Even the leader of the impersonalists, namely Śaṅkarācārya, he has accepted that the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī.
Leaders (Lectures, SB)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971:
So anyone accepting Kṛṣṇa like ordinary man, then he's a rascal. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Kṛṣṇa says, "The rascal only, they take Me as a human being." Just like a great rascal scholar, he has mentioned, "Perhaps Kṛṣṇa was a leader of an aborigine, and He has been accepted as God." So we cannot study Kṛṣṇa in that way, from the fools and rascals. We have to know Kṛṣṇa from authorities.
Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971:
Therefore śāstra says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). In these different species of life we are wandering in different planets. So trying to solve the economic problem, so many leaders came to solve the economic problem and they went away. The problems remained where it was there. But they are coming and going. Kata catur-anana mari mari yavata.(?) The so-called leaders are coming and going, but because there is no God consciousness, the problems are there. In our country, big leaders like Gandhi and others, they came and went away.
Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971:
Yes. For the leaders. They are seeing this poor man is going to church or to temple for asking God, "God give us our daily bread." They are taking the opportunity to spread atheism. They say, "Well, you have prayed for your bread in the temple or in the church. Have you got the bread?" They say, "No. Not yet." "All right. Come to me. You ask me bread." "Yes." They are innocent, "Yes, Mr. such and such, give me bread," and he gives bread. "Take this bread." Then they are convinced, "Oh, God cannot give us bread. Our political leader can give bread." This is, propaganda is going on. You see. "God cannot give us bread, but our political leader can give us bread." But they are innocent. They do not know that this rascal politician, wherefrom he has brought the bread?
Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- Caracas, February 23, 1975:
In communist country the innocent village people, they go to church and ask for bread, and when they come out of the church, the communist leader ask them, "Have you got bread?" So they say, "Now ask bread from us." So they ask bread, "O, communist leader, give me bread." So they supply immense quantity of bread: "Take as much as you like." So then they ask, "Who has supplied you bread?" They say, the communist leader. In this way they propagate, "Now there is no use of going to the church for asking bread from God." And they also practically see that "We, in the church we asked for bread. There was no supply of bread. And as soon as I prayed bread from the communist leader, there are so many breads." But the innocent people, they do not know that this communist leader has supplied bread not from his father's stock; it is from the stock of God. So they are innocent people. They do not know that actually bread is supplied by God because the ingredients of bread, namely the food grains, the wheat or the pulses, that is not made by communist leader. That is made by God.
Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 22, 1971:
So the Vedic literatures, one cannot say that it is concocted. One reference is there, one reference in another place. Sometimes there are some rascal philosophers, they say that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has been compiled for, I mean to say, eulogizing Kṛṣṇa, who was the son of a leader, (indistinct) like that.
Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- London, August 10, 1971:
This example is very nice, that you cannot extinguish by your plans the blazing fire of this material existence. That is not possible. This is foolishness. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The so-called rascal leaders, they are making plan, lifelong. The United Nations making plan to stop war, fighting. They cannot do it. It is not possible. You have to take mercy from Kṛṣṇa. Then it is possible to extinguish. We have to seek mercy.
Lecture on SB 1.2.3 -- London, August 24, 1971:
There are sāttvika-purāṇa, rājasika-purāṇa, tāmasika-purāṇa. Three kinds of purāṇas. So the aim is to take the leader on the liberation platform, but according to the quality. In the tāmasika-purāṇa there are recommendations for goddess Kālī and other. And rājasika-purāṇa there is recommendation for yajña or worshiping the demigods in the heavenly planet, Indra, Candra. But in the sāttvika-purāṇa only about Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, is recommended to be worshiped. So this is called purāṇa-guhyam because in this Purāṇa you won't find any recommendation for worshiping any other demigod. Simply satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). Only the absolute. Satyaṁ param. The ultimate Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
Lecture on SB 1.2.3 -- London, August 24, 1971:
They do not know that there is escape. They think this is all. This is their education. They have no knowledge. Although they are suffering in every step, they are making plan in their own way within this material world. Just like the UNESCO and so many others, all nation attempts are there. They are planning within this... That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as carvita-carvaṇānām. Carvita means chewing the chewed. They see that our previous leaders, they also did like this; it was not successful. Still they are going on in different way. That is not the way. Actually, if you are really anxious to become free from the conditional life, then you have to take to adhyātma-śāstra. You have to take knowledge from spiritual sources. Go on.
Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Edinburgh, July 17, 1972:
Revatī-nandana: Also, if the leaders become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then they can stop the institutions of vice, which prevent the people from understanding God, and they can shut down the slaughterhouses. (break) ...more Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Pradyumna: With a future of Kṛṣṇa consciousness there wouldn't be any more political maneuvering, because the leaders would be willing to accept advice from the learned sages and brāhmaṇas and devotees. There wouldn't be any politics, and there would be understanding from the scriptures.
Prabhupāda: This is social improvement, ah, political improvement. What is the social improvement?
Revatī-nandana: The social improvement would be that when the people become Kṛṣṇa conscious under good leadership, then they would be satisfied. Then they would simplify the lives of the people, everyone would become happy, and...
Prabhupāda: The basic principle is that yenātmā suprasīdati. Social... Yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśno yenātmā suprasīdati. Every householder... Everyone is dissatisfied. There is no peaceful atmosphere between the husband and the wife, the son and the father. We remain, of course, together. But everyone is of different opinion.
Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972:
So everything is there. Fortunately in India we have got everything, but our modern leaders, they are neglecting their own thing. They are begging technology from other countries. That is their misfortune. But actually... Just like I am, singlehanded, trying to present the original Vedic culture.
Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Vrndavana, October 16, 1972:
But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Although He's the supreme enjoyer, although He's the supreme proprietor, He is the best friend of everyone—suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29), suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām—He's not friend of the rich class of men or the... Just like we be, these political leaders, they become friend of the country. But they are their own party men. "I am Congress Party. I am this party. So I, I love my this party." And even if he loves all human beings, he sends the animals to the slaughterhouse. So he cannot be friend of everyone. But Kṛṣṇa is friend of everyone. You have seen Kṛṣṇa's picture. He's embracing the calf also, and He's embracing Rādhārāṇī. Not that He's simply attached to Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs. He's attached to everyone, every living entity. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūr... (BG 14.4). Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the best friend of everyone.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:
So vimukti, therefore they do not know what is the ultimate goal of vimukti, for getting out of the inconveniences of life. Na te viduḥ, they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31), they are trying to adjust things by material adjustment. That is not possible. They do not know that. Adānta-gobhir. Andhā yathāndair upanīyamānāḥ, But they are being misled by blind leaders. They are themselves blind and some blind leaders. Therefore we should not accept blind leaders, we should accept a leader who is not blind. We therefore accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, Who knows everything, past, present, and future. We take His leadership or we take the leadership of His representative. That is our process. So here some of our leaders, Sūta Gosvāmī says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ, because ultimate goal is how to get out of the entanglement of material convention.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:
Just like if you are doing something for which you have no necessity, and when you come to realize that "I am unnecessarily wasting my time in this way," naturally, if you become joyful that "Why I am wasting my time in this way?" that is brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Prasannātmā means joyful stage, no more anxiety. We are full of anxiety on account of our material conception of life, unnecessarily. So many leaders came and gone. So long they were living, they were always concerned. In our country... Just like Mahātmā Gandhi, he came, big leader.
Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:
The guru does not follow sādhu and śāstra, who does not follow Rūpa Gosvāmī, does not follow shastric injunction... Shastric injunction is that if one wants to become leader, if one is the spiritual leader or political leader or brāhmaṇa, he must give up four principles of sinful life: illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating, fish-eating. He must give up. This is called sādhu-mārgānugamanam. If you don't follow these principles, then how you are following sādhu? If you are intoxicated, if you are fond of smoking, drinking, gāñjā, biḍi, wine, even chewing pān... Pān is also intoxication. Drinking tea. These are all intoxication. So if you are addicted to these habits, how you can be sādhu? Sādhu-mārgānugamanam.
Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Delhi, November 13, 1973:
India is trained... By culture, by birth, the land of Bhāratavarṣa is puṇya-bhūmi. Still, you will find in Kumbha-mela many millions of people will come to take bath, to take a dip into the Ganges, because they think it is pious. So through the veins of Indians, the spiritual fluid is flowing. Unfortunately the leaders are misguiding them, and they are becoming atheists generally.
Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:
But when he met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he decided to retire from the service and join Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So about them it is said, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. They were very big, big leaders of the maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means big, big leaders of the society, because they were ministers, all zamindars. All big, big businessmen they used to see, they used to visit, because minister's business... So he was associating with highly aristocratic families and societies, but they gave it up.
Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- New Vrindaban, September 6, 1972:
That is—saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ—that is highest perfection. You can get a body next in, as a human being in the rich man's family, or as a king, or as a leader, or as a cat, as a dog, as a tree. That will depend on your work. Similarly you can get your next body as associates of God, Kṛṣṇa. That is stated, that you can have, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). "Those who are My devotees, they come to Me," Kṛṣṇa says.
Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:
He was old man. He should have retired, but he did not, unless he was killed by somebody. This is the attachment for material things. All these leaders, they think, "Without me, the country will go to hell." But so many leaders came and gone. The country is going on. Therefore, in the Bengali it is said, rāja mare, rājya acara. "Because the king has died, therefore kingdom will stop." That is not the... It, it will go on. Why do you bother? That is knowledge. Kṛṣṇa is taking care. You just engage yourself in the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is your duty. (end)
Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:
We are plural number, living entities. But He is singular number. Why? What is the difference between these two nityas and two cetanas? God is not dead stone. God is like you and me. He is a living entity, but the chief living entity, singular number. Just like we have got leader. There are many hundreds and thousands of followers, but there must be one leader. You follow any cult, you have to accept one leader. Either you follow this philosophy, that philosophy, it doesn't matter. But you have to follow a leader. But Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader, leader of the leaders.
Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjayaḥ (BG 7.7). Leaders there are, gods are, there are. God means controller. There is controller always. So there are many gods. Anyone is god, because he is, somehow or other, he is a controller; a leader also. But we are meaning the supreme leader, the supreme controller. That is Kṛṣṇa. Leader you have to accept. But... Controller you have to accept. But nobody is supreme leader or supreme controller. That is Kṛṣṇa. Every leader is also controlled by some other leader. But Kṛṣṇa is such a leader that He is not controlled by any other leader.
Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:
That is the statement of the Vedic literature: the supreme controller, the supreme leader, is Kṛṣṇa. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is not formless.
Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973:
This is the position of bhakta. And that is the teaching of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye: (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) "My dear Lord Jagadīśa, I don't want these things." Why? Na dhanam: "I don't want riches." Na dhanaṁ na janam. "Not many followers." Because materially everyone wants this. He wants money, he wants to become leader, he will..., many thousands of people will follow him, janam.
Lecture on SB 1.2.11 -- Vrndavana, October 22, 1972:
Therefore they're ma..., committing so many mistakes. Even scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan and others, they're committing so many mistakes. Because they do not go through tattva-vit. There are so many political leaders who are commenting on Kṛṣṇa's book without knowing Kṛṣṇa, without any knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. Just see their impudency. Without knowing Kṛṣṇa, they want to make trade with Kṛṣṇa. That is not very good.
Lecture on SB 1.2.11 -- Tirupati, April 26, 1974:
Because they were ministers, their association was with aristocratic family, big, big men. But he decided, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. Maṇḍala-pati means leaders, social leaders, political leaders. So they gave up the company of the so-called aristocratic circle—tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat—as most insignificant. Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Just to give real service to the mass of people, they became mendicants, kaupīna-kanthāśritau, or accepted the sannyāsa order. As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa order, all the ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, they accepted for the greater benefit of the human society.
Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Los Angeles, August 16, 1972:
To marry more than one wife is immoral? You see your leaders. This is the leaders. Why? Because there is no varṇāśrama-dharma, they do not know. The brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, especially, they are allowed to marry more than one wife. At least every woman will get a chance to have a husband.
Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Los Angeles, August 16, 1972:
So it is very scientific system, but they are killing. In India it was there, and still the rascal leaders, they are trying to kill it. Classless society—how you can make classless society? They are dogs, cats..., how you can make classless society? It can be made in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because when you accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme master, the supreme proprietor, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29), then you become classless. Just like in this body there is brain. Brain is very important, and leg is not so important. But it is important, because if the leg does not help you to move, simply brain, how it will help? So there is cooperation. Although the brain is the most important part of the body, still leg is required, hand is required, the belly is also required, everything is required. We do not avoid anything. We do not say "Stop this." No. Everything is required, just like we have discovered this microphone. Yes, it is required, we are taking advantage of it and speaking nicely about Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:
Why these Muslims were neglected? Why they were not turned into Vaiṣṇavas, just like we are doing? This is the fault of the leaders. Therefore India is now divided, Pakistan and Hindustan.
Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:
So vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ (SB 1.2.16). People should be educated how to increase the taste for understanding Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Everyone should come forward. Āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikṣāya. One should behave himself as Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then he will be able to make others Kṛṣṇa conscious—not by theoretical knowledge, but by behavior. Āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikṣāya. So this is required. It is a very, very, very important movement. Any leader of the society, any political leader, any social leader, they should study. Our only request is that "Please try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement." Just like in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaṛacā says that caitanyera dayāra kathā karaha vicāra. It is not blindly accepting. Vicāra. Just judge yourself how great important this movement is. Caitanyera dayāra kathā karaha vicāra. Vicāra karile citte pābe camatkāra. If you are sober, thoughtful, you'll find it is sublime. It is sublime.
Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:
So that is our request. The people who are leaders of the society, they should take this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement very seriously, study, and then give their judgment. And people will be happy.
Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972:
If the people of the whole population, they become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then the face of the world will change-īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1)—because if the leaders, they understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness and act accordingly, the others will follow. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). Itaraḥ janaḥ, common men, follows the leaders.
Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Los Angeles, August 24, 1972:
He went to India also. Our rascal leaders, they also greeted him. Kruschev and others. What? "He has gone round." And it was published in the... When he was rounding, then he was seeing, trying to see, "Where is my Russia? Where is my Moscow?" So the attraction is here, in Moscow.
Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Los Angeles, August 28, 1972:
The reason Kṛṣṇa says: duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtinaḥ, narādhamāḥ. Because they are very, very sinful, duṣkṛtina. Mischievous, miscreants, simply wasting money. They're taking huge salary, huge research fees from the government, and simply misleading persons. That is their business. Miscreants. Actually, they want money, but to take the money he has to bluff. Without bluffing, how he can take money? Then they will present themselves: "I am great scientist, I am great philosopher, so give me money, millions of dollars. I'll go to the moon planet, I'll go to the Mars," and taking money and wasting. And because we are rascals, we are also: "Oh, they are making so much advancement, yes." Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). We are following blind leaders. Because we are blind, we do not know. This is the position. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. So we have to open our eyes. How these eyes are opened?
