. This is their intelligence. Why they are contaminating? Eh?

Bhagavān: All the factories.

Prabhupāda: Their very business is contaminated, factories. (break) Even the sea has become contaminated.

Bhagavān: The sea?

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 22, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: For what purpose? The tail, cut the tails?

Śrutakīrti: When you milk the cow, they sometimes hit you in the face with their tail.

Prabhupāda: Oh, oh.

Devotee 1: Sometimes it's very dangerous. They can hurt your eye or something.

Śrutakīrti: In New Vrindaban sometimes they tie it to the ceiling. But not cutting. (break)

Madhudviṣa: ...comprised of spirit souls, unlimited amounts of shining spirit souls?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Combination.

Madhudviṣa: Combination. Of something else besides...?

Prabhupāda: Impersonalists, they do not accept personal feature. Means they fall down again.

Madhudviṣa: That means there must be a lot of impersonalists.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Conversation in car -- May 23, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: So we have to take little patience. That is preaching work. Don't be impatient. Let us do our duty on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. Even the result is not very appreciable, still we have to do it. This is preaching. Just like Nityānanda Prabhu. He was hurt by Jagāi-Mādhāi. Still, He determined, "No, these two boys must be delivered." This is the example. "Never mind, they have injured Me; still, I shall deliver them." And He did it. They became Vaiṣṇava. So our preaching determination should be like that, not that we are failure in some cases, and therefore give it up. No. This is our business. We must go on doing this. Failure or success, it doesn't matter. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said to preach. He never said, "If you are failure, don't preach." Never said that. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa: (CC Madhya 7.128) "Whomever you meet, you just give him the instruction of Kṛṣṇa." He never says that "If somebody does not hear you, don't do it." No. Kṛṣṇa said that "Don't talk with the fools and rascals and those who are not undergone some penances."

Kṛṣṇa said. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so kind. He said, "To everyone say."

Śrutakīrti: So we are following Lord Caitanya's...

Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu:

Yogi Bhajan: Five years ago we had a one-paper print. We used to give it away for five cents. That developed into a paper. This is how everything develops. And my basic idea is people must share. And why not come there, participate, share, say what you have to say? It is one of the funny coincidence that we both live in Culver City. We live very adjoining to each other. And I go to your temple, see how it is made and how they are doing and what kind of marble they are using. And I have a lot of things to criticize but... You know. They are messing it up, but they are spending a lot of money. (laughter) So I don't mind what they are doing, but it is really a waste, lot of it is waste. I go and watch and it hurts me. But I just go around see, after all. You must have very wise architects.

Prabhupāda: They are very expert in wasting. (laughter)

Yogi Bhajan: Yeah, that I have seen. That is totally what annoys me sometime and then I go and "Well, say you have to learn this way. It doesn't matter." Now, the Mexico marble has a flower arranged in it. Everybody has two eyes, and that flower arrange can be arranged, and none of your persons, in spite of my... One day I yelled at them and say, "I am going to pull your out of your this little hair, and what are you doing, waste of time?" They said, "Well, we have to ask some mahātmā, some ācārya. Someone will tell him the message." I went again next day. They did it exactly what was wrong. But you know, they are kids. They will learn. So I go and poke my nose all the time because I thought if I can tell them, they will do it better. But my basic situation is we are doing...

Prabhupāda: The Americans, they have no value for their money.

Press Conference -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: So this movement is to make the people Aryan.

Guest (2): Telling... (microphone moving) Let's say, people who fight for their rights, the blacks in the United States or...

Prabhupāda: ...for the kṣatriya? Kṣatriya means one who gives protection from being hurt, kṣat. Kṣat means hurting. So suppose if I unnecessarily hurt you, then it is the duty of the government to give you protection. So unless I am also punished by violence, I cannot..., He cannot give you protection. So this is also necessary. Therefore in the society there must be kṣatriya. The brāhmaṇas should be learned; they should give instruction, advice. The kṣatriyas should give protection; the vaiśyas should produce, economic development; and rest, they should assist-śūdras, that's all. This is the program of Aryan society.

Guest (5) (Indian man): How long do you expect to stay in Mauritius?

Brahmānanda: Prabhupāda is leaving Sunday for Durban and Johannesburg.

Guest (5): And the others?

Brahmānanda: They will stay here. We're making a center here.

Guest (1): Have you any program of Swamiji for the common mass?

