Laws of nature (Lectures, SB cantos 5 - 12)

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

Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). The laws of nature is working, and he is infecting a particular type of the modes of material nature, he is preparing his next body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu.

So in the human form of life if we do not purify our existence, if we do not realize God, if we do not understand what is my relationship with God, then we are simply wasting time living like cats and dogs. These things should be stopped. And our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for stopping this rascal civilization and giving you life.

Life is successful means it is stated here, sattvaṁ śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam (SB 5.5.1). We are, every one of us, we are after happiness, sukham. From sukham it has come saukhyam. That happiness, if we want to continue our eternal life, then we require eternal happiness. Without happiness our life is not worth. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Everyone should be happy, ānandamaya. That is spiritual world. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). There is life, ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. Not jadānanda. This is jadānanda. In the material world, the material happiness is jada. There is no life. But there is a place which is full of eternal happiness. So this life should be engaged for that purpose, not to fight like cats and dogs. That is not very credit. Credit means ruining one's life. If one fights like cats and dogs, he becomes cats and dogs. Nature's law is very strict. Therefore we should be very careful not to become like cats and dogs but to become very humble—humbler than the grass and tolerant than the tree. Amāninā. Everyone wants that "I am very honorable man, prestigious man. And you should respect me." That is our material disease. "I do not want to respect you, but you should offer me respect." This is the position.

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

This verse we were discussing yesterday. Portion of the verse was explained, and portion of the verse we shall try to explain this night. Tapo divyam. Ṛṣabhadeva says, "My dear sons, this body, human body, nāyaṁ deha, this body is not for wasting life, dogs and hogs." They are not wasting. They are in the gradual evolution process. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. They are coming to the human form of body gradually, by nature's law. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). So long we are in the lower species of life, we are conducted by complete laws of nature, prakṛteḥ kriya-guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, according to the different guṇas.

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

So the cause is godlessness. If we become godless, the prakṛti will restrict supply—so much so there will be anāvṛṣṭi. How can control? Because you may be very great scientist, you may deny the existence of God, but when there is anāvṛṣṭi you are looking up in the sky, "When there will be cloud? When there will be rain?" Then taking this plea, our government will tax for relief fund. That is all mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Anāvṛṣṭi karo-pīḍita. People will be so much harassed. And ācchina-dāra-draviṇā giri-kānanam. They will be so much harassed by these three principles—no rainfall, scarcity of grains, and taxed heavily by the government... They will be so much harassed that ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā giri-kānanam, they will be forced to leave home, that "Now it is hopeless. I cannot manage. Let me go to the forest." And there will be... Now we are getting rice or wheat or sugar. But these things will be completely stopped. Now we are getting milk powder, but there will be no milk. It is not my imagination. They are described in the symptoms of Kali-yuga, that the end of Kali-yuga these things will happen. That means more and more suffering. More and more become godless, more and more suffering will be inflicted by the laws of nature.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:

The proper upkeep of health is cleanliness. If you keep yourself clean, then your, I mean to say, problem of health is solved. Simply cleanliness. "Cleanliness is next to godliness." That is also an English proverb. And in Sanskrit literature also, bāhyābhyantara-śuciḥ: "One should be cleansed within and without." So without, you can clean yourself simply by water. By the laws of nature you have got enough water so you can cleanse yourself outside by water. There is no necessity of soap. There is no necessity of anything. Simply if you wash your body with water sufficiently. Of course, in your country it is cold country. In India, common people they go to the river and take bath very nicely because it is a tropical climate. There is no trouble. So you can cleanse your body. There are many saintly persons residing on the bank of the river Ganges. Early in the morning they cleanse the body. They go to evacuate on the field. After evacuating they come to the river, cleanse the body very nicely, and smear the body with the clay received from the river, and they sit down at a place and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa—whole day. They don't care for whether they have got to eat or not to eat. By God's grace somebody is coming, somebody is giving something, somebody is giving something. Just like in your country also you are offering, somebody is offering food, somebody is offering something. So there is arrangement by God's law, everyone shall eat. It is not that... You have never seen any animal or any bird has died for starvation. No. There is no starvation in the law of God. Everyone has food. Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. By the laws of nature, by God's order, everyone has, I mean to say, provision for four things. What is that? Eating, shelter, and sense gratification, and defense.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:

Cheese also. Cheese is milk preparation. You can eat. And offer it to Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa, these things are supplied by You. Kindly You taste it, then I'll take." You can do that everywhere. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. At least we should acknowledge that everything is sent by Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is a fact. Kṛṣṇa's laws or nature's law is so nice that a cow is eating grass and producing milk. Now, if you think that grass is the cause of milk, then you are mistaken. It is the laws of Kṛṣṇa that transforms grass into milk. If you eat..., you eat grass, then you'll die. But the cow, she is eating grass... That also not supplied by your factory. The grass is produced by nature's way. And she is eating that grass and supplying the most nutritious food—milk—and in exchange you are cutting throat. How you can be happy? Such an innocent animal. She is eating grass supplied by God, and instead of grass, if you think that "She is eating grass from the land, American land or my land. She must give me something," she's supplying milk. What reason there is?

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

This is very difficult job. But still we have to do, because we have placed ourself to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. Never mind we have to face so many dangerous positions; still we have to do this thankless task. "My dear brothers, do not be hogs and dogs. Be a saintly person." This is our mission. That is India's culture. Bhagavad-gītā, the same thing said: manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Siddhi. Siddhi means perfection. Nobody is interested how to make this life perfect. Everyone is being carried away by the waves of material nature. This is not life. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, a Bengali Vaiṣṇava poet, he has written one song, kena māyāra vaśe yāccha bhese kāccha hābu ḍubu bhāi. Jīva kṛṣṇadāsa ei viśvāsa korleto ār duḥkha nai. Māyāra vaśe. There is the laws of nature. We are under the grip of laws of nature. You cannot violate. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). If you have touched fire, it doesn't matter whether you are elderly person or a child, innocent or knowingly or unknowingly, the fire must burn. There is no excuse. Similarly, we are contaminating different types of modes of nature.

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

Prabhupāda: God is never opposed to sex. Who said? God said, dharmaviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi: "Sex which is not against the regulative principle of religious life, that I am." God never says that "Stop sex." Otherwise, why there is gṛhastha āśrama? Āśrama means that there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as we say, "Here is an āśrama," we understand that there is consciousness of Kṛṣṇa. So brahmacārī āśrama, gṛhastha āśrama, vānaprastha āśrama, sannyāsa āśrama, make it āśrama and follow the rules and regulations of āśrama. Then it is all right. Otherwise you are bound up by the laws of nature.

Guest (2): As we heard in the beginning, one of the principal statements that a man goes on the motor train, stands there for two hours, reaches his place of business, and work there from nine o'clock in the morning to five o'clock in the evening, returns back, has his food and sex and all that. I found many a people who have worked very hard, raised children very nicely, have sex, but lead a good life. I don't think there is anything wrong with that.

Prabhupāda: Yes, if there is no wrong, it is all right. But this sort of life is not very palatable.

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

So the, this intelligence, that is difference between the animal and the man. If one hundred men was being taken away like that, immediately the man who was taking to kill them, immediate, why one hundred, ten men would have been sufficient, or two men would have been sufficiently stronger. They would not tolerate. Similarly we are also being driven by the laws of nature to accept these inconveniences, repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. But at the present moment, why at the present moment, always, these people, these rascal people, they do not know that we can be rescued from this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. They have no idea. And that is civilization. How to get out of this birth, death, old age, and disease, that is civilization. But no one, nobody knows, scientists no, philosopher no, politician. They can concede that there is such possibility.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- London, September 17, 1969:

So the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says that if you want to be free... Free means just like you are trying to go to the moon planet by so many mechanical arrangements, but if you are free spiritually, then you can go any planet you like, immediately. The yogis, those who are perfect yogis... Not these nonsense yogis. Those who are perfect yogis, they can go at their will any planet they like. That is yogic perfection. When a yogi becomes perfect, he does... He does not die. "Die," this word is not actually applicable. When he leaves this body... Actually, nobody will die. We simply quit this body and accept another body. We are forced by the laws of nature according to karma. By practice of yoga system we can avoid the forcible nature's law, but we can leave this body according to our sweet will, not being forced by the nature's law. Just like Bhīṣmadeva. Bhīṣmadeva, he knew this yoga practice. Therefore he was not to be killed. Unless he desired to die, nobody could kill him. So yogis... Still there are many yogis in India, they are living for seven hundred years, or three hundred years, four hundred years. They consider not yet perfect. Not yet perfect. They are trying to make perfection of the yoga practice, and they look like young men, say, twenty-five years, thirty years old. But they are seven hundred years old, three hundred years old. There are still yogis. They are yogis. They have practiced yoga. Still they consider they are not perfect. The perfection will be when a yogi at his sweet will can leave this body and can go any planet he likes. Not only within this material universe, but also even, if he likes, he can go to the spiritual planet also. That is yoga.

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

So long we are in the bodily concept, that is going on all over the world. If we say people may not be happy... Now India, in your city it is going on, Andhra conference. How long you shall remain Andhra? You may remain Andhra for say twenty years or fifty years, utmost hundred years, then what you are doing? Andhra or something else? Where is the account for that? Because Kṛṣṇa says, the Supreme authority, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So if you perpetually remain as Andhra, that is very good. "But that is not allowed, sir." You'll be kicked out of your, this Andhra concept of life by nature's law. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34), Kṛṣṇa says, "When death will come, 'Oh, my dear death, you cannot touch me. I am Andhra, I am Indian, I am American.' " No. "No, sir. Get out!" So where is that knowledge? Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma-ijya-dhīḥ, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). This kind of civilization is the civilization of the cows and asses, go-kharaḥ. Go means cow, and kharaḥ means ass. So we must understand what we are. Kṛṣṇa... Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught this. He said, "I am not brāhmaṇa. I am not kṣatriya. I am not vaiśya. I am not śūdra. I am not brahmacārī. I am not sannyāsī." "Not, not," neti, neti. "Then what you are?" Gopī-bhartuḥ pāda-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). This is self-realization. When we shall deny all this designation and we shall realize that I'm part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, that is self-realization. And so long we identify with this body and mind and do not know what I am, that is go-kharaḥ civilization, cows and asses civilization.

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

Therefore we should accept the standard of civilization. This is recommended here, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram ahur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). If you want to become disentangled or free from this entanglement, conditioned soul one after another... We are forced. Our (indistinct) was saying about the change of body. The change of body is forced. You are young man. You cannot say, "I'll not accept old man's body." "No, sir. You'll have to accept." Forced. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). You cannot say "I will not accept this." Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As you are forced to accept this body, old-age body—nobody wants to become old—similarly another body, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. These things are there. We are being forced by the laws of nature. Where is our independence? They're declaring resolution: "Now we are independent. Ah. Finished." Where is your independence? You are kicked out by the laws of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You are not free. You are under supreme control. Nature, they will accept nature's control but not God's control. But the foolish person does not know that nature is also controlled by God. This you will have to learn from Vedic literature.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3-4 -- Bombay, March 29, 1977:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very easy. If it cannot be introduced, I mean to say, in large scale, collectively, individually anyone can learn and take the Vedic wisdom. Anyone, even a child. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakta. And what is the result? The result is mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.68). Anyone who is doing this, asaṁśaya, "Without any doubt, you are coming to Me." That is the aim of life, how to go back to home, back to Godhead. Not to join here in the dog's race. That is not aim of life. It will not make me happy, anyone happy.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1976:

The nature's law is working very stringently. You cannot avoid it.

So this abodha-jātaḥ, this rascal civilization, whatever they are planning, whatever they are doing, that is simply defeat. He does not know what is the aim of life. They are being defeated. So this time, this life I have become prime minister, making so many plans and so many things and so many things. Next life I become a dog. That you cannot check. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). The God's law or nature's law, will not take account of your premiership, prime ministership. What you are actually—that is nature's law. Kṛṣṇa is there within your heart. Outwardly you become a very big man—minister, president and so on—and God is seeing within what you are. Within. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Within you are a dog, and outside if you are a president, that will not help you. That will not help you. Abodha-jātaḥ. Therefore whatever plan they are making, that's all defeat. Plan-making is already there. Kṛṣṇa has given plan gradually. The last plan is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is real plan. This is Kṛṣṇa has given so many plans: karma-yogi, dhyāna-yogi, this yogi, that. But everywhere He has concluded that the real plan is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is real plan.

Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1976:

Therefore it is said parābhava. Whatever you are doing, simply defeat. Because you do not know ātma-tattva. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). Very dangerous position. If we do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we are defeated in every sphere of life. And then, after death, karmaṇā daiva netreṇa yantra dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). Tathā dehāntara-prāptir. You have to change your body. And that will be selected not by you, not by your government, not by your father, not by your so-called guru. It will be decided by the laws of nature. That you cannot avoid. You should always remember that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). These rascals, they do not know that his self-interest, ultimate goal of self-interest, is Viṣṇu. Duraśayā ye bahir-artha māninaḥ. Simply by the false hope, hope against hope, they are trying to adjust things materially or so-called spiritually, by this or that. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. These rascals, they are tied with the laws of material nature, hand and legs, and they are thinking they are free to do anything and everything without any consultation of śāstra.

Lecture on SB 5.5.7 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1976:

There are, for the materialistic person, there are two varieties of self-interest. One is concentrated interest and other is expanded interest. Just like a child, if you give him some foodstuff, a cake, he will immediately eat himself, and if he is little liberal, then his other friends also, he will give. First of all, first is, he wants to eat, and then the other friend, "Oh you are eating, give me something." Alright you also take. So, this is called extended interest and the beginning is self-interest, anna brahma(?), I shall... Self-preservation is the first law of nature. So in our ordinary activities we find the same thing. Suppose a big political leader, in the beginning he is interested with his family, with his family members, but sometimes he takes to national interest, for all members of the country, or the society, community. And then there is fight between one community to another community, one family to another family, one nation to another nation, because that extended self-interest does not make the thing perfect. That extended self-interest must be up to Viṣṇu. Then it will be perfect. But that they do not know, because they have no idea that there is Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, or Kṛṣṇa. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know. They think that I have extended my self-interest to my country, to my family, I have become a big man. And people also give him honor. This we have practical experience but that is extended self-interest. That is not actually philanthropy.

