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Material bodies (Lect. BG ch 1 - 4)

Expressions researched:
"body that is material" |"material bodies" |"material body"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

The whole material activities, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke, one who is absorbed in the thought of bodily conception. Now, the whole Bhagavad-gītā was explained by the Lord because Arjuna represented himself with bodily conception. So one has to get free from the bodily conception of life. That is the preliminary activity for a transcendentalist who wants to get free, who wants to be liberated. And he has to learn first of all that he is not this material body. So this consciousness, or material consciousness, when we are freed from this material consciousness, that is called mukti. Mukti or liberation means to become free from material consciousness. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata also the definition of liberation is said, muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). Svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. Mukti means liberation from the contaminated consciousness of this material world and to become situated in pure consciousness. And the whole instruction, instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, is targeted to awaken that pure consciousness.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

When we hold on the conference on the sanātana-dharma, people belonging to some of the noneternal religious faiths may wrongly consider it that we are dealing in some sectarian thing. But if we go deep into the matter and take everything in the light of modern science, it will be possible for us to see sanātana-dharma as the business of all the people of the world, nay, all the living entities of the universe. Non-sanātana religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of the human society, but there cannot be any history of the sanātana-dharma because it continues to remain with the history of the living entities. So far living entities are concerned, we find it from the authority of the śāstras that living entities have also no birth or death. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated that the living entity is never born, nor does it ever die. He's eternal, indestructible, and continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. With reference to the above concept of sanātana-dharma we may try to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word dharma. It means that which is constantly with the particular object. As we have already mentioned, when we speak of fire it is concluded at the same time that there is heat and light along with the fire. Without heat and without light, there is no meaning of the word fire.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

So many things unknown to us, therefore this body is ignorant. Instead of becoming full of knowledge it is ignorant. The body is perishable, full of ignorance, and nirānanda. Instead of becoming full of bliss, it is full of miseries. All the miseries that we experience in this material world, it is all due to this body. The Lord says that anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram (BG 8.5). One who quits this material body, simply by remembering Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he at once gets the spiritual body of sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). The process of quitting this body and getting another body in the material world is also organized. A man dies after it has been decided what form of body he will have in the next life. But that is decided by higher authorities. Just like according to our service we are promoted or degraded. Similarly, according to our acts we are... Acts of this life, the activities of this life are preparation ground for the next life. We are preparing for our next life by our activities of this life. So if we can prepare our this life for getting promotion to the kingdom of God, then surely, after leaving, after quitting this material body... The Lord says yaḥ prayāti, one who goes, sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti (BG 8.5), mad-bhāvam, he gets the same spiritual body as the Lord has or the same spiritual nature. Now, there are different kinds of transcendentalists as we have already explained above.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

So at the same time if you practice remembering Me always, then it will be possible," anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran (BG 8.5), "then it will be possible to remember Me also at the time of death." Mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mām evaiṣyasy asaṁśayaḥ. Again He says that there is no doubt. If one is completely surrendered into the service of the Lord, into the transcendental loving service of the Lord, mayy arpita-mano-buddhir (BG 8.7). Because we work not with our body actually. We work with our mind and intelligence. So if our intelligence and mind are always engaged in the thought of the Supreme Lord, then naturally our senses are also engaged in the service of the Lord. That is the secret of Bhagavad-gītā. One has to learn this art, how one can be absorbed both by the mind and intelligence twenty-four hours thinking of the Lord. And that will help one to transfer himself into the kingdom of God or in the spiritual atmosphere after leaving this material body. The modern scientists, they are trying for years and years together for reaching the moon planet, and they have no approach as yet. But here in the Bhagavad-gītā, here is a suggestion. Suppose a man lives for another fifty years and he... So nobody tries to elevate himself in the spiritual ideas for fifty years. That's a very good idea. But even for ten years or five years one sincerely tries for this practice, mayy arpita-mano-buddhir... (BG 8.7) It is simply a question of practice. And that practice can be very easily possible by the devotional process, śravaṇaṁ. Śravaṇaṁ. The easiest process is to hear.

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

This relationship is already established, because I am eternal, God is eternal, therefore my relationship with God is also eternal. That relationship is there. Now, due to my covering of this material body or influence of material energy, I have forgotten. This is my position. In the conditioned state, in this material condition of life, our position is that I..., we have forgotten our relationship with God. But therefore you are trying to establish so many relationships with this material world. I am trying to find some relationship with particular type of society, particular type of community, particular type of nation, particular type of family or individuals. So many ways, I am searching where is my relationship, because I have lost my relationship with God. Therefore I have to reestablish, I have to revive my old relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is to... Just like in darkness you are finding your things, your watch, you cannot find it out. Sometimes you are touching this, sometimes touching this, sometimes touching this, but the real thing you are not touching. So you are bewildered, you are harassed. And now you, if you touch Kṛṣṇa consciousness, these harassments will be stopped. It is so nice thing. We are giving you your lost relationship, which you are searching out life after life. And you are confused. Take this! You will be happy. You will find your relationship, eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

This mahat-tattva, this material world, just like a child, a child is born, the father gives the seed and mother develops the body. The child's body is developed... Actually all, all of us, we have got this body from mother. Therefore we have got very natural affinity with mother. The child can forget his father, but he cannot forget his mother. Mother's relationship is so intimate. Similarly, this material body we have got from the material energy; therefore we are so much materialist. We are thinking of this country, that community, this family, how materialistic, because this body is material. But so far spirit soul I am concerned, I am the son or the part and parcel of the Supreme. So material nature is the mother and God is the father. And we are exhibited in so many forms, 8,400,000's of forms. So one who has understood this truth, that God is father, he no more looks, "Ah, this is cat," "This is dog," "This is cow," "This is black," "This is white," "This is Chinese," "This is American." No. That is universal brotherhood: "Oh, they are my brothers." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. No more enmity. "They are all my brothers." Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. With everyone he sees on the equal level, for "They are spiritual part, part and parcel of my father." This vision makes one advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is fact. This is realization. This is universal brotherhood. Everything this is, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 1.10 -- London, July 12, 1973:

So in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Punar janma naiti. If you can avoid next birth... Next birth means to accept another material body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). After giving up this body, we have to accept another body. These rascals, they do not understand it. So many defects in the modern civilization, full of ignorance, and still, they are passing as great scientists, great philosophers, great politicians. Real knowledge they haven't got. So try to give them real knowledge. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. This is the crucial point, dehāntara-prāptiḥ. One has to accept another body. So if you can find out a means so that you do not accept another body, then you are safe. Because as soon as you accept another body, janma, birth, then where there is janma, there is mṛtyu, death also. And between janma and mṛtyu, birth and death, there is disease and old age. So Kṛṣṇa says that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: (BG 4.9) "One can avoid accepting another material body." How? Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, why Kṛṣṇa appears, why Kṛṣṇa takes part in politics, why Kṛṣṇa... so many, Kṛṣṇa's activities.

Lecture on BG 1.10 -- London, July 12, 1973:

Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, śarīra abidyā-jāl, joḍendriya tāhe kāl: "This body is material body and the senses are our greatest enemies," joḍendriya tāhe kāl. "So out of all the senses," tā'ra madhye jihwā ati lobhamoy sudurmati, "of all the senses, the tongue is formidable." It is sudurmati, it has no limit to taste. I have seen in Japan. Twenty miles away they are coming to taste some fried birds in the hotel. You see. They have got bus. The hotel has got their own bus, and they bring customers from the city and they are coming after office hours just to taste some jungle birds, fried. There is a hotel.

Lecture on BG 1.13-14 -- London, July 14, 1973:

When Arjuna inquired from Him about His instruction to sun-god, Kṛṣṇa said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). This bhakti-yogam of as mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā... Bhagavad-gītā is bhakti-yogam, to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this literature is also transcendental. Bhakti is also transcendental. Bhakti is not any activities of this material world. Janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). So bhakti is activity in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is not material. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate, māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). Bhakti-yoga is transcendental. And because Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by any material method. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). The method also is transcendental, not of this material world. So if we can understand simply these facts, that Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, Kṛṣṇa's name is transcendental, Kṛṣṇa's form is transcendental, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Kṛṣṇa's body is sac-cid-ānanda, not body like this. This body is asat, acit and nirānanda, just the opposite. This material body is asat. Asat means temporary. It will not exist. But Kṛṣṇa's body is not like that. Kṛṣṇa's body is eternal. That is cit. Sat-cit. Full of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973:

Just like Jesus Christ. He is being crucified, and still he is merciful: "God, these people do not know what they are doing. Please excuse them." This is sādhu. He is personally being disturbed by the demons, but still, he is merciful to the general people. They are suffering for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So even up to the point of death, he is trying to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Let the people be benefited. Eh, what is this material body? Even if I am killed, I am not killed. This body is killed, that's all." This is sādhu. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ. In one side he is tolerant, and other side, merciful.

Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:

So this is the problem. This material world is problematic, especially when we have got these family relationships. "Society, friendship, and love, divinely bestowed upon man." They say. (laughs) It is not divinely bestowed. It is not. It is entanglement. It is entanglement. Dehāpatya. There is verse in the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dehāpatya. What is that verse? Dehāpatya-kalatrādi (SB 2.1.4). Deha, first affection is with our body. "I am this Mr. Such and such. This is I am, this body." I have got attraction for this body. Then the offsprings, the by-products of this body. Apatya. Apatya means children. And how this by-product is made? Kalatra, through wife. Strī. Strī means which expands. Vistara, expands. I am alone. I accept wife, strī, and with her cooperation I expand. So one who helps me to expand, that is called strī. Every Sanskrit word has got meaning. Why woman is called strī? Because she helps, expanding myself. How expanding? Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu (SB 2.1.4). I get my children. First of all I was affectionate to my body. Then, as soon as I get a wife, I become affectionate to her. Then, as soon as I get children, I become affectionate to children. In this way I expand my affection for this material world. This material world, attachment. It is not required. It is a foreign thing. This material body is foreign. I am spiritual. I am spiritual, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But because I wanted to lord it over the material nature, Kṛṣṇa has given me this body. Daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). He is giving you body. He is giving the body of Brahmā, He is giving you the body of ant. As you desire. As you desire. If you want the body of a tiger, Kṛṣṇa will give you. If you want the body of a hog, He will give you. If you want the body of Brahmā, He will give you. If you want the body of a demigod, He will give you. If you want the body of American, He will give you. Englishman, He will give you. Indian, He will give you. That is Kṛṣṇa. He is so kind. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa is very kind.

Lecture on BG 1.28-29 -- London, July 22, 1973:

So this is the process. The basic principle is the soul. The soul is acting through intelligence, and the intelligence is acting through mind, and the mind is expressed through the senses. This is the position. So as my mind is absorbed in something, some subject matter, my bodily symptoms also will work, or the senses will work according to that mind. Therefore for spiritual advancement also, you have to train your mind. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). If you use... First of all fix up your mind. Yoga means indriya-saṁyama. Yoga practice means that controlling the mind and the senses. That is yoga practice. Because our mind is very flickering and changing, something accepting immediately, something rejecting immediately, very flickering. Therefore we have to train up the mind, and when the mind is trained up, then automatically your senses will be controlled. If you are strong-minded, that "I will not accept any foodstuff which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," naturally your tongue is controlled. Naturally. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, śarīra avidyā-jāl jaḍendriya tāhe kāl jīve phele viṣaya-sāgare. Our this body is a network of nescience, or ignorance. This body, why we have got this body, material body? Because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa and we wanted to lord it over the material nature. This is our position. Therefore, according to our different desires, we have got different bodies.

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

So that is the position. They cannot understand that by serving Kṛṣṇa, we become healthy or in our normal position. This is called ignorance. Somebody is trying to forget Him, somebody is trying to become equal with Him. This business is going on. And nobody is submitting that "My Lord, I forgot my service. From this day, I become again Your servant. Please give me protection." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām... (BG 18.66). This is the teaching of all śāstra, all Vedas. But these people, the other party, they have become blind. They have become blind. Why? Lobha-upahata-cetasaḥ. They have lost their sense. Kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣam. There is a great fault by destroying dynasty. Nowadays people are destroying from the womb, abortion, contraception, destroying. They do not know. Kula-kṣaya. Actually putra. Putra means, put means puṁ-nāma-narakam. There is a hell which is called puṁ-nāma-naraka. And tra means trāyate, deliver. So putra means puṁ-nāma-narakāt trāyate iti putra. The Sanskrit word for son, putra means that the son is expected to deliver the forefathers from the hellish condition of life. Sometimes due to our sinful activities, we become ghost. That is very hellish condition. So when śraddhā is offered by the putra..., who will offer? The putra will offer. That is the duty. Then he gets again material body. These are the subtle laws. People do not know. Neither they are eager to know. But these are the information we get from Vedic literature. Putra has got a duty, to save the forefathers. Therefore one has to, it is his duty to keep a putra. At least one son he must leave. But people are not very much anxious to have putra. Rather to kill putra. They are so sinful.

Lecture on BG 1.41-42 -- London, July 29, 1973:

Sometimes due to sinful activities, too much attachment, a man becomes ghost. Ghost, there is ghosts. Bhūta preta piśāca. Not only this life, demonic life, but after death also, there are ghostly lives. They do not get this gross body. They remain in the subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego. Due to their gross sinful life, they are punished by not getting a gross life. Because without getting a gross life, we cannot enjoy. With mind, I cannot enjoy rasagullā. I must have the tongue, I must have the hand, fingers, I can pick up, then... In the mind, I may think of eating or collecting rasagullā, but actually I do not get the taste. So gross body is required, because every living entity in this material world, they have come to enjoy. Kṛṣṇa bhuliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāśāte māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare. This is the beginning of our material life. When we forget to render service to Kṛṣṇa, immediately we get a material body offered by the material nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇair karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate
(BG 3.27)

So this gross body is required for enjoyment. Spirit, spiritual body is also very subtle, and the astral body, or subtle body, is also very subtle. The gross body required. So on account of one's severe sinful life, he does not get this gross body. Therefore the lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyā (BG 1.41).

Lecture on BG 1.45-46 -- London, August 1, 1973:

So pratikāram and apratikāram. Whatever we have manufactured, pratikāram, counteraction, that will be also failure if Kṛṣṇa does not sanction it. That is realized by Prahlāda Mahārāja. He says "My dear Lord," Hiraṇyakaśipu, that "people have manufactured so many pratikāram, counteraction." But tanu-bhṛtām, "Those who have accepted this material body, they are simply manufacturing things to counteract dangers. But even though they have all this counteracting machine or counteracting agents, still, without Your sanction, this counteracting machine or agent will not be fruitful." So similarly, Arjuna is being protected by Kṛṣṇa. So even though Arjuna is not well-equipped, apratikāram, still he will be saved. Because Kṛṣṇa is there. Tāvad vibho tanu-bhṛtāṁ tvad-upekṣitānām (SB 7.9.19). And even one is well-equipped and if Kṛṣṇa does not like to save him, he'll not be saved. Always mind this. Rakṣe kṛṣṇa mare ke, mare kṛṣṇa rakṣe ke. This is ordinary, that if Kṛṣṇa wants to kill you, nobody can save you. And if Kṛṣṇa wants to save you, nobody can kill you. This is the position.

Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972:

The Absolute Personality of Godhead, He is not anything of this material world. When we use this word, nirākāra, that means His form is not anything of this material world. But He has got His form. That is a transcendental form. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Nirākāra means He, He has no such form, as we have got this material form. This material form is neither of the three transcendental bliss, sac-cid-ānanda. This is asat, acit, and nirānanda. This body, this material body is asat, acit, and nirānanda. Therefore, when in the Vedic literature or in authorized statement we find "nirākāra," that means His form does not belong to this asat, acit, or nirānanda. But He has His form. Divyam. Janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Divyam, transcendental. And Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya also, who especially preached impersonalism, he also admits that nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṇa, the form of Nārāyaṇa, is beyond the range of this avyakta." Avyakta and...

This world is creation... Avyaktād anya-sambhavaḥ. This world is creation of this avyakta. And beyond this avyakta, there is another nature. That is spiritual nature. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). So this situation... Kṛṣṇa is advising... No. I mean to say, Arjuna advising, rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta. Acyuta. Kṛṣṇa is not cyuta. Kṛṣṇa is acyuta. Cyuta means those who are fallen in the material world. They are cyuta. We are fallen in the material world. Therefore we have accepted this material body. Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena sarge yānti parantapa (BG 7.27). Icchā. Icchā means desire. And dveṣa means envy, enviousness. Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena. When we become envious of Kṛṣṇa and we want to enjoy this material world, then we come to this material creation. Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena sarge yānti parantapa.

So any one of us, we, who is in this material world, having a material body, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant, a small ant, anyone of them... In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that yas tv indra-gopam athavendra-maho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam atanoti (Bs. 5.54). Indra-gopa. There is a, there is a insect which is called in Sanskrit language as indra-gopa. It is a microbe. You cannot see with these naked eyes.

Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972:

So the Brahma-saṁhitā says, yas tu indra-gopa. And Mahendra, the King of Heaven... Beginning from this indra-gopa, up to the King of Heaven, everyone is subjected to enjoy or suffer the resultant action of his karma. By karma, by the resultant action of karma, one has become the King of Heaven, and by karma, resultant action of karma, one has become the microbic insect. This is the material world. There are 8,400,000 types or forms of this material body, and we are wandering, sarva-gata, in different planets, in different forms. This is material world. And in the material world, whatever form we may have, we have got attachment for this body. Not only attachment, we are under the impression that "I am this body." Everyone. That is material conception of life.

So that thing happened to Arjuna. In the battlefield, he identified himself as the body. He thought himself that he belongs to the Kuru family, and his family relatives, his, other side, his brother, nephews, or his grandfather... So he refused to fight. "My dear Kṛṣṇa..." After placing the chariot between the two parties, senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta (BG 1.21). And then he become very much disturbed that "I have to kill the other side, my brother and my nephews, my grandfather. No, no. Kṛṣṇa, I cannot. No. This is not possible. I shall not fight." This is the stage of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa became very much dissatisfied. Of course, Arjuna played the part of a conditioned soul. A conditioned soul is under the impression that he's the body. That is animal life. In the śāstra it is said, "Anyone who is identifying himself with this material body, he is animal." Go-kharaḥ. Sa eva go-kharaḥ. Go means cows, and khara means ass.

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

I shall speak some verses from Bhagavad-gītā, Second Chapter, in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa instructed. The beginning of instruction is the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. So Arjuna, representing ourself, conditioned soul, covered with the material body and thinking in bodily conception of life... He was to fight with his brothers, nephews, grandfather, Bhīṣmadeva, also teacher the military science, Droṇācārya. In this way the business was not very palatable. Although he was forced to fight by the opposite party who were very near, thick and thin people, and he had to kill them, so it was not very satisfactory to him. Therefore he flatly denied to fight: "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight." He left his weapon, and then Kṛṣṇa was surprised that "My friend, Arjuna, he is denying to fight in My presence."

So Sañjaya, the private secretary of Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he was relaying the message which was going on in the battle of Kurukṣetra by higher process. Nowadays we have got experience of the television, but the another process, antar-dṛṣṭi, that is also television. You can see the reflection of external activities within your heart, and you can explain. So Sañjaya, the private secretary of Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he explained that Arjuna was denying to fight.

Lecture on BG 2.7 -- London, August 7, 1973:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was advising them: "My dear brothers, let us cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness." So other boys, what do they know about Kṛṣṇa conscious...? Prahlāda Mahārāja is liberated from the very birth. So they said: "What is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" They could not understand. So he was convincing them: durlabhaṁ manuṣyaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam. This human body is durlabhaṁ. Labdhvā sudurlabhaṁ idam bahu sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29). This human form of body is a great concession given by the material nature. People are so miscreant and foolish. They do not understand what is the value of this human form of life. They engage this body for sense gratification like cats and dogs. The śāstra therefore says: "No, this human form of body is not meant for spoiling like the hogs and dogs." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke. Everyone has got a body, material body. But nṛ-loke, in the human society, this body is not to be spoiled. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhati viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This human form of life, simply working uselessly hard, day and night, for sense gratification. This is the business of the hog and dog. They are doing also the same thing, whole day and night, working hard simply for sense gratification. So therefore in the human society there must be a system of division. That is called varṇāśrama-dharma. That is Vedic civilization. That is really called Ārya-samāja. Ārya-samāja does not mean to become rascal and fool and deny the existence of God. No. That is Anārya. Just like Kṛṣṇa rebuked Arjuna: anārya-juṣṭa. "You are talking like anārya." One who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's anārya. Anārya. Ārya means who is advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So really Ārya-samāna means Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Otherwise, bogus, bogus ārya-samāna. Because here from the Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa says Arjuna, rebuking, because he was refusing to fight, because he does not know what is his duty, again Arjuna is admitting here that kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ (BG 2.7). "Yes, I am anārya. I have become anārya. Because I have forgotten my duty."

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

Devotee: Verse 11: "The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead (BG 2.11)." Purport: "The Lord at once took the position of a teacher and chastised his student, calling him indirectly a fool. The Lord said, 'You are talking like a learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned, one who knows what is body and what is soul, does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the living nor in the dead condition.' As explained in the later chapters, it will be clear that knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of both. Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is more important than religious formularies. And because he was lacking in that knowledge, he should not have posed himself as a very learned man. As he did not happen to be a very learned man, he was consequently lamenting for something which was unworthy of lamentation. The body is born and is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow. Therefore the body is not as important as the soul. One who knows this is actually learned. For him there is no cause for lamentation in any stage of the material body."

Prabhupāda: He says, Kṛṣṇa says, that "This body, either dead or alive, has nothing to be lamented." Dead body, suppose when the body is dead, it has no value. What is the use of lamenting? You can lament for many thousands of years, it will not come to life. So there is no cause of lamenting on dead body. And so far spirit soul is concerned, that is eternal. Even it appears to be dead, or with the death of this body, he does not die. So why one should be overwhelmed, "Oh, my father is dead, my such and such relative is dead," and crying? He's not dead. This knowledge one must have. Then he'll be cheerful in all cases and he'll be interested simply in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is nothing to be lamented for the body, either alive or dead. That is being instructed by Kṛṣṇa in this chapter.

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

They also think of Kṛṣṇa, therefore, as material. That is also condemned by Kṛṣṇa. You'll find, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). "Because I have appeared just like a human being, these rascals deride at Me that I am also one of them." Mūḍha. Mūḍha means rascal. Just like Dr. Radhakrishnan says, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa... It is the soul within the Kṛṣṇa." That means he identifies Kṛṣṇa as one of us. His body and His soul different. But Kṛṣṇa is not... Kṛṣṇa said, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). "I appear in My own, original stature. I do not change." We change. The individual soul... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). He's conducted by, influenced by this prakṛti, nature, but He's not conducted or influenced by the nature. He comes in His own influence, as He is, ātma-māyayā. This is the distinction. Therefore He does not change body. When I come, I change bodies. This time I may have this body; next time I may have another body. That is material, and therefore I forget. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter that "Many times you and I came. You have forgotten (BG 4.5)." Because we change our material body therefore we forget. These things all will be explained. Go on.

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

o Kṛṣṇa is replying that "You are afraid of fighting with your kinsmen, but you are mistaken. You are mistaken." Every one of us is mistaken because there are four defects in our conditional life. This is our conditional life. So long we are within this body, material body, that is our conditional life. We live under certain conditions. But actually, we are spirit soul, we are part and parcel of God. As soon as we are free from this conditional life, that is our real, actual life. That is called liberated life. The human form of life is meant for getting this liberation. So long one does not get this human form of life by the evolutionary process... There is evolution, from aquatic to birds and beast and then... Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. First aquatic life, then plant life, tree life, then insect life, then bird's life, then beast life, then human life, then civilized human life. So this is the process of evolution. Now, we are supposed to be civilized human being. This life is especially meant for how to get out of this evolutionary process, how to get out of this evolutionary process. The evolutionary process means transmigration of the soul from one body to another. We do not wish to die, but we have to accept death. This is our conditional stage of life. I do not wish to take birth; still, I am forced to go into the womb of my mother by the laws of nature.

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

Asmin dehe, "In this body, there is the proprietor, the soul." Dehino 'smin yathā dehe. That, on account of the proprietor, he is changing body. Changing body means... So long the soul is there. Suppose a child is born. If the child is born dead, then this body will never grow. You can apply any chemicals or any science; the body will remain the same. But so long the soul is there within the body, the child from the babyhood will come to childhood, then childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. In this way the body will change. We have changed so many bodies, every one of us. I knew, I know that I had a childish body, I had a boyhood body, but those bodies are no more existing. But I am existing. Therefore the conclusion should be that I, you, as soul, we are eternal. The body is changing. This is our disease. Therefore this disease... This disease means birth, death, old age and disease. So as soon as you accept this body, material body, you become subjected to the four laws of material nature. These four laws of material nature are that as soon as you've accepted this body, then you must accept death. Anything which is born must meet death also. Birth, death. And in the via media there is old age and disease. This body... I have got, you have got, everyone. There is a death of getting this body, and there will be a death of leaving this body. And between these two deaths there are so many other miserable conditions. They are summarized: old age and disease. But the real science is that "I am the soul. I am the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. So Supreme Lord, God, is eternal. I am also eternal."

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

So this is the education, that we should understand what is our material life and what is our spiritual life. Spiritual life means sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). Sat-cit-ānanda. Sat means eternal, cit means full of knowledge, and bliss means full of jubilation, ānanda, pleasure. This is our constitution. This is God's constitution. This our constitution. The difference between God and ourself is that God never accepts this material body, but sometimes we, under certain circumstances, we have to accept this material body. But never mind. We have accepted this material body. We can get out of it. And the process for getting out of it is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the science. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are teaching people how to get out of this entanglement of birth, death, old age and disease and become as good as God. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is very scientific movement, authoritative movement. So not only it is authoritative, it is accepted by millions and thousands. At least in India there are many. And in the Western countries also, they are also accepting because it is scientific. They are not fools and rascals.