Brahmānanda: Here in the evenings.

Morning Walk -- October 28, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is democracy.

Brahmānanda: Usually their philosophy is that anyone has the liberty to do whatever he likes as long as it doesn't hurt another, as long as it doesn't infringe on another's liberty.

Prabhupāda: Then how you are killing the animals? (break) ...eat meat, therefore you are killing poor animals. Why you are interfering others' life? (break) ...the best park here. (break) Here there is no such park.

Brahmānanda: Really?

Prabhupāda: Nice park. (break)

Cyavana: ...agricultural.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. All opulent.

Cyavana: Yes. All fruits...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: "I don't suffer. (laughter) I am enjoying."

Harikeśa: You are enjoying death and old age?

Prabhupāda: "Yes, you are putting upon me some impression, 'suffering,' but I am enjoying."

Harikeśa: Your knee is hurt. Is that enjoying?

Prabhupāda: "That I am curing. That is also nice." (laughter)

Harikeśa: But soon the whole thing will be finished. You will not... No one enjoys death. No one will take voluntarily a death pill.

Prabhupāda: Nobody of you could answer the question. Now I give you again chance to answer this question very properly. Why one should be obliged to please Kṛṣṇa? Why?

Harikeśa: Just like this finger. Its position is to serve the body. Just like the stomach. Everyone may be jealous of the stomach and not want to feed the stomach, but if all the hands and the legs and the mouth went on strike not to feed the stomach...

Prabhupāda: This is the right answer.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 17, 1976, Mayapur:

Jayapatāka: Yes. Otherwise sometimes he just picks up devotee and throws. Just last night he picked one devotee and threw him. Very dangerous now. He used to be quiet but now he's getting old and ornery.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He threw the devotee?

Sudāmā: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hurt?

Jayapatāka: Yes, hurt. Hurt his leg.

Prabhupāda: Then how to control?

Jayapatāka: We have to build him a special cage. Pīppalāi and others, they are able to control with stick and by nose. But inexperienced man, they just walk right next to him and then-whsst! You have to be careful when you go by him, so we have to put him separate...

Prabhupāda: Separate. That is the way. That Hanuman Prasād in...?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm. Yes, I remember him.

Prabhupāda: So, yes, so just suggest that way. Give him a plan.

Morning Walk -- February 27, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That dirty word used by him?

Hṛdayānanda: Practically every other word.

Dayānanda: Filthy language.

Hṛdayānanda: They discovered... So this is what also hurt him because they discovered some tape of private conversations, and it was very, very obscene. Practically every other word was bad word.

Prabhupāda: He was a lawyer. He's a lawyer?

Hṛdayānanda: Yes.

Dayānanda: In America now, so many so-called cultured men, lawyers and doctors and so many cultured men, their language is very horrible, their...

Prabhupāda: Vulgar.

Dayānanda: Their whole attitude is vulgar also, not just language but whole... Yeah. And like even in Europe before, a gentleman was a gentleman. They were... I think. And even in America before, they had some good qualities. But now the so-called gentlemen or educated men, they're very vulgar.

Hṛdayānanda: Vicious.

Morning Walk -- March 22, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yei bhaje sei boro. Here is woman (indistinct) engaged in worshiping (indistinct), she is great. Yei bhaje sei boro. So why should we hurt woman? Anyone who is engaged in service, he is big. The dress is not important. The advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is important. We have to see from that formula. Just like we sometimes have to dress like ordinary gentleman and sell books. Does it mean he is deviating? No. He's serving Kṛṣṇa, dress or no dress. It doesn't matter. If you stick to the dress, "Oh, I have taken sannyāsī, I cannot..." He cannot sell the books. Where is your service influence? You must give service first. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Is that Līlāvatī? No. It is Līlāvatī? No. I was thinking that she is Līlāvatī dressed like a widow, because she never likes to be widow. (laughter)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That's Hridayānanda's old wife.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That's Hridayānanda's old wife.

Prabhupāda: Oh, Dayānanda's?

Morning Walk -- April 26, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Mother Yaśodā is always anxious. "Kṛṣṇa is crawling. Whether He is falling down in some water or some monkey has come, hurting Him, or...?" Always. Or "He is touching some fire." Always anxiety. And besides that, the demons are coming. So this is perfection. Always remain in anxiety for Kṛṣṇa.

Guru-kṛpā: (break) They just think, na śocati na kāṅkṣati.