Lecture on SB 5.5.8 -- Vrndavana, October 30, 1976:

So this is moha, illusion. We have heard so many times about illusion, this is illusion. Ahaṁ mameti: (SB 5.5.8) "I am this body and everything in my bodily relationship, that is mine." So how it begins? The begins, mithunī-bhāvam etam, the unity of man and woman. Mithunī-bhāvam. A man is searching after woman, and woman is searching after man. How nature's arrangement to keep the conditioned soul under the laws of nature... Because the conditioned souls are put under the laws of nature, all he has come voluntarily under the laws of nature.

kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare

pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

As soon as we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, immediately māyā. As soon as we deny to obey the state laws, immediately we are criminals and subjected to the criminal acts, "Go to the prison." This is, we have got practical experience. You cannot defy the laws of the state or the laws of the worlds of the government. If we cannot... You cannot do it. If you do it, then you are punished. That is the statement in every śāstra. Daṇḍaniya. Daṇḍaniya, this daṇḍa is going on, one after another. Daṇḍa means punishment. But we are, because we are in illusion, we are thinking this daṇḍa is advancement of civilization.

Lecture on SB 5.5.15 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1976:

Similarly, we are simply dreaming. With few pots we are simply dreaming that "These pots will be increased into so many pots, so many pots, so many pots," then finished. Don't make imagination, make plan. That is... The guru, the spiritual master and the government should be careful that "These rascals may not make plan. This rascal may not make plan to be happy." Na yojayet karmasu karma-mūḍhān. This is karma-jagat, this world. This material world is that. They are already inclined, so what is the use? Loke vyayāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityāstu jantuḥ. Just like sex life. Sex life is natural. It does not require any university education how to enjoy sex. They will enjoy it. Nobody... "Nobody is taught how to cry or how to laugh or how to enjoy sex life." There is a Bengali saying. That is natural. You don't require any education for this karma. Now they are making big, big plans to educate people how to work hard. This is waste of time. Educational institution should be for teaching people how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, not to become this or that. That is waste of time, because that program will never be successful. Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā. The nature's law is working Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27).

Lecture on SB 5.5.16 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1976:

So many sufferings. Illegal—now they are giving opportunity, abortion, killing the child, and so on, go to the hospital. That is also. And behind that, the killing the child, a very sinful, he has to suffer. He does not know. Ananta-duḥkhaṁ ca na veda mūḍhaḥ. He's taking the risk of suffering life after life. Those who are killing the child within the womb, they will be punished. They will also enter within the womb of the mother, and somebody will kill, and again he will enter another mother's womb; again he'll be killed. So as many child he has killed, he has to go to the womb of the mother to another womb, another. He will never see the light of the world. He'll be killed. This is the punishment. This is the punishment. But he does not know. Ananta-duḥkhaṁ ca na veda mūḍhaḥ. He does not know how the laws of nature is working, life for life. You have no right to kill any life. Even an ant you cannot kill even. You cannot kill even. If you kill, then you have to suffer.

Lecture on SB 5.5.16 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1976:

These are not stories. These are not stories. There are many incidences in the śāstra. Just like Vidura. He was Yamarāja, incarnation of Yamarāja, but he was cursed by a muni to become a śūdra. Why? Now, one muni was brought in the court of Yamarāja, and he was to be punished by like punishment, sula, piercing the lancet through the rectum and it will come out. So the muni asked Yamarāja that "Why you have put me into this tribulation, this punishment? What is my fault?" The Yamarāja explained that "In your childhood you pierced with a nail through the rectum of an ant. Therefore you must be punished like this." Just see. In childhood playing he pierced. Sometimes we have seen, the children do that. That is also counted. You cannot do any harm to any animal, any living being. You cannot do. But these rascals are regularly killing. Although they have got this human form of body, although they have got intelligence, scientific intelligence, and so-called, but they do not know how nature's law is working. They do not care to know. They say these are all mythology. But not mythology. It is not mythology. Na veda mūḍhaḥ. They do not know what is the law of nature, that ananta-duḥkham.

Lecture on SB 5.5.18 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1976:

You are in the hands of the laws of prakṛti, even in this life. Even in this life. If you can eat one chatta, and if you will eat little more, immediately you will become diseased. Immediately. Nature will punish you, three days' starvation. You have taken more. So this is the law of nature. You cannot violate the... There is salt is required, little in the food. If it is a little more, you cannot take. If it is a little, you cannot take. So stricture, you cannot violate even a slightest degree the laws of nature. But these rascals are thinking that "I am independent." Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). We should take guidance of the spiritual master or the guru or Kṛṣṇa. Guidance of guru means guidance of Kṛṣṇa, because ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit (SB 11.17.27). Ācāryaṁ mām, ācārya is as good as guru, as good as Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). Not only Kṛṣṇa's mercy, but guru's mercy, both mercy required. Guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja.

Lecture on SB 5.5.31 -- Vrndavana, November 18, 1976:

By karma we are forced to accept a certain type of body. You cannot say, "No, I don't want." That is not possible. "You have behaved like a dog. You got this human form of life for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra; instead of doing that, you have cheated. You have misused your opportunity like a dog and hog. You must accept." This is nature's law. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). We, by practice, we may be, appearance like a human body, but my mentality is just like a dog. I don't discriminate, yoni-vicara (?). I don't discriminate about eating. I eat everything, even up to stool like... That is going on.

So this is misuse of the human form of body, and as soon as we misuse, we are given by nature's law an opportunity. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Suffering, suffering, suffering, 8,400,000 forms of body, and we get... Aśītiṁś caturamś caiva jīva-jatiṣu. That is stated in the śāstra. This is an opportunity to understand Kṛṣṇa. This is human form of body. And if we don't accept Kṛṣṇa or don't try to understand Kṛṣṇa We must try.

Lecture on SB 5.5.31 -- Vrndavana, November 18, 1976:

Just like if you infect some disease, the next stage—then you must suffer from that disease. It is automatic, not that māyā has to come, and he has to convince you, "Sir, you have infected smallpox. Now you suffer from this smallpox." No, automatically it takes. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Everything is going on systematically. You cannot change. That is called destiny. Destiny means that so long we are under the laws of nature, that is to happen. You cannot change it. That is not possible. Only... Such law can be changed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). You cannot. That is not possible. Nobody can do it. If you have done something wrong, sinful, you must suffer. There is no escape. But He can do that. Just like if you are condemned by the law court to be hanged, nobody can change it. Even the judge who has given you the punishment, even if you appeal to him, "Sir, excuse me," no, he cannot excuse you by law.

Lecture on SB 5.5.32 -- Vrndavana, November 19, 1976:

The singular number nitya, or Kṛṣṇa, He supplies food to everyone. Oh, whatever we require, that is already settled up. Therefore we should not spend our energy for maintenance of the body. That is not required. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad brahmatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Our human energy should be utilized only for that purpose which was not fulfilled in other lives, in the 8,400,000 different species of life, and you are changing, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), by nature's law, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). According to guṇa and karma, we are changing our body in 8,400,000's of species and forms. That is By nature's law it is going on, and the nature's law, according to the body, one has to eat, sleep, and sense gratification and protection. At night we see so many dogs. The whole day they could not get food. At night they are crying. And there are other bodies; they are eating nicely. Even the small birds, they have got food. But this dog, they cannot get food. This is God's arrangement. They are condemned life. Otherwise others are getting food; why this body is not getting food? The hogs, they are eating stool.

Lecture on SB 5.6.1 -- Vrndavana, November 23, 1976:

So if you remain a minister, a president or some very big man, but if you are not a devotee, then you have to accept another body. Karmaṇā daiva netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). You have to... Daiva-netreṇa, by superior management, superior administration, you'll be judged what kind of karma you have done. Although you are minister, but you have done, acted like a hog, like a dog, then you have to accept the body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantor dehopapatti. But that we do not know. They do not believe. At the modern days they do not believe that there is next life and it is conducted by the laws of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ sarvaśaḥ... (BG 3.27). Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Why there are difference of birth? One is king, another is dog; one is tree, another is worm. They are all living entities, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayoyaḥ (BG 14.4). They are all part and parcel. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ: (BG 15.7) "They are all My part and parcel." Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. They're struggling in this material nature because conducted by this mind and indriyas.

Lecture on SB 5.6.5 -- Vrndavana, November 27, 1976:

So we have to learn in that way. Kāma kṛṣṇa. Otherwise karma-bandhana. Yajñārthe karmaṇe anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Whatever you do, if it is for Kṛṣṇa, then you are liberated. Otherwise karma-bandha, you are bound up by the laws of nature, karma-bandha. So karma-bandha yān mūlaḥ. If we act for our sense gratification, then this kāma-krodha is bondage. And if we don't accept this karma-bandha, then you are liberated. Very easy thing. So we have to purify our desires. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we give up this conception of life that "I am Indian," "I am Christian," 'I am Hindu," "I am this and that," these are upādhis. So while serving Kṛṣṇa, don't come back to the upādhi platform, that "We are Indians and they are Europeans, so they are taking more advantage and we are not given advantage," or visa versa. This means coming back to the upādhi. That is not the stage of devotion. We have to become free from the upādhi. "I am neither Indian nor American. I am eternally Kṛṣṇa's servant." That's all. "Whatever Kṛṣṇa orders, in whichever position he keeps me, I am his eternal servant." This is upādhi-mukta-nirmalam, pure stage.

Lecture on SB 5.6.10 -- Bombay, December 28, 1976:

Material means to satisfy one's senses. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītayā āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). Karma means they are working very hard like dogs and hogs, but the purpose is indriya-prīti. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ: they are mad. They should not... And why mad? Because the karma means you are creating another body. And as soon as there is another body, dehāntara-prāptir, so long you have got this material body, you'll suffer. That is the law of nature. Karmānu bandhaḥ. Yāvan prīti mayi deve... tavat karmānu bandhanaḥ. The karmānu-bandha will continue. Therefore in the śāstra it is recommended, yajñārthe karma anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. Don't act anything except for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If you do anything for your sense gratification, that means you are being bound up by the laws of karma. Laws of karma, it is very strict according to the modes of activities. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte karma-jān guṇān (BG 13.22).

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

So that is punishment. These trees and plants, because they committed very sinful activities, they... Naked, to become naked, is also another criminal activity. Therefore, by nature's law, the trees, the, they are standing up naked. They do not dress. Similarly, if a human being does not dress, does not cover, then what is the difference between the trees and the human being? It is the human being who requires to be properly dressed. That is the law of nature. If we violate, then the punishment is: "All right, you become tree and stand up naked for ten thousand years." This is the nature's law. You cannot violate the nature's law. And we are completely under the laws of nature. You cannot say that "I don't care for." No. You may say, foolishly, but you are, you are. Just like nature's law is that you must die. Can you say, "No, I shall not die"? Can you say boldly, "No, no, I shall not die. I am now scientific. I have got my science, I shall not die." The nature's law is: you must die.

So in this way you should understand how strongly you are controlled by the nature's law. But foolishly we say, "No." That is not. Just like this Mahārāja Parīkṣit, such a powerful king, he is now somehow or other cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy that "You must die within seven days." So he is preparing. He has got time, seven days. But what we have got? We haven't got even seven minutes' warning. At any moment we can die. And what we are doing? That is the foolishness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

So there are many thing, contradiction, and practically we see, they are going to the moon planet, but they cannot stay, uselessly going and coming. So let them do that, but we have got our other inform..., other sources of information, that we cannot go to the moon planet. It is not possible.

So anyway, the nature's law is very strict. We cannot surpass. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī

mam māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

(BG 7.14)

You cannot go, or you may go, but so far you have not gone or you have not been successful. But there are many, many other planets. That we see at night, many, many. But spiritual process is so made... Kṛṣṇa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Māyā, the material nature, is very, very strict, but if one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he surpasses the laws of material nature. That is possible. Māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). How? Just like we are trying to go to this planet or that planet, but we have been unsuccessful. But if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then immediately after death you immediately go to the Kṛṣṇa planet, immediately.

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

So we have to understand from authoritative literature. The subtle body is working, just like when you sleep your gross body is not working, but the subtle body, the mind, intelligence and ego is working; therefore you dream. Your subtle body is lying is some apartment, and you have gone to the seaside by the mental body. So, so long this gross body is able, you again come and enter into this gross body, but when it is not workable, then you have to find out another gross body in the womb of a certain type of mother. This is the law of transmigration of the soul. That subtle body will be carried by the laws of nature. According to the work you have done to your whims, then a certain type of body will be offered to you. You will be forced to enter into the womb of a certain type of mother, and the mother will give you the body. That we have got, everyone, experience. In the mother's body, after pregnancy, the body grows. Everyone knows it. So body grows why? Because the soul has entered, and according to his karma, either good mother or bad mother... So you are growing the same body or better body or lower body, and when it is mature, then you come out. You begin again your life. That is called pravṛtti-mārga. In this way we have to accept birth, death, old age. As soon as you get this material body, there is birth, and as soon as there is birth, there is death. And as soon as the body is there, it is growing old. It is suffering disease.