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

So our request is that you don't take this movement as something sentimental, religious faith. No. It is a very scientific, educational movement. Take advantage of it. That is our request. You can understand this movement by reading so many books. We have got about two dozen books like this. But we have got another alternative method which is very simple and easy. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. If you chant this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, gradually everything will be clear. So we are not selling this mantra, we are not asking any price for it. This Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is open for everyone. So our request is that there is no loss on your part. You kindly take this mantra and chant. Begin chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Then the result will be, gradually, all the misgivings within our heart will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). And as soon as our heart is cleansed, we can understand that "I am not this material body. I am spirit soul. I have got different business. So long I am working for the maintenance of this body. Now I understand that body is my superficial shirt and coat dress." One should not take simply care for the shirt and coat. Any gentleman knows. Shirt and coat, we take care of course, but not that as the self. Similarly, the present civilization is in a shirt-coat civilization, present civilization. They do not know what is there within the shirt-coat. That they are missing. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is therefore very important. The missing point is being presented that you are not this body. You are within this body, spirit soul. You just try to come out of this entanglement of birth, death, old age, and go back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)

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

Prabhupāda: I think so. (laughter) Not only I, all of my disciples. They are going to... Because we are not speaking nonsense. This is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Any one who understands Kṛṣṇa factually, the result is tyaktvā deham, giving up this body, he never accepts again material body. He goes back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore, because we are trying to understand Kṛṣṇa, and if by Kṛṣṇa's grace we can understand Him, then we are not again going to accept any material body. That's a fact.

Man (8): I have some sympathy for you, sir, but I think that tonight you have been postulating the old concept that most of our established religions have thrown out, that is that the reward for the miseries of this life lie in the transmigration of one's soul. But...

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is actual misery.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

So where is the reason for fighting? This understanding is wanted at the present moment. Otherwise, you'll be a civilization of animals. Just like in the jungle, there are animals. There are cats, dogs, jackals, tigers, and they always fight. Therefore, if we really want śānti—śānti means peace—then we must try to understand "What I am." That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are teaching everyone what he is actually. But his position is... Everyone's position, not only my or yours. Everyone. Even the animals. They're also spirit spark. They're also. Kṛṣṇa claims that,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
(BG 14.4)

Kṛṣṇa claims that "I am the seed-giving father of all living entities." Actually, this is the fact. If we want to study the origin of creation, everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like the father gives the seed within the womb of the mother, and the seed grows a particular type of body, similarly, we living entities, we are all part and parcel of God, so God impregnates this material nature, and we come out with this material body under different forms. There are 8,400,000s of forms. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. There is a list. Everything is there.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Where is the question of believing? It is a fact. It is not a question of belief. It is a fact.

Śyāmasundara (for woman): Unless you fully surrender to God, then there's no question of knowing that. (?)

Prabhupāda: Yes. To go back to Godhead means you don't get this material body. So long you get this material body, you have to change. That is the material nature. Anything which is material, it has got a date of birth and it has got a date of annihilation. And in the via media there is growth, their existence. So this body, not only this body, even this material world, it has got a date or creation, and it will be annihilated. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It comes into manifestation once, and again it is destroyed. This is material existence. When you go back to home, back to Godhead, you haven't got to accept this material body. Your spiritual body is already there within this material body. And in that spiritual body you shall exist along with God. That is the highest perfection of life.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:

So, what is that thing which is living and dead? The body. The body is living and dead. So Kṛṣṇa indirectly or directly chastised Arjuna that: "The behavior that you are showing, it is not like a learned man." Nānuśocanti paṇḍitaḥ. That means indirectly He said that, "You do not know things are there. Not learned. You are fool." In spite of Arjuna speaking so many things in support of his being nonviolent and not to kill his kinsmen, Kṛṣṇa chastised him that "You are not learned. You are fool." So this is the position. Those who are under the bodily concept of life, they can speak so many learned things, but after all they are fool.

yasyātma-buddhi-kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhiḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeśv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
(SB 10.84.13)

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, those who are under the bodily concept of life, they are described as follows: Yasya ātma-buddhiḥ. Ātma means self. Ātma-buddhiḥ, in this body, what is this body? Kuṇape tri-dhātuke. It is a bag of three elements, kapha, pitta, vāyu. Mucus, bile and air. So, or ordinarily you can understand, this is a combination, this material body is combination of flesh, bone, blood, mucus, stool, urine, and so many other things. That, we are not self, but the foolish persons, they are taking this lump of matter, bones and flesh, accepting that "I am this body." No learned man will take like that. The whole world is misled under this conception. They are accepting this lump of matter, blood and flesh and bones—"I am this is I am." This is animal mentality. Animal thinks like that, not learned man. Learned man, one who knows, he will say ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul. I am servant of God." This is learned speaking. "I am not this body."

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975:

So the problem was that Arjuna was not willing to fight, considering his family members as not to be killed. Nobody, of course, should like to kill his family members, so that was natural. But this family relationship or national relationship, community relationship, this is due to this body. I accept somebody as my brother because he has got the body from the same father from whom I have got this body. But the body is by-product of the father's body. So this bodily relationship is material. Material means outward, external. It is not real relationship. The father is a soul, I am soul, my brother is a soul, so we are related on the spiritual platform in relationship with God because soul is not matter. Our material father is... Material father means we see the material body. We do not see the soul of the father, neither the father sees the soul of the son. Everyone under illusion we are simply seeing the body and accepting as kinsman. So this illusion was to be removed by Kṛṣṇa, and therefore He said, aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). "You are lamenting over the body. Oh, it is very regrettable. You are lamenting." Aśocyān anvaśocaḥ. What is this body? It is simply lump of matter. As soon as the soul is out of this body, what is the value of this lump of matter? It will be thrown in the street, and somebody will kick on the face. Nobody will care. Nobody will care. But so long the soul is there, if you touch the hair even—"Why you are touching my hair?" But when the soul is not there, on the same face, if somebody kicks, nobody will care. This is the position of the body. Therefore it is said, aśocyān: "It is garbage. Why you are lamenting on this garbage?" Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). "You are talking, very learned man, that 'If I kill my brothers the, my brothers' wives will be widow, and there will be prostitution and then the whole family will go to ruin.' These are all external condition."

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975:

This is real education, that "You are thinking on terms of the body; therefore it is not very important subject matter." Real subject matter—what will happen to the soul—that is real, important. But whole world, they do not know what is the important platform. All rascals, they are concerned with this body. That is not wonderful; that is natural. Even if we know, still, if there is some bodily pain we become very much disturbed. But we should know, always remember, that "I am not this body." The same example, that I have got a very nice car, Rolls Royce car, I have got attachment, that is all right, but we should know always that "I am not this Rolls Royce car. I am different from it." This is knowledge. "I may have some attachment for my car. That is natural. I have paid for it. I like it. But in spite of all these consideration I am not the Rolls Royce car. The Rolls Royce car is a lump of matter. I am using it." Similarly, we should always remember that "I am using this material body for my transaction, different transaction, but I am not this material body." But a devotee, he uses this material body, utilizes it properly. Just like we are also going by aeroplane, by motorcar, but we have no concern with the... I have come to your country by aeroplane not to see your country. I have come for Kṛṣṇa's business: to see if I can induce you to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise we have no concern with this aeroplane or motorcar or anything. We take advantage. Similarly, when we take advantage of this body for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is very nice. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. That is also renouncement. He has no attachment. He simply uses things. Then that thing becomes spiritual. Actually it is spiritual, and when it is not used for spiritual purpose or Kṛṣṇa's purpose, it is material, the same thing. What is the difference between material and spiritual? That is, a picture is there.

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

"My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but the subject matter which you have touched is not at all taken seriously by the paṇḍita." Paṇḍita means learned man. That means, "You are talking like a fool. You are taking this body as self." So actually this is not the fact. The body is not the self. The self is different. If you analyze this body, what you will find? Suppose we are breathing. What is this breathing? It is air only. Now, when the breathing is stopped, a man is dead. Now, you are so much advanced in science. Why don't you replace this breathing? It is nothing but air. So you can manufacture some machine working in electric battery and put some air and fix up, and that same air will come: "Woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh. "Will that give you life? No. Even if you artificially bring breathing, just like nowadays they, with oxygen gas, as if oxygen gas is life... That is not the fact. So if you analyze every part of the body, then you will find that there is no life. This is called education. This is called scientific knowledge. Simply abruptly taking something without any proper understanding, that is not knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa chastised him that "You are talking like very scientific, learned scholar, but you are a fool number one because you are accepting this material body as the self." This is ignorance. This is confirmed in another place, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). This kuṇape, this bag of three elements, kapha pitta vāyu, or, take it, the skin, muscle, veins, bones, urine, stool, blood—what you will find if you dissect this body? They are all material things. What is blood? It is also water, red water. The urine, this is also water. And this bone, bone is nothing but earth hardened. If you take plaster of Paris... They sometimes show artificial bone also in the medical college. But that is not. That is bone. That is earth. So do you think this combination of this earth, water, air, fire, is life? Can you produce life? You take... You can get enough earth, water, air, pus, stool, urine, blood. You manufacture one life. That you cannot do.

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

So from here spiritual knowledge begins. You analyze the body, but you won't find the real soul or real life, although it is within you. But why you cannot find? It is very, very small. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). The formation of the soul, measurement of the soul, is very, very... It is smaller than the atom. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya (CC Madhya 19.140). The tip of the hair you divide into hundred part, and take one part. Again divide it into hundred parts. That one part is the measurement of the soul. That means one ten thousandth part of the top of the hair. So how you can see? But that small particle is giving you living force. This knowledge we get from Bhagavad-gītā, and that is the fact. You cannot get life by analyzing this material body. That is not possible. You have to find out what is that small particle. You have to hear. Therefore you cannot get knowledge by your material activities. You have to hear it from the authorities; otherwise there is no possibility. Just like you cannot understand who is your father. You have to take the knowledge from your mother. If mother certifies, "This gentleman is your father," that is correct. But if you go on researching who is your father you will never be able to know who is your father. Similarly, what is life, what is soul, what is our, this body, what is the ultimate goal of life, why you are suffering—all this knowledge you have to take from the higher authorities. That is called Vedic process, not to endeavor by research. What you can research? Our fund of knowledge is very, very poor, limited. You cannot have perfect knowledge unless you hear from the authority. So Kṛṣṇa is the authority. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means you take knowledge from the best authority. Don't manufacture knowledge. That will not help you. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

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

Out of many millions of persons, one becomes siddha, perfect. So that perfection is not complete perfection. That perfection means ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am not this material body; I am spirit soul." So one who understands this position of oneself is calculated as perfect, but yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3), in that perfect stage if one endeavors to understand Kṛṣṇa, yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid, out of many such millions of persons who trying to understand Kṛṣṇa in perfection, one may understand. So it is not so easy. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānā... (BG 4.9), again tattvataḥ. That factual understanding is possible. How it is possible? Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Only through devotion you can understand. So these problems will be solved when you become a devotee. Then Kṛṣṇa will reveal. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). If you try to understand that Supreme Person Kṛṣṇa, who comes before you as ordinary person, you can understand Him if you become His devotee. Otherwise it is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa or His name, His form, His pastimes, His activities—na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ—by your imperfect senses. But sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphurati. When you are engaged in His service, then He reveals Himself: "Here I am." So this is the process. If you want to understand that person, Kṛṣṇa, who is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you have to take shelter of bhakti-yoga and associate with bhaktas. Then it is possible. Otherwise not.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

You want to merge into my existence again?" Well, the mother is unable. He cannot, she cannot do that. But if, if such kind of request is made to the Supreme Lord, He can accept that. For Him it is not possible, impossible. "All right, you want to merge into My existence? Come on. Come on. I, I, I take you." But the thing is whether the son who requests the mother or the father like that, he is sane person. The sane son, the intelligent son, will think, "Well, my father and my mother, they have brought up me. They have begotten me. They have given us our life. All right, let us serve our parents. Let them be happy. Our activities so that..." That is the natural way. That is the natural... Because God has created us in so many individual living entities, we are all parts and parcel. Just like father and son or mother and son. Sons are the parts of the body of the mother. The, we get this body from mother's body. That's a fact. Similarly, it is, it... You'll find in Bhagavad-gītā also that this material nature is the mother, and the Lord is the father, and the father is giving seed into the womb of the mother, and we have all come out from the... We have got this material body. Similarly, you see?

Now, this point, that to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord is, if it is proposed by some individual soul or individual living entity, that can be accepted by the Lord, sāyujya-mukti... That is not very difficult. But the thing is whether we should think like that, whether it is good for us. That is my choice. If want to merge into... You follow me, what I say? If I want to merge into the existence of God... Just like if your son wants again to merge into your existence, because you are human being, it is not possible for you, but it is not impossible for God. God can accept: "All right, you want to merge into Me. All right, come on. I accept it." So that not impossible. So that merging into the existence of God. There is a liberation like that. But that is not the ultimate. You want to speak something?

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

Mukti means liberation. Mukti means... Now we are in egoistic condition in this material body. Now, mukti means when we shall be liberated from the material existence and we shall get our spiritual life, proper. That is called mukti. Just like a person is suffering from disease, fever. Now, when he, he's out of feverish attack, he's called mukta. Rogya-mukta. Rogya-mukta means he's free from the disease. Similarly, mukti means because we are now encumbered with this material body, as soon as we become free from this material conception of life, that is called mukti. That is called brahma-bhūta. Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Generally, Dr. Mishra is teaching this, that you, what you think of your, what I am, I am not this body. That is the whole process of his teaching. So we have already discussed. This is same point is being discussed nicely in Bhagavad-gītā, that we are not this body. Our material identification is wrong. So we have come to that point, come to that stage, you see, that I am not this body. And because I am not this body, therefore I have no connection with this world—because my connection with this world is due to my body, is due to my body. I consider one woman my wife because I have got bodily connection. I, I consider somebody my son because bodily connection. I consider this town, this country my country because my body has grown up from this land. So in this way, as soon as one become free from the conception of identification of this body, he becomes a liberated soul. Therefore you'll find in Bhagavad-gītā in the later chapters that as soon as one emerges out from this conception, he is prasannātmā: "Oh, I have no responsibility. I have no responsibility." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). As soon as he is liberated... Just like a man freed from the attack of fever or any disease, when he's recovered, he finds himself happy: "Oh, now my disease is now gone. I am happy." Similarly, as soon as we come to the spiritual understanding of our existence, then our life will be joyful. That is a sign. Whether a man is freed from this material existence, mukti... Mukti can be achieved even in this life. Mukti. Mukti. It is, it is, it is a question of conviction. Now we are convinced firmly that "I am this material body. And as soon as... I gave you the other day the example of Socrates. He was convinced that "I am not this body." So he was offered poison. He gladly took it, that "What is that? I shall take it!" Because he was mukta-puruṣa. It is... He is liberated soul. "Never mind. You want to kill me. Kill me. I don't mind. All right." So this liberation. This is liberation.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, November 17, 1972:

Similarly, this body, this material body, has been explained as dress. So if I change my dress... Now, suppose I am now human being, and I change my dress to become a demigod, or I change my dress to become a dog. It does not mean that I am finished. I have simply changed my dress, according to my karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). By your karma, you'll have a dress. After death, as it is explained in this verse, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), the living soul is not destroyed after the destruction of this body. Therefore he remains, and his finer dress, subtle dress, is there—mind, intelligence, and ego. So according to the composition of his mind, he develops another gross dress. This is the process. So you, spirit soul, you are always the same, although you are changing dress. Our problem is that we are perpetually changing dress, but our desire is to have a permanent life. That is spiritual education. You can have a permanent life, permanent dress, permanent knowledge, if you become free from this dress-changing problem. That is called mukti. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to stop this business of dress changing. Yes?

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- London, August 18, 1973:

This is māyā, this material world, māyā. This body is false, māyā. So we have to accept this body because we wanted to enjoy. So enjoy, you enjoy with this body, particular body. Either human's body, or dog's body, or cat's body, or demigod's body, you get as you desire. You get a material body and enjoy. This is material life.

So Kṛṣṇa also, although in the material life, Kṛṣṇa is providing all necessities of life. Duly, there is seasonal changes. You get seasonal fruits, flowers, grains, and all necessities. You'll be still given chance, especially to the human being, that you get all supplies, necessities. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. All necessities, But again you revive your consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the plan. But if you do not revive your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you simply enjoy the senses, then there will be restriction of supply. This is the law. That is the restriction of supply. Therefore, there will be no rain. And if there is no rain, what factory will do, you rascal? You can manufacture scissors and knives and buckets of plastic, but you cannot prepare rice and wheat. That is not possible, sir. That will depend on rain. So immediately rains will be restricted. Now you all chew all these kankar (?). What is this kankar? These stone particles?

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- London, August 18, 1973:

So it is our business to see what kind of body we shall get next life. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Actually, if we become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then after giving up this body, we are no more going to accept any material body. Because spiritual body is already there. That is eternal. The spirit soul, the spiritual body, that is never vanquished. It was existing in the past, it is existing now, and it will continue to exist in the future. Because people may say, "How is that? How odd thing Kṛṣṇa is speaking, that na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ." Because actually, we died. Maybe we have taken birth again, but everyone dies. How that, that we do not die?" No. It is not the body, but Kṛṣṇa is speaking about the soul. Soul is ever-existing. It existed in the past, it is existing now, and it will exist. Maybe, different type of body, that is Kṛṣṇa's instruction. Another thing is that the Māyāvādī philosophers say that we are one. There is no "you" and "me." Everything one. So, then Kṛṣṇa is defective. If Kṛṣṇa says, "You, Me, all others," so it is not one. It is not homogeneous. We are all individuals. "You are individual, I am individual, and all the kings and soldiers, they are all individuals." So the Māyāvādī theory that after liberation everyone becomes one, one lump sum... What is called? Homogeneous spirit. No. Then Kṛṣṇa is false. The Māyāvādī theory accepted, that we become one lump sum, then Kṛṣṇa's theory... Not theory, Kṛṣṇa's actual knowledge. Then it becomes false. And if Kṛṣṇa speaks false, something defective, then where is the use of reading Bhagavad-gītā? Why should we read Bhagavad-gītā which is spoken by a person who is defective? No. That's not... What Kṛṣṇa is speaking, that is fact. Otherwise, why Bhagavad-gītā is given so importance? So, so Māyāvādī philosophers, they try to interpret in a different way, " 'I' means this, 'you' means that," some... (end)

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Mexico, February 12, 1975:

So Bhagavad-gītā begins with this point, that one should know that he is not this material body. That knowledge is lacking at the present moment throughout the whole world. Yes. Everyone is identifying with this body like the animals. Therefore Kṛṣṇa chastised Arjuna that "You have got animalistic concept of life and still speaking like a very learned scholar. No learned scholar laments on account of this body." It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Dhīra... Dhīra means one who is sober by education. He is not disturbed. Just like when a man dies, his relatives lament, cry, "My father is gone. My father is gone. My father is no more," or "My son is no more." Anyway, they lament like that. But if he is little sober, he can understand, he can study, that "I am lamenting, 'My father is gone,' 'my son is gone,' but he's not gone. He's lying on the bed or on the floor. Then why I am speaking 'gone'?" If some friend asks him, "Why you are lamenting, 'my father is gone,' 'my son is gone'? He's lying here," but still he will say, "No, he's not. He may be lying there, but he's gone." That is puzzle. He's lying there and gone? What is this contradiction? That is the point to understand about the soul. The relative is lamenting, crying, "My father is gone." That means he never saw his father; he saw the body only. But at the time of death of his father he understands that this father is not this body; that is soul.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, December 12, 1976:

Here it is said, na ca eva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ: "It is not that in future we shall not remain individual. We shall remain individual." Na bhaviṣyāmaḥ na. Two negatives makes one positive. That means "In the future also we shall exist as individual." Na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve, "all of us." "All" means Kṛṣṇa says, "I, you, and all the other peoples, kings, and soldiers, we shall remain as individual." Then where is oneness? This Māyāvādī theory that after liberation we shall all become one with God, that is not mentioned here. This is bogus theory. Real, that we remain individual. So long we are not in a position to act means so long... Just like ghost. Ghost is also individual. But because the ghost does not get this material body they are invisible. They create disturbance for want of this body. Those who have got experience of ghost in some house, the ghost is there, he is individual soul, but because he hasn't got this material covering, that is a punishment. For the most sinful person, that is a punishment, that he does not get this body, although he wants this body, because for enjoyment we want this body. Body is the combination of senses, instrument. If I want to touch you I require hand, and through hand I'll feel the pleasure of touching you. So the ghost wants to touch, but he hasn't got the instrument. That is ghost. But there are ghost. It is not fictitious. It is a fact. Ghost means without this material body.

So so long we are materially contaminated, we require this material body for enjoying senses. And the spiritual world, we get our spiritual body developed. So there is no question of becoming ghost or... Individual, there is. The person is always existing. That is the purport of this verse. Na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayam ataḥ param. Ataḥ param, "after this," means after this body is ended the individuality continues; simply we change our body.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, December 12, 1976:

So if you act in sattva-guṇa, then you will be promoted to the higher planetary system. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). If you act in the rajo-guṇa, then madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. And if you act in tamo-guṇa, then jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Jaghanya. Tāmasāḥ means very abominable activities. The other day I was speaking. I saw one gentleman, Indian gentleman. He was eating the intestines of hog in the airplane. That is very palatable, they say. Tamo-guṇa, most tamo-guṇa. Hog, the stool-eater, and its intestine, that is cooked, and he's eating. How much tamo-guṇa. Jaghanya. Jaghanya guṇa-vṛtti, very abominable. So next life he is going to be a hog. This is going on. We are in this material nature. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān (BG 13.22). We are in this material world according to our association with different modes of nature. We are making one type of mentality, and at the time of death, that mental position is responsible for carrying me in a different type of body. In this way we are changing body one after another.

So we are spirit soul. This is the chance of rectifying or purifying our existence. If we like, we can purify our existence in this human form of life. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to purify the existence, and after death, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). If you become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, means you understand Kṛṣṇa... Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding and acting accordingly, you can purify your existence, and next life means after giving up this body... This body we have to give up. But those who are not purifying their existence, they will accept another material body. And those who have purified the existence, they will go back home, back to Godhead. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

This is a verse in connection with talks between Mahārāja Prahlāda and his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu. His father was gross materialist, Hiraṇyakaśipu. Hiraṇya means gold, and kaśipu means soft bed. So materialists, they are concerned with gold and soft bed for enjoyment. You see? So his name was Hiraṇyakaśipu. And the Prahlāda, his son... Prahlāda means prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa āhlāda. Āhlāda means pleasure. He's always full of pleasure. He has nothing to do with material... Because material pleasure cannot give us pleasure. It is our mistake. But because we have no information of the spiritual pleasure and because we are conditioned by this material body, therefore we seek pleasure through matter. Now we have to raise ourself from this position. Then we can get unlimited pleasure. We want pleasure, but we do not want such pleasure which ends. We want nonending pleasure. That is our heart's desire. But in material pleasure we cannot have that bliss. Even if you take a very good foodstuff, just delicious, still, after taking some portion of it, you will feel yourself satiated. Then that very foodstuff, you'll say, "No, no, I don't want any more." Because that ends. So that is not real pleasure. Real pleasure is defined: ananta. Ananta means that which has no end. So that pleasure you can have only when you are spiritually realized soul. That is possible. That is possible. We are reading all these scriptures, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and there are so many Vedic literatures that if anyone wants to have spiritual life, there is complete facility. There is complete facility.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

Now, this Prahlāda Mahārāja, because he's mahājana, his statement should be accepted. So he's saying to his father, asura-varya: "My dear father, you are the greatest of the asuras." Asura-varya. Varya means greatest. So even if he is father, he addresses his father, asura-varya, asura. "Because your aim is simply sense pleasure." You see? So tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehinām. The father asked the son, "What you have learned, the best thing?" So he's also saying sincerely before his father the best thing that "My dear father, for the dehinām..." Here also the same thing, dehinām. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means the spiritual spark who has accepted this material body. This material body is foreign. That will be explained. Just like your coat and shirt is foreign to your self. Similarly, this material body is foreign. So dehinām... Dehinām means one who has accepted this material body. So we are accepted, mean... "Accepted" means we have done something by which we have been forced to accept, forced to accept. Just like if we are put into the prison house, the prison house has got separate dress. So when you are put into the prison house, you have to keep aside your own household dress, and you have to take that particular dress. If you say, "No, no. I cannot accept this dress. I am a gentleman. I have got costly dress. I shall put on that," no, you must, forced. Similarly, we, we living entities, we are forced to accept different kind of dress. There are 8,400,000 kinds of dresses like this body. And your body, my body, you see? Now we are here, several ladies and gentlemen, but you'll find that nobody's body will be similar to the other's body. God's arrangement is so nice that everyone has got his particular body according to his work. It is so nice arrangement. You see. You'll find millions of persons, and everyone you'll find different from the other. You won't find two similar persons. You see? So dehinām. Because there are different kinds of mentality, not that all our mentality is one and the same. No, no. We are... And the law of nature is so finer that, according to the different kinds of mentality, they have got different kinds of bodies. So dehino 'smin.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. Dehinām means "of those who have accepted this material body, for them." And what is their condition? Now, dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Dehinām, one who has accepted this material body, his conditional life is always full of anxiety. Not that, that we are always in want. Even in your duty. Just like our Captain sāheb is here. I have seen in the ship he has got very serious duty in the ocean. He's always consulting the chart and the latitude, longitude, which side the ship is going. That is anxiety because so many lives, so many property, is under his control. Any, a slight mistake, would play havoc. We do not know. I was asking the Captain sāheb, "Where you are going?" But I do not know. I see simply vast of water. But he has got responsibility. He knows the thing. So any responsible officer... Any responsible... Your President Johnson, he's also full of anxiety. I am also full of anxiety. You are also full of anxiety. Even a, a small bird, you'll find... You give a small bird some grains. You'll see like this: "Is there enemy? Somebody's coming. Somebody's killing me." So full of anxieties. This is the condition. This is the condition. So you cannot, you cannot be free from the anxiety, dehinaḥ.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. And why this anxiety? Now, asad-grahāt. Asad-grahāt: "Because he has accepted this temporary body." He is eternal. A living spirit is eternal, but he has been forced to accept this temporary body. This is my position. One should be conscious of his precarious position, that "I am eternal, but I am encaged in a temporary body which will not exist. However I may try to make it youthful by so many arrangement, but no..." The science cannot give you permanent life. That is not possible. You may be, may be proud of your scientific advancement of knowledge, but Bhagavad-gītā says that four things... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). "My dear sir, however you may make advancement in scientific knowledge, you cannot stop birth, you cannot stop death, you cannot stop old age, neither you can stop diseases." You see? So, so long we have got this body, so we must have anxieties. That is the law of nature. Now, here, here it is said that... Now let us finish that. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām: "My dear father, for persons who have accepted this temporary material body and is full of anxiety always, for them, my idea is that they should give up this materialistic life and surrender unto Hari." Hari means Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord. That is the way of getting out of... And actually, this is so. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find in the last instruction to Arjuna is: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "This is the most confidential knowledge I am giving you because you are My friend and because I love you very much. Therefore this is My last word."