Lecture on SB 1.2.26 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:
So the first word: mumukṣavaḥ—it is very difficult. This class of men, to find out, mumukṣavaḥ, it is very difficult to find out. They do not know what is meant by mumukṣava. Mumukṣava means "desiring to be liberated." They do not know what is liberation. The so-called scientists, philosophers of the modern age, they do not know what is meant by liberation, mokṣa. And still, they are the heads of education and public leaders. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). They do not know what is the objective of life, what for the human life is meant. They do not know. I was just talking with Guru dāsa. Sometimes in the year 1950 or '51 I went to Jhansi, and it happened so that the..., the friend in whose house I was staying, he was a leader, and there was a meeting for Gandhi's disappearance day. So I was asked to speak. At that time I was not sannyāsī. I was asked to speak something on nonviolence.
Lecture on SB 1.2.26 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:
So this is actually India's culture. So I explained in that meeting that "After many, many births, one is given the opportunity to take birth in this holy land of Bhāratavarṣa. Unfortunately, you people, you are, by force, making them materialist. They had the opportunity to take advantage of the contribution of great sages, ṛṣis, to study and to become a successful human being, but you are, by force, dragging them from that attitude to this materialistic way of life. This is violence. This is violence. What you are speaking of, nonsense, nonviolence? This is violence." So about twenty years ago I was thinking like that. So actually, people are being killed not only in India, but outside also, by these blind leaders.
Lecture on SB 1.2.28-29 -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:
Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so important. The leaders of the society, they should take very serious attention how you can improve the social condition of this world. Not only here, everywhere, sir. Simply it is going on in ignorance and illusion, everything. Vague, no clear idea.
Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:
Similarly, we living entities, we have desire to enjoy this material world, but our position is servant. We have not changed our position. We revolted to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is all right. But what is your position here in the material world? That is also servant. Just like I told Professor Kotovsky that "Your Communism, what is the difference between your Communism and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? You have selected Lenin as your leader, or master, and we have selected Kṛṣṇa as our leader, master. So on the principle, where is difference?" The professor could not answer.
Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:
So the professor could not answer, but he was impressed, that actually what is this meaning of Communism? You simply change of, change of master. That's all. And this is going on. All political leaders, they are going from one political leader to another. And he's exploiting. That's all. He, he is giving some manifesto that "If you give me vote, then I shall make you overnight a king." All false propaganda. And these rascals gives him vote and he again remains the same servant. That's all.
Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:
So ass politician, ass family man, ass community leader. So... All asses, mūḍhāḥ. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ. All asses. They'll not surrender to Kṛṣṇa to get relief. They'll work like ass. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ duṣkṛtino narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). They have no brain, alpa-medhasaḥ. No brain substance. Filled up with cow dung. And those who have got real brain, then, for them it is recommended: saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ.
Lecture on SB 1.3.9 -- Los Angeles, September 15, 1972:
So cats and dogs, they're voting. So what they will vote, cats and dogs? They will vote another big cat, big dog, that's all. So what the big dog, big cat can do? That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). A leader means voted by some hogs, by some dogs, by some camels, and by some asses. This is the position of the society. Suppose there are many dogs in this Los Angeles city... Of course, camels you haven't got, but there are many asses also. At least in Indian cities we find there are many hogs, many dogs, many camels, many asses. So if they are called for votes, "Now we are taking vote for this, for this," what is the value of that election? Is there any value?
Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972:
There is nothing to be researched. Everything is there. Every knowledge is there. How to make your life perfect, that is also there, but they will not consult this knowledge. They will try to make a research and waste time and waste money, public money, and pass on as great scientist, philosopher, leaders, politician, and mislead people, without any factual knowledge. Now they are thinking, at the present moment, the scientists, that things are diminishing. Actually, they'll diminish. It is already stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Lecture on SB 1.3.21 -- Los Angeles, September 26, 1972:
So nobody can be perfect. Therefore all these so-called perfect leaders, they should close their business. (laughter) It is already experimental, all nonsense. Come to Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and chant. That's all right. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- London, September 12, 1973:
Because India has failed in her duty by neglecting this responsible work, there is so much quarrel and trouble all over the world. We are confident that if the transcendental message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is received only by the leading men of the world, certainly there will be a change of heart, and naturally the people in general will follow them. The mass of people in general are tools in the hands of the modern politicians and leaders of the people. If there is a change of heart of the leaders only, certainly there will be a radical change in the atmosphere of the world. We know that our honest attempt to present this great literature conveying transcendental messages for reviving the God consciousness of the people in general and respiritualizing the world atmosphere is fraught with many difficulties. Our presenting this matter in adequate language, especially a foreign language, will certainly fail, and there will be so many literary discrepancies despite our honest attempt to present it in the proper way. But we are sure that with all our faults in this connection the seriousness of the subject matter will be taken into consideration, and the leaders of society will still accept this due to its being an honest attempt to glorify the Almighty God.
Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- London, September 12, 1973:
When there are too many materialistic activities by the people in general all over the world, there is no wonder that a person or a nation attacks another person or nation on slight provocation. That is the rule of this age of Kali or quarrel. The atmosphere is already polluted with corruption of all description, and everyone knows it well. There are so many unwanted literatures full of materialistic ideas of sense gratification. In many countries there are bodies appointed by the state to detect and censor obscene literature. This means that neither the government nor the responsible leaders of the public want such literature, yet it is in the marketplace because the people want it for sense gratification.
Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- London, September 12, 1973:
When there are too many materialistic activities by the people in general all over the world, there is no wonder that a person or a nation attacks another person or nation on slight provocation. That is the rule of this age of Kali or quarrel. The atmosphere is already polluted with corruption of all description, and everyone knows it well. There are so many unwanted literatures full of materialistic ideas of sense gratification. In many countries there are bodies appointed by the state to detect and censor obscene literature. This means that neither the government nor the responsible leaders of the public want such literature, yet it is in the marketplace because the people want it for sense gratification.
Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- London, September 12, 1973:
When there are too many materialistic activities by the people in general all over the world, there is no wonder that a person or a nation attacks another person or nation on slight provocation. That is the rule of this age of Kali or quarrel. The atmosphere is already polluted with corruption of all description, and everyone knows it well. There are so many unwanted literatures full of materialistic ideas of sense gratification. In many countries there are bodies appointed by the state to detect and censor obscene literature. This means that neither the government nor the responsible leaders of the public want such literature, yet it is in the marketplace because the people want it for sense gratification.
Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:
Clear vision. Unless one has clear vision, how he can do welfare activities? You do not know what is welfare. His vision is clouded. If one's vision is clouded, if you do not know what is the destination of your journey, how you can make progress? Therefore the qualification... Those who are prepared to do good to the human society, they must have clear vision. Then where is the clear vision? Everyone is becoming leader. Everyone is trying to lead people. But he himself is blind. He does not know what is the end of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). So therefore Vyāsadeva can do it because he has clear vision. Nārada certifies. Nārada knows his disciple, what is the position. A spiritual master knows what is the condition. Just like a physician knows. By simply feeling the beating of pulse, a... An expert physician can know what is the condition of this patient, and he treats him and gives him medicine accordingly. Similarly, a spiritual master who is actually spiritual master, he can know, he knows the pulse-beating of the disciple, and he therefore gives him particular kind of medicine so that he may be cured.
Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:
So Nārada Muni says that "You have described these things for which a man has got natural propensity in a religious form. So it is jugupsitam. This is most abominable." Just see. Even the restricted system of marriage, drinking and meat-eating, described in the śāstra, that is also condemned by Nārada. Jugupsitam. Jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ: "You are the leader of the śāstras. You are writing śāstras. People will follow you."
Lecture on SB 1.5.24 -- Vrndavana, August 5, 1975:
So it is the duty of the son, śrāddha ceremony. And Advaita, Advaitācārya, He was also performing the śrāddha ceremony, and He offered the prasādam, the remnants of foodstuff, to Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was in Śāntipura, and he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra day and night, and when he was to take some prasādam he used to come to Advaitācārya's place and take prasādam there. So one day Haridāsa Ṭhākura asked Advaitācārya that "Why You are giving me prasādam?" Means he presented himself that "I am coming from Muhammadan family, but why You take so much care upon me? You are giving me prasādam, You are taking so much care, You are making a cottage for me. Why? You are one of the leaders of the brāhmaṇas in Śāntipura, all very exalted learned brāhmaṇas, and if You are taking so much care upon me, then they may criticize You, blaspheme You. So I think You should not do this. I don't want that You may be criticized, or I may be criticized."
Lecture on SB 1.5.35 -- Vrndavana, August 16, 1974:
Their character was so sublime, nice, that even in this Vṛndāvana when Sanātana Gosvāmī was there, the village men, they would accept Sanātana Gosvāmī as the leader of the village. Actually, they were leader. But to pose himself as leader, but cannot control others, (Bengali) gaya mane mora āpni moro(?). Not like that. He must able be to lead them. So although Sanātana Gosvāmī was interested kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau, he was not disinterested with others who were not devotees. They were also interested. Not interested, but sympathetic. They were not interested with the materialists, but the ordinary householders, they would fight, husband and wife, and come to Sanātana Gosvāmī for settlement. And whatever Sanātana Gosvāmī would give judgment, they will accept. They will accept. He was, they were very popular, (the) Gosvāmīs. And they were staying sometimes here, sometimes there, sometimes Rādhā-kuṇḍa, sometimes... They were not staying in one place.
Lecture on SB 1.7.5-6 -- Johannesburg, October 15, 1975:
You want to realize yourself as Brahman. We are Brahman—there is no doubt about it—but we have no realization because sammohita, yayā sammohitaḥ: the māyā has captured us. So immediately if you want to be liberated... Mukti means, mukti... Muktir hitvānyathā rūpam. Muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). This is mukti, svarūpa. Our svarūpa is our spiritual life. When we give up other activities, anyathā, which is not spiritual... Material activities, that is not our actual business. Actual business is spiritual activity. Material activity means this body, to keep this body in comfortable position. And the body is changing. Now, today, I am Indian—I am very great Indian leader or very good philanthropist. Now, tomorrow, or the next life, I may not be Indian; I may be Chinese or I may be European. Then my whole business program changed. Again another nationality, another feeling. So in this way... And if I become cats and dogs, then another mentality. This is going on.
Lecture on SB 1.7.7 -- Vrndavana, September 6, 1976:
Who is richer than me? Who is learned than me? Who is powerful than me? I am this, I am that," that means he is rascal. Abodha-jataḥ. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jataḥ. So long we keep ourself in this misunderstanding that "I know everything. I am very great person," then whatever he is doing, it is his defeat. Abodha-jataḥ. Parābhavaḥ. That is going on. The so-called leaders, they do not know what is their spiritual identification, and becoming unnecessarily proud, they are doing anything and everything. Abodha-jataḥ. They do not know they'll have to suffer for this ignorance. We have repeatedly said that if you keep yourself in the ignorance and if you do... Because wrong thing is done by rascals and ignorant. No intelligent man will do any wrong thing. That's a fact. Violation of the law is done, either a criminal willfully doing or a person, one who does not know the law, he commits. But you know or not know, if you have violated the law, then you have to be punished.
Lecture on SB 1.7.7 -- Vrndavana, September 6, 1976:
Now how it is that these boys are mad after God?" They are surprised. And it is actually surprising. Why? Because the bhakti is there. It was not awakened by the so-called leaders and the priests. It was not awakened. Religion means to awaken that Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is religion. Religion is not formalities and ritualistic ceremonies. Religion means how to awaken the normal condition, to become lover of God. That is normal condition. Love is there, but because we have no objective, because we have no instruction where to place our love we are loving so many things—up to the dog. Instead of God we are loving dog. Love is there.
Lecture on SB 1.7.8 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1976:
So this saṁhitā... Saṁhitā means Vedic literature. There are many rascals, they say that "Bhāgavata was not written by Vyāsadeva, it was written by some Bopadeva." They say like that. Māyāvādīs, the Nirīśvaravādī. Because although Nirīśvaravādī, or Māyāvādī leader Śaṅkarācārya, he wrote comments on Bhagavad-gītā, but he could not touch Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, because in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the things are so nicely set up, kṛtvānukramya, that it is not possible by the Māyāvādīs to prove that God is impersonal. They cannot do it. Nowadays they are doing, reading Bhāgavatam in their own way, but that does not appeal to any sane man. Sometimes I have seen a big Māyāvādī is explaining one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that "Because you are God, therefore if you are pleased, then God is pleased." This is their philosophy. "You do not require to please God separately.
Lecture on SB 1.7.12 -- Vrndavana, September 11, 1976:
Why he should indulge in these material things? No. Those who are advanced, they know that Kṛṣṇa's dancing with the gopīs, that līlā and Kṛṣṇa's playing as the leader of the battlefield of Kurukṣetra is the same. It is all transcendental. One should not make any distinction between the two. Saṁsthāṁ ca pāṇḍu-putrāṇāṁ vakṣye kṛṣṇa-kathodayam. Pāṇḍu-putrāṇām, the pāṇḍu-putras, or the Pāṇḍavas, son of Pāṇḍu, they're all devotees. Even their political affairs, because there is connection with Kṛṣṇa, it is kṛṣṇa-kathā.
Lecture on SB 1.7.22 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1976:
Now our leaders are advertising that "Work hard. Work hard." "Sir, I am working so hard that I am working like an ass, like an animal, and I am tired. Still I have to work hard?" "Yes." This is saṁsṛti. They are not satisfied that human being, Indians are working just like an ass, pulling ṭhelā, rickshaw, and still they're requesting work hard.
So this is called vyarthatā. You work hard, hard, hard. Still you'll not be successful. You'll have to work hard. That is called pa, pha, ba. And bha, bha means fearfulness. Just like the animal is working so hard and still he's afraid. "The master may whip." "You are not working?" Phut! Phut! He has to work still. Bhaya. So that fearfulness is everywhere. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. The ox and bull, they are afraid of the driver, and we are afraid of our leader, of our government, of our so-called master and so on, so on, so on. That you cannot avoid. That is not possible. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5).
Lecture on SB 1.7.32-33 -- Vrndavana, September 27, 1976:
They're not interested in progressive life. That is also manda. Manda matayaḥ. And they have got their own opinions. They do not follow the standard path, and it is confirmed by the so-called leaders, yata mata tata patha, you can manufacture your own way of life. These are the situation of upadrava. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ (SB 1.1.10). And this Kali-yuga, everyone is unfortunate, manda-bhāgyāḥ. Even in family... There is no family life. It is now increasing. They cannot live even peacefully in family. Family means husband, wife, children, father, mother. Generally, this is family. So in the family also there are enemies. This is prominent nowadays. The family is...