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

So if we remain in the sattva-guṇa, then we shall be promoted to the higher planetary system. If we remain in rajo-guṇa, then we shall remain where we are. And if we remain in tamo-guṇa, ignorance, then we shall go down again to the lower species of life. This is the laws of nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

Lecture on SB 6.1.2 -- Honolulu, May 6, 1976:

The rascals, they are thinking they are independent. They are not independent. Completely under the control of the material nature. Otherwise why there are different species of life? Where is the arrangement? Arrangement is there. If you remain in sattva-guṇa, then you get higher form of life. Nature's law is so perfect that it hasn't got to create. It is automatically. Just like if you infect some disease, germs, you will automatically suffer from that disease. Similarly, if we are in contamination, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa... Sattva-guṇa... Here sattva-guṇa is also a contamination. And what to speak of rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa? So this is called pravṛtti-mārga. According to our inclination we are contacting a certain type of the modes of material nature and we are getting different types of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Kāraṇam. Why one is getting better position, and why one is not getting? Why one is dog, and why one is millionaire? So it is due to our association with different modes of material nature.

So we are not preaching this vegetarianism. Just like there are Jains or many other religious system, Buddhism. They are after making people vegetarian. But the law of nature is that one living entity is the food for another living entity. That is the law of nature. You will find even in the lower animals, they are eating one another. That is the law of nature. Ahastāni sahastānām apadāni catuṣ-padām. This is the law of nature. Ahastāni, one who has no hands, he is the food... They are all animals. The animal which has no hands... Just like goats and others: they have only legs. So they are food for the animals with hands. Ahastāni sahastānām. That is the law of nature. Apadāni catuṣ-padām. The animals which has no leg—that means which cannot move... The plants, the grass, the trees, they cannot move. They have got leg, but they cannot move. Their legs are made for eating. As your mouth is made for eating, the trees... Therefore they are called pada-pa. They drink water by the leg. This is God's creation. You cannot think that how it is possible to drink water by the leg, but it is God's creation. You see. You pour water on the leg of the tree; it becomes very luxuriant, healthy. So different. And so far God is concerned, He can eat with legs; He can see with hands; He can eat with eyes. That is God. That is God. Añgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti (Bs. 5.32). Añgāni, that is transcendental. He is not under any rule. He is not under any rule. If you say, "Why Kṛṣṇa is eating by the eyes?" yes, that is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. If you offer something, Kṛṣṇa, simply by seeing, He is eating. That is Kṛṣṇa. And again if you say, "If He is eating, why the plate is full?" that is Kṛṣṇa. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Kṛṣṇa is not a hungry man like me, that "If you give Me something, I will eat everything, finished." No. Kṛṣṇa can take the whole plate; still it will remain the whole plate, for giving prasādam.

Now, by nature's law the evolution brings you to a nice body, civilized human body, with higher consciousness. But if we utilize this higher consciousness simply for constructing very high skyscraper buildings and do not know what form of body I am going to accept next, that is not very good intelligence. My business is that by nature's evolutionary process I have come to this human form of life. Now I have got good intelligence, better than the animals. If I utilize that intelligence for simply having nice motorcar and skyscraper building, but I do not know what is my future, then it is not very good intelligence. You can construct a very nice skyscraper building, and you can have a nice car, but you will not be allowed to stay here. What you have done for that? You will be kicked out at any moment. Then your all labor is simply... You can solace yourself that "My children will enjoy" or "My grandsons will enjoy." But why not enjoy yourself? That is very uncertain. Any moment I shall be kicked out. And then, if it is a fact that I am going to accept another body, there is no guarantee what kind of body I am going to accept. I have constructed a skyscraper building on account of my attachment. I may be allowed by the nature's law to stay in that building, but if by my activities I become a rat or cat in that building, then what is the profit? We are under the nature's law. You cannot say that you are independent. Nature's law is very strict. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Nature's law... Just like fire. If you touch fire, it will burn. And even a child who is innocent, if the child touches the fire, it will burn. There is no excuse. You cannot say that "The child is innocent. It does not know the effect of touching fire, so he should be excused." No. Ignorance is no excuse. Especially... That is the state laws. You cannot say... Suppose you have committed some criminal act. If you plead, "My lord, I did not know that the, after doing this act, I had to suffer imprisonment. So you excuse me," no, that will be no excuse. You know or not know the law, if you have acted like that, you must suffer. This is going on.

So we don't believe in the next life just to avoid this consequence. But that will not excuse us. We have to accept a type of body. Otherwise how there are so many different types of bodies? What is the explanation? Why different forms of body, different stages of body, different standard of body? That is nature's law. Therefore this human form of life should be properly utilized, not simply engaged in sense gratification like cats and dogs. That is not very responsible life. Responsible life is that "I have got this improved form of life than the cats and dogs, and I have got more intelligence than the cats and dogs. If I simply utilize it for four bodily necessities of life..." Four bodily necessities of life means we require some eating. The cats, dogs, human being, or high-court judge, or anyone—they require some eating. They require sleeping, apartment. So that is... The cats and dogs can sleep without apartment, but the sleeping required. That is fact. Eating required, that is fact. And sex life, that is also fact. And defense, that is also fact. But these things are common to the cats and dogs and man, human being. So what is the special feature of the human being? The special feature of the human being is that a human being can consider that "I have got this nice American or Australian or Indian body. Then what I am going to get next? What kind of body?" That is utilized for human intelligence.

So people do not care to understand how nature's law is going on. Nature's law means God's law. Nature is not independent. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Nature is a machine. So do you think a machine works without an operator? Do you think? Is there any evidence? Now, this is a machine, photography, a wonderful machine. It is taking the picture, and it will move. But there is an operator. Where is the machine which is working without operator? Can you give any example, "Here is a machine which is working without operator"? So how do you think that the nature machine is working without the supreme operator, God's instruction. How do you think it? This is not very reasonable. We have to judge. There are different evidences. 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.

Different qualities of the material nature, that mixed up, it comes to eighty-one. So therefore we have got... According to desires, we have got so many varieties of bodies. So we have to learn how to stop all these material desires and simply concentrate our desires how to serve Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is required. That is the training. Just like these boys, these girls, who are in the Kṛṣṇa conscious..., they have no other desire. Their only desire is how to push on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That's all. It is possible. They had many desires. They are also coming from your country. They had many desires. But they have no other desire now. Their simply desire is how to push on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is perfection. When you stick to this one desire, that "I shall serve Kṛṣṇa," then you are free from all desires; otherwise not. Otherwise it is impossible. Then desires will drag you to different types of body. Then your suffering will increase. Then we have to come to the body of a pig. Because nature's law is very strict. According to your desire, he will give you body. So you desire to serve Kṛṣṇa. You will get a body like Kṛṣṇa, That's all.

Unfortunately, at the present moment people are unaware. They are kept in darkness. Therefore each and every sinful activity, there is punishment. They do not believe in the next life, but they can see practically in this life that if you violate a little laws of nature, you'll be punished immediately. Immediately punished. Just like I have got some pain in this finger, I scratch some nail, that I should not have done. Immediately there is reaction, I'm suffering. Every... You cannot do anything whimsically. As soon as you do it, there is reaction. Take for example just like salt. Salt is necessary. Unless you put little salt in the foodstuff, you cannot eat it. So salt is necessary, but if you put little more, immediately you cannot eat. It will not, not eatable. Because God has given you salt, the seas and oceans of salt, you cannot make it use more than is necessary. If you think that "There is so much salt, let me eat it," no, you can not do. Any, any action. Just like in this material world, sex life is very pleasing, but if you enjoy more, then you become impotent, the reaction. If you can eat say four ounce, and if you eat five ounce, immediately there is indigestion; two days you will have to starve.

So why don't you see? People have become so rascal that they do not think of sinful activities. By nature's law it is so strict that you have to follow the laws given by God. If you don't follow, then you'll be punished. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means the laws given by God. That is the simple description of dharma. If you do not know what are the laws of God, then that does not mean you'll not be punished. Innocence of law is no cause for excuse. If you go... Suppose if you have done something criminal without your knowledge, and if in the court you say, "My lord, I did not know this law, that committing something criminal like this I would have been punished." So that is no excuse. Ignorance of law is no excuse. Nature's law is so strict. Just like a small child, if a child puts his finger on the fire, the fire will not excuse the child: "Oh, he is an innocent child. He does not know." No. It must burn, never mind it is child. So there is description of different types of punishment in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for different kinds of sinful activities.

As soon as you give up this body, prakṛti will take charge. Take charge means the prakṛti will test what is the mentality at the time of your death, and he will give you a body like that, automatically. The nature's law is working so nicely, so perfectly, that everything is becoming manifest automatically. Just like fire, ah, flower. You see how beautiful flower, rose flower, is coming into existence automatically. Don't think that there is no brain. There is brain, but the brain is so perfect and instant that you are seeing that it is becoming automatically grown. No. There is brain. Just like electric, electrons. Just like here is a machine working, and pushing some buttons it is recorded, and pushing some buttons it is stopped. A child may think that it is being done automatically. No. There is a big brain behind this machine, big brain. But a foolish man sees that it is being automatically. Similarly, nature's law is parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Na tasya kāryam... These are the Vedic versions. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇam ca vidyate. Just like if we have to construct a skyscraper building, then we have to work so hard to collect the materials and piling them and making them secure and so many things. So..., but this material creation, this universe, was created not like that.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Honolulu, May 7, 1976:

"Therefore, my dear King, according to the gravity of sinful activities, one has to atone similarly." The example is, according to the gravity of the disease, the physician prescribes different types of medicine. If your disease is very severe then the physician says, "You have to take this medicine. This is very costly. You have to live like this." You know, you know everyone. Ordinary disease, that can be cured by giving some tablet, but if the disease is very severe, then you have to undergo severe medical treatment and suffering and so on. This very example. This is practical. This is practical. There is no question of doubt. The example is given that in this life, if you have some severe type of disease, you have to pay the doctor's bill, also severe. That you cannot avoid. So why not for sinful activities? And what is disease? Disease infection means that is also violating the laws of nature. That is disease. Just I gave you the example, a little scratching of nail, again means (indistinct) so much trouble. So you cannot violate, that is, that is breaking the laws of nature, breaking the laws of God. That is sinful. Either you take it as disease or take it as sinful activities or whatever you call it. This is... So you have to atone.

So mahā-bhāga yathā eva narakāt naraḥ. So this is Sixth Canto. In the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is description of the hellish condition of life. According to the... Just like there is punishment according to criminality, similarly, there is punishment by nature's law. According to impious life, there is punishment. So people do not care for impious life. That is misfortune. No knowledge. Impious or vicious activities are done out of ignorance. Just like a person commits some criminality without knowing the laws, government laws. Ordinarily, just like in your country, "Keep to the right." If you drive your car on the left side, immediately you become a criminal. So in our country the car is driven on the left side. In this country the car is driven on the right side. So if some Indian gentleman says that "I am accustomed to drive on the left side. So what is wrong there?" "No, this country's law is 'right side.' You know or do not know, whatever may be in your country, because you have driven your car on the left side, you are criminal." So ignorance is no excuse. In the law court if you say, "Sir, it was not known to me," so that does not mean that you will be excused. Similarly, knowingly or unknowingly, if you do something, sinful act, then you are immediately criminal. You'll be punishable. It doesn't matter whether you know or not know. Just like fire. This child, if he touches the fire, the fire will not excuse. There is no consideration, "Sir, here is a little child. He does not know this fire is burning." But as soon as he touches, it will burn. This is nature's law. You infect some disease knowingly or unknowingly, it doesn't matter, but the disease will be manifest. Suppose you have infected smallpox infection, contamination. Then it will be manifest.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Honolulu, May 7, 1976:

So this education is lacking now. They are... Everyone is thinking that he's independent, he can do whatever he likes. That is not possible. Then you'll be punished. Nature's law is so strict, stringent. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot escape the stringent laws of nature. Little discrepancy... Suppose you can eat eight ounce. If you eat nine ounce, then you will have to starve for three days. There is no excuse. "Why you have eaten more than eight ounce?" The nature says... Just like we require salt in our foodstuff, everyone. But if the salt is little more, it is useless. And if the salt is little less, that is also useless. It must be exactly to the quantity. So nature's law is like that. People, if they simply study nature's law, he becomes a learned scholar. There is no need of going to school, college. But if he sees how nature is working... You can see this flower. Every flower is so beautiful, nicely constructed symmetrically. You'll find two flowers, the small fiber coming out exactly in the same way. There is no question of accident. There is no question of accident. They are also being manipulated by the laws of nature. And what is the laws of nature? The laws of nature is acting under the supervision of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

So one has to suffer. People, they do not believe next life because they want to avoid this botheration. But there... You cannot avoid this botheration. If you do not go according to law... As there is punishment even in this state of our life—if I commit some sins, criminal activities, the state will punish me—similarly, if we do something which is punishable, I may avoid the state law, but I cannot avoid God's law. That is not possible. I can hide myself, cheating others, or committing theft, and that, thereby I save myself from the punishment of the state laws, but I cannot save myself from the superior law, the law of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It is very difficult. There are so many witnesses. The daylight is witness. The moonlight is witness. These are described. You cannot say that "I am committing these things. Nobody is seeing me. There is no witness. So how I can be...?" And the supreme witness is Kṛṣṇa. He is sitting within your heart. He is noting down what you are thinking, what you are doing. He is giving facility also. If you wanted to do something to satisfy your senses, so Kṛṣṇa is giving facility. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo: (BG 15.15) "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. "From Me, there is remembrance, knowledge," smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca, "and forgetfulness."