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

Dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means "one who has accepted this material body." Asmin. Asmin means "in this world" or "in this life." Yathā, "as." Dehe. Dehe means "within this body." Because dehinaḥ means "one who has accepted this body," and dehe, "within this body." So I am sitting within this body. Now, I am not this body. Just like you are within this shirt and coat, similarly, I am also within this body, this gross body and the subtle body. This gross body is made of this earth, water, and fire, air, and ether, this gross body, this our whole material body. Now, in this Earth, in this planet, earth is prominent. Anywhere, the body, material body, is made of these five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether. These are the five ingredients. Just like this building. This whole building is made of earth, water and fire. You have taken some earth, and then you have made bricks and burnt into the fire, and after mixing the earth with water, you make a shape of brick, and then you put into the fire, and then when it is strong enough, then you set it just like a big building. So it is nothing but a display of earth, water and fire, simply. That's all. Similarly, our body is also made in that way: earth, water, fire, air and ether. Air... Air is passing, the breathing. You know. The air is always there. This, this outer skin is earth, and there is heat in the stomach. Without heat, you cannot digest anything. You see? As soon as the heat is diminished, your digesting power becomes bad. So many things. This is arrangement.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

So this is the arrangement. Every living being has got a particular type of body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). And what is the nature of that body? Now, here the matter is being explained that how we change our body, how... But, but, but, because that is a difficult problem for us because we are engrossed with the idea of identifying this body with the soul. Now, the first A-B-C-D of spiritual knowledge is to understand that "I am not this body." Unless one is firmly convinced that "I am not this body," he cannot progress in the spiritual line. So the first lesson in the Bhagavad-gītā is taken in that way. So here it is, that dehino 'smin. Now, dehī, the soul, soul. Dehī means soul. One who has accepted this body, material body, he's called dehī. So asmin, he is there. He is there, but his body is changing. You see? The body is changing.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

If you prepare yourself... Just like in childhood, boyhood, if you prepare yourself, nicely educated, then you get nice job, nice situation, you will be happy. Preparation for the next life. Similarly, if you prepare yourself in this life for going back to home, back to Godhead, then where is perplexity? There is no perplexity. "I am going to Kṛṣṇa I am going back to home, back to Godhead. Now I will have not to change material body. I will have my spiritual body. I shall now play with Kṛṣṇa, dance with Kṛṣṇa, eat with Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Prepare yourself for the next life. Don't be... The man, dying man cries because maybe he is dreaming next life, horrible life. Because according to karma... Those who are very, very sinful, they cry, because they see horrible scenes at the time of death, and he is going to accept some type of body... But those who are pious, those who are devotees, they are dying without any anxiety. They are dying. The death may take place...

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:

So go to God, or Kṛṣṇa, means you'll have to acquire your original, spiritual body. The spiritual body is already there, but we are now covered by this material body. So how we are eternal, that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā:

avināśi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
vināśam avyayasyāsya
na kaścit kartum arhati

The hint is given: the something which is spread all over the body, that is eternal. And what is that something? That something is our consciousness. Here it is stated, avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. In this body there is something. That is consciousness. That is eternal. Just like if you or I pinch my body, I feel pain because the consciousness is there. But when the consciousness will not be there, if I cut my hand or cut your hand, you'll not protest. Even scientists have proved this consciousness is there in the tree also. If you cut the tree, there is sensation, feeling some pain, and this is recorded in the machine. So here it is hinted that this consciousness is spread all over the body, that is eternal. The body is not eternal. As soon as the consciousness is gone, the body is dead. Therefore we should take care of the thing which is cons... That is the soul. On account of presence of the soul, there is consciousness.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:

So Kṛṣṇa further says in this connection, antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). This body... Deha means body. Antavat, it is by this material body, that is eternal. So that consciousness, or the rays of the soul, is described here. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. "This consciousness of the soul is never born, neither it is ever dead." Nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ. The soul and the consciousness has no past, present, or future. It is eternal. Aja. Aja means who does not take birth. Ajo nitya, eternal; śāśvata, ever-existing; ayaṁ purāṇa, the oldest. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). When the body is annihilated, the soul and consciousness is not annihilated. Just like when we sleep, our consciousness works in a different body, subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego. That we have got experience every night. We sleep on our bed, but my consciousness goes to other country or other place, and work in a different way. Again, when at the end of the dream we come back to this body, gross body. So death means when the consciousness does not come back again to this gross body and enters another gross body. This period is called death. So the subtle body, mind, is there. I know you have got mind, you know I have got my mind. But I cannot see your mind, you cannot see my mind. So there is intelligence also. I know you have got intelligence, you know I have got intelligence. But you cannot see my intelligence unless it is acted. I cannot see your intelligence unless it is acted. So the soul is covered by two kinds of dresses. Just like we are covered by the shirt and coat.

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

So doctor is examining. He sees the pulse. He sees the heart—"Yes, it is beating." That is the sign that still the man is living. Similarly, the soul is there. The proof is that I can feel pains and pleasure on my body. That is explained in this verse. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya (BG 2.14). Actually the body in touch with the consciousness feeling pains and pleasure. Otherwise body, what is this body? It is a lump of matter. It is a lump of matter, earth, water, fire, air, material combination of matter. Just like you make one doll, combination of matter, earth, water, fire... Or no fire. Yes, still there is fire. Because you dry it in the sunshine, therefore there is fire. Earth, water, fire, and there is air, there is sky—but there is no soul. That is the difference. You can prepare a doll with earth, water, air, fire, all these things, material elements. But you cannot give the soul. That is not possible. That is possible only by Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ garbhaṁ dadāmy aham.(?) Just like man and woman. Actually the woman is giving the ingredients of developing body of the child. But when it is possible? When the man gives the seed. Otherwise a woman could produce a child without the aid of a man. No, that is not possible. When the seed, with the seed the soul comes. And when the soul is situated in the womb of the woman, the woman can assist by supplying the ingredients to develop the body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). So by nature's process, when one gives up this material body, the subtle body is there, mind, intelligence and ego. The subtle body carries the soul and it is just...

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

Everyone is trying to accumulated big bank balance and big house, big family, big motorcar... But with the death, everything is finished. So that is great distress. Sometimes one cries. You will find at the time of death, in coma, his eye drops are coming out. He is thinking, "I made so many things so nicely to live comfortably, and now I am losing everything." Great distress. I know one friend in Allahabad. He was very rich man. So he was only fifty-four years old. So he was requesting, crying, doctor, "Doctor, can you give me at least four years to live? I had a plan. I wanted to finish it." What the doctor can do? "That is not possible, sir. You must get out." But these foolish people, they do not know. But we have to tolerate. We have to tolerate. That is advised here, that "Because you have got this material body, you have to tolerate, to live within the womb of the mother." Then come out. Then I cannot speak. Suppose I am a little baby, and some worm is biting me. I cannot say "Mother"—because at time I cannot speak—"something is biting on my back." I am crying, and mother is thinking that "The child is hungry. Give him milk." (laughter) Just see how much this... I want something, and I am given something else. That is a fact. Why the child is crying? He is feeling uncomfortable. Then, in this way, I grow. Then I do not want to go to school. I am forced to go to school. Yes. At least, I was like that. (laughter) I never wanted to go to school. And my father was very kind. "So all right. Why you are not going to school?" I would say, "I will go tomorrow." "All right." But my mother was very careful. Perhaps if my mother would not have been little strict, I would not have gotten any education. My father was very lenient. So she used to force me. One man would take me to school. Actually, children do not want to go to school. They want to play. Against the will of the children, he has to go to school. Then there is examination, not only going to school.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

So long you remain here... But we are so fools, we cannot realize. We accept, "This life is very pleasant. Let me enjoy it." It is not pleasant at all, seasonal changes, always. This distress or that distress, this disease or that disease. This uncomfortable, this anxiety. There are three kinds of distresses: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Adhyātmika means distresses pertaining to this body and the mind. And adhidaivika means distresses offered by material nature. Nature. All of a sudden there is earthquake. All of a sudden there is famine, there is scarcity of food, there is over rain, no rain, extreme heat, extreme winter, extreme cold. We have to go under these distresses, threefold. At least one, two, must be there. Still, we do not realize that "This place is full of distress because I have got this material body."

Therefore a sane man's duty is how to stop the process of accepting this material body. This is intelligence. He should realize that "I am always in distresses, and I am not this body, but I am put into this body. Therefore right conclusion is that I am not this body. If, somehow or other, I can live without this body, then my distresses are over. This is common sense. That is possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Therefore God comes, to give you the information that "You are not this body. You are the soul, spirit soul. And because you are within this body, you are suffering so many distresses." Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises that "These distresses are due to this body." Try to understand. Why you are feeling pains and pleasure? It is due to the body.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

Therefore we are taking knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, the perfect person. And He is advising that if you want to stop your pains and pleasure, then you must make some arrangement not to accept this material body. That He is advising, Kṛṣṇa, how to avoid this material body. That has been explained. This is Second Chapter. In the Fourth Chapter Kṛṣṇa has said that janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). You simply try to understand the activities of Kṛṣṇa. These activities of Kṛṣṇa is there in the history, in the Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means greater India or greater Bhārata, Mahābhārata, the history. In that history this Bhagavad-gītā is also there. So He is speaking about Himself. You try to understand Kṛṣṇa. This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, His activities. He is not impersonal. Janma karma me divyam. Karma means activities. He has activities. Why He is taking part in this world, activities? Why He comes?

yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
(BG 4.7)

He has got some purpose; He has got some mission. So try to understand Kṛṣṇa and His mission and His activities. They are described in a historical form. So where is the difficulty? We read so many things, history or the activities of some leader, some politician.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

So from last night discussion, it is to be concluded that we are not going to die. Kṛṣṇa said not only He, but also Arjuna and all other who were present in the battlefield, they will continue to exist. So how we shall exist? That is also discussed, that as we are existing now—we have accepted a type of material body and existing—similarly, after finishing this body, I'll accept another body and exist. Now, the question is that "In what kind of body I shall exist after finishing this body?" That is also explained, that if we like, we can exist in the higher planetary system where the duration of life is very, very long, the sense enjoyment is very, very perfect, more than this world. This we can have. Similarly, we can exist in lower grade of life like cats, dogs, insects, trees, aquatics, like that. And we can exist also in the same way as we are existing now. And we can exist also exactly like God—eternal life of bliss and knowledge.

Actually, spiritual body means eternal life of bliss and knowledge. This body which we are possessing now, material body, it is neither eternal, nor blissful, nor full of knowledge. Every one of us, we know that this material body will be finished. And it is full of ignorance. We cannot say anything, what is beyond this wall. We have got senses, but they are all limited, imperfect. Sometimes we are very much proud of seeing and challenge, "Can you show me God?" but we forget to remember that as soon as the light is gone, the power of my seeing is gone. Therefore the whole body is imperfect and full of ignorance.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

That place, that planet, or that sky, where you go and you'll never return back to this material world... In the material world, even if you promote to the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, still, you'll have to come back again. And if you try your best to go to the spiritual world, back to home, back to Godhead, you'll not come again to accept this material body.

Then the question is that "If I am eternal, why there are so many miserable condition of life? And why I am forced to die?" So this is actually the intelligent question, that "If I am eternal, then why I shall remain in this material body which is subjected to death, birth, old age and disease?" Therefore Kṛṣṇa instructs that this miserable condition of life is due to this material body. Those who are karmīs, means those who are engaged in sense gratification... They are called karmīs. The karmīs do not care for future; they simply want immediate facilities of life. Just like a child without the care of the parents, he plays whole day and doesn't care for future life, do not take any education. But in the human form of life, if we are actually intelligent, we shall try our best how to get that life or body where there is no more death, birth, old age and disease.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to educate people for that purpose. Now, one may say that "If I simply devote in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then how my material necessities will be supplied?" So the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, that anyone who is simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for his necessities of life Kṛṣṇa will look after. Kṛṣṇa is looking after for everyone's maintenance. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān: "That one Supreme Person is maintaining the necessities of all living entities."

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

Hṛdayānanda: (translating question) He says if we practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness and develop a spiritual body, is there also a... Which spirit animates the spiritual body?

Prabhupāda: Yes, we'll get spiritual body. Spiritual body is already there; it is simply covered by material body. You have to cure this material body. Then you get your original, spiritual body. It is curing process. Just like one has got fever. Fever is not permanent—temporary. But cure this fever; then you healthy.

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) She's saying that you were saying how one can take birth as a dog even, so she's wondering how long does this go on. How many births does one take like this?

Prabhupāda: As long as you are unable to go back to home, back to Godhead, you have to change this body, either dog or this or that or this. And there are 8,400,000 forms of body. You have to accept one of them. Now you make your decision whether you are ready to accept all these different types of body or you get original, spiritual body. In the spiritual body there is no more birth, death, old age and disease, and the material body continuously there should be birth, death, old age and disease. You can get that spiritual body simply by little cultivation in this human form of life, next life. But if you get next other than human form of life, then you have to wait again millions of years to come to this human form of life. After all, we are under the stringent laws of nature. You... We are..., every one of us, we are under the grip of the laws of material nature. It will go on. You cannot change it unless you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He wants to know if the senses, the material senses we now have, originally belong to the soul which has been covered by the material body.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like a man is in a normal condition, but if he becomes mad, the same senses are there, but he's in abnormal condition. So when we are in this material world we using our senses in abnormal way. So when we cure the senses, we get into normal condition. That is spiritual life. So sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). We have to give up all these designation of life and we have to become purified. Then we come to our normal condition.

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He wants to know what are the characteristics of a person who has realized that he is not this body.

Prabhupāda: Yes, he is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He doesn't know anything but Kṛṣṇa. That is normal condi... (break) Thank you very much.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:

So you cannot become happy. These boys and these girls, American, American, European, they have tasted all this motorcar civilization. They have tasted very nicely. Motorcar, nightclub and drinking, they have tasted very nicely. There is no happiness. Therefore they have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ. Abhāvaḥ, and the sataḥ. So we are unhappy on account of our accepting asat, which will not exist. That is the description given by Prahlāda Mahārāja: tan ma..., sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. We are always anxious, full of anxieties. That's a fact. Everyone of us, full of anxieties. Why? Asad-grahāt. Because we have accepted this material body. Asad-grahāt. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Dehinām. Dehinām means... Deha and dehī, we have already discussed. Dehī means the proprietor of the body. So everyone is dehī, either animal or human being or tree or anyone. Every living entity has accepted a material body. Therefore they are called dehī. So dehinām, every dehī, because he has accepted this material body, he's always full of anxiety.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- London, August 21, 1973:

People do not know that there can, we can become immortal. Immortal we are, but we have been embodied in this material body. Therefore we have to accept mortality, birth and death. These things stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, this is the beginning of spiritual life. Spiritual life means how to become immortal. They come to ask me, "Sir, do you know some spiritual magic? Kuṇḍalinī, yoga? This? That?" All for material benefit. Spiritualist means something magic so that you can get some material benefit. If by stretching your hand you can get some little quantity of gold, then you are spiritualist: "Oh, here is a man, wonderful spiritualist. He can create gold. He can cure disease by simply..." What is called? Fooing.(?) Like that. They want to see magic only for material benefit. What is called? Miracles. That is spiritualist. (aside:) Not in that way; let him sit backside this. Spiritual life means how to become immortal. Amṛtatvāya. So 'mṛtatvāya kalpate. Kṛṣṇa has explained,

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
(BG 2.14)

Tāṁs titikṣasva. Don't be disturbed by the sensuous disturbance of the body. Become dhīra. Dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Become dhīra.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Mexico, February 15, 1975:

So we have been discussing for the last four days about the constitutional position of the soul. First thing, we have discussed that the living being... This body is not the living being, but the living being is within the body. Just like the motorcar is not the driver; the driver is within the motorcar. Now, that driver, or the soul, within the body is immortal. And it is transmigrating from one body to another. So this transmigration from one body to another is not very good business. Just like if you are living in some apartment and you have to change immediately for another, immediately for another, do you not get disgusted? Naturally we desire that "If I get some permanent apartment, it is very good." Actually we want that. Nobody wants to die. Even a person or living being in the most wretched condition of life, if you propose that "Let me kill you," he'll not agree. Therefore the psychology is that every living being does not want to die. So, but actually we are not subject to death or birth. That will be discussed. We have somehow or other, by chance or by coincidence, we have acquired this material body. Actually it is not by chance, but we wanted to lord it over the material world, therefore we have got this material body.

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

. We may live for ten years or ten hours. There are living entities, they live for ten minutes and there are living entities who are living for ten millions or ten billions of years. Just like in the Brahmaloka, they live billions of years. So all these duration of life, different types of duration of life, are there within this material world, but still, it is not permanent. Even if you live for ten billions of years or you live for ten minutes or ten seconds, it is nonpermanent. That is being explained here. Nāsato vidyate bhāvaḥ. Asataḥ, or this material body, it has no endurance, it will not endure, it will not be permanently existing. Nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ: And the soul is permanent. He, it has no change; it will never be nonexistent. Kṛṣṇa is explaining. When Kṛṣṇa says, "My dear Arjuna, you, Me, and all these kings and soldiers assembled here, it is not that we did not exist in the past," so what is that? That means we are not this body. This body was not existing in the past in my past life, or duration of life. But as I am soul, I am existing now, I did exist in the past, and I will exist in the future. That is sat. Therefore, spirit has no such change.

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung, sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa te kāraṇa lagilā mora karma-bandha-phāṅsa. Karma-bandha-phāṅsa means entangled. Sometimes we have got experience, that threads, they become entangled. It is very difficult to find out where the beginning is. Sometimes spoiled. So, on account of our attachment to this material body, we are becoming entangled. Sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa. This meeting, as we are holding, this is called sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅga because here there is no other business, talking all nonsense, some material things. Here only we talk about the spirit soul, about Kṛṣṇa, about relationship with Kṛṣṇa, how to act to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. This is the business here. That is the reference. (?) Formerly, this place, Manor, was known as Piggot's Manor. Now we have named Bhaktivedanta Manor. What is the difference? Formerly, it was for sense gratification. Now it is meant for elevating one to the spiritual standard of life. So anything can be changed like that for sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅgāt mukta duḥsaṅga. If you continue sat, as it is said, sat-saṅga, then you advance in spiritual life. And if you associate with asat, then you become degraded. This is the policy. Sat-saṅga chāḍi kainu asate vilāsa te kāraṇe lagilā mora karma-bandha-phāṅsa. Don't be entangled. Try to become liberated from the entanglement. That is the mission of life.

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- Hyderabad, November 22, 1972:

Because the living soul was there, within this dead body, it was moving. This is the fact. Just like a nice motorcar is running. But when the driver is not there, the motor is lying there, idle. If one identifies with the motorcar, the driver of the car, that is foolishness. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Anyone who is identifying this dead body, or this material body, which is a composition of tri-dhātuka, kapha-pitta-vāyu, some blood, flesh, and some secretion, and some bones—if anyone identifies the self with this lump of matter, then he is described as no better than cow and ass.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
(SB 10.84.13)

So at the present moment especially... This ignorance is there always, in the material world, that one is identifying this material body with the real self. The self, the soul is different. It is not this material body. But our modern education, everything, advancement of knowledge, philosophy, everything on the basis of, on this wrong conception of life.

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- Hyderabad, November 22, 1972:

Just like our motorcar is being driven. So when the petrol is finished, matter... Because motorcar running means combination of matter—some machine, made of matter, and some oil, acting—so it is running. Of course, the driver is there. But foolish persons, they do not understand, simply combination of matter will not act. There must be a driver, a living person. Then the motorcar will go. So supposing the combination of matter, that the petrol is finished. So we can bring petrol. Again the motor runs. So if this body was running simply on combination of matter, and some matter is lacking, so why not bring that matter and put into it, and it will run? But that is not possible. That is, that was... The living force which was running this body was a different element, spirit. Nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ. We have discussed this verse. That is living force. And Kṛṣṇa says, vināśam avyayasya asya. This consciousness has no annihilation. Vināśa. Nobody can kill this consciousness, or the soul. One can do harm to this material body, but not to the spirit soul and consciousness. Vināśam avyaya. Avyaya means which is never deteriorates. That is avyaya. Vināśam avyayasya asya na kaścit kartum arhati. Nobody can kill. Nobody can kill consciousness, nobody can kill the soul. Therefore it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). "The consciousness, or the spirit soul, is never killed, never annihilated, on the destruction of this body."

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- London, August 23, 1973:

So it is very difficult with these rascals. Very, very difficult. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja's Guru Mahārāja, Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, they were not preaching. They were disgusted that "I have no power to reform these rascals. Better don't bother. Let them go to hell. At least... Let them." But still, my Guru Mahārāja preached. He was so kind. And he asked us also to do the same thing. But it is very, very difficult job. People are so rascal, so condemned, so sinful. It is very, very difficult to raise them. Very difficult. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). So only those who are very fortunate, they will understand that "I am eternal," avināśi, "I am imperishable. I am put into this condition of perishable condition due to this my material body." So how to get out of it? They have no ambition. Just like dogs and cats. Simply sense gratification. Kṛṣṇa is so kind, how, very clearly explains. You try to understand what is the soul.

So who does not understand there is consciousness all over the body? Tad viddhi. Yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. They'll jump over, "Yes, I am the Supreme God." God's consciousness is also spread all over. That's all right. But is your consciousness spread all over the universe? Both of us, we are conscious. But He is supreme consciousness. Therefore His consciousness is spread all over the universe, all over the creation. In the Thirteenth Chapter, you'll find Kṛṣṇa says, kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata: (BG 13.3) "I am also kṣetra-jñam." Supersoul. What is the difference between Supersoul and soul? Soul, consciousness, is spread all over this body. You are soul, your consciousness spread all over your body. I am soul, my consciousness spread all over the body. But my consciousness not spread all over your body, neither your consciousness spread all over my body. But God's, Kṛṣṇa's, consciousness is spread over your body and my body, His body and everyone.

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 17, 1975:

So to live irresponsibly like cats and dogs is very risky life. Because so long we shall be engaged in the matter of sense gratification—material life means sense gratification—we shall increase our prolongation of repetition of birth and death. So this irresponsible life of eating, sleeping, sex life and defense like cats and dogs will not help us. Therefore... Because this kind of activities will oblige me to accept another body, and as soon as we accept another material body we become subjected to the stringent laws of material nature. And the material miserable conditions are summarized into four items: birth, death, old age and disease. So those who are not in knowledge of the spirit soul, they are very irresponsibly prolonging his life in material activities. Material science could not find out the spirit soul within the body because the magnitude, the dimension of the spirit soul, is very, very small. That is stated in Padma Purāṇa,

bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya
śatadhā kalpitasya ca
bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ
sa cānantyāya kalpate

Bālāgra means the tip of your hair. Divide into ten thousand parts. That one part is the dimension of the soul. That is there within the body. So material science has no such instrument or perfection of study that they can see such a small particle. Therefore these foolish people say there is no soul, but the practical application—the soul is there; therefore the consciousness is there; therefore the body is working in order. The soul is minus, the consciousness is minus—this body is a lump of matter.

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 17, 1975:

So we have to study this very intelligently. Then we'll understand that what is soul, what is the business of the soul, why the soul is entrapped in this bodily, material body, why there are so many varieties, body. This is a great science, and that science is explained in this Bhagavad-gītā. Actually, at the present moment there is no education, because education means to understand my identity. The so-called education which is going on, that is called art. Of course, they also say, "B.A., M.A., Bachelor of Art, Master of Art." It is just learning an art only; it is not education. Just like an electrical electrician. He knows the art how to put the negative and positive wire and bring electricity. That is an art. But that electrician does not know what is the science of understanding soul. The modern education, they are simply giving lessons on some art, generally known as technology. So by that advancement of knowledge we can construct high skyscraper building, nice motorcar, nice airplane, nice machine. That is art. But we do not know what is going to happen next life, my soul. That we do not.

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972:

So the first beginning is... Here, as it is said by Kṛṣṇa, antavanta ime dehāḥ: don't be attached with this body. The body is material, but even this body is material, it can be spiritualized by the same process, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Spiritualized means when this body will forget the materialistic activities. This body, you can utilize for sense gratification. Just generally people are doing. Eating, sleeping, mating and drinking and so on. So you can utilize this body... That is material. But if you engage this body for the service of the Lord, it becomes spiritualized. As I have already explained, the iron rod, constantly in touch with fire, it becomes, at end, it becomes red hot. That is fire. At that time, it acts like fire. You touch that red-hot iron rod anywhere, it will burn. Similarly, this body can be spiritualized, although it is material body. How? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234).

māṁ ca yo vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
(BG 14.26)

Brahman. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. It at once becomes Brahman. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. How? Avyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate. Therefore this process, arcana... Everyone is engaged only in Kṛṣṇa's service. They are, from the beginning of the day, four o'clock, they are rise from the bed. They offer maṅgala-ārātrika. You are seeing practically. We are demonstrating the Kṛṣṇa con..., how one can become Kṛṣṇa conscious perfectly. Therefore we have brought this Deity. Anyone can do it at home.