Lecture on SB 1.7.32-33 -- Vrndavana, September 27, 1976:
He was a political leader. He was Mr. C.R. Das. So his father died insolvent. His father was also very respectable man, but later on he became so much debtor that he died insolvent. Declared... This Mr. C. R. Das, he did not get any property from the father, but by his practice as a barrister he became very rich man. In those days his monthly income was fifty thousand rupees. So he called all the creditors of his father and paid paisa to paisa, that "My father died in debtor. Now I have got money, you can take." So this is the duty of the son. But if one is poor man, he cannot pay.
Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :
These words are used in the śāstra. Why mūḍhāḥ? The word is used as an, an ass. The ass, amongst the animals, is the most, I mean to say, what is called, foolish, most foolish. The ass works very hard, and bears burden, heavy burden, ton, but he does not know "Why I am carrying so big burden? Why I have taken so much responsibility?" That he does not know. So here you will find so many big, big politicians, leaders, they have accepted big, big burden like an ass, but they do not know why they are doing so. They do not know. Their only solace is a temporary satisfaction that "I have become president," "I have become this master," "I have become this," for few years. But he does not know what is his real business. So therefore the karmīs, they are working hard day and night, but he does not know why he is working so hard day and night.
Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- Mayapura, October 1, 1974:
So here also, nanda, nanda-nandanāya... He (she) says, nanda-gopa-kumārāya (SB 1.8.21). Kumāra. Kumāra means "who is not married." So Kṛṣṇa remained in Vṛndāvana up to sixteen years. Therefore He remained always kumāra, Nanda-kumāra, Nanda-nandana. Here it is explicitly said, Nanda-gopa. And who was Nanda? That is also explained. Nanda means that leader of the cowherds men or he was king, Nanda Mahārāja. King does not mean always one has to become a king of very big kingdom. No. Anyone who possesses... Still in India, anyone who possesses some land, he is called king, rāja.
Lecture on SB 1.8.22 -- Los Angeles, April 14, 1973:
Therefore, as a rigid principle, in every temple there should be class for hearing and chanting. Without hearing and chanting, to become leader it is impossible. You can, you can become leader in the material world, but not in the spiritual world.
Lecture on SB 1.8.23 -- Los Angeles, April 15, 1973:
So at the present moment, our senses are contaminated. I am thinking, "I am American, so my senses should be utilized for the service of my country, my society, my nation." Big, big leaders, big, big so many things. So the real concept is that "I am American, so my senses are American senses. So it must be utilized for America." Similarly Indians thinking, others are thinking. But none of them do know it that senses belong to Kṛṣṇa. This is ignorance. No intelligence. They are thinking for the time being, that these senses, upādhi, designated... American senses, Indian senses, African senses.
Lecture on SB 1.8.27 -- Los Angeles, April 19, 1973:
Just like there is leader. Leader is one, and followers, there are many. Similarly Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Living Entity, and we are subordinate, dependent living entities. That is the difference. Dependent, we can understand, if Kṛṣṇa does not supply us food, we starve. That's a fact. We cannot produce anything. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. So Kṛṣṇa is maintaining, and we are being maintained. Therefore Kṛṣṇa shall be the predominator, and we shall be predominated. That is our natural constitutional position. Therefore if we want to become predominator falsely in this material world, that is illusion, That we must give up. That we must give up. We shall always try to become predominated by Kṛṣṇa. That is successful life.
Lecture on SB 1.8.35 -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1973 :
Without His supply you cannot get it. Just like in our India, after independence the leaders thought, "Now we have got independence we shall increase the tractors and other agricultural implements and we will get enough food." Now at the present moment, since two years, there is scarcity of water. There is no rainfall. So these tractors are now crying. You see? It is useless. Simply by so-called tractors, implements, you cannot produce, unless there is favor by Kṛṣṇa. He must supply water, that for want of... Recently the news is that people are so exasperated that they went to the secretary, they demanded food, and the result was they were shoot, shot down. Yes, so many people died. So actually, although we have got this arrangement that one has to work, but that work is simple. If you remain Kṛṣṇa conscious... That, after all, Kṛṣṇa is supplying the foodstuffs. That's a fact.
Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Los Angeles, April 28, 1973:
Even big, big political leaders. They will cover: "Kurukṣetra means this, dharmakṣetra means this." No. Hearing should be ... Our policy is hearing the original, as it is. Then it will be effective.
Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Mayapura, October 16, 1974:
So durāśayā ye... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Then why people are leading in that way, the so many political leaders, social leaders? Nobody speaks of Kṛṣṇa. They are simply making plan... This party, the Communist Party, is making one plan. The other party is making plan; another party... But the world is suffering. So therefore they have been described in the śāstra: andha. Andha means blind, rascal They do not know. Actually they have no knowledge that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness the human society can be happy. That is not possible.
Lecture on SB 1.8.41 -- Los Angeles, May 3, 1973:
This is most essential education. Unfortunately, the so-called scientists are making more and more attached to this body, How much misleading they are. Therefore I am speaking to our scientist friend that "Now it is the time for making propaganda amongst the so-called scientists, philosophers, leaders, politicians." Because they are misleading the whole people of the world under the bodily concept of life. They are fighting.
Lecture on SB 1.8.43 -- Mayapura, October 23, 1974:
So this inquiry should be there. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to enthuse people to make this inquiry. Just like political leaders: they were sleeping, and Gandhi and other political leaders, they made agitation that "Why you shall remain dependent on this British ruling?" Just like, similar... It is not like that. It is an example. Our movement is that, that "You are eternal. Why you should rot in this material world where there is no question of eternity?
Lecture on SB 1.8.46 -- Los Angeles, May 8, 1973:
Anyway... So for kṣatriya, just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit... If kṣatriya becomes nonviolent... Just like our Mahatma Gandhi started nonviolence in politics. So that was a political policy, but in politics there is no question of nonviolence, in politics. That is foolishness. Actually, India gained independence not by nonviolence. That is a great history. India gained independence... Gandhi was fighting with nonviolence for thirty, thirty-five years; there was no result. But one of the leaders, when he, I mean to say, ensued fighting, then within, I think, within one year the Britishers left.
Lecture on SB 1.8.46 -- Mayapura, October 26, 1974:
Although there was fighting, but the fighting arena was not ordinary land. It is dharma-kṣetra because the fighting was being performed under the superintendence of Kṛṣṇa, Dharma-setu, the leader of all religiosity. Under His superintendence, under His care, the fighting was going on.
Lecture on SB 1.8.48 -- Los Angeles, May 10, 1973:
Na janam. "I don't want to be leader of hundreds and thousand of people, president or this or that. No." These are material desires. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is nullifying everything: "No, I don't want this." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitām. "I don't want any beautiful wife also."
Lecture on SB 1.8.51 -- Los Angeles, May 13, 1973:
I don't care for this nonsense God. He must satisfy my senses. I want this, and You must satisfy." Just like the Communists, they ask people in general to go to the church, and they say, "Now pray." So the Christian prayer, "O God, give us our daily bread." So when they come out, the Communist leaders, they ask, "Have you got bread?" "No, sir." "You ask us." They ask, "O my Communist friend, give me the bread." "Take bread, as many as you like."
Lecture on SB 1.9.40 -- New York, May 22, 1973:
Our difficulty is these rascals are going on as scholar, dehātma-buddhiḥ. Their life is bodily concept of life and they are passing as scientists, scholars, leaders, politicians and they are leading us andhā yathāndhair. They are blind and they are leading us, so we have, we are also put into difficulty. So only this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement can save the human civilization and get him raised to the platform of the gopīs. We have got such nice thing, these gopīs' unalloyed Kṛṣṇa love. That is wanted.
Lecture on SB 1.10.1 -- Mayapura, June 16, 1973:
So here the most important word is yudhiṣṭhiro dharma-bhṛtāṁ variṣṭhaḥ. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was known as Dharmarāja, very strictly following religious principles. So he killed... For his sake, sixty-four crores of men were killed in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. So he was not happy although the battle, the fight, was religious fight. It is not whimsical. Just like in the modern days the politicians, they fight unnecessarily to fulfill their desire... Just like in our country, unnecessarily they divided Pakistan, and to fulfill the whims of the leaders, they are fighting with nobody's gain, neither there is any religious principles.
Lecture on SB 1.10.1 -- Mayapura, June 16, 1973:
So yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ na sa siddhim avāpnoti: (BG 16.23) "Anyone who avoids or disregards the injunction of the śāstras and acts whimsically, he will never get perfection." Na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim. Therefore our principle is, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we strictly follow Kṛṣṇa. Our leader is Kṛṣṇa. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). So everyone requires a leader. I have talked many times that "Leader must be followed." When I was talking with Professor Kotovsky in Moscow, I asked him, "Where is the difference between your philosophy and our philosophy? You are following Lenin. We are following Kṛṣṇa. So we have to follow one leader. You cannot avoid it." So he was silent. He could not reply. So to become perfect, to achieve perfection, one has to follow a leader. So why should we follow the misleaders, the rascal leaders? Let us follow the perfect leader, Kṛṣṇa, and become perfect.
Lecture on SB 1.10.3-4 -- Tehran, March 13, 1975:
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not a typically unenlightened political leader of modern democracy. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was instructed by Bhīṣmadeva and the infallible Lord also, and therefore he had full knowledge of everything in perfection. The modern elected executive head of the state is just like a puppet because he has no kingly power. Even if he is enlightened like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he cannot do anything out of his own good will due to his constitutional position.
Lecture on SB 1.10.3-4 -- Tehran, March 13, 1975:
You are American. You are Indian. You are this"? No. There are so many thing. If actually they follow the principle, the Vedic principles, then the ideal king will be a good leader. These are... And nature will help. Therefore it is said that during the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ sarva-kāma-dughā mahī (SB 1.10.4). Mahī, the earth. You get all your necessities from the earth. It does not fall from the sky. Yes, it falls from the sky in the form of rain. But they do not know the science, that how things are coming from earth by the different arrangement. Under certain conditions the rain falls and astral influence. Then so many things are produced, the valuable stones, the pearls. They do not know how these things are coming. So therefore, if the king is pious, to help him the nature also cooperates. And the king, if the government is impious, then nature will not cooperate. That we have also information in the Fourth Canto, I think. King? What is that? Pṛthu, Pṛthu Mahārāja, yes.
Lecture on SB 1.10.11-12 -- Mayapura, June 25, 1973:
No. No. Political leaders teach the people that there is birth after death. Have you heard, any politician? But take the Bhagavad-gītā and stands with photograph: "Oh, he's a very great reader of Bhagavad-gītā." But one who understands Bha... "He's a rascal." If he understands Bhagavad-gītā, why he's in politics? And even if he's politics... These, all these kings, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Kṛṣṇa, they were also in politics. But they know things as they are. That is the difference. Who can be greater politician than Kṛṣṇa? He's giving this instruction: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So in human life, if they do not know what is the process of living condition, how we are changing, how we are accepting birth and death, how to stop it, then what is the meaning of this human being?
Lecture on SB 1.15.20 -- Los Angeles, November 30, 1973:
Naturally... Just like we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are not devotee to the people in general. Then why we are preaching? We are devotee. We are actually devotee, without any motive. Any so-called political leader, he has got some motive. When he becomes devotee of the nation, he has got some motive. But we have no such motive. We simply say plainly that "You become happy by becoming devotee of Kṛṣṇa. You are now devotee of your lust, anger, and illusion. You have become devotee of so many things, rascaldom. You simply become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Then your problems will be solved." Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. We are devotee, somebody. But we are not devotee of somebody. We are... We have got some motive. Just like now it is coming to exposure. So many leaders, they got election, pretending themselves devotee of the nation.
Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:
Therefore your knowledge, university advancement of civilization, will be perfect when it is properly carried with God consciousness. Otherwise it is all useless. It is all useless, no use. You try to understand it and spread this knowledge. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't be misled by the so-called leaders.
Lecture on SB 1.15.27 -- New York, March 6, 1975:
Of course, there are... So we do not want to criticize anyone, but sometimes it so happens. Big, big scholars, big, big politicians, they misguide people. That is the position of India. So many big, big leaders and politician and so-called swamis and yogis, they have exploited people by bluffing, and now India's position is: it is neither spiritual nor material. (laughter) That's all.
Lecture on SB 1.15.29 -- Los Angeles, December 7, 1973:
Yes. Still the rascal will take. Still... The things will be advertised. The government is writing on the packet, "It is dangerous," but they are not closing the factory of the cigarette. That will... Because they want income. (laughter) You see. This is going on. Cheating. And if you don't like it, why don't you stop this? But that they will not do. Simply a show-bottle. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that we want to stop this show-bottle business. Everyone must be a real leader, then people will be happy.
Lecture on SB 1.15.33 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1973:
So what was their process? The process was tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. They gave up their materialistic way of life as very insignificant. They were ministers. They were ministers. Their associates were very big, big men. But tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means leaders, leaders of the society, poli..., big, big politician, businessmen, important men. Because they were minister, everyone used to come to see, and they were associated with. But they gave up. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. How it was given up?
Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:
But they are thinking that "By rejecting this rascal, we shall be happy." He does not know how to elect. He does not know how to elect. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are themselves blind, and they are accepting a leader who is also blind. So what will be the profit? If you are led by... You are blind, and if you are led by another blind man, then what will be the profit? Both of you will fall down in the ditch. That is going on.
Lecture on SB 1.15.37 -- Los Angeles, December 15, 1973:
The government's business is to control these things, and citizen must be happy in every way. Even Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, there was no excessive heat or cold; neither there was prominence of disease or pestilence, famine. These things were absent. Because Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja himself was very pious, and he conducted his government in such a way that people were also pious. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). If the leaders are perfect, then the citizens will be perfect. If the leaders are rascals... Just like in your country, now your president is caught up. Just see. Such an exalted post is occupied by a person who is subjected to so many criticisms. Why? "The Caesar's wife must be above suspicion." There is a... The king or the president, why he should be under suspicion? And if he is under suspicion, then immediately he should resign, "Oh, people are now suspecting." But this these rascals will not resign. You see? Just see how much our leaders are polluted. He has been charged with so many things. Why he? Everyone is. He is weak; therefore he has been caught up.
Lecture on SB 1.15.37 -- Los Angeles, December 15, 1973:
So the leaders must be perfect. Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, at least three persons in the society... The first: the priest or the spiritual master, who are engaged in teaching people about religiosity, he must be perfect, above suspicion. Similarly, public leader, he must be also above suspicion.
Lecture on SB 1.15.38 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1973:
This is the system. The head of the state should be perfect and the next head should be selected by this perfect head of the state, not by the rascal voters. This is perfection. If the head of the state is perfect, then naturally the citizens will be perfect. Because all the laws are there. If the head of the state says, "No more meat-eating," all slaughterhouses will be closed. If the head of the state says, "No more intoxication," then all the cigarette factories and liquor factories will be closed. Is it not? Because... So therefore the head must be perfect. Then yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "What the chief man beḥaves, others will follow." Therefore it is called leader, leader.
Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:
He will not be able to. Then who will know? If the president does not know, how the people will know? Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). Śreṣṭha, the chief man, the leader Just like I am leading this society, so what I shall do, naturally it will be followed: "Prabhupāda does it." So that is applicable everywhere. So if the president knows what is God, how to trust Him... Why shall I trust unless I know you properly? It is natural. If somebody says, "Trust this man," so my next question, "I must first of all know this man; then I shall trust." Similarly, if you do not know what is God, what is the meaning of your trust? It is all childish, slogan. Therefore the condition is so deteriorated. Everywhere, not only here, they have no knowledge of God. We can challenge anyone, any so-called scientist, philosopher, politician, big, big men. They know only wine, women, meat-eating. That's all. This much their knowledge. But who knows God? Nobody. Ultimately, the rascal says, "I am God." Failing to know God, he become himself God.
Lecture on SB 1.16.10 -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1974:
So na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). And people, the blind leaders, are teaching everyone that "This is your interest: You eat whatever you like, you drink as much as you like, you go on gambling." If such leader is there, there is no restriction of eating. If such swamiji comes, that "No, no, you can eat everything," "Oh, a good swami." And "This swamiji is very conservative." Just like Allen Ginsberg told me, "Swamiji, you are very conservative." Because I restrict. But he does not know that actual benefit will be derived when you are actually conservative.
Lecture on SB 1.16.17 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1974:
Therefore, Parīkṣit Mahārāja's situation, vartamānasya, tasyaivaṁ vartamānasya, how he was being situated, in what position he was. Just like not to go so far as to go to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Even those who are neophytes, trying to be beyond the range of Kali-yuga, our members of the Kṛṣṇa society, because they have given up these four sinful activities, they can see how one is influenced by Kali. So this is the position. Therefore he could see. Now because the so-called leaders, so-called presidents, they are themself agent of Kali, how they can stop this illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication? They cannot do. So you have to take shelter of the śāstra, and then you will be able to avoid it. Otherwise, it is not possible.
Lecture on SB 1.16.20 -- Hawaii, January 16, 1974:
So you cannot understand even. Unless you become a dhīraḥ, you cannot understand what is spiritual life, what is spirit. It is not a bogus thing that I manufacture something, concoct something, and do something, and I become a leader, I become a spiritual master. This is all nonsense.
Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:
So that is the law of nature. So nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Then why don't you accept the supreme authority? This subordinate authority... We have to accept somebody as our leader. It is not possible that we can live without leadership. That is not possible. Is there any party, is there any school, or is there any institution that they're conducting without any chief leader or director? Can you show me any instance throughout the whole world? Is there any instance? No. Just like from our camp somebody has left, but he has accepted Gaurasundara or Siddha-svarūpa Mahārāja as chief.
Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:
The principle is there, that you have to accept one chief. But intelligent is that which, what kind of leadership we shall accept. That is knowledge. We have to accept the servitorship or underhand, to become underhand of some person. So the intelligence is that "Whom we have to accept?" That, there lies intelligence: "What kind of leader we shall accept?"
Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:
So our principle is that Kṛṣṇa should be accepted as the leader because Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader. Eko bahū..., nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Leader means he must... Just like father. Father is the leader of the family. And why father is the leader? Because he earns, he maintains the children, wife, servant, and establishment; therefore naturally, he's accepted the leader of the family. Similarly, you accept the President Nixon as the leader of your country because in dangerous time he gives direction, in peace time he gives direction. He's always busy how to make you happy, how to make without any cares, anxiety.
Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:
He's the leader. If Kṛṣṇa does not supply you foodstuff, you cannot have any foodstuff. If Kṛṣṇa does not supply you petrol, then you cannot drive your car. So eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti. Whatever necessities of life we have got—we require so many things—that is supplied by eka, that one living entity. That is the difference. We cannot maintain even a small family, our capacity is so limited. At the present moment especially, in this age, a man does not like to marry because he's unable to maintain even a family, wife and children. He cannot maintain them, even a family consisting of four or five living entities.
Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Hawaii, January 18, 1974:
There is no fixity of where to satisfy sex. Everything, although such a rich country. Why? Because the leaders are rascals. The leaders are rascals. These are the first duty of the government to see that everyone is nicely situated, so far his physical necessities are concerned. But a sane man, when he sees this disturbance, or everything mismanaged, he becomes very unhappy and tries to set up by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:
No endeavor for food. If food comes, by God's grace, they will eat; otherwise no, they'll not go anywhere. Completely dependent: "If God gives, then I shall eat. Otherwise we shall not endeavor." This is our first endeavor, what to eat, where to live, where to sleep, where to have sex life. This is our all endeavor. They stop all this endeavor. That is spiritual life. Stop everything. That is called... And I am going in a secluded place and thinking, "How many women I have hunted." What is this nonsense? Eh? And showing, "I have become very much advanced. I am leader." And my leading is I'm thinking of woman. That's all. And money.
Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:
You know. He is Mr. Lloyd George, British politician. So he was asked by somebody that "Why you are not truthful?" So he answered that "Truthfulness is the qualification of an ass." He replied like this. Truthfulness, especially in politics, he said, that "In politics, truthfulness is the qualification of an ass." So here the first thing is recommended, satyam, truthfulness. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). And the biggest politician says, "This is the qualification of an ass." Just see how much opportunity we have got to make spiritual progress. The first beginning is satyam, and our leaders says, "This is the qualification of an ass." So just see our position.
Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Delhi, November 4, 1973:
Everything is there. But we have become so unfortunate, led by rascal and fools leaders, that we are missing the opportunity of this human form of life where we can solve all the problems of life, and the indications are there, here in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that "I give you order. You, every one of you become a spiritual master."
Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:
Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā... (BG 18.54). This is the verdict. So for a devotee mukti is not very big thing. Mukti's already there if he's actually a pure devotee. A pure devotee means just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says. He has no other desire. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīm (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Everyone is desiring in this material world for riches, wealth, dhanam, and janam, good family, high aristocratic family, or good followers, leader, minister. Janam. They are aspiring popular votes. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitām. And next is to have a very beautiful, obedient wife.
Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:
Therefore we have to cleanse our heart. Our heart is always aspiring how to get money, how to get women, how to get prestige, how to become leader, how to become minister, how to become guru. These are the things, always hankering in our heart. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).
Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Paris, June 9, 1974:
Our, this Bhāgavata system, or Vedic system, is not research work. It is not research work. Nowadays it is a fashion that... Just like the Theosophists. They're searching out God. Since the beginning, they're searching out. And so many leaders came and gone, but they are searching out.
Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Melbourne, June 26, 1974:
So this is very glorified life. Here it is said that varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa (SB 2.1.1). So ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ. Paraḥ means the supreme perfect. You are hearing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about Kṛṣṇa. There are many subject matter of hearing. Just like in newspaper you hear so many news. But if you hear something about Kṛṣṇa, that is the only perfect thing. That news has been published in this morning, many papers, "Kṛṣṇa..., the leader of the Kṛṣṇa movement," or "This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement." There is some vibration of the word "Kṛṣṇa." That makes the atmosphere purified, surcharged. So many thousands and millions of people will read "Kṛṣṇa." Willing or unwillingly, they'll read "Kṛṣṇa." That is their profit. Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ, loka-hitam (SB 2.1.1). Immediately, they once utter the word "Kṛṣṇa," they become benefited. Never mind what is the news.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Mombassa, September 13, 1971:
Just five thousand years ago these two lines are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and just see how it is happening, developing. This is called śastra. So what is the opportunity of understanding the self? The whole night is engaged either in sleeping or in sex life, and the whole day every day you have to get money in order to purchase things, that's all. Finished, day and night. But after all, this human form of life, so important, I have to know myself but I do not get my time. They do not get time. If this meeting would have been a political leader's meeting giving all kinds of false hope, millions of billions of people would have come. But because it is a meeting for understanding ātma-tattva, self-realization, nobody is here, interested. This is our position. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is being pushed in unfavorable circumstance.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:
There are so many big, big so-called sādhus, saintly persons, simply busy on mental speculation. They are not perfect. And those who are busy in understanding the bodily concept of life, they are also materialistic. The difficulty is that these, these materialistic persons, in different forms, they are accepted as the leaders. They are accepted as leader, as politician, as sociologist, as philosopher, mental speculator, or so-called incarnation of God, and magician, yogis, so many things. They are leading the whole society at the present moment. Therefore people are in chaotic condition.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:
You may be a very great leader, prime minister now. Next life you are going to be a dog in Scandinavia. (laughter) You see?
Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Paris, June 11, 1974:
That they do not know. Why? Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). They do not know what is freedom and whose freedom. That they do not know. Therefore they have created so many newspapers for freedom. The so-called freedom. But there is no freedom. Even big, big leaders, they have no freedom. What we are?
Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:
So to remain with family and children is no disqualification for spiritual advancement of life. That is not a disqualification because after all, one has to take his birth from the father and mother. So all great ācāryas, great spiritual leaders, after all, they have come from father and mother.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:
One political leader... Perhaps you have heard his name. His name was Madan Mohan Mallabhya.(?) In India. He came to see our Guru Mahārāja, and he inquired that "What are your activities?" So then some of our Godbrothers presented that "We have got six periodicals in six languages: one in English, one in Bengali, one in Hindu, one in Oriya, one is Assami. And we have got one paper, Bengali, daily." So this Madan Mohan Mallabhya was astonished that "You are issuing a paper daily, simply discussing about God?"
Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Delhi, November 6, 1973:
Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Because all of us are now in this material body means there is pāpa. Otherwise why there is... Just like in the prison house, anyone, he may be Gandhi or he may be a small pickpocket, anyone who is in the prison house, it is to be considered that he is criminal. He is a criminal in the eyes of the government. We may worship Gandhi, that's all right, or any political leader, but government think that he is a criminal. Similarly, we have to accept the government's decision. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's decision. Kṛṣṇa's decision is that anyone who is in this material world, beginning from Brahmā down to the small ant, some way or other, they are criminal.
Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Delhi, November 7, 1973:
So I will be also dead and gone, and my son will be also dead and gone." So why we are depending on these things which will be dead and gone? Nobody will live. Nobody will live. Take big big leaders in our country or any country. They are absorbed in nationalism, cannot give up the post of prime ministership, presidentship or leadership. Even great leader like Gandhi. He was always... He got sva-rājya. I wrote him letter: "Mahatma Gandhi, you have got respect as a religious personality. If you..." (aside:) Don't bother, don't... "If you take preaching these things, what I am doing, preach Bhagavad-gītā... You are also lover of Bhagavad-gītā." No. Even after getting sva-rājya, he was implicated.
Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Delhi, November 7, 1973:
So therefore we have to take shelter not of this family, not of this nation, not of this community or children or friends. No. They cannot give us. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām: "I am the only friend." Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). These rascals, they come as my friend. these blind leaders, who cannot give protection himself. He becomes friend. He gives me advice about nationalism and this "ism" and that "ism." But he cannot give even himself any protection. How he can give me protection? This is intelligence.
Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Vrndavana, March 19, 1974:
So our real problem is how to revive our original, eternal life. That is struggle. The modern people, scientists, philosophers, they even do not know what is our original constitutional position, and... Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). I do not die, even after the destruction of this body. These things are unknown. And still, they are posing themselves as leader of the society. Therefore the śāstra says, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ: (SB 7.5.31) "One blind man is leading several other blind men."
Lecture on SB 2.1.7 -- Paris, June 15, 1974:
So everyone is trying to become leader of the society, suhṛdam welfare actor, but that is impossible. Because he's a rascal, how he can become the friend? The, one's business is that he should make friendship with Kṛṣṇa and advise others also to make friendship with Kṛṣṇa. That is real leadership. That is real leadership. And the rascals, what the, he does not know what is his own benefit, and he has become a leader.
Lecture on SB 2.1.7 -- Paris, June 15, 1974:
Sanātana Gosvāmī says, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "Sir, I was minister, and people used to say that I am very learned scholar, and this and that, but... I was also accepting, 'Oh...' But actually, since I am come in Your contact, I thought that 'What kind of leader I am? I do not know what is beneficial for me. I am such a leader. I am such a fool. I do not know my own benefit, and I want to become leader to lead others for benefit of life.' " Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). A blind man, he does not think that he's blind. How he can lead others, other blind men? But this is cheating. All these leaders, so-called rascal leaders, they are blind themselves. They do not know what is the aim of life, and they're becoming leader. And the leader, blind leader, and the blind follower, they're all going to hell.
Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:
They do not know the solution is svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum, your interest is to love God. Unfortunately, you have been misled, durāśayā, by a false hope. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ, by external energy. The leaders... Now we are preaching love of God, nobody is interested. But if we had given some political bluff that "Here will be such and such party's meeting, and it will give you heaven hand to hand," oh, people will throng. You see.
Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:
Now there are two: Pakistan and India. So there was one flag; now it is two. And gradually, it will increase to four. So when I pass that United Nations building, I simply see the flags are increasing. Instead of increasing the peace movement, the flags are increasing, that's all. So this sort of bluffing blind leaders cannot make happy the human society. This is the only solution: to push on Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, love of Godhead.
Lecture on SB 2.3.1 -- Los Angeles, May 19, 1972:
You see? So andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Just like one blind man is speaking other blind men, "Please follow me. I shall lead you to the right path." "But you are blind yourself, and we are also blind. What will be the help?" But no, they will follow. In our country, Gandhi promised that "I shall give you independence in one year, if you follow me—non-violence, non-cooperation." People followed, but it took thirty years. But actually, that is not independence. So these politicians, especially, they mislead us. Not only politicians, the so-called yogis, so-called... So many things. Real leader is Kṛṣṇa. So if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), "Give up all other occupation, duties. Simply just surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. "Don't hesitate. Do it." Kṛṣṇa is personally canvassing.
Lecture on SB 2.3.2-3 -- Los Angeles, May 20, 1972:
Blind man leading other blind men. If one has eyes to see, he can lead hundreds and thousands of men, "Please come along with me. I shall cross the road." But if the man leading, he is himself blind, how he can lead others? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. So Bhāgavata, there is no comparison. There cannot be. It is transcendental science. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Īśa-tantryām, these blind leaders, they are bound up by the laws of material nature, and they are giving advice. What advice they can give? Then? Go on.
Lecture on SB 2.3.13-14 -- Los Angeles, May 30, 1972:
Not ordinary men. And therefore their association was most aristocratic. Maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. Maṇḍala-pati means big, big man, who have got many followers, leaders of the society. So, he gave up that association, tuccha-vat, "Eh, what is this nonsense?" Gave up, Rūpa Gosvāmī. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. Tuccha means very insignificant, "What is this?" Then what did they do? What he became? Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. You have seen Rūpa Gosvāmī's picture. Only a little cloth. Kanthā. Kanthā means handmade quilt. All rejected cloth, they are put together and sewn; it is called kanthā. They utilize even rejected cloth. That is called kanthā.
Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972:
So the conclusion is that the Lord is not impersonal in the ultimate issue. He is the Supreme Person, and He has His different activities. He is the leader of all living entities, and He descends at His will and by His personal energy to reclaim the fallen souls. Thus He plays exactly like the social, political or religious leaders. Because such roles ultimately culminate in the discussion of topics of the Lord, all such preliminary topics are also transcendental.
Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972:
So go town to town, village to village. Preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bring them to life so this frustration will be stopped. The leaders of the society, the politicians, they should take care where they are going. So it is said, kathā hari-kathodarkāḥ satāṁ syuḥ sadasi dhruvam. Therefore if we discuss this hari-kathā...
Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1969:
This is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The body is changing, but the soul is eternal. We are busy with the bodily affairs of life, but we do not take care of the soul. That is the mistake of the present civilization. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is teaching to the people in general, the philosophers, the religionists, the leaders, that this is not the way of civilization. You try to develop your consciousness to the standard of Kṛṣṇa. Then your life will be successful.
Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Los Angeles, June 13, 1972:
That's all. So animal civilization. Don't be proud of this rascal civilization. There is no meaning of this civilization. And big professor, he says, "Swamiji, there is no life after death." Just see. And he is a professor. He's teacher. This is the position. Fools, rascals, they are leaders, professors, and scientists and philosophers, and pushing us towards hell. That's all. Because they do not know what is the value of life. They do not know that there is life after death.
Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Bombay, March 23, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:
Devotee: (reading) "So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam's categorization of the common man without any spiritual enlightenment into the society of dogs, hogs, camels and asses is not at all an exaggeration. The leaders of such ignorant masses of people may feel very proud of being adored by such a number of dogs and hogs, but that is not very flattering. The Bhāgavatam openly declares that although a person may be a great leader of such dogs and hogs disguised as men, if he has no taste for being enlightened in the science of Kṛṣṇa, such a leader is also an animal and nothing more. He may be designated as a powerful, strong animal, or a big animal, but in the estimation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam he is never given a place in the category of man, on account of his atheistic temperament. Or, in other words, such godless leaders of dogs and hoglike men are bigger animals with the qualities of animals in greater proportion."
Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Bombay, March 23, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:
So the opportunity is there. Now let our Indians' leader come out. Take this movement very seriously. There will be great advantage to the people of the whole world. This kind of situation, to keep them in darkness that "I am dog," "I am hog," "I am American," "I am Indian..." No. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is real conception of life. What is the difference? If a bulldog thinks that "I am a bulldog," and if a man thinks, "I am American" or "I am brāhmaṇa," what is the difference? The real thing is knowledge. So don't keep this knowledge locked up in your books, but spread it. My only request is: the leaders of India should now come forward and join this movement and take this advantage of doing good to the whole world, para-upakāra. (applause)
Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 14, 1972:
How they can select? These animals, any animal, they do not know which person is perfect and should be selected as leader. They do not know. Śūdras. Śūdras, animals, the same thing. So people are being educated like dogs, hogs, camels and asses. So how they can expect any real happiness?
Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 14, 1972:
They deserve to be killed. This is going on. So the animal society. You cannot believe a man, just like animal cannot believe another animal. This is... So it is very rightly written, śva-viḍ-varāha uṣṭra khara. Śva-viḍ-varāha uṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. The general mass of people is no better than these animals, and they are voting to select their leader.
Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 14, 1972:
So every one of you must be very careful that "Here is Kṛṣṇa personally present." Not that wood and stone, as atheists think. Atheist will think, "Oh, they are worshiping a wood, a stone statue." Because they have their ideas, worshiping of great man. They make also statue, but place them in the open air, and their worship is by the stools of crows. Worship him. So if... The crows take it a place of passing stool on the head of your leader. (laughter) That is their method of worship. They are respecting president George Washington, keeping a statue and honoring him with the stool of crows.
Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 15, 1972:
To realize Kṛṣṇa and go back to Him, that should be our main business. But these karmīs, they do not know what is the mission of this human form of life. They are busy working hard, day and night, for a morsel of grass. That's all. Yan maithunādi-gṛha... There are many other verses. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). So śāstra, intelligence, knowledge, means one should study everything very critically, "What is my position? What is my duty?" We should not be like the animals. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-khara. Now we have got our great personalities, leaders. They are praised, eulogized, our, these political leaders. "Our Hitler," "Our Gandhi," "Our Churchill," "Our Nixon." But śāstra says these leaders, those who are not spiritual leaders, those who cannot give our life, they are worshiped by these classes of animals, animals. These so-called leaders, politicians, they are eulogized very much by whom?
Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 15, 1972:
Hog. So this is the verdict of... That means one who does not know whom to eulogize, whom to give honor, they give votes to these classes of men, without any knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. They are becoming the great philosophers, leaders, scientists. They have no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, no knowledge of God. Still, they are leading the society. And who praise them? This class of men-dogs, hogs, camels, and asses. This is the verdict. Now you can challenge.
Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 15, 1972:
When partition was made in India, all poor Hindus and Muslims, they were in trouble. And the leaders, they were in happy mood in their apartment, ordering and eating very nicely, butter and bread. That's all. This is going on. Therefore the only opportunity of becoming happy is that you preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement amongst the people, so if the people become educated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if they decide that "We shall vote for Kṛṣṇa conscious leader," then there will be happiness.
Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 15, 1972:
We get this chance, and if we are not educated by our teachers, by our fathers, by our leaders, by our government men, by our gurus, by our relatives, how to accept the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who is canvassing... Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Give up all this nonsense engagement, trying to become Kṛṣṇa, or God. Give up this. Surrender unto Me." This is education. This is education. The father should give education at home. The leaders should give education in institution. The politicians should give education in their assemblies, congress. The guru should give education how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. The father should educate, the mother should educate.
Lecture on SB 2.3.23 -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1972:
There is a big commentary on Bhagavad-gītā by a great scholar and political leader, Lokamanya Tilak. So one of his devotees, he's also politician. When I was in London in 1968... So he has got a society there. They're preaching the Tilak's political view, like that. He has got a... So he came to see me, and he was very much eulogizing Lokamanya Tilak, that he has written his big commentary, Karma-yoga.
Lecture on SB 2.3.24 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1972:
This is our real business. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). We are misguided. Our so-called leaders are mis-leaders. They do not know what is the aim of life. That is the difficulty at the present moment. Not at the present moment. In the material world this problem is always existing, but due to this Kali age, that problem is more acute. That's all. So this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, without offenses, ten kinds of offenses, will cleanse the heart, and then you will be liberated. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvā... Because we know the path how we can get out of these clutches of birth and death. There are so many big, big scientists, philosophers. They don't talk of this important subject matter, how to get out of birth and death.
Lecture on SB 2.9.1 -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:
So feel like this. Play like this. Do like this. People will applaud. 'Oh, a very nice king, very nice.' " That is the... So everyone in this material world, they are playing some part. They wanted, "I want to be prime minister." "All right." "I want to become very big business magnate." "I want to be leader." "I want to be a philosopher." "I want to be a scientist." So all this nonsense, they are trying to play—Kṛṣṇa is giving him the opportunity: "All right." But it is a nonsense, all nonsense. Simple dreaming. Just like you are dreaming. Next moment when the dream is gone, everything is finished. No more tiger, no more jungle, no more... Everything is finished. Similarly, so long this body is continuing, I am thinking, "I am a responsible leader, I am this, I am that." But as soon as this body is finished, oh, these are (indistinct) gone.
Lecture on SB 2.9.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:
One ass is singing, and they appreciate. "Oh, great singer." And you are all, "Stop it! Stop it! Please stop it! Stop it. Stop it." This is going on. So all these leaders, all these rascals, they are all rascals. At least you must know. You may behave gentlemanly. That is your duty. But you should know that he is a rascal number one.
Lecture on SB 2.9.10 -- Tokyo, April 26, 1972:
The whole Vaikuṇṭha existence proclaims that everyone there is a follower of the Lord. The Lord is the chief leader there without any competition of leadership, and the people in general are all followers of the Lord. It is confirmed in the Vedas therefore that the Lord is the chief leader and all other living entities are subordinate to Him.
Lecture on SB 2.9.10 -- Tokyo, April 26, 1972:
Pradyumna: "It is confirmed in the Vedas therefore that the Lord is the chief leader and all other living entities are subordinate to Him as only the Lord..."
Prabhupāda: So we have accepted the original leader, Kṛṣṇa. Why should we follow the nonsense leader who has no perfect knowledge? We have accepted the supreme leader. That is our advantage. Then?
Pradyumna: "...as only the Lord satisfies all the needs of all other living entities."
Prabhupāda: And He is so able leader that He supplies everything. He is not a false leader. Then?
Pradyumna: That is the end of the purport.
Prabhupāda: That's all. So stick to this leader. Don't deviate. That's all.
Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:
So don't take this so-called material civilization has got any value. Reject it. You see? And be prepared for going back to home, back to Godhead. That should be aim. Don't be allured by these rascal leaders. And the another rascal, the Māyāvādī, they cannot believe all these things—"Make it zero." Śūnyavāda. They also do not like the modern ways of life, disgusted, but they have no adjustment, and therefore "Make it impersonal, zero, finished." Here is not zero. Here is substance. We are not after zero. We are after substance. The substance is described here. Just try to understand.
Lecture on SB 2.9.11-15 -- Tokyo, April 28, 1972:
Pradyumna: (reading) "So also, when we see the Lord, we see Him with His different energies, associates, and confidential servitors, etc. So the Supreme Lord who is the leader of all living entities, the Lord of all devotee sects, the Lord of all opulences, the Lord of sacrifices, and the enjoyer of everything in this entire creation, is not only the Supreme Person, but also He is always surrounded by His immediate associates, all engaged in their loving, transcendental service to Him."
Lecture on SB 3.25.3 -- Bombay, November 3, 1974:
Therefore in the history we see, there have been so many material leaders, but they died simply working hard. They could not make things very properly adjusted. There was Napoleon, there was Hitler, there was Gandhi, there was Nehru, there were so many leaders. But nobody could adjust. This is not possible. That is durāśā. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Because they do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is to understand Viṣṇu. And people are going on.
Lecture on SB 3.25.3 -- Bombay, November 3, 1974:
Andha. Andha means blind man. If one blind man is trying to lead other blind men, then what is the benefit? The leader is blind and the follower is blind. Then there will be no result. They do not know... Īśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. They are tied. They are tied hands and legs by īśa-tantra, by the regulative principles of the nature.
Lecture on SB 3.25.7 -- Bombay, November 7, 1974:
And more explicitly it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The covering, the body is the covering. So after destruction of this body, the soul is not destroyed. Just like if I change my shirt and coat or somehow or other the shirt and coat is destroyed, I, the person who put on this dress, I am not destroyed. This simple knowledge is instructed in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā. There are so many big, big scholars, big, big leaders, and still, they cannot understand that "I am not this body." This is the result because they do not study Bhagavad-gītā in the proper way. We have got so many leaders, big, big leaders. They are teaching Bhagavad-gītā. But nobody is fully aware or convinced that "I am not this body." This is called darkness. This is called darkness. And when one becomes disgusted with this darkness, or this position in the darkness, that is human life. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Such person, who has become disgusted with this material existence, he requires the instruction of a guru.
Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:
So there is the Supreme Person, Bhagavān. Originally, the... It is very common sense. Just like we require a leader. To organize some business, some nationality, any group of organization, it requires a leader. Without leader, you cannot organize anything. Nobody has got any such experience that without direction, without leader, anything has sprung up automatically, by nature. The foolish philosophers say like that, that the whole cosmic manifestation has come out of a chunk. They say like that. The rascals say like that: "There was a chunk." And wherefrom this chunk came? No, that is not fact. Fact is that there must be a good brain behind all this organization. This cosmic manifestation, there must be a leader.
Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:
So there must be some leader. In order to get knowledge, we have to find out some leader. And actually, by our experience, whatever we're doing... Just like we got independence. So there was a leader, Mahatma Gandhi. He led the country. Then you came to your national consciousness, and you combined together, and the Britishers went away. The opinion was against them. So there must be leader. And that leader is a person. That leader cannot be an imperson. No. That is not possible. I think there was a news in the newspaper, Free Press Journal, that the faith in personal God is diminishing.
Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:
This is Vedic instruction. Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa, and if He expands Himself in millions of Kṛṣṇa... Actually, He has done so as Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61). There are millions. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This bahu-vacana, living entities, they are anantyāya kalpate. They are unlimited number. There is no counting. So many. But He is the leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. So the, we are, living entities, we are expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Viṣṇu-tattva also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Svāṁśa, vibhinnāṁśa. We are vibhinnāṁśa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7).
Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:
This is called karmīs. The karmīs, all these big, big karmīs, big, big multimillionaires, they are just like ass, because they are working so hard. Not only these big-small also. Day and night. But eating two cāpāṭis or three cāpāṭis or utmost, four cāpāṭis. But he's working hard, so hard. These three-four cāpāṭis can be had easily even by the poorest man, but why he's working so hard? Because he's thinking, "I am responsible for maintaining such a big family." Similarly, a leader also, public leader, a politician, he's also thinking like that, that "Without me, all the members of my nation will die.
Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:
The Gosvāmīs were minister, minister of Nawab Hussain Shah in the Bengal government in those days. Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rū..., very, mean, prime, finance minister, chief minister, very important ministers, and they gave up everything, everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. By their determination to worship Kṛṣṇa they gave up everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇī... Maṇḍala-pati means very big, big leaders. When one is minister, certainly he is connected with so many big, big men.
Lecture on SB 3.25.23 -- Bombay, November 23, 1974:
So this devotional service, this line of action, is so nice that if we practice, if we make advance, then even in this material world, staying, there will be no more suffering. That is called jīvan mukta. Jīvan mukta means although he is in this body, but he is not suffering the bodily miserable condition. It is a question of absorption of thought. I have read in some paper that Mr. Stalin, the communist leader, he had to undergo a surgical operation of operating on the belly. But doctor wanted to, what is called, chloroform, but he said, "No, there is no need. You can go on with your operation." So even in ordinary life it is possible. Because the mind is absorbed in a different way, even a surgical operation does not disturb a man. Similarly, what to speak of spiritual life, if your mind is always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa thought, Kṛṣṇa consciousness... That is stated mad-gata-cetasaḥ, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa advises also. What is His advice? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: (BG 18.65) "You always think of Me."
Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974:
And in India everybody is conscious of Kṛṣṇa. Somebody... I am asked in foreign countries, "How many Kṛṣṇa conscious people are there in India?" That "India... In India the cent percent, they are Kṛṣṇa conscious. Unfortunately they have artificially covered that by the so-called blind leaders." Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The leaders are advising them, "What is the use of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious? Now you become technical conscious." So no, that will not make us happy. We have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, especially in India, because he has got his birth in India for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we should not give up this opportunity. Not only that, we shall become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, and we shall go out, outside India, to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is para-upakāra. That is the best welfare activities in the human society. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra (CC Adi 9.41). Of course, He expected from the human being, not from the cats and dogs.
Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974:
There is an instance during Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time. Devotees from Bengal were going to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and on the way a dog also began to follow them. So the leader of the party, Śivānanda Sena, he was also giving food, prasādam, to the dog, and they had to cross one river, and the boatman would not take the dog. Śivānanda Sena paid him some more money, that "You take the dog." This is Vaiṣṇava, that "This dog has taken our company. He is going with us. How I can leave him behind?" So he paid more money: "Please take this dog." This is called suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām (SB 3.25.21). And the dog was emancipated. He went to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he was sitting as dog, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was eating something and throwing it to the dog. In this way, the dog got Vaikuṇṭha. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that this consciousness, this sympathy for everyone, can dispatch even a dog to Vaikuṇṭha. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām.
Lecture on SB 3.25.32 -- Bombay, December 2, 1974:
So because it is transcendental to material activities, therefore in the bhakti-yoga there is no such desire for material benefit, animittā. Therefore it is said, animittā. Here all activities are done for some material profit. Nobody is... Even the so-called political leaders sacrifice everything. That's all right. But everything is for material benefit. Even in our country a big man like Mahatma Gandhi, he sacrificed everything—his family, his profession. And many other leaders... But what for they were working? They were working for some material benefits, that's all, not for any spiritual benefit.
Lecture on SB 3.25.32 -- Bombay, December 2, 1974:
You make your life successful by taking advantage of these scriptures and then assimilate the knowledge and preach all over the world." They are in darkness. That is being repeatedly said. But we are not taking advantage of. We are so misfortunate. We are misguided by the so-called leaders that we are neglecting this valuable literature which is spoken by Bhagavān. We are talking of some nonsense. That is our misfortune. So we have to take knowledge from Bhagavān and spread it all over the world. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... So He says that "You become guru." He says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā: (CC Madhya 7.128) "By My order." Don't become a so-called guru, manufactured guru. "You become guru by following My instruction." Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā.
Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:
No. A devotee wants Kṛṣṇa, the supreme eternal. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). That is the Vedic version. The Supreme Lord is the supreme leader of the nityas. We are all nityas, eternal. He guides. Therefore Kṛṣṇa plays with the living entities, Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, in the spiritual world. There Kṛṣṇa and the devotees become His friend, cowherd boy. They play with Kṛṣṇa. They want that thing.
Lecture on SB 3.26.15 -- Bombay, December 24, 1974:
He is also aja; we are also aja. But He is bhūtānām īśvaraḥ. Bhūtānām, all the living entities, He is the Supreme. Nityo nityānām. Nityo nityānām. He is the chief, leader.
Lecture on SB 3.26.15 -- Bombay, December 24, 1974:
We require a leader. Any field of activities, we require a leader. Suppose for getting independence, we had to follow one leader, Mahatma Gandhi. Therefore for guidance we require a leader. And the supreme leader is Kṛṣṇa. So if we follow Kṛṣṇa, the supreme leader, then our life is successful. And if we do not follow... Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "You rascal, you fool, mūḍha, you just follow Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the whole story of spiritual life. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader. He is also a living being, He is also person like you and me, but He is ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa.
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām—who? Not these political leaders. We are taking these political leaders as our friend and carried away by their dictation. Some political leader says, "You do like this," another political leader, "Do like that." So we are not, no. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka..., suhṛdaṁ. If we want to take advice of real well-wisher, so suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Similarly, a sādhu, he is also suhṛdaṁ sarva-dehinām, the same thing. As Kṛṣṇa is the supreme friend, well-wisher, suhṛt... Suhṛt means good heart. Friend, mitra, it is little different from suhṛt.
Lecture on SB 3.26.43 -- Bombay, January 18, 1975:
So how you can become svāmī? Because we are falsely thinking that "I am the proprietor. I am the enjoyer. I am the leader. I am the friend of my family, my society, my nation," so many ways, you have to convert these things. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the friend of everyone." But we are taking the place of Kṛṣṇa, leadership. I am declaring to my countrymen, to my follower, that "I am your friend." So actually, I cannot be friend because I do not know what is the goal of life. I cannot lead them properly. Some immediate convenience we can offer, and people, being less intelligent, they are after immediate profit. It is called preyas. Just like if you say to a small child, "Don't go to school. Please come and play with me," he would like to play with his friend. That is immediate profit. But if you ask him to go to the school, that is remote profit.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Bombay, December 25, 1976:
They cannot take leadership. So another place it is condemned: śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). These are śāstric injunction, that when we elect some leader without any spiritual knowledge, then what is the position? The position is that the elected person is also one of us. And what is our position? Our position is without spiritual knowledge, without being beyond the bodily conception of life, we are no better than śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-khara. Śva means dog, and viḍ-varāha means the stool-eater hogs, and uṣṭra means camel and ass. Ass means gadā, khara. Khara means ass. So this is a long definition. The summary is that without spiritual knowledge, with bodily conception of life, we are no better than the dogs, camels, and these hogs and asses. So we should not become like that. Therefore advises that tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed (SB 5.5.1).
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:
But according to Vedic civilization you see. You have read in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I explained. Oh, one man was going to kill one cow. Immediately Mahārāja Parīkṣit took his sword, "Oh, you are trying to kill cow in my kingdom? I shall immediately kill you." The special protection, brāhmaṇas and cow. You know, we offer Kṛṣṇa obeisances, namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca: "Kṛṣṇa, You are the leader of brahminical civilization." The purest civilization. Namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. "You are the well-wisher of cows and the brāhmaṇas." Why special stress is given to the words go and brāhmaṇa, cows and brāhmaṇas? Then he said, jagad-dhitāya. "After being, first being well-wisher to the cows and brāhmaṇas, then You are well-wisher of this general world." Jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ. This is the prayer, namo brahmaṇya-devāya.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:
But what is that? That is simply sense gratification. Even we manufacture so many "isms", philanthropism, humanitarianism, nationalism, socialism, so many. But what are these "isms"? That is also sense gratification. I satisfy my senses. I want to see that the senses of my brothers, senses of my sisters, senses of my friends, or senses of my society people, or my nation, countrymen, they are satisfied. The business is sense gratification. Just like in our country we got Mahātmā Gandhi. So he started, he is supposed to be father of the nation. There are many leaders in different countries. But if we, I mean to, take account of their business, it is sense gratification, that's all. Extended sense gratification. These are just like Marx, what is his name, full name?
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 8, 1973:
So this instruction of Ṛṣabhadeva is very, very important. Try to understand. Our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a protest to the modern way of civilization. The leaders of the modern society, they want that people should be engaged in working like dogs and hogs and asses. They should not understand what is the value of life, what is the object of life. Let them always remain intoxicated, and sense gratification, and produce more product for sense enjoyment. This is modern civilization. All these factories... I understand that in this country the farmers are taxed so heavily that they are forced to work in the factory. This is a policy of the government leaders to engage people. If anyone wants to live peacefully, save time for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the leaders of the society or the government will not allow him to do so. This is the position.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 8, 1973:
Kāmān means the necessities of life. You can get your necessities of life very easily. By tilling the field, you get grains. And if there is cow, you get milk. That's all. That is sufficient. But the leaders are making plan, that if they are satisfied with their farming work, little grains and milk, then who will work in the factory? Therefore they are taxing so that you cannot live even simple life—this is the position—even if you desire. The modern leaders will not allow you. They force you to work like dogs and hogs and asses. This is the position.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:
But he says, "Why I am not paṇḍita?" Because āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "I am such a learned scholar that I do not know what is actually good for me. This is my learning. And I have become a leader. I do not know what is the aim of my life, what is my identification. People address me as paṇḍita, and I take it as fact. But actually I am not a paṇḍita. I do not know what I am. I am thinking I am this body. I am thinking I am this mind."
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:
The dharmakṣetra, Kurukṣetra, is still existing, the station is there, people are going as dharmakṣetra. Kurukṣetre dharmam ācaret, this is the Vedic instruction, that everyone should go to Kurukṣetra and perform ritualistic duties. That is being done, and it is written dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre, why interpretation? (exchange with a guest in Hindi) You are more than Kṛṣṇa? You are so... You have got capacity to speak more than Kṛṣṇa? (exchange in Hindi) Interpretation... (exchange in Hindi) We are discussing the same thing. We go or not go. (everyone laughs) You are a young man. Therefore I'm requesting you, "Don't be misled by these blind leaders. Take Bhagavad-gītā as it is and you'll be happy." (exchange in Hindi) The meaning is clear, very clear. No question of interpretation. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3-4 -- Bombay, March 29, 1977:
All important men, leaders of the society, they should take this Vedic culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and not only preach in their own country, but all over the world. If you don't take it, there is a great risk.
Lecture on SB 5.5.4 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1976:
Our leaders are advertising, "Work hard. Work hard. That you are pulling on rickshaw, that is not sufficient. Still you have to work hard. You are pulling on thela? That is not sufficient. You have to still..." "What I can do more?" This is going on. This is material civilization, Mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And what for they're doing? Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti. The aim is how to satisfy senses. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy.
Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1976:
So without consulting śāstra, without consulting guru, without consulting Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He has given. He has come to help you because you are being misled by the so-called leaders. Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). These rascals, these leaders, they will simply mislead you. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās (SB 7.5.31). They are blind. They do not know how to live. They do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa personally comes: "All right. I shall lead you. Take My advice, take My instruction, and ultimately surrender unto Me. Then I'll lead you back to home, back to Godhead."
Lecture on SB 5.5.6 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1976:
But still, because the leaders are rascals, they have arranged for meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling. Advertise. Advertise naked woman and, what is called, beefeaters, and liquor. This is going on. Advertise cigarettes, just to pull them down again. Go to hell. Punar mūṣika bhava. They do not know what dangerous civilization this is dragging them. Therefore sometimes some saner section of the old men, they come to me, they offer their thanks: "Swamiji, it is a great fortune that you have come to our country." They acknowledge. Yes, that's a fact. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a great fortunate movement.
Lecture on SB 5.5.6 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1976:
The actual problem of life is deha-yoga, this foreign body. We are accepting one time Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), accepting one type of body. Therefore they have, these rascals, leaders in Europe and America, they have concluded there is no birth. That's all. Because if they accept there is life after death, then it is horrible for them. So they have dismissed: "No, there is no birth." Big big so-called professors, learned scholars, they talk foolishly: "Swamiji, after this body is finished, everything is finished." That is their conclusion. And the body comes by accident, kim anyat kāma-haitukam.
Lecture on SB 5.5.7 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1976:
Suppose a big political leader, in the beginning he is interested with his family, with his family members, but sometimes he takes to national interest, for all members of the country, or the society, community. And then there is fight between one community to another community, one family to another family, one nation to another nation, because that extended self-interest does not make the thing perfect. That extended self-interest must be up to Viṣṇu. Then it will be perfect. But that they do not know, because they have no idea that there is Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, or Kṛṣṇa. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know. They think that I have extended my self-interest to my country, to my family, I have become a big man. And people also give him honor. This we have practical experience but that is extended self-interest. That is not actually philanthropy.
Lecture on SB 5.5.10-13 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1976:
So our this simple living... We are introducing the simple living, that go to the village, have sufficient food grains and milk, and the experiment is successful in the Western countries, in New Vrindaban, in Philadelphia, in New Orleans. So now the leaders of European and American countries, they are threatened: "This kind of civilization, if it is advanced, then where he'll stand?" This simple living... In Australia, one psychiatrist, he remarked that "If this kind of simple living is introduced, then where you stand?" So they want ugra-karma. They want to work day and night in the factories, and to pacify themselves, they immediately require drinking, illicit sex.
Lecture on SB 5.5.17 -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1976:
So anyone, if he is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is a paśuḥ, animal. Because human life is meant for that purpose. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Otherwise he is animal. So this is going on at the present moment, that some small animal accepting one big animal as leader. So both of them, all of them, are animals. But this is not social system. The social system, as Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam... (BG 4.13).
Lecture on SB 5.5.18 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1976:
The proper way is that you should know the problem of life, and Kṛṣṇa personally says, "This is the real problem of your life." What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is problems. But they do not know. All rascals. Kṛṣṇa says, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. And don't they read? "I am reading Bhagavad-gītā, I am great politician and great leader. I am reading Bhagavad-gītā." What do you understand? Do you understand that the soul is immortal and it is transmigrating, tathā dehāntara-prāptir? Do you know all this problem? Then why you have become national leader?
Lecture on SB 5.5.29 -- Vrndavana, November 16, 1976:
You must know who is good. Then you can elect: "Here is good man." Otherwise, śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has said that these so-called leaders, they are big paśu. I am paśu, and he's a big paśu. What can I select? I cannot find out Bharata Mahārāja, parama-bhāgavatam, bhagavaj-jana-priya. Hm? Bhagavaj-jana-parāyaṇam. Nobody likes bhagavaj-jana. "These people are always speaking of God. It is brainwash." This is the modern "It is brainwash." In Europe and America they are now combining to oppose this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, that we are brainwashing him, controlling the mind by hypnotism. That is the charge against us. We are placed in the court also in many cases. So this is "What is this nonsense, bhagavaj-jana-parāyaṇam, Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa? This is simply a sophistry," they say. Even a big scholar say. When Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), a big scholar, he has remarked, "This is sophistry."
Lecture on SB 5.5.29 -- Vrndavana, November 16, 1976:
So this is the age. So everyone is trying to be happy. That happiness is not possible. That peace is not possible unless you have got a leader or king like Bharata Mahārāja, after whose name this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa, this Bharata Mahārāja. So we have to find out such leader. Then everything will be adjusted. It is the... Now we are speaking of secular state. Secular state does not mean people will become godless. No. Secular state means that no religious preference. "Because you are Hindu, therefore we shall give you more preference than the Muhammadan"—no.
Lecture on SB 5.5.32 -- Vrndavana, November 19, 1976:
So this is not our life. Our life is to regain our spiritual consciousness, revive our spiritual existence. And for this purpose we must endeavor. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovidaḥ means one who is intelligent. Otherwise, those who are not intelligent, they think that "I have got this life. I shall enjoy sense gratification," and "There is no life after death." Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), but these rascals will say, "No, there is no life." So therefore Kṛṣṇa has said, "Mūḍhas, rascals, they do not accept what I am speaking in this Bhagavad-gītā." Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamaḥ (BG 7.15). They got the chance of understanding Kṛṣṇa, but they do not know. And the so-called rascal leaders, they are also misleading them, that "There was no Battle of Kurukṣetra. There was no instruction like that. It is all mythology, and we can utilize it for our political purposes but it has no value. I can interpret in my own way; you can interpret in your own way. Actually, this instruction has no value." Yata mata tata patha. "You can interpret in your own way; I can interpret..." In this way things are going on. This is the position.
Lecture on SB 5.5.34 -- Vrndavana, November 21, 1976:
These are bodily conception of life. One who forgets this bodily conception of life, he is liberated. So how we can forget bodily conception of life? It can be forgotten. Just like one big person Sometimes we have seen practically. We have, of course, heard, we have not seen, that Mr. Stalin, the great Communist leader, he was to undergo a surgical operation of the intestine. So the physician, the doctor, surgeon, he wanted to give him anaesthetic, chloroform. He refused: "There is no need of. Let the operation go on. I shall see what is there within the belly."
Lecture on SB 5.5.34 -- Vrndavana, November 21, 1976:
So how it can be possible? It can be possible. I have given already one crude example. Similarly, why Mr. Stalin could tolerate without any trouble? Because he was a leader. He was always absorbed in the thought of how he could advance the Communist cause. This is the real reason. Similarly, if we take our cause very seriously, our...
Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:
They are now in the Punjab. So there is no milk, there is no rice, there is no wheat. And they have no sugar. The sugar is produced this side. In this way, always. And the Kashmir question... That is British policy. Due to this partition only, India's position is now very crippled. And these rascal leaders, they accepted partition for becoming prime minister. This policy. Gandhi never agreed. So the Jawaharlal Nehru, in order to become prime minister, he committed such a blunder. Therefore India is given... Still, if they keep to their original culture, they will not be unhappy. And you find in every city some such institution as this Gītā Bhavan, in every city you'll find. People are contributing. They are coming.
Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:
Prabhupāda: Therefore monkeys are considered very fools.
Haṁsadūta: Foolish.
Prabhupāda: Foolish, yes.
Revatīnandana: They're like people, and the leaders kill them.
Prabhupāda: There are some birds; they also eat monkeys.
Haṁsadūta: Birds.
Revatīnandana: Big hawks like eagles.
Prabhupāda: Monkey-eaters. I have seen that bird in Los Angeles zoo, monkey-eater bird.
Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Honolulu, June 8, 1975:
Similarly, the Gosvāmīs. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, he was prime minister in the government. And about him it is said that tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. He gave up such exalted post as minister of the government, chief minister in the government. And tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. As a minister his association was with very big, big men, maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means very, very big leaders. Actually big merchant, big businessman, big industrialist, big politician, they used to visit him. So he gave of up this company. Sadā tuccha-vat: "Eh, what is this nonsense? What is the use of meeting all these men?" Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā succha-vat. And what they became? Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Here is the Gosvāmīs' photo. You can see how they have become mendicant. A small loincloth, one waterpot only, that's all, finished, no possession. So why? Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśadau karuṇayā. They wanted to show their mercy to the suffering humanity.
Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Honolulu, June 8, 1975:
So we may declare very foolishly that we are independent. That is the foolishness of the modern civilization. They are not independent, nobody. Everyone is dependent. But because they are dependent and there are so many sufferings awaiting them for their so-called independent life, they do not believe in the next life. This is the, I mean to say, special feature of the modern civilization. They say, big, big professor, big, big leader, "No, there is no life after death. This is once we get and finished." That is also another foolishness. Just like a child. A child, he knows that his body will be changed.
Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- Honolulu, May 9, 1976:
Similarly, the Gosvāmīs, they were ministers. They were not ordinary men, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī. Practically they were governing the whole affairs of government at that time, a very exalted post. So about them also, it is written by Śrīnivāsācārya, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. Aśeṣa-maṇḍala. Maṇḍala-pati means big, big leaders, big, big leaders of the society. He was minister, so he was associating with big, big men, not ordinary men. But he gave up. He's such a position, minister, drawing high salary, and association, all the big, big men of the country or the society.
Lecture on SB 6.1.13-14 -- Los Angeles, June 26, 1975:
And in the Vedas it is said, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). God means He is also nitya, eternal, amongst the eternals. There are many... We living entities, we are many, plural number. Nityānām. Nityānām means plural number. And nitya, singular number. So God is singular number person, and we are plural number. We are many. God is one, but living entities are many. Not that God also is many. No. God may have many expansion—that is another thing—but God is singular number. God is not plural number. Nityo nityānām. So what kind of singular number? That He is chief singular number. Just like leader. There are many followers. Take any example: in the class room or here, a teacher is one, but the audience they are many. Similarly, God is one, but the living entities are many.
Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:
The whole Vedic civilization is to elevate people. There are two kinds of systems in the Vedas: pravṛtti-mārga and nivṛtti-mārga. Because we are all here criminals. Criminal means we have come here within this material world with a purpose to enjoy to the fullest extent. Don't you see? Anywhere you go, people are struggling so hard because the idea is that "I shall be greater than him" or "I shall be very great." "I shall be minister," "I shall be president," "I shall be big merchant," "I shall be very big leader." "How I can be bigger?" When he fails everything, then he thinks, "Now I shall become God." This is going on. So up to the understanding to become God is materialism. All endeavors up to the point of becoming God is materialism.
Lecture on SB 6.1.17 -- Denver, June 30, 1975:
Without knowing this, they are struggling for existence. They want to be happy by adjusting the external energy, bahir-artha-māninaḥ. And people, leaders, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. Ask big big scientists, philosopher, "What is the goal of life?" They do not know. They simply theorize, that's all. The real goal of life is to understand God.
Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Los Angeles, January 15, 1970:
They will simply pick up quarrel unnecessarily. Sometimes political leaders... Just like in Europe, Hitler unnecessarily picked up some war, and there was devastation all over the world. You see. There was no gain. The Germany become defeated and bifurcated. So this leader could not do anything good to the nation, but unnecessarily picked up some quarrel. So that is the cause of world trouble, the crowlike men, the doglike men, the hoglike men. So we have to create paramahaṁsas, good men. Then you can expect peace and prosperity. If you create cats and dogs, then how can you expect that there will be peace, there will be no war, there will be no disturbance? No. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vāstava-vastu vedyam atra (SB 1.1.2).
Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Honolulu, May 19, 1976:
So these things are going on. We want to be cheated, and there are so many cheaters. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. The Bhāgavata has discussed everything. These rascals are andhā, blind, and one blind man is promising to lead other blind men. So what will be the result? If one man is not blind, he can lead hundreds of blind men. That is fact. But if the leader is also blind, then what is the use of leading such blind men?
Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970:
Guest (3): Because Kurukṣetra is to be taken as a particular place.
Prabhupāda: Not taken. It is still there. Why do you interpret that this is body? Is it not rascaldom? No devotee, no ācārya has done this, but these modern so-called scholars and leaders, they have done it. Are they not rascals? What do you think? Eh?
Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970:
We don't require it, but we have developed all these symptoms. So anartha upaśamam. So if you want to cut down these anarthas, then bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje—you have to accept this bhakti-yoga principle to the adhoksaja. Lokasya ajānato: "These rascal men, they do not know it." Therefore vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitā: "The most learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." And they do not take care of Bhāgavata. They do not take care of Bhagavad-gītā. They take care of a book written by some rascal leaders. That's all. The aim of that book is to kill Kṛṣṇa. That's all.
Lecture on SB 6.1.26-27 -- Philadelphia, July 12, 1975:
The politician or, what is called, leaders, andha, they will promise you that "You will be happy in this way. You give me vote, and I shall bring heaven for you, and let me become minister. That is... You simply wait, and as soon as I become a minister and president, I will give you such and such benefit." So you select Mr. Nixon, and again you become disappointed. Then we request, "Mr. Nixon, you get out." And we accept another fool.
Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975:
So God is supplying all the... But He wants that "My dear child, you are now grown up. You have got this human form of body. You don't play like this and waste your time. You take education and know things as they are." That is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra: "Now you have got human form of life. You try to understand what is God." That is the main business. Unfortunately, we are misled by blind leaders. We have been engaged in studying the body, that's all.
Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- San Francisco, July 17, 1975:
Dharmarāja is appointed magistrate by the Supreme Lord. So everyone, after death, he is brought before Dharmarāja, the Yamarāja, and he judges what kind of next body this criminal will have. That is Dharmarāja. He is judged by his work. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha-upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). Just like the magistrate punishes the criminal, what kind of punishment he should be awarded, how he will be allowed to live within the prison house. Just like a political prisoner. In our country just now they have... So many big, big leaders have been arrested. But they are not put in the same level of ordinary criminals. They are given all facilities. They are given nice house, servants and newspaper.
Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:
So we have to accept religious principles from the leaders of the sampradāyas. Otherwise it is useless. Sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te viphalā matāḥ: "If you do not accept mantra initiation from the disciplic succession of the sampradāya, then it will be useless." Sampradāya-vihīnā ye. So people are manufacturing religion without any reference to these authorities.
Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:
So here, in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, there are... In all other religious system, they say that "Our this leader is son of God." Somebody says, "He is... Our leader is a servant of God." So now, because you did not know who is the master, who is the father, therefore gradually it has dwindled. Now we must know. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is awarding, "Here is the father of the son of God—Kṛṣṇa. Here is the master of the servant."
Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, July 24, 1975:
The impious, they'll "Uh, what is God? I will do it." Just like the Communists, they say, "You are poor, so why you are going to the church? Beg from us bread." And poor men, they beg, and they give many breads, and they become atheist: "Well, we are getting from the Communist leaders bread. Why shall I go to church, 'God gives us, give me'?" But because they are poor, poor in knowledge, they do not know that the bread is coming from the Communist factory. It is coming from God, the wheat. That is not manufactured in the factory. But they have no intelligence. They think that "Our Communist friend, he is giving me bread."
Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976:
So the mind, as it is said here... Similarly, Kṛṣṇa personally says that sa vai, yoginām api sarveṣām (BG 6.47), sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa, mind, engage always mind. Do something for Kṛṣṇa. Then the mind automatically will be engaged. Something. Just like a nationalist, a family man, he is doing always something for the welfare of the family. Or for the welfare of the society. Or a big, big nationalist, leaders. Why they become big leaders? Why they are worshiped?
Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:
First of all, the advantage is that we are born in India, and we have got the stock of knowledge left by great sages, ṛṣis and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And you are not taking advantage of it. How much foolish we are becoming by so-called education, we should understand that. It is graha-grasta. We are thinking that... Our leaders are thinking that India, becoming too much religiously conscious, they have been poverty-stricken. No. That is not the fact. By Kṛṣṇa's desire, by Kṛṣṇa's will, everyone is provided. In the Vedas it is said, yo eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān.
Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:
If the head..., the heads of the society, whatever they do, general people follow them. Yad yad ācarati śreyān. Śreyān means the leading personality. Yad yad ācarati śreyān itaras tat tad īhate. And the general public, they follow them. Sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute. What the leaders accept as good, the general public they also accept so.
Lecture on SB 6.2.4 -- Vrndavana, September 8, 1975:
Even big, big political leaders, they'll say, "We don't believe in Kṛṣṇa, there was a person as Kṛṣṇa living ever." So people are being misled. Lokas tad anuvartate. He has taken the position of śreyān, big leader, big scholar, and he is decrying Kṛṣṇa. So what people will do? They are helpless. They will give, "Oh, Mr. such and such said it is fiction. Kṛṣṇa is imagination." This is going on. In Vṛndāvana you'll find so many big, big Māyāvādīs.
Lecture on SB 6.2.24-25 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:
There is a sannyāsī leader, many sannyāsī leaders, they attract people by this performance of yajña, although in this age yajña is not possible because there is no yajñic brāhmaṇa. The mantra... Perhaps you have seen in the Kumbha-melā some government officers were... They are also born in a brāhmaṇa family, and they are performing yajña. Actually the brāhmaṇas had so much power in those days that simply by mantra, they would ignite fire.
Lecture on SB 6.2.24-25 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:
And why you did not follow it, that "Why? What we are...?" Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As soon as he was addressed "Kṛṣṇa," He was doing like this: "Oh, what you are nonsense speaking?" That should be done. He was enjoying: "Yes. I am greater than Kṛṣṇa. Oh." Because he is leader of the fools, so he is a great fool. Because leader—a great man becomes leader—so he is a fool, so he is a great fool. That's all. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by His practical... He was Kṛṣṇa Himself. So as soon as He was addressed that "You are Kṛṣṇa..." When He went to Vṛndāvana... The incident is that people saw at night some light in Yamunā dancing. So people thought that "Kṛṣṇa has again come and He is curbing down the Kāliya."
Lecture on SB 6.3.25-26 -- Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971:
They are prescribed, very bitter to eat. So Śrīdhara Svāmī gives this example: "Without knowing that there is a very nice medicine, mṛta-sañjīvanī, they takes so many troublesome medicines. Similarly, the great stalwart leaders of religious principles, without knowing this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, they take to so many troublesome, multiritualistic ceremonies."
Lecture on SB 6.3.25-26 -- Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971:
As such, those who are actually fearful of a sinful reaction of life, they perform yajñas. But here it is said that the mahājanas, the great leaders of religions, without knowing his simple method of getting out of sinful life, they take to so many yajñas prescribed in the Vedas. Prāyeṇa veda tad idaṁ na mahājano 'yaṁ devyā vimohita-matir bata māyayālam: "Practically they were also bewildered by the influence of māyā." They do not know that there is such a medicine. The example is given, mṛta-sañjīvanī. But they take to bitter medical drugs like nim, ciratā and kālamegha. That is explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī.
Lecture on SB 6.3.27-28 -- Gorakhpur, February 20, 1971:
The Gosvāmīs, ideal. They left their comfortable position as ministers, went to Vṛndāvana, and became a mendicant. Kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. Because they were ministers, their associates, their friends, their companions were all rich men, aristocratic. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means "great leaders of aristocratic family." He gave up. Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, they gave up this association of big aristocratic families. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. Tucchavat means "There is no necessity.
Lecture on SB 6.3.27-28 -- Gorakhpur, February 20, 1971:
The first thing is they are very tolerant, titikṣavaḥ; kāruṇikāḥ, compassionate; and suhṛdaḥ, friend of all living entities. They are not like that... Just like politicians, they are friends only to the countrymen or to the party. But still, they are so much eulogized: "Oh, he is our leader." But this sort of leader cannot be compared with a sādhu because a sādhu is leader for all living entities. They are thinking of the ant also, how it will be helped.
Lecture on SB 7.5.22-30 -- London, September 8, 1971:
Therefore they do not know. That will be explained also. They do not know what is the aim of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know. They are foolish. Andhā yathāndhair. Their foolish leaders also misleading them.
Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- London, September 9, 1971:
Because they are led by blind leaders. Now, suppose we are conducting this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Nobody is interested. Very few interested. But if we give some false hope that "If you follow this path, then within six months you will become God and you will be all-powerful, and then...," oh, so many people will come. You see?
Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- London, September 9, 1971:
One blind leader giving, leading to other blind men. Suppose one blind man says that "All right. Come. Follow me. I shall help you crossing this street, Mulberry Street. All right." So he is blind, and the followers are also blind. The result will be that he is dashed by some motorcar or truck and they all die.
Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- London, September 9, 1971:
Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Lord, Supreme Personality of Godhead, we are actually crying for Kṛṣṇa. But these false leaders, these blind leaders, they do not know. They are giving... Instead of bread, they are giving stone. How one can be happy? That is the position. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Bahiḥ
Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:
The people in general, especially in this age, they do not know what is the goal of life, and still, they are leaders. That is the defect of the modern civilization. It is the defect of material world, but especially in this Kali-yuga, it is the most abominable, fallen age. There are Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga, just like there are different seasons in the year—summer, rainy season, then winter season, autumn, spring, like that. So formerly, in the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000's of years. Then, in the Tretā-yuga, they used to live for 10,000 years.
Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:
So the nature of this material world is that without knowing the goal of life they become leaders. Material world, especially in this age, they do not know what is the goal of life. They do not know what he is. That is the defect. Dehātma-buddhiḥ. Everyone, all over the world, they are thinking in terms of this body.
Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:
That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People should be free to move in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything, actually it belongs to Kṛṣṇa. But we have got restriction because we see "This is America, this is India, this is..." So they have been described here as andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ: "These leaders are themselves blind, and they are leading other blind men." General public, they are blind, and the leaders are also blind. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Why they are blind? Now, because they do not know what is the aim of life. Na te viduḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatim. Everyone is self-interested. That's very good. You are self-interested; I am self-interested. So that is... But you do not know what is your self-interest. Therefore you are blind. That is described here, that "These blind leaders, they do not know." They are especially mentioned, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. The leaders, they lead others. So, yad yad ācarati śreṣṭha tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). Leaders are responsible because yad yad ācarati śreṣṭha: "Those who are leaders, whatever they do, they perform, common men follow that." Therefore they must be very perfect. Common men follow the leaders. If the leaders are themselves imperfect, then what will be the position of the common men?
Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:
So here it is said that because the leaders, they do not know what is the aim of life, what is the goal of life, therefore common men, people in general, they are being misguided. They are being misguided. Suppose a blind man leads some other blind men. What will be the result? Both of them will meet danger.
Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:
Bring any big, big leaders. Ask him that "Do you know what is the problem of life?" They do not know. Therefore it is said, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31).
Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:
By their own blind intelligence they are trying to adjust things within this material word, and they are being failure repeatedly. Still, they have no sense. So those who are actually leaders of the society, they should be sensible. They should take advice, instruction from the most perfect personality, Kṛṣṇa, and adjust things. Then they will be happy.
Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:
We are worshiping our leader. So God is the supreme leader.
Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:
Therefore, this question I put to Professor Kotovsky, that "Your philosophy, Communist philosophy, and our philosophy, where is the philosophically different? Because you have selected a leader, Lenin, and you are worshiping him. And we have selected a leader, Kṛṣṇa, we are also worshiping Him. So where is the change? How we have advanced? You have selected another leader, that's all. You have to select. So the worship must go on. Either you become Communist or not Communist." So God says that "Instead of worshiping so many others, you worship Me." So, and man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). And "You offer my respect to Me." So these things... You may accept any type of religion; that doesn't matter. But think of God, worshiping God, offering obeisances God, that cannot be changed. Either you become Christian or Hindu or Muslim, it does not matter. These four things cannot be changed. Therefore, the principles of religion: thinking of God, worshiping God, offering obeisances to Him, and to become devotee of God, that cannot be changed.
Lecture on SB 7.6.2 -- Vrndavana, December 3, 1975:
So sambandha-jñāna, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, what is the position between the living entities and the Supreme Lord. In the Vedas it is stated, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānāṁ eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). We are related with God because He is the chief leader. Nityo nityānāṁ.
Lecture on SB 7.6.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 28, 1976:
That is Vedic civilization. Not that unless one is killed, he's not going to retire. Even great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, he was seventy-eight years, and still he would not retire from this... Political life means greater family life. A family man is interested with his family members, and a political leader is interested with the whole, a group of family. The principle is the same. Ordinary family man, he's looking after three, four members of the family, and a political leader is thinking that he's responsible for so many millions of men. The idea is the same: the extended family. But extended or diminished family, sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ, he's thinking, "I have to do something for them." But when death comes, you are unable to do anything, you have to immediately leave the scene, and according to the laws of nature you'll have to accept a body according to your karma. This is the law of nature.
Lecture on SB 7.6.16 -- New Vrindaban, June 30, 1976:
Especially in this age, Kali-yuga, great leaders, politicians, philosophers and scientists are all engaged in foolish activities, thinking, "This is mine, and this is yours." The scientists invent nuclear weapons and collaborate with the big leaders to protect the interests of their own nation or society. In this verse, however, it is clearly stated that despite their so-called advanced knowledge, they actually have the same mentality as cats and dogs. As cats, dogs and other animals, not knowing their true interest in life, become increasingly involved in ignorance, the so-called educated person who does not know his own self-interest or the true goal of life becomes increasingly involved in materialism. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises everyone to follow the principles of varṇāśrama-dharma. Specifically, at a certain point one must give up family life and take to the renounced order of life to cultivate spiritual knowledge and thus become liberated. This is further discussed in the following verses.
Lecture on SB 7.6.19 -- New Vrindaban, July 2, 1976:
Ajāmila separated himself from the Supreme Personality of Godhead by performing many sinful activities and was condemned by Yamarāja to be very severely punished, but because at the time of death he chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa, although he was calling not for the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa but for his son named Nārāyaṇa, he was saved from the hands of Yamarāja. Therefore, pleasing Nārāyaṇa does not require as much endeavor as pleasing one's family, community and nation. We have seen important political leaders killed for a slight discrepancy in their behavior. Therefore pleasing one's society, family, community and nation is extremely difficult. Pleasing Nārāyaṇa, however, is not at all difficult; it is very easy.
Lecture on SB 7.7.30-31 -- Mombassa, September 12, 1971:
So this demonic principle, Prahlāda Mahārāja is trying to demolish this demonic mentality of his friends that "Don't try to be falsely puffed up to understand God. Take the process of bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ." This material world means we have got a seed of ambition that I want to become greater than everyone. I want to be the greatest businessman, I want to be the greatest personality, I want to be the greatest leader, the greatest, greatest, greatest, and there is comp...
Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 18, 1977:
Just like in our country the great leader Mahatma Gandhi, he had to work very, very hard. Twenty years in Durban he spoiled his time, and thirty years in India. I shall say spoiled his time. What for? For some political purpose. What is his political purpose? "Now we are a group called by the name Indian. We must drive away the Englishmen and take the supreme authority." This is the purpose. So this is anyābhilāṣitā. What is this purpose?
Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Seattle, October 21, 1968:
He's not proud. He's not proud. Because the Brahmā, Lakṣmī, and all the demigods and saintly persons have requested him, "My dear Prahlāda, you try." That means he is greater than all the persons present there; otherwise how they could request him? Just like if in an assembly, if somebody is requested, "Please, you lead us," that means that person, that leader, is the greatest of all. So Prahlāda is accepted as the greatest personality than Brahmā, than the demigods, than the yogis. But this is the humbleness, meek. This is... In Bible also, it is said the humble and meek can enter into the kingdom of God. So out of his humbleness, meekness, he's expressing, he's presenting himself that "These great personalities, they failed to pacify the Lord. How it is possible for me, who has got this body born of a passionate father?" This is very beautiful.
Lecture on SB 7.9.10-11 -- Montreal, July 14, 1968:
Because they follow rascal leaders. Their leadership is andha. Andha means blind. And they are following the blind leadership. They are themselves blind. Why blind? They cannot see future. They do not know what is going to... Because they have no understanding that "I am eternal." This temporary body is only a flash in my life. I've changed so many bodies. Just like in this present existence I have changed my body so many times from my childhood to this old age. Similarly, I am changing my body. So this life, this body is temporary. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Andhā, and I do not see my future; therefore I am blind. And the leader which is leading me, he is also blind. So a blind man leading other blind men, what is the result? The result is catastrophic. Therefore in spite of so many great leaders, politicians, scientists, educationist, the result is that problematic.
Lecture on SB 7.9.12-13 -- Montreal, August 20, 1968:
So the Lord was very satisfied. That is the way of pure devotion. That was taught by Lord Caitanya. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye: (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) "My dear Lord, I do not ask from You any amount of wealth," na dhanaṁ na janam, "neither any number of followers." Because every one of us, we want to be the richest man in the world, the greatest leader of the world, and to have a very beautiful wife... This is our heart's desire in the material world, to control over a vast mass of people—I want to be prime minister, president, or political leader, Hitler or Gandhi, like that—and to amass vast amount of wealth. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No, no, no. I don't want all these things." This is prayer.
Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Montreal, August 21, 1968:
God conscious and atheistic people, what is the difference? The difference is that atheistic person thinks "mine." "Everything mine. I am the lord of all I survey. I am the king. I am the leader. I am everything, and everything belongs to me." This is atheistic temperament. And godly persons? They think everything God's. That is the difference. The thing is there. Take anything, your country, your home, your wealth, anything.
Lecture on SB 7.9.17 -- Mayapur, February 24, 1976:
That will cure your all disease. And this mentality comes by practical experience after many, many births, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante (BG 7.19), when one understands properly that without becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, without being servant of Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be peace or happiness. Jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati. Kṛṣṇa says. Everything is directly said. Bhoktāram. Why we fight one another? I am thinking that "I shall enjoy this. I shall become the leader." And another party says, "No, no, I shall become the leader. I shall enjoy this."
Lecture on SB 7.9.23 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1976:
So this is experience, dṛṣṭā... Everyone has experience what is the situation of this material world. Every day we have seen big, big leaders, ministers. Just like in the history of the world there were so many big, big men—Hitler, Napoleon, this Churchill, Gandhi, Nehru. But all their powers, position, in one minute it becomes vanquished. There is no question... They are so proud, they do not believe in God, but when the death comes, they cannot argue anything.
Lecture on SB 7.9.40 -- Mayapur, March 18, 1976:
So this is our position. Prahlāda Mahārāja is analyzing very nicely. We are servant eternally, but kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare, pāsate māyā tare jāpaṭiyā dhare. As soon as we forget this principle, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa..." This material life means this forgetfulness. I am serving, it is a fact. And because I am serving my senses, that... Big, big leaders... Just like in your Western countries, there was Napoleon, there was Hitler, there was Mussolini, here also, big, big leaders, but what they are? Big, big servants of the senses, that's all. Big, big servants of the senses. Therefore Bhāgavata has said, sva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). Puruṣaḥ paśuḥ: "These big, big leaders are big, big animals, that's all." Saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. So there are many instructive verses in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be your life and soul to remain constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, yes, the unique gift of Śrī Vyāsadeva. Kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eva purāṇārkaḥ adhunā uditaḥ.
Lecture on SB 7.9.42 -- Mayapur, March 22, 1976:
We have to understand Kṛṣṇa. We cannot understand directly. Therefore these rascals who are trying to understand Kṛṣṇa directly by interpretation, they are all rascals. They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. May be very big man, so-called. Nobody is big man. They are also sa vai... No, what is that? No, no. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). Puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. These big, big men who are so much eulogized by some rascals, all these big, big leaders, what they are? Because they are not devotee of Kṛṣṇa, they cannot lead. They simply will mislead.
Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Calcutta, March 23, 1976:
So Vaiṣṇava has no such ambition that "I must have multimillions and million of dollars to possess and must have a very good wife," na dhanam, "and many followers. I shall become minister, leader, political." These ambitions are completely kicked out by the Vaiṣṇavas. They have no value. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Those who are after all these things, material temporary happiness, alpa-medhasām, Kṛṣṇa says. They are lack of brain. But the whole world is after these things.
Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Calcutta, March 23, 1976:
So that is the problem. For Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement these are the problems. First of all the public is also vimūḍha, rascal, and their so-called leaders, political, social, religious, and so on, so on, so on, so many leaders, misguiding them. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantrya uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Everyone knows that "I am completely under the stringent laws of material nature," and still, they are making plan to become independent.
Lecture on SB 7.12.4 -- Bombay, April 15, 1976:
We have given up our own culture and imitating the foreigners and the Western country. That also we cannot do very properly because we are meant for different purpose in India. In India, one who has taken birth in India, it is understood that in his previous birth he tried to cultivate spiritual culture; therefore he has been given the opportunity to take birth in India. India is so fortunate. But as soon as he takes birth, the rascal leader spoils him, the rascal father spoils him, the rascal teacher spoils him. So what can they do, the poor younger generation? They are being taught that "The spiritual culture is useless. Because we are so much spiritually inclined, the foreigners came and they ruled over us. Now give up all this nonsense. Become technologist." This is going on.
Lecture on SB 7.12.4 -- Bombay, April 15, 1976:
Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). This is a civilization where a blind man is guiding a few others or many other blind men. So what is this civilization? The leader, he is a rascal. He does not know what is the aim of life, and he has become leader. So many talking. When I was talking with Professor Kotovsky, so I asked him this question, that "After all, you are required, you are in need of a leader. So you are being led by your Lenin philosophy and we are being led by Kṛṣṇa philosophy. So where is the difference in the procedure? You require a leader; we require a leader. That is wanted. Without leader we cannot go. But if you select a bad leader, blind leader, then you remain blind." That, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is that you have to accept one leader. That you cannot avoid. Either you become communist or capitalist or this or that, you have to accept one leader. So take the best, first-class, perfect leader: Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be happy. Otherwise it is not possible.
Lecture on SB 7.12.4 -- Bombay, April 15, 1976:
Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje, lokasya ajānataḥ (SB 1.7.6). These rascals, they do not know how to accept leader. And vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitā. Therefore Vyāsadeva is the most learned person, vidvān. He has prepared the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam. So if we read, nityaṁ bhāgavata sevayā (SB 1.2.18), daily... So we are making so much effort. We are building nice building.
Lecture on SB Excerpt -- Los Angeles, July 3, 1972:
So bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). We get this chance, and if we are not educated by our teachers, by our fathers, by our leaders, by our government men, by our gurus, by our relatives, how to accept the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Give up all this nonsense engagement, trying to become Kṛṣṇa or God. Give up this. Surrender unto Me"... This is education. This is education. The father should give education at home. The leaders should give education in institution. The politician should give education in their assemblies, congress. The guru should give education how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. The father should educate. The mother should educate.
Lecture on SB Lecture -- Melbourne, May 19, 1975:
Madhudviṣa: She's just wondering how it would be possible for one king to rule the whole world? It seems like it is very difficult. Nowadays we have so many leaders and they cannot manage...
Prabhupāda: Forget that. Why you are thinking that you cannot rule over; therefore others cannot? You are thinking in your term. But there are. That is possible. So that is not our field of activities. It is others', politics and... But let us... Our business is how to improve our spiritual condition of life. Even if you don't rule over the world, it doesn't matter. So why you are anxious to rule over the world? It is not our business. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam.
| Page Title: | Leaders (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Partha-sarathi, Rishab |
| Created: | 17 of Aug, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=241, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 241 |