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-15 -- San Francisco, September 12, 1968:

The nature's illusory methods are two kinds: one is covering energy, and another is throwing energy. Nature is acting upon us in two ways. Just like somebody may think that "Here is a nice movement, Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. Let me take part in this." And nature dictates, "Why shall you go there? Don't go there. Better enjoy like this." This is throwing energy. Throws him from the path. And another is covering energy. Covering energy means a person or a living entity may remain in the most abominable condition, still, he thinks he's happy. He's happy. Just like you have seen many friends in the diseased condition on the bed. And if you go to see him, "How you are feeling?" and he'll say, "Yes, I am all right." He's on the diseased condition. What is the meaning of this "all right"? This is also covering energy. So anyone, in a..., however... A dog, in such abominable condition, still, he's joyful. He thinks, "I am very happy." A hog, any animal... We are human beings; we are given better facilities of life. The animals are not given so much facilities by nature, but still, they feel happy. If we say, of course, straight, somebody may be sorry, but this is nature's law. So however abominable condition it may be, one feels that he's happy.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-15 -- San Francisco, September 12, 1968:

So similarly, disease also. Suppose you are thinking that "Oh, this is nothing. It will cure out of itself." No. That is the instruction. So we should not neglect. And in the Manu-saṁhitā it is enjoined that when a man is a murderer, that we have got practical experience, the king condemns him to death. And the Manu-saṁhitā supports that it is good. It is good for him. In every country and every law that "life for life" is good. Because if he's hanged in this life, then next life he hasn't got to suffer. His all sinful reaction is finished, being hanged. Therefore in every state, and especially in the Manu-saṁhitā, it is said that it is king's mercy when a person is hanged for his murdering sinful activities; it is to be thought that king's mercy. So because we have to suffer for any... Just like if we take more food, then we have to suffer—indigestion or something else. This is nature's law. Either you be careful, or if there is some sinful reaction, be, I mean to say, alarmed, and take care of it. Otherwise, the suffering will increase. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī advises that as... In India still, the practice is if somebody commits some sinful activity he goes to a learned paṇḍita, brāhmaṇa, "Sir, this thing has been done by me. So what is the atonement?" He prescribes something. Of course, in this way some business is also going on. (chuckling) But actually one should atone. That is the statement of Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

We are thinking, "I am sleeping." Sleeping means the body is so much tired, it is no more working. But your another body, which is made of mind, intelligence, and ego—subtle body—that is working. Everyone has got this experience. The subtle body takes you to another place or another condition. You are dreaming that you have gone to the jungle. You are meeting some animals. The tiger is there coming to attack you, and you are crying, "Here is tiger! Tiger! Tiger!" And the man who is not dreaming, he says, "Where is tiger? Why you are crying?" But he's actually... The result is there. Don't think that the result is not there. In dream you are thinking your lover is there, you are embracing, and you get discharge, not that that you are not working and it is not, there is no result. There is result. I cannot see what is the result, what you are dreaming. I am fool. I do not know. But the man who is dreaming, he is experiencing. Similarly, change of body means we are carried by the subtle body to another gross body. This is the process, nature's way. You cannot say that "I will not change body." No, you will be forced. Just like a young man can say, "I will not become old man." No, nature will force you to become an old man, or change your body. This is the law of nature. You cannot surpass the laws of nature. Similarly, change of body, that is forced by the nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛteḥ, by the nature's law, we have to do. We are completely under nature's law. And we are declaring independence. This is our foolishness. This is our foolishness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

Similarly, after human being, if we do not work properly with our advanced consciousness, then we go down again in the hellish planet that are down this universe. And if we act piously, then you go to the upper planetary system. This moon planet is also one of the upper planetary system. But you cannot go by sputnik. That is not possible. It is all foolishness. The moon planet is situated above the sun planet. They are not going to the moon planet; therefore they have stopped their propaganda. So above that moon planet, there is Venus, there is Jupiter, there is Mars, and so many others. So in the śāstra it is said, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). If you act very piously, in the mode of goodness, then you are promoted to the higher planetary system. And if you do not work in the modes of goodness—in the modes of passion—then you remain in this planet and become changed into so many bodies. And if you still work... Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. If you are so abominable that you do not work as a human being and just like animal, then you go to the hellish condition. This is nature's law.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

Everyone is under the grip of material laws. Even if I think, "I am free," that is my foolishness. I will be forced to act. Even if I do not want to become old man, I will be forced to become old man. And if I, after this giving up this body, if I... Suppose nature is offering me a dog's body. If I say "No, no, I will not accept this," no, you will be forced to accept it. That is nature's law. But you can save yourself if you follow conscientiously. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you keep yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and act accordingly, then you will be saved. Otherwise there is no saving. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You will have to accept another body. And what is that body? That is not stated. That will be decided at the end of your life, at the time of your death, at the condition of your mind and intelligence at that time. If, at that time, you are thinking of your pet dog, "What will happen to my pet dog? How he will live? Let me leave some of my property in his name," (laughter) then you can leave the dog with some property, but you are going to be dog. This is laws of nature. You may love your dog very nicely and leave some property, but where you are going, sir? That is under the nature's law. You cannot say that "I given so much property to the dog. Why shall I accept the...?" No. Because your mind is absorbed in the thought of dog, therefore you must take the dog's body. This is nature's law. Therefore we have to train up our mind. Instead of dog, you must train up your mind to think of God. Then you will be saved. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām (BG 4.9).

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

So they have been given an opportunity to undergo the punishment or enjoyment. You cannot disturb him. You cannot disturb him. Just like you are living in an apartment according to your position, but if I forcibly I ask you, "Go out of this apartment," then I will be punishable by the law. I have no right to get you out from that apartment. Similarly, every living entity by the laws of nature, all laws of nature, is imprisoned or allowed under certain apartment, either in the body of a tree or a human being or demigod or cat or dog. These are all ordained. So you cannot get out the living entity, soul, by force from that body. Then you will be punishable. The living entity is never killed, but you have no right to get him out from that body. That is sinful. If you argue that "What is the harm if I kill one animal, because it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) 'The living entity, soul, is never killed even after the annihilation of this body'?" that is all right. But you cannot force him. Just like if you get one person, by force, get out from his apartment—he is not dying, of course, but still, it is criminal because you are forcing to go out of the apartment. So that is the law of nature. You cannot force anyone to get out of the body. Then you are punishable.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, May 8, 1976:

Surfer, yes. (devotees laugh) Surfer. I call "sufferer." "Sea-sufferer." (laughter) Sea-surfer, it is practical because we are creating a situation by which we shall become a fish. Yes. Contamination. Just like if you purposely contaminate some disease you must suffer from that disease. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22), in the Bhagavad-gītā. Why there are different varieties of life? What is the reason? That reason means kāraṇam. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad..., kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni prakṛti-stho 'pi puruṣaḥ bhuñjante tad-guṇān. So the reason is as we are infecting. The nature's law is so perfect that you infect something, some disease, some contamination, then you must suffer. This is nature's law, automatically going on. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, May 8, 1976:

Now it will take again millions of years to come to the stage of human being. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. He has to pass through the fish life. There are 900,000 different species of life. Then you again come to the land—you become trees, plants, and so on. Two millions different forms you have to go through. That is evolution. Darwin's theory of evolution, that is not perfectly explained. It is explained in the Vedic literature. So just a tree is standing for ten thousands of years, we had to pass through this life. But there is no perfect knowledge. We are thinking we are now very nice American body or Indian body. No. It took so many years to come to this life. Therefore śāstra says, labdhvā sudurlābhaṁ idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte: (SB 11.9.29) "You have got this human form of life after many, many millions of years' waiting." So do not misuse it. That is Vedic civilization, not to misuse the human form of life. Nature's law is very, very strict. This life, it is given, a chance. Nature gives a chance. Now you get this human form of life, advanced consciousness. Now you make further improvement. That is wanted. From here we can make further improvement.

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

So there is some link with Manu, M-a-n-u, and "man." So this Latin word comes from the Sanskrit word, manu. So Manu is supposed to be the law-giver to the humankind. So in the Manu-saṁhitā it is stated there that when the king kills one man, or hangs one man who is a murderer, that is benefit to him. Otherwise, if he's not killed, then he will carry the reaction of his murdering action, and he'll have to suffer in so many ways. The laws of nature are very subtle. They are very diligently administered. People do not know it. So on the whole, the Manu-saṁhitā, life for life is sanctioned. And that is practically observed all over the world. But similarly, there are other laws, that you cannot kill even an ant. Then you are responsible. You have no right to kill. And in the Bible also, we see, Lord Jesus Christ says, "Thou shalt not kill." So killing is not allowed in any religious principle. Anyone who is killing, he's not considered in the human society. You cannot kill. The... Lord Buddha's also principle is ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ, no killing. Lord Jesus Christ also says, "Thou shalt not kill." In our Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā (BG 13.8). Ahiṁsā means not to become violent, not to kill.

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

We are eating fruits, grains, or whatever we eat. That is given by God. Food is supplied to the animals. The four-legged animals... Ahastāni sahastānām. Sahastānām ahastāni. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, everything is... The food is there. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: "One living entity is the food for another living entity." Ahastāni sahastānām. Just like animals, they have got no hands. So they are food for the animals which has..., who has got hands. We are animals with hands, and there are animals without hands. So ahastāni sahastānām. Sahasta means hand, with—hands animals, they're eating others which has no hand. Apadāni catuṣ-padām. "And those who have no legs, they are food for the animals, four-legged." Just like grass. This is also living entity, but it has no leg to move. It has leg, but it is fixed up. It cannot move. They're condemned, that "You cannot move." A tree is standing for seven thousand years. It cannot move. So they are food for moving animals. Just like cow eats grass. The goat eats grass. So apadāni catuṣ-padām. Phalgūni mahatāṁ tatra. In this way the world is being exploited. The weaker section is being exploited by the stronger section. Phalgūni mahatāṁ tatra jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: "One life is meant for being exploited by other life." This is nature's law. So we have no quarrel with persons who are meat-eating. But our propaganda is to make people God conscious. That's all.

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

So in this subject matter, topics between Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, there is... Parīkṣit Mahārāja is anxious to know how these conditioned souls who are rotting in the hellish condition of life, they can be delivered. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is first of all prescribing that they have to make atonement. Just like I gave you the example: If one man has committed criminal activities, he has to atone for the sinful activity. He must be arrested. He must be put into the jail and given some trouble for a certain period of time. And then he may be given freedom. So this atonement is there, by nature's law. You cannot avoid it. If you think that "God cannot see. I am doing this nonsense without His vision," that is wrong. Anything we do, that is recorded just like the service record. And the judgment... Just like in other literatures, there is the day of judgment. That's fact. We have to accept the judgment of the superior superintendent of all our activities.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- Los Angeles, June 21, 1975:

As there are heavenly planets, similarly there are hellish planets. Those who are pious, in the modes of goodness, they are promoted to the higher planetary system, and those who are very much abominable, condemned, they are degraded to the lower planetary system. There are different planets, and our modern scientists, they say that "Except this earthly planet, there is no life." This is their knowledge. But actually that is not the fact. Everywhere there is life—but the life of different grades. Just like here also we see. In this planet some of them are very well situated, and some of them are very much degraded in every respect, by birth, janma aiṣvarya, by opulence, and by education, by beauty. There is such arrangement, by nature's law, that you are promoted or degraded. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that prakṛti, we are under the guidance or rulings of material nature. That is It is not a fact that "We are independent," "There is no life after death." These are all foolish man's theory. We are eternal, there is life after death, and that life also has got different gradation. So this has been described, and this is the fact.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8-13 -- New York, July 24, 1971:

Therefore there are different atonements. According to Vedic law, if one cow dies while he's locked up on the neck... Because the cow is on the safe.(?) Somehow or other, it dies and the rope is round the neck, the proprietor of the cow has to make some atonement. Because it is to be supposed that the cow has died on account of being locked up with the rope, there is atonement. Now if you are willingly killing cows and so many animals, so how much we are being responsible? Therefore at the present moment there is war, and the human society becomes subjected to be killed in mass massacre—the nature's law. You cannot stop war and go on killing animals. That is not possible. There will be so many accidents for killing. The wholesale kill. When Kṛṣṇa kills, He kills wholesale. When I kill—one after another. But when Kṛṣṇa kills, they assemble all the killers and kill. Therefore there is atonement in the śāstras. Just like in your Bible also there is atonement, confession, paying some fine. But after performing atonement, why people commits the same sin again? That is to be understood.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8-13 -- New York, July 24, 1971:

So, so long we have got this bodily concept of life, so long we have to abide by the laws of material nature, by the laws of the state, or any other laws. Because this body is conditional. Every one of us who are sitting in this meeting has got a different body. Because everyone is under different condition, varieties, varieties of condition. Therefore I'm responsible. If I do not atone for the sinful activities I'm doing within this body, then I have to suffer in my next body because I'll get another body according to my karma. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Kalevaram means this body. That is a nature's law. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommended that considering the gravity of your sinful life, you should undergo a type of atonement. They are prescribed in the śāstras. You have to do that. Otherwise, there is no rescue. Exactly like that, if you have committed murder, if you become killed here, then your sinful activities is neutralized. Otherwise, you'll have to suffer next life. So when a king orders a subject, or the state orders that "This man should be hanged," it is not cruelty to him. It is mercy. They do not know. It is a mercy. Otherwise why... Every state, anywhere you go, the law is there, "Life for life."

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

So he has no anxiety. His only anxiety is śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). Vaiṣṇava is anxious to see that these rascals who has forgotten completely his relationship with God, Kṛṣṇa, and making gorgeous arrangement for living fifty years only, although he is eternal He is not making any eternal arrangement. "I shall live here for fifty years or sixty years as an American or as an Indian. Make me gorgeous arrangement, defense and so on, so on, so on." If you defend, then You are going to live for fifty, sixty, or utmost hundred years, but you are eternal. What you are doing for your eternal life? That is the mistake of the civilization. You may remain as American or Indian for, say, utmost, hundred years. But you are not for hundred years. You are eternal. What you are doing for your eternal life? This is our question. But they do not believe in eternal life. "We don't believe in the next life." But that is You believe or not believe If some young man says, "I will not become old man," so he may believe or not, he must become old man. If somebody says, "I am not going to die. I don't believe in death," you believe or not believe, you must die. This is law of nature. How can we avoid it?

