Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Kṛṣṇa is spiritual, so His energy is also spiritual. But in the spiritual energy there is the possibility of forgetting Kṛṣṇa. That is called material energy. So if we remember Kṛṣṇa, that is not material energy. A man, stone, wood, brick and constructs a big, high skyscraper building; that is material energy. But the same stone, same wood, same cement, you construct a very nice temple of Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual energy.
Material energy (Lectures - SB)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:
We do not know that Kṛṣṇa is so kind but because I cannot see Kṛṣṇa at the present stage of life therefore Kṛṣṇa has appeared in a form which I can see. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa can appear because everything is Kṛṣṇa, everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy, so He can appear in His energy. So He has appeared in this material energy, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). So He has appeared just like stone, because we cannot see except stone. Therefore He has appeared like stone, but He is not stone, He is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means we cannot perceive Kṛṣṇa by direct sense perception but He is so kind, so merciful that He appears before us as we can perceive Him directly.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, July 23, 1973:
So that energy is divided into three. Material energy, spiritual energy and marginal energy. We are marginal energy. We living entities, we belong to the marginal energy, taṭastha-śakti. Marginal means we can remain in the material energy or in the spiritual energy. Now, at the present moment, every one of us, we are under the control of the material energy. You can understand it very easily. Just like government. The government, that is one energy working. Similarly, the prison house, that is also another energy working. And the citizens, that is also another, another energy working. But the citizens are marginal. They can remain outside the prison walls and inside the prison walls. Therefore they are called marginal. When you are abiding by the laws of the government, you are free. You are not abiding by the laws of the government, you are within the prison house. So you are at liberty. Either... That is your choice. Government has got university, as well as the criminal department. Government does not canvass, rather government canvasses that "You come to the university. Be educated. Be advanced." But it is our choice, we sometimes go to the prison house. It is not government's fault.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:
So that is explained here: sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharma yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaje. Beyond the sense perception. We have got different stages of knowledge: direct perception... Pratyakṣa, parokṣa, aparokṣa, adhokṣaja, aprakṛta—these are five stages of knowledge. Direction perception, knowledge received from others, then realization, then anubhūti, understanding what is the position of God and His situation. That is called aprakṛta. Aprakṛta means not within this material world but above that. Śaṅkarācārya, he has described, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. Avyaktāt. This material world is manifested. And above this, there is the total stock of material energy. That is called avyakta. And beyond that, there is spiritual world. Nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. So we have to understand God, where He is situated. He is situated everyone, everywhere, but still, we cannot see. In Kuntī's prayer she said that "Kṛṣṇa, You are without and within also, but still, You cannot be recognized." Naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:
Therefore it is said, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharma (SB 1.2.6). Paro dharma and aparā dharma. There are two natures: parā and aparā. These things are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. This material energy, five elements, eight elements, even we can see... We cannot see five elements properly. Five elements: bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir ahaṅkāra (BG 7.4). We can see earth, we can see water, bhūmir āpo. We can see fire, analo. But we cannot see the air, but we can feel that air is blowing. That is also sense perception. We can see... We can perceive.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:
These are different energies of God, and the whole material world is composed of these five gross elements and three subtle elements. This is called material world. And Kṛṣṇa says further, apareyam: "These material energies, they are inferior energy, aparā." Beyond that, there is a superior energy. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām: "My dear Arjuna, these gross and subtle material elements, they are inferior energy. Beyond that, there is another, superior energy." What is that superior energy? Jīva-bhūtaḥ mahā-baho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat: (BG 7.5) "That is that living being." We are all living being. So we are superior energy. We are exploiting the material resources; therefore we are superior. We are molding the material energy to our satisfaction, so we belong to the superior energy.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:
So at the present moment we are engaged in the activities of material energy. Just like we are economists, nationalists, scientists, and so on, so on. That means all our engagements are within this material energy, even psychologists, mental speculators, philosophers—all material energy. But that is not our superior engagement. The superior engagement is explained here, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6). Superior engage means to remain engaged in devotional service of the Supreme Lord. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Bhakti. Bhakti means devotional service. When we understand the Adhokṣaja, the Supreme, the Absolute Truth, then we understand our position. Our position is eternal servant of God. This is our position. But at the present moment, because we are not in the superior energy, in the activities of the superior energy, we are struggling hard with this material energy.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:
We are all Brahman. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they are very busy to realize his Brahman position. So we are Brahmans. That is a... Because we are part and parcel of God. God is Parabrahman. So we are part and parcel of God. We are not parabrahman, the Supreme Brahman, but we are Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, this realization, "I am not this body," that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. So brahma-bhūtaḥ, when you realize this, this is called knowledge, brahma-jñāna, that "I am not this body but I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God. My duty is to assist God, to serve God." That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. Otherwise, being jīva-bhūtaḥ, we are engaged in this material world, struggling with the material energy.
Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Delhi, November 13, 1973:
Mahātmā and kṣudrātmā, or durātmā. Those who are advanced in spiritual knowledge they are called mahātmā. And the symptom of mahātmā is: mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmā is not changing a dress or having a big beard. (break) Mahātmā is described, who is mahātmā. Mahātmā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmā is not under the control of this material energy. He is under the shelter of spiritual energy, daivī-prakṛti. And the symptom is bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ: he has no other business than to serve the Supreme Personality. Bhajanti. Bhaja sevāyām.
Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Los Angeles, August 16, 1972:
So anyone can understand, heat and light is the basic principle of this material creation. And wherefrom the heat and light is coming? From the sun. So if you take service of the heat and light, you cannot avoid the sun. Similarly, two energies of Kṛṣṇa, they are acting. Heat and light—the material energy and the spiritual energy. The material energy means the earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, ego, and spiritual energy is this living entity. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). That is spiritual energy. Just like you mix up two things, and there is chemical action. Similarly, the whole world is going on. Here there is material and spiritual distinction because here there is forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Here, ninety-nine and nine tenths percent have forgotten God; therefore it is material. And as soon as you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is no more material, everything is spiritual.
Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Los Angeles, August 16, 1972:
So the material vision means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Otherwise there is no material, because everything is coming from Kṛṣṇa, either material energy or spiritual energy. They are coming from the same source, so in the higher spiritual understanding, the spiritual platform, there is nothing material. Everything is spiritual. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. So don't imitate, but there is possibility. So long we are on the material platform, on the platform of forgetfulness, our business should be how to satisfy the Supreme. How to satisfy,(?) you do whatever you like, not whatever you like, within the institution. Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ, it must be organized. If your aim is simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then your life is perfect.
Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Los Angeles, August 19, 1972:
This is the mahātmā. They are under the daivī-prakṛti. Daivī-prakṛti. There are two kinds of prakṛtis. We have studied in Bhagavad-gītā: aparā-prakṛti, parā-prakṛti. So parā-prakṛti, or nature, transcendental nature, that is called daivī-prakṛti. Just like we are trying to be under the guidance of Rādhārāṇī, daivī-prakṛti. Prakṛti means woman, and daivī, transcendental woman. And those who are materialists, they are under the mahā-māyā, material energy, Goddess Kālī, Durgā. They are the symbolic representation of material energy.
Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Los Angeles, August 19, 1972:
So those who are materialists, they take shelter of the material energy, and those who are transcendentalists, they take shelter of the transcendental nature. So those who are mahātmā, they take shelter of the transcendental prakṛti. So we have to render service to such person who is under the protection of the transcendental nature. That is called mahātmā. A mahātmā, this word you have heard. A mahātmā's description is mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmā has nothing to do with this material world; he is simply under the care of the transcendental prakṛti.
Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Calcutta, September 26, 1974:
Not that simply changing from this ism to that ism, this political party to this... That is not. Because everyone is imperfect. How they can give you perfect happiness? It is not possible. They are themselves andha. Andha means blind. So if you follow the blind man, how you'll cross? That is not possible. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. Why they are andha? Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know the ultimate goal of life is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That they do not know. They are manufacturing their own ways of advancing. That will never be successful. They do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are thinking, "By adjustment of this material world, we shall be happy." That is not possible. The māyā, the material energy, will not allow you to become perfect unless and until you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is her business.
Lecture on SB 1.2.23 -- Los Angeles, August 26, 1972:
The materialists and the foolish human beings do worship Brahmā and Śiva respectively, but the pure transcendentalists do worship the form of goodness, Viṣṇu, in His various forms. Viṣṇu is manifested by His millions and billions of integrated forms and separated forms. The integrated forms are called Godhead, and the separated forms are called the living entities, or the jīvas. But either the jīvas or Godhead, both of them have their original, spiritual forms. The jīvas are sometimes subjected under the control of the material energy, but the Viṣṇu forms are always controller of the material energy.
Lecture on SB 1.2.32 -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1972:
This is the eight, these are the eight elements of material creation. Then all the living entities, those who wanted to enjoy this material world, they are impregnated within this material energy and they come out with different bodies for enjoying different types of sufferings of happiness. There is no happiness; it is all suffering, but we take: "It is happiness." That is called illusion.
Lecture on SB 1.2.33 -- Vrndavana, November 12, 1972:
This bhāva, this material creation, it is also bhāva. Another bhāva, that is sanātana. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ. Anya means other. Avyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Here the mahat-tattva, the total material energy, is called avyakta. Then, when it is agitated by the glance of the Supreme Lord, the three modes of material nature acts. And by interaction of these three modes of material nature, the whole cosmic manifestation comes into being. This is the... Not theory. This is the fact of creation. Creation, there is machine, or there is electronic working and the buttons are pushed by the Supreme Lord. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). His electronic machine is so subtle and powerful that we cannot understand. We say "nature." Because, due to our ignorance, we cannot explain how the nature is working, we give an evasive reply. Just like a flower is coming from the seed. The tree is coming, the flower is coming, the fruit is coming. So we simply give an evasive reply: "By nature, it is coming." But we cannot explain how it is coming.
Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:
So mahat-tattva, the total material energy, and six, five elements, sixteen, sixteen, ṣoḍaśa-kalam. What are those? The five elements, namely, earth, water, fire, air, and sense objects and senses and the spirit soul. In this way, sixteen. And from sixteen, it expands to twenty-four. That is the explanation of our Vedic creation. Ṣoḍaśa-kalam. You read the purport.
Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:
Upendra: "Material nature has no power to create without the power of the puruṣa as much as a prakṛti or woman cannot produce any child without the connection of a puruṣa. The puruṣa impregnates and the prakṛti delivers. We should not expect milk from the fleshy bags in the neck of the goat although they look like breastly nipples. Similarly we should not expect any creative power from the material ingredients. We must believe in the power of the puruṣa who impregnates the prakṛti or nature. And because the Lord wished for lying down in meditation the material energy created innumerable universes also at once and in each of them the Lord lay Himself down, and thus all the planets and the different paraphernalia was created at once by the will of the Lord. The Lord has unlimited potencies and as such He can perform as He likes in perfect planning although personally He has nothing to do and no body is greater or equal to Him."
Prabhupāda: In the Bible also it is said, "God said 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." That means God is the origin of creation. Yes. Go on.
Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:
God is neither father nor... He is father. Actually He is father, because He is the origin of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Kṛṣṇa also says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Pitā means father. So actually, God's position is father. He is father of everything. Not... All living entities, all material energy. As... If you discover something, it is called "the father of this scientific discovery." So He has discovered everything, material and spiritual both. Therefore He is original father of everyone. Not only of the living entities, but also stones, woods, earth, water, fire, everything. He has created. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva..., prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā, bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). In the Bhagavad-gītā. So He has created everything. He is actually the father. But out of love, the devotees, they accept the father as son, to give more service. Father is obliged to give service to the son. He has given birth; therefore he has obligation to maintain the son, to give service.
Lecture on SB 1.3.30 -- Los Angeles, October 5, 1972:
So this gigantic... People, they are very much appreciative of the gigantic universal form. They do not like... "Oh! Kṛṣṇa. Why Kṛṣṇa I shall worship? We worship gigantic form." But this gigantic form is a product of Kṛṣṇa's energy. They do not know that. Here it is said, māyā-guṇair viracitam. By Kṛṣṇa's energy it is created. Māyā-guṇair viracitaṁ mahadādibhir ātmani. The material energy. The material energy also from Kṛṣṇa's body, as much as spiritual energy. Whatever we see, they are different energies of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.5.1-8 -- New Vrindaban, May 23, 1969:
This is avara. Avara means inferior. And there is another nature. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyaḥ (BG 8.20). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, there is another nature. That is para. Para. Tasmāt. Tasmāt means out of this avara, inferior nature, there is another, superior nature, para. The same thing is here also. Parāvareśaḥ. But Kṛṣṇa is īśa, the controller of both the energies, the spiritual energy and material energy. Parāvareśaḥ.
Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969:
So that meaning, "mahātmā," is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmā means who is not under the material energy, but he is under the spiritual energy. And what is the symptom that one is under the spiritual energy? That he has no other business except executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's all. That is the symptom.
Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:
They are not actually monists. They are dualists. They are distinguishing Brahman and māyā. But we say that only Kṛṣṇa. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Māyā is the servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is a, that is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, in Brahma-saṁhitā. In all the Vedic literature this is confirmed. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "This prakṛti, this māyā, this material energy, is acting under My superintendence, under My guidance."
Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:
So we don't accept this material nature as final. We have Kṛṣṇa on the background, that He is, only, the master. So therefore we are monists. Simply we know Kṛṣṇa and everything emanating from Kṛṣṇa. That is described everywhere. In the Brahma-saṁhitā the same truth is... Sṛṣṭi-sthiti, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). This material energy is called Durgā, but she is so powerful... Sṛṣṭi-sthiti.... She can create wonderful things. She can maintain wonderful things. She can dissolve wonderful things, so powerful, but she is acting under the direction... Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā. Chāyeva. Just like shadow moves by the movement of the reality, similarly, this material nature is working under the direction of the Supreme.
Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:
So apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam, Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-puruṣa. There is no lack of everything. Ṣaḍ-aiśvaryaṁ pūrṇam, six kinds of opulences: riches, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation. He is full. That is called pūrṇam, apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. And māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. This māyā also there, but Kṛṣṇa is not affected by māyā. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It is duratyayā for the living entities, not for Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is the controller and we are controlled. Therefore in the next verse it is said, yayā sammohito jīva (SB 1.7.5). Jīva, we living entities, we are being controlled by this māyā, sammohita. Sammohita means illusion. Mohita means captivated, and sammohita, sam means sam, fully, fully. We are... You see all these conditioned souls, they are captivated by this material energy. Just like you all Indian, you have come here so far. Many people go, I have also come.
Lecture on SB 1.7.5-6 -- Johannesburg, October 15, 1975:
So our present position is like this, that sammohita, bewildered, puzzled by māyā. We are eternal part and parcel of God, but on account of being enchanted by this material energy, or external energy of God, we have forgotten ourself, and we are now entangled. We have forgotten our goal of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). The conditioned soul... Conditioned soul means the living being, the spirit soul who is conditioned by these laws of material nature. The laws of material nature is that you have to accept a certain type of body according to your propensity. We create propensity. And Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He gives you the facility: "All right." Just like the tiger. He wants to suck blood. Or any man, if he wants to suck blood, then he will be given the facility of a tiger's body. If a person has no discrimination in eating—whatever available, he can eat—then he will be given facility of become a pig.
Lecture on SB 1.7.5-6 -- Johannesburg, October 15, 1975:
So anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt. If we want to stop this unwanted business... If you don't want, go on with your business: bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Now take this life, this body, of human being or Indian and then American, then cat, then dog, then hog, then tree—so many, eight million—you go on if you like. But if you are actually intelligent, if you are disgusted, that "This is not very good business. This is anartha, unwanted business. I have been forced, yayā sammohitaḥ... Being bewildered, being illusioned, misdirected by this material energy, I am trying to be happy here in this material..., and it is not my business." If one comes to this sense... That is stated in the Bhagavad..., bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births. After many, many births, jñānavān, one who is actually in knowledge, wise..." Then what does he do? Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate: He surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. The same thing, as Kṛṣṇa says, "Surrender to Me." If we do not do it... We have to do that, but if you want to wait bahūnāṁ janma, after many, many births, you have to do the same business, why not do it now? This is intelligence. If after bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19), when I actually become wise, why not become wise immediately? Kṛṣṇa says; Kṛṣṇa is canvassing. Why not take it up? And if you take it up, you are successful. Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ (SB 1.5.17). Even by sentiment you take it, you will be successful, it is so nice.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 18, 1975:
They have created the United Nations, but there is no solution because everyone is under the grip of the māyā, material energy, and they are simply creating problems. This is their business. Yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam (SB 1.7.5). Ātmānam. I am spirit soul, but I do not belong to these material qualities; still, I am thinking, ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. One cannot go beyond these three guṇas, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, or mixed.
Lecture on SB 1.7.23 -- Vrndavana, September 20, 1976:
"You are the original Personality of Godhead who expands Himself all over the creations and is transcendental to material energy. You have cast away the effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency. You are always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental knowledge."
Lecture on SB 1.7.28-29 -- Vrndavana, September 25, 1976:
So when there is no material obstacles, then the spiritual world can be utilized for any purpose. Here, because we are covered with the material body... There are two energies, it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: material energy and spiritual energy. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). This is material energy. And Kṛṣṇa says apareyam; this is inferior. Aparā. Itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. There is another, superior energy. What is that superior energy? Living. It is not dead. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). Without spiritual energy, this whole universe is useless, anywhere you go. The modern scientists, they are going to—so-called—they are going to this planet, that planet. And they do not find any spiritual energy. They simply see the material energy-sand and rocks. That cannot be. Because... They can bluff because people are not aware of the whole science. They can bluff. In this material world there are two energies working: material and spiritual. There cannot be only material. There must be spiritual energy. So they say that there is no life, that means there is no spiritual energy. It cannot be accepted. It cannot be. It is out of question. Because here we find jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). There must be living entity who is conducting this material energy. This body is very beautiful, very useful. Why? Because the spiritual energy, the soul, is there. Otherwise, it has no value. So when there is a planet, when there are other things, how it has developed? This is a reasoning. This is sense. Because the material energy cannot develop without spiritual energy.
Lecture on SB 1.7.28-29 -- Vrndavana, September 25, 1976:
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said that this whole cosmic manifestation is combination of material energy and spiritual energy. So therefore in the Vedas... Veda means knowledge, vetti veda vido jñāne. In the Sanskrit verb vid, vid-dhātu. Vid-dhātu means knowledge, "to know." Vetti veda vido jñāne vinte vid vicaraṇa(?). Labhe vindati vindate.
Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Mayapura, September 29, 1974:
So one side is māyā-javanikācchannam. Māyā, this illusory energy, is covering with the curtain. Just like we are seeing the Deity, but if there is a curtain, we cannot see. Similarly, there is a curtain which is illusory energy, māyā. Big, big scientists, they cannot see what is behind this material nature. They cannot understand. Because the māyā, this wonderful material energy, is acting in such a big curtain, they cannot understand that beyond this there is something else. They cannot understand. Māyā-javanikā ācchannam. Illusory energy. They are thinking this material energy working, that is everything.
Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- Mayapura, October 1, 1974:
Govinda is not ordinary thing. That Govinda... Which Govinda? Now, this material energy, Durgā, who is working so wonderfully... Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktiḥ. She has... This material energy has got so much power that it can create, it can destroy, it can maintain, so much power. But don't think that this material energy is working independently. And then how is...? How she is working? Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Just she is working just like shadow. The... Then what is the reality? Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So we are worshiping that person who is the original director of this material... Because we are captivated by the three guṇas of material energy, we think this material energy, material world, is everything, because we are foolish. Nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ.
Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:
So here Kuntī says, janma karma ca viśvātmann ajasya. Aja means who never takes birth. Ajasya. Aja, the living entities, they are also aja, but sometimes the living entity, being attracted by the material energy, they come to this material world. Then their quality of aja, or not to take birth, becomes vanquished, because in the material world one has to take birth. But actually spirit soul, or the Supreme Spirit, Kṛṣṇa, they are aja. Ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said clearly that living entity is aja, nitya, śāśvata, ayam. "Then how he is dying?" one may question. That is also replied: na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Don't think... That dying means he's changing body, not dying. Therefore... Because Kṛṣṇa says the living entity is aja, everyone can question that "If he's aja, he does not take birth, then why he's taking birth? Why he's dying?" The answer is immediately there: na hanyate: "Don't think that he's dying." Na hanyate. "No, I see his body's being burned." No, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That body is being burned.
Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Los Angeles, April 26, 1973:
So somebody says that Kṛṣṇa appeared for this purpose, somebody says Kṛṣṇa appeared for this purpose, but the real conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa appeared for His own pleasure. Not, not being bound by any cause. Kṛṣṇa is fully independent. Just like we take our birth being bound by the cause of our karma. Kṛṣṇa does not come being bound up by somebody's request or by His karma. He comes out of His free will. Ātma-māyayā. It is said ātma-māyayā. He's not compelled by another's māyā. Just like we are compelled by the energy of Kṛṣṇa, external energy, this material energy. We are compelled to take birth. Kṛṣṇa does not take birth in such condition. Ātma-māyayā. Not by the... Because māyā is under the control of Kṛṣṇa. So how māyā can control Kṛṣṇa? One who thinks that Kṛṣṇa is also like us, controlled by māyā, they are called mūḍhas. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Read the purport little.
Lecture on SB 1.8.38 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1973:
So the sunshine is working because the sun globe is there, the sun-god is there. Similarly, the material energy is working. This cosmic manifestation made of earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego, these are the eight ingredients of this material manifestation. So these eight material elements, they are energies, separated energies. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. And, because the energetic is there behind this energy... Just like electric power. We are using electric power, but behind this electric power there is the powerhouse and there is the engineer who is producing the power. The rascals, they do not understand this. They simply see the power. But behind the power there is the power-maker, the source of power. They do not understand it. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes and says that "I am the power-maker. I am behind this power." Kṛṣṇa personally comes, because we have no eyes to see Kṛṣṇa, neither we can understand Kṛṣṇa. He therefore comes. What kind...? God, we are simply contemplating God. What is the form of God? God must be very old man. Because He has created millions and millions of years ago, therefore He must be very old man. This is our contemplation. We are going on. Therefore God comes before you: "Here, see what is God." He's so kind. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7).
Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:
Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). These rascals, they do not know that human life is meant for pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Kuntīdevī therefore requested Kṛṣṇa, sneha-pāśam imaṁ chindhi. We are, I mean to say, bounded here by the material energy in so-called sneha-pāśa, society, friendship and love. People do not want to leave this material world. Even at the time of death... I have seen so many persons. That is natural. The old man is dying, and he is thinking that "So many of my business remained unfinished." So he calls his dear son, "My dear son, if, if you... You take charge of the family, and so many things I could not finish, you do it." You see? He does not know where he is going. I have seen in Allahabad one big man. He was dying at the age of fifty-four. He was of my age. And he was requesting the physician, "My dear doctor, can you not give me four years more to live so that I could finish my business?" This so much attraction, so much attraction. They sometimes cry, that "What will happen to my this boy, that children, that..."
Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:
Now we are under the control of this external energy, material energy. We have become controlled, just like we become controlled by the prison authorities when we are criminals, not ordinarily. Ordinarily we are free. Those who are not within the walls of prison house, they are free. They are acting wherever they like they are going, but within the law. Similarly we have got freedom. There are living entities, their number is greater. Nitya-mukta, ever liberated. They live in the spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭha planets. Nitya-mukta. Nitya-mukta means eternally liberated. They never come down in this material world. And we are nitya-baddha-ever conditioned, eternally conditioned.
Lecture on SB 1.10.7 -- Mayapura, June 22, 1973:
Just like the son inherits the quality of the father, similarly... We are supposed to be sons of the Supreme Person. Therefore, in minute quantity we have got all the qualities of God. Not all. Seventy-eight percent. In very minute quantity. That is our perfection. If we revive godly qualities seventy-eight percent, in minute quantity, that is our perfection. That is there, already there. Simply it is covered by this material energy. Otherwise everything is there. So the feelings of affection, there is also in Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.10.7 -- Mayapura, June 22, 1973:
So our joyfulness is checked when we are in material condition. Therefore there is struggle. We are hankering after, to revive that joyfulness, but this contamination of material energy, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, they are checking, obstacles.
Lecture on SB 1.10.20 -- London, May 24, 1973:
So as soon as we find anyone does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, does not understand Kṛṣṇa, he is rascal. Anyone. It doesn't matter. That is the first test. Then you come to the details. As soon as you find someone, somebody, that he does not understand what is God, or his relationship with God, or, and what is the ultimate object of life, he's a rascal. And as soon as you find somebody, that he has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). How he has surrendered? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). "Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything." Actually, He's everything. The whole world is combination of two energies, material energy and spiritual energy. And Kṛṣṇa is the source of two energies. Therefore ultimate Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes. This is the summary study. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).
Lecture on SB 1.15.22-23 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1973:
So vipra-śāpa-vimūḍhānāṁ nighnatāṁ muṣṭibhir mithaḥ. Being intoxicated. Another point is intoxication. We are already intoxicated. Being under the influence of māyā, the material energy, we are already forgotten of ourself. Everybody. Nobody knows that he's not this body. This is another intoxication. He is not this body, this is a fact, but go to the outside of this temple, ask anybody, "What you are?" "Yes, I am this body." They are already intoxicated. So again if you drink, then how much intoxicated you become, just try to understand. Vāruṇīṁ madirāṁ pītvā madonmathita-cetasām. Everyone who is in this material world, forgotten God or Kṛṣṇa, he is already intoxicated. Just like intoxicated man, he cannot recognize even his father, mother, or even his sister or mother. It has been practical. One father intoxicated—there are so many instances—raped the daughter. Daughter is crying, "My dear father, I am, I am..." Who cares for that? Intoxicated. This is going on. So intoxication is so sinful. Intoxication is so sinful that... Just like the hog is intoxicated by this material world, eating stool. Is stool a food? But he is tasting very nice. And he's deriving benefit, sexually very strong, never cares whether mother, sister or daughter. Every example is there in front.
Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:
In this way everything in this material world, nothing is permanent. But the soul within the body, that permanent. That is the conservation of energy. That they do not know. Where the energy is reserved and wherefrom the energy is manifested, again wound up... A living entity... As God and we living entities, we have got the same quality... As God is the reservation, conversation of all energy, material energy, similarly, I, you, we being small particle of God's fraction... Just like spark, spark of fire, big fire, and the small spark. That small spark has all the qualities of fire. All the chemicals composition of fire is there in the small spark, but in very, very small quantity. A drop of seawater has got the all chemical composition of the ocean. That is equality. Qualitatively. And quantitatively, where is the comparison between the drop of ocean water and the ocean? There is no comparison. That is difference. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy is perfect. Acintya-bhedābheda, inconceivably, simultaneously one and different. We are one with one, but these rascals who have no thorough knowledge, they simply take this oneness, "I am one with God." That is rascaldom. There are two things: one and different simultaneously. Qualitatively one, quantitatively different.
Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:
This is creation. So as my body is formed, similarly, this whole universal body is formed. That is creation. They do not understand. They are so rascal that they do not understand that creation is a fact, and the original creator is God. So in the scriptures, "God created this world," that is fact, but unfortunately, they do not know how it is created. Lack of knowledge. So that is explained here, tritve hutvā ca pañcatvam, how things are developing. From the spirit soul there is total material energy. Energy is coming. The conservation of energy is the spirit soul. Where is the difficulty to understand? That is permanent, avyaya.
Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:
Aṣṭadhā. Aṣṭadhā means eight. So tritve, three, and pañcatvam, five, that means eight, the eight kinds of material energy. Earth, water, fire, air, sky—these are gross. The gross, amongst the gross also, the finer material energy, the sky, we cannot see. This is also gross. Then mind. Everyone knows I am thinking, I have got mind. You know, I know. But where is the mind? Have you seen? Somebody suggests mind is in the brain, somebody suggests in the stomach, somebody... Suggesting. But there is mind. Everyone knows. Then next finer, the sky. We can perceive the sky is there by sound. As soon as... (makes tapping sound) This is due to sky, this sound. That is the symptom there is sky. But similarly, although the sky you cannot see, you can understand that... Similarly, mind is there. You can understand by thinking, feeling, willing, mind is there.
Lecture on SB 1.15.44 -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1973:
So this is the problem. But that is not the problem for Kṛṣṇa. But that is problem for us. Because we are very minute spark of Kṛṣṇa, as the spark has the chance of being extinguished out of the fire, similarly, being separated from Kṛṣṇa, being entangled in this material energy, we have forgotten. Our spiritual quality, burning quality, just like fire, that is now extinguished. It is not exactly extinguished: almost extinguished. We have forgotten. But it can be again brought into the original position by fanning. Just like there is small fire in the charcoal. You fan it, and it will gradually become a big fire. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is fanning that spiritual spark to come into full consciousness. Go on fanning like that. That is the rules and regulation, attending this class, hearing this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. Twenty-four hours be engaged. That is real business. Dhyāyan, always, constantly, hṛdi brahma paraṁ dhyāyan. Dhyāyan means medi... This is meditation. And who is Parabrahman? Kṛṣṇa. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12).
Lecture on SB 1.16.10 -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1974:
You eat whatever you like, you drink as much as you like, you go on gambling." If such leader is there, there is no restriction of eating. If such swamiji comes, that "No, no, you can eat everything," "Oh, a good swami." And "This swamiji is very conservative." Just like Allen Ginsberg told me, "Swamiji, you are very conservative." Because I restrict. But he does not know that actual benefit will be derived when you are actually conservative. Otherwise you are going by the waves of māyā. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura therefore said, miche māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi: "You are being washed away by the waves of māyā, material energy, illusion. Why you are putting yourself in such dangerous condition, sometimes being drowned, sometimes up, trying to...?" This is struggle for existence. The only remedy, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, jīva kṛṣṇa-dās, e biśvās, korle to' ār duḥkho nāi: "If you accept this principle, that 'I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa,' then you become immediately saved from this washing away by the waves of māyā."
Lecture on SB 1.16.11 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1974:
Vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, to kill the duṣkṛtām, miscreants. So when He personally fights... The duṣkṛtām can be finished simply by indication of Kṛṣṇa. The material energy is so powerful. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. Even the sun, the most powerful, aśeṣa-tejāḥ, high temperature. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ, unlimited temperature, that sun is also moving within it's orbit, yasyājñayā, under the order of Kṛṣṇa. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So to kill a demon in this material world, the Lord does not require to come Himself. But He comes in special case. Just like Kṛṣṇa came to kill Kaṁsa, to kill Rāvaṇa, to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu, like that. So that is also His pastime.
Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974:
Then what is the business of mahātmā? He... Suppose he understands, surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Then what is his business? Simply knowing and surrendering will do? No. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ (BG 9.13). Engaged in service. Not that "I have understood Kṛṣṇa. Let me sit down and sleep now." He is not mahātmā. But vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa ma... (BG 7.19). Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Daivī. Daivī means spiritual, spiritual energy. He is in the spiritual energy, not this material energy. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Spiritual energy. And what is the symptom of being in the spiritual energy? Bhajanti: always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So they are mahātmā.
Lecture on SB 1.16.19 -- Hawaii, January 15, 1974:
Living entities, they are in this material world in different forms. That is accepted by Kṛṣṇa, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). There are as many forms of life amongst the living entities. Tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. The mahad yoniḥ, mahat, this material world, material elements, or the sum total of material elements... Mother Durgā, she is the mother. And God is the father. Just like father and mother gives birth to a child, similarly, we spirit soul, the part and parcel of the supreme father, and the material elements, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), they're the recipient. Tasmin garbhaṁ dadāmy aham. Just like father gives the seed in the womb of the mother, then the child gets a body and it grows and come out, similarly this body is given by mother, material, material energy, but the father is the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). This is the factual position. We are not this material body.
Lecture on SB 1.16.19 -- Los Angeles, July 9, 1974:
That is called adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛta akṣaja jñānaṁ yatra. By your experimental knowledge you cannot understand. The same thing, that if you say, "I do not see the President of the United States. Therefore I do not believe this law, 'Keep to the left.' " No, no. If you don't believe, that is your business. But as soon as you violate this law, immediately you are under prison. You have seen the President or not seen, it doesn't matter. The law will act. Similarly, you believe in God or do not believe in God. It doesn't matter. The God's order, the God's law, will work on. And for this purpose the material energy is there.
Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Melbourne, June 26, 1974:
When one understands that everything is manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's energy, the... Exactly the same: just like the fire is situated in somewhere, but the fire exhibits or demonstrates its energy, the light and heat, although fire is far away, just like the sun is far, far away, but still, by sun's light and heat, he is spread all over the universe, similarly, Kṛṣṇa, by His two energies, material energy and spiritual energy... That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Melbourne, June 26, 1974:
So there are two energies, exactly like heat and light. One, the spiritual energy, and the other is material energy. The material energy is inferior energy and the spiritual energy is the superior energy. What is the spiritual energy? Jīva-bhūta, these living entities. The living entity is superior because it is controlling the inferior energy, matter. These are very scientific. It is not sentiment. Everything Kṛṣṇa consciousness is scientific. Simply one requires the brain to understand. Then, when he understands, he will see Kṛṣṇa in everything. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta: sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). When a devotee, advanced devotee, sees something, he does not see the formation of that thing. He sees the energy. A highly advanced devotee will not see the stone. He immediately will think of Kṛṣṇa, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that His energy is exhibited in stone." Therefore he does not see stone. He sees only Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, perfection of.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Paris, June 11, 1974:
The, the Brahman effulgence being spread, in some corner of this Brahman effulgence, there is mahat-tattva, material energy. And that material energy means...
Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Delhi, November 7, 1973:
Ghostly haunted, every one of us. This māyā-grasta, one who is under the influence of this material energy, just like, exactly like a man who is ghostly haunted. Ghostly haunted. Perhaps some of you have seen a man ghostly haunted. He talks all nonsense. Similarly, the māyā-grasta jīva, those who are in this material-too much absorbed in the bodily concept of life, without any self-realization... Everyone is thinking like madman, that "These things will give me protection." Because he has become mad, pramatta. Pramatta. Teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanam. You are fighting with soldiers. That's all right. But if you know, "All my soldiers will die," then what is the use of your fighting? Or you take some means that your fighting will be victorious.
Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:
Kṛṣṇa descends, and He leaves behind Him so many activities. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. Sādhūnām. Paritrāṇāya means to give protection; sādhu, those who are devotees. To give protection to the devotees. And vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: and to annihilate the demons. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya (BG 4.8). Yuge yuge sambhavām. So God comes. So far destruction or annihilation of the demons is concerned, God is not required to come down, because His agents Take, for example, this material energy. It is sufficient. If God wants, this whole city of Los Angeles can be, within a second, overpowered by this water of the Pacific Ocean. Within a second. It does not take much time.
Lecture on SB 2.3.21 -- Los Angeles, June 18, 1972:
This outward body is dress. Somebody is dressed like a female, somebody is dressed like a male, but none of them are male. Both of them are originally female, prakṛti. Prakṛti means feminine gender. Prakṛti. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, aparā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām: "This material energy, earth, water, fire, air, these are...they are also My energy," Kṛṣṇa says. "But they are inferior energy. But there is another energy, jīva-bhūtaḥ, the living entities, and that is superior energy."
Lecture on SB 2.9.1 -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:
It is simply the influence of the material energy, nothing. Actually he has not fallen. Another example given is given. Just like the moon is covered with scattered cloud, the passing cloud. You have seen. Everyone has experience. The cloud passes, and it appears that the moon is moving. Have you seen this?
Lecture on SB 2.9.9 -- Tokyo, April 25, 1972, Informal Class in Room:
But because you are forced somehow or other in the presence of mother material energy, she will give you the facility to promote immediately to the human form of life. And as human being, you will have every right to kill this man who is killing you. That is meaning of māṁsa. Mām means me, sa means he. "He will also eat me." So I will have to take the form of a goat next life. And he will take the form of a human being and he will get the chance of killing me. He can excuse, but he will get the chance. This is the bandhana. Karma-bandhana.
Lecture on SB 2.9.13 -- Melbourne, April 12, 1972:
So, in all other planets, not only within this material world, but also in the spiritual world there are also varieties of planets. The difference is: here the varieties are made of matter, and there the varieties are made of spirit. That's all. There are two things: material energy and spiritual energy. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. The material energy is also one, mahat-tattva. But bahudhā iva ivābhāti. The one thing is matter. But bahudhā ivābhāti. What is that?
Lecture on SB 2.9.13 -- Melbourne, April 12, 1972:
You take information only. But it is not variety-less, not the nonsense theory, zero. That is the first thing. It is not zero. So any other question? Nirviśeṣa-saviśeṣa. There Kṛṣṇa is dancing always with the gopīs. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). There everything is expansion of Kṛṣṇa's own form. Here is also This is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy, material energy. And that is Just try to understand like this. Here everything is by the expansion of Kṛṣṇa's material energy. And there, everything is there by His spiritual energy. That's all. Something made of sugar and something made of dirt. The sugar is always sweet, and dirt is always detestful. That's all. Two dolls, one is made of clay, another is made of sugar. Which one you will like? Children? Two dolls. One is made of sugar and another is made of this clay. Which one would you like?
Lecture on SB 3.12.19 -- Dallas, March 3, 1975:
We can see other material elements, wood. So Kṛṣṇa has appeared as we can see Him. Because we cannot see more than stone, wood, metal, therefore Kṛṣṇa has appeared as stone statue. But He is not stone statue. That we have to understand. He is Kṛṣṇa, but He is so kind that He has appeared before us as we can see Him. This is the philosophy, not that stone is Kṛṣṇa. Stone is also Kṛṣṇa in the ultimate sense because stone is the expansion of energy of Kṛṣṇa, material energy. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva..., bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). This is called philosophy of inconceivable one and different. The same example can be given: just like the sunshine. In the sunshine there is heat and temperature.
Lecture on SB 3.25.3 -- Bombay, November 3, 1974:
So behind this material energy... Material energy, just like we see, there is cloud, there is thundering sound, there is rain. And from the rain, there is crops, there is food grain. Then we eat those food grains. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. Then, yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ (BG 3.14). These things are already stated. Everything, the origin is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yajña. Yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ. Yajña means we have to satisfy the Supreme Person. That is called yajña. And this process can be executed when the human society is very regulated. Regulated means there must be division of these varṇas and āśramas. Varṇa means four varṇas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. They have got their respective duties. So unless the human society is divided into these eight scientific divisions and everyone acts according to his position, there cannot be any peace in the world. That is called varṇāśrama.
Lecture on SB 3.25.4 -- Bombay, November 4, 1974:
Of course, this material energy is also ātma-māyā, Kṛṣṇa's. Not ours. Mama māyā. Kṛṣṇa says, mama māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). This material world is Kṛṣṇa's. We cannot say mama māyā. No. We are under the control of this material nature. But Kṛṣṇa is the controller of the material nature. That is the difference. We are controlled by the material nature, but Kṛṣṇa is not controlled, but He's controller. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). One who understands this, that this prakṛti, this material nature, is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, that is our real knowledge. How the things are going on? That is not possible to understand. But the summary, sum total, if we simply understand... Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Everything is emanated from the Supreme Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa. That much knowledge is sufficient. Then you can increase—how they are working. How, by Kṛṣṇa's energies, the material energy is working by the direction of Kṛṣṇa, that is advanced knowledge. But on the whole, if we... As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). That is perfect knowledge.
Lecture on SB 3.25.4 -- Bombay, November 4, 1974:
This material energy is inferior, and the spiritual energy is superior. And superior why? Because the superior energy, the living entity, jīva-bhūta, they are controlling. Not controlling. They are trying to utilize. Just like we advanced living entities, human beings, we have created the modern civilization by utilizing the matter, utilizing the matter. That is our superiority. But we are also prakṛti. Apareyaṁ viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. We are parā-prakṛti, spiritual energy. This is the understanding. In this way we have to understand tattva-jñāna. The human life is meant for understanding tattva. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra: athāto brahma jijñāsā. Jijñāsā, tattva-jijñāsā, the same thing.
Lecture on SB 3.25.13 -- Bombay, November 13, 1974:
In England, the Queen has bodyguards. So similarly, when we... Yoga ādhyātmikaḥ. Yoga means connection, and ātmā, ātmā means this soul, actually, but sometimes ātmā means the mind, ātmā means the body also. So body has nothing to do with the Supreme Being, because Supreme Being is complete spirit. He has no material covering. One who thinks that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Being, has got a material covering, covered by māyā, as we are, covered by māyā, this material energy... Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Kṛṣṇa says, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). Kṛṣṇa does not say that "I come here as ordinary living being." Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). One has to learn how Kṛṣṇa takes birth. It is not ordinary birth. Had it been ordinary birth, then why we should observe the Janmāṣṭamī ceremony? It is divyam, divine, transcendental. Everything of Kṛṣṇa is divine. And if we think Kṛṣṇa as like us, then according to the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā, immediately we become a mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11).
Lecture on SB 3.25.13 -- Bombay, November 13, 1974:
At the present moment, people are so much in darkness, they do not understand what is soul. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā teaches first to understand what is the soul. What is the soul? Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehī, that soul. Dehī means the proprietor of the body. We are thinking, "I am this... I am this body." No, I am not this body; I am the proprietor of this body. That is real understanding of myself: "I am not this body." We say also, "This is my finger," "This is my head," "This is my leg." Nobody says, "I head," or "I finger." Nobody says. Everyone says, "My head." So I am the proprietor of this body. And then I am under the influence of māyā. This body has been given by māyā, the material energy.
Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:
No. Durāśayā means which cannot be fulfilled. You can hope something, you can... But it is hoping against hope. It will never be fulfilled. That is called durāśā. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Persons who are trying to become happy by adjustment of this bahir-artha, external energy, or the material energy, they do not know that happiness cannot be achieved without approaching Viṣṇu, or God. They do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi... Everyone is thinking, "I must first of all see my own interest." That's all right. But what is your interest, that you do not know. First of all try to understand what is your interest. But that you do not know. Because you are thinking falsely that "By adjustment of this material atmosphere I shall be happy." Everyone is trying. Nationally, individually, collectively, everyone is trying. But it is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It will be frustration. Therefore it is called bahir-artha-māninaḥ.
Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974:
So don't think that this material energy is working independently. She is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. So a devotee knows this. Just like a policeman is working. A sane man knows that he is working not independently, but under the government order. This knowledge required, not that that because policeman has got some power, he becomes God. No. God is not so cheap. You can accept... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). God has got multi-energies. One of the energies is Durgā, not that she is all in all, no. There are many millions of Durgās, many millions of Śivas, because there are many millions of universes. Just like many millions of police force, similarly, these demigods, there are many, many millions. But God is one. God is not million. Of course, He can expand in million forms; that is different thing. Svāṁśa, vibhinnāṁśa.
Lecture on SB 3.25.38 -- Bombay, December 7, 1974:
The fact is that Kṛṣṇa is permanent, but Kṛṣṇa's material energy is not permanent. Therefore it is said, śānta-rūpe, "My dear mother," na karhicin mat-parāḥ. Mat-parāḥ. Mat means Bhagavān. Bhagavān is speaking, mat-parāḥ. Whenever... As in the Bhagavad-gītā also there are many words, mat-parāḥ, or plural number, mat-parāḥ, the same thing. So here also, Kapiladeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says, mat-parāḥ—means "My devotees. My devotees who have taken Me as his son, friend, lover, master..." There are so many rasas: śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sākhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, mādhurya-rasa, in so many. Those rasas, or mellows, are represented here in the material world in a temporary way. Here we have got the same rasa: I love my son. I love my friend. I love my husband. There is love, but this is all temporary. But if you transfer this love to Kṛṣṇa either as your master or the Supreme or as friend or as your son or as your lover or husband, it will never be destroyed. That is permanent settlement.
Lecture on SB 3.25.39-40 -- Bombay, December 8, 1974:
They are just like machine, yantrārūḍhāni, and that machine is made by māyā, this material energy. That is not spiritual energy. I am spiritual energy; you are spiritual energy. But this vehicle, or the car, or the moving machine, that is not spiritual. That is material. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). It is given by māyā. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ... (BG 3.27). We are in a machine made by māyā. And so long we are on this machine, the machine will be old and you will have to change it for another machine. That is going on. That is called janma-mṛtyu. That is called birth and death. Otherwise you and me, we have no birth and death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. The soul, or the Brahman, he does not take birth or dies.
Lecture on SB 3.26.4 -- Bombay, December 16, 1974:
Nitāi: "(As His pastimes, that Supreme Personality of Godhead, the greatest of the great,) accepted the subtle material energy, which is invested with the three material modes of nature and which is related with Viṣṇu."
Prabhupāda:
- sa eṣa prakṛtiṁ sūkṣmāṁ
- daivīṁ guṇamayīṁ vibhuḥ
- yadṛcchayaivopagatām
- abhyapadyata līlayā
- (SB 3.26.4)
So Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as He says that sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā... (BG 4.6). Sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā. Kṛṣṇa and the living entities, both of them are the same quality, but when the living entities come in this material world, he is forced by the prakṛti, by the material nature. But when Kṛṣṇa comes, He is not forced, but by His free will, yadṛcchayā upagatām... Yadṛcchayaivopagatām abhyapadyata līlayā.
Lecture on SB 3.26.4 -- Bombay, December 16, 1974:
In another place, in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā is the material energy, and she has got immense power. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktiḥ. She is controlling this creation or this whole universe, sṛṣṭi, and sthiti, its maintenance, and pralaya. Three things she is controlling. She is so powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). The durgā-śakti, material energy, she is so powerful, but it is working chāyeva, just like shadow. Shadow has no independent capacity; it is dependent on the substance. Substance and shadow. So Kṛṣṇa is the substance, and the power derived from Kṛṣṇa, partially exhibited by the durgā-śakti.
Lecture on SB 3.26.5 -- Bombay, December 17, 1974:
Somebody... The question is asked, "Why Kṛṣṇa created this material energy which is so miserable condition?" Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). So it is not Kṛṣṇa willingly created. But He gave the chance to the living entities who forgot Kṛṣṇa. He forgot Kṛṣṇa's service and wanted to enjoy this material world. Indriya-tarpaṇa(?) Indriya-prītaye. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Here they are doing just against the law, kurute vikarma. Karma, vikarma, and akarma. So we have very good experience, especially in big, big cities. People, just to get money they are doing so many unlawful activities, vikarma.
Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:
Nitāi: (leads chanting, etc.) "Due to his forgetfulness, the transcendental living entity accepts the influence of material energy as his field of activities, and thus actuated, he wrongly applies the activities to himself."
Prabhupāda: (aside:) He'll fall down.
- evaṁ parābhidhyānena
- kartṛtvaṁ prakṛteḥ pumān
- karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu
- guṇair ātmani manyate
- (SB 3.26.6)
Being influenced by... (aside:) It is not working? Being influenced by the modes of material nature, he is, the living entity, is identifying himself with the particular type of material nature, particular modes of material nature. We are getting different types of bodies according to the modes of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said. Whatever we are doing, we are doing under the spell of material nature. Just like a madman.
Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:
Nitāi: "Material consciousness is the cause of one's conditional life. Conditions are enforced upon the living entity by the material energy. Although he does not do anything and is transcendental to such activities, the spirit soul is thus affected by conditional life."
Prabhupāda:
- tad asya saṁsṛtir bandhaḥ
- pāra-tantryaṁ ca tat-kṛtam
- bhavaty akartur īśasya
- sākṣiṇo nirvṛtātmanaḥ
- (SB 3.26.7)
So karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu guṇair ātmani manyate. The conditioned soul... We say "conditioned." It was not conditioned, but now it has become conditioned, pāra-tantrya.
Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:
If you want to remain in this material world, bhūtejyā, worshiper of the material energy... Just like we are at present engaged: we are worshiper of the material energy, or Durgā. Worshiper of the material energy. In the Durgā-pūjā, in the Caṇḍi, the direction is that you ask material opulence, dhanaṁ dehi, rūpaṁ dehi, rūpavatī-bhāryāṁ dehi, yaśo dehi. That you can do. And we all living entities within this material world, we are worshiper of the material nature. The scientist also trying to find out means how to exploit the resources of material nature. That is also one kind of worshiping. Because if they are successful in discovering some material energy, new kind of material energy, they get money. Then, by money, they get full advantage of sense gratification.
Lecture on SB 3.26.8 -- Bombay, December 20, 1974:
And the whole material world, whole Vedic śāstra, whole Vedic culture is meant for rectifying this mentality, that "I am not independent. I am dependent on Kṛṣṇa. So I have forgotten Kṛṣṇa somehow or other, and I have taken this mentality of puruṣa, enjoying this material world. I have to rectify this." So if I rectify that, then I become free from the clutches of māyā. Otherwise, since I have put myself under the clutches of this material energy, she is giving me different types of body, different types of situation, to fulfill my desire. But because she has given a different type of body, a different type situation, she is not responsible; I am responsible. Therefore I will have to suffer or enjoy of the sequence or the resultant action made by the material nature.
Lecture on SB 3.26.11-14 -- Bombay, December 23, 1974:
Pradhāna. Prakṛti, puruṣa, pradhāna. So pradhāna is the total material energy, which is called mahat-tattva. We have discussed this subject matter last night, mahat-tattva. So mahat-tattva is the original total energy for material creation. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, is sometime described as mahat-padam. Mahat-padam. Mahat-padam means "under whose lotus feet this whole total material energy is resting." Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Samāśritāḥ. Therefore we have to take shelter of the Supreme, under whose lotus feet this mahat-tattva is also resting. Mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Puṇya-yaśaḥ. If you glorify Kṛṣṇa, then we become pious. Therefore there are so many prayers to be offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, vandanam (SB 7.5.23). Vandanam means offering prayer. This is also bhakti-mārga.
Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:
Yes. Viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā (CC Madhya 6.154). In the Viṣṇu-Purāṇa it is said that viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā. Parā means spiritual. Kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā. And kṣetrajña means the living entity. That is also parā, spiritual. Avidyā-karma-saṁjña anya tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. Avidyā-karma-saṁjña anya: "Another śakti is there, means this material energy. It is full of avidyā." Avidyā-karma-saṁjña. And here karma is very prominent. Everyone is trying work, trying to work very hard to get some profit out of it just to become happy. So in the modern civilization especially, they are being trained up to work very hard and, to get strength, eat meat, and to digest meat drink wine, and then become infuriated and work very hard. This is the modern type of civilization. But Vedic civilization is different. Vedic civilization is not meant for working so hard. The human being should be very peaceful and sober and intelligent and cultivate spiritual knowledge, become brāhmaṇa, brahminical culture. Satyaṁ śaucaṁ śamo damas titikṣā. This is Vedic culture.
Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:
So rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ, it is going on, very strong. Therefore human life is not meant for this purpose. It is very difficult to convince the present society. Still, we are trying our bit, that "This is not the right type of civilization, godless civilization, no sattva-guṇa, only rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, mostly tamo-guṇa. This thing will not improve your situation, neither solve your problem. The problem... Human life is meant for solving the problem." Therefore creation is made. The living entities within this material world, daivāt kṣubhita-dharmiṇyām, this material energy, they are given chance, again creation. Daivāt. Daivāt kṣubhita-dharmiṇyāṁ svasyāṁ yonau. This material energy is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. That I was trying to explain last night. Just like the heat and light. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. The light and heat. Similarly, spiritual energy and material energy. Take the spiritual energy as heat and material energy as the light. There is some idea of fire. Heat, if somewhere is very hot, you can make an idea, "There must be some fire." That is... The material world is like that. We have got some heat of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:
There are so many controller. And even in this planet there are so many controller: the president of India, president of America, and so on, so on. Similarly, there are many presidents in innumerable planets. The president of the sun planet, that is also mentioned in the śāstra. His name is there: Vivasvān. The president of the sun planet, his name is Vivasvān. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Candra is the president of the moon planet. Sūrya, Sūrya is Vivasvān. So everywhere there is a president or predominating deity. But above all of them is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is called paraḥ pumān, param, not within this material world. So He is controlling everything, and His two energies, material energy and spiritual energy, is acting like the heat and light of the fire.
Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:
So in the material world we can perceive only if we are intelligent. But in the spiritual world there is directly. Now here it is said that ādhatta vīryaṁ sāsūta, vīryam. So the living entities, they are also coming from the paraḥ pumān. He is impregnating this material energy with these living entities, and according to their desires, different desires, they are getting different types of bodies. And he is thinking that he is enjoying. Just like the pig. He is also thinking he is enjoying stool. He is also thinking. Similarly, you will find also, human society. They are eating different types of foodstuff. "One man's poison... One man's food is another man's poison." Suppose one man is eating something. Another man will say, "Eh! What he is eating?" But he is also enjoying. He is also.
Lecture on SB 3.26.21 -- Bombay, December 30, 1974:
So these materialistic persons, the karmīs, they are trying to be happy by material adjustment. That has been described in the Bhāgavata, durāśayā: "This kind of hope is never to be fulfilled. It will never be successful." But the karmīs, they think they will be successful. They are struggling very hard. So durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. How? Now, bahir-artha. Bahiḥ, bahiḥ prajñā, or external energy, or the material energy. The material energy is called external energy. So that is called bahiḥ. Bahiḥ means external.
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
Nitāi: "The material energy springs up from the mahat-tattva, which evolved from the Lord's own energy. The material ego is endowed predominantly with active power of three kinds—good, passionate and ignorant. From these three types of material ego the mind, the senses of perception, and the organs of action, and the gross elements evolve."
Prabhupāda:
- mahat-tattvād vikurvāṇād
- bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt
- kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras
- tri-vidhaḥ samapadyata
- vaikārikas taijasaś ca
- tāmasaś ca yato bhavaḥ
- manasaś cendriyāṇāṁ ca
- bhūtānāṁ mahatām api
- (SB 3.26.23-24)
So the process of creation, how, one after another, it takes place, that is described here. So the total energy, mahat-tattva, by interaction, the begins... The moving, the pushing, begins from the bhagavad-vīryatā. Bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt. Vīrya means energy. We understand vīrya sometimes—the semina. It is something like that; not exactly the material semina, but potency or energy, spiritual energy. That is the beginning of creation.
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
Nārāyaṇa was lying down, and Lakṣmī was present. To beget Lord Brahmā, there was no necessity of taking the help of Lakṣmījī. He sprouted a lotus flower from His navel, and there was Brahmā. So everything is possible from every part of the body, transcendental body. That is spiritual body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), omnipotent. That is explained in the Brahma-saṁhitā, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. The limbs and the parts of the body has got the potency of any other limb. Just like we can beget child, we can impregnate by the genital, but it is not required for the Supreme Personality of God. In the Vedas it is said, sa aikṣata: "Simply by glancing the same." The same. "He glanced over the total material energy, and the material energy, total mahat-tattva, became agitated." Then, one after another, the creation was there.
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
So kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ. Kriyā-śakti, the creative energy, kriyā-śakti. God is not impotent. He is fully potent, and His energies are acting. We can experience in our daily life. So this kriyā-śakti begins in three different categories, tri-vidhaḥ. Kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ samapadyata. Ahaṅkāra, ego, identification, "I am." Everyone is conscious of his activities, ego: "I am doing this." But this ego, this is called false ego. This material, under the material energy, this ego, is called another way upādhi, designation. The real ego is ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." But on account of being in touch, being born in this material world, my kriyā-śakti, my activities, are being done under different designation, under tri-vidhaḥ. Why under different designation. Because immediately there is creation, the guṇamayī, the three kinds of modes of material nature, they also become manifest, and on account of this, our ego, false ego, association with a particular type of material modes of nature, I am thinking, "I am like this" or "I am this." Just like in this body, I am thinking, "I am a human being" or "I am Indian" or "I am brāhmaṇa" or "I am sannyāsī," or this or that, so many things. Similarly, when I am in the dog's body, so I think, "I am dog. My business is barking and give service to the master."
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
The same example, as we have explained yesterday, that the water is coming from the sky. Before touching the ground it is pure, crystal, distilled water. So before touching this material energy... Icchā-dveṣa samutthena sarge yānti parantapa (BG 7.27). Before our material body creation, in spiritual consciousness, it is clear, crystal clear. But when it is agitated by the material desires... In Bengali there is that poetry, kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. What is that? That desire is that "I can independently enjoy." The example... There are many such examples. Just like a man is honest, but if he becomes polluted by the desire that "If I can get that money by fair or unfair means, I will become rich, so let me take this money," so immediately mind becomes agitated, and it becomes under the spell of criminality. Then gradually, under superior judgment, I am put into the prison house.
Lecture on SB 3.26.45 -- Bombay, January 20, 1975:
What is that? Vaiṣamyād gandha eko vibhidyate. In the previous verse the gandha, from gandha, from smell, fragrance or smell, ghrāṇas tu gandhagaḥ. So in the smelling power, nostril, they perceive different varieties. Variety is there. Although the thing is one, one Kṛṣṇa, but even in His material energy, He is perceived in varieties of things. That is the purpose of this Sāṅkhya philosophy, how one has become many. Ekaṁ bahu syām.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Delhi, November 28, 1975:
So unless one comes to that platform, that "I am beyond this blood, flesh, bone, urine, stool..." Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parāḥ. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "These material elements—earth, water, air, fire, sky, mind, intelligence, ego—these are eight separated energy of the Supreme Lord." And the Lord says, apareyam: "These elements are inferior energy." Itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parāḥ: "Beyond this, you try to understand, there is another nature, prakṛti." What is that another nature? Jīva-bhūto mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat: (BG 7.5) "That is jīva-bhūtaḥ." So mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ: (BG 15.7) "These living entities," Kṛṣṇa said, "they are My part and parcel." So we are now covered with these material energies although I am spiritual energy.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Bombay, December 25, 1976:
There are three guṇas; therefore the material nature is called guṇa-mayī. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Kṛṣṇa says that this material energy... There are three different energies of the Supreme Lord. He has got multi-energies, parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). We can see activities are going on, different varieties of activities in this world, but they have been summarized into three divisions: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa... The animals, they are in the tamo-guṇa. Then gradually they are elevated by the evolutionary process to the rajo-guṇa, and then we are elevated to the sattva-guṇa. That is the brahminical qualification. And we have to surpass the sattva-guṇa also. Not that coming to the platform of sattva-guṇa we become perfect. No. There is chance of falling down from the sattva-guṇa. We have got practical experience in this age, Kali-yuga, many persons have fallen down from the platform of brahminical qualification. The brahminical qualification is the platform of sattva-guṇa: śamo damo titikṣava ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). This is the brahminical culture.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:
That is confirmed by Arjuna after understanding Bhagavad-gītā. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Parabrahman, Brahman realization; Paramātmā realization; and above Brahman and Paramātmā there is Parabrahman. That is Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa... (BG 7.19). Who can understand? One, if he... If one understands this, that Kṛṣṇa is Parabrahman—vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19)—He's also Paramātmā, He's also impersonal Brahman—sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ: "He becomes the great mahātmā." Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). That mahātmā is under the control of daivī-prakṛti, spiritual energy. He's no more under the material energy. As soon as he understands Kṛṣṇa—vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19)—he's no more under material energy.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:
Nature is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā: sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Goddess Durga is accepted as the material energy or material prakṛti. So she's so powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā, icchanurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā (Bs. 5.44). Sā Durga is not independent. Icchānurūpam api yasya, under who's direction she is working? Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. I am worshiping the Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, the Supreme Person, ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣam nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). These are the information we get from the śāstra. Adyam, He is the original person. Ādyaṁ purāṇa puruṣam, the oldest person.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:
Now, in the next verse, how we can practice tapasya, that is recommended here. Mahat-sevām. Mahat sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). Mahat, great soul. Mahat means great soul. Who is great soul? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Great soul means who has taken shelter of the spiritual nature. He is great soul. There are two natures: spiritual nature and the material nature. We can understand material nature, this body, and the spiritual nature, the soul. And there are two things within our, this existence: matter and spirit. Similarly, there are two energies of God. One energy is called material energy, and the other is called spiritual energy. God is appreciated. We can understand God—there is God—by the presence of His energy, just like we can understand there is sun in the presence of the sunlight. Light is the energy of the sun. In the morning, as soon as you see through your door, open window, that there is now light, you can understand there is sunrise. So we can understand the existence of God by the presence of His energy. By the presence of His energy. Just like sun is appreciated by the presence of heat and light, similarly, whatever we see in this world There are two energies working: material energy and the spiritual energy. We can understand there is God.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:
Now, in the next verse, how we can practice tapasya, that is recommended here. Mahat-sevām. Mahat sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). Mahat, great soul. Mahat means great soul. Who is great soul? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Great soul means who has taken shelter of the spiritual nature. He is great soul. There are two natures: spiritual nature and the material nature. We can understand material nature, this body, and the spiritual nature, the soul. And there are two things within our, this existence: matter and spirit. Similarly, there are two energies of God. One energy is called material energy, and the other is called spiritual energy. God is appreciated. We can understand God—there is God—by the presence of His energy, just like we can understand there is sun in the presence of the sunlight. Light is the energy of the sun. In the morning, as soon as you see through your door, open window, that there is now light, you can understand there is sunrise. So we can understand the existence of God by the presence of His energy. By the presence of His energy. Just like sun is appreciated by the presence of heat and light, similarly, whatever we see in this world There are two energies working: material energy and the spiritual energy. We can understand there is God.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:
What is this world? This world is distribution of the two energies of God: the material energy and the spiritual energy. So mahat means one who has taken shalter of the spiritual energy. He is called mahat, great soul. So far the material energy is concerned, they, generally all living entities who are in this material world, they have taken the shelter of the material energy, 8,400,000 forms of body. But the mahat means one who has taken the shelter of the spiritual energy. So mahat sevan: we have to approach such person who has taken the shelter of the spiritual energy of God. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes. If you want liberation from this bondage—birth, death, old age and disease and so many other things—then you have to execute tapasya under the direction of a great soul. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). If you want liberation. And tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Yoṣitām. Yoṣitām means Yoṣit mean woman.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:
So this material energy is... Every energy is woman. The spiritual energy is also woman, material energy is woman. The material energy is tamo, darkness, and the other energy is the light. Therefore Vedic injunction is tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ. Don't remain under the darkness material energy. In the Caṇḍī, those who have read Caṇḍī, ya devī sarva-bhūtānāṁ nidrā-rūpena samāsthitaḥ. The material energy's business is to keep us in slumber without any pure knowledge. This is material energy. So if we keep ourself within the material energy, that will lead us more and more in the darkest region of hellish condition of life. Tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Those who are too much materially affected, to associate with such person means you remain within the material energy. And if you associate with persons who are great souls, who have taken the shelter of spiritual energy, your path of liberation will be open. This is the purport. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:
Yes. That I have already explained, material energy and spiritual energy. In the material energy you have got all these birth, death, old age and disease. In the spiritual energy there is no such thing. So we have to go to the spiritual energy.
Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- London, September 3, 1971:
Pradyumna: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead has innumerable energies, and all these energies are divine. Although the living entities are part of His energies and are therefore divine, due to contact with material energy, their original superior power is covered."
Prabhupāda: We have to work under some energy. This is our position. We are also energy. Just like two energies, the negative and positive, works on electricity, similarly... There are varieties of energies. We are also one of the energies of God. So our position is marginal energy. We can work under spiritual energy, we can work under material energy. We have to take shelter of another energy. Therefore our position is marginal. We can take shelter of the material energy or the spiritual energy, as we like. If we take the shelter of material energy, then we become entangled. Therefore it is called daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Without knowledge, without identification, if we take the shelter of material energy, then we become in darkness. Tṛtīya karma-saṅga anya śaktir iṣyate. This third energy, material, I mean to say, human being, or living entity... Therefore at the present moment... There are different atmosphere. Just like here, in this house, in this temple, the spiritual energy is acting. Outside this house the material energy's acting. What is the difference between this house and the next house? Here the material energy is not working. The spiritual energy is working. The other house, the same pattern, no difference between this house and that house. The only difference is the other house, they are interested in material energy, and here, in this house, the inhabitants interested in spiritual energy. So that is explained here, that if we work under material energy, then there will be problems of life. And if we work under spiritual energy there will be no... All problems will be solved. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- London, September 3, 1971:
Pradyumna: "Being thus covered by material energy, one cannot possibly overcome its influence."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Pradyumna: "As previously stated, both the material and spiritual natures, being emanations from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are eternal. The living entities belong to the eternal, superior nature of the Lord. But due to contamination by the inferior nature, matter, their illusion is also eternal."
Prabhupāda: Just like a citizen is supposed to remain free, but sometimes is put into the jail because he has worked under different criminal energy. So therefore he is put into the jail. But when he becomes perfectly civil, so there is no jail for him, he is free to move. So we have preferred to act under material energy; therefore we are suffering, there are problems. And if we prefer to act under spiritual energy, then we'll be happy. This is the difference.
Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- London, September 3, 1971:
So what is difference between material energy and spiritual energy? Material energy means one works for his own sense gratification, and spiritual energy means one works for sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. There must be some sense gratification, working. But when we work for our personal sense gratification, that is called māyā. He cannot personally be satisfied without Kṛṣṇa. Just like in this body, different parts of the body, they cannot enjoy independently. If you get nice cake, you have to put it to the stomach; then you'll get energy. And if you want... This finger caught the cake and want to utilize themself, that is not possible. It must give it here. And then the energy will be distributed. This is the difference. The materialistic persons, they are simply taking things for enjoying themselves. That is māyā. They cannot enjoy them. But if you take through Kṛṣṇa, then it is spiritual life. That is the difference between material and spiritual.
Lecture on SB 5.6.7 -- Vrndavana, November 29, 1976:
We are suffering, and Kṛṣṇa, out of His kindness, He comes to prove that the living entities are eternal servant and He is the eternal master. Still, because they are contaminated, contaminated by the yogamāyā, contaminated by māyā, mahāmāyā... Mahāmāyā. Yā devī sarva-bhūteṣu nidrā-rūpeṇa saṁśritā(?). Mahāmāyā. This material energy is described in the Chandi, yā devī sarva-bhūteṣu nidrā-rūpeṇa saṁśritā(?). (S)he's keeping everyone in sleeping, more dozes. Utthiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpta varān nibodhata. And therefore Veda says that "Don't sleep. Get up, rascal. Get up. This is the opportunity." But no. Yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. Yogamāyā is keeping him in sleeping condition. Nidrālasya. So we should be very careful.
Lecture on SB 6.1.6-15 -- San Francisco, September 12, 1968:
One should be very much pessimistic. Otherwise, he'll have to remain in the darkness of ignorance of this material nature. One should thoroughly understand that we are in a very precarious condition of this material... Because they have no information that there is happy life, there is eternal life, there is blissful life. They have no information. They think, "This is the life. So let us adjust things as far as possible." This is the covering energy of material energy.
Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Denver, June 28, 1975:
So things are very easily performed if we follow the system of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And we should; we must. It if not that optional. If you make it optional, you will suffer. That is the Vedic injunction. Kṛṣṇa also says, mām eva ya prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. You have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa or become... Otherwise you will suffer by this material energy. That you cannot avoid. So every one of us, at least those who have taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness as their life and soul, they should execute devotional service very sincerely. Then their success is assured.
Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:
Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa, taṭastha-śakti acintya bhedābheda, taṭastha-śakti prakāśa. The jīva is the manifestation of the marginal potency of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has many potencies. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport)—in the Vedic injunction. The Absolute Truth has many varieties of energy. Those energies are consolidated into three divisions: spiritual energy, material energy and marginal energy. So these jīvas are products of this marginal energy, bhedābheda prakāśa. Bhedābheda means... bheda means different, and abheda means one.
Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:
Nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. Avyaktāt anasambhavaḥ. Avyakta. The cosmic manifestation, this is called vyakta, and when it is not manifested, it is called avyakta. Just like a house is manifestation of the five elements: earth, water, air, fire. So earth, water is there already, but that is not manifested as the house. But the same combination, it becomes a house, big skyscraper building. This is difference between vyakta and avyakta. Avyakta means the whole material energy, when it is not manifested, that is called avyakta; and when it is manifested it is called vyakta. Nārāyaṇa paro 'vyaktāt. That means Nārāyaṇa is not of this material world. God is nothing of this material world. He's transcendental. Para, nārāyaṇa paro 'vyaktāt. Para means superior, transcendental.
Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, July 24, 1975:
They're not ordinary wife. But still, they say that "In this way I have become maidservant." So everyone is maidservant. We are also maidservant, prakṛti. Prakṛti means female. Jīva-bhūtāḥ, yayedaṁ dhāryate, itas tu prakṛti viddhi me parāḥ. Kṛṣṇa says First of all the material energy, prakṛti... The material energy is also prakṛti, maidservant. And the spiritual energy, also maidservant. And we are, we jīvas, we are also maidservant. Here we are dressed as man, but our original position is maidservant of Kṛṣṇa, prakṛti. Here, of course, even woman, she is also thinking as man. Man means enjoyer, and prakṛti means enjoyed. So anyone who is thinking, "I am enjoyer," outwardly he may be in the female form or male form—he is puruṣa. Therefore this conditioned soul is puruṣa. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthe api.
Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, July 24, 1975:
So long you are trying to encroach upon Kṛṣṇa's jurisdiction—everything is Kṛṣṇa's jurisdiction, but you are falsely trying to enjoy—that is disease. So this human life specially meant for understanding this truth. That is human life. Kṛṣṇa is educating the human society. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parāḥ. First of all He described the material energy, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). This is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. Kṛṣṇa is everything—the material, spiritual, marginal, everything. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Somewhere He is personally present. Somewhere He is present by His energy. So everything is energy of Kṛṣṇa. Parasya brāhmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ.
Lecture on SB 6.1.44 -- Los Angeles, June 10, 1976:
The... Tṛtīyā śaktiḥ karma-saṅgā anyā. It is mentioned that the spiritual world is just manifestation of cic-chakti, and this material world is creation of material energy or karma-saṅgā, where everyone has to work. Without work, it is said, na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. That is very nice example. In the forest the lion is supposed to be the mightiest animal, and he is sometimes called the king of the animals, paśu-rāja. So in one place it is said that even the lion, who is the king of the forest, if he sleeps and he thinks that animals will come and enter in his mouth, that is not possible. He has to also find out how to eat. Na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. The lion is so powerful, but he cannot also dictate.
Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to take you there. The foolish persons, they are being deviated. They do not know what is the value of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. They are trying to give the human society the topmost benefit, position. They don't want to become one with God, but they are giving the right to control God. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. What is the use of becoming one with God? Nobody can become. But Kṛṣṇa is willing to be controlled by the devotee. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So from this position, ajño ajita-ṣaḍ-varga, forced to work by the spell of material energy, from this rotten condition of life, we are trying to raise him to the platform where he can control Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 6.1.55 -- London, August 13, 1975:
Just like a male and female. That movement is very strong now in America. The female wants to become male, or equal rights. This is māyā. How woman can become in equal with man? Of course, we are not going to study the social welfare activities or something like that, but puruṣa and prakṛti, they are different. Purusa means enjoyer, and prakṛti means enjoyed. So here the prakṛti, this material nature—earth, water, air, fire, sky, mind, intelligence, and ego, egotism—these are eight material things. So in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā prakṛtiṁ me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). These are eight kinds of material energy. Material energy is one, mahat-tattva, but they have been divided. Mahat-tattva, when it is separated... Just like some philosopher says, "There was a chunk, and it became broken, and the creation took place." This can be applicable... The mahat-tattva, the total material energy, by, when the three guṇas break them, they become twenty-four elements, five material, and three material, subtle, and the ten senses, and the ten object of senses.
Lecture on SB 6.1.62 -- Vrndavana, August 29, 1975:
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān, puruṣaṁ śāśvatam adyam (BG 10.12). Kṛṣṇa, the Lord, is described as puruṣa, and living entities are described as prakṛti. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā, jīva-bhūto mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). Kṛṣṇa has explained. There is material energy and spiritual energy. So jīva-bhūta. Jīva-bhūta, the living entities, they have been described as prakṛti, and prakṛti means females. And Kṛṣṇa has been described as puruṣa. So puruṣa is the enjoyer, and prakṛti is the enjoyed. Don't think that "enjoyed" means simply sex. No. "Enjoyed" means subordinate, to carry out the order of the puruṣa. This is the position of Kṛṣṇa and ourself. We are part and parcel, just like the hands and legs are my part and parcel of the body. So the duty of the hands and legs are that carry out my order.
Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:
That is not a very scientific proposal. Anyone knows that nothing takes place automatically unless one living force adjusts the materials. The house does not come automatically, although the ingredients are there. It has to be handled by a living entity, and then the house is appearing as one of the product of this material world. Similarly, we have to consider that this big cosmic manifestation is not creation of blunt material energy.
Lecture on SB 6.3.16-17 -- Gorakhpur, February 10, 1971:
Tasmād..., tan-māyā-mohitatvād na jānanti ity uktam aviṣayatvāc ca tasya ity āha. So Śrīdhāra Swami give his comment that "Those who are," I mean to say, "involved with the material energy..." This material energy means the three modes of passion, ignorance, and goodness. Tan-māyā-mohita. This is the moha. Moha means illusion. Anyone who is contaminated by these three qualities of māyā, he is supposed to be involved in māyika, or material existence. Tan-māyā-mohitatvād na jānanti: "And anyone who is involved with the material qualities of this external energy, they cannot understand what is God." It is not possible. Aviṣayatvāc ca. This is not their subject matter at all. The subject matter for them different.
Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- London, September 9, 1971:
You cannot manufacture the process of your happiness by tackling this material energy. That is not possible because the material energy is not under your control. It is controlled by the Supreme. How you can overpower the material energy? That is not possible. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: Daivī hy eṣa guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It is not possible to overcome the stringent laws of material nature. It is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā: "It is My energy. I am controlling." Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: (BG 7.14) "But if somebody surrenders unto Me..." The whole process, whole material activities, the cosmic manifestation, situation, is going on just to bring these rebelled souls to come back to Godhead.
Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Hong Kong, April 18, 1972:
Then we have got this civilized form. Especially those who are born in India. Because in India the varṇāśrama-dharma is here. India, Hindu, Hindu is a foreign name given by the Mohammedans. Actually our real position is followers of the varṇāśrama-dharma. Four varṇas and four āśramas. This is the stepping stone for civilized life, varṇāśrama. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra; and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This system of social order, I mean to say, spiritual and material, it is so systematically done that one who follows this system, automatically he becomes at the end Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the highest objective. Unfortunately they do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatim hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are enchanted by the glaring materialistic, material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Madras, January 2, 1976:
There are many millions of energies. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do because everything is being done by His energy. Although He is the ultimate source of everything, but He is doing everything by His energy. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svabhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. And it appears that it is being automatically done. Not. It is not automatically done. It is done by Kṛṣṇa's energy. So this material energy is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. It is not a different energy. Kṛṣṇa says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ. Now, this petrol is liquid thing, so āpa. It is a kind of liquid thing, āpa, so it is Kṛṣṇa's energies. So our Vaiṣṇava philosophy is that Kṛṣṇa's energies should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So everything can be utilized for service of Kṛṣṇa. So when you use this petrol for Kṛṣṇa's, spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if we can use one thousand or one hundred thousand motor cars using petrol for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the proper utilization of petrol. (applause)
Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:
Don't think nature is blind. Nature is matter, material energy. It cannot work independently, just like machine. Machine, it is made of matter. But if there is no driver, however efficient machine may be, it is useless, a lump of matter (only). There must be driver. Similarly, whatever wonderful activities you find within this material nature, that is not being done independently. That is being done under the driver. Just like the big car or this airship is running very nicely so long the pilot is there, so long the driver is there. Without pilot, even the arrangement is very nice, good machinery assembly, but it cannot work. Similarly, this nature, although we find very wonderfully working, but behind this nature, there is the living entity, supreme living entity, God. So to understand that God, how He is working, what we are, what is our relationship with God, why we are here, why we are transmigrating from one body to another—all these are called bhāgavata-dharma. This is called bhāgavata-dharma.
Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Toronto, June 21, 1976:
But we are not educated. But we should be educated. At least we should take advantage of this instruction. We are sanātana. And another world is there, mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). This material world is manifested, and background of this is the total material energy, mahāt-tattva. That is not manifested. So vyakto 'vyaktāt. Beyond this there is another nature, a spiritual nature, sanātana. That is called sanātana. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). And the jīva-bhūtaḥ-sanātana.
Lecture on SB 7.6.20-23 -- Washington D.C., July 3, 1976:
"Translation: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, who is infallible and indefatigable, is present in different forms of life, from the inert living beings (sthāvara), such as the plants, to Brahmā, the foremost created living being. He is also present in total material energy and the modes of material nature (sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa), as well as the unmanifested material nature and the false ego. Although He is one, He is present everywhere, and He is also the transcendental Supersoul, the cause of all causes, who is present as the observer in the cores of the hearts of all living entities. He is indicated as that which is pervaded and as the all-pervading Supersoul, but actually He cannot be indicated. He is changeless and individed. He is simply perceived as the supreme sac-cid-ānanda (eternity, knowledge and bliss). Being covered by the curtain of the external energy, to the atheist He appears nonexistent."
Lecture on SB 7.6.20-23 -- Washington D.C., July 3, 1976:
"Translation: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, who is infallible and indefatigable, is present in different forms of life, from the inert living beings (sthāvara), such as the plants, to Brahmā, the foremost created living being. He is also present in total material energy and the modes of material nature (sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa), as well as the unmanifested material nature and the false ego. Although He is one, He is present everywhere, and He is also the transcendental Supersoul, the cause of all causes, who is present as the observer in the cores of the hearts of all living entities. He is indicated as that which is pervaded and as the all-pervading Supersoul, but actually He cannot be indicated. He is changeless and individed. He is simply perceived as the supreme sac-cid-ānanda (eternity, knowledge and bliss). Being covered by the curtain of the external energy, to the atheist He appears nonexistent."
Lecture on SB 7.7.22-26 -- San Francisco, March 10, 1967:
If I want to speak something and I can change into another, but that machine cannot change. It will simply produce the sound, what is recorded there. Therefore it is separated energy. Similarly, these eight elements, they are called separated energy. God, from God's inconceivable potencies, this energy has come out, this material energy. And it is acting mechanically, just like the same way, tape recorder. Nobody has got power to change it, but it is working. It is working. And it is working so nicely because it is emanated from the Absolute Truth. It is appearing just like truth. Just like another example: if you find some beautiful doll in the shopkeeper's window, oh, it appears, oh, just like, exactly a beautiful, nice girl. But it is not. But how it looks so nice? It is the craftmanship of the person who has manufactured that doll. Similarly, this separated energy, material energy, it is false, just like the doll. Nobody's attracted. Nobody's going to love offer, offer love to that doll girl because everyone knows, "This is false."
Lecture on SB 7.7.22-26 -- San Francisco, March 10, 1967:
So this analytical study is called sāṅkhya philosophy. Sāṅkhya philosophy, you have heard the name. They very nicely analyze these material elements, and this sāṅkhya philosophy of India is very much appreciated by European philosophers because they are more or less materialists. But the sāṅkhya philosophy, sāṅkhya kara (?), has become very popular in European circle. So vikārāḥ ṣoḍaśācāryaiḥ pumān ekaḥ samanvayāt. Now, within this, these sixteen interactional presentation and eight differentiated energies, it makes twenty-four. Within these twenty-four interactions of this material energy, I am sitting. I am soul, spirit soul. Dehas tu sarva-saṅghāto jagat tasthur iti dvidhā (SB 7.6.23). Now, these twenty-four, I mean to say, manifestation, is called this body. And that body are also two kinds. What are? That some bodies are moving, and some bodies are stationary.
Lecture on SB 7.7.22-26 -- San Francisco, March 10, 1967:
So this analytical study is called sāṅkhya philosophy. Sāṅkhya philosophy, you have heard the name. They very nicely analyze these material elements, and this sāṅkhya philosophy of India is very much appreciated by European philosophers because they are more or less materialists. But the sāṅkhya philosophy, sāṅkhya kara (?), has become very popular in European circle. So vikārāḥ ṣoḍaśācāryaiḥ pumān ekaḥ samanvayāt. Now, within this, these sixteen interactional presentation and eight differentiated energies, it makes twenty-four. Within these twenty-four interactions of this material energy, I am sitting. I am soul, spirit soul. Dehas tu sarva-saṅghāto jagat tasthur iti dvidhā (SB 7.6.23). Now, these twenty-four, I mean to say, manifestation, is called this body. And that body are also two kinds. What are? That some bodies are moving, and some bodies are stationary.
Lecture on SB 7.7.46 -- San Francisco, March 22, 1967, (incomplete lecture):
Last night in the television, one boy was asking me, "Swamijī, you are all after spiritualism. Why you are using this clay as tilaka and so many things you are using which is matter?" So I explained to him... Perhaps you have known. Actually, there is no matter, actually, in this sense, because everything is emanating from the Supreme Spirit. Everything is emanating... Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). What is the Absolute Truth? The Absolute Truth is that from which everything is emanating—the source, the fountainhead, the fountainhead of everything. So whatever we see... Now, of course, we are in condition, material condition. We see everything material. But even this material energy is also spiritual because it is coming from the spirit, the Supreme Spirit. Suppose anything comes from the fire, it is hot. Fire, anything coming from... Anything you take.
Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Hawaii, March 21, 1969:
Eko bahu śyāma: "One. I am one." The Supreme Lord says, 'I am one. I shall expand." So He has expanded by His energy, by His part and parcel, and everywhere the same quality is there. But there are proportion. Just like when there is fire there is bursting out of sparks. Some of the spark are very big; some of the spark are small, some of them, very small. In this way there are proportion. Similarly, all living entities, all energy, they are all expansion of Kṛṣṇa. The material energy, the spiritual energy, the marginal energy, they are all expansion. Just like sunlight, expansion of the sun.
Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Hawaii, March 21, 1969:
The hogs also, they work the whole day and night and have some sex pleasure. They are happy. So is that life, simply working day and night hard and enjoy some sex pleasure some way or other, and we are thinking happy? No. This is not life. Life is to utilize the energy for perpetual happiness. They do not know that there is some perpetual happiness, there is perpetual life. They are so ignorant. Therefore they are trying: "Whatever happiness can be had here, just enjoy." But there is. You are eternal. You are blissful. Simply you are covered by this material energy.
Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:
No. Organ of the self. It is covered by the material energy. Originally, you have got everything. You have got mind, ego, and everything. Just like when I think, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is also ego, "I am." But that is pure. But as soon as I think "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this body," that is impure. This is impure egoism, and that is pure egoism. So ego is there. Similarly, mind is also there, intelligence is also there, but when it is covered by this material contamination it is called māyā, and when it is out of material contamination, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa. I shall act for Kṛṣṇa, I shall live for Kṛṣṇa, I shall eat for Kṛṣṇa, I shall prepare foodstuff for Kṛṣṇa, I shall sing for Kṛṣṇa—everything Kṛṣṇa," that is liberated stage.
Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:
Yes. That is a symptom of... Mind is the active principle. Without mind, how can you act? The mind is there. But at the present moment, becoming covered by the material energy, everything is contaminated. Mind is contaminated, the intelligence is contaminated, the ego is contaminated, I, or self, I am contaminated. Everything is contaminated. When you have got fever, there is pain all over the body. There is temperature all over the body. And when the fever is off, there is no temperature. Similarly, it is the difference of consciousness only. As soon as we take material consciousness, it is to be understood in feverish condition. And as soon as you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are out of feverish condition. You want to ask? Yes, you can ask.
Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:
The Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto. We are all born ignorant. Unless there is ignorance, nobody takes birth in this material world. Anyone—may be he is Brahmā or the smallest insignificant creature like a germ or an ant—everyone has got body, a particular type of body. So anyone who has got this material body, he is more or less sinful. That is the verdict. Without being sinful, we do not get this material body. And as soon as we are out of the influence of this material energy, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). How? Māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi-bhakti-yogena. Simply by bhakti-yoga. Simply by engaging yourself cent percent, without any deviation, in the devotional service of the Lord, you immediately become freedom or liberation from this material bondage. And if you keep yourself in that position, then you are liberated in this life, and after leaving this body, you get your liberated body. That is mukti. Mukti means hitvā anyathā rūpam. Mukti means when you give up your material contaminated life.
Lecture on SB 7.9.18 -- Mayapur, February 25, 1976:
Bhavāmbudhiḥ, this great ocean of nescience in which we are now fallen and very much struggling for existence, exactly just like if you are thrown in the ocean, you may be a very good swimmer, but the condition is very dangerous... You'll have to struggle. You cannot say, "I am a good swimmer. I shall be very easily able to cross over the ocean." No. That's not possible. But if you take the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam... Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa... What is that lotus feet? Mahat-padam. It is... It is the shelter of the whole material creation, Mahat-tattva. Mahat-tattva. From mahat-tattva, the total material energy... That is called mahat-tattva. From mahat-tattva the whole cosmic manifestation has come. Therefore the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa means there is also mahat-tattva, many, many mahat-tattva. Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Murāri. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Murāri. Puṇya-yaśaḥ, always... Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. Then this... Bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padam. This great ocean of nescience becomes a small spot of water as it is made by the footprint of the calves, vatsa-padam.
Lecture on SB 7.9.20 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1976:
Everything existing on Kṛṣṇa. This material energy—earth, water, fire, air, sky—that is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. They are also Kṛṣṇa's energies. Opposite elements also. Just like heat and cold. So they are opposite. Śītoṣṇa. Śīta means winter, and uṣṇa means summer, warm and cold, cool.
Lecture on SB 7.9.20 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1976:
If there is smoke, then one should understand there is fire. I have seen practically in Nainital, very high hill, and there was smoke. So I asked the station master that "Why there is smoke?" So he said, "There is forest fire." So nobody goes there to set fire, but there is fire. By the smoke, one can understand there is fire. Similarly, we should try to understand there is presence of Kṛṣṇa by the heat and light; two energies, spiritual energy and material energy. The spiritual energy means light. You can see directly Kṛṣṇa. You can talk with Him. You can deal with Him. And the material world the heat is there. The Kṛṣṇa's energy is working. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Without Kṛṣṇa's energy, how everything is taking place? And He is explaining. He says, mayādhyakṣeṇa (BG 9.10). Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram. Don't be rascal, that "This material nature is working automatically." This is rascal's. Material nature is not working independently, not by accident. It is not accident that exactly at 6:30 or 6:15 the sun is rising. Do you think accident takes place every day? One day you may say, "The sun is rising at 6:30 by accident." But daily? What is this rascaldom?
Lecture on SB 7.9.20 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1976:
The foolish man may think like that, "automatically." No, there is no automatically, no accident. Therefore, yena yasmād yataḥ yad uta, superior, inferior—everything is systematically being done according to the desire. They say, "Not a blade of grass moves without the desire of Kṛṣṇa." That's a fact. Without Kṛṣṇa's desire... Every step we are going forward, it is guided by Kṛṣṇa. It is not directly by Kṛṣṇa but through the instrument of Kṛṣṇa. This is nature. Nature is nothing but instrument. Durgā. Durgā. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). This Durgā energy. Durgā energy means this material energy. Durgā. Durgā means fort. We are packed up within this fort. You see the round sky. It is just like a football. And within, we are packed up. Just like the soldiers, they are within the fort or there are other persons also, similarly, this is a durgā. Durgā. Duḥ means difficult, and ga means going. Dur-gā. So because the nature is feminine, therefore it is called Durgā. So just like in the fort, in the jail, if you are put, it is dur-gā, very difficult to come out, very, very difficult. Duḥ means it is not so easy. Therefore it is called dur-gā. You cannot enter in the fort or in the jail. Big, big walls, you cannot enter there without permission, and you cannot come out without permission. That is called durgā. So this Durgā, or durgā-śakti, material energy, very, very powerful. You cannot come out from this fort of material existence without superior permission. That is Kṛṣṇa's permission. Mayādhyakṣeṇa: (BG 9.10) "Under My vigilence, under My superintendence."
Lecture on SB 7.9.22 -- Mayapur, February 29, 1976:
Here it is said that God is He who... Kālo vaśī-kṛta-visṛjya-visarga-śaktiḥ: "He keeps control over the time factor and the creative energy." That is God. God is not so cheap that you'll find here and there. God is everywhere. That's a fact. But that is partial manifestation of His material energy. This is... Ekāṁśena sthito jagat.
Lecture on SB 7.9.32 -- Mayapur, March 10, 1976:
Our one thousand years and multiplied by the years of yuga... The yuga year means forty-three hundred thousand of years, and, multiplied by one thousand, that period is Brahmā's twelve hours, day. Now you can imagine. It is beyond your mathematical calculation, but still, there is calculation in the śāstra, and that is, such hundreds years, is the duration of sthiti. But that sthiti, before Kāraṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the moment, just like we exhale and inhale. So sṛṣṭi-sthiti. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48). They take only that much time which is between exhaling and inhaling. That Mahā-Viṣṇu. That Mahā-Viṣṇu has placed Himself in this material energy, maha-tattva, and by His niśvasa, by His inhaling and exhaling, the material energy is agitated. Then the three guṇas are there. Then, by interaction, counteraction, the whole creation takes place.
Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Visakhapatnam, February 22, 1972:
We learn many industrial houses, commercial houses, they have contributed enough lumps of money to the war fund, defense fund. What for? To burn the money in gunpowder, that's all. But they are not prepared to burn the money in sacrifice. So you have to meet all these calamities more and more. This is the fact. You cannot avoid. The law of nature, the law of God is there. You may deny the existence of God, but the God's agency, Durgā-devi, Candi, is there. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā, the Goddess Durgā, the material energy, she is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 7.9.51 -- Vrndavana, April 6, 1976:
Nirguṇa does not mean it is zero. That is the Māyāvādī philosophy. They have no conception of the nirguṇa. Nirguṇa (Sanskrit), it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is always nirguṇa. He is not within anything of this material world. But fools and rascals, they cannot understand. They say that God is impersonal; when He comes He takes the help of material energy and gets a body, material body. This is their philosophy. No. Kṛṣṇa says that "I appear...," sa guṇān ātma-māyayā.
| Page Title: | Material energy (Lectures - SB) |
| Compiler: | Jamuna Priya, Visnu Murti, Partha-sarathi, Rishab |
| Created: | 26 of Dec, 2008 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=139, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 139 |