Prabhupāda: Māyāvādī rascal, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has condemned them, māyāvādī-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). If you hear Māyāvādī association, then your bhakti life is finished. Don't touch them. (break) Still, they are little more than the karmīs. (break) ...this place they are dragged through this, what is called? Short grass? Through this.

Devotee (1): That is anxiety, Śrīla Prabhupāda. That is anxiety, when one goes to Yamarāja and has to face.

Prabhupāda: That is the result of material anxiety. (break) To become anxiety-less, no more anxiety. That is nonsense.

Guru-kṛpā: They say, "Kṛṣṇa says, na śocati na kāṅkṣati."

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: So many holes, and he's criticizing me, "Oh, you have got a hole. (Bengali) These rascal, they do not know whether he's this body or something other than body, and they're philosopher. The basic principle of knowledge is lacking, and they're philosopher. Cheater.

Devotee (3): They say at the time of death they will learn a lesson, but if, when they go into a new body, they forget, how will it help them?

Prabhupāda: Forgetful does not mean that they... Suppose this child, he's hurt, and when he'll be grown up he may forget, but that means... That does not mean that he was not hurt.

Devotee (3): Hm.

Devotee (2): (break) ...for devotees, then they have no right to claim that they are philosophers or scientists.

Prabhupāda: Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad guṇāḥ. If one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious he has no knowledge. He's a rascal, immediately. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). This is the definition given by... If he's not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's immediately miscreant, rascal, and lowest of the mankind. (break) ...may say that he has passed M.A., Ph.D., D.A.C.(?) and he's a philosopher. But we..., our test is whether he's God conscious. If not, he's a rascal. That's all. Immediately.

Morning Walk -- June 3, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: Purifies his desires.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But he doesn't have to feel the pain if he's obedient.

Rāmeśvara: If he insists.

Prabhupāda: He gives instruction. Just like I said, "Don't touch. It will hurt your finger. It is not good." "No, no." "So all right, touch."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You mentioned that the more intelligent person can become obedient by hearing. The less intelligent person has to see, suffer.

Prabhupāda: By practical experience. Dekhe sekhe thekhe sekhese. Tekhe sekhese(?) means he's a fool. Unless he comes to the actual position, he does not learn. And therefore śāstra-cakṣus—one who follows the śāstra's instruction, he is safe. That is experienced already. (end)

Morning Walk -- June 13, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: So only remedy is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Ambarīṣa: Yes. About a month ago there was a black lawyer, and he was walking out of the City Hall in Boston, and some white people beat him with an American flag. They beat him with an American flag and hurt him very badly, and this caused very much...

Prabhupāda: Commotion.

Ambarīṣa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: There is hatred within. Artificially they have given equal rights. (break)

Devotee (4): ...because in bad neighborhood, (break) (continues onboard bus)

Prabhupāda: ...two vans.

Satsvarūpa: Besides this, well, we have so many more. Ghanaśyāma and the men in the library party, they have three vans, and then the men who finance their travels, they have two vans, so that's another five.

Prabhupāda: Along with this van, another van goes?

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: And after this hard labor, his only recreation is wine. Did you drink?

Hari-śauri: (laughs) Yes, we used to go straight from the steel works to the pub, public house.

Jagadīśa: I also worked in a factory for a while. Same thing. And people were always getting hurt.

Prabhupāda: You are not meant for that. (laughs)

Hari-śauri: No.

Prabhupāda: I thought you joined from college?

Jagadīśa: Yes, but during the summer I had a job in a factory.

Prabhupāda: Oh, to get some money.

Jagadīśa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: This girl Elizabeth paid so much money; it is due to Govardhana.

Jagadīśa: Due to?

Prabhupāda: Govardhana.

Conversation with Prof. Saligram and Dr. Sukla -- July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Hm. That is success. If we learn our failure and try to rectify it, that is (indistinct).

Devotee (3): I asked Prabhupāda the other day, because Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "Forget the past, it sleeps and never the future dream at all. Live with times that are of thee, and progress thee shall call." So I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, is it possible to forget the past? Śrīla Prabhupāda said, "No, that would not be possible, but we can think like this, that 'I have done so many foolish things,' and rectify it. Not that we should remain fools. Then what would be the value of our experience? Just like a child, he can put his finger in the fan and it hurts. So then he learns not to do it again. But if he's so dull-headed that again and again he puts his finger in the fan... Basically our experience from the material world should be duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). That the material world is simply a place of misery. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhī-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). That we should perceive the miseries of birth and death, disease and old age. That should be our experience in the material world. From this we should aspire for real happiness. (indistinct)

Morning Walk -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They hurt our collection, I think.

Vāsughoṣa: No, they haven't given anything to our temple, but for this, the same people, some of them, most of them refused even to become members. One man who refused me to become a member, he gave fifty thousand rupees for prasādam.

Prabhupāda: Why they refused us or help us?

Hari-śauri: He's talking about some Bhāgavata-saptāha they had there.

Prabhupāda: Because it is...

Acyutānanda: They are the "Hindus." We are the foreigners.

Press Interview at Muthilal Rao's House -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: I am staying now. But I am not changed. But at the same time I have not forgotten my religion. I have not changed my faith. Many people say you must know that I drink. Am I a drunkard? Am I a trouble-maker? No. Sometimes in the society it becomes a necessity. I am not a sādhu, I am not a sannyāsī, I have not renounced the world. Many of you have drunk with me. Some of you at least. So what? Am I a sinner, if I remember my religion, if I pray my God, if I pray my Lord? No. I do not dupe anybody, do not cheat anybody, do not harm anybody, do not hurt anybody. That's what I have been following. That is why I think my God has been very very kind to me. That is why, because of Lord Kṛṣṇa, all of you have been very kind to me throughout... Can you imagine a poor man born in a poor family winning four elections without money? People spend lakhs. Lord knows in 1952 how much money have I spent? Two thousand rupees. '58, '57 maybe twelve thousand rupees. '62 maybe about forty to forty-five thousand. Of course, '67 was expensive for me. I had to sell away my humble house. So this is all faith. Faith in God, faith in country, that is patriotism. Without patriotism we talk and yap a lot. "What do you think of this?

Room Conversation on New York court case -- November 2, 1976, Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: The millions of liquor manufacturers, breweries, millions of gambling houses, so, cigarette factories, so theoretically if this movement is successful then whole civilization is finished. So they are now looking... Because these young men have taken seriously so they are threatened and they are making a strong party to fight with us. They cannot safely say that (indistinct) this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement they are (indistinct) a charge against my movement or me that I am kidnapping young men. That is their (indistinct). I am not kidnapping, I am not going to their house to kidnap. They are coming to us. (Hindi)

kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī
dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau
śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau...

The gosvāmīs, they are śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau. Now prove! They are descendants, now prove: come forward. Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau. Simply sitting at home. And in Bengal there is Nityānanda-vaṁśa. What is Nityānanda-vaṁśa? Nityānanda went forward before Jagāi-Mādhāi and He was hurt. Blood came out. Where is that Nityānanda-vaṁśa? Fight between Jagāi-Mādhāi and Nityānanda.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Let them chant and take prasādam. They'll... Everyone will get. Then gradually, as a snake charming, by chanting, chanting, chanting, then they will be subdued. And that is guaranteed process. There is no doubt. Anyone, even a man is like a snake. In material world everyone is a snake, envious. Snake is very envious. You are passing by the side, "Oh! You are passing by my side?" This is snake. No offense. Because he is passing—he has got the poison-he'll utilize it. This is snake. Without offense. If somebody hurts him or tramples him—no. "Oh, you are so daring? You are passing? You do not know I am snake." Sarpaḥ kruraḥ khalaḥ kruraḥ sarpāt krurataraḥ khalaḥ. There are similarly men also. Unnecessarily they are envious, offensive, unnecessary. They cannot tolerate others' opulence. Just like our Godbrothers. They are envious. What I have done to them? I am doing my business, trying to serve my Guru Mahārāja. But they are envious because I am so opulent. I have got so much fame, so many influence, so much influence all over the world. Everyone is praising me about... That is ignorance. And this is regrettable because they are posing themselves as Vaiṣṇava. Ordinary man can do that, but they are dressing like Vaiṣṇava, and they are so envious. That Tīrtha Mahārāja, unnecessarily he was envious, whole life fighting, fighting, fighting in the court and died. Simply planning. So who has gone for the beads? Simply planning. So who has gone for the beads?

Morning Discussion about Kumbhamela -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That's nice. Above all, manage. That's all right, nicely. The foodstuff must be palatable. That should not be rubbish thing.