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Honolulu, May 13, 1976:

Just like hogs have no discrimination. Anything, up to stool you give him: it will eat. That is not human civilization. Although it is the law of nature that ahastāni sahastānām. Vegetables or animals who has no hand... Just like ordinary animals, they have got four legs, no hand. So these four-legged animals is the food for the two-legged animals. Ahastāni sahastānām. Uncivilized men means two-legged animals. They are animals, but two-legged. There are four-legged animals; there are two-legged. Ahastāni sahastānām apadāni catuṣ-padām: "And living entities who have no legs, just like the vegetables, grass, plants, trees..." They have no legs. They cannot move, but they are living entities. They are food for catuṣ-padām, for the animals who have got four legs. Ahastāni sahastānām apadāni catuṣ-padām, phalgūni mahatāṁ tatra: "And the weak is food for the strong." Phalgūni... Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. This is the law of nature, that one life is meant for maintaining another life. That is going on. So sometimes they put forward this argument that "You are also eating vegetables. They have got life. Why you object that nonvegetarians who are eating four legged animals...?" No. We are not going to infringe to the laws of nature. That is not our business. You can eat four-legged animals because you are also animal. But when we speak of civilized animals... Civilized is not animal. That is human being. So long one is not civilized, he is animal. And the civilization begins when one understands that he is not this body. That is the beginning of civilization. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). So long one is in ignorance, the bodily concept of life, he is animal. When one knows that "I am not this body; I am... Ahaṁ brahmāsmi," then civilization begins.

Lecture on SB 6.1.13-14 -- Honolulu, May 14, 1976:

So after... Bahu sambhavānte. After many, many years I have got this opportunity. In other lower animal life I have enjoyed the senses in so many ways. So sense enjoyment is not very difficult. Even there... Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. The hogs and pigs, they have got facility for sense enjoyment. They do not care even who is who. Even she is mother or she is sister or she is daughter, they will enjoy sex. That is hog life. You have seen. There is no discrimination. And the monkeys, they are enjoying sex life. So everyone enjoys sense life. So "Why? I have got this valuable life, human form of life. Why I shall become a living entity like hogs and dogs?" This is called tapasya. "Why I shall become hogs and dogs and again I shall put myself in the cycle of birth and death? I have got this life after so many evolutionary process. Why not practice little tapasya in this life?" This is knowledge. "If by practicing little tapasya, restraint, I can get relief from this repetition of birth and death, why shall I not do it?" This is knowledge. And if I again become victimized... The laws of nature is there. If you want, you can enjoy. Nature will give you. "All right, you want so much sex. All right, come on. Become a hog. Yes." So nature is ready. It is not very difficult. Therefore the śāstra says, "No, no, no. This life is not for becoming a hog and dog." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1).

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

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

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Denver, June 28, 1975:

Everyone knows that he will be slaughtered. Today or tomorrow or fifty years after or a hundred years after, everyone knows that he will be slaughtered. He will die. Death means slaughter. Nobody wants to die. The animal also do not like to die. But they are forcibly killed. This is called slaughter. Similarly, who wants to die? Nobody wants to die. But by nature's law he has to be killed. That is slaughterhouse. The whole material world is slaughterhouse. We have to realize that. And it is called mṛtyu-loka. This is the problem. But they do not take it very seriously, like animal. The animal, he does not take very seriously. And even if he knows he will die, he cannot take any step.

So our mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt, position is like that. Teṣām ahaṁ anukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ. Teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt (BG 12.7). So we should understand our position. Nobody wants to die, but he is slaughtered. Again he is given another chance, another body. Again he is slaughtered. This is the laws of nature, going on. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). We should seriously understand this, that how to stop this slaughtering process of material nature. That is intelligence. Otherwise, to become happy like cats and dogs, "Oh, I am very nicely eating and jumping. I don't care for being slaughtered," that is not very good intelligence. Intelligence is how to stop this slaughtering process of nature. That is intelligence. That is being discussed.

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

So people do not know this, that to approach the platform of worshiping Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, that is the most exalted and assured platform. Just like we get insurance, so this is assured. Assured by whom? Assured by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is assuring, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). Api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa man... (BG 9.30). So many assurances there. Nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa. Kṛṣṇa says personally that "I shall protect you." People suffer on account of sinful reaction, ignorance. Out of ignorance, they commit sinful action, and sinful action reacts. Just like a child, ignorant, he touches blazing fire, and it burns the hand, and he suffers. You cannot say that "Child is innocent, and the fire has burned." No. This is nature's law. Ignorance. So sinful activities are done out of ignorance. Therefore one should be in knowledge. Ignorance of law is no excuse. If you go to the court and if you plead, "Sir, I did not know that I have to suffer, I have to go to imprisonment for six months because I have stolen. This was unknown to me..." No. Known or unknown, you must go to the jail.

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

So that is sādhu, no meat-eating. Here you will find. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement you will find, nobody is meat-eating. Nobody is prepared to kill even an ant, what to speak of big animal. They put argument that "You are vegetarian, and you are also killing vegetable life." Of course, we are killing. But we are not killing vegetables. First of all, vegetables are not killed. If I take a fruit from the tree, the tree is not killed. Or if I take the grains from the plant, before the grains are ripe the plant dies. So actually there is no question of killing. Although the law is, nature's law is that "One living entity is the food for another living entity." Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. But a human being should be discriminative. If I can live by eating fruits and grains and milk, why shall I kill animal? This is human consciousness. Milk, if you get milk, you can prepare hundreds of nice preparations, all full of vitamins and nourishing. In our New Vrindaban we are maintaining cows and having so many nice preparations, rābri and lagdu and this peḍā and baraphi and sandeśa and rasagullā and yogurt—varieties enough. The other farmers they come, they are surprised, that "Such nice preparation can be made from milk?" Yes, you do not know. You do not know how to utilize the animal. Ignorance. The milk is also produced out of the blood.

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

So therefore they do not know what is the aim of life, and the nature's law is, unless you come to the point of understanding what is the aim of life, the nature will go on punishing you in so many ways. Little mistake, you'll be punished. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). We have come to this material world, disobeying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So just like police: as soon as you become outlaw, the police will take you and the police will go on punishing you unless you become lawful. This is the... So without understanding "Why I am put into the jail?" if I simply think that "It is all right. Let me remain here and suffer the punishment," jail life is not for happiness. That is, everyone knows. Jail life is for punishment. Similarly, in this material world everything is punishment, but by the illusory energy you are thinking, "This is all right." Every step there is punishment. Just study your life or my life. What is that? That beginning from the womb of my mother, when the body is formed, the soul, spirit soul, is injected in the womb of the woman, and then the formation of the body takes place. So the body grows.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Los Angeles, January 15, 1970:

So as soon as a thing is valuable, the number of customer will be less. So don't consider the quality of the good by estimation of the number of customers. The customer may be very little, but you should try to understand what is the quality of the thing. So in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement you will please try to understand what kind of things we are going to deliver. Don't try to understand that "These people have no very many customers." The customers will be less because we have so many restriction. So people do not like it. Everyone thinks "why I shall be restricted? I shall be free." But actually, he is not free. Just like the dog thinks that he is very free, but he is chained up. Similarly, every one of us are chained up by the laws of material nature. We cannot go even a inch beyond the laws of material nature. You cannot eat more what you can digest. The law of nature immediately will try to inflict punishment upon you. This is practical experience. You have to eat as much as you require. If you eat more, then you get indigestion, and if you eat less, then you become weak. You have to eat exactly what you require. That is the law of nature. Similarly, these Kṛṣṇa consciousness boys and girls, they're being taught not to eat more, not to eat less; not to enjoy senses more, not to enjoy less. Similarly, the paramahaṁsa life is a regulated life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Denver, July 2, 1975:

So we have to give up this body and we have to accept another body. So labor or work for such body which will no more be material body. This is intelligence. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). Next body means as we are acting, according to the resultant action of our activities, we get next body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). How you get next life? In this life we are acting in a certain way, and by nature we shall get a similar body. Nature's law is so perfect that the law you... Just like infection. I have several times explained. You infect some disease, the disease will come out. Not that somebody will come to award you the disease. By nature's way, it will come out. If you say that "Somebody will come," no. The nature's law is so perfect. Just like if you touch fire, immediately it will burn, not that you have to wait. Similarly, nature's law. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). As you are associating with different modes of material nature, you are creating your future.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Honolulu, May 19, 1976:

Īśa tantra, by the laws of nature or laws of God... Laws of nature means laws of God. They accept, "By nature it is..." But they do not know who is behind this nature. That is intelligence. Nature is dead matter. It cannot... Just like this microphone. This is matter, material. What is that? Some iron, some other thing, some wood, some... But this iron-wood combination cannot take place and become a microphone. No. There is a life behind this iron and wood, and he has manufactured. Therefore it is working. But these rascals, they are thinking that combination of this iron and wood and something else, it has become microphone. No. It is a machine, but machine is manipulated and manufactured by life, not that automatically the iron-wood becomes a machine. No. So these rascals, they cannot understand that... The nature is working, that's all right, but how it is working? What is the background? That they do not know. That answer is in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "Under My superintendence it is working," Kṛṣṇa says. That's a fact. You might have manufactured a very big machine. That is all manufactured by some light. Not that the iron and wood has come together, a skyscraper building—the bricks have come all together automatically. They say, "By chance."

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Honolulu, May 19, 1976:

So this is going on. Don't be misled. Īśa-tantrya, by the laws of nature, we are bound up tight, hands and legs. We are not independent. You cannot do anything independently. You are completely under the clutches of material nature. And behind the material nature is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore our business is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa and take knowledge from Him, and then you become perfect. That is explained here, sakṛn manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor niveśitaṁ tad-guṇa-rāgi yair iha. Who will take instruction from Kṛṣṇa? Tad-guṇa-rāgi. When you understand that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. We have to take instruction from Him." Nobody is perfect except Kṛṣṇa. Or one who follows Kṛṣṇa, he is perfect. Kṛṣṇa is perfect; one who follows Kṛṣṇa, he is perfect. Just like a child. He does not know what it is, but if he takes instruction from his father or teacher that "This is microphone," so when he says, "This is microphone," this is perfect. He may be child, but because he has learned from his father or teacher, "This is microphone," and he says, "This is microphone. This is this," then it is perfect. So the instruction of Kṛṣṇa is perfect, and the teacher or guru who speaks the same thing as Kṛṣṇa says, that is perfect. And if he manufacture his own ideas and becomes more than Kṛṣṇa, then he's a rascal number one. There is no benefit.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970:

So therefore in the society the parental affection is taken as very good qualification. But such qualification is visible even in the animals. So that is not a very good qualification. That is nature's law. Unless the mother and the child are not so affectionately connected, it is not possible for the child to grow up. That is nature's law. But that is not a qualification. Child simplicity... These things are very much eulogized in the society, child's simplicity, mother's affection. They are necessary. But they are not qualification to raise one to the spiritual platform. Just like this debauch, Ajāmila. His character is abominable, but he's still very much affectionate to the youngest child.

Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Chicago, July 7, 1975:

So kāla, as it is said. Kālaḥ atyagāt mahān. Mahān means very powerful, great. You may be a very big scientist and very powerful politician, you don't care for anything, but you cannot conquer over the mahān, the great powerful time. Oh, that is not possible. You are independent. You don't care for God. But God will come. You will see. Kālo 'smi. When Kṛṣṇa showed the gigantic form, virāḍ-mūrti, Arjuna enquired, "Who are You, Sir?" Because he was dealing with Kṛṣṇa as friend, but after seeing the virāḍ-rūpa, the gigantic universal form, so he enquired, "Who are You, Sir?" He replied, kālo 'smi: "I am kāla, kāla. I have appeared to take away all these sinful demons." So Kṛṣṇa appears still in form of war, big gigantic war, and takes away so many millions of people by one stroke. This is going on. So we should have sense that "We hear from the śāstras that we are eternal. Why we are subjugated to these laws of nature, kāla? I do not wish to die, I do not wish to suffer, I do not wish to be old man, I do not wish to be diseased, and these things are forced upon me. I have to accept, and still, I am so fool, I am thinking I am independent." This is called foolishness, rascaldom.