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972:

So they do not know what is service. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). They are thinking this body. That is, that is... We are explaining this morning: antavanta ime dehāḥ. This body is perishable. It is material. What is the use of serving it? However you serve it, it will destroy. Try to save the soul who is put into this body and embarrassed. That is real service. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to save the soul. The body, however you try to save it, it will, antavanta ime dehāḥ, it will end, today or tomorrow or after some years. You cannot save it. Save the soul. Nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ. The śarīriṇaḥ, the soul, which is within the body, that is nitya, eternal. Now, although it is nitya, it is fallen in certain condition of this material body, that it appears to be dying. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). He's under the tribulation of birth, death, old age and disease on account of this material body. Therefore, if you actually want to give service to the humanity, then give service to the soul, and if you give service to the soul, automatically the body is also served. But if you stress on the body, without... Therefore, despite all arrangements for humanitarian work, the human society is becoming worser and worser. Why? That is not service. They do not know how to serve. Illusion. Real service is this, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to arouse the Kṛṣṇa con..., dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every human being. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. To make him aroused in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, that is real service. So what is going on in the name of service, that is not service. That is simply washing the coat and shirt. That's all. (break) Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- London, August 24, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Only the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is subject to destruction; therefore fight, O descendant of Bharata."

Prabhupāda:

antavanta ime dehā
nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ
anāśino 'prameyasya
tasmād yudhyasva bhārata
(BG 2.18)

Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ. Śarīriṇaḥ, This is plural number. Śarīriṇaḥ. So śarīrin or śarīrī means the proprietor of the śarīra, or body. Śarīra means this body, and śarīrin, one who possesses the body. So plural number is śarīriṇaḥ. In a varieties of ways, Kṛṣṇa is convincing Arjuna that the soul is different from this body. So this body, antavat, it will be finished. However you may try, so scientifically, applying cosmetic and other things, you cannot save the body. That is not possible. Antavat. Antavanta means, anta means end, and vat means possessing. So "You have got your duty to fight, and you are lamenting that the body of your grandfather or teacher or kinsmen, they'll be destroyed and you will be unhappy. That's all right, you'll be unhappy, but even if you do not fight, their body will be finished today or tomorrow or say a few years after. So why should you go back from discharging your duty? This is the point.

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

So loke vyavāya āmiṣa mada-sevā nityas tu jantuḥ. This is propensity. Material life means every living entity has got these propensities. But they have to be restricted. Pravṛttiḥ eṣaṁ bhūtānām.(?) That is natural instinct. But if you can stop them, that is your excellence. That is called tapasya. Tapasya means I have got naturally some propensity, but that is not good. Not good in this sense, if we continue that propensity, then we have to accept this material body. This is the law of nature. There is a verse, pramattaḥ. What is called, that...? Now I'm forgetting that. That everyone is mad, mad after sense gratification. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ. So long we'll continue this propensity of sense enjoyment, you'll have to accept body. That is birth and death. So long. Therefore, the process should be how to make zero all these propensities. That is perfection. Not to enhance it. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). Nūnam, alas, indeed, pramattaḥ, these madmen. They are mad, those who are after these propensities, vyavāya āmiṣa mada-sevā, sex, intoxication and meat-eating. They're all madmen. Pramattaḥ. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Vikarma means activities which are prohibited. We see, for these three things, āmiṣa-mada-sevayā, for sex life, for meat-eating, for drinking, people are working. Not only working, dishonestly working.

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

Then, if one cannot remain a brahmacārī, all right, take a wife, gṛhastha. Then give up, vānaprastha. Then take sannyāsa. This is the process. The mūḍha, they'll work day and night for sense gratification. Therefore, at a certain period of life, that stupidity should be given up and taken sannyāsa. No, finished. That is sannyāsa. Now this portion of life should be completely for Kṛṣṇa's service. That is real sannyāsa. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ (BG 6.1). It is my duty to serve Kṛṣṇa, I am eternal servant of... Kāryam. Must I do it, must I serve Kṛṣṇa. That is my position. That is sannyāsa. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryam karma karoti yaḥ. The karmīs, they are expecting some good result for sense gratification. That is karmī. And sannyāsī means... They are also working very hard, but not for sense gratification. For the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is sannyāsa. This is sannyāsa and karmī. Karmī also works very hard, harder and harder but all for this āmiṣa-mada-sevā. Āmiṣa-mada-sevā. Vyavāya, only for sex life, eating meat, and intoxication. And a devotee works in the same way, hard, but for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. This is the difference. And if you, one life before, like this, no more sense gratification, simply for Kṛṣṇa, then you come to this position, na jāyate, no more death, no more birth. Because your position is na jāyate na... That is your actual position. But because you are in ignorance, pramattaḥ, you have become mad, you have become crazy; therefore you have taken to this process of sense gratification. Therefore you are entangled in a material body, and the body is changing. That is called birth and death.

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

Therefore we make some plan in this life, and my, this material body, this gross body is finished, that is dead, but my idea, in the subtle body, in the mind, it remains. And because it remains in my mind, therefore to fulfill my desire I have to accept another body. This is the law of transmigration of the soul. The soul is, thus, with his plan, he is transferred into another gross body. And along with the soul, there is Supersoul, Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). So the Supersoul, Supreme Personality of Godhead, gives him intelligence: "Now you wanted to execute this plan. Now you have got a suitable body and you can do it." So therefore we find that somebody is great scientist. Or a very nice mechanic. This means that in the last life he was mechanic, he was making some plan, and this life he gets chance, and he fulfills his desire. He discovers something and becomes very reputed, famous man. Because karmīs, they want three things: lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhā. They want some material profit and they want some material adoration, and lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhā, and stability. This is material life. So one after another, we are trying to have some material profit, some material adoration, material reputation. And therefore we are having different types of body. And it is going on. Actually this acceptance of body does not mean I die. I am there. In subtle form, I am there. Na jāyate na mriyate. Therefore there is no question of birth and death. It is simply transformation of the body. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22), as it will be explained in the next verse:

vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny
anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
(BG 2.22)
Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

So so long we'll have a pinch of material desire to execute our plan, then we have to accept a material body, and that is called janma. Otherwise, the living entity has no birth and death. Now, this janma, and mṛtyu... The living entities, they are compared with the sparks, and the Supreme Lord as the big fire. So the big fire, that is the comparison. And the small sparks, both of them are fire. But sometimes the sparks fall down from the big fire. That is our falldown. Falldown means we come into the material world. Why? Just to enjoy, to imitate Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer. So we are servants. Sometimes... It is natural. The servant desires that "If I could enjoy like the master..." So when this sentiment or proposition comes, that is called māyā. Because we cannot be enjoyer. This is false. If I think that I can become enjoyer, even in this material world, so-called... They're, everyone is trying to become enjoyer. And the last snare of enjoyer means that one thinks that "Now I shall become God." This is a last snare. First of all, I want to become manager, or proprietor. Then prime minister. Then this and that. And when everything is baffled, then one thinks that "Now I shall become God." That means the same propensity, to become master, to imitate Kṛṣṇa, is going on.

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

Viṣṇujana: "Only the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is subject to destruction (BG 2.18). He who thinks that the living entity is the slayer or that the entity is slain does not understand. One who is in knowledge knows that the self slays not nor is slain (BG 2.19)."

Prabhupāda: Then next?

Viṣṇujana: 20: "For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain (BG 2.20)."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because eternal, therefore how it can be slain? So soul is never slain. The body is slain. Then?

Viṣṇujana: 21: "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, unborn, eternal and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill (BG 2.21)?" Purport: "Everything has its utility, and a man who is situated in complete knowledge knows how and where to apply a thing for its proper utility. Similarly violence also has its use, and how to apply violence rests with the person in knowledge. Although the justice of the peace awards capital punishment to a person condemned for murder, the justice of the peace cannot be blamed because he orders violence to another according to the codes of justice. In the Manu-saṁhitā,..."

Prabhupāda: Manu-saṁhitā, yes.

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

Viṣṇujana: 22: "As a person puts on a new garment, giving up old ones, similarly the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless one (BG 2.22)." Purport.

Prabhupāda: In a different way, in varied ways, Kṛṣṇa is trying to make us understand the constitutional position of the soul. Yes.

Viṣṇujana: "Change of body by the atomic individual soul is an accepted fact. Even some of the modern scientists who do not believe in the existence of the soul but at the same time cannot explain the source of energy from the heart, they have to accept continuous changes of body which appear from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth and again from youth to old age. From old age the change is transferred to another body. This has already been explained in the previous verse. Transference of the atomic individual soul to another body is also made possible by the grace of the Supersoul. The Supersoul fulfills the desire of the soul as one friend fulfills the desire of another. The Vedas, such as the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, as well as the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad..."

Prabhupāda: Śvetāśvatara.

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

Prabhupāda: Now here... He's giving trouble to the friend. I am giving to my sincere friend Kṛṣṇa simply trouble. Just like a bird is flying from one tree to another. The friend bird is also there. He has no business, he has no interest to be there because he is not eating anything from the tree. He has nothing to do. But because his friend is there, he goes. So we are changing our body as the bird, the changing from one tree to another. But Kṛṣṇa, the supreme bird, is also going with me. Go on.

Viṣṇujana: "The jīva, the soul, is struggling very hard in the tree of the material body. But as soon as he agrees to accept the other bird..."

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Viṣṇujana: "...as the supreme spiritual master..."

Prabhupāda: Then here is the solution. He's simply taking unnecessary trouble. Kṛṣṇa says that "I'll supply you everything. There is no necessity of going from here to there." No. But I'm not accepting it. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). One who understands this, "how Kṛṣṇa is helping me, how He is my, the greatest well-wisher, friend," immediately we can stop all these problems of life and go back to Godhead, go back to home.

Lecture on BG 2.21-22 -- London, August 26, 1973:

Pradyumna: "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, unborn, eternal and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?"

"As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones."

Prabhupāda:

vedāvināśinaṁ nityaṁ
ya enam ajam avyayam
kathaṁ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha
kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam
(BG 2.21)
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny
anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
(BG 2.22)

So this is another way of convincing that... Very simple thing. Anyone can understand. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya. As our garments, coats and shirts, when they are old, rotten, no more usable, so we throw it away and get a new garment, shirt, coat. Similarly, the soul is changing garment from childhood, from babyhood. Just like a baby has got a shoe, but when he gets the child's body the shoe does not fit. You have to take another shoe. Similarly, when the same child grows or changes body, he requires another shoe. Similarly, the soul is changing his body exactly as we change our garments. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. Jīrṇāni means when it is old enough, not fit for use, yathā vihāya, as we give it up... Vihāya means give it up. Navāni, new garment. Naraḥ aparāṇi gṛhṇāti. Now the body has been compared herein as the garment. Just like coat and shirt. The tailor cuts the coat according to the body. Similarly, this material body, if it is shirt and coat, then this is cut according to the spiritual body. The spiritual body is not nirākāra, without form. If it is without form, then how the garment, the coat and shirt, has got hands and legs? It is common sense. The coat has got hand or the pant has got legs because the person who is using the coat, he has got hands and legs.

Lecture on BG 2.21-22 -- London, August 26, 1973:

So here in the Vedic literatures we find that both the Lord and the living entity, they are situated in the heart. The living entity, jīva, is desiring, and the master is sanctioning, and the prakṛti or the material nature is giving the body. "Here is the body, ready, sir. Come here." Therefore the original cause of our entanglement or liberation is our desire. As we are desiring. If you want, if you desire to become free from this implication of birth, death, old age, and disease, it is ready. And if you want to continue this implication, change of body, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni... Because you cannot enjoy spiritual life in this material body. You can enjoy this material world with this material body. And if you want to enjoy spiritual life, then you have to enjoy in spiritual body. But as we have no information of the spiritual life, spiritual enjoyment, we are simply desiring to enjoy this world. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed. The same sex, the same man and woman, they are enjoying at home. The same again go to the naked dance. The object is the same, sex, here or there. But they are thinking, "If I go to the theater or naked dancing, it will be very enjoyable." So it is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed. The same sex life at home, chewing, and go to the naked club, chewing. Chewing the chewed. There is no rasa. There is no humor, mellow; therefore they are disappointed. Because the thing is the same. Just like you chew one sugarcane and take out the juice, and again if you chew, then what you will get? But they are so dull-headed, so rascal, they do not know.

Lecture on BG 2.23-24 -- London, August 27, 1973:

So this is another way, negative way. In the previous verse Kṛṣṇa says: nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi. And now, negatively or passively, it is said that acchedyo 'yam. In every way, Kṛṣṇa is suggesting the immortality of the soul. There are five elements: earth, water, fire, air. So none of these elements can act on the soul. You can prepare sword, cutting sword from earth, from metal, but it does not mean that you can cut anything material with your sword. But you cannot cut the spirit soul with your sword or with your other material weapons. Neither... Acchedyo 'yam adāhyaḥ. Neither you can burn with fire, neither you can moisten it with water, neither you can dry. In every respect Kṛṣṇa explains how soul is immutable. Another significance is nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ. Sarva-gataḥ means all-pervading, everywhere the soul is there. Even within the stone, even within the sands, there are. So how these people can say there is no existence of living entity in the moon planet? Sarva-gataḥ. We have seen sometimes that from the stone, I have marked it. There is one juma mastika(?) in Agra. On the top of the stone dome a plant has come out, on the top. Now who has gone to place that seed that a banyan tree, banyan plant has come out and it has cracked the stone? So nobody has gone there, but this means the soul is everywhere. As soon as it gets the opportunity, it accepts a material body immediately. As soon as there is opportunity. That is explained in the Seventh Chapter very nicely.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

Similarly, this body is also combination of five elements. There is no difference. But because in the big skyscraper building there is no soul, it stands in one place, but the body has got the soul, therefore it moves. That is the difference. The soul is the important thing. But they do not know. Just like we have manufactured the airplane and there is no soul, but another soul means the pilot. He takes care of it. He drives. Therefore, it is moving. So without soul, there cannot be any movement. Either the thing must have soul or some other soul will take care of it. Then it will move. Therefore, the important is the soul, not this material body.

So anyone who's accepting this material body as very important... Just like the other day, some rascals came. They were very much eager for feeding this body. Those who are starving, starvation... Starvation of the bodily concept of life. But there is spiritual starvation. That we are not taking care. Material starvation may be there, but actually that is not a problem because there is sufficient arrangement for maintaining this material body. Real starvation is of the soul. The soul is not getting spiritual food. Here, in this meeting, this is meant for giving to the starving spirit soul. And as soon as you get some spiritual food, then we become happy. That is the situation. Yayātmā suprasīdati. Unless you get spiritual food there cannot be satisfaction of the real soul. The same example, within the cage there is the bird. If you simply wash the cage very nicely and cover it and paint it and the bird within the cage is crying, starving... What is this civilization? Similarly, we spirit soul, we have been encaged within this body, so our natural aspiration is to get freedom from this encagement. As much as the bird is struggling to get freedom from the cage. Similarly, we are also, we are not happy being encaged.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

Yesterday we learned from Bhagavad-gītā soul's position is sarva-gataḥ. Soul can go anywhere. That is, it has got the freedom. Those who are spiritually advanced by yogic mystic power, they can also move anywhere he likes. Aṇimā, laghimā siddhi. There are still yogis in India who early in the morning takes bath in four dhāmas: Hardwar, Jagannātha Purī, Rāmeśvaram, and Dvārakā. There are still yogis. Within one hour, they'll take bath in four places. Sarva-gataḥ, the speed. They'll sit down in one place and by yogic process within few minutes will get up and dip in here, in this water. Suppose in London you dip, take your dip in the Thames River, and when you get up you see in Calcutta Ganges. There is yogic process like that. Sarva-gataḥ. So the spirit soul has got so much freedom, sarva-gataḥ, anywhere he likes he can go. But this impediment is this body which is checking our freedom. So if you get rid of this material body and be situated in spiritual body... Just like Nārada Muni, he can move anywhere, he's moving, his business is moving. Sometimes he's going to Vaikuṇṭhaloka or sometimes coming to this material loka. He has got spiritual body, he's free to move anywhere, spaceman. They are trying to travel in the space by machine. There is no necessity of machine. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). The machine is made of māyā. But you have got your own power. That is very speedy. So it is being checked. Therefore one should be very much careful how to get the soul out of this encagement of this material body. That should be our first concern. But those who are simply concerned with this body, they are no better than the animals, cows and asses. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

So āmiṣa and mada and vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex. Loke vyavāya āmiṣa mada-sevā. Sex indulgence and eating meat, flesh, eggs, and drinking wine. Mada. Mada means liquor. Nityasya jantuḥ. Jantu. When one is in the material world he is called jantu. Jantu means animal. Although he's living entity, he's not called jīva soul. He's called jantu. Jantur dehopapattaye. Jantu. This material body is developing for the jantu, animal. Anyone who is devoid of spiritual knowledge, he's called jantu, or animal. This is the shastric injunction. Jantur dehopapattaye. Who gets this material body? Jantu, animal. So, so long we shall get on, continually get or change this material body, we remain jantu, animal. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ. A jantu, animal, can tolerate, or he's forced to tolerate. Just like a bullock yoked in the cart and whipping. He has to tolerate. He cannot get out of it. Similarly, when they are taken to slaughterhouse to be killed, he has to tolerate it. There is no way. This is called jantu.

So those who have surrendered to the material nature, he has to suffer. He has to suffer. There is no way out. You have accepted this body. You must suffer. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ. This material body means suffering. So they do not know this. They are making so many arrangements and plans how to become happy, how to become peaceful without any miserable condition, but the rascals, they do not know that so long you have got this material body—either a king's body or an ant's body—you must have to suffer. They do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says here that you take care of the soul. Tasmād evam. Tasmād evaṁ viditvā. Just try to understand the soul is important. You haven't got to lament for this body. This is already settled up. So much suffering, so much comforts, you'll get. Although the body, material body... Because the material body is also created according to the three qualities. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). When the inquiry is that why one has got the king's body and why he has got, one has got the pig's body. There are so many other bodies, 8,400,000 different types of bodies. So why the difference is there? That difference is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kāraṇam. Kāraṇam means cause. Why these varieties are..., kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Asya, jīvasya. He is associating with different kinds of qualities, and therefore he's getting a different type of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

So they do not understand that there is a controller. We may theorize and so many ways of our happy life. But you cannot be happy, sir, so long you have got this material body. That's a fact. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Therefore intelligent persons, they should be... Kṛṣṇa is making everyone intelligent: "You rascal, you are under the bodily concept of life. Your civilization has no value. It is rascal civilization." Here is the point,

yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete
puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ
so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate

Your problem is how to be reestablished again as eternal. Because we are eternal. Some way or other, we have fallen in this material world. Therefore, we have to accept birth and death. So our problem is how to again be eternal. That is amṛtatva. But these rascals, they do not know that there is possibility of becoming eternal. Simply by trying to understand Kṛṣṇa, one can become immortal. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa. Then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, even you don't serve Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 2.26-27 -- London, August 29, 1973:

This is karma-vāda. In the previous verse, Kṛṣṇa tried to explain bauddha-vāda, nāstika-vāda, atheism. Atheist means one who does not believe in the soul and God. These are correlative terms. If you understand what is soul, then you can understand what is God. If you understand what is God, then you can understand what is soul. But those who are agnostic, atheist, they neither believe in God nor in the soul. So combination of matter... Here Kṛṣṇa says in a different way, that combination of matter is taking place and again it is being dismantled. That is going on. Either there is soul or not soul, just like Darwin's theory, evolution of material body. So that is going on. One body is created and the same body again annihilated, another body created, another body, the same body annihilated, and it is going on. So where is the cause of lamenting? You cannot stop. You cannot stop this process. Jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca tasmād aparihārye 'rthe. Duty. The same thing is going on. Duty is very important thing. Kṛṣṇa is stressing on it. One cannot stop his duty. Then he becomes sinful. That is karma-vāda. If, just like so many people, they argue that if we discharge our duties nicely, then where is the need of accepting God? The karma-vāda philosophy is that if there is God, then he's giving us the result of our activities, and if I do nicely, then He gives me nice opportunity, and if I do not do things very nicely, I am put into suffering. So there is a karma-phala-datta, decides... Just like the high-court judge, he is giving judgement according to the case, different cases. Similarly, our goodness or badness will be decided according to our karma. That is also fact. Then what is the use of accepting one God? If I do my duties very nicely, then He must give me nice result. Why shall I worship Him? Why shall I become a devotee of God? It is His duty.

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

So here fighting is a matter of duty. That is the kṣatriya spirit. Fighting is not killing. Because people have no idea what is the soul, therefore they think that stopping war will help us in peaceful condition of the society. There are so many troubles so long this body is there. War is one of the items. Even war is stopped, there is no question that people will live forever. No. That is not the law of nature. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This life, the problem is how to stop our contact with this material body That is the problem. Not that these general people, they are thinking, "If war, there is no war, then we shall be very happy." How you'll stop your war with māyā? Māyā has declared war with you, or you have declared war with māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). The māyā, the material nature is enforcing, "Why you are closing this door?" "Oh, because it is very cold outside." Who is forcing? Immediately there will be cold, immediately there will be fog, immediately there will be excessive heat, immediately there may be earthquake. How you can stop it? So they simply think... Just like innocent child, they are concerned with the immediate problem. But sane man is concerned with the ultimate problem. So our ultimate problem is not this war. The ultimate problem is repetition of birth and death. That is ultimate problem, how to stop this. That is the problem. So Kṛṣṇa says that "This is useless lamentation, that you do not wish to fight. It is the concluded fact that even your grandfather or relatives die, they will continue as soul. You have to execute your duty. You cannot deviate from your duty." Go on.

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

So Ṛṣabhadeva says, na sādhu manye, "This is not good." Na sādhu manye yato ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ. These madmen do not know that this is the cause of getting this miserable material body. The sufferings of humanity is due to this material body and the cause of vikarma, acting for sense gratification. So this life is meant for acting for liberation, but they are acting for sense gratification. Therefore they are mad. They do not know the aim of life. Life after life, they are working. The cat's life, the dog's life, the horse life, the man's life or even demigod's life, simply for sense gratification. And so long he will continue these activities of sense gratification, he will have to accept some sort of material body in the 8,400,000 of species either as demigod or as dog. So this is going on. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). They are encircling or circumambulating in this cycle of birth and death. Out of many, many millions of such persons, if one is fortunate, he comes in contact with Kṛṣṇa's representative, and by which he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, and his life becomes sublime. So this is madness. Simply for sense gratification. They have no other business. This is madness. What do you think? This is not madness?

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

Prabhupāda: This is the process of creation. From ether, then sky, then air, then fire, then water, then earth. This is the process of creation. Yes.

Pradyumna: "Take for example a big skyscraper manifested from the earth. When it is dismantled, the manifestation becomes again unmanifested and remains as atoms in the ultimate stage. The law of conservation of energy remains, but in course of time things are manifested and unmanifested. That is the difference. Then what cause is there for lamentation either in the stage of manifestation or unmanifestation? Somehow or other, even in the unmanifested stage, things are not lost. Both in the beginning and at the end all elements remain unmanifested, and only in the middle are they manifested, and this does not make any real material difference. And if we accept the Vedic conclusion as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (antavanta ime dehāḥ) that these material bodies are perishable in due course of time (nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ) but that soul is eternal, then we must remember always that the body is like a dress. Therefore why lament the changing of a dress? The material body has no factual existence in relation to the eternal soul. It is something like a dream. In a dream we may think of flying in the sky or sitting on a chariot as a king, but when we wake up we can see that we are neither in the sky nor seated on the chariot. The Vedic wisdom encourages self-realization and the basis of the nonexistence of the material body. Therefore in either case, whether one believes in the existence of the soul or one does not believe in the existence of the soul, there is no cause for lamentation for loss of the body."

Prabhupāda: One point in this connection is that at night when I am dreaming I forget this body. This body, in dream, I am seeing that I have gone in a different place, talking with different men, and my position is different. But at that time I don't remember that actually my body is lying on the bed in the apartment where I have come. But we don't remember this body. It is everyone's experience. Similarly, when you come again, awakening stage in the morning after getting up from the bed, I forget all the bodies I created in my dream. So which one is correct? This is correct? This body's correct, or that body's correct? Because at night I forget this body, and in daytime I forget the other dreaming body. So both of them not correct. It is simply hallucination.

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

So spiritual body is existing, and spiritual advancement means first of all to know spiritual identification of myself. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī went to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu after retiring from his ministership. So he first of all said that, ke āmi, kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya: "Actually, I do not know what I am, and why I am subjected to the miserable condition of life." Therefore the miserable condition of life is this body. Because I get... In dream also. When I get another body, sometimes we find that on top of the very tall bamboo or tall mountain I am just now, I'm falling down . And I'm afraid, I sometimes cry, "Now, I am now falling down." So this body, this material body, which body I belong to, which I am... Actually, I do not belong to any of these bodies. I have got a separate spiritual body.

So this human life is meant for that realization, that "I am not this material body, I have a spiritual body." Then next question will be, "Then what is my function?" In the present body under some material condition I am thinking, "This is my body," and the body is produced under certain condition of this country or this family; therefore, "This is my family, this is my country, this is my nation." Everything in bodily concept of life. And if I am not this body, then in relationship with this body, either my family or my country or my society, or my other relationships, they are also false because the body is false. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya theorized this: brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Brahman means the soul is actually the fact, not the material manifestation. Material manifestation, of course, he says false. We don't say false. We say temporary.

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

Therefore, Vyāsadeva saw, apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. He saw... Just like in airplane, you go above the cloud. The sun is not affected at all by the cloud. Although below the airplane you'll see vast mass of cloud. Similarly, māyā cannot affect Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, Bhagavad-gītā says daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā. Mama māyā (BG 7.14), Kṛṣṇa says, "My illusory energy." Kṛṣṇa is never affected by the illusory energy. Exactly like the cloud. But the Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that when impersonal Absolute Truth comes, appears, they also accept the incarnation, but their philosophy is that ultimately the Absolute Truth is impersonal. When He appears as a person, He accepts the māyā body. This is Māyāvāda. Kṛṣṇa may be accepted as the Supreme God, but He has accepted a material body. That means they want to compare Kṛṣṇa with ordinary living entity, and that is condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is said that avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because Kṛṣṇa comes in His original form... Original form is two-handed. It is also accepted in the Bible: "Man is made after the image of God." So God has got two-handed. Even the four-handed Viṣṇu form is not the original form. Viṣṇu form is secondary manifestation of Saṅkarṣaṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is never affected by māyā. This is point.

