...leader to Bhagavad-gītā and became a sādhu, mahātmā, but when they found that a mahātmā is leader and he is a great student of Bhagavad-gītā, and by the way all people gathered round him. Although he was a politician, he has nothing to do with Bhagavad-gītā or mahātmā, no. (laughter) Because the definition of mahātmā is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. The definition of mahātmā is there: mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya manaso (BG 9.13). This is mahātmā. Mahātmā means he has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa cent percent, and his only business is to worship and glorify Kṛṣṇa. That is mahātmā. So Gandhi never believed that there was Kṛṣṇa, but he became mahātmā by popular vote. That's all.
Leaders (Lectures, BG)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 1.12 -- London, July 13, 1973:
And not that in modern days the fighting takes place—the poor soldiers, they come to fight, and the leaders, they remain in safety place. It is not like that. All of them came out, kṣatriya. Bhīṣmadeva came, Duryodhana came, Arjuna came. And face to face, they had to fight. Not that the poor soldiers would fight and they would remain in a secure place, no. So tasya sañjanayan harṣaṁ kuru-vṛddhaḥ. Kuru-vṛddha, the oldest man in the dynasty, Kuru dynasty, pitāmaha, he's the grandfather of Arjuna and Duryodhana. The Dhṛtarāṣṭra's elder uncle, his father's elder brother. He was very old man, brahmacārī, and in that old age also, he was taking the risk of fighting. This is kṣatriya spirit. Not that only... Dhṛtarāṣṭra was escaping.
Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:
Just like the lion. Lion is respected in the forest by dogs, hogs, camel and asses and other animals. Because lion is the king of the animals. But does it mean, because he is designated as the king of animals, it has got any use? Has it got any use for any purpose? Similarly, these political leaders, they may be lion, but who respects them? These dogs, hogs, camels and asses, that's all. He may be a big animal, but he is animal, no better than a big animal. That's all. And other animals praises, dogs, hogs, camels.
Lecture on BG 1.28-29 -- London, July 22, 1973:
So you can advertise that "I am for everyone," but there is affection for own men. Nepotism. Nepotism. It's called nepotism. So many big, big leaders. Our Jawaharhal Nehru, he was sending his own men as ambassador. Vijaya Lakshmi, a woman, she was being sent as ambassador. She was high commissioner here. So this "own men" question is very prominent everywhere.
Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:
There is no happiness actually, expanding selfishness. Just like a national leader like Mahatma Gandhi in our country. He planned that "Let the Britishers go away. My countrymen will be happy. My countrymen will be happy." But when the Britishers went away, giving the responsibility of Indian empire to the Indian people, Gandhi was thinking in the morning, "Oh, I am so unhappy. Now only death will please me." And the next, the same evening, he was killed. He was so unhappy. Because everything was topsy-turvied. He wanted Hindu-Muslim unity. Now the country was divided.
Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:
British man: ...made of a very inferior metal, in fact, in lead. But we couldn't think anything better than having this badge made for you in solid gold, twenty-four carat, and hereby we present it on behalf of the members of the guild to you, our most beloved leader.
Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. (devotees all shouting Haribol!) So, how it is to be used?
British man: Just like this, m'Lord. Has a pin on it.
Prabhupāda: Oh, I see. Thank you.
Lecture on BG 1.36 -- London, July 26, 1973:
These people, they do not know. Because they are asuras, they do not know what to do in this human form of life and what not to do. They are killing animals without any hesitation. They do not know these rascals. And still they are spiritual leaders. How horrible condition is this, in this Kali-yuga. Just imagine. Without any restriction, without any hindrance, they are committing sinful life.
Lecture on BG 1.40 -- London, July 28, 1973:
So these are the principles. This is called human society. Varnāśramācaravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān (CC Madhya 8.58). In human society, viṣṇur ārādhyate, the Lord is worshiped. But ne te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuḥ. At the present moment, these rascals, they do not know. Andhā yathāndair upanīyamānāḥ. And the so-called leaders, they are blind, themselves, and they are trying to lead other blind men. This is the social position.
Lecture on BG 1.41-42 -- London, July 29, 1973:
So this class of men are leading the society. The third-class, fourth-class men, they are leaders. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). So now we are talking with so many big, big persons, guests, coming daily. But actually, we can see how much the third-class, fourth-class men, practically blind, they are leading the society. That we can understand. Therefore, the social order is... Just like Arjuna is describing here, saṅkaro narakāyaiva kula-ghnānāṁ kulasya ca (BG 1.41). Who knows this? Who knows this science, that saṅkaro narakāyaiva, if you produce unwanted hellish condition? Who is caring for that? The world is in hellish condition, we can perceive, but they are trying in a different way. They want to remain demons; at the same time, they want to become leaders. So at the present moment, comparing the social status 5000 years ago... According to Darwin's theory, 5000 years ago, men were uncivilized, uncivilized. Now this literature is written by uncivilized men. Just see. So highly intellectual writings, they were uncivilized.
Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 7, 1972:
Illusioned means accepting something as fact which is not. Something... Just like in dream we see sometimes I am attacked with a tiger; my head is being cut off. So many things. So actually there is no tiger, my head is not being cut off, but still, I am crying: "Oh, here is a tiger, here is a tiger!" So our attachment for this world is like that. It is illusion. I am thinking that "Without me, everything will be spoiled. My presence is required." And so on, so on. Just like sometimes our political leaders. Each and every one of them thinks that without him, the whole situation will be spoiled. Even Mahatma Gandhi, he was so attached that he would not retire from political life—unless he was killed. The attachment was so strong. But after passing away of Mahatma Gandhi or Jawaharlal Nehru or so many big, big leaders, the world is going on. There is a Bengali proverb that "When the king dies, it does not mean the kingdom stops." The kingdom goes on. But when, so long, the leader or the person in charge remains there, he thinks that "Without me, everything will be spoiled." This is called māyā. This is called illusion.
Lecture on BG 2.6 -- London, August 6, 1973:
So all these materialistic persons, they are so fools, rascals, miscreants, they are increasing these material activities. They are thinking by this increasing material activities they will be happy. No. That is not possible. Durāśayā ye... And their leaders... Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryam uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). All of us are tied very tight, hands and legs, and we are thinking we are free, independent. By the laws of material nature... Still, we are thinking that we are independent. The scientist is trying to avoid God, independent by science. That is not possible.
Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:
Yes, Upaniṣad says nityo nityānām. Now, nitya means eternal, and the Supreme Lord is the supreme eternal, and we individual souls, we are also many eternals. So He is the leader eternal. Eko bahūnām... How He is leader? Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That one, singular number eternal, person, He is supplying all the needs of other eternals. These things are clearly said in the Vedas. And actually we are experiencing. Just like in Christian theology, the individual goes to the church and prays God, "Give us our daily bread." Why he's asking God? Of course, this atheist class of men are now teaching them, "Where is bread? You are going to church. You come to us; we shall supply you bread." So this Vedic thought is there also. The Vedas say, eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That supreme one eternal, He's supplying, He's maintaining all other individual eternals. And Bible also enjoins that "You go, ask for your bread to God." So unless God is maintainer and supplier, why this injunction is there? Therefore He is the leader; He is the maintainer. And the Vedas clearly says this is the position. He is the Supreme. And by knowing this one can become in peace. That is the Vedic injunction.
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973:
The Gosvāmīs, when they gave up their family life... It is described by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇiṁ sadā tucchavat. Maṇḍala-pati, big, big leaders, maṇḍala-pati. Big, big leaders, zamindars, big, big, big men. He was minister. Who can become his friend unless he is also a very big man? So Rūpa Gosvāmī gave up their company. As soon as Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī became acquainted with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, immediately they decided that "We shall retire from this ministership and join Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to help Him."
Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, December 12, 1976:
Kṛṣṇa says that na tu eva ahaṁ na tvaṁ na ime janādhipāḥ: "Either I or you or all these people who have assembled here in this battlefield, janādhipāḥ, kings..." In the battlefield, janādhipāḥ, they are not ordinary men. Now in the battlefield the poor mercenaries, they go to give their life, whereas the janādhipāḥ, the leaders of the people, they sit down very comfortably. They do not go to the battlefield. They simply give order in writing, and the poor mercenaries, paid soldiers, they are paid for giving their life. Money is so sweet that one is prepared to give his life for money.
Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, December 12, 1976:
So yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. This is the qualification of kṣatriya. So here it is said, Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is chariot driver of Arjuna. So He says, janādhipāḥ. There were many kings. Different parts of the world, they joined. Janādhipāḥ, the leaders, when there is fight the leaders must come forward. And as soon as the leaders are killed, then it is victory, not by killing the soldiers or common men by atomic bomb. No. That was not fighting.
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 19, 1972:
And persons who do not know this fact, they are becoming leaders, they are becoming educators, they are becoming spiritual master, and so on. So how these people will be in knowledge? Because those who are teaching them, they are in ignorance. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). One blind man is leading so many blind men. So where is the education?
Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:
Suppose in this life you are very big leader, prime minister, and everything. That's all right, but according to your mentality, you are creating next life. So in this life you remain a prime minister, and in next life you become a dog. Then where is the benefit? There is not... Therefore these atheist fools, they want to deny next life. That is very horrible for them. That is very horrible to them. If they accept next life... They know their life is very sinful. Then what life they are going to get by the laws of nature? When they think of it, they shudder. "Better deny it.
Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:
He has got some purpose; He has got some mission. So try to understand Kṛṣṇa and His mission and His activities. They are described in a historical form. So where is the difficulty? We read so many things, history or the activities of some leader, some politician. The same thing, same energy, you apply for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa, therefore, He manifests Himself with so many activities because you can understand Kṛṣṇa's activities.
Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:
Now he's rotting here as a hog, or as a human being, or as a king. The same thing. It is for few years only." So a devotee therefore tries to take him out of this illusion. Therefore, he's called para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He's actually feeling others' distressed condition. Not these political leaders or social... What they can do? They make their own fortune. That's all. Or what is that fortune? That is also misfortune. If somebody thinks "I have got some money. I am very fortunate." It is, actually it is not fortune. Real fortunate is he who is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He is fortunate. Otherwise, all are unfortunate. All are unfortunate.
Lecture on BG 2.15 -- London, August 21, 1973:
Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Those who are trying to adjust this material world by science or yoga, without caring for Viṣṇu, what they are? Andha. They are blind. Andha. And their leaders? They are also blind. Andhā yathā upanīyamānāḥ andhena. One blind man is trying to lead another blind man. So what is the wrong there? Te 'pīśa-tantryāṁ baddhāḥ: They are bound up by the laws of nature, hand and legs tight. How they can become free and happy by such endeavor? That is not possible. So, so simply by taking Kṛṣṇa consciousness it will be nice? Yes.
Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:
Material opulence means jewels, gold, silk, butter, that is material opulence. Not plastic pots or plastic bucket, plastic cloth. It has no value. So anyway, India was concerned material opulence, whatever is gotten from the nature, not by industry, not engaging oneself in industry. Therefore, India, the leaders of India now, they are finding that on account of our negligence to the material side of life, we have become poor.
Lecture on BG 2.17 -- Hyderabad, November 22, 1972:
But still, as it is suggested in the Bhagavad-gītā: yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad eva itaraḥ janaḥ (BG 3.21). If the so-called leaders, they become Kṛṣṇa conscious, they understand the philosophy, then others will follow. As, at the present moment, because the leaders are foolish, blind, they have no spiritual knowledge, all the population of the world becomes godless. Therefore our appeal is to the leading personalities to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Try to understand its philosophy, apply in life, and try to distribute this knowledge.
Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:
So we have to accept this... vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. You don't be misled by the proposition of the so-called blind leaders that you are this body. The leaders are misguiding us by identification with this body. There is fight always. "I am American." "I am Indian." "I am Russian." "I am Pakistani." "I am Hindustani." And there is fight. Advancement of civilization means advancement of fighting. That's all. When there was no Pakistan, there was some sporadic Hindu-Muslim fight. Now there is nation, Pakistan, and nation, Hindustan, and there is organized fight every year. This is advancement?
Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:
"Somehow or other, get money." Because without money, you cannot get woman, you cannot get nice palatable food, nice dress, nice apartment, nice car. "So bring money, somehow or other." Everyone is coming forward as very philanthropist leader. The aim is how to get money. That's all. That is their philanthropism. They, they speak so many nonsense things, but the real idea is how to get money.
Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:
If you are led by blind leaders, you are all doomed. That is going on. That is my appeal to the Indians. Don't be doomed. Take Kṛṣṇa, accept Kṛṣṇa as the leader. Then you'll be happy. As Kṛṣṇa says... Not only India. India, especial, I say. Because Kṛṣṇa is so kind.
Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:
I am the leader of this country. I am the father of so many children. I have got so beautiful wife and so..." So many things I am thinking, puffed-up. "I don't care for God. I am God." All right. At the time of death, are you God? Are you God at the time of death? God means controller.
Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:
Therefore śāstra says, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The andhas—means blind, blind leaders—they are giving us false hope that we shall make here permanent settlement. Therefore they are called andhas. They have no sense. You cannot make it sanātana. But the whole attempt is going on to make everything sanātana.
Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:
Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). So this rascaldom, that sanātana-dharma is only in India, and that is also cut off... "Now, the Pakistan is cut off, and therefore there is no sanātana-dharma. Simply in here." If you remain foolish like that, then andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), that means you are being led by some blind leaders. You do not know what is what. If living entity's sanātana, and if the process by which one can realize his sanātana nature... That is called sanātana-dharma.
Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:
So just to offer my gratitude... I am very poor. I have no means to offer You nice things. So I have brought this." Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes, bring it." Tad aham aśnāmi. "I shall eat." Why? Bhaktyā. "Because you are offering Me with bhakti." This is Kṛṣṇa's want. You become bhaktas; Kṛṣṇa will be very satisfied. Not that you become very big man, very big leader. That will entangle you again. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Simply waste of time.
Lecture on BG 2.25 -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:
That is rascaldom. Not finished. It is going on. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The foolish rascals, they say, "Now this man is dead, finished." Big, big professors, they are saying, "Swamiji, after death everything is finished." And he's professor. Just see. Rascal fools they are becoming leaders, professors, politicians, How the people will be happy? They are put into the ignorance of life. Always put. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). They have been enamored by the external feature of Kṛṣṇa's energy. This is also Kṛṣṇa's energies, this material world. But we are attracted by this material energy. We should be attracted by the spiritual energy. That is perfection of life.
Lecture on BG 2.26-27 -- London, August 29, 1973:
So the decision of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Mahad-guṇāḥ. We can find it easily, just like we say that no illicit sex, no meat-eating, we consider this is sinful. But there are others, big, big leaders, politicians, philosophers, even religious priests, they do not think that this is immoral or this is sinful. Meat-eating is sinful. Why? What is the sin there? Illicit sex, what is the wrong there? Intoxication, what is wrong there? They do not find any immorality. So this standard of morality, there cannot be fixed up if one is not God conscious.
Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:
Now why the kṣatriyas... It is said in the śāstra if a kṣatriya dies in the fight, then he is promoted to the heavenly kingdom to take birth because he is fighting for the right cause so he is promoted. As in this world also, if you fight for some right cause, you are rewarded. Even after your death, your memory is commemorated. Just like in your country so many brave soldiers, leaders, they have died, but you have honored them by keeping their statues because they fought and died for right cause, whatever we think, right or wrong. So the kṣatriyas, this is the Vedic injunction, who dies for the right cause, he is promoted to the heavenly planet. Now Kṛṣṇa says "Now it is a great opportunity for you. Suppose either you or your grandfather, the opposite party, die in this fight, so your promotion to heavenly planet is sure. And if you gain, then you get the kingdom. Both ways it is profitable for you." Go on.
Lecture on BG 2.31 -- London, September 1, 1973:
They are taking to the śūdra principles. Yesterday I was presented with a paper, Indian government scheme to help people starting small-scale industries, and government is ready to help. (aside:) You sit cross-legged, not like that. All of you. So a small industry, there are so many motor parts, so many other parts. About 200, 300 items, government is ready to help a small industry. But the government does not know or the leaders do not know that to engage people in such industrial affair means to bring them to the śūdra platform. Śūdra platform. Every government is encouraging people how to become śūdra. But actually, the human society must be divided into four parts. Four divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. Just like in our body there is division. The head department, the arms department, the belly department and the leg department.
Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973:
Sometimes we are accused that we go to preach amongst the richer section. The richer section, of course there is no king, but actually this Bhagavad-gītā was meant for the richer section who used to control—the kings. Because if the king is educated nicely in spiritual affair, if he knows what is the purpose of kingdom, what is the purpose of ruling, then all the citizens automatically become religious, purposeful. And if the king is a rascal, the leader is a rascal, naturally all others will follow, and they will become rascals. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the Fourth Chapter, you'll find that Kṛṣṇa was teaching, first-off, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). He taught this philosophy to the sun-god.
Lecture on BG 2.33-35 -- London, September 3, 1973:
It requires the time, circumstances, on what ground the fighting was going on, on whose order the fighting was going on. These are to be studied. So violence and nonviolence. Our great leader, Mahatma Gandhi, he wanted to prove from Bhagavad-gītā, nonviolence. He started the nonviolence movement, and he wanted to support... Everyone takes advantage of Bhagavad-gītā and tries to support his view on the strength of Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore you will find so many interpretations. Everyone wants to utilize. There are more than six hundred publication, commentaries, on Bhagavad-gītā. One Dr. Rele in Bombay, he has interpreted Bhagavad-gītā as talks between a physician and a patient.
Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:
Lord Jesus Christ, he claimed himself that he is coming from God as son of God to reclaim to back to Godhead, back to home. That is the mission. Every, every reformer or every great religious leader or God Himself, He comes on this earth to reclaim these conditioned soul to back to Godhead, back to the kingdom of Godhead. That is the whole idea of incarnation. Now, at the present moment... Not at the present moment.
Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:
So the Lord says that kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān. The mental speculation, so long we are on the platform of mental speculation, we should understand that we are on the material plane, because mind is material. Mind is not spiritual. So mano-gatān. The special word is used here, mano-gatān. Whatever we create in our mind, that is material, all creations. Mind is the leader of the senses. So the activities of the mind—thinking, feeling and willing—are expressed through our senses. And these sensual activities are known as our living condition. Therefore the Lord says, "When one shall be free from mental speculation, then he's to be understood that he is in the perfect stage of spiritual consciousness."
Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:
Now the same milk preparation, when it is treated, it becomes the medicine. And the same milk preparation becomes the cause of disturbance. Similarly, the whole world situation is causing disturbance because it is not treated with spiritual treatment. That's all. As soon as there is spiritual treatment, as soon as people are spiritually conscious, as soon as at least the leaders of men, they are standing on the consciousness platform, the whole world situation will change.
Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:
So it is the war of sense gratification, that's all. One leader is presenting a program of sense gratification, another leader is presenting another program of sense gratification, and there is clash. This is going on. This is the history of the world.
Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:
Yes, Lord of the living entities. Just like here we have got a leader, a society leader or a party leader or a club leader, there are leaders. Some are led by somebody, some are led by somebody. We don't wish to discuss. But there is a leader. Without leader, nobody goes to hell, neither to heaven. There must be one leader. The supreme leader is Kṛṣṇa. Leader of the leader, leader of the leader. There are various types of leaders. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). These are the wordings in the Vedas. So He is the supreme leader. We are following some leader. Some leader is following Stalin, somebody Hitler, some leader is following Gandhi, somebody's following somebody, somebody. There must be some leader. But why not the supreme leader, who will never misguide you? He will give you actual path of happiness. Then you will become happy.
Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:
Kṛṣṇa therefore said, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "You give up all nonsense leadership. Simply come unto Me, surrender unto Me. I'll give you protection." That is wanted. Yes. Therefore we are following leader. There is no doubt about it. But there is misleader. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31).
Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:
Just like a blind man is leading other blind men. What is the use of such following leaders? He is blind and I am blind. So if he leads me to cross the road, what (is) my life? My life is in danger. So don't follow these misleaders. Kṛṣṇa is approved leader. All leaders of the society, any part of the world, has accepted Kṛṣṇa as the supreme leader. Follow Him. Then you'll be happy. Go on.
Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:
Some way or other, these Rūpa and Sanātana contacted Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and they retired from their service and joined. And after all, they became the most important leaders of this movement, Rūpa and Sanātana. Now, this Rūpa and Sanātana, when they retired from their service, they brought home gold coins. At that time there was no currency notes. Actual value gold coins were in... Now, that gold coins was about two and a half ounce weight.
Lecture on BG 3.14 -- Sanand, December 27, 1975:
So viṣṇu-ārādhana is the ultimate goal of life. In the Purāṇas also, Lord Śiva was instructing Pārvatī, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param. Lord Śiva said that "Of all different types of worship, the worship of Viṣṇu is topmost." So human life is specially meant for worshiping Viṣṇu. Unfortunately, the blind leaders, they are not teaching people how to execute viṣṇu-ārādhana. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is started just to educate people how to worship Lord Viṣṇu. Viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param—this is our mission to teach all over the world. (break) Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Yajñārthe. Yajña means Viṣṇu. Simply for satisfying Viṣṇu one should act.
Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:
You will find at Vṛndāvana, oh, so many great devotees. Just like these Gosvāmīs, about whom we pray daily. Now, about them it is stated, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. Now, these people were very aristocratic. Maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means leaders of great society. So they gave up. When they joined Lord Caitanya's movement they gave up everything. They resigned from ministership. The Nawab Shah was very much sorry. He was interned, that "You cannot resign from this post. Then whole thing will be, whole, my plan, whole, my kingdom will be lost. I cannot allow you to resign." But they decided that, "No. No more." Then the Nawab Shah told him, "Then I put you into, under internment."
Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:
This is very important. Therefore leaders must be very ideal men. Then automatically the country or the society becomes nicely situated. Because if the leader of the society is perfect... Therefore formerly, monarchy, monarchy was current, and the king was educated very highly, how to administer state. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, ideal king. Lord Rāmacandra, ideal king. Somebody came to Lord Rāmacandra and made Him responsible that "How Your kingdom is going that my son in the presence of his father has died?" You see, king was responsible for that. If there is severe cold, the king is responsible for that. If there is severe heat, the king is responsible for that.
Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:
Just try to understand how much a king was responsible for the happiness of the citizens. They were ideal king, and therefore the citizens also followed. They became Kṛṣṇa conscious, they became all devotees. And if the leader is a sinful man and doing all impious activities, then how you can expect the citizens to be all good and pious? It is not possible. Therefore here, it is a very important subject matter. "Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men will follow in his footprints." Therefore good leader wanted. You haven't got to educate individually every citizen. If you have got a good leader, then the citizens automatically become good. And whatever standard he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues."
Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:
So either Kṛṣṇa or His representative who come on the planet or in this world just to show example how you should live, how you should utilize your human form of life, they have nothing to gain. They are complete. Those who are coming from spiritual kingdom or kingdom of, they have no want. They haven't got to do anything. They are all perfect. But still, they do. Similarly, those who want to be leader of the society, they should be ideal persons, they should be Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Then the whole world will be happy.
Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:
Otherwise, these nonsense, simply by manipulating votes if they become leader, what they can do? They have no education. They have no training how to do good to the people. They cannot do. Only those who are devotees, those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious or God conscious, they can do actual benefit to the society. Others cannot do.
Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (reading) "Everything being in full opulence in the Personality of Godhead and naturally existing in all truth, there is no duty for the Supreme Personality of Godhead to perform. One who must receive the results of work has some designated duty, but one who has nothing to achieve within the three planetary systems certainly has no duty. And yet, Lord Kṛṣṇa is engaged on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra as the leader of the kṣatriyas because the kṣatriyas are duty-bound to give protection to the distressed. Although He is above all the regulations of revealed scriptures He does not do anything which is not directed in the revealed scriptures."
Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:
"Whatever is practiced by the principal or the superiors..." In every society, in every country, there are certain class of men who are considered the leaders or the superior men. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that whatever is practiced by the top list men, that is followed by the ordinary class of men. Sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute. And the top list man, whatever he adopts or whatever scripture or whatever instruction he admits, lokas tad anuvartate. Ordinary class of men, they generally follow. The whole idea is that Kṛṣṇa wants Arjuna to become an ideal person, ideal person, so that ordinary men can follow. And generally the practice is also the same. Any leader, if the leader of the people, they are ideal, he is ideal... A leader of the man, if he is ideal, the followers also become ideal. And if the leader of the society or country is not an ideal man, then the followers or the countrymen or the members of the society, they are also of the same type.
Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:
Manuṣyāḥ. Now just see. Here it is said. Manuṣyāḥ means all men. All men. So Kṛṣṇa is not for a particular society or particular religious community or particular country or particular time. No. Kṛṣṇa is the leader of all men for all the time in all the countries in all the worlds and all the universes. So He is not a sectarian Personality of Godhead. We should know. Manuṣyāḥ. Manuṣyāḥ, it is plural number: "All men." All men. So He said, "If I do not set example by My practical work, then because I am the leader of all men, all living entities, they will be wrongly directed." Wrongly directed.
Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:
Then we can fulfill. The same thing is here also described. Yad yad ācarati śresthas lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). And Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself... Undoubtedly Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the greatest personality in those days and still now also. Still, in all, not only in India, in all parts of the world, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the greatest leader of philosophical presentation of this Bhagavad-gītā. Every nation, every country reads it very minutely. So undoubtedly He is a great leader.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:
The same thing. That religion may be different. That is not very important.
Anyone who has preached... The religious leaders all over the world... Take Lord Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa or Mohammed or Lord Buddha. Nobody has said that "You will be happy in this material world." Nobody has said. "You continue this manufacturing of factories, and you will be happy." Has anybody said? No. "Back to home, back to Godhead. Then you will be happy." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, back to home, back to Godhead.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:
So even Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was so learned scholar, every one of you know, and He was very popular leader at Navadvīpa. And when He was sixteen years only, He defeated one very great learned scholar, Keśava Kāśmīrī. And he was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Actually He was very learned scholar, and His explanation of one verse, ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame... He described this verse in sixty-four ways. He was such a learned scholar. So He was not a fool, but He represented the fool of this age, that "If you want liberation from material bondage...
Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:
Even a perfect... I shall speak of our country. Our country, Mahatma Gandhi, he was supposed to be a very great, I mean to say, perfect leader of the country. He also committed mistakes, so many. And what to speak of us. What to speak of us. So a conditioned soul is sure to commit mistake. That is one imperfection.
Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:
...find in this verse that evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Rājarṣayaḥ means king, rāja, and ṛṣayaḥ. Rāja means king. Formerly, the government was monarchy. So all the kings, all the government head men, they understood Bhagavad-gītā. That is needed. This science, Bhagavad-gītā, must be learned by the leaders. The society is managed by the leaders, by the kings, by the brāhmaṇas. That is Vedic culture. The brāhmaṇas, they give guidance according to the śāstra, and the king is trained up in such a way that he takes instruction from the saintly persons and brāhmaṇas and rules over the kingdom. Therefore it was so perfect.
Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:
So it is the duty of the brāhmaṇa, it is the duty of the father, it is the duty of the public leader, it is the duty of the government to see that everyone is engaged, everyone is employed. As a brāhmaṇa, he must be engaged in studying Vedic literature for instructing others. That is brāhmaṇa's business. And kṣatriya's business is to give protection. Just like Kṛṣṇa was playing as a kṣatriya in Dvārakā. As soon as there is some attack, immediately whole family goes to fight—Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Pradyumna. You have seen in the Bhāgavata. Kṣatriya's business is to give protection, and vaiśya's business is to give protection to the cows. As kṣatriya's business is to give protection to the citizens, human being, similarly, vaiśya's business is to give protection to the cows, not to send them to the slaughterhouse—to see the cows are very well-fed, they are fatty, strong, that they must be given food, sufficient food.
Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:
So you have to become santa. If you remain always addicted to sinful activities, how you can see God? That is not possible. You have to give up these rascal, sinful activities. What are the sinful activities? Illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. That's all. You have to give up these. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām, te dvandva-moha-nirmuktāḥ. If you become leader, so-called leader, rascal leader, and you are addicted to illicit sex and intoxication and meat-eating, you must be si... If you are sinful, how you can lead persons? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Blind man is leading other blind men. Therefore there is no solution. Why the world is in chaos? Because the leaders are all sinful. These are the sinful definitions. Striya-sūnā-pāna-dyūta yatra pāpaś catur-vidhāḥ (SB 1.17.38).
Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:
These things are described. So we have to accept Kṛṣṇa like that. And if we make our own interpretation, rascal-like, that will not help us to understand what is Kṛṣṇa and what is Bhagavad-gītā. That is going on, generally. "Kṛṣṇa has no existence." "Kṛṣṇa, there was no Kṛṣṇa. It is story." "There was no battlefield of Kurukṣetra." These things are going on by, spoken by so-called political leaders and scholars. But that is not the fact. They do not understand Kṛṣṇa, simply mislead people. Therefore the world is in chaotic condition.
Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:
Still... We should not take Kṛṣṇa as one of us because He is bhūtānām īśvaraḥ. Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. Just like a crude example may be given. When there was independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi went to jail, and many, many big leaders. But there are other criminals also, pickpockets and thieves and murderers. If they would think, "Now Mahatma Gandhi has come into jail. We are the same. We are the same." No. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes, if the rascals and fools think that "Kṛṣṇa is also like us, as we have come into this material world," they are fools. No. We are forced. Just like criminal, a pickpocket or a thief, a rogue, a murderer. He is forced to... So of course, here, Mahatma Gandhi was also forced. But that is not the case. Because He is the controller. Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. He... The material energy cannot force Kṛṣṇa. Because He's īśvaraḥ. He's the controller. A controller cannot be forced.
Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:
So here Lord Kṛṣṇa says that "When I come, I do not come in this inferior nature." It will be a great mistake if somebody thinks that Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa's representative... Just like bona fide representative, Jesus Christ or other great, I mean to say, leaders of the religious faiths, they do not come with the inferior nature. They come with the superior nature of God. That we have to accept. If we have to accept the truth explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, then we must accept that, that God and His representative, they do not come, who come directly from the kingdom of God, they do not come, accepting this inferior nature.
Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974:
Kṛṣṇa did not come to establish the so-called Hindu religion or Muslim religion or Christian religion. No. He came to establish real religion. Real religion means we have to submit, surrender to the real person. That is real religion. We are surrendering. Everyone has got some idea. He has surrendered there. Either political, social, economical, religious, anything. Everyone has got some idea. And the leader of that ideal is also there. So our business is to surrender. That is a fact. But we do not know where to surrender. That is the difficulty. And because the surrender is mistaken or misplaced, therefore the whole world is chaotic condition.
Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:
And they believe in the next birth, next life, past life, they believe in God, in Kṛṣṇa. They're satisfied with that position, but the modern leaders they do not like it. They want to make them intoxicated so that they can work like an ass for the morsel of food. But this is not the problem. The real problem is here, stated, that you should stop the disease of birth and death. That is real problem. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). The human life is meant for making a solution of the repetition of birth and death. That is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are finding fault with so many things. But really we should find fault with this process of repetition of birth and death. People are now being educated in this way that there is no more life. You have got this life and you enjoy the senses as far as possible.
Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:
Just like a rich man's son. He has forgotten that his father is very rich, or his father has left immense property. But forgetting his real position, he's loitering in the street, hungry. You can call him, "All right, you take some food." That is not real benefit, that is temporary. But if you awaken his real consciousness, that he is the son of a very rich man, his father has got immense property, "Why don't you go back to your father and be happy?" That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is stated here. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). One has to understand Kṛṣṇa, tattvataḥ, in truth. Not superficially. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). supreme leader, perfect leader, without any mistake, without any illusion, without any cheating, and without any imperfection of the senses. We have to take direction from such a leader, then our life will be successful. And because we are taking direction from imperfect leaders, cheater leaders, therefore we are meeting with so many problems.
Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:
Now, just this evening, one gentleman was speaking about Ahmedabad, that the students have burned so many buses, they're now uncontrollable. So this is going on all over the world. People are frustrated, because on account of these rascal leaders. They are taking the position of leadership, but they're all rascals and fools, they cannot lead. If you want to be happy, take actual leadership of Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be happy. Thank you very much. (end)
Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:
This is service. Especially it is ordered to the Indians, the inhabitants of the Bhārata-varṣa. Because in Bhārata-varṣa it is easier to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Because by nature, because they have taken birth in this land of Bhārata-varṣa, in the blood there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But unfortunately, the leaders are inducing them to forget Kṛṣṇa. This is the misfortune of present-day Bhārata-varṣa. You go to the village and if there is bhāgavata-pāṭha, hundreds and thousands of people will gather immediately. Immediately. Not only in the village. In the town, when we held Kṛṣṇa festival in Bombay, Calcutta, twenty-thousand, thirty-thousand people come. By nature. We cannot expect this big assembly in other countries. That is my experience. But India, because it is Bhārata-varṣa, it is very easy.
Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Calcutta, September 23, 1974:
Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, the point of realization: na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). He says, "I don't want these material riches, dhanam." Everyone is after money. "Money, money, money." But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanam, "I don't want money." Na dhanaṁ na janam. "Don't want followers." Everyone wants to become leader and some followers. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "What is the use of becoming leader of these fools?" Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā. Everyone wants very beautiful, obedient wife. He says, "That also I don't want." Then what do You want? Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). It is so pleasure, it is so great a pleasure that if you come to this bhakti platform, if you realize little, then you'll forget all these things.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
If you go to the forest there are societies of different animals: elephant society, tiger society, deer society, jackal society, wolf society. Even in the birds, you'll find, the birds of the same feather flock together. This is the natural way. You'll find that all the pigeons, they flock together, not the crows and the pigeons flock together. The ducks, they flock together. Similarly, this is the natural way, and there... In every group there is a leader.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
So the Supreme Lord, He is called in the Vedic literature that He is the supreme leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. Nitya means eternal, and nityānām, that means many other eternals. We are many other eternals. Eka, that one eternal... Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. There are two kinds of eternals. We living entities, we are also eternal, and the Supreme Lord, He is also eternal. So far eternity is concerned, both of us equal on the qualitative nature. He is eternal, and we are eternal. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). He is also all pleasure, and we are also all pleasure because we are all parts and parcel of the same quality. But He is the leader.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān: "That one is maintaining all these many." We, the living entities, we are many. So our position is always subordinate. That is our natural constitutional position. Now, the Supreme Lord's position is the leadership, and our position is subordinate. Then what is our duty? Our duty is to follow the leader. And actually we are doing so. We have got... Instead of... We have forgotten that the supreme leader is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but still, for our daily activities we create a leader. We accept some leader and follow his principles. Just like you have elected your leader as President Johnson, the president of your state. He is supposed to be the leader of your nation, and he is asking you to go to the Vietnam and sacrifice your life. So you are following. So this is the natural position. Even if we do not accept God, if we do not accept the leadership of God, we have to select another leader. We cannot get rid of this principle, that we can live without leader. That is our constitutional position.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
So the difficulty is that... Our difficulty is that instead of following the supreme leader, we are creating by mental concoction some leader according to our material conception of life, and we are following. That is our position.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
People are actually following the same principle, but the difficulty is that in our this position of lower nature we are following in the manner which will not make us happy and satisfied. Because we are not following the supreme leader, the difficulty... By constitutional position we are to follow a leader, but because we are misled, because we are deluded to follow a leader which is not perfect, therefore our position is always unhappy in spite of following the leadership of a concocted nature.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Therefore the best thing will be to get rid of this concocted position and follow the supreme leader. That is the highest perfection. Just try to understand that I cannot avoid following someone's leadership. That is not possible. Can anyone say that "we can avoid this"? No. We cannot avoid. Even if we don't accept the leadership of God, we have to accept some other leader. That is our position. We cannot avoid it.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Why we select one leader? The leader should be such a leader that they shall, he shall make happy and prosperous persons who follow him. That is the question of leadership. But actually, if we think in sober mind and cool head, we can understand that although we are following leadership, may be whatever he may be, still, we are not happy. Now, the brāhmaṇa concluded that "This following leadership is the following leadership of my lust." I select one leader according to my lust.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Therefore the best thing will be to get rid of this concocted position and follow the supreme leader. That is the highest perfection. Just try to understand that I cannot avoid following someone's leadership. That is not possible. Can anyone say that "we can avoid this"? No. We cannot avoid. Even if we don't accept the leadership of God, we have to accept some other leader. That is our position. We cannot avoid it.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Why we select one leader? The leader should be such a leader that they shall, he shall make happy and prosperous persons who follow him. That is the question of leadership. But actually, if we think in sober mind and cool head, we can understand that although we are following leadership, may be whatever he may be, still, we are not happy. Now, the brāhmaṇa concluded that "This following leadership is the following leadership of my lust." I select one leader according to my lust.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Just like in political parties there are many leaders, but I like some particular type of political pursuit. Someone likes Democratic political pursuit; someone likes Congress political pursuit; someone likes Communist political pursuit. So we have got different desires. So practically, if we study very minutely, then we are not following the leadership but we are following our particular lust. I have got a particular lust within me, and when I find somebody corroborating with that particular lust, oh, I accept him, that leader. That is my position. Therefore I do not follow anyone's leadership, but I follow my own leadership. That is the lust. I want to do, I like to do something, and if somebody says, "Oh, yes, it is very nice," "Oh, you are my leader. If you confirm my lust, then you are my leader." That is the material leadership.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
But the Supreme Lord is not like such... He is not such a leader. He is not going to follow your lust. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find that the Supreme Lord says in the Eighteenth Chapter,
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
- (BG 18.66)
He says, "My dear Arjuna, I have spoken to you all about Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
So ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. A proportionately, as I surrender unto the Supreme Lord... We must always know that our background of relationship is that we are subordinate, and He is great. God is great. We cannot be equal with Him. We have to follow. He is the supreme leader. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa says that "You give up everything." He is trying to give you leadership. He is prepared to give you all leadership provided you are prepared to follow His leadership. That's all. Reciprocation. And in proportionately, proportionately, as you accept His leadership, He also responds reciprocally. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Therefore the brāhmaṇa of whose story I was telling, he, when, after going through this Vedic literature, he understood that "I am following the leadership wrongly of my lust. I am not following the leadership of anyone else. It is false... And although I am accepting somebody as my leader, but actually I accept somebody as my leader who corroborates with my lust. Therefore lust created by me is my leader," so he said, kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ: "Oh, I have followed the leadership of my lust, and in doing so, I am ashamed to, I mean to say, accept it. I agree to accept it, that I have done so many nonsense by the dictation of my lust."
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Teṣāṁ na trapā nopaśāntiḥ. Lust will never be satisfied. "My lust is never satisfied, neither he is giving me release of this slavery of my lust." So he said, "My dear Lord, Kṛṣṇa, I have understood that I have followed the leadership of my lust so long, but the result is that the leader whom I have followed, neither he is satisfied, neither I am satisfied." Neither the leader is satisfied...
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Just like... I'll give you a concrete example. In India, you know, Mahatma Gandhi was the leader. But you know that at the last stage he was killed. That means the leader could not satisfy the public, neither public was satisfied with the leader. This is the material leadership. Nobody can... Just like we see so many criticisms of President Johnson. The other day I was seeing in the paper. They have given some caricature. So this is going on. Nobody is satisfied. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Now, He says that "Actually they are following my leadership." Because they are servant, they are followers of leader. They are servant of some created leader materially. So that means there is a propensity, that intrinsic background of following some leader, is there. That you cannot avoid. That you cannot avoid. Mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ. They have to... Every man has to follow the same principle. He cannot go out of it. His constitutional position is to follow a leader. He cannot go out of it. Nobody can go out of it. He has to follow either A, B, C, or D, or anyone. He has to select.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
So as the woman or the child requires the protection of somebody, similarly, by nature we are under the protection of some leader. But that supreme leadership is vested in the Supreme Lord. And when we do not accept the leadership of the Supreme, then we have to accept somebody else, ABCD, as our leader and they will misguide us. Andhā yathāndhair upanīya... How they are misguiding, just try to understand. How our leaders are misguiding us, just try to understand.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
And the leaders who are leading them in that way, what sort of leader they are? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Andha, just like a blind man. Sometimes you see a blind man is in this side of the street. He is asking somebody, "Kindly take me to the other side." But if another blind man comes, "All right, I will help you." So what he will help him? The man who wants help to go to the other side, he is seeking for help, and another blind man comes, "All right, I shall help you." So that help is that in the middle of the street they will be smashed. Both of them will be smashed. So similarly, our leadership is like that. Our leaders, they are compact by the laws of nature, and they are proclaiming that "I am leader."
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
Just like in India or... The late Prime Minister, Shastri, oh, he was leader. He went to, I mean to say, Russia for making compromise with Pakistan. But he did not know that while signing the peace agreement he would be expired. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ: (SB 7.5.31) "They are tied hand and feet by the laws of nature; still, they are claiming that 'I am the leader.' "
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
So Kṛṣṇa is free from the laws of nature. Therefore He can help you. He can, I mean to say, unbind your tightening. Tri-guṇamayī. Tri-guṇamayī means the guṇa. Guṇa means rope and also the modes of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). So we are all under the stringent laws of this material nature. So if we want to get free, we must accept a leader who is free from this material nature. So Kṛṣṇa is free. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. The material nature is working under His direction. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā. Material nature is working under His direction. He is not under the direction of material nature. Therefore He can be our leader, and nobody else can be leader.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:
That we are making discussion. That we are making discussion. Yes. Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme by all stalwart past ācāryas. Just like Śaṅkarācārya, a great stalwart scholar. He also accepts Kṛṣṇa: sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ. Oh, he accepts Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Lord. You will find in his annotation of Bhagavad-gītā. Similarly, Śrī Rāmānujācārya, he accepts. And now Lord Caitanya, He also preached this Kṛṣṇa philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And formerly also, great leaders like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, and even at the present moment all big leaders of India...
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
This śloka, this verse, we discussed last Friday evening, and I tried to explain the supreme leadership of the Supreme Lord. By nature we are destined to follow a leadership. Nobody is independent. Even in the animal society, the animals, they have also got a group, and there is leader of the group. Perhaps you know it. So in every group... And we are trying to make some group according to the similarly of thought and propensities. There are association, you know, various association, mercantile association, bankers' association, lawyers' association, and there is a leader. That is the nature's way.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
Now, the supreme leader is Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That we do not know. Supreme leader, the leadership is accepted, but we do not know that the supreme leader is the Supreme Lord, or Kṛṣṇa. So that is informed in the Vedic literature, and in the Bhagavad-gītā also, the same thing is confirmed, that ye yathā māṁ prapadyante: "Now, everyone is under My leadership, everyone. There is no exception." Especially He mentions the manuṣya.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
Now, everyone... Therefore everyone is following the leadership or the representative of the leadership. Now you will find in the Bhagavad-gītā. When there is some specific qualification of a person, just like political leader or some spiritual leader... Leader there must be. So suppose a political leader or religious leader is there, and thousands of people are following him. So that is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, that they are invested with certain power of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ mama tejo 'ṁśa-sambhavam. So everyone is following directly or indirectly the supreme leadership of Kṛṣṇa. And the perfectional stage of accepting that leadership is when we accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as our direct leader.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
Now, I accept some particular class of leader because I belong to that status of ideas. So therefore you know that in the Vedic literature there are names of many demigods. Sometimes the Hindus are criticized that "Hindus have got many gods." But they are not the Supreme God. If somebody is a serious student of Upaniṣads, they will find that the demigods described, they are all, I mean to say, servants of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. But here it is said, kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhim.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
So we have to attain to that state. That is the real aim of life, and Lord Kṛṣṇa personally is teaching in the Bhagavad-gītā. Why should we not take advantage of this? We should not refuse. If we refuse... We can refuse because we are individual souls with independence. If you like, you can refuse, but we should not refuse. Here Kṛṣṇa says that "Those who does not come to My leadership, but he goes indirectly to other leaders..." We worship leadership—why? Because we want something from that leadership. Just like in India during the independence movement, so many people took part in the Congress movement, and later on, they became all ministers and high officers although they had no position in India's past life. So it is possible that if we worship other demigods, we can get some temporary relief from our distress, but if you take to Kṛṣṇa, then the relief is permanent, and tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9), we can give up this body and go directly to the spiritual kingdom to be associated with Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
And as soon as you get spiritual body, all these miseries over. Because your body is no more subjected to birth and death, disease and old age. That life is eternal, full of knowledge, and blissful. That you can get simply by studying the nature of Kṛṣṇa, transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa. So we are hankering after so many things. We are taking the leadership of this leader, that leader, that leader just to relieve, get relief from our temporary misery. So our duty should be just to get rid of all misery by developing that spiritual body. That should be the aim of life. And that is possible by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Any other questions? Oh. (break)
Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:
So when we speak of Kṛṣṇa consciousness do not take it as a sectarian view. Try to understand the philosophy. He belongs to every living entity. He is the supreme living entity. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). That is the Vedic version. He is the leader of all living entities. By our different result of our work we have assumed different dresses but as living entity we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness in that way.
Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:
Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Materialistic persons, they, what they want? They want dhanam, riches, wealth, and many men to control. Someone wants big factory, someone wants to become political leader, follower, many followers, and so on, so on. Janam. So these are material desires. Dhanam, means money, and janam, means followers, either family or followers or leader, like that. Dhanaṁ janam... Na dhanaṁ na janam... Another is sundarī, wife, very beautiful wife. This is karmajā. Karmīs, they want these three things: money, and many men upon whom he can command... (Hindi:) Kukumb, kukumb dena wala. (?) So, and very nice wife, quality wife.
Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:
Karma-jā means those who are acting here on the line of fruitive activities. Suppose... You have experienced that there are so many political leaders. They follow some particular leader, and they capture the governmental machinery, but after some time they are taken away from the scene. Just like in our country, recently, within one year, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he's also shifted away, Shastri is also shifted away. In your country, the President Kennedy is also shifted away. We do not take into account that after shifting this position, again we are going to enter into the miserable life of material existence. If we do not make a solution in present life, then we are again going to enter.
Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Bombay, April 2, 1974:
How we can guide the people? How we can become teacher? How we can become leader? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape (SB 7.5.31). Andha. I am andha, blind, and I try to lead others, andhas. Therefore there must be chaos. This will not help us. We must see through the eyes of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We must study Bhagavad-gītā perfectly well.
Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Bombay, April 3, 1974:
I have talked with many big, big professors. They are under the impression, atheism, voidism, that after death there is nothing; everything is void, finished. Atheism. Bhasmi-bhūtasya dehasya punar āgamanaṁ kutaḥ: "The body is burned into ashes. Who is coming again?" This is atheism. Because the atheists, they cannot see that how the soul is transmigrated by the subtle body from one body to another. They have no... gross, gross materialists. So we should not follow the gross materialists, but we should follow the perfect leader, Kṛṣṇa, who says, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). This we must follow. That is human civilization.
Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:
And the Gosvāmīs also... Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī... Vande śrīla-rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. The Six Gosvāmīs, they gave up their material opulence. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. They gave up their... They were ministers of the government, very exalted position. Their associates were most aristocratic persons. But he gave up everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. Maṇḍala-pati means leaders of the society, big, big men, zamindars or government officers. So he gave up, tucchavat, considering them most insignificant. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā. They have, gave up their opulent family. He was also belonging to the aristocratic family. He gave up. And became a mendicant, beggar, madhukārī. They were asking one cāpāṭi from one gṛhastha. They would not accept three or four or..., cāpāṭis at a place. Only half, one, like that. All in this way.
Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:
Just like in a prison house, if you want to improve your condition, you become a very good prisoner, and the government gives you A-class status. There are three classes of status in prison life. Some are suffering the prison life in the A-class status. Some of them are suffering in the B-class status. There are also classes. Just like when some political leader is put into prison, they are given A-class status. But a sane man, a sane man should not be satisfied by becoming an A-class prisoner, A-class prisoner. So we are, in this material world, some of us are in the A-class prisoner, some of us are B-class prisoner, some of us are C-class prisoner. So to become an A-class prisoner from C-class prisoner is not the solution of our problem. The problem should be solved that "Let me become completely free, completely free from the prison life." That is the whole problem.
Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Bombay, April 7, 1974:
Just like our sense gratification program is loke vyavāya āmiṣa madya-sevāḥ. These are the very prominent program for sense gratification. What is that? Vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex life. Āmiṣa. Āmiṣa means eating fish and meat. Āmiṣa. And madya-sevā, intoxication. This is the general tendency of anyone who is in the material world. And in the Western world it is very prominent. In our country it was not prominent, but now the program is "Make it prominent. Eat more meat, drink wine, and work very hard." This is the program, going on. The leaders are recommending. So actual, there is tendency already. Āmiṣa madya-sevā, vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā, and if we encourage them more, then they become entangled more and more. The Manu-saṁhitā says, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. That is general tendency. But it has to be minimized, because in the spiritual position there is no such thing.
Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Bombay, April 7, 1974:
The blind rascal leaders, they do not know, and they are becoming leaders. So what kind of leader? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. One blind man is leading several other blind men. So what will be the result? The result must be disaster. That is being done.
Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
The kṣatriyas, they are working in the modes of passion. They want to possess land, they want to be king, they want to be leader of the citizens, and they see to the protection of the citizens. This is called in the mode of passion.
Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
When the mind is fully absorbed in such Kṛṣṇa consciousness it is said to be in samādhi or trance. Anything done in such transcendental consciousness is called yajña or sacrifice for the absolute and in that condition of spiritual consciousness the contributor, the contribution, the consumption, the performer or leader of the performance, and the results or ultimate gain, everything becomes one in the Absolute, the Supreme Brahman. That is the explanation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:
How? Now, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ: "Just like one blind man is leading several other blind men." That's all. He is the leader. A blind man has become the leader of several other blind man. So what benefit is there? If the man is blind, how can he... Because blind... Why blind? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Īśa-tantra, īśa-tantra means by the laws of God or by the laws of nature, they are bound up tight, hands and feet, and they are trying to get free from the control of the nature.
Lecture on BG 4.27 -- Bombay, April 16, 1974:
There are many places, recommended, that "Hear." So but it is said, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). These present blunt senses, material senses, cannot receive even this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. They say, "This is nuisance." Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā, catur-vidhā bhajante mām: "Four classes of men who begins bhagavad bhajana," sukṛtina, "those who are pious..." But the modern leaders, they say, "This bhajana nuisance." This is our misfortune. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). These are the explanation in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on BG 4.27 -- Bombay, April 16, 1974:
You go on serving your family. Nobody will give you relief. If you say that "Now I have done so much for you. Give me relief." First of all I do not want to be relieve also. That is also another disease. You see? You will be surprised. It is my practical experience. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, before starting, I wrote one letter to Mahatma Gandhi: "Mahatma Gandhi, you have got position. People accept you as a very pious man. Now you have got your sva-rājya, and you are very fond of Bhagavad-gītā. Let us preach Bhagavad-gītā." I wrote this letter. Unfortunately, a few days after, he was killed. So this is the position. All big, big leaders, they do not want to take relief from this sense gratification business. No. This is the...
Lecture on BG 6.40-42 -- New York, September 16, 1966:
Take for example that we sometimes worship our past leaders. In your country, George Washington, or in our country, Gandhi or somebody else. But this is false because you do not know where is that gentleman Washington has gone. We are simply worshiping a shadow. A photograph, a statue. But we do not know where is actually that spirit soul, his transmigration of the soul. The soul goes to another body and we foolishly worship the dead body, which is useless. This is called bhūtejyā. In Sanskrit language it is called bhūtejyā. Ghost worship. Yānti bhūtāni bhūtejyā. So this is only sentiment. But because all the name, fame, assets materially gained, it ends with that body, it remains with that body. Now you have to begin another body according to your own karma. But the spiritual effect which you acquire, that goes with you. Because you are spirit, it goes with the spirit. And the material asset left with this material...
Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:
So He's saying, "My dear controller of the universe," or the Lord. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ na kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye. "I do not pray from You any amount of wealth or any number of followers or any nice beautiful woman." These are material claims. People generally want to become a very great leader within this material world. Somebody is trying to become a very rich man like Ford or Rockefeller, somebody is trying to become the President, somebody is trying to become such thing and such thing, to become a very good leader so that many thousands of people may follow. So these are material demands. "Give me some money, give me some followers, and give me a nice wife," that's all.
Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:
The Vedānta says: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Janmādy asya yataḥ, the Supreme Lord. So He's the oldest and, we, being part and parcel, we are also the oldest. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). We are also nitya, and Kṛṣṇa is also nitya. We are also living entity with knowledge. Kṛṣṇa is also living entity with knowledge. Simply He's our leader. He's the Supreme. That's all. So we do not know how our existence has been polluted. That we do not know. We are just like cats and dogs. We are taking birth and dying without any knowledge. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). But this is not our position. Our position is as good as Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is all powerful. We are minute. He is vibhu, we are aṇu. That is the difference. Otherwise, qualitatively, we are all one. So why you are under this obligation of taking birth and dying again. This is our impure existence. This is our impure existence.
Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:
Because there is great propaganda to curb down by your leaders. They are naturally inclined. Anyone who takes birth in India, it is to be supposed that in this past life, he was spiritual. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). There is great opportunity for persons who are born in India for spiritual advancement. Unfortunately by force, by propaganda, we are suppressing them. That is the cause. We are suppressing them.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:
If there is god, there are so many gods, there must be one head God. That is our natural experience. Anywhere you go, there are so many people, but there is some leader, head. I had some talks with one Russian professor, Professor Kotovsky in Moscow. So we had very long talks. At last I asked him, "Mr. Kotovsky..." I forget to..., "comrade." (laughter). But I said, "mister." (laughs) "So where is the difference between your philosophy and my philosophy, or our philosophy? You have to accept one leader, head, and we also accept one head. Then where is the difference between communism and other ism?" So he was stopped. He appreciated very much. "The difference is that you have accepted Lenin as your head and we have accepted Kṛṣṇa as our head."
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:
So that Kṛṣṇa consciousness achievement, how it can be obtained is being explained by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Therefore it is said, śrī bhagavān uvāca: "The Supreme Personality..." Bhagavān means He does not cheat you. Others, they will give you instruction and cheat you, because anyone who is not liberated, he has got four defects of his life: he commits mistake, he is illusioned, he cheats and his senses are imperfect. This is called conditioned soul, everyone. Even big, big men, big, big leaders, they commit so many mistakes. And so far illusion is concerned, everyone is illusioned because I am not this body, but everyone is thinking, "I am this body." This is called illusion. Dehātma-buddhi. "I am not this body. I am spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But I am thinking, "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am South African," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fat," "I am thin." This is bodily. This is called illusion. And we invent our ideologies by mental speculation, without having perfect knowledge. We are accustomed to say, "I think." But "I think"? What I am? All my senses are imperfect. I commit mistake, I am illusioned, and when I say, "I think," what is the use of my thinking? This is cheating. This is cheating.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:
Idol worship, that is not idol. Just like if you worship your leader in some picture or some statue, that is not idol worship. That is actually fact. You show your respect to your leader. Similarly, when we worship the Deity of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, it is not idol worship. It is worshiping Kṛṣṇa. The difference is, as we have already discussed, Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. In the ordinary case the picture of your father and the father is different because it is material body. But Kṛṣṇa, being absolute, His form, Deity form, and He, there is no difference. It is Kṛṣṇa's mercy that He comes before you in the Deity form made of so-called wood or stone because we cannot see at the present moment except wood and stone. We cannot see.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:
So Kṛṣṇa is personally instructing Bhagavad-gītā to understand Him, so we should take advantage of this, otherwise we are missing this opportunity of this human form of life. Kṛṣṇa is not teaching Bhagavad-gītā to some cats and dogs. He is teaching to the most influential person, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. So Bhagavad-gītā is meant for the rājarṣi, very rich, opulent, at the same time saintly person. Formerly all the kings were rājarṣi. Rāja and ṛṣi combined together. So the Bhagavad-gītā is not meant for the loafer class. It is to be understood by the heads of the society: yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). So those who are claiming to be the leaders of the society, they must learn Bhagavad-gītā, how to become practical and actual leader, and then the society will be benefited. And if we follow the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa, then all problems will be solved. It is not a sectarian religious sentiment or fanaticism. It is not that. It is a science—social science, political science, cultural science. Everything is there.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:
Anyone can do that. Even a coolie, he can also, he has got family, he has got friends, so even though he is illiterate, he can hear the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, and he can preach the same. This we want. And we invite all respectable gentlemen, leaders, to learn this, it is very simple: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), and by executing this order of Kṛṣṇa, he assures, mām evaiṣyasi, "You come to Me." Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Very easy thing.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:
So our only request is the leaders of the society should take up the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā very seriously, learn himself, and teach to others. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not at all difficult; it is very easy. Everyone can do it. But the result will be that as soon as you understand, people understand Kṛṣṇa, janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9), anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa, the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti... After giving up this body he does not accept any more material body; he stays in his spiritual identity and enjoys the society of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:
We transcend the guṇas or qualities of māyā. This is called nirguṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is acintya-guṇa-svarūpam. Because Kṛṣṇa does not possess these material qualities, therefore it is acintya, inconceivable by us. But He has that guṇa. He has guṇa. His guṇas are not material qualities. Just like even the leader of the impersonalist school, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, he said, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. Nārāyaṇa is transcendental, para. Bhagavad-gītā also, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyaḥ (BG 8.20).
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:
Because unless the senses are controlled, the mind will be flickering, go this way, that way, that way. So mind is the leader of all other senses. If you control the mind, concentrate on the feature of the Supreme Lord, that is the yoga system. The, in the... Therefore, describing the yoga system, Kṛṣṇa prescribes so many methods, but after hearing the system of practicing yoga, Arjuna replied that "Kṛṣṇa, this system is so difficult I cannot practice it."
Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). "I have surrendered to You. You give me knowledge." That's all.
Indian man: When did you become the spiritual leader of Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Brahmānanda: He's asking when did you become the spiritual leader of Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Prabhupāda: When my Guru Mahārāja ordered me. This is the guru-paramparā.
Indian: Did it...
Prabhupāda: Try to understand. Don't go very speedily. A guru can become guru when he's ordered by his guru. That's all. Otherwise nobody can become guru.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. All of them working like hogs and dogs. They do not know there is something other. This is the position. And the modern civilization means keep him in the darkness, that "Let him work hard like hogs and dogs, and don't give him any knowledge." Neither they know, the so-called leaders, what is the perfection. They think, "This is life: work like hog and dog, and then die like hog and dog, finish all business." This is not human life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). They do not know what is perfection of life. Therefore we sometimes... We do not say. Kṛṣṇa says. And if we repeat Kṛṣṇa's words, the rascals, they become angry.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:
Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. The aim of life is to understand Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are trying to become happy in the bahir-artha, in the external energy of God, material energy. And the so-called leaders, politicians, philosophers, scientists, they're all blind. They do not know what is the aim of life.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:
Prabhupāda: That will save you. If you simply think of Kṛṣṇa and talk of Kṛṣṇa, that... I think we discussed this verse in the morning. If your mind is always absorbed about Kṛṣṇa, then you are going to be perfect. Somehow or other, you think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is the chance we are giving. Everyone can think of Kṛṣṇa. Here is Kṛṣṇa's form. Everyone can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Everyone can offer obeisances. Everyone can offer some fruits and flowers. This is the opportunity. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). These four principles. Then gradually develop.
Jñāna: Śrīla Prabhupāda, how may we best approach the rulers and the leaders and the politicians to interest them in this?
Prabhupāda: You simply go and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Jñāna: Just the same.
Prabhupāda: That's all. You flatter them. That other day I you told that our preaching process is this: dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya. According to Vedic civilization, if one approaches before you with a straw in his mouth, that means he is fully surrendered. That is the sign. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he is speaking that "With a straw in my mouth," dante nidhāya tṛṇakam. Dante, "teeth," padayor nipatya, "I am just falling down at your lotus feet, and I have come before you with this straw very humbly." Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca: "And I am flattering you hundred times." Then naturally any rogue, any rascal will be pleased: "All right, you can speak something."
Lecture on BG 7.4-5 -- Bombay, March 30, 1971:
Remain dependent. And Kṛṣṇa has come to teach us that natural position of the living entities. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is our position, not to be puffed up, that "I am God, I am Kṛṣṇa, everyone is Kṛṣṇa." This is māyā, the last snare of māyā. Māyā dictates that "You become the biggest man of the world. You become the biggest, richest man of the world." And you are struggling. And there is struggle. Just like there is struggle is going on in Pakistan. The Bangladesh is trying that "We shall be leading Pakistan." And the Western Pakistan is trying that "We shall be leading." Nobody is leader. Actually, Kṛṣṇa is leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This is the Vedic injunction.
Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, April 1, 1971:
Then Kṛṣṇa says, praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu. When one man is famous... Yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ mama tejo 'ṁśa-sambhavam. Anything extraordinary, if you find Kṛṣṇa is the most extraordinary personality, but even within this world, if you find some great leader, great politician, great scientist, great businessman... There are so many. And he is very famous. So you should know that this fame and name of this person is due to Kṛṣṇa's mercy. You see Kṛṣṇa there. Nobody can be greater than any other friend unless he is specially bestowed the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ mama tejo 'ṁśa-sambhavam. A little portion of Kṛṣṇa's mercy is there. Kṛṣṇa is most opulent.
Lecture on BG 7.9-10 -- Bombay, February 24, 1974:
Ṛṣabhadeva said that "These rascals," pramattaḥ, pramattaḥ, "has become mad." Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma: "Always engaged in mischievous activities." These rascals, these materialistic persons. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. "They have become mad, and their business is..." Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Vikarma, akarma and vikarma. Vikarma means activities which are forbidden in the śāstra. Just like according to Vedic principles, at least a brāhmaṇa, a leader, a king should avoid these four principles of sinful activities. What is that? Meat-eating, illicit sex life, gambling and intoxication. At least, these four men, who is leading the public or who is a brāhmaṇa or who is a king, he must be very much cautious about... But just see what is the... Everyone, practically, they are addicted to these sinful activities. So therefore they are mad, pramattaḥ. Vikarma.
Lecture on BG 8.15-20 -- New York, November 17, 1966:
Why? Because mahātmānaḥ... They are called mahātmā. Perhaps you have heard the name, this word, mahātmā. Our leader, Mahatma Gandhi, he was known as mahātmā. But mahātmā is not the title of a politician. Mahātmā, here, mahātmā means the first-class Kṛṣṇa conscious man who is eligible to enter into the abode of Kṛṣṇa. He is called mahātmā. Mahātmānaḥ. And the mahātmānas' perfection is this, to prepare in this life, in this nice human form of life with all facilities of nature... We can command over the nature. We can utilize the nature to our best interest. The animals cannot.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:
That is our challenge. Anyone, he may be a ordinary man, he may be so-called swami or maybe so-called yogi or so-called leader, but our test is whether he's Kṛṣṇa conscious. One test. If he's not, then he's a rascal. That is our challenge. How we are challenging? Because we have got the test. Just like in the chemical laboratory, this test paper. Perhaps most of us will know, that urine test paper. If there is sugar, immediately the color of the paper will be different. If there is no sugar, it will remain neutral. Similarly, there is test paper. What is that test?
Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Calcutta, March 9, 1972:
Why you say that "I have no interest"? That is the.... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They, the rascal, they do not know what is his interest. He does not know. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ, durāśayā. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. He has got this material body, and he's thinking, "Satisfaction of my senses, that is my interest," bahir-artha-māninaḥ. And andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās. And another rascal leader who gives him impetus, "Yes, you do this, you do that, you will be very much satisfied. You do..."
Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Calcutta, March 9, 1972:
So many materialists, they engage them. That is very nice. They like to abide by such leaders. But what are those leaders? Andhā. They do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. They are themselves blind, and they are leading other blind followers. This is going on. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatim. But actually leading, actually leader is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). He is actual leader. So don't follow all these nonsense things. Don't follow all these "isms"; you'll spoil your life, because you are not this body, that is the first... Tathā dehāntaraṁ prāpti, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). So everything clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. So instead of accepting these blind leaders, we should know who is actual leader. Kṛṣṇa is the leader. We'll, if we take leadership of Kṛṣṇa, then our life is perfect. We could properly utilize the utility of human life. Otherwise we have been mislead.
Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966:
One who can think that "Everything belongs to God, and I also belong to God. Therefore the supreme proprietor is God. Everything should be engaged in His service..." This is the qualification of mahātmā, broader. "God is great," and his heart is also has become great for serving the great. He's mahātmā. Mahātmā, not a stamp, a political leader, mahātmā. Don't misunderstand. "I stamp you mahātmā by votes, and you become God. You become mahātmā." These are not accepted in Bhagavad-gītā. Mahātmā's description is there, that mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ: (BG 9.13) "He has taken the shelter of the superior, spiritual energy."
Lecture on BG 12.13-14 -- Bombay, May 12, 1974:
If there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the government or the leaders would be equally favorable to the man, to the animals, to the trees, to the plants, to the insects, to the... Everyone. That is called kṛṣṇa-bhakti or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ. Treat them just like your friend, maitraḥ. A devotee is friend to everyone. He does not want to kill even an ant or a mosquito. That is devotee, maitraḥ, to everyone friendly. Maitraḥ karuṇaḥ. Karuṇaḥ means kind. A devotee is kind to everyone.
Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is all-around solution, over-all solution of all problems. Therefore our request is... Those who are actually leaders, thoughtful, they should take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously, study its philosophy and try to spread it as far as possible, according to his own capacity. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Paris, August 11, 1973:
This is knowledge. This is called brahma-jñāna. If anyone understands the simple thing, that "I am not this body..." But education is given, "No, I am this body." This nationalism, this nationalism also the same mistake, but they are fighting so much. Great, great, big, big men. In this country, Napoleon fought. In Germany, Hitler fought. And so many others, in our country Gandhi fought. But he is in ignorance. All these big big leaders, they are ignorance, andha, blind. Blind. They do not know that he is not this body and neither this land belongs to him. But they fight. The whole history of the world means this mistaken idea. "I" and "mine."
Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Paris, August 11, 1973:
So in this way we have to acquire knowledge. Not like blind men. But unfortunately we prefer to become a servant of a blind leader instead of Kṛṣṇa. This is our disease. We shall serve. I asked this question to Professor Kotovsky, that "Your communist philosophy and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, where is the difference? You have selected your leader and you have sold yourself to the orders of Lenin. And we have also bowed down to Kṛṣṇa and we have sold ourselves to Kṛṣṇa. So on principle, where is the difference?" There is no difference. You have to select one leader. We have also selected one. Now if the leader is perfect, then my life is perfect. If the leader is wrong, then your life is wrong. So he could not answer this.
Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Paris, August 11, 1973:
The principle is there. You have to select one leader and you have to act by his order. That is, that is our nature. Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Every living entity is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. When he forgets Kṛṣṇa he becomes servant of māyā. That is our position. We have to serve. Therefore self-realization means to understand oneself that "I am dependent on Kṛṣṇa. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, let me engage myself to the service of the Lord." That is perfection of knowledge. Thank you very much. (end)
Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Bombay, September 29, 1973:
Just like the birds and beasts. They are living on nature's condition. The bird will go to a tree and eat some fruit, but not more than he requires; neither he will take the fruit at his home to stock for next day or for making black market. No. We have created all this nonsense situation by claiming God's property as ours. This is the mistake. But the rascal leaders, they do not know what mistake they have committed in the beginning.
Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:
Just like nowadays people are being taught drink wine, eat meat, and do whatever you like. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). So they will go down, animal life. So they have no knowledge. And the leaders, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The leaders are blind and they are leading other blind men. So it is a very dangerous civilization. In spite of being born in India, in spite of having the privilege of studying Bhagavad-gītā, they are not taking advantage of it, and they are being misled like cats and dogs. Very regrettable condition.
Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:
You get a different body and enjoy differently. Every day we have got experience. At night I forget this body, and daytime, I forget the dreaming body. So this is also dreaming, at daytime, because I forget. At night I saw that I was a king, I was ruling over somebody, or I was lecturing as a political leader, and daytime I see that I am a clerk, neither politician nor king. So I forget the night's body, and at night I forget the day's body.
Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:
So the aim of life is always being stressed by Kṛṣṇa, to stop this process of undergoing different changes of body. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Na bhūyo 'bhijāyate. In many place Kṛṣṇa has said this. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is the aim of life. But people are misled by the blind leaders. We can say, "rascal leaders," but it may be very strong language. Kṛṣṇa has said. All persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all such persons have been described as mūḍhas, rascals. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Narādhamāḥ. He has chastised and used very strong words. Ajasram andha-yoniṣu: "I push them into the darkest region of material existence." Actually that is happening. People without God consciousness, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, gradually becoming entrapped in ignorance.
Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:
The such important life, human form of life. Nobody is interested to know about the philosophy of life, value of life. They have become so frivolous. In this evening, everyone is engaged in childish activities, but nobody is interested in the real problem of life. The real problem of life is stated, na bhūyaḥ abhijāyate. And big, big leaders... Ask them what is the real problem of life. They do not know. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). (aside:) Who is talking? This child...
Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:
Big, big leaders, they say like that, that "After death, there is no life. Everything is finished." Big, big professors, big, big learned scholars, they are of this opinion, that after death there is no life. Everything is finished. And wherefrom all these different forms of life come, they cannot answer.
Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Bombay, October 25, 1973:
Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. These rascals are interested to adjust things materially. That's all. Durāśayā. It is called durāśayā, which hope will never be fulfilled. Therefore it is called durāśayā. The bahir-artha-māninaḥ, external energy. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Andhāḥ, blind leaders, they are leading other blind men. They do not know. They are under the stringent laws of material nature. What their program will fulfilled? Just like see, so many plans are being made, but the result is rice is selling at six rupees kilo. This is the result. The poor man... They are making so many plans, increasing wallet(?), (fault?) material comforts, but the poor man is still poor man. As I have several times told you, fifty years ago when I came to Bombay, I saw there are person care of foot path. Still there are under care of footpath.
Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Bombay, October 25, 1973:
So these things are there. We should take advantage of the śāstras, Vedic knowledge. It is India's property. Everything was cultivated in India, but because andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), our rascal leaders, they are leading these andhas, they are not interested. They are not interested. They are now interested how to eat meat and drink wine. Very horrible condition of India. Those who are responsible persons, they should take note of it and try to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement as far as possible. That will be beneficial for all the people in general and the preachers preachers also. This is our movement. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:
Because in other parts of the world they have no such advantage. Why these American boys are coming to us? Because they did not get the advantage of spiritual life, but they are seeking after spiritual life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. They are fed up with this materialistic way of life. They want something spiritual. But because there is no such information, there is no such leader, they are becoming hippies, frustrated, confused. And because here is something substantial, they are taking it. This is the secret of success of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:
But I don't think. Then what is the difference? Therefore, household luxury is allowed up to fiftieth year in order to learn, pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. That is Vedic system. Not to remain householder until you are fired, you see, or you are taken by death. Just like our big leaders. They won't give up their householder's life unless he is fired to death, or death takes him away. That is not very good proposition.
Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:
Therefore a devotee, when he understands thoroughly that "Here is one Supreme Person, who is the leader, who is the controller, who is the maintainer of everything," then he surrenders unto Him and becomes His devotee. You see? We, Kṛṣṇa's devotee, we are not fools and rascals. We have got our reason. We have got our philosophy. When we know that Kṛṣṇa is actually the supreme controller, the Supreme Person, the supreme maintainer, then we surrender. Then we become Kṛṣṇa devotee. It is not blind. It is not blind. We are strongly convinced that that one person is the Supreme Person. Therefore we surrender. We are not blind followers. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravar..., iti matvā budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ (BG 10.8).
Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:
But if you misinterpret, if you pollute it by your own interpretation, then you will not see. These rascals, they are simply polluting. Because they are not coming in paramparā system, everyone is trying to become a very learned scholar, very learned leader, but they are rascals. Actually they are rascals because they cannot see. Recently, what was the Gandhi's statement? That "I do not believe that there was Kṛṣṇa ever lived." That's it, "ever lived. Kṛṣṇa is of my imagination." He said like that. This is going on. All the ācāryas, they accepted. Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Person.
Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:
Therefore, at the present moment, all the government men, their first qualification is whether he went to jail during this movement. Yes. The more one suffered imprisonment, he is given more exalted post. Not only jail, in the jail they were beaten very severely. Some of them were given poison. So many big, big leaders, they died just coming out of jail. They were given slow poison. C. R. Dasa, Jyotindra Mohan, Sen Gupta. And the Gandhi, therefore, he would not take any food from the jail. He would carry his one goat, and take the milk of the goat and some cāpāṭis made, two cāpāṭis and a little peanuts. That's all. He would not accept anything from the jail. Because he knew that "These men can give me poison."
Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:
No, no. When you cite īśāvāsya and at the same time "politicians" and "leaders," do you think the leaders and the politicians follow īśāvāsya philosophy?
Guest (2): Serving poor people, we can serve, not by bhajana, simply by repeat some utterances of Kṛṣṇa. If it is like this, and sincerely and seriously, for the whole life, it people do like this...? Now how to understand that God is there in nature, everywhere pervading, and He serves the whole body in whatever capacity, then how it can be...?
Prabhupāda: So just like I say that there is butter in the milk. And I give you one mound of milk, "Find out the butter." So you have to churn it. Similarly, God is everywhere, that's a fact. Just like a tree. The tree is everywhere, in the leaf, in the twig, but if you have to find out where is the actual tree, it is the root. If you water the root, then the whole tree is nourished, and if you simply water all the leaves, the whole day you will spoil and the tree will be spoiled. That is going on.
Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:
So you can make your own mental concoction, but if you require to be right person, you have to take direction from the authorities. That is required. (break)... without being Kṛṣṇa conscious, anyone who wants to serve, he serves himself only. You see? These leaders, they... Of course, they give that "We are going to serve the country..." Factually, if we study scrutinizingly, he's serving himself only.
Lecture on BG Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972:
So I shall request you, all respectable gentlemen present here, that there is very good prospect of preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. That is my experience after working for the last four or five years. So our countrymen also, those who are leaders, those who are thoughtful, philosophers, scientists, they should try to understand this Kṛṣṇa philosophy. That is my request. It is very clear to understand the science of God. Why you should neglect and by, mislead ourself by understanding some misleading interpretation? That is my mission.
| Page Title: | Leaders (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Partha-sarathi, Rishab |
| Created: | 05 of Jan, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=154, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 154 |