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Honolulu, May 25, 1976:

But without cleaning, your life is spoiled. If you don't clean your life, then you'll have to accept another body according to karma. We have to accept that the whole human mission is to stop this repetition of birth... They do not know. There is no science, there is no philosophy, there is no education throughout the whole world. But the aim of life is to stop these four things: birth, death, old age and disease. They cannot think of. How it can be stopped? They cannot think of. They're trying the different way—contraceptive method of killing the child. That is not how to stop this. No. Nature's law is so strong that if you kill the child in the womb then you'll be also killed. You'll be also killed. Tit for tat. There is no escape. "Life for life," just like in the law. You cannot do that. So this is very important things to understand. You are thinking very free but no, there is: prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Exactly. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). Just like if you contaminate some disease, you must suffer from it. That is natural law. You cannot avoid. There is no escape. So similarly, this spiritual life, this human life is a chance that you learn how to purify yourself. That is human life. And if you don't purify yourself, you remain impure without any endeavor, then what is the difference between you and cats and dogs? There's no difference.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26-27 -- Philadelphia, July 12, 1975:

Similarly, our body is also like that. Somebody is Ford, somebody is Chevrolet, somebody is Buick, and Kṛṣṇa has given us the chance, "You wanted this kind of car or body. You sit down and enjoy." This is our material position. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). We forget. After changing the body, we forget what I desired and why I have got this kind of body. But Kṛṣṇa, He is situated within your heart. He does not forget. He gives you. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). You wanted this kind of body: you get it. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. If somebody wanted a body so that he can eat everything, so Kṛṣṇa gives him the body of a pig, so it can eat even stool. And if somebody wanted a body that "I shall dance with Kṛṣṇa," then he gets that body. Now, it is up to you to decide whether you are going to get a body which will be able to dance with Kṛṣṇa, to talk with Kṛṣṇa, to play with Kṛṣṇa. You can get it. And if you want a body how to eat stool, urine, you will get it. So we have to decide, this human form of life. But if you have no information that "What kind of body I am going to get next," if you don't believe... You believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. The nature's law will act. If you say, "I don't believe in the next life," you may say like that, but nature's law will act. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). As you are acting, according to that, you are preparing your next body. So after death—after death means when this body is finished—then you get another body immediately, because you have already made the field work, what kind of body you will get.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26-27 -- Philadelphia, July 12, 1975:

So everyone in this material world, he is mūḍha, ajña. He does not care that "I will have to meet death. When everything will be finished, all my plans, all my assets, everything, will be finished." He does not know that. He knows it, but he doesn't care to observing these things. Therefore everyone is mūḍha and ajña. Then, in spite of the death has come, matiṁ cakāra tanaye bāle nārāyaṇāhvaye. He is experiencing, "Now I am dying; death is near." Still, he is thinking of his, that child. So yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante (BG 8.6). He has got a child. His name is Nārāyaṇa. Now, his position is different. But if I am similarly affected, similarly affectionate to my dog, then what is my position? Or anything. Naturally, I will think of my dog, and immediately I shall get the another body like a dog, or dog. This is nature's law. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram. At the time... The test will be at the time of death, what kind of body you are going to get. So yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam. The... Just like he is very much affectionate to his son. He is thinking of his son. Similarly, if you very much affectionate to your dog or something else, you will think at that time. Therefore practice Hare Kṛṣṇa so that at the time of death you can think of Kṛṣṇa and your life is successful.

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

There is a ruling all over the universe under the jurisdiction of Dharmarāja, or the supreme judge, for considering sinful and pious activities. There is a big government within this universe. But those who are thinking very poorly, without any advanced knowledge, atheist, they think that everything is coming automatically. Anīśva, anīśvara rahuḥ.(?) They say there is no īśvara, supreme ruler, and everything is happening by nature. But they cannot explain what is nature. At least, they have to admit nature is a power which is controlling him. We are not independent of the laws of nature. That is not possible. Even if you accept nature, then you are under the control of nature. That is a fact. Who is controlling nature, that you may not know because your knowledge is very poor. But nature is controlling you, that you can understand, everyone can understand. You cannot supersede the laws of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Just like ordinary criminal, thief. The police is chastising him. He does not think that there is any other power over the police. He thinks the police is the father and mother, and he is poor class. He does not know that police is not the supreme power. The supreme power is the president or the minister of law and order. He thinks, "This constable is everything." So poor-class thinking, they think nature is everything. But any way, everyone is under the control of nature.

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

So anyway, we are dependent on the laws of nature. That nobody can deny, even the greatest scientist, he cannot also deny. And because we are under the control of the laws of nature, we must admit, if we are sane man, that there is a system of ruling. If we deny the supreme ruler, we may do it madly, but there must be a systematic action, reaction. So here is Dharmarāja. Just like we have got magistrate. So magistrate's duty is, when a criminal is brought before him, to judge what kind of punishment he should be allowed. Justice there is. Similarly, this Dharmarāja means the criminals are brought before him. Dharmarāja is appointed magistrate by the Supreme Lord. So everyone, after death, he is brought before Dharmarāja, the Yamarāja, and he judges what kind of next body this criminal will have. That is Dharmarāja. He is judged by his work. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha-upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). Just like the magistrate punishes the criminal, what kind of punishment he should be awarded, how he will be allowed to live within the prison house. Just like a political prisoner. In our country just now they have... So many big, big leaders have been arrested. But they are not put in the same level of ordinary criminals. They are given all facilities. They are given nice house, servants and newspaper. They are given all facilities of indepen..., outside life, according to the position. They are called first-class prisoners. And there are similarly second-class prisoners, third-class prisoners. So this is judged by a person.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Honolulu, May 31, 1976:

You can do that, but things are going on. The government is very, very strong. Little deviation from the law, you'll be punished. Little deviation. Nature's law, they are so systematically set up that automatically... Just like the same example I've given: you'll infect some disease, automatically you'll have to suffer from the disease. Not that somebody's come to ask you that "You have infected this disease. Now you have to suffer from this." No. The machine is so perfect that as you have infected this disease... This is practically we know. So all of a sudden one gets cholera. So the doctor says that you are very bilious, or cholera (indistinct). So nature's law is so perfect. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot escape. Suppose you can eat two ounce, and if you eat four ounce, then you have to starve three days. This is the law. "There's some very palatable dishes. Now eat, let me eat it to my satisfaction," and you'll overeat. No. The nature's law is that you have to starve for three days. Next eating will be after three days.

So this way nature's law is acting. And what is this nature's law? Nature's law means a system, a machine. Just like in this government there is system. You cannot violate. "Keep to the right!" "Stop here, red light!" You must have to stop. "I'm governor." "Never mind, you stop." This is law. You cannot say that "I am governor," "I am Mr. Ford" or "Mr. Rockefeller," "Why shall I stop my car?" No, it is government law. You must stop. So this is practical going on. How you can violate the nature's law? It is not possible. Nature's law is so strict, a little deviation will put you into suffering. This is going on. That is Yamarāja. And if you violate more and more and more, then you suffer more and more and more. This is the law.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39-40 -- Surat, December 21, 1970:

Nature's law is so subtle. Uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Bhāgavata says, uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Just like a man is tied up tightly, hands and legs, by the laws of nature we are tied up in that way. Every part of our body is being controlled by some controller. We cannot violate a very insignificant portion of nature's law. Kṛṣṇa is perfect. We think that, we rogues, "Kṛṣṇa cannot see." But Kṛṣṇa has kept so many witnesses, and He is sitting Himself within. How you can hide and seek? No hide and seek. That is another foolishness, illusion. How you can hide yourself from Kṛṣṇa? That's not possible. And we are violating the laws of nature, and we are suffering. No excuse. Exactly like that: if a child catches fire, the catches fire will no excuse because it is a child. No. It will act. So we should know that, that... (aside:) Yes, yes. Aiye. There cannot be any excuse. Therefore we have to be very, very careful. And the best carefulness is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Simply if we surrender. (aside:) You take this letter and post immediately, immediately after class. In that envelope our Dhruvānanda Mahārāja has written that "I am enclosing herewith one bird's-eye view plan." Eh? Have you done? If he has done, ask him and put it. If he has not, without that plan we shall send. Aiye. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39-40 -- Surat, December 21, 1970:

Yes. You are now curing physical disease, but when you take up curing material, I mean to say, spiritual disease... Yes. Try to bring all people to the normal spiritual life. All their suffering is due to abnormal spiritual life, all suffering. Because, I was discussing with my disciples just now, nature's law is so subtle and so acute, that a little violation will be punished immediately. You know. You are medical man. Little violation will immediately subjected to the punishment. This is God's law. There is a word in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Uru. Uru means very strong and dāmni means rope. Just like if you are tied up with a strong rope, hands and feet, as you are helpless, our position is like that. This very word is used, uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Na te viduḥ... And such baddha, conditioned souls, they are declaring freedom: "I don't care for anyone. I don't care for God." How much foolishness. Just like sometimes naughty children, they are also bound up. Yaśodāmayī also bound up Kṛṣṇa. That is an Indian system, or everywhere, that tied up. And that small child, when it is bound up, if that child declares freedom, how it is possible? Similarly, by the laws of mother nature we are bound up. How you can declare freedom? Every part of our body is being controlled by some controller. That is stated in the Bhāgavatam. Even your, this eyelid moving, that is also under some controller.

Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, July 24, 1975:

So in this way we are misguided by so many rascals and forget God, and that is sinful life. That is the sinful life. Therefore it is said, etair adharmaḥ vijñātaḥ: now as soon as you are sinful, you have to be punished. That is nature's law. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). It is not that God has to come personally to punish you. When God comes personally to punish you, then you are not ordinary. (laughter) Just like He came to punish Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa. They are not ordinary. But ordinary person, a little headache is sufficient to finish him. He doesn't require to bring God. God's agents, there are so many agents. One agent is sufficient. So in this way there are different grades of punishment. Just like first-class, second-class, third-class prisoner. They are all punished in the prison house, but some of them are first class, some of them are second class. So similarly, within this material world it is called durgā. Durgā means fort, and the superintending deity is called Durgā, goddess material nature. So it is a fort like. You cannot go from here and there. You are trying so much to go from this planet to moon. You cannot do.

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

So these varieties of bodies are there. You cannot change the law of nature. Struggle for existence: we are trying to conquer over the laws of nature. That is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). So these are the subject matter of studies. Why there are, everyone is unhappy and happy to some extent? According to these qualities. So here it is said, therefore, that "As here we see in this life, in duration of life, there are varieties, similarly, guṇa-vaicitryāt, by the varieties of the guṇa, guṇa-vaicitryāt," tathānyatrānumīyate. Anyatra means next life or next planet or next anything. Everything is being controlled. Traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna that "The whole material world is being controlled by these three guṇas," guṇa-vaicitryāt. "Therefore you become nistraiguṇya, where these three guṇas cannot act." Nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. So how you can stop the action of these three guṇas?

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- Detroit, June 12, 1976:

So there are originally three colors. Similarly, originally three guṇas. Now they become mixed up. Three into three equal to nine; nine into nine equal to eighty-one; and again eighty-one, and eighty-one... Nature's law is very subtle. Those who are botanists, scientists, they know how the color of the flower... So many varieties. They calculate, a little... There is regular principle. Not that by chance it has become yellow, chance it has become red. This is rascaldom. No. There is regular. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Everything is being done by the manifestation of energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Everywhere there is control of Kṛṣṇa. So don't think that in the flower some nice color has come without any supervision or control. Don't think. That is nonsense. Not by chance. It is under Kṛṣṇa's direction. He has got artistic sense. Not like us. He can dictate to show(?) the various varieties of living entities, all varieties, trees and so many things, there are varieties. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi: nine hundred thousand different forms of fishes, from big to small.

Lecture on SB 6.1.47 -- Dallas, July 29, 1975:

So this future, past, present, future, is being controlled by the three modes of material nature. If we practice in this life sattva-guṇa, then ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ: (BG 14.18) then we shall be promoted to the higher planetary system. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. If we cultivate rajo-guṇa... Rajo-guṇa means kāma-lobha, kāma, simply desiring. This is called rajo-guṇa. "I want this, I want this, I want this." Because there is no satiation of want, therefore every man or woman planning something, "How my sense gratification will be fully satisfied." This is rajo-guṇa, kāma. Everyone is forgetting his real business. His real business is he should know, one should know, that "I am eternal. I have taken this temporary body and subjected to the laws of nature, birth, death and old age. So my real problem is how to become again eternal, not accepting any more birth, death, old age. That is my real business." But because I am infected with the material modes of nature, we are making different plans. Everyone is busy. Everyone is busy in different plans, forgetting his real business. This is called māyā. Māyā means..., ma means not; ya means this. Therefore māyā means when you understand, "This is not my business," then you are out of māyā. "This is not," mā-yā.

Lecture on SB 6.1.47 -- Dallas, July 29, 1975:

So this is the position. And this is not at all good. It is suffering. We are purchasing suffering more and more. The laws of God or laws of nature, they are very strict. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot avoid the stringent laws of the material nature. If you violate, then you will suffer. If you follow, then you will be elevated. That is stated, vartamānaḥ anyayoḥ kālaḥ. This suffering or enjoying—there is no enjoyment-suffering, so this is past, present and future. I am suffering or enjoying in this body. Then I am manufacturing another body for the future. And that manufacturing of future depending on the influence of kāla and the material modes, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. In this way I am implicated. That they do not know. Vartamānaḥ anyayoḥ kālaḥ guṇābhijñāpako. Those who are learned, they can understand why this man has become like this or why the animal has become this. Guna-jñāpa. Guṇa, according to guṇa. There are three guṇas, and mix it then it becomes nine, then mix it, it becomes eighty-one. Guṇa-jñāpakaḥ. It is not that every different types of body and living entities have come by chance. This is nonsense.

Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- New Orleans Farm, August 1, 1975:

So take this knowledge seriously and at least distribute this knowledge properly for the benefit of your people. Otherwise the world is in very, very precarious condition, and although the human form of life is obtained for the success of life, they are being kept purposefully all ignorantly in darkness. So, na veda pūrvam aparaṁ naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis tathā. Just like Bharata Mahārāja, he was a great devotee, but somehow or other, he was very much attached to one, a small deer. He had to accept the body of a deer. But he did not forget about his last birth. That is special prerogative for advanced devotees. Nature's law is that at the time of death, what you think, you get the body. That is nature's law. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6), Kṛṣṇa says. So we have to train up our bhāva, our thoughts. If we keep always in Kṛṣṇa thoughts, then naturally at the time of death we may remember Kṛṣṇa. That is success. Then immediately tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately you are transferred to the Kṛṣṇaloka, and according to your desire, you become amongst the gopīs or the cowherds boys or the cows and the calves. They are all equal. There is no... That is spiritual world. Here there is difference between the man, woman, cows, or trees, or flowers. No. In the spiritual world there is no such difference.

Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- Detroit, June 15, 1976:

So we have got this body according to our past work. Karmaṇā daivā-netreṇa jantra jantor deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). How one gets a particular type of body? Because according to his past karma. Nature will automatically act. Just like if you contact some contaminous disease, nature will act. You will have to undergo the process of disease or develop that disease. So nature's law is working so nicely. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Everything is being done by the laws of nature. So, human body, when we are civilized, we should know that "Why I am suffering?" Although under the spell of māyā we take suffering as enjoyment. That is called māyā. Māyā means what is not. We are thinking we are enjoying, but actually we are suffering. In this material body we have to suffer. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). This example is given by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā, that suffering means on account of this body. There is pinching cold, scorching heat. We feel these things on account of this body. At a certain circumstances, we feel pain; at a certain circumstance we feel happy. But actually, this so-called happiness and distress is due to the body.