Lecture on BG Lecture Excerpts 2.44-45, 2.58 -- New York, March 25, 1966:

Suppose if I do not belong to certain association or certain company, then I have to keep aloof from that company. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām (BG 2.44). Those who are too much attached with bodily pleasure, bodily enjoyment, and tayāpahṛta-cetasām. Apahṛta-cetasām means those who are illusioned. Because bodily pleasure is not my pleasure. My pleasure is different because I am not this body. Just like a man in a feverish condition or in feverish delirium, speaking something. That is not his normal speaking. That is due to the delirious condition. So to bring him to the normal condition, the physician treats him to get out of that delirious condition. So similarly, our position is: because we have got..., some way or other, we have been entangled with this material body; therefore our conception of happiness is just like a man in the delirious condition.

Lecture on BG Lecture Excerpts 2.44-45, 2.58 -- New York, March 25, 1966:

So this theory, that separating the material elements by which this material body is formed, if they are broken or they are sent back to their original position, then we are free from all distresses, material... But we, at least those who are following this Bhagavad-gītā, this philosophy does not say that the material body is all in all. Beyond this material body, there is spirit, and the symptom of that spirit is understood by consciousness. Consciousness. That is the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā. Now, you cannot deny consciousness. You cannot deny consciousness. And consciousness minus... Body minus consciousness is dead body. Everyone knows it. A child can understand it, that I am speaking, you are hearing because your consciousness is present, my consciousness is present. As soon as my consciousness is deducted from this body, then this same mouth will not speak, the same hand will not move, the same your ear will not hear. The whole thing will be stopped. So it is very common sense affair, that consciousness, that is the main thing in this body. So any intelligent man with common sense can understand this. Now, what is this consciousness? This consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Just like wherever there is some fire, there is heat or there is smoke. When you see something... Suppose you are sitting here. If you find somewhere smoking, then you are afraid, "Oh, there must be some fire. Otherwise why smoke is coming?" Or wherever you feel some heat, although you do not see the fire directly, still, you can understand that there is fire. Because there is smoke... Because there is heat, therefore there is fire. Similarly, this consciousness, nobody can deny this consciousness. Now, this consciousness, because this consciousness is, therefore I am, my, I mean to say, identification or my energy is being produced in the shape of consciousness. So this consciousness proves that I am the soul, present here. That is Gītā's philosophy, and that is the whole Vedic philosophy.

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

So we are discussing for the last few days on the constitutional position of ourself, myself, yourself—the soul, pure soul. Now, we have discussed that this pure soul is distinct from this material body. And we can understand this constitution of the soul by the presence of consciousness. The Lord says, Kṛṣṇa says, that avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. You can understand what you are. You are present all over your body. You are present all over your body. Wherever you can try by pinching your body, you will feel some pain, this, this part of this body or this part of this body. And this pain feeling will be stopped as soon as the consciousness is taken away from this body. Dead body, where there is no consciousness, the dead body does not feel even he is chopped up by some chopper, because the consciousness is gone. Therefore, it is not very difficult to understand that "I am the consciousness. I am not this material body." We have discussed all this point. Now, so far scriptures are concerned, there are different scriptures all over the world in the civilized society, but Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that "The essence of all scripture is to understand my constitutional position." That's all. All the rituals... We should not be stuck up to the rituals or to the formulas of the... Of course, in the preliminary stages we require to stick to the formulas of religious scriptures. But we must know that the whole idea is targeted to understand my real position. That is the whole idea of all scriptures. In the Bhagavad-gītā it has been very nicely described, yāvān artha udapāne tāvān samplutodake.

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

So to be in the consciousness plane, if you do not give engagement to the consciousness, then naturally consciousness will act through this body. We have to act in such a way that... At the present moment I am within this body. So we have to make utilization of a bad bargain. I don't require this body. Somehow or other, I am now entrapped or encaged in this material body. And all my sufferings are due to this body. Therefore the whole aim of human life is to get away from this material body and to be situated in the spiritual life. Now, in order to achieve that end of life, we have to begin a professional spiritual life, professional spiritual life. That professional spiritual life is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.

karmaṇy evādhikāras te
mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr
mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi
(BG 2.47)

Karma. Karma means work. Karma means work. One should not think that "Because I am not this body, so I shall cease to work." No. You cannot cease to work. If you cease to work, then idle brain will be a devil's workshop. No. We have to work. So therefore the Lord says, "The technique of acting on the spiritual platform is that you have your right to act. You have your right to act according to your position." But, karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana: "But you should not desire to enjoy the fruit of your activity."

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

Utsāhāt. Utsāhāt means you must be very much enthusiastic that "In this life, in this human form of life, I must complete my spiritual consciousness, or God consciousness, so that in the next life I may not have this material body. That is called utsāhāt. Utsāhāt means very much enthusiastic. Just like a man is very much enthusiastic that "In this life I must accumulate ten millions dollars in the bank," and he does work with great enthusiasm; similarly, we must have also similar enthusiasm that "In this very life, in this very human form of life, I must make my spiritual life perfect so that after leaving this body I may not come again to this material world." That is called utsāhā, enthusiasm. Utsāhād dhairyāt. Dhairya means patience. Patience. There may be so many obstacles in prosecuting our spiritual life, but we should patiently go forward. We shall not be discertained. Utsāhād dhairyāt niścayāt. And with confidence, with confidence that "Because I am following..." Just like Bhagavad-gītā is a standard book. If not Bhagavad-gītā, take Bible or take Koran, whatever you like. Now, there are some formulas for prosecuting spiritual life. So one must have confidence that "Because I am following the standard method, so my spiritual life will really be perfected." We must have this confidence. And that is a fact. Utsāhāt, first enthusiasm; second, patience; and then third, with confidence, niścayāt. Dhairyāt, utsāhād dhairyāt niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. Simply enthusiasm will not do. The formulas which are prescribed there we must follow. We must actually apply in our life.

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

How easy it is. You take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you overcome the cycle of birth and death. And as soon as you overcome the cycle of birth and death, you overcome all miseries. Because birth and death means this material body. The living entity, spirit soul, has no birth and death. And anyone who possesses this material body has to undergo the threefold miseries of the material world. A similar passage is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The other day, as I was speaking to you, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). All these people, they are acting in a way which they ought not to have done. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. But they are acting as madmen. Why? Yad indriya-prītaya, for satisfaction of the senses. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti na sādhu manye (SB 5.5.4). This is not good. Because he does not know that he has achieved this material body by working in that way in his previous life. Again he is working in that way. So he'll have to accept again this material body, therefore he's miser. He's not properly utilizing. Go on.

Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

So we must utilize this human form of body properly to understand that "I am not this body; I am pure consciousness. And this pure consciousness I have to practice in such a way that in next life I get my pure conscious or into pure spiritual body, not again this material body." This material body, we must always know, this is a foreign thing. We have already explained to you that this is just like dress. Dress. Dress is a foreign thing to my body. Similarly, this gross and subtle body—gross body of this material five elements and the subtle body of mind, ego, intelligence—they are my foreign things. So I am now encaged in foreign things. My whole life mission is to get out of these foreign things. I want to be situated in my real spiritual body. That can be done if you practice. If you practice during this life to..., always to be spiritually situated, then your next life, after leaving... Even within this body, when you get clear conception that "I am not this body," and you are clearly working from the spiritual platform, as Lord Kṛṣṇa prescribes here that yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi, "Be situated in yoga and act in your daily duties," then similarly, if we practice this to work in such a way that we have to work from the spiritual platform, then your next life will be free from this material bondage and you get your freedom life.

Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

Now, those who have studied Bhagavad-gītā up to the end, and I hope some of you have already read Bhagavad-gītā... Arjuna was a military man, and Kṛṣṇa was trying to induce him to his duty as military man, that "You must fight." But Arjuna was declining that "I cannot kill my relatives, my friends, my brothers, my teacher, my grandfather." That was his consideration. Now, this consideration is material platform. When we think of in relation with this body, that is material platform. Anything done in consideration of this body... This body means senses. The body means the senses. That means anything which we do for sense gratification, that is material. And anything which we do for the satisfaction of the Supreme, that is spiritual platform. That's all. So we have to discriminate "Whether I am working for sense gratification or whether I am working for the satisfaction of the Supreme?" If this art we can learn, then our life becomes spiritualized. Spiritual life does not mean that we have to change something of these activities which we are, already we are engaged, or our form of the body will change to something extraordinary. Nothing. The same body, the same feature, the same activity, same engagement—everything same. But we have to know the art, "Whether these activities are being done from the spiritual platform or from the material platform?" If we can discriminate in that way, as Lord Kṛṣṇa advises to Arjuna, dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya: "O Dhanañjaya..." Dhanañjaya is another name of Arjuna. "My dear Dhanañjaya, buddhi-yogāt, by your intelligence..." And as we have explained, buddhi-yoga means devotional service to the Lord. So on the criterion of buddhi-yoga, on the criterion of devotional service to the Lord, you have to do everything. That is the, I mean to say, technique. That is the technique. Dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogāt, buddhi-yogāt. You have to use your intelligence, "Whether I am doing this on the platform of pure consciousness or on the platform of this body?"

Lecture on BG 2.51-55 -- New York, April 12, 1966:

God is great," as in your English language it is said, and nobody can be greater than Him or equal to Him. That is the position of God. Now here, Arjuna, he accepts Kṛṣṇa and he says that "You are Paraṁ Brahman." Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12). Dhāma means in which everything rests. We are resting, everything is resting. Just like... This is scientific and practical, you know, that the innumerable planets that the, that you can see at night as, I mean to say, luminaries, stars in the sky, each and every one of them, more or less, they are all different kinds of planets. But do you know how they are floating in the space? They are floating on the sunshine, on the sun rays. They are floating. That you can see. Similarly, the sunshine is the imitation of the brahma-jyotir that is coming out of the body of the Supreme Lord. So everything is resting on the shine of the Supreme Lord. Therefore He is called paraṁ dhāma. Paraṁ dhāma means "everything resting on You." Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitram (BG 10.12). Pavitram. Pavitram means uncontaminated. Because we, although we are Brahman, now we are contaminated by this material body. But the Lord has no contaminated body of this material existence. We have already noted, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda... Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ means His body is full—full of bliss, full of knowledge, and it is eternal. That is completely distinct from this body. So when there is description of the Lord that He is formless, He is formless means He is not of this form. He has got a sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), a different element. Therefore He's called pavitra. And paramaṁ bhavān: "You are the Supreme Original."

Lecture on BG 2.55-56 -- New York, April 19, 1966:

So whole scheme of Bhagavad-gītā is like that, that we have to stand on the spiritual consciousness of life. And what is that spiritual consciousness of life? Now, some philosophers... Just like Śaṅkarācārya. There are many philosophers in the world. I, we may cite some of the authorities. Just like Lord Buddha. Then Śaṅkarācārya. Then Rāmānujācārya. Lord Caitanya. They're all big stalwart authorities, authorities. They have given different views. Lord Buddha's views is that you can be happy only when you are free from this consciousness. Lord Buddha says that consciousness is a production of this combination of matter. So therefore if, if you dismantle this material body, then there will be no consciousness and thus there will be no feeling of distress or happiness. That is called nirvāṇa, stopping, stopping the feelings of... It is just like a patient suffering from some disease, and the doctor gives him some pill so that he dies and there is no more feeling. Oh. Then he sees it is all right. If by stopping feeling like that, that a... "Doctor, my son is having hundred and seven degree temperature." "All right. I stop it. Give him some injection, poisonous." The child dies. Now there is no fever. Now the father says, "My child does not move." "Oh, whether this fever is stopped or not?" "Yes, there is no fever also." "That's all right. My business finished." That sort of foolish doctor will not do. (laughs) We should not stop consciousness. No. That is the... That is the, I mean to say, secret of philosophy. If my consciousness is stopped altogether, then what do I gain? That means my death. My whole existence finished. No. Then comes... I am shortly giving the substance of different philosophers.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

So if we want to be free from the influence of the material nature, then our habit of mental speculation may be given up. That is the instruction in this verse.

Then next qualification:

duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ
sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ
sthita-dhīr munir ucyate
(BG 2.56)

Now, so, so long we have got our, this material body... We have several times discussed this point, that all our miseries, distresses, are due to this body. There are three kinds of distresses—adhyātmika, adhibhautika, and adhidaivika: distresses due to this body and mind; distresses due to the other living entities; and distresses which is beyond our power, distresses, natural distresses, adhidaivika, distresses offered by the supernatural power. So three kinds of distresses we are suffering always. There is no, I mean to say, rescue either from the three, or at least from one or two. There is always... It is going on.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

Even in this material world, within this universe, in the upper planets... The upper planets, they are called heavens or... Of course, in Vedic language, it is called heaven, and in other languages it is also called heaven. But there are many planets. Beyond the heaven, there are many good planets. There are seven planetary systems. This is called Bhūrloka. Then, above this, there is Bhuvarloka. Then there is Svargaloka. Then there is Tapoloka. Then there is Maharloka. Then there is Satyaloka. Just like so many planetary systems there are. The one planetary system, that is called Siddhaloka. Even in this material world, with this material body, they are so perfect that here you go from one place to another, or one planet to another... Of course, that has not been successful. But it is not very difficult for living beings to achieve that success. Because we have got information in the Bhāgavata that in the Siddhaloka the inhabitants there, with this very body, they go from one planet to another without any instrument, without any sputnik, without any aeroplane, or without anything. (laughter) Yes. We have got this information. They take pleasure in the sky. Just like sometimes we stroll in open field, similarly, they take pleasure by in the sky traveling. You see? So that is possible. But still, they are mortal. They are mortal. They have got this material body. Now, when you get spiritual body, how much freedom you'll have. How much freedom you'll have.

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

So indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā. One who is practiced to control his senses... Senses are not to be stopped. They are to be used at proper time, but not at the dictation of the senses. When one comes to that standard of life, that he is not dictated by the senses but he uses senses when it is properly required... Senses are not to be stopped. That is not prescribed. That is not prescribed. Somebody says that sense control means to use, to stop the action of the senses. No. Senses, action of the senses, cannot be stopped. Simply it has to be purified. The action of the senses has to be purified. That is the whole process. Because as spiritual living entity, we have got our spiritual senses. Those senses are now covered by this matter. We are not senseless. Just like your coat. Your coat is cut according to your hands. Because the coat, you will see, the coat has also got a hand. And why coat has got a hand? Because the user of the coat, he has got a hand. The coat is cut according to the hand of the user of the body. Similarly, this material body has been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as dress. So unless I have got body, wherefrom the dress comes? Dress has no meaning unless I have got body.

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

So we have to practice. We have to practice it in our everything. Because for so long we are in this material body, we have got so many material demands. We cannot stop the activities of the body. That is not possible. By force, if I stop all the activities of my body, that is not possible. That is not possible. The bodily activities will go on, but the bodily activities will be so performed that I'll not be bound up by the reaction. And that is called devotional service. That is called

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
(SB 1.2.7)

Just, for example, that we are eating. Eating is necessary. So long my body is there, eating is necessary.

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

So unless one is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he must be in the māyā's engagement, same thing. People may eulogize such engagement, "Oh, he's so moneyed man. He has dismantled such nice building and again constructed another nice building." So, this is very nice in material estimation, but in spiritual estimation they are simply wasting time. (sings) Hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu, that song. (sings) Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. Knowingly, purposefully, I am drinking poison. Poison. Why poison? Wasting time of this valuable human form of life is drinking poison. Just like a man drinks poison. He does not know what is his next life. He's going to become a ghost. For years together, he'll not have this material body as punishment. You have seen? Gaurasundara has written one ghost article in our Back to Godhead. In England, that ghost who fought with Cromwell? There is still fighting. At night, there is sound of fighting going on. You see? So poison means this human form of life is the chance to get into Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back to Godhead. But if we do not engage in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply engage in this breaking and constructing, then we are simply drinking poison. That means next life I'll be thrown into the cycle of birth and death in the 8,400,000 species of life, and my life is spoiled. We do not know for how many millions of years I'll have to travel in that cycle of birth and death. Therefore it is poison.

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

So poison means this human form of life is the chance to get into Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back to Godhead. But if we do not engage in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply engage in this breaking and constructing, then we are simply drinking poison. That means next life I'll be thrown into the cycle of birth and death in the 8,400,000 species of life, and my life is spoiled. We do not know for how many millions of years I'll have to travel in that cycle of birth and death. Therefore it is poison. Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. I know this, I am hearing. Still,... Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa... Just like a thief. Jāniyā śuniyā, these words are very significant. Jāniyā means knowing, and śuniyā means hearing. So a habituated thief, he knows that "If I steal I shall be put into jail." And he has heard from scriptures that "Don't steal. Then you'll be put into hell." So he has heard from the scriptures and he has seen practically. He has experienced practically, but still, as soon as he's freed from the prison life, he again commits the same mistake. Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. We know, we are hearing from the scriptures, from authorities, Vedic literatures, that "I have got this miserable conditional body, material body, to suffer threefolds of material miseries; still, I am not very much anxious how to stop this repetition of birth and death. I am drinking poison." Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. Hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu. These songs are very instructive. Simply purposefully, we are drinking poison. Go on.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Yes. They say... We saw one signboard in a yoga society in Los Angeles that "You become silent, and you'll become God." (laughs) And here Kṛṣṇa says that you cannot become silent even for a moment. You see? These things are going on. Go on.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Purport: "This is not a question of embodied life. It is the nature of the soul itself to be always active. The proof is that without the presence of the spirit soul there is no movement of the material body. The body is only a dead vehicle to be worked by the spirit soul and therefore it is to be understood that the soul is always active and cannot stop even for a moment. As such, the spirit soul has to be engaged in the good work of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise it will be engaged in the occupations dictated by the illusory energy. In contact with material energy, the spirit soul acquires material modes, and to purify the soul from such affinity it is necessary to engage it in the prescribed duties enjoined in the śāstras, or scriptures. But if the soul is engaged in his natural function of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever he is able to do is good for him."

Prabhupāda: Practically that is real silence. If you simply engage yourself in activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then automatically your activities in māyā become silent. Just like the same example I have given. Here is a glass. If you want to fill up with milk, the water will go automatically. You have to throw away the water. You cannot put the water and the milk at the same time in this glass. Similarly, if you become active in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you automatically become silent in material activities. Without any separate endeavor. It is so nice. And if you try artificially to stop, to become silent from material activities, it will not be possible. You may meditate for fifteen minutes or for fifteen hundred minutes or fifteen thousand years, it will not be possible. The mind is very strong. Mind's business is to accept and reject, accept and reject. You accept something, you reject something.

Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:

The repetition of birth. This body...Bhāgavata says that these people are working for sense gratification. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Pramattaḥ means mad after sense gratification. Kurute vikarma. And for sense gratification, they are acting so abominably that it is not to be uttered. Kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti. They have engaged their life in sense gratification. Na sādhu manye, oh this is not good. This is not good.

Why? Yata, because, ātmanaḥ, the spirit soul, ātmano 'yam... Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This body is temporary, but so long this body is there, you'll have to suffer. What is that suffering? The sum total of suffering is birth, death, old age and disease. This is due to this body. Therefore the problem is how to stop this material body, repetition. Today I have got this body, Indian, tomorrow I may get American, next birth... Tomorrow means next birth. Next birth another, next birth another, next birth another—it is going on. Going on. There is no stoppage, this transmigration of the soul.

But so long you do not stop it, there is no question of being freed from sufferings. They do not know it. They are thinking they are advancing. What advancement you have made? These sufferings are there—birth, death, old age and disease. You cannot stop it. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ, and even you go to this moon planet or to the highest planet, these four things will follow. So therefore sense gratification must be stopped. But if you want to stop it artificially it is impossible. Neither by this yoga process, neither by this jñāna process. Simply for the time being you can check.

Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:

Sudāmā: "Viṣṇu is the Lord of all living creatures, all worlds, and all beauties, and protector of everyone. The Lord created this material world for the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajñas for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety in life. Then after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the conditioned souls. By performance of yajña the conditioned souls gradually become Kṛṣṇa conscious and become godly in all respects. In this age of Kali the saṅkīrtana-yajña, or chanting the holy names of God, is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the deliverance of all men. Saṅkīrtana-yajña and Kṛṣṇa consciousness go well together. Lord Kṛṣṇa in His devotional form as Lord Caitanya is worshiped in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as follows, with special reference to the saṅkīrtana-yajña. 'In this age of Kali people who are endowed with sufficient brain substance will worship the Lord who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña.' "

Prabhupāda: Yes. There is a verse, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Those who are intelligent class of men in this age, they'll worship this form of the Lord. Who? Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. The Lord who is chanting always Kṛṣṇa, but His body is not black. Fair-complexion. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. Followed by many devotees. Just like you'll see the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's picture. He is followed always by His associates and devotees. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. Yajñaiḥ saṅ... This form of the Lord should be worshiped. Therefore we do not worship Kṛṣṇa directly. Through Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, through saṅkīrtana movement. That is the process prescribed in the śāstra.

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

Just like in our contaminated state we become diseased. What is disease? As soon as you contaminate or infected by some impure thing you become diseased. Similarly, our this disease, material disease, birth, death, old age, they are some kind of disease. Otherwise, I am spirit soul, I am pure, as pure as God because I am part and parcel of God. Due to my impurities of this material body I am suffering. So if you purify your existence then you get the quality in complete pureness of God. You become happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), you become jolly. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as you purify yourself and become identified with the existence of God, immediately you become joyful, no anxiety. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). So you have to purify your existence. If you keep your body impurified, then how you can relish the purified consciousness? So you have to do it. Go on.

Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:

So all these entanglement is there. But actually I am pure soul. I am not this body. As soon as I understand this, then whole thing is vanished. You see? Because if I am not this body, then in relationship with this body, whatever I have expended, my extended selfishness is at once vanished. Then I am mukta-puruṣa; I am liberated soul. So Lord Caitanya says by chanting this śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, I become at once liberated from this misconception of life. What I need? I am suffering due to my, this misconception of life. The whole Vedic literature advises me that "You are not this material body." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." Brahman means I am spirit. I am the supreme..., not supreme spirit, but I am spirit, Brahman. The Vedic literature does not say that I am Parambrahman. Parambrahman is Bhagavān. Qualitatively, I am one with Parambrahman, and Brahman, there is qualitatively oneness because Brahman... Gold, big gold or small gold, that doesn't matter. Gold, both of them are gold.

Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:

So many things are there, either Hinduism or Mohammedanism or Christianism, according to country and climate and people. Practically, the principles are the same. They may be... Formally, they may appear to be... But the thing is there.

But here, niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. Here you don't require that you have to take your bath before chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. No. Oh, because you are in the bathroom, therefore you cannot chant Hare Kṛṣṇa? No. You can chant even there. So such a thing. Because if actually Kṛṣṇa, that very name, is Kṛṣṇa, then how I can remain impure? The potency is there. It makes me at once pure. Just like as soon as there is light, there is no question of darkness. Darkness and light cannot stand together. Either it must be darkness or must be light. So as soon as there is light... So Kṛṣṇa is light. Kṛṣṇa name is light. Therefore there cannot be any impurities. Impurity is due to my, this material body. But I am, at that moment, I am in the spiritual platform. So this impurities cannot touch me.

These are the points of realization. As we make sincerely sincere effort to perform this yajña, particular yajña for this age, then we make our progress. It is most inexpensive and very easy and very powerful. Why don't you adopt it? That is my request to you. Thank you very much. Now, if there is any question you can put. (end)

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

So here it is said, puruṣa. "I am puruṣa. I am enjoying." So puruṣa prakṛti-sthaḥ. So long he is in this material body, he bhuṅkte. Bhuṅkte means enjoys. Not enjoyment. We think we are enjoying, but we are suffering actually. And because we cannot understand what is suffering... Suffering there is. Sometimes we come to understand. But we are accepting this suffering as enjoying. A man is working very hard, very hard, whole day. He is... This is not enjoyment. You have got a car, but you are running at 70 miles speed, going to your business, and there you are earning hundred and thousands of dollars. So you are thinking that you are enjoying. But this labor is suffering—you forget. And in order to forget this suffering, then I take to wine, take to this, take to that, to forget the suffering.

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

So Prahlāda Mahārāja said rightly that "My dear best of the demons, so far I have learned that these living entities in different grades of life," sadā samudvigna-dhiyām, "always full of anxiety." Why? Asad-grahāt: "Because he has accepted this material body, therefore he must be full of anxiety." Then what is the remedy? Now, hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta: (SB 7.5.5) "He should give up this material encagement, material home and material thing. He should approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Vṛndāvana or forest and surrender unto Him." That is the only way.

So if you want to be free of anxieties... Nobody can say that "I am already free of anxiety" unless he is a madman. A madman will say, "I have no anxiety." But no sane man will say that "I am free of anxiety." This is material life. So if you want to become free of anxieties, then you come to the spiritual life. That is the only remedy. Harim āśrayeta. Accept the lotus feet of God. That is the mission of God. God comes Himself. God sends His son or devotee or servant. The same thing. That religion may be different. That is not very important.

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

Just like if anyone, relative, dies, father dies—take for instance—he is crying, "My father is gone. My father is gone." "But where your father has gone? Your father is here, sleeping." "No no, he is gone." "But did you see how he has gone? Have you got the eyes? How he has gone? But you did not see. You always saw this material body, flesh." So as the spirit soul is not flesh, but you can understand that spirit soul has gone.

So in our present experience we see this flesh or mental concoction. But spiritual understanding is different. That you have to do when you are spiritualized. Therefore it is said, ataḥ śri-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Indriya means senses. You cannot understand God by your present senses, or godly, kingdom of God. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ: "But if you engage your service beginning with the tongue, then God reveals." "God reveals" means He reveals His kingdom, He Himself.

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

In the first chapter the situation is created... Just like we are ordinarily entangled in family affairs. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). The bondage of accepting this material body as myself, and the extension of bodily relation is accepted as my kinsmen and the land in which the body is got, that land is supposed to be worshipable. These are analytical study of our material existence. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ. Bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). We have taken up the land as worshipable, the land of birth, which is, I mean to say, extended in the form of nationalism. This is material bondage.

Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke... The Bhāgavata, the Bhāgavata gives us direction that "A person who has accepted this material body, which is composed of three elements..." Three elements means earth, water and fire, which is, in Ayurvedic language it is called kapha-pitta-vāyu. Now, one who has accepted this material body as his self and one who has accepted the extension of this material body... Extension of this material body means the byproduct, the children and the wife with whom we have got this connection with this material body. And the relatives. You go on extending in that way. So yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). Bhauma means the land. Ijya-dhīḥ. Ijya-dhīḥ means worshipable. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile.

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

If they are at all interested to go to holy land, they should find out such men, where they are sitting, what they are doing, and take advantage of it. But people do not do that. They go there, take bath in the water, purchase some playthings for their children and clothing and come back, and they think that "We have done a great thing, traveled in the holy land."

Bhāgavata says that these men who have accepted this material body as self and the byproducts of this body as his own kinsmen and the water in the holy land as the end of pilgrimage but do not take, consult, with men of experience. So they are described, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Go-kharaḥ. Such persons are designated as go-kharaḥ. Go means cow, and kharaḥ means ass. So such people have been described as go-kharaḥ. That means without any intelligence, without any intelligence. So such position, I mean to say, Arjuna, did, I mean to say, manifested. He manifested himself as one of us. Otherwise, there was no possibility of speaking Bhagavad-gītā. Although Arjuna... (aside:) You can take your seat. Come here. Come here. Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

Supreme consciousness, He has distinguished in this way, that we, the, in the battlefield... He first of all made this clear, that "My dear Arjuna, yourself, Myself and all these people who have assembled before us for fighting, all of them as living entities, they existed, and they are existing at present, and they'll continue to exist. They will continue to exist." That means the soul is eternal. Then He has described the nature of the soul and the nature of the body very nicely and has concluded that soul is eternal, but the body is not eternal. Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). Śarīriṇaḥ means one who possesses this body. This thing we have discussed in the second chapter, and in the third chapter Arjuna is advised to adopt the means of karma-yoga. For spiritual emancipation we have to act on the platform of consciousness, and because we are now engaged in material engagement, it is not possible for us to at once get rid of this material consciousness, but we have gradually to get out of it. And that is called karma-yoga. Karma-yoga means you have to adopt this process of karma-yoga in such a way that even within your material body you shall be able to act on spiritual platform, consciousness. That we have already discussed.

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

So this nature of material world is like that. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Chewing the chewed. You chew something, you throw it, and again somebody comes, chewing it. You see: punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Bhāgavata says that they are engaged with this material body and material activities. Just like you are changing, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), we are changing our body from one body to another. Similarly, as, with the change of my body my activities are also changed. The material is supplied by the material nature and my activities are different. In this way I am going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). But we cannot come to the conclusion that if there is any possibility for eternal life or eternal activity or no change, because you don't want change. Even at the time of death you are very sorry because you have to change the body. Even for changing one apartment for another apartment you are sorry. Therefore for a sannyāsī it is recommended that he should not live more than three days in a place. Because as soon as he lives more than three days, he'll get some attachment. Attachment. So he is forbidden. But at the present moment everything has changed. So bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate. We are in the existence of changing, always transforming from one platform to another, one form to another, one business to another. But our nature is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is, all this explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. So how we can get that eternal life, eternal nature, eternal happiness, and eternal knowledge—the Bhagavad-gītā is meant for that purpose. If you are interested for eternity, then Bhagavad-gītā is very congenial.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that you may be very much advanced, you have mitigated all your sufferings, all the problems of life, but these problems of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, birth, death, old age and disease, that you cannot avoid. That is not possible. So, if, but everyone has got the tendency to avoid birth, death, old age, and disease. Why? Because the spirit soul, M am, in reality. I am not subjected to birth, death, old age, and disease. Because I have accepted this material body, therefore apparently I am subject to birth, death and old age. Otherwise, I am eternal.

Just like God is eternal, similarly I am also eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This living entity, the soul, after the annihilation of this body, he does not die. So this is, these are subject matter of knowledge in the human form of life. So etad aviditya without knowing this science, if somebody dies like cats and dog, he is a kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. And one who dies with the knowledge of this brahma-jñāna, self-realization, he is called brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. One who knows Brahman, the Absolute Truth, he is called brāhmaṇa. Therefore our business is to become a brāhmaṇa. Don't think that brāhmaṇas are produced only in India. No. Brāhmaṇa can be produced any part of the world.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

So it is very nice movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to understand yourself, first of all. Then you understand what is God, and as soon as you know God, then you become a fit candidate to go back to home, back to God. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Anyone who knows Me, God says, anyone who knows God, in Truth, then what is the result? The brāhmaṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti, after giving up this body, he does not enter another material body. Then what happens to him? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9), he comes back to Me. So try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Your life will be successful. Your life will be successful. We are giving a great contribution to the human society, to understand God or Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So you can understand God by becoming a devotee. That is not very difficult task. You can become devotee in two ways. It is not difficult. You can study all these Vedic literatures, scientific Vedic literature, you can understand. But, another method is open for everyone. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, that's all. If you simply chant this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, if you don't study... (break)

...to merge into the water is superficial, you will be again evaporated. I am explaining your understanding. Just like you are a drop of water. You are mixed up with the ocean or the water, but in certain season, you will be evaporated again, you will become cloud, and again fall down in the surface, and again you go to the ocean and mix up. So this business will go on.

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

Madhudviṣa: "He is advaita, which means there is no distinction between His body and Himself. Everything is spirit, whereas the conditioned soul is different from His material body. And because the Lord is identical in His body and self, His position is always different from the ordinary living entities, even when He descends to the material platform. The demons cannot adjust themselves to this transcendental nature of the Lord, as the Lord explains in the following verse."

Prabhupāda: Therefore, if we try to understand God by our limited knowledge, it will be a failure. We have to understand God from God. Then that will be perfect knowledge. So this Bhagavad-gītā is the science of God where God is speaking about Himself. And it is accepted by all great scholars, philosophers, and, I mean to say, religionists, everyone. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

Now, the next question is that if He does not change His body, why He takes, comes as incarnation? These are very difficult questions. There are some, many difference of opinions amongst the philosophers. Somebody says that Kṛṣṇa assumes the material body when He comes. No. He doesn't assume the material body like us. Then He could not remember. Just, here is a critical point. If He would have accepted material body like us, then He could not remember because we have got this material body, and due to this material body and change, we cannot remember anything. Therefore the natural conclusion is that He does not change His body.

In the next verse, He says,

ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā
bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san
prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya
sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā
(BG 4.6)

Now this is called... As we generally call, "God is almighty, all-powerful." Now, here this all-powerfulness is explained. That ajo 'pi: "Although I have no birth... I am eternal." Similarly, the living entity, he has also no birth. This birth which we considered as birth, this is a birth of this body. I am also aja. Not that I was born at a certain time and I shall die at a such time. The birth and death which we have accepted, it is due to this body. But I am not this body. That point we have already discussed, that I am not this body.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

So our birth and death calculation is on account of this body. Otherwise, we are as good as Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa is aja, He never takes birth or never dies, there is no birth or death for Kṛṣṇa, similarly, we living entities, we have also no birth and death. We are also eternal. But why this birth and death? This birth and death due to my, this material body. So as soon as we get our original spiritual body and get out of the contamination of this material body, then we shall be as good as Kṛṣṇa. That is the whole process to understand. So we have to...

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that by the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness we shall revive our original spiritual body. And when we revive our original spiritual body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha... (Bs. 5.1). Sat, cit, ānanda. That is the formation of Kṛṣṇa, and that is our formation also. Sat means eternal. Cit means full knowledge. Eternal, full knowledge and ānanda. Ānanda. Ānanda means bliss. Now, we can make distinction from the spiritual body and the material body is this, that as the description of the spiritual body is given, sat-cit-ānanda, eternal, full of knowledge and blissful, so just the opposite number is this material body. It is neither sat, nor cit, nor ānanda. It is not sat. Sat means eternal.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

So as you make your progress, spiritually, as you become hot... Just like I have given several times the example. If a iron, iron put into the fire, it gets warm, warmer, warmer and becomes red hot, and as soon as it is red hot, it is no longer iron. It is fire. The iron, wherever it will touch, it will burn because it has got the quality of fire. Similarly, even if you are in these bodies, material body, if you advance yourself in spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will be spiritualized. Your body will be spiritualized. You'll be no more be affected by this material contamination. The more you make advance, you'll feel it. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. It is not for future tasting, but you'll understand it, understand it. So we have to make our progress in that way.

Now, here Kṛṣṇa says that "Although I am aja..."

ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā
bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san
prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya
sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā
(BG 4.6)

Just like Kṛṣṇa's birth, Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance, is just like the sun, is just like the sun. Now, sun, in the morning, you'll see that it, it appears as if it is born from the eastern horizon. It is not born. The sun is always in the sky. It is the position of the earth in which we understand that sun is now rising from the eastern horizon. He's neither rising, nor he's dipping into the sea. He is, the sun is as it is, in his position, but due to the position, changing position of this earth, we see that the sun is rising and sun is setting. Similarly, the Kṛṣṇa, when He comes as incarnation, He comes just like this, in the same way.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

Just like the example... We can give very tangible example. Just like in the prison house sometimes the head of the country goes to visit, to see, to inspect how the prison life is going on or to give them some instruction, some good lesson, that "Why you are rotting in prison? You become good citizen." Now, suppose the head of the state goes to the prison and to instruct the prisoners, and if the prisoners think, "Oh, he is also a prisoner. The head of the state who has come to instruct, he is also one of the prisoners, like us."

So similarly, if we think that Kṛṣṇa is like us, He is also assumed a material body and He is one of us, then it is a mistake. It is a mistake. That is explained. In the later chapters you'll find. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: (BG 9.11) "Oh, because I appear just like a man, the foolish man considers Me as one of them. But I am not as one of... I am not one of them." Here it is clearly said that "I appear, I appear." Prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya. "I appear in My own spiritual nature. I don't accept this lower nature, this material nature." So we are, when we appear... Just like we have appeared. We have appeared in this material world, accepting this material body, the lower nature. But when Kṛṣṇa comes, He does not accept the lower nature. He comes in His original, superior, or higher, nature. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourselves. Here it is clearly said, prakṛtiṁ svām. Svām means own, personal, internal nature.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

Otherwise, those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, they will accept another material body. Immediately they'll have to enter into the womb of a mother, particular mother. Daiva-netreṇa. As soon as decision is made by superior power that "This living entity has done such and such thing, he should be promoted or degraded. He should enter into such mother's body through the semina of the father," so immediately he's given place in the material body of a mother.

But those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, immediately they are transferred where Kṛṣṇa is there. This is the process. Immediately, by spiritual force.... Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Mām eti. "Immediately he comes to Me." Kṛṣṇa is there.

Within this material world He's also there. In some of the universes. There are innumerable universes, I have already explained. Somewhere He is there. So a devotee just after giving this body, giving up this body, immediately he is transferred to that universe where Kṛṣṇa is there. And when he's trained up, then he is, again, he's transferred to the Goloka Vṛndāvana, the spiritual sky. These are the description of Sanātana Gosvāmī in Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, how a living entity...

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

Tattvataḥ means truth. That is very difficult. Kṛṣṇa says, out of many millions of persons, one tries to become siddha. Siddha means perfect. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. When one knows that "I am not this material body, I am spirit soul, I am eternal servant of God, Kṛṣṇa," that is perfection. So this, for this perfection, out of many millions of persons, one becomes perfect. One who knows.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
(BG 18.54)

So this is also very difficult to become brahma-bhūtaḥ. We are now jīva-bhūtaḥ. But people are not interested to become brahma-bhūtaḥ or devotee of Kṛṣṇa. They are interested to continue this material way of life, changing the body. They do not know. They think this body is all in all, but that is not the fact. That is the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change your body, as you are already changing. These are stated there. So yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). Even those who are siddha... There are many big, big sannyāsīs, impersonalists. They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. It is a fact. They consider Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). So it is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa. But if you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, try to understand Kṛṣṇa from Kṛṣṇa, not otherwise. Then you will understand Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

There were millions and millions of births and appearances and disappearances in past. Because time is unlimited, nitya. There is no... The past, present, future, this is due to this body. Just like a small ant, it's calculation of past, present, and future, and my calculation of past, present, and future are different. Because he has got a different body, I have got a different body, the atom has got a different body. So it is according to the body, past, present, and future. But there is a life where there is no existence of this material body of past, present, and future. Therefore in the eternal world means there is no past, present and future. Because there is no, not this material body. This is the difference between past, present, and future. Therefore it is called nitya. Nitya means eternal, where there is no influence of this time. Here the influence of time is there. Therefore we experience past, present, and future.

Now from this verse, Kṛṣṇa says that tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi. That means "For Me, there is no past and present and future." That means His body is different from Arjuna's. Because He knows... Why I forget? Because I have got this material body. And Kṛṣṇa does not forget, therefore He has no material body. It is natural conclusion. Because past, present, and future is due to this material body. Otherwise, there is no... Just like for the sun. These are all scientific truth. You know when from Russia the first sputnik was started, in one hour they circumambulated twenty-five times the whole world. In one hour and twenty-five minutes.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

So when there is no these material impediments, naturally the life is eternal, the knowledge is eternal, the bliss is eternal. As soon as we are free from this material body, then these questions of past, present, future, pleasure, not pleasure, knowledge, no knowledge, these dualities, this world of duality will finish. The impersonalists, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they think that because the past, present, and future, and this duality is finished, therefore there is no variegatedness. They cannot understand. They cannot accommodate in their tiny brain that this is possible.

Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, now it is established that He hasn't got this material body. It will be confirmed in the Tenth Chapter also: avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Rascals... Mūḍha means rascals. Most ignorant, he is called mūḍha, or an ass. So this word is used there, mūḍha. Mūḍha means rascals. "Rascals, they decry upon Me, Kṛṣṇa, because I am here just like an ordinary man. Mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam. Because I have appeared here as an ordinary man, as Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna's friend or the son of Devakī and Vasudeva, or the descendant in the Yadu dynasty, so many things. Avajānanti. They are decrying Me, neglecting." Why? Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. "They do not know the real constitutional position of Me." Paraṁ bhāvam. Paraṁ bhāvam means "the supreme truth about Me." That supreme truth is partially explained here, that tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi. "I know past, present, and future, but you do not." This is paraṁ bhāvam.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Time has no influence over Kṛṣṇa.

Pradyumna: But time is a feature of Kṛṣṇa, a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Everything is feature of Kṛṣṇa, so time is naturally a feature of Kṛṣṇa.

Pradyumna: If we measure time in this world by our material bodies and yet there is no time in the spiritual sky, but there is difference of type.

Prabhupāda: No. The time influence is not there. Time is eternal. But here the influence of time is acting. Just like this table is new, but by the influence of time it will gradually become old. Therefore there is no influence of time. Every potency of Kṛṣṇa is there, but their activities, as we find here in this material world, they are not there.

Pradyumna: Different time is when the spirit, place, different time and place.

Prabhupāda: No. No. That is the difference between spiritual world and material world. Practically the all variegatedness are there but without any inebriety. That is the difference.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Bombay, March 25, 1974:

Similarly, we had our last birth, but we have forgotten. But Kṛṣṇa does not forget. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and the living entities. I have explained already. We forget because we change body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Dehāntara-prāptiḥ, we do not know what kind of body I had in my last life or what kind of body I am going to accept next life, but there is the law: tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. But Kṛṣṇa does not forget. He knows. That is perfect knowledge. And because we are imperfect, we do not... When we'll be perfect also, we'll remember. But that is, means, spiritual life, no more material body. That can be also possible.

It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). So when we go to Kṛṣṇa, we get the similar body. Although we are subordinate, still, the facility is almost the same, seventy-eight percent. So about Kṛṣṇa it is, in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said,

advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam

ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca

vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.33)

Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam. Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself—ananta-rūpam. Ananta means unlimited. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Now, we are individual souls. So we are also associated with Kṛṣṇa, as Paramātmā within the heart. Paramātmā is there. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15). Where the Paramātmā is there, that is also stated: hṛdi, "in the heart." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. There is no, I mean to say, mistake. Kṛṣṇa says, "I stay within the heart of everyone."

Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:

Our body deteriorates, changes. Just like we are born, a small child, baby. It grows, it stays for some time. Then it makes some byproducts. From this body, we get some children, byproducts. Then we deteriorate in old age, and this body is finished. This is called ṣaḍ-vikāra, six kinds of changes of material body. But Kṛṣṇa hasn't got such changes. Kṛṣṇa's body is avyaya. His mind is avyaya. That means, as we have got difference between our soul and the body, Kṛṣṇa hasn't got that. Avyayātmā. His mind, His body, and His ātmā, His soul, the same thing. Or, or the.... He is Supreme Soul, Whole. There is no difference between His body, His mind and soul. This is to be understood. Avyayātmā.

Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:

If somebody surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, He becomes free from the touch of māyā. Simply by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, if one becomes liberated from the clutches of māyā, how Kṛṣṇa can be under the clutches of māyā? This is foolishness. Those who say that "Kṛṣṇa also accepts this material body," that, that is not the fact.

And another thing is, either the material energy or the spiritual energy, both are Kṛṣṇa's energies. So even He appears like that, He has accepted the material body, that material body does not act as material body. He can change matter into spirit and spirit into matter. Because He is the controller, īśvaraḥ. Bhūtānām īśvaraḥ. He can change that.

Just like electrician. He can change a refrigerator into a heater, and a heater into a refrigerator. Because the same power, electricity, is working. He knows the art, how to change it. But we cannot do that. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourselves. Hm.

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:

Now, our whole thing is to serve the Supreme. Then that's... Now, our designated service... We are now in designated service. That means we, because due to these material bodies, we have manufactured so many service. Service, we cannot... Just like the water cannot be more than a liquid thing, similarly, we cannot be more than a servant, but because we have got so many designation, our service is being rendered in designation. That is the difference. Now, when we become free from the designation and we come to our senses and render service to the Lord, that is our position of freedom, real position. Real position.

So here Lord says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati means that whenever there is some discrepancy in the modes of rendering service of the living entity... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati. Dharmasya means... I have explained to you. Dharmasya means my real nature. Dharma means my real nature. Dharma is not a faith. Dharma is not a designated faith. Dharma is my real nature. So when the real nature of the living entities are jeopardized, then, at that time, to make the adjustment, the Lord comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati. And abhyutthānam, whenever there is discrepancy in the natural sequence and natural life of the human being, and there is artificial increase of sense gratification, at that time, when there is too much sense gratification...

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

The result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). The result is that any person who understands this Kṛṣṇa's activities, His birth and His pastimes, His paraphernalia, everything, the result will..., simply by understanding it, the result will be that after leaving this material body, he goes directly to Kṛṣṇa. He goes directly to Kṛṣṇa. That means he becomes a liberated soul, and he goes to the eternal world, and he becomes in his constitutional position of blissful and knowledge and eternal life. Simply by knowing this. Simply by knowing in truth the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa's birth and activities, one is at once promoted to the, I mean, the transcendental world. This is clearly stated here. Tyaktvā deham.

Just like when... Ordinarily, when we give up these bodies, we quit this body, we have to accept another body. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). We have discussed this point that we living entities, our life is going on simply by changing dresses from one body to another, transmigration of the soul according to our work. So this, this body is dress. Therefore I have got an actual body. Just like at the present moment we think, "This material body is my actual body and there is dress, shirt and coat. The shirt and coat is superficial to this actual body." But here in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that we have got our real, spiritual body, separate from the material covering. And as we give up old garments, old dress, and take up another, new dress, another new garment, similarly, we give up this body, material body when it is old enough, when it cannot be used or... Then we give it up, and we take another body. And this change of body is going on every moment and every second. This point also we have discussed.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

He is a friend of all saintly persons. He's a friend. So our endeavor to become Kṛṣṇa conscious is a saintly endeavor, and so He also cooperates.

And this is the process, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23), chanting and hearing of this Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with aural reception, submissive aural reception. That very process will teach us the truth of the Kṛṣṇa science, and when we understand the Kṛṣṇa science, automatically we understand what is Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as we understand Kṛṣṇa, the next result is that after leaving this material, this present material body, we go at once to the kingdom of Kṛṣṇa. This is the whole process. Tyaktvā deham, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Then he does not come again to this miserable world. He goes back to Godhead, back to home.

And what is that home? That you'll find. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Such description is there also in the Bhagavad-gītā, what is the position of that transcendental world. Na tad bhāsayate sūryaḥ. There is no, there is no need of the sun. There is no need of the moon. There is no need of electricity. That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Purport: "The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the sixth verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage, and therefore he returns to the kingdom of God immediately after quitting his present material body. Such liberation of the living entity from material bondage is not at all easy. The impersonalist and the yogi attain liberation only after much trouble and many, many births. Even then their liberation is..."

Prabhupāda: Try to understand bondage, what is bondage. We are thinking we are very, we are free. We are declaring that "We belong to the free nation" or "free community," or everyone is seeking after freedom. But nobody is free. Nobody is free. Everyone is under the stringent laws of nature. So bondage means to remain under the condition of material laws. That is called bondage.

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

Is there anything wrong? From the point of view, American citizenship, you are as good as President Nixon. But when you go deep into the matter, you will find, oh, you are far, far away from President Nixon. Similarly, we are identifying ourself with this matter, but Vedas says that "You are not matter. You are supreme spirit soul." Not supreme, "You are spirit soul."

That understanding is tat tvam asi. You have to understand ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman. I am not matter." Our disease is that I am identifying with this matter, "I am this material body," which is foreign to me. This is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā instruction, that "You are not this body."Tat tvam asi: "You are spirit soul." So we also have to accept. We are accepting that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul." But my constitutional position is part and parcel of the supreme whole. So just like the gold mine and a small particle of gold. That small particle of gold is also gold. But that does not mean it has the same value as the gold mine. Tat tvam asi. Just like a drop of sea water. Chemical composition is the same. Salty taste is the same.

Similarly, if you can understand yourself, then you can understand even God. If you study yourself, that "Although I am very small..." What to speak of myself? Even a small ant, it has got individuality. A ant is going on. You stop it. It will struggle. That means it wants to keep its individuality. Therefore, if you are the same, then God is also individual. He is not impersonal. Immediately you can understand. How you can...? I have got so much... I am so small, tiny; still, I have got my individuality, personality, and how God can be impersonal? Even a common sense man can understand.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

Please try to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa and see the result. It is so nice movement. (break)

...take it very seriously that "Here is an animal. Here is a tree. They have also got life. They are also living entities as we are. Simply it is different body. That's all." He has got that sort of body; I have got this sort of body. But the demands of the body are there. Even in cats and dog the eating, sleeping, mating and defending... There is four symptoms of life. The cat also, or dog also, eat; we also eat. They also sleep; we also sleep. They have their sex desires; we have got our sex desire. We want to defend from enemies; they also want to defend from enemies. Similarly, in every species of life we will find these four principles existing.

How you can say that you are better than him? You are better than him when you understand how the laws of material nature is working so that one has become tree to stand up for ten thousands of years, and I have got all freedom to move and to make education, to go to the school, colleges, take education, advancement of knowledge. That is the difference between tree and me. So far necessities of the body, material body, is concerned, the demand is there; demand is here. You can accept from that type of body, by this body, simply by understanding, by advancing in knowledge. And the perfection of knowledge is to know who is God. Or where is God. That is perfection. So long one does not understand what is God or the Absolute Truth by whom everything is being emanated, the knowledge is imperfect. Knowledge is not finished. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births of cultivating knowledge, one comes to the understanding of accepting God is the prime source, fountainhead of everything." That is perfection of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Bombay, March 28, 1974:

These are the statements of Bhagavad-gītā. We should study Bhagavad-gītā very nicely. We can understand. But mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). If you prepare your life to become a perfect pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then you go to Kṛṣṇa. What is the difference between going to the Brahmaloka and Kṛṣṇaloka? If you go to Kṛṣṇaloka, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6), then you haven't got to return again to accept another material body. You go to Kṛṣṇa means you go with your spiritual body. No more material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9).

So we should cultivate knowledge in that way, that "I am prepared for the next life." So somebody is preparing for the next life to go to the heavenly planet and somebody is going to the Pitṛlokas. Somebody wants to remain within this world as human being or even animals. Because if we contact with the modes of ignorance, then adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ (BG 14.18). These are the rules of prakṛti. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Guṇaiḥ karmāṇi. As you are associating with the particular type of the modes of material nature, you are preparing your next life.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:

The difference between the appearance of God and appearance of myself is that I appear in different bodies as it is offered by the material nature according to my karma; God appears in His own original body. That is the difference. And because God appears in His own original body, therefore He is not forgetful of the past, present and future. And so far we are concerned, because we appear in different material bodies, therefore we forget our past, present and future. This is the difference. And in this verse it is specifically mentioned here that janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Divyam means divine, spiritual, transcendental. Our appearance and disappearance is different from the Lord's appearance and disappearance.

One has to learn the subject matter. And how it can be learned? Simply by service attitude. Sevonmukhe. We cannot learn this transcendental subject matter by challenge. If we are submissive, if we are engaged in His service, then, by His divine grace, He reveals Himself. Everything understanding of Lord, that is revelation. By our experimental knowledge, we cannot understand what is God. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our senses are now materially contaminated; therefore we cannot understand what is God, what is His appearance, what is His disappearance. This is not possible. The whole thing is to accept the purificatory process of the senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170).

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

Similarly we are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's body. We are vibhinnāṁśa. Kṛṣṇa expands in two ways, svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. The vibhinnāṁśa expansion we are, we living entities. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, we have come to enjoy this material world, we are becoming infected with the modes of material nature, and accepting different types of body, 8,400,000 species of life. But somehow or other if we come in contact with Kṛṣṇa, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa's confidential devotees, then our life becomes success. That is described here. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then this transmigration of the soul stops. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti.

Punar janma naiti, does not mean that soul is finished. No. This body, material body, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This material body, when it is dissolved, pañcatvaṁ prāpta, mixes with these five elements, earth, water, fire, air, it does not mean that the soul is finished. The soul is there. The soul is transmigrating to another body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). By the supervision of the external energy, and superior superintendent, we are transferred to a different body by the subtle body, mana, buddhi, ahaṅkāra. But these foolish people, they do not know how the soul is... They do not know what is soul and how the soul is being transferred. But these things are all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like we cannot see the flavor, but when the flavor passes through carried by the air, we can smell. Similarly, we can smell how the soul is being transferred. These processes are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

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

Lord Kṛṣṇa says that "The process of My birth and the process of My activities, they are all transcendental." And anyone who can understand the transcendental activities, appearance, disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then the result is that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). The result is that anyone who understands these transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord, tattvataḥ, in truth, the result is that he becomes a liberated person.

Tyaktvā deham. Tyaktvā means by quitting, by giving up this present material body he at once is transferred to the spiritual world. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). He does not require to come back here in this material world to have this material body. He at once develops his own spiritual body just like Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Simply by understanding the transcendental activities and the appearance and disappearance, he becomes fully spiritualized, and the result is that he at once... He does not get. The spiritual body is already existing. I am spirit; I have got my spiritual body, but that body is now covered by this matter.

So by understanding the transcendental activities of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can become liberated. And what is the result of that liberation? That is also spoken in the Eighth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord says, mām upetya tu kaunteya: "My dear Arjuna, Kaunteya, son of Kuntī, please note it that mām upetya, anyone who comes to Me," mām upetya tu kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvataṁ nāpnuvanti (BG 8.15), "that he does not come again to this material world, which is duḥkhālayam, duḥkhālayam, a place of misery."

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

So here the Lord says that janma karma me divyam: (BG 4.9) "My appearance and disappearance..." Mark this word, "appearance and disappearance." "Birth and death" is not applicable to Lord. "Birth and death" is applicable to this material body. The material body has its birth, and the material body has its death, dissolution. But the spiritual body is eternal. It has neither death nor birth. Therefore the spiritual body—the exact language to be used, "appearance and disappearance."

I have several times spoken in this meeting. Just like the sun. The sun disappears and appears. For the sun there is no question of birth and death because sun is eternal. So anything eternal... So when the Lord comes it is just like the sun appear and sun disappears. It does not mean because we do not see Kṛṣṇa just now in our presence... Of course, in transcendental sense, when we acquire that transcendental sense, we see Kṛṣṇa through this Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā is Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavad-gītā is not different from Kṛṣṇa. That is the, I mean to say, sense of absolute knowledge. In the absolute world there is no difference between the person and the words.

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

And what are these? Rāga, attachment. In the lowest stage of our life, when we do not know what I am, I consider this body myself. This deluded conception of life, that "I am this body," this is deluded conception. And when we have got too much attachment for this deluded conception of life, that is called rāga. Rāga. Mostly people, generally, they are acting in this material world with this conception of life, that "I am this material body." So they are working whole day and night for making a comfortable life of this material body. So they are called in the stage of rāga, attachment. Attachment.

And the next stage is bhaya. Bhaya. And what is that bhaya? Fear. Now, that... (aside:) Please don't talk. Bhaya means that... There are persons, transcendentalists, who are culturing transcendental knowledge, but they are very much afraid of conceiving that there is another world which is spiritual world, and that is also similar like this world, and the Personality of Godhead is there, and we have to go there, and we have to live as His servitor. So we carry the ideas of this world to that world. Therefore we are afraid. There are many transcendentalists who like the impersonal conception of the Supreme Truth. As soon as personal conception of the Supreme Truth is presented there, they are afraid of: "Oh, it is something material. It is not real." This is called bhaya. But actually it is not that.

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

Krodha means there are other persons who are neither impersonalists nor personalists. They are what are called more or less atheists. Atheist means they don't believe in any transcendental nature. Even they do not believe in the existence of the soul. They simply concern themselves with this material body. Just like Buddha philosophy. Buddha philosophy does not accept the existence of the soul. Buddha philosophy says that this material body is a combination of matter. Now, as soon as the matter is dissolved, then the feelings of happiness and distress is gone. But according to Bhagavad-gītā, the existence of soul is accepted in the Vedic literature.

Just like after Lord Buddha, Śaṅkarācārya, Śaṅkarācārya came. He gave hint about the spiritual nature of the soul, and he said, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "This matter is false and temporary, but spirit is eternal." And other ācāryas, just like Rāmānujācārya and Madhvācārya, they came after Śaṅkarācārya, and they established that in the spiritual world there is also life like this, but that is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:

Anyway, if one is serious, then he has to follow this principle. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). Bhaya-krodhāḥ. Bhaya means fearfulness. That is one of the qualifications of conditioned life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Four things. So long we are in conditioned stage, this material body, these things are demands. To eat and to sleep and to become fearful, defend, defend and, āhāra-nidrā, and maithuna, sexual intercourse. These are the four demands of this material body.

And everyone is busy. How to eat... You'll find in Bombay city so many restaurants. Every step a restaurant. Eating. That is going on. Every city, all over the world. Everywhere. Eating. And then sleeping. Nice apartment. And then defense measure. And then very happily have sexual intercourse. These are the demands.

So tapasya means to reduce these. That is tapasya. Tapasya... This is the general demand of the body, and if you want to be free from this material bondage, then you have to undergo tapasya. Tapasya means these demands of the body voluntarily reducing and coming to the point of nil. That is liberation. That is tapasya. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10). But here, very nicely Kṛṣṇa de... It can be, tapasya can be executed very easily if one becomes man-mayā, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Man-mayā.

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

(lecture translated into Italian throughout) Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to thank you for your kindly participating in this festival. This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is a spiritual movement. There is spirit soul within the body, and the material body is covering, just like shirt and coat, of the spirit soul. The spirit soul somehow or other is encaged within this material body. The problems of life there are many, but they are pertaining to the body. Real problem is how to get the spirit soul out of this material encagement. The body has got attachment for material enjoyment. Therefore in this verse it is said, vīta-rāga, how to become detached from this material attachment. Rāga means attachment; vīta-rāga, giving up this attachment. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). Bhaya means fearfulness, and krodha means anger. Because we are attached to the material enjoyment, we are also very much always fearful how our enjoyment may not be disturbed. And if our material enjoyment is not fulfilled, we become angry. This is our position on account of this material body. Therefore spiritual culture means how to get out of this attachment, fearfulness and the position of becoming angry.

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

Actually, at the present moment, there is no education of the understanding of spiritual life. Everyone is interested with this material body only. Nobody is educated, neither interested in the spiritual life. But unless you take interest in spiritual life, our this material condition of miserable life will continue. The miserable conditions of material life have been pointed out by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says that the problem of life is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), meaning that birth, death, old age and disease, these are our problems. So long we are materially attached, we have to accept a type of body according to our resultant action of activities. There are 8,400,000 species of bodies. And after death, we have to accept one of the bodies. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). We have to accept another body. We do not know what kind of body we are going to accept again. But you can accept a..., one of the bodies as you select. That selection must be made in this life.

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

Means that if you simply try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, why does He appear in this material world, what are His actual activities—if these three things you can understand, then after giving up this body, you don't accept any more material body, but in your spiritual body go back to home, back to Godhead. Of course, it is very difficult task to understand Kṛṣṇa, but it is due to our misunderstanding or uncleanliness of the consciousness. If the consciousness is cleansed, then you can very easily understand what is Kṛṣṇa. This cleanliness of the consciousness can be effected by chanting the transcendental vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. It is open to all. It is not a secret thing. We are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very loudly. Everyone can hear it and chant it. If you regularly chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then gradually your consciousness will be cleansed. The process of advancement in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is said in the Vedic literature, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). The first installment of benefit by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is that your consciousness becomes cleansed. And as soon as your consciousness becomes cleansed, the tribulations or the miserable condition of material life becomes extinguished. The miserable condition of material life is compared to the blazing fire in the forest. As it is very difficult to extinguish the forest fire, similarly, the problems of material life cannot be extinguished simply by material benefits. As the blazing fire in the forest cannot be extinguished by the help of fire brigade or bucketful of water, similarly, by material adjustment, the problems of material miseries cannot be solved.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:

There are two natures. Just like you can understand, you are combination of two nature, the material nature and the spiritual nature. This gross body is material nature. It is made of earth, fire, water, air, ether, and mind, intelligence and ego. And the spiritual nature is yourself, the spirit soul, the living force, which is sustaining these material bodies. So both these natures, the material nature and the spiritual nature, they are different energies of God. Just like the fire has got two energies, namely, the heat and light, similarly, God has got two nature. One is called material nature and the other is called spiritual nature. So this cosmic manifestation which we experience is combination of material nature and spiritual nature. The material nature is called inferior nature, and the spiritual nature is called the superior nature. The material nature is inferior because the superior nature living entity controls over it. We have got experience. Just like a big machine, computer, or any other machine, it is combination of matter, but it cannot work independently until and unless there is touch of the spiritual nature, a human being. The big airplane is floating in the... (break) ...I mean to say, mechanical arrangement. But unless there is the pilot, it cannot work. Similarly, you try to understand that this material nature, cosmic manifestation, however wonderful it may be, unless there is direction of the Supreme Being, it is useless. So if you have understood the difference between material nature and the spiritual nature, then try to understand that as you have got experience of this material nature, there is another nature, another sky, another planetary system, everything another. That is all made of spiritual nature.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:

If I ask you how many hairs you have got on your head, you do not know. Similarly, we have got this body. I am claiming my body, but I am not in full knowledge of my own body. And what to speak of knowing your body or other's body? Not only body, the mind, intelligence, and ego. What is going on in your mind, I do not know. Neither you know what is going on in my mind. We are so ignorant. Therefore this body is temporary and full of ignorance. And what to speak of blissfulness? It is always miserable. Here, because we have got this body, we suffer the pains of cold and heat. This is only one example. It is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Śīta means cold. Just like in winter we suffer. In summer also, we suffer. Both seasons, we suffer. So why we suffer? Because we have got this temporary material body. And therefore Kṛṣṇa says,

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
(BG 2.14)

The idea is that we should not be disturbed by these material miseries, which come and go like this change of season. It is not permanent. At the present moment, the whole human civilization is simply disturbed by the change of this cold and heat. Our all activities are there—how to stop this miserable condition of the body, which is impossible to stop.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:

So if we simply become affected by the miserable condition... The miserable condition in the material world must be there. You cannot stop this miserable condition of material existence. It will come and go away. It will simply disturb you. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). One has to be detached from this coming and going, miserable condition of material existence. And how it is possible? That is also said, man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ. "One has to be absorbed in My thought and has to take My shelter." The jñāna means knowledge. Knowledge means one must know that "I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God. Somehow or other, I have been entangled in this material body."

So we have to cure this disease, material disease, accepting this material body. Our real problem, which is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam... (BG 13.9). Our real problem is that we are accepting a material body, and after some days, we are giving up the present material body, and we are accepting another material body. How we are accepting different bodies? That you have got experience. Just like you, I, both of us, had a small child body. That is now gone. The boy's body is now gone. The youthful body is now gone. Now I have got a different body. But I know that I had such and such body. Similarly, when this body will be useless, I cannot use it, I will have to accept another body. That we have got experience daily, in day and night. When we sleep at night, although we have got this body lying on my bed, I accept another body, subtle body, and I go to another place and dream. Similarly, at night, when I give up that subtle body, which took me far away from my bed, again I come and accept this material body and wake up.

Death means to leave this body and carried by the subtle body to another gross body. That is called death. We are carried by the mind, intelligence and ego, subtle body. Just like we can experience a good scent of rose flower is carried by the air. We cannot see, but we know that the flavor is being carried by the air. Similarly, although we do not see how the spirit soul is being carried by the subtle body, but it is being carried, and it is being put into the womb of another mother to develop another gross body.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:

Just like a fish, when it is put into the land, it is unhappy, or death. Similarly, if you, the creature of the land, if you are put into the water, you are unhappy. And death. So because we belong to the spiritual nature... As it is explained by Kṛṣṇa, that this material nature is aparā, aparā. Aparā means inferior, not fit for us. Therefore we are unhappy. So long we shall remain in the material nature, we must be unhappy.

Just like this body. This body is made of material nature, and we are within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). So long we have got this body, material body, we must be unhappy. First of all, we must try to understand why we are unhappy. We are unhappy because we are in this material body. And the... What is that unhappiness? It is ending in four principles, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). To take birth and again to die, and so long we live we must suffer from some disease, and we must become old. Plain truth.

Therefore intelligent persons must be aware of the miserable condition of this material existence and try to get out of it. Is there any doubt? Eh? This is the fact. So our only business is how to get out of this material existence. That is our only business, not that how we can adjust things here and become happy. That is called karmī, fools. It is a fact that so long you'll be here in this material world, however you may try to adjust things to become happy, it will be never possible. It will be never possible.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:

Therefore kāṅkṣa, akāṅkṣa. So if you become transcendentally situated, brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), there will be no more akāṅkṣa. There will be no more hankering either for this or that. Because he knows... That is called jñāna. So after jñāna... That is required. Jñāna, in the human form of life, this knowledge is required. The animals cannot have jñāna. The human beings can have jñāna. This is knowledge, that "So long I'll possess this material body, I'll have to suffer. I'll have to suffer." Unless you come to this conclusion, there is no progress.

If we remain attached to these bodily pains and pleasures... Of course, nobody wants pains, but for pleasure you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Of course, gradually you'll come to knowledge. That is not our aim. Our aim is that the pains and pleasure; so-called pleasure—actually pain—this will continue so long we have got this body.

Therefore we have to practice tapasya, penance. Simple thing: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. This is tapasya, voluntarily accepting... Those who are practiced to all these bad habits... So they will feel some pain, but you accept that pain. Then this pain will be over, this material pain. Just like sometimes for curing some disease the doctor says that injection or surgical operation. That is painful, but to cure the disease we should accept that thing. Similarly, if you want to become free from this material body, then you should accept, accept this pain. This is not pain. It is simply imagination. Actually, it is pleasure.

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

So Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Kṛṣṇa, His body is not material body. Those who are thinking Kṛṣṇa's body as material, they are called Māyāvādīs. But actually, Kṛṣṇa's body is not material. The evidence is that Kṛṣṇa knows past, present and future. In the material body that is not possible. Just like I had my previous body in my previous birth, but I don't remember. If somebody asks me, "What you were in your previous life?" it is very difficult. Because death means forgetfulness.

We are not dying. So far we are, living entities are concerned, we are not dying. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We do not die. This is a disease, that we accept a foreign body, material body. And the foreign body is a machine. Just like you have got a car. You can ride on, drive on the car so long the machine is working. But as soon as the machine does not work, you have to change your car. It is like that.

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

So here Kṛṣṇa is giving you the idea, how you can get out of this material entanglement. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). In the material life we are attached to four things: āhāra-nidrā-bhaya... Bhaya means fearfulness. So the fearfulness must be there. Because we accepted this material body, there must be always, we must be always afraid. Not only we, even a small ant or birds and beasts, everyone. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Always full of anxiety. Why? Asad-grahāt. Because we have accepted this body, asat. Asato mā gama, sad gama. That is the Vedic injunction. "Don't keep yourself in this asat material world." Sad gama. Jyotir gama. Tamasi mā. These are the Vedic injunctions.

So here Kṛṣṇa says that "Many people..." Bahavaḥ. Not only one or two. Kṛṣṇa says, bahavo jñāna-tapasā. Jñāna, knowledge, and tapasā, austerities. So this human life is meant for jñāna and tapasā. Then we become purified. Jñāna-tapasā pūtā. Pūtā means purified. We have to purify our existence. This is human activity. Just like we are training. We are training our students how to become purified. No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no gambling, and what is the other?

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

The exact verse is in Sanskrit that jīvas, the living entities, they are ananta. Ananta means there is no limit, how many there are. Ananta, unlimited. Unlimited. And a small. Just like in the material world also, you will find unlimited atomic existence, similarly, in the spiritual also, there are unlimited spiritual atoms. And one of the atoms is myself and yourself or the ant or the elephant. Everyone is containing that atomic portion of spiritual energy. And from that atomic spiritual energy develops this material body, from that spiritual.

The matter cannot develop. Matter cannot develop. That you have got experience. A dead body does not develop. A living body develops. A child, when it comes out of the mother's womb, if the child is dead, oh, there is no further development, however you can keep the child in a very antiseptic way preserved. No. There is no development. Therefore it is concluded that the supreme spirit, Kṛṣṇa, from Him everything has come out. Everything has come out. Any stage you take, that is Kṛṣṇa.

And whenever I surrender... Because my position is to surrender. I am spiritual, that atom, however big body I can develop. I can develop the body like an elephant, but the elephant is conducted under the direction of a man. You know? Such a big animal is controlled by a small boy of human being. So everyone is under control. We cannot deny that. So we have to... We are under control of different dimensions of that spiritual energy covered by material energy. But the real control is from Kṛṣṇa. That we have to understand.

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

As in the matter there is atom, similarly, spirit there is atom. Simply... Now, both these, beginning from the supreme down to the atom, this is, they are expansions of different energies of Kṛṣṇa, either this material atom or the spiritual atom. Now, we are spiritual atoms. We living entities, we are spiritual atoms, and by material atomic combination we have developed this body, although this material body is foreign to me. Similarly, we can develop our spiritual body also in the spiritual world. Is it clear? Just like in the material world, in combination with matter we have developed this material body. Do you believe in this, that "I am spiritual atom, and I have developed this material body on the basis of spiritual atom?" It is a fact. It is a fact.

Just like in the mother's womb when the spiritual atom takes place, then it grows, it forms the material body. Without that spiritual atom, there cannot be any growth of body. Simply sex intercourse does not give guarantee of pregnancy. Unless that spiritual atom is there, the body does not grow. That is... We get information from authoritative śāstra. So the whole material world is also grown up upon the spiritual existence. And our whole problem is that instead of having this material body, we have to get our spiritual body. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious... That is the benefit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9).

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

Devotee: Are things bounded by space in the spiritual world. In other words...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. That is only spiritual. As you have got a material space, similarly, there is spiritual space. As you have got material body, similarly, you have got spiritual body.

Janārdana: What is the difference between spiritual body and spiritual atoms?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Matter is not eternal, and spirit is eternal. Matter is full of ignorance, and spirit is full of knowledge. Matter is full of unpleasantness, and spirit is full of pleasure, sac-cid-ānanda. That is the difference between matter and spirit.

Janārdana: And what is the difference between spiritual atoms and spiritual bodies? Or are they the same thing?

Prabhupāda: No. Spiritual atom... Just like from the spiritual body, you have developed this material body, similarly, from the spiritual atom, you can develop your spiritual body. Tyaktvā deham. Tyaktvā deham means that giving up this material body, he develops his spiritual body and then goes to the kingdom of God, or Kṛṣṇa. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). So when he goes to Kṛṣṇa, he goes in spiritual body. So there is potency of every living being. Just like he has got the potency of developing this material body, similarly, he has got the potency of developing spiritual body. Is it any difficulty to understand?

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

So our problem is that we are suffering all kinds of miseries on account of this material body. Now, our business should be that we shall be cultured in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that in next life will be my spiritual body. Then the solution of all problems solved. And so long we shall get material body repeatedly—just like we give up this dress and take another dress, similarly, we shall continue—then the four kinds of miseries, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), or at least these four kinds of miseries—the miseries of birth, the miseries of death, and the miseries of old age, and miseries of diseases—we have to suffer. And as soon as you get spiritual body, all these miseries over. Because your body is no more subjected to birth and death, disease and old age. That life is eternal, full of knowledge, and blissful. That you can get simply by studying the nature of Kṛṣṇa, transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa. So we are hankering after so many things. We are taking the leadership of this leader, that leader, that leader just to relieve, get relief from our temporary misery. So our duty should be just to get rid of all misery by developing that spiritual body. That should be the aim of life. And that is possible by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Any other questions? Oh.

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

Guest (2): Eternal thoughts (force?).

Prabhupāda: No. Miseries are not eternal. You can end your miseries. But if you want to end miseries materially, that is temporary. If you end your miseries spiritually, that is permanent. Just like in this world we are also trying to end our miseries. Suppose I am distressed or I am diseased. I go to hospital to end my misery. But that misery are not permanent, er, that end of misery is not permanent, temporary. I can get again disease. So long I have got this material body, that miseries can be repeated. That disease can be repeated. But if you get your spiritual body, then there is no more question of miseries. Yes?

Devotee: Is human birth superior in terms of self-realization? Is it superior to the demigods?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Demigod is also like you. Just like in the human society there are difference of bodies. One body is richer than the other body. One body is happier than the other body in material estimation. Similarly, in the higher planets there are different bodies who are happier than persons who are living in this earthly planet. It is estimated that their standard of living is higher.

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

Woman: No, I don't understand that I have got a spiritual body really.

Prabhupāda: Oh, then... (chuckles) That you take information from Bhagavad-gītā. There is spiritual body. And why it is difficult to understand? You can understand it that your material body has developed from that atomic existence of spirit. You can understand that?

Woman: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Similarly, from that atomic spiritual existence, you can develop your spiritual body. What is the difficulty? It is the same process. As you have developed your material body, similarly, you can develop your spiritual body. What is the difficulty in understanding it?

Woman: But by merging, we come to be all alone, one spirit.

Prabhupāda: You are merged in matter; still, you have got your individual existence. What is your body? This is matter. Is it not? Then are you not merged with matter? Then still you have got your individual existence. Don't you agree? Similarly, I may merge in the spiritual existence, but still, my individuality will be there. You are merged already in this matter. Just like when you leave this body, your body will be transformed into earth. That means it is already merged. Still, you have got separate existence. And what is that separate existence? Due to that spirit. So even in the matter, if the spirit can maintain separate existence, don't you think in spirit it cannot maintain its separate existence?

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Bombay, April 1, 1974:

The immediate result and remote result is described in Sanskrit word, śreyas and preyas. Preyas means immediate benefit and śreyas means ultimate benefit. So those who are interested in the ultimate benefit go back to home, back to Godhead. For them, worshiping the Supreme Lord is most beneficial. And those who are interested in the matter of temporary benefit, dhanaṁ dehi, rūpaṁ dehi, yaśo dehi. Just like by worshiping Goddess Durgā we want all these things. But we forget that whatever we get, material benefit, with the end of this material body, everything is lost. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "At the end, I, as death, I take away all your material possession." Sarva-haro mṛtyuḥ.

So that is not good. We, because we are eternal—nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)—we should be after eternal happiness, eternal benefit. That should be our business. Therefore we should not be karma-ja, not karmī. Neither we should become jñānīs. We should become yogi. And what kind of yogi? Bhakti-yogī. Because there are different types of yoga practices. Out of that, bhakti-yoga is the topmost. Because Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Without being in the bhakti-yoga, neither you can be happy, nor you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa and what is your relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). If you want to be happy, then bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ, it can be possible. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. That is stated, naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18).

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

Generally, people are karmajā. Karmajā means one who wants to enjoy the fruit of his labor. Everyone in this material world, they have come to enjoy. So therefore they are working so hard. We have seen in big, big cities, especially in the Western world, they are working very, very hard.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma.
nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ
(SB 5.5.4)

People do not understand that because we have got this material body, the sufferings are there. We are spirit. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. We are all spirit soul. But somehow or other, some way or otherwise, we have contacted this material world, and we are bound up by our karma, or fruitive, result of fruitive activities. And the result is this body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapatti (SB 3.31.1).

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

So let me worship Lord Śiva or Lord..., this, Goddess Durgā, or Gaṇeśa, or Sūrya..." There are so many, recommended. So that is condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā that tad bhavaty alpa, antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23).

But people are... They do not care. Of course, those who are worshiping demigods, apart from them, there are many atheists. They don't care for anything. They want simply sense enjoyment. But it is said that you can get some immediate profit by worshiping different demigods. That is all right. But that is not your permanent benefit. Because karmaṇā, you are creating... Karmaṇāṁ siddhim. You are getting some profit by your karma, fruitive karma, but you are creating another life, another life. To enjoy the fruitive result of this karma you'll have to wait for next life. So next life means another material body. So another material body means another term of suffering, another chapter of suffering. That they do not understand.

Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva advising that "This is not good. Don't be engaged in karma, fruitive activities." If you be engaged in fruitive activities, karma, then you'll have to accept another material body. That may be a cat's body or dog's body or demigod's body or... Body you'll have to... But as soon as you have a material body, then you'll suffer. The... One who does not understand this philosophy, he's called alpa-medhasa, poor fund of knowledge. Poor fund of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

So anyone who has got all these assets, so how it should be utilized? Avicyutaḥ arthaḥ, infallible decision has been made. What is that? Yad-uttamaśloka-guṇānuvarṇanam: "Just try to glorify the Supreme Lord." With your money, with your intelligence, with your power, with your influence, whatever you have got. Education, departmental knowledge. Try to glorify the Supreme Lord. Then it is perfect.

And if you spoil it or simply sense gratification, the Bhāgavata, Ṛṣabhadeva says, na sādhu manye: "Oh, this is not good. This is not good." "Why it is not good? I am enjoying life. Why it is not good?" No, he says, na sādhu manye yata ātmanaḥ ayam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ: (SB 5.5.4) "If you be engaged in these fruitive activities to enjoy this material world, then you'll have to accept another material body." Karmaṇāṁ siddhim. Another material body. And if you accept another material body, then you'll have to accept again death, again old age, again disease. So what is the benefit? That is not benefit.

Therefore Bhāgavatam says that even if you have got desire to enjoy this material world, still, you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

So, but your problem is eternal life. Why you should be engaged iha devatāḥ? Because iha devatāḥ means iha will be finished, your devatā will be finished, you'll be finished, everything will be finished. But your problem is how to come to the eternal point. That is stated also by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā that janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Not iha. Stand there, in the spiritual world. If you simply try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, then the result will be that after giving up this body, no more material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). No more punar janma.

That is required. But they do not understand it. They want quick result for some sense gratification, but implicate himself in the tangle, entanglement of getting again birth and death. That is going on. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the most beneficial welfare activities to the human society because by awakening them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are saved from this danger of repetition of birth and death. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

Now here is a chance to stop this nonsense of transmigrating from one body to another and suffer the material miseries. Here is a chance. And how that chance you are going to utilize? That we have already discussed. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). If somebody simply studies critically the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, the transcendental nature of His activities, simply by knowing this, the benefit will be that tyaktvā deham, after quitting this body, you are not again going to have such a material body, but tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma... (BG 4.9). Punar janma means you are not going to take your birth again in the womb of a mother of this material nature.

So just believe it. It is standard. It is accepted by all the great stalwart scholars and ācāryas of repute. Just like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, great scholars and ācāryas. They have accepted it. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We have to follow the footprints of great saints and sages, those who have achieved success by this indication of Bhagavad-gītā. Don't follow your whims. Take the standard advice. Just try to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Just try to understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa. And the result is that after leaving this body, you are no more going to accept any material body, but you enter into the spiritual kingdom and you have your spiritual body which is eternal, full of knowledge and blissful. This is the chance.

So Kṛṣṇa says... Although the chance is there, people, out of foolishness... Exactly this very word has been used in the Seventh Chapter.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

So some of them are in the modes or quality of goodness, and some of them are in the quality of passion, and some of them are in the quality of ignorance. Those who are in the quality of goodness, they are called brāhmaṇas, or the intelligent class of men. In Sanskrit language, because intelligence, intelligence does not mean to know, to have some knowledge of the material things. Intelligence means to know about the spiritual world also. That is intelligence.

Because as you know that I am combination of matter and spirit... I am spirit, and I am now entangled in this material body. I am spirit, consciousness. As soon as I am out of this body, I can distinguish or... I cannot distinguish because I will go away. You can distinguish that "Now this real Swamiji's spirit is gone; the Swamiji's material body is here." So it is very plain thing. Therefore we should not only have perfect knowledge of this matter, but we should have perfect knowledge of the spirit also, if we are actually intelligent. Therefore the brāhmaṇas... Why they are called brāhmaṇas? Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. Brahmin, it is English transcription. But real word is brāhmaṇa, brāhmaṇa. And wherefrom this brāhmaṇa word comes? Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. That means one who knows the spirit, the spiritual. One who has got complete knowledge of the spiritual world, he is called brāhmaṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- New York, April 8, 1973:

If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you can get a body. Not get... You have already got the body, spiritual body. And upon that spiritual body, this material body has developed. Just like dress. Your coat is cut according to your body. Similarly, this materially body is cut according our spiritual body. So we have got our spiritual body. This material body is covering. Vāsāṁsi jirṇāni.

Just like dress. Your shirt and coat is the covering of your real body. Similarly, this body, gross body and subtle body, made of material elements... The gross body is made of earth, water, air, fire. And the subtle body's made of mind, intelligence and ego. This is the shirt and coat. Within this shirt and coat, there is the soul. So the soul is now encaged in this material body. And our business in the human form of body. In animal form of body, we cannot do this. But the human form of body we can understand that "I am not this body." The body, this material body, is a outer encagement, and, because I have got this body, I am subjected to birth, death, old age and disease.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- New York, April 8, 1973:

Now, in the human form of body... (indistinct) I understand it. So if I take the process, how to get out of this cycle of birth and death, then our human life is successful.

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. How, we are helping people how to get out of this material body, and revive your own spiritual body and, in that spiritual body, you go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the process. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). But people are so attracted to this material body that they are prepared to become cats and dogs next life, but they are not prepared to go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the problem.

So why this problem? Because the human society is in chaos. A chaotic condition. There must be division of four classes. One class must be brāhmaṇa, intelligent class of men. And one should be kṣatriya, one class, the administrators. Because human society, they require good consulting brain, good administrators, good producers and good worker. That is the division of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says: catur varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). In order to keep smooth facilities for human life, there must be four divisions. If you say that don't, "We don't require brāhmaṇa,"... If you don't require brāhmaṇa, then you'll suffer.

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

This is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. We are now covered by the material energy. Just like we are covered now by the shirt and coat differently, but if we open our shirt and coat, we are human being, similarly, we are part and parcel of God. Now we are covered by this material body, subtle and gross. Subtle material body is mind, intelligence, and ego, and gross material body means five elements: earth, water, air, fire, ether. So this is our situation.

So all we living entities, those who are within this material world... There are so many. Just like you can see so many planets. In each and every planets and stars there are living entities. Sarva-ga. Don't think that only God has favored this planet full with living entities and others are simply empty showbottle. That is not the fact. They do not know it. They have no perfect knowledge. They say that only this earthly planet is full of living entities. No. Everywhere. That description you'll get from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto. There is vivid description of all the planets and what kind of living entities are there. So some of them are described in this Bhagavad-gītā.

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

Then, as human being, as we are trying to solve our problems... The real problem we have to solve. And why we are in material condition and miserable condition? Because we have got this material body. This is the problem, real problem. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This body is temporary. It will not exist forever. But so long it will exist, it will give trouble. This is a fact. So long we'll continue in this material body, you'll have to suffer.

But we have no intelligence. We think that "We are like cats and dogs. The cats and dogs, they also eat; we also eat. They sleep; we also sleep. And they have sex; we have also sex. And they defend, we also defend. Their business finished." No. Your business is not finished. Because you are human being, you have got advanced intelligence than the cats and dog. You should know analytically what are the miserable condition of life and try to solve. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. And if we remain satisfied like cats and dogs—"So I have got something to eat, I have got some nice place to sleep and I have also got some other sex for enjoying sex life, and I defend with so many weapons, latest nuclear weapon"—no, śāstra says, "These things are manufactured... These things are maintained by the cats and dogs." Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. This is common formula between the animals and the man.

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

So don't waste your time in that way. Try to understand what is the problem of life, how we can come again to the original spiritual life. That is the ultimate solution because we are spirit. Circumstantially, I am now accepting this material body. How I can avoid it, that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, you'll find, that

janma karma me divyaṁ
yo jānāti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti kaunteya
(BG 4.9)

We are part and parcel of God. We have come from God to enjoy this material world, but we are suffering. But if you want to go back to home, back to Godhead again then try to understand Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

We are part and parcel of God. We have come from God to enjoy this material world, but we are suffering. But if you want to go back to home, back to Godhead again then try to understand Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

And there is no difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is explaining in the Bhagavad-gītā what He is. You read this book very carefully and try to understand Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you understand thoroughly Kṛṣṇa, then tyaktvā... You have to give up this body. That's a fact. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then no more accepting material body. Then what happens? Mām eti, Kṛṣṇa says, "He comes to Me, back to home, back to Godhead." That is the solution of life, and everything is described in the Bhagavad-gītā and all the Vedic literature.

We have published about hundreds of books. If you simply read these books regularly, then you will understand everything very clearly. And first of all you try to read Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Then the life's problem will be solved.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Bombay, April 3, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa says, daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Mama māyā. Māyā is under His control. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ (BG 9.10). Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ. Prakṛti is working under His direction, under His superintendence. So we should know Kṛṣṇa like that. We should not.... Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because He is speaking like a man, we are thinking that Kṛṣṇa came, and Kṛṣṇa is now dead, and His instruction is also dead, obsolete. No, that is not. Kṛṣṇa is ever-existing, nityo nityānām. We are also ever-existing. We are covered by this material body, but Kṛṣṇa is not covered by the material body. He comes in His original body. Sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). Yuge yuge sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). So Kṛṣṇa comes to save us and gives us His instruction so that after His disappearance from this world, people will take advantage of His instruction and make his life perfect. This is Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:

His activities we should not imitate. Kṛṣṇa's activities are worshipable. We cannot imitate Kṛṣṇa's activities. Janma karma me... His activities are transcendental. You cannot... How you can imitate? Can you imitate to lift a mountain as Kṛṣṇa did? You can imitate falsely Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā. That is very easy. But can you imitate Kṛṣṇa to lift up the mountain? Then how you are Kṛṣṇa, equal with Kṛṣṇa? This is all rascaldom. Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), and you have got this rotten material body. Therefore cannot be compared with Kṛṣṇa. This rotten material body is subjected to the material laws. But Kṛṣṇa is not under the material laws. That is real understanding of Kṛṣṇa. Janma...

And if you really understand... That is stated here. Iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti. In this way, if one understands Kṛṣṇa, karmabhir na sa badhyate, he does not become entangled with the karma. In another place it is also confirmed: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. If one understands Kṛṣṇa's activities, Kṛṣṇa's birth and Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's attributes, if one can understand tattvataḥ, in truth, not by mental speculation. In truth, as it is, then what happens? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). He does not get any more material body after leaving this body.

So try to understand Kṛṣṇa on this principle, as Kṛṣṇa says. Don't imagine, don't speculate. Then your life will be perfect.

Thank you very much.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

Every work which you are doing, good or bad, we have to suffer or enjoy the reaction of our work. And so long we have to suffer or enjoy the reaction of our work, as long as we shall go on like this, so long we have to accept this material body. This material body is just given to us by the arrangement of nature's law for the exact status of suffering or enjoyment. Just like you have seen different animals, they have got different process of eating.

Say for tiger. Tiger, they have bodies made for eating raw flesh and raw blood. So all the body is so made that they have got particular nails and jaws and teeth so that they can do that. Similarly, you can see the hogs. They have to eat the stool. Oh, they have got a particular shape of mouth so that they can easily do that.

Now, we are human beings. We are meant for taking vegetables and fruits. Now, our teeth is just like knife which can cut the vegetables and the fruits. So all these bodies, I mean to say... I am giving particular stress to the body. A king's body, a poor man's body. A poor man, he has to work very hard. His body is very sturdy. He can work very nicely. But a son of very aristocratic family or king, oh, his body is very delicate. He cannot work. He can apply his brain in something else. So so long we are... These bodies are made according to the different status of our work we have done in our past life. And next body is being prepared according to the work which we are doing now. But here Kṛṣṇa says that as soon as one can understand the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa's activities, he becomes free from the reaction of activities.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

Now, here is the question, that because we are now preparing ourself to have our spiritual body or spiritual life developed, and being freed from this material existence, therefore our duty should be such so that we may not be entangled again into this material body. That can be made possible if we are Kṛṣṇa conscious. If we study Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, what are His transcendental activities, how His energies are acting in this material world or spiritual world, all this... It is a great science.

Kṛṣṇa is a great science. So if we study Kṛṣṇa science with great attention, then the result will be that we shall be free from the reaction of our activities. This is clearly said here, na mam karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). The Lord has nothing to do. He is full. He has nothing to do. But why He does? Just to set example. Set example. He's not bound up by the works which He is doing in the material world. This science has to be learned. Na me karma-phale spṛhā. And anyone who understands this transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, he is also becoming free from the reaction of karma.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

Now, people are misled what is karma, what is actually work, and what is not work, akarma. Kiṁ karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'pi. Kavayaḥ means great sages, great saintly persons, great philosophers. They are also sometimes bewildered to understand what class of activities are genuine and what class of activities are nongenuine. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "I shall teach you what are genuine activities and what are nongenuine activities." Tat te karma pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣyase aśubhāt. Yaj jñātvā: "If you understand the principle of working, then you shall get free from the bondage, material bondage."

We have to work in such a way that we may, may not be entangled with this material body. Otherwise, as we have explained, this body is our material bondage, and it is the result of our activities. So we have to perform our activities so nicely and so cautiously so that I may not be entangled, I may be free even in this life, and tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). I can, after leaving this present body, I'll have no more to come into this material world.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

So this work, good work or bad work from the material point of view, may be superficially very good. But what, how long I shall remain a rich man? How long I shall remain a beautiful man? This is not my permanent life. Suppose if my life is for hundred years, say. I can remain a rich man, I remain a learned man, I can remain a beautiful man, say, for fifty or sixty or hundred years, but your life is not for hundred years or sixty years or thousands years or millions of years. You are eternal. You have to attain your eternal life. That is the whole problem. So that problem you have to solve. That problem can be solved when you are Kṛṣṇa conscious so that by Kṛṣṇa conscious, when you leave this body, you will no more have to come to this material world and accept this material body or suffer and enjoy thereof. That is the point. The point is very difficult for common man, but this is the point. This is the point. I have to avoid this material existence altogether. That is the point. It is... It is not the question of improving my material condition. That is not the solution. If I...

Just like in a prison house, if you want to improve your condition, you become a very good prisoner, and the government gives you A-class status. There are three classes of status in prison life. Some are suffering the prison life in the A-class status. Some of them are suffering in the B-class status. There are also classes. Just like when some political leader is put into prison, they are given A-class status. But a sane man, a sane man should not be satisfied by becoming an A-class prisoner, A-class prisoner. So we are, in this material world, some of us are in the A-class prisoner, some of us are B-class prisoner, some of us are C-class prisoner. So to become an A-class prisoner from C-class prisoner is not the solution of our problem. The problem should be solved that "Let me become completely free, completely free from the prison life." That is the whole problem.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

Similarly, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Jarā, jarā and vyādhi and mṛtyu. So we are not conscious about the suffering position of this material body. The śāstra says, "Don't accept again any material body." Na sādhu manye: "This is not good, that you are repeatedly getting this material body." Na sādhu manye yata ātmanaḥ. Ātmanaḥ, the soul is encaged in this material body. Yata ātmano 'yam asann api. Although temporary, I have got this body. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ.

So if we want to stop this miserable condition of getting another material body, then we must know what is karma, what is vikarma. That is Kṛṣṇa's proposal. Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyam. Akarmaṇa means there is no reaction. Reaction. Karma, if you do nice work, it has got reaction. It has nice body, nice education, nice family, nice riches. This is also nice. We take it as nice. We want to go to the heavenly planet. But they do not know that even in the heavenly planet there is the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Delhi, November 3, 1973:

So if we become bound up by pious or impious activities, then we'll have to accept this material body, karma-bandhana. And material body, as soon as you accept this material body, you are under the laws of material nature, especially birth, death, old age and disease. So you become bound up. Therefore this human form of life is especially meant for to get freedom from this bondage—birth, death and old age. But people do not understand. Their brain is so packed up with material things that they have become just like animals. They cannot understand. But anyway, unless one sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Śāstra has said, go-kharaḥ. Go-kharaḥ means animal. Go means cows, and khara means ass. So anyone who is acting on the bodily concept of life, without any spiritual understanding, he is no better than animal. But he is satisfied... That...

The animal is being sent to the slaughter-house; still he is satisfied. He does not know that "I am going to be slaughtered. I am going in these flocks, but I will be simply waiting for being slaughtered." So as the animal goes, the cows are being slaughtered, so the animals are being slaughtered, so everyone without spiritual consciousness, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is to be slaughtered by the laws of material nature. They do not know that. Even just like animal. Even if he is slaughtered, he is not sorry. That is the position of the present human society.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

That is your problem. That can be solved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are talking the wholesale solution, not a particular thing. There are so many disturbing things, especially they are under the headings of these four principles: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So... Mad-dhāma gatvā. Just the other day we discussed the śloka, that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "Now, one who becomes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the result will be that just after quitting this body, he comes to Me, no more coming to this material world." So long you'll be in the material world... Material world means so long we'll have this material body, we'll have to face so many disturbances. War is one of them. Suppose there is, perpetually, there is no war. Do you mean to say there will be perpetual peace? No. There are so many other things. At once, if there is some upheaval in the Atlantic Ocean, the whole thing is swallowed up, your beautiful New York City will be no more there. There are so many natural disturbances. What to speak of war, what you have...

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

When one becomes actually on the platform of knowledge, then he does not work like an ass. But people want that people should work like ass. That is the difficulty. That is... There is a clash between our movement and others. They want to make all people to work hard like an ass, and we say that they... There is a difference of philosophy. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). We are preaching the, nāyaṁ deha nṛloke, in the human society, this is not meant for working so hard, like an ass, like a hog, simply for sense gratification. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke.

Deha-bhājām. Deha-bhājām means one who has got this material body. So there are eight million four-hundred-thousands of forms, material body. It is not spoken for them, but nṛloke, one who has got this body, material body, as human being, for him, it is not good to work so hard like hogs and pigs and asses simply for sense gratification, kaṣṭān kāmān. Why one should? You should be peaceful. You should be sober. You should think what is the value of life. And, you be satisfied with nature's gift. Nature will give you so many things. Kṛṣṇa has given you food grains, fruits, milk. You don't require to eat meat and open slaughterhouses. Be satisfied with... As Kṛṣṇa is satisfied: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26).

Kṛṣṇa does not say, ḍima mācha māṁsa. No. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. And one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he should simply take what is taken by Kṛṣṇa. That is the meaning of distribution of prasādam. Why? Kṛṣṇa has given you everything. So many varieties of fruits, so many varieties of grains, and sufficient milk. You can make milk products, so many.

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

Now, it is a fact because the soul is eternal. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The soul is eternal. It does not die. It does not annihilate after destruction of the body, but there is change of body, mṛtyu. Janma-mṛtyu means change of body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So people should be intelligent to know, "Why I shall undergo this tribulation of repetition of birth and death?" But they do not know it. There is life without birth and death. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). After giving up this body, no more taking birth again with this material body. There is a life like that. We get this information. Why should we not fulfill this mission of life in this human form of life? Why unnecessarily desire so many sense gratification? This is called tapasya. If one life we have enjoyed the sense gratification.... Sense gratification, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Eating, sleeping, sex life and protection from fearfulness. Now this has been done in so many lives. Why not in this life make a perfect process so that no more death, no more birth, no more disease, no more old age?

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

It is not government's desire. (break) ...enjoyment we act sinfully also, vikarma. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Because we are mad after sense gratification. But in the human form of life one should be sensible. Therefore the university education, school, college, institution, they are meant for human society. There is no such thing in the animal society. And religion. Religion also meant for human society. Why? Because this life is not meant for enjoying senses like the animals.

Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). I have explained several times. This body, deha-bhājām... Everyone, the animals, they have got also a material body, and we human being, we have also this material body. Prahlāda Mahārāja also says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma adhruvam arthadam.

What is the distinction between the animal body and the human body? Biologically.... Here is our friend Mr. Ghosh. He knows very well. There is no difference biologically between human body.... Medical students in the biological department, they study from the frogs, from guinea pigs, the human constitution of the body. There is no difference. But what is the difference? Not this bodily construction, but development of consciousness. That is the difference. So if we do not develop.... That is the opportunity, human life. In human life there is the opportunity to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

So this kind of hard labor simply for satisfying the tongue and the genital, that is hog civilization. That is warned by Ṛṣabhadeva, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate (SB 5.5.1). Why? Kāmān means eating, sleeping, sex life and defending. These are kāmān, bodily necessities of life. As soon as you will get this material body, you will have to eat. In the spiritual body there is no eating. Eating means to sustain this material body. You will find many saintly persons. Practically, they do not eat.

Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he was eating at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, every two.... After two, three days after, he was eating little butter, just to satisfy. Practically no eating. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was a very rich man's son. His father's income was twelve lakhs of rupees in those days. So he adopted this austerity at Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

So actually that is the fact, that in the spiritual life there is no eating, no sleeping, no sex life, no defense. These are all material necessities. So material necessities, we have day and night for sense gratification, material satisfaction, then where is the difference between hogs and dogs and human beings? And this is going on. We are accepting this civilization as advanced. The more you have got facility for sense gratification, it is to be understood that you are advanced. So that advancement means to give satisfaction to the body.

So this formula, as it is given, yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ, this is not possible in material civilization. Unless one is advanced in spiritual life, he cannot be yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. Because he has no material demands. Why he should make competition with others material by? Because he has got material body.... (sic:) Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi-daḥ. Those who are yogis, they should be satisfied just to maintain the body and soul together, not for sense gratification. That is sufficient.

Lecture on BG 4.27 -- Bombay, April 16, 1974:

As Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, kṛṣṇa baṛo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay, swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he was a gṛhastha, practical. He experienced. He said, śarīra abidyā-jāl: "This body, material body, is a network of ignorance." Śarīra abidyā-jāl. Just like a network. If you are put into a net and bound up and thrown into the ocean, then what is your condition of life, just imagine. Similarly, we, pure souls, we have been put into this network of material body, and we are thrown into the ocean of nescience. This is our position, struggle for existence. How to get out of the network? How to get out of the ocean? This is... Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This is our position.

So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says this body is the network of ignorance, simply sense gratification. "I shall eat this. I shall eat that. I shall hear this. I shall..." The ear is engaged in hearing nice cinema songs, and the tongue is engaged, going to the restaurant, so many so-called palatable dishes. Similarly, other senses, they are engaged. So the... According to bhakti-yoga system, the first control is recommended to the tongue. That is said, that ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136).

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

Just like children, they are born after the conjugation of the father and mother, similarly, the father is God; the material world is the mother. We have got this body just like the child gets his body from the mother's womb. The father is the seed-giver. Similarly, as spiritual souls, we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, but we are put into this material world because we wanted to enjoy this material world. Therefore we are put into this material world. And we have got this body, this material body. So in whatever form we may be, either as human being, or as a cat and dog or more than human being, demigod... So whatever forms there are, many thousands... Eighty, eighty lakhs. Eighty-four lakhs, species. Oh. Eight hundred millions of species of life, there are. But all of them claimed by Kṛṣṇa that, "I am their father. I am their father," ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ, "because I am the seed-giving father."

Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:

Suppose I am born in a very aristocratic family, very rich family. That does not mean that I am getting free from the material miseries. Just like we are sitting here. Some of you are very well situated. Some of you coming from rich family and some of you may not be so rich, from middle-class family. But the temperature of this day is equally heating. There is no consideration that "Here is a person who is coming from rich family, so the temperature should be lesser for him." No. Therefore, either we enjoy the reaction of good work, either we enjoy the reaction of bad work, we have to accept this material body. And as soon as we accept this material body, we have to undergo the material miseries.

But our whole program is... Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Lord Kṛṣṇa says, mām upetya tu kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvataṁ nāpnuvanti (BG 8.15). You'll find in the Tenth Chapter. The Lord says, "Anyone who comes to Me or gets Me, mām upetya, gets Me..." We can get Kṛṣṇa in this life also by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like you get into touch with government if you are engaged in the government service, similarly, if you get into the transcendental service of Kṛṣṇa, then you get into Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mām upetya tu kaunteya. Kaunteya means Arjuna. "O the son of Kuntī, after attainment of Myself by a person, the..." What is the result? The result is: mām upetya tu kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvataṁ nāpnuvanti: (BG 8.15) "He does not get any more to this place of miseries."

Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:

Now, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the brahma-bhūtaḥ stage... Brahma-bhūtaḥ stage means self-realization of transcendental position, that "I am not this matter; I am spirit soul." This realization is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. We are Brahman. We are not matter. But some way or other we have been in contact with the māyā, matter. Therefore, out of ignorance, I am identifying myself with this material body. But actually, we are not matter. That we can understand. If I had been matter, then as soon as my, my dead body is there, oh, no matter can revive the life. Now they have made so much scientific improvement, material scientific improvement.

Now, suppose there is a body, dead body. Now, if the living force was something material, then bring something material and inject in that dead body and get it up again. No, that is not possible because that spiritual thing is gone, and we have no control over the spiritual matt..., spiritual thing. The spirit soul, that is a superior nature. We have been simply informed in Bhagavad-gītā. That is a superior nature. This is inferior nature. So this inferior nature is my bondage. I am not this inferior nature.

Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:

We have seen it. Oh, why? You have renounced the world. Why you are hospital-making business? Hospital-making business is there, going on by the government, by the state. You are not meant for making hospitals. You have to make hospital how people can get rid of this material body. That is spiritual activity. We also require to open hospitals. And what is that hospital? To cure this material disease, not this temporary disease. Again we may be attacked. The complete cure of material disea... That sort of hospital will be required. That hospital is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society. If we take treatment under this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, then we shall be cured of this material disease.

Otherwise, we shall be again attacked with some kind of body. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our dresses from one dress to another, similarly, this body to another body, transmigration of the soul. But we are meant for now completely ceasing to have any material body in the next life. That should be our aim of life. That is called... That knowledge is called the purest knowledge. Na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitram iha... That knowledge is the purest knowledge. Tat svayaṁ yoga-saṁsiddhaḥ kālena ātmani vindati (BG 4.38).

Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:

You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā that happiness, happiness perceived by the senses, is beyond these material senses. And in the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra also you'll find that hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When our senses are freed from all designation... Just like due to fever, I am feeling some extra sensation in my hand. That is a designation. When that designation is freed, then I come to my normal state. Similarly, at the present moment, due to this covering of material body, I have got different designative sensation, designative sensation. I am feeling I am, I am just using my senses under some designation. So we have to get free from this designation. That is the whole spiritual process. You haven't got to kill your senses. That will help you when you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (break)

...which are beyond the topics. Just like we also talk something on some subject matter, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest knowledge. So we have heard so many things about this. If there is any doubt about that statement you can ask me. That was my point.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

Vibhu, aṇu. The Sanskrit word is vibhu. Vibhu means the great. God is great. Asamaurdhva. Nobody can be equal to God; nobody can be greater than God. That means everyone is subordinate to God.

Simply these understandings will make you liberated. Janma karma (ca) me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā deham (BG 4.9). This liberation means after quitting this body, you are no more going to accept any material body. You are immediately transferred to the spiritual world, and you get your spiritual body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). These things are already explained. So try to understand what is God and what you are, what is this material nature, what is your relationship with material nature, with God, with others, what is this time factor, what is work. Then you are in full knowledge and you become liberated. All right.

Page Title:Material bodies (Lect. BG ch 1 - 4)
Compiler:Mayapur
Created:07 of Oct, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=198, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:198