Gurudāsa: No. How are we going to feed others if we are not feeding the devotees nicely?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, yesterday we made simple cooking. How it was nice.

Gurudāsa: We're making soup at night, simple soup, and devotees like it 'cause it's not hurting their digestion. And I'm having some flat rice on hand for anyone who needs it. So, I'm trying to care for everything.

Prabhupāda: There is milk supply? No.

Gurudāsa: Yes. We have one man from Vṛndāvana who's bringing milk at 2.70 a kilo, a little costly, but Mela time, and they have to bring it from a far distance. Anyway, 2.70, kilo, cow's milk.

Prabhupāda: Cow's milk...

Hari-śauri: They say. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Cow's milk means buffalo with water.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Rāmeśvara: In any event, they all report encountering another, a luminous being, when they leave their body. Every one of them said the same thing. So if they're Christians, it describes that they were thinking that "This must be Jesus coming to save me."

Prabhupāda: That may they think. There is no harm.

Rāmeśvara: They describe the light. "It was beautiful and it was so bright, so radiant, but it did not hurt my eyes. It is not any kind of light you can describe on earth. I actually did not see a person within the light, yet it has a special identity. It definitely does. It was asking questions. It is a light of perfect understanding..."

Prabhupāda: The light is the rays. The person is there.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. They just could not see.

Prabhupāda: (aside:) Who is he?

Hari-śauri: Somebody stuck his head through the fence. Why not read about the..., about a review of the past life? There, this section here.

Rāmeśvara: But again, that's just subjective. These people who encountered this luminous being, they did not feel that they were being judged. They just felt that he was their friend coming to help them. That is their description.

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The idea behind this is that the jaws of this crocodile is so big and so powerful that they can crush, they say, the femur of a buffalo, the thigh, a big all at once, they can crush it immediately. But in the case of the egg, he has this loving tendency, tender care, so that the little one is not hurt, the feeling, their conscious feeling.

Prabhupāda: Affectionate.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. How that can come about by this..., those pushes and pulls? That is our question. We inquire how can this be explained just in terms of atoms and molecules? If we assume that life is nothing but a manifestation of these pushes and pulls of these molecular interactions, then science has no explanation. Then we take example from Darwin himself, his own words.

Hari-śauri: Did you read this caption, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for this crocodile? 'Cause it explains how the male crocodile, he takes the egg underneath his tongue and he rolls it backwards and forwards very gently until the young crocodile hatches, and then he leaves his mouth open, and the little crocodile jumps out and swims ashore.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Room Conversation -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: How he may... Some more money is spent or less money, that doesn't matter. We want to see whether the result is there. I understand in that way. Phalena paricīyate. Account... You may spend ten rupees more or less; it doesn't matter. I never kept. I want to see the result, that's all. I was asking Tripurāri that whether this opposition has hurt our book selling. He said no. Is it all right?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I'd say that's a... It hurts initially, but then we rebound. On the whole, it does not hurt.

Prabhupāda: That we want to see.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, on the whole.

Prabhupāda: Our real damage is there. Otherwise let them do whatever they like.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But I want to explain that. In other words... I'll give you an example. Now they have learned that the way they can hurt us is through book distribution. They're understanding that. For example, now in about three or four different cities they are going to the airports where we do our big book distribution. And three or four people are engaged to break up all the sales. This happened in Chicago, it happened in San Diego and it happened in Minneapolis all within the last two or three months.

Hari-śauri: Still happening there?

Morning Conversation -- April 23, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're starting to catch on to him now, and when they do it's going to be a big scandal because he really made it into the American..., all over the world, but especially in America. He even got into the Army. They were teaching Transcendental Meditation in the Army. Even in schools... He had it in public schools. He said, "It is not at all religious. It's science, and it should be taught. Just like you teach gymnastics, you should also teach this." So if this becomes exposed, oh... It'll also hurt us indirectly, but actually it'll be good for us. But naturally they'll think that "All of these groups are now bogus." He's very much accepted in the public mind. But now the Congressional committees are investigating him.

Prabhupāda: And ours is accepted.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Our is very accepted.

Prabhupāda: That's a great achievement.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That should be, this Congressional... Who has got so many temples?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, they have a lot of offices, but they don't have any temples where Deities are worshiped. None of them. They don't touch Deity worship.

Prabhupāda: Rogues and thieves, what they know about Deity worship?

Conversation with Bhakti-caitanya Swami-New GBC -- June 30, 1977, Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But since they are sentimental, we have to work in such a way that even the sentiments aren't hurt. That's all I'm trying to say.

Trivikrama: But also that bill should be paid. The BBT should be paid.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, it has to be a two-way thing. You have to get books, and you have to pay for them.

Bhakti-caitanya: That's all. Sometimes like the... Suppose I get lot of books worth of five thousand today, and there's no money. We have to sell the book. That gives us a month to pay them.

Prabhupāda: No, what is your month, you pay.

Bhakti-caitanya: Now I will pay that. There is no point of that.

Prabhupāda: So you can pay immediately seven thousand.

Bhakti-caitanya: All right.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, I'm writing Gopāla that "You should immediately send the books."

Bhakti-caitanya: I can send that right away to Gopāla too.

Room Conversation about Mayapura Attack Talk with Vrindavan De -- July 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, it was in the middle of the night. So probably by the time they informed the police, you know, by the time the police came, whatever was done was done. I mean, Gopāla didn't have the full information, and he's going there. And, of course, we were only talking over telephone, so even if he knew... He told me as much as he could over the telephone. But I asked if anyone was killed. He said no. But five devotees were in the hospital. You know that teacher who was here? Hiraṇyagarbha? Remember the gurukula teacher? He was stabbed. I think that's about the most serious that anyone was hurt. No one was killed or anything, but... The government now is very precarious there. It's all Communist government. I mean, I remember when Bengal was with the Communists in 1971. It was horrible there. So many marches, and so many of our members were being attacked. So maybe it was the Communists who did this. I don't think the Gauḍīya Maṭha could have organized such a thing. They would not do that.

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It sounds like... I don't know if there's any... Probably they won't attack again immediately. Now there must be police all the time there. I remember, in Calcutta once we had some trouble. Immediately they put a police guard all the time. The question is, of course, how much the government will protect us if the government is Communist and these were Communists who attacked. That we'll have to see.

Prabhupāda: No. It has to be taken to the Central Government.

Correspondence

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Cidananda -- Montreal 12 July, 1968:

Just like the air is always pure, but when there is a mixture of dust in the air, it appears to be a cloud. The cloud and air are different substances. Similarly consciousness is pure spiritual, but when the consciousness desires to enjoy matter, it becomes cloudy and dusty, or contaminated. And then at that time, thinking, feeling, and willing everything becomes polluted. The same example as I have given several times that the proprietor of a car and the car are different identities, but when the proprietor thinks that this car is for his enjoyment, he becomes absorbed in such thought, and as soon as there is some loss or accident to the car, he thinks that he is hurt. This consciousness is false, but one suffers the consequences on account of false identification. Consciousness is not like mist, but when it is materially contaminated, it looks like that. Another example, that water from the sky falling down on the ground looks muddy, but water is not muddy, it is clear. When the water is again filtered, and muddy things are precipitated, the water comes to its original lustre, crystal clear. So our Krishna Consciousness movement is that we have to clear our consciousness by the transcendental addition of Krishna chemical. Then everything will be nice and clear, and we shall be able to see our identification without any designation. I think your questions are answered up to the last part, when you inquired "what exactly takes place when consciousness is becoming purified?"

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Govinda -- Los Angeles 7 July, 1969:

I am so much pleased by reading your letter of June 26, 1969, describing your preaching activities in Hawaii, both husband and wife together. It is very much pleasing to me. I was shocked when I heard that Gaurasundara was hurt on the chin, but at the same time, I was so much enlivened by hearing of your spirited preaching activities. I am proud that a little young girl like you is so much spirited in preaching Krishna consciousness. Undoubtedly I was very much sorry to learn about Gaurasundara being attacked by a fanatic, but don't be disheartened. Even Nityananda also faced such difficult problems, but try to avoid them as far as possible. The whole world is full of fanatics and atheist classes of men, so sometimes we have to face such difficulties. But this is all tapasya. Without tapasya, nobody can approach Krishna. So preachers who boldly face all kinds of difficulties are considered to be under tapasya, and Krishna takes note of such tapasya of the devotee, and the devotee is recognized by Him. I have asked the BTG men to publish your heroic preaching activities under the heading of "Heroine Govinda Dasi." So I am sure Krishna is very much pleased of this incident, and He will surely bestow His blessings both on you and Gaurasundara. So try to continue preaching Krishna Consciousness to the suffering humanity as far as possible.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Tittenhurst 13 October, 1969:

He appears to be devotee, so deal with him very carefully. Invite him to take Prasadam as often as possible. He must be a very nice gentleman to have purchased 100 BTGs for giving freely to his customers.

I have seen the agenda of your president's meeting. This is nice. One thing should be followed, however, as your countrymen are more or less independent spirited and lovers of democracy. So everything should be done very carefully so that their sentiments may not be hurt. According to Sanskrit moral principles, everything has to be acted, taking consideration of the place, audience and time. As far as possible the centers should act freely, but conjointly. They must look forward to the common development. That should be the principle. You are all intelligent boys, and you should be engaged in Krishna's service. Then He will give you all intelligence. So in every action we should always pray to Krishna for His help so that we may act it nicely. Lord Krishna advised Arjuna yudhyasva mam anusmara (BG 8.7). That should be our principle. We should use all our intellect as well as possible, and at the same time we should remember Krishna always.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Yeager -- Los Angeles 21 January, 1970:

Lord Nityananda, when passing on the street, saw a crowd of people howling at some incident, and on inquiry it was found that there were two rascals of the then name Jagai and Madhai. They were always disturbing people in drunken condition. Nityananda Prabhu thought it wise that these two brothers may be delivered so that Lord Caitanya's mercy could be well known all over the world. When Lord Nityananda approached them He was immediately hurt by violent attack. On this incident Lord Caitanya became very angry and He called for His Sudarsana cakra to kill these debauchees. Lord Nityananda then implored Lord Caitanya not to kill Jagai and Madhai but to save them. By this time Jagai and Madhai came to their senses and immediately they surrendered unto both the Lords and were delivered by the mercy of Lord Nityananda. So Lord Nityananda or Baladeva. is the original Spiritual Master, and such pure devotee sometimes takes the risk of life in order to reclaim a person who might have otherwise been rejected by the Lord. The devotee knows that the Lord wants all the fallen souls to come back to Home, and therefore the devotees always try to induce the conditioned souls to take to Krishna Consciousness by various ways and means. Therefore the conclusion is that a devotee is more kind than the Lord Himself.

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 24 April, 1970:

George's foreword as it was originally sent can be published with little editorial changes, but in no case can the quotation from Swami Vivekananda be placed in my book. You have already admitted in your letter dated 11th April that it hurts you to see this change, quoting a rascal like Vivekananda, so please let me know clearly what you want me to do. If you think that George's foreword will help the selling of the books, then it may be published as it was originally sent.

I am glad to learn that George is chanting now Hare Krishna with you, and that will make him advanced. You write to say that George is still not convinced that there is not something beyond the form or body of Krishna. He is thinking that beyond Krishna there is an unmanifest God. These are all vague questions. I think by unmanifest God he means impersonal Brahman. This is quite natural for persons who try to understand God by their own endeavor.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Bhanutanya -- Hyderabad 18 November, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter undated, and I have noted the contents with great concern. One thing is, I am very much sad to learn that you have left the company of the devotees over this incident at Gurukula school. Now you are living by yourself because you have been hurt by seeing that the children are sometimes mistreated, and because no one has taken your good advice in this connection. But you may be assured that I am always anxious about the welfare of my disciples, so that I am taking steps to rectify this unfortunate situation. Now my advice to you is to give up these feelings and return to your life of Krishna Consciousness devotional service, and if you go back to Dallas school and demonstrate to the other teachers there just the proper way to instruct and discipline the students nicely, that will be a great service. I am forwarding the copy of this letter, with your letter, to Satsvarupa for his immediately attention.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Hayagriva -- Bombay 9 January, 1973:

Your letter dated January 1, 1973, is in hand, and I have noted the contents with great care. Who tells you not to edit? I have never said. I said to stop this intoxication, but not your editing. You say it is rumor only, but I have heard it several times from other persons. So let it remain as rumor, don't let it be fact. That will give me great hurt. I am also coming to Calcutta soon and we may discuss everything further when I come there. And why you are living with that ganja smoker? He has got his wife and family, so you should separate from him and live in the temple as the others are doing. If there is such complaint against our senior men it does not look well.

Page Title:Hurt (Lect., Conv. and Letters)
Compiler:Mayapur, RupaManjari
Created:03 of Oct, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=26, Con=41, Let=7
No. of Quotes:74