Lecture on SB 6.1.51 -- Detroit, August 4, 1975:

Then tad etat ṣoḍaśa-kalam liṅgam. Liṅgam means the form. Liṅgaṁ śakti-trayaṁ mahat. Just like we have got this microphone, so the machine is made of these elements. That is analyzed. Then how it is working? Śakti-traya. The sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, mahat-tattva, the material elements... In this way the living entity is under the full control of material nature. And everything is coming out swiftly by our desire. These desires are also being generated from the soul, but by the infection of three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So just try to understand how the nature's law is working very finely and immediately. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). And above all these things, the nature's working, there is Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The prakṛti, nature... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Everything is being done. Just like the big airship is floating in the sky, but the pilot is pushing the button, similarly, the whole cosmic manifestation is working, but the button-pusher is Kṛṣṇa. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate. His knowledge is so perfect, and He has made this machine so perfect. A man can make so nice perfect machine, so what to speak about God? So mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10).

Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:

So the nature's law is so nice or so perfect that by seeing only, you will be infected, by seeing only. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). We are put into such a position that every moment we are being affected by the three modes of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. The prakṛti, the nature, is working so expertly. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. And kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu (BG 13.22). In this way our transmigration from one body to another, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), it is due to this infection of contacting different material modes of nature. The whole world is going on. So therefore our business of human life is how to protect ourself from this infection of material nature. That should be the aim of human life, not that allow us to be infected more and more and become implicated in the cycle of birth and death, sometimes lower, sometimes higher. This is not intelligence. The intelligence is how to get out of it. In the lower animal forms of life the nature takes care. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-sāṅkhyakāḥ. From the aquatics to the plant life, then insect life, then bird life, then beast life, then we come to the human life. And that is also When we come to the civilized life we should not waste our time like animals or lower creatures.

Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:

Our leaders are thinking that India, becoming too much religiously conscious, they have been poverty-stricken. No. That is not the fact. By Kṛṣṇa's desire, by Kṛṣṇa's will, everyone is provided. In the Vedas it is said, yo eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. The Supreme Lord is quite competent to provide, to supply the necessities of life to millions and millions of living entities. There is no question of scarcity of supply. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. In the forest there are millions of elephants. Who is supplying them food? Kṛṣṇa is supplying. So there is no question of overpopulation. Overpopulation, there is no question of. If Kṛṣṇa has overpopulation, He is competent to supply them food. But it is the nature's restriction. When we become godless, the nature's trouble will be there. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Just like the flood is going on in many parts of the world. So this is due to our sinful life. Nature is punishing. Adhidaivika. You cannot control. Nature will punish. Why nature is punishing? Because we are godless. That is nature's business. The more we become godless, the more we'll be punished by the laws of nature. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot surpass. You make many scientific plans to overcome—it is not possible. Then how it is possible? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. Unless you surrender to Kṛṣṇa That is your business.

Lecture on SB 6.1.68 -- Vrndavana, September 4, 1975:

So, the fact is, this is nature's law. Nature's law is that if the human being does not follow the injunction of the śāstra and he acts whimsically, independently, then he becomes punishable, exactly in the state laws, if you violate the laws... You are not independent. If you violate the laws, you'll be punished. Similarly, dharma means the laws of God. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). So if you violate the laws of God, the principles of dharma, then you will be punished. What is that principle of dharma? This Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We have manufactured so many different types of religious faith, but they are man-manufactured. They are not laws. And now it is being supported by many so-called swāmīs, that "You can manufacture your own religion. It doesn't matter. Whatever nonsense type of religion you follow, you get the same result." This is going on. But that is not the fact. Dharma is that, only one. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). To surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is real dharma. And what of others? They are cheating. That is stated in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). Kaitava means cheating. Cheating type of religion is rejected.

Lecture on SB 6.1.68 -- Vrndavana, September 4, 1975:

So we cannot violate the laws of God, or dharma. Then we'll be punished. The punishment is there, awaiting, by the laws of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). The laws of nature is to punish you. So long you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, the laws of nature will go on punishing you—three kinds of miserable conditions: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. This is the law. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). You are thinking independent, but that is not the fact. We are dependent, completely dependent on the laws of nature. And laws of nature means laws of God. What is prakṛti? Prakṛti is acting under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Just like a police constable is working under the direction of magistrate or superior office, similarly, prakṛti is giving us various types of miserable condition of life directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ suyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Kṛṣṇa says, "Under My superintendence the laws of nature is working." And what is the laws of nature? That in the human form of life, if you do not endeavor to understand what is God, what you are, what is your relationship with God, what is your duty—these things, if you do not learn, then you are punishable immediately.

Lecture on SB 6.1.68 -- Vrndavana, September 4, 1975:

If you want to save yourself from suffering, then you must take to Kṛṣṇa. It is a question of "must." It is not your option. Your option is there. Because you are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, you have got little independence. But if you misuse that independence, then you are punishable. You cannot. Just like everyone has got little independence to violate the laws of the state. You can do that, but that is punishable. So if we take the risk of being punished, then we can violate the laws of nature or laws of God. The laws of God is very simple thing. It is not very difficult. God personally says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: (BG 18.65) "Just always think of Me." So it is not at all difficult. Kṛṣṇa is here. You see the Deity of Kṛṣṇa. Have impression in your heart how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma is standing, how Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is standing, how Gaura-Nitai is standing. So you can think always. Man-manā. Or you can think of Him by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? Man-manā. You become devotee, come here in the temple, offer your respect. So to become Kṛṣṇa conscious is not at all difficult. But people will not take to it; therefore they must suffer. This is the law.

Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:

Just to take shelter to save their life—because one's own life is first consideration. "Self-preservation is the first law of nature." So when there is danger, people will give up their wife and property and go. Just like people are going. Yes. This will happen. In European countries also, when there was war, so many refugees. I have got one... I have heard. One Mr. McPherson, Englishman, he was known to me. He was coming to my shop. He stated that in the First World War, he was in the war, service, and some Belgium refugees came to France because Marshall Fox, he was in charge of that area, and when he was informed that so many refugees, mostly women and children, they have come, so he became so much disturbed that "Where shall I give them shelter in this warfield?" His advice was that "Blow them. Finish." So they were blown up. This is a practical... In warfield such things happen. "Who is going to take responsibility of so many women and children in this war?" They were blown up. They came to take shelter but they were blown up. Such things happen in war. Yes. Just like in your country the real policy—to continue the Vietnam—means they cannot manage these hippies, and they are trying to send them to Vietnam and kill them. That's all. That is the policy. They cannot manage.

Lecture on SB 6.2.1 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1975:

Evaṁ te bhagavad-dūtā yamadūtābhibhāṣitam, upadhārya. They listened to the words of Yamadūta very carefully, upadhārya, not that haphazardously they heard, no. Their reason, their everything, that "This man was like this, and he must be carried to Yamarāja for punishment..." Why punishment? No, to make him purified, it is said. Punishment required. This is nature's law. Just like if you have infected some disease, the punishment is you must suffer for it. The punishment is good. If you have infected some disease, and when you suffer, that means you become purified from the disease. Suffering is not bad, to become purified. Therefore when a devotee suffers, he does not take it illy. He thinks that "I am being purified. I am being purified."

Lecture on SB 6.2.4 -- Vrndavana, September 8, 1975:

Therefore, at the present moment it is a great necessity to have some ideal men. Yad yad ācarati śreyān. Therefore we are endeavoring to create some ideal men, Kṛṣṇa conscious men, their character, their behavior, their ideal aim of life. So those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, they should be ideal men. The society will be benefited at least by seeing their behavior. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us, āpani ācari prabhu jīveri śikṣāya. If you don't behave yourself as an ideal man, you cannot preach. Your preaching will not be successful. Āpani ācari prabhu jīveri śikṣāya. Because the nature's law is that ordinary men, they follow the ideal. If there is rājarṣi, kṣatriya, ruler, king, just like saintly person, like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Parīkṣit, Lord Rāmacandra—there are many—Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, then people will be happy. Just like it is described, during the reign of Mahārāja Parīkṣit there was no trouble at all of the citizens. They were free from even ordinary minor diseases. It is said there, in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. And so far production is concerned, it is said that the land was producing all the necessities. Sarva-dughāṁ mahī. Sarva-kāma-dughāṁ mahī. Actually we get everything from the earth, all supplies. We are getting these flowers from earth. We are getting these fruits from earth. We are getting foodstuff from the earth. We are getting minerals from the earth—everything. Sarva-dughāṁ mahī. So nature will supply you sufficiently, provided you follow ideal life. Otherwise nature will punish you. There will be no supply.

Lecture on SB 6.2.4 -- Vrndavana, September 8, 1975:

These are all described in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. The nature was not supplying sufficiently, and then Mahārāja Pṛthu, the personified Prithivi, he was going to kill her, punish her. King's business is, if somebody is doing wrong, then the king must punish. So he was prepared to punish Pṛthvī. She submitted that "King, why you are trying to punish me? It is my business when people become demons, I restrict my supply." So this is nature's law. As soon as you become demons, godless, nature will restrict supply. There will be no rain, no production. There will be scarcity, everything. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Everything is being carried by prakṛti. And prakṛti is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Without prakṛti's cooperation you cannot get anything. You may have big, big mills and factories—useless. You cannot manufacture, I mean to say, rice, grains. Even if you eat meat, the cows and the animals, they must eat vegetables. There will be no vegetables. How you will be able to eat meat even? So nature has got the restricting power. As you become more and more demons and sinful, nature will restrict supply and you'll suffer. This is the law.

Lecture on SB 6.2.16 -- Vrndavana, September 19, 1975:

So sinful activities, it is punishable. You cannot violate the laws of nature. Prakṛti is very strong. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Just like the government has police department, military department, law courts. Why? Because not all the citizens were good citizens. There are many outlaws. So more or less, whoever is in this material world, they are outlaws. Outlaw means they do not abide by the laws of nature, and therefore they are punishable.

Lecture on SB 6.2.16 -- Vrndavana, September 19, 1975:

A dog can be restrained: "Don't come here." Why God can be restrained? So there is no reason. He says freely that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). He wants. We are part and parcel of God, just like sons are part and parcel of father. If the father is rich man, all-powerful, he does not like to see that his sons are loitering in the street without any food, without any shelter. He doesn't like. Father entreats, "My dear son, why you are rotting in this way? Come home. You'll be comfortable. You'll be happy." But these rascal sons will not go. They are thinking, "We shall make plan here and live peacefully." That is going on. And God is coming, Kṛṣṇa is coming, canvassing, that "Come back to home, back to Godhead," and we are not interested. We are making plan here. This is our misfortune. But this plan will be frustrated. That is the nature's law. Daivi hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Whatever plan you make, it will be frustrated. It will never be successful. Therefore śāstra says, bahir-artha-maninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Where is the destination of life, they do not know it. Na te viduḥ. These rascals, those who have come to this material world, they do not know where is the goal of life because they are rascals, mūḍha, narādhama. Kṛṣṇa is canvassing that "Give up all this nonsense business." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Nobody will hear. He will manufacture his own way. This is the disease. Why? Because under the spell of māyā.

Lecture on SB 6.3.27-28 -- Gorakhpur, February 20, 1971:

John Lennon's house. There was a blind pit, and it was covered with grass, and somebody fell. So this gṛham andha-kūpam, this family life is sometimes... Unless there is Kṛṣṇa, the family life... Without Kṛṣṇa, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, family life is just like a blind well covered with grass. As soon as you go, and fall down. Prahlāda Mahārāja recommended that one should give up this blind well and go to the open forest. So here also it is said, gṛhe niraya-vartmani baddha-tṛṣṇān. And why they are staying in that blind well? Baddha-tṛṣṇān, conditioned by material desires. That's all. Thinking that "I am in family. My..., they are friends, they are countrymen, they are my children, and they'll give me protection. What this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will give us protection? They have no money. They are begging. So how they can?" No. That is their idea, that "This, my family affairs, a nice situation, that will give me protection." But that is wrong. Teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati.

dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv

ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api

teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ

paśyann api na paśyati

(SB 2.1.4)

They think that "This atmosphere will give me protection," without seeing that they'll be all destroyed by the laws of nature. So Yamarāja says, "Those who are under this conception, that 'This secure home life will give me protection...,' " but that is not the fact. Such security means security for gliding down to hell. That's all. Juṣṭād gṛhe niraya-vartmani baddha-tṛṣṇān.

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- London, September 9, 1971:

Therefore here it is said that generally persons, adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram, because they cannot control their senses, adanta... Adanta means uncontrolled; go means senses. Viśatāṁ tamisram. Tamisram means this materialistic way of life, repeated birth and death in different species or forms. That is called tamisram. I do not know what is my next life, but next life is there. And before us there are so many species of life, and I can become one of them. I can become a demigod. I can become a cat. I can become a dog. I can become Brahman. There are so many forms of life. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayo yaḥ (BG 14.4). So next life I will have to accept one of the forms even if I do not want. Suppose if somebody says, "Next life, would you like to take the form of a dog or a hog?" I may not like it, but the law of nature, after giving up this body, when no more I am existing in this body, I have to accept another body according to my karma. That is in the hands of nature. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Daiva-netreṇa, "by superior supervision." You cannot order that "Give me the body of Brahma. Give me the body of Indra or a king or something exalted." That is not in your hand or in my hand. That will be judged by the superior agent of God, Kṛṣṇa, and you will have a body. Therefore it is our duty to prepare a body which will help me to go back to Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

So we do not know subtle laws of nature, subtle laws of God, how things are happening, how things are going on. And without knowing these facts, our human life is spoiled. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to convince, educate people the value of life, how the process of living conditions are going on. Not we have manufactured all this. It is received from the Vedas. Vedas means the book of knowledge. Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jñāne. Jñāna means knowledge. So human life is meant for taking knowledge, jñāna. Jñāna-vairāgya. So vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam (SB 1.2.7). When we understand... We are now implicated in so many sinful life, and we have to reap the result. We have to suffer for it in dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). We are not going to die. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). It is not that everything... The atheists thinks like that—"When this body is finished, everything is finished." That is not the fact. There were atheists in India also. They say, bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya kutaḥ punar āgamano bhavet, yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. That is the atheistic theory, actually, that we are not, I mean to say, this, subjected to death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. We are not subjected.

Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:

So here it is said that because the leaders, they do not know what is the aim of life, what is the goal of life, therefore common men, people in general, they are being misguided. They are being misguided. Suppose a blind man leads some other blind men. What will be the result? Both of them will meet danger. That is the result because... "Why? They are doing very nicely, with great cautiousness." No. But they do not know that they are bound up by the laws of nature. Te 'pīśa-tantryā uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. They cannot divert their attention or deviate from the laws of nature. That is not possible. So they are under the laws of nature. They do not now why the laws of nature acting in a different way, against their will. Suppose I do not wish to die. Why laws of nature enforcing, forcing me to die? Nobody wants to die. So you cannot surpass the laws of nature. Therefore Kṛṣṇa presents in the Bhagavad-gītā that "You are trying to solve the problems of life, but here are the real problems of life: janma-mṛtyu-jarā vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)." The real problem is that there is death, there is birth, there is old age and there is disease. This is real problem. That problem is due to this material body. Therefore our real problem is that we have got this material body, but we have no sense that "Within this material body I am the spirit soul, living. So how to get out of this material body and again revive our spiritual body?" Spiritual body is already there. How to become free from the bondage of this material body and become free again in spiritual life, that is real problem of life. That they do not. Who knows? Bring any big, big leaders. Ask him that "Do you know what is the problem of life?" They do not know. Therefore it is said, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31).

Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:

So if he is all-pervading and if he is unburnable, then how it is possible that in the fire he does not exist? It cannot be burned, and it is everywhere. Sarva-ga. And we find also when we go on the sea beach—within the sand there is life. Now it is up to you to accept the authority of Bhagavad-gītā or authority of the Americans. That is your... We follow the authorities of Bhagavad-gītā. Adāhyo 'yam: "It cannot be burned." And from reason also, there is... In the water there are living entities; in the air there are living entities; in the earth there are living entities. So the material elements are five: earth, water, fire, air and sky. So if everywhere there is living entities, fire is also one of the material elements. Why not in the fire? What is the reason? And Bhagavad-gītā says, adāhyo 'yam: "It is never burned." So why do you think like that, that in the fire there is no living entity? Therefore they have been described as blind. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are blind, and they are leading other blind men. But they do not know what is the laws of nature, how things are going.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

That is also explained, deha-yogena dehinām. Another standard of sense gratification. Because the human body's sense gratification is different from dog's body's sense gratification. Or European sense gratification is different from African sense gratification because it is due to the body. So wherever you take your birth, in this planet or another planet, or this family or that family, this nation or that, that sense gratification arrangement is already there according to your body. You cannot improve it. If a dog likes to gratify his senses like a man, it is not possible because he has got a particular type of body. Deha-yogena dehinām. So that sense... Just like a dog has no economic problems. So a cat has no economic problems, a bird has no economic problem. But we civilized human being, we have got economic problem. Why? Now, because the advanced consciousness which are to be used for understanding our relationship with God, we are utilizing, misusing it for sense gratification. The advanced consciousness which was given to us by the law of nature, to utilize it to understand what is God, what is my relationship with Him, and what is my duty in that relationship, this is the boon to understand in the human life, but we don't care for it.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

But if you want a God's body you will get it also. So why not take a God's body? This is the opportunity. This is the opportunity. (break) ...desire this body, that body, this body, that body, I have traveled so many bodies. 8,400,000's of bodies. Now here is a body, where is perfect consciousness. I can understand that if I like I can get next birth God's body. (break) ...means the same body as God has, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So this is illusion that I think that I am maintaining this body. You are not maintaining this body. The nature's law, nature's supply, nature's arrangement, that is Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). The nature is acting according to the different qualities. And ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā, being puffed up, one thinks that "I am doing this." Nonsense, you cannot do it anything. You are being forced to do by the laws of nature. Yes.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So if the activities is going on with the laws of nature, then how do you become Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Do you (indistinct) yourself completely?

Prabhupāda: That Kṛṣṇa said, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ... (BG 18.66). "You nonsense. You give up all this nonsense business. Come to Me." So we have, you have to develop such knowledge. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa says like this, let me do this." (break) "...faith that whatever engagement you have manufactured, it is simply troublesome, miserable for your life. Don't try to manufacture any more. Please come to Me." "Oh, how shall I live?" Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66). "Don't bother. I shall give you protection." Unfortunately, we do not follow. We have no business to maintain this body or that body, but simply to surrender to God. Then everything will be done. (break) ...maintain your body. Every one is trying to become President Johnson or something like that. Does it mean that he will become? The arrangement is pre-arrangement. You may work day and night, hard labor. But you'll get whatever is destined to you. That's all. You cannot get more. That is being taught by Prahlāda Mahārāja. Just like a dog, he has got a particular type of body. He is confined in that bodily activities. If a dog likes that "I shall be President Johnson," is it possible? However, how much he may try, that body will not allow him. Similarly, we have got a particular type of body to enjoy a particular type of sense gratification. If we try to go beyond that, it is not possible.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Hong Kong, April 18, 1972:

So the world situation is very very downward. Don't think that you are making progress. It is not progress. Śāstra says parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. So long a human being is not interested in the subject matter of ātma-tattva, what I am, then whatever he is doing, he is becoming defeated. He is not victorious. He is defeated. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto. Abodha-jāto. He is a rascal fool. He does not know what is his interest. He does not know that by nature's law,

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Vrndavana, December 2, 1975:

By nature's law we have to transmigrate in so many species of life, from aquatics to plants, trees, then insects, then flies, then birds, then beast, then uncivilized human being. Then we have got this civilized form. Especially those who are born in India. Because in India the varṇāśrama-dharma is here. India, Hindu, Hindu is a foreign name given by the Mohammedans. Actually our real position is followers of the varṇāśrama-dharma. Four varṇas and four āśramas. This is the stepping stone for civilized life, varṇāśrama. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra; and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This system of social order, I mean to say, spiritual and material, it is so systematically done that one who follows this system, automatically he becomes at the end Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the highest objective. Unfortunately they do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatim hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are enchanted by the glaring materialistic, material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So according to karma, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1), by superior arrangement one has to accept a type of body. That we are forgetting. We are thinking that we shall remain free like this. That is not possible. Your every inch of activity is being recorded and at the end of life these things will be taken into account, karmaṇā. And by the superior arrangement you have to accept one type of body. Today you may become a prime minister but your activities will be recorded and tomorrow after your death you may have to accept the body of a dog. That is the law of nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

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

These rascals, they are thinking, "I am free. I can do anything and whatever I like." No. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. You have to... Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). As you are infecting the different types of modes of nature, you are making your next life like that. So we should be very careful. Therefore the others accept... Because without this varṇāśrama system of religious principles, we can declare, there is no scientific understanding of the modes of material nature, how we are contacting, how we are becoming infected and where is our next life. But if we... Śāstra-caksusat. If you see through the śāstra, then you can understand.

So here is the order of God: sarva-dharmān parityajya... So where Bhagavad-gītā ends, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins there, from that point. So here is another instance. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he is teaching that: kaumāra ācaret prajño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). Iha, in this life, our only duty is to understand the bhāgavata-dharma, how to serve God. That is the only business. There is no other business. That is the only business of human life. In another place, it is stated tasyaiva hetoḥ prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (1.5.18). Prahlāda Mahārāja also says here that durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. "My dear friends, you have got this human form of body after many millions of years." Durlabha, very rarely. That is nature's law. We are in the cycle of birth and death. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). Tathā dehāntara-prāptir. After death we shall get another body, but we do not know what kind of body we are going to get. There are 8,400,000 different types of body and the life begins from the grass, from the ground. We have seen so many grass. And gradually the grass is eaten by some animals or insects, and then there is semina. Then the same semina becomes insect. From insect to bird, bird to beast, from beast to animals. It takes millions and millions of years to come to the form of human being. This is evolution. They do not know it. But that is the process. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. You must understand that this human form of body you have got after many millions of years. Don't waste it like animals.

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

People are searching out whether there is God, God is dead or alive. But we are giving, "Here is God. Here is His name, here is His address, here is His activities." Everything we are giving distinctly. Not blindly, but there is philosophy, there is reason, there is logic, and these are all stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, sixty volumes. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that everyone from the very childhood, that means when education begins, this bhāgavata-dharma. Otherwise, we are missing the point. We are missing the opportunity of this human form of life. We are simply living like cats and dogs and dying like cats and dogs. And if we maintain that mentality like cats and dogs, then next life... Because we are given the opportunity by nature to utilize our consciousness, to utilize our intelligence, to understand God. But if we do not utilize, if we live like cats and dogs, then next life we have to accept, by nature's law, the body of cats and dog. This is bhāgavata-dharma. This is an opportunity. Here is the opportunity to make your choice whether again you are going to be cats and dogs or whether you are going to be elevated to the highest position, back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Toronto, June 19, 1976:

Sinful activity means do irresponsibly anything we like, and we become entrapped in sinful activities. But as we have got experience in our ordinary life that ignorance is no excuse... Suppose a child touches fire. The fire will not excuse because it is a child. No. Either you are a child or grown-up man, when you touch the fire it will act. There is no excuse. Similarly, knowingly or unknowingly, if we do something wrong, we have to be punished. This is the law of nature. There was an instance, one muni, he was brought to Yamarāja's court and he was..., judgment was given that this man should be punished by śūla. Śūla means one iron rod pushed through the rectum and it will pierce through the head. But the man was condemned to death, and this is the punishment. So the, he was a sage, muni. So he asked the Yamarāja that "Throughout my whole life, I never did any wrong. Why you are punishing me in this way?" So Yamarāja replied that "You have forgotten. In your childhood you pierced one ant with a needle. You have forgotten. Therefore you are being punished." So of course, he became..., Yamarāja became Vidura because the sage also punished him, that "For my childhood criminality you are punishing me in this way. So I also punish you, that you have no sense, you have to take birth in a śūdra family." Anyway, either in childhood, or knowingly or unknowingly, if we do something wrong... There are many other instances. Just like some contaminous disease: either a child or a grown-up man, if he infects himself with that contaminous disease, some way or other, the disease will manifest and he has to suffer.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Toronto, June 19, 1976:

So we have to understand this, that the sense gratification... In English it is called "One man's poison is another man's food." Why this difference? A particular type of body. Although we are all human being, but every one of us is under the control of the laws of nature. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu (BG 13.22). Sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. We are born in a particular family, particular circumstances, particular taste. Everything. That is kāraṇam. What is the..., why there are differences? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya. The kāraṇa, the reason is because we are associated with a particular type of modes of nature. Just like a person, at this time he'll be pleased to come here to understand this Bhāgavata-dharma. At the same time, another person will be pleased to go to a brothel or to a liquor shop. Why? The kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. The reason is that he's interested with the particular modes of nature. So Bhāgavata-dharma means, even one is in the most lower stage of association, he can be raised to the highest stage. That is called bhāgavata-dharma.

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

Devotee: Swamijī, seeing as how sorrow and happiness are there by nature's law, wouldn't these be an impediment to our devotional service?

Prabhupāda: No, for a devotee that is not impediment, because he's transcendental to distress and happiness. Spiritual activities are transcendental, ahaituky apratihatā. Ahaitukī: spiritual activities is not done under any cause. We love Kṛṣṇa not with a cause. Just like here in the material world, I love a girl for sense gratification, or I love a boy for sense gratification. There is a cause. And as soon as the cause is disturbed, oh, the love is disturbed, there is impediment. But love of Kṛṣṇa is without cause. It is spontaneous. Therefore there is no impediment. Because the word "love" can be engaged only in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is no question of love. So when the love, love of Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, there is no material impediment. Is it clear?

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

That is also, Prahlāda Mahārāja says in another place, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇoḥ durāśayā ye bahir-arthah-māninaḥ. People, general, people in general, they do not know what is the aim of life. The aim of life is this: back to home, back to Godhead. This is aim of life. There is no other aim. Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūraya. That is the aim of life: how to reach Viṣṇu-pada. And here it is also said, mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. This is aim of life. Without attempting how to regain the shelter of mukunda-caraṇāmbujam, if you simply waste your time for economic development or improving the standard of your living, it is simply waste of time. This is the law of nature. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, tat-prayāso na kartavyo. Tat-prayāso means in the previous verse it is said that sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā. Everyone is trying. Why they are working so hard? Sukham aindriyakam. Just to get some sense gratification. That's all. This is the only aim.

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

Now if this time, this life I may become a prime minister and big, big man. But when I come in politics I have to deal with so many people in so many nefarious ways and lives that out of my karma, I'll get the next body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). You'll get the next body according to your karma. Now if I've acted just like menial animal, then next life animal. If I become a dog... This life I am minister, prime minister, and next life I become a dog, then what is my profit? But that is nature's law. There is no consideration that "You are a prime minister then you, oh, you respectable post." No. Daiva-netreṇa. The superior management will see in which way you have acted—either as a dog or as a god. That will be taken into consideration. Not your position.

But these rascals, they do not understand that everyone is strictly under the laws of nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate