No consciousness

Expressions researched:
"no consciousness"

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 10.22, Purport:

The difference between matter and spirit is that matter has no consciousness like the living entity; therefore this consciousness is supreme and eternal. Consciousness cannot be produced by a combination of matter.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.10.20-22, Purport:

A tree has no consciousness: when cut, it feels no pain. But Nārada Muni wanted the consciousness of Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva to continue, so that even after being released from the life of trees, they would not forget the circumstances under which they had been punished. Therefore, to bestow upon them special favor, Nārada Muni arranged things in such a way that after being released, they would be able to see Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana and thus revive their dormant bhakti.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 2.19, Purport:

Christian philosophers who do not believe in the law of karma put forward the argument that it is absurd to say one must accept the results of past deeds of which he has no consciousness. A criminal is first reminded of his misdeeds by witnesses in a law court, and then he is punished. If death is complete forgetfulness, why should a person be punished for his past misdeeds? The conception of the Paramātmā is an invincible answer to these fallacious arguments. The Paramātmā is the witness of the past activities of the individual living being.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

Now, this soul, as in the previous verse we have understood, avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. This is not measurement of the soul, but the power of the soul you can measure. But not the soul. It is not possible. Soul is so small that it is not possible. You have no measuring means, and because now our material senses, it is not possible. You can simply understand by consciousness. Just like when Caitanya Mahāprabhu fainted in the Jagannātha temple, Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya examined that there was no consciousness. Even the abdomen was not moving. When you actually you have consciousness and you breathe, the abdomen moves.

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

And this pain feeling will be stopped as soon as the consciousness is taken away from this body. Dead body, where there is no consciousness, the dead body does not feel even he is chopped up by some chopper, because the consciousness is gone. Therefore, it is not very difficult to understand that "I am the consciousness. I am not this material body.

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

I am speaking to you. You are hearing to me. We... Congregationally we chanted saṅkīrtana just now. Why? Because the consciousness is present. If there was no consciousness either in you or I, then I could not chant, neither you could hear, or neither you could chant, neither I could hear. So therefore the position of the consciousness is activity.

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

Lord Buddha says that consciousness is a production of this combination of matter. So therefore if, if you dismantle this material body, then there will be no consciousness and thus there will be no feeling of distress or happiness. That is called nirvāṇa, stopping, stopping the feelings of... It is just like a patient suffering from some disease, and the doctor gives him some pill so that he dies and there is no more feeling.

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

To live. If you can live very peacefully, very nicely, with good health, by eating so many varieties of foodstuff given by Kṛṣṇa, why should I kill an animal? This is humanity. Why should I imitate an animal? Then what is the difference between animal and human being? If you have no discretion, if you have no consciousness.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

The whole cosmic manifestation which is present before you, so nicely going on, don't you think there is a consciousness behind it? How can you deny that there is no consciousness in the matter of sun rising, moon rising, seasonal changes, and so many planets floating in the air? So many wonderful things are being done in the material nature. Do you think it is without being done, consciousness? No. There is also consciousness.

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

Everybody must have some consciousness. Without consciousness, nothing can be done. One who has no consciousness, he cannot do anything nicely. If his consciousness is disturbed, then his work cannot be... Just like a madman.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.38 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1973:

Ust make Kṛṣṇa minus, everything is zero, finished. This is fact. But people are so rascal, they do not understand this fact. Who can deny it? If the body, the American body or Indian body, or good name and big name, it has no consciousness, then what is the value? No value.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Los Angeles, May 4, 1973:

I can give you another example. Just like in this seat there is a bug. But the bug and myself sitting on the same place, but because the bug has no consciousness, therefore he is bug, and I have got consciousness, I am your spiritual master. But we are sitting in the same place.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Los Angeles, May 6, 1973:

My body is full of consciousness, sensation, but some parts, just like the nail, there is no consciousness, there is no sensation. If you cut the nail, you won't feel any pain. But just a, a small, I mean to say, one tenth part of an inch, if you come down on the skin portion, immediately there will be sensation and painful. As they're side by side. Therefore, similarly, the material creation and spiritual creation is side by side.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Mayapura, October 24, 1974:

We learn from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that after the sex between the man and the woman, the man injects the semina within the womb of the mother, of the woman, and it is emulsified first night, and immediately forms a pealike form. That pealike form develops. So as soon as it is developed... Of course, in the process of development, there is no consciousness, just like deep sleeping. It is like that. But as soon as the body is little developed, the... There are nine holes: two nostrils, two ears, two eyes, one navel, one genital, one rectum. These nine holes develop. Then the consciousness comes back.

Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Hawaii, January 18, 1974:

Just like a child. His consciousness is not developed. A child goes to capture a fire because his consciousness is not developed. But that does not mean the child has no consciousness or the child has no soul.

Lecture on SB 3.26.40 -- Bombay, January 15, 1975:

Ust like you go on sleep every night, so death means to sleep for seven months, unconsciousness, very deep sleep, in the womb of the mother. Then, as soon as another body is grown up by the ingredients supplied by mother's body or nature, then we get back again consciousness. Just like when we sleep deeply, there is no consciousness. There is consciousness—this is called suṣupti, unconscious. So again, as soon as the body is complete, then we get back our consciousness.

Lecture on SB 5.5.21-22 -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1976:

The more the consciousness is developed, one comes to the platform of superior energy. So the dull stone, dull matter, they have no consciousness, but there is life.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Montreal, June 16, 1968:

As soon as there is life and there is spirit soul, the focus of the spirit soul, consciousness, must be there. I am present in this body—how I can understand? Because this consciousness. You pinch any part of your body: you feel. This is your consciousness. That means I am present in this body, and as soon as I am away from this body, you may cut this body into pieces—there will be no consciousness. There is no feeling.

Lecture on SB 7.9.30 -- Mayapur, March 8, 1976:

Sometimes, if I am surcharged with anesthetics, if I am chloroformed, my consciousness is not there. That does not mean I am not there. Consciousness sometimes may be absent. One man fainted; there is no consciousness. That does not mean there is no life. There is life. The consciousness has not developed.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975:

Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is also consciousness. He is conscious. He is not acetana. Acetana means there is no consciousness. He is conscious, and we are also conscious.

So He is the supreme conscious person amongst ourself and He is the supreme eternal amongst ourself. That is Caitanya. Caitanya means the Supreme Being, the supreme eternal being, the supreme conscious being.

Festival Lectures

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968:

We'll take the law of gravity again. If some object in nature which has no consciousness behaves in a regulated manner, then it's obvious that it's under the control of a law. We call it a law. For example, if an apple drops from a tree, the apple is obeying the law of gravity. The apple does not know the law of gravity; therefore that law is being enforced by some superior entity.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:

Just like so long the sun is visible, there is heat and sunlight. Similarly, so long the soul is there within this body, we have got this consciousness. And as soon as the soul is gone from this body, there is no consciousness. So... But this consciousness, my consciousness, your consciousness is limited within this body. I cannot feel what pain and pleasure is within your body, neither you can feel. Therefore your consciousness is individual, my consciousness is individual.

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

When our full attention is there, full absorption, full concentration of the mind, that is consciousness. And another way of consciousness is the feeling which is spread all over your body. Just like I pinch over your head or any part of your body, you feel—that is consciousness. But when this body is dead or when you are out of this body, if I chop up your body, there is no consciousness. That is the distinction between consciousness.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: This consciousness is coming through so many species, animals, then they're trees, they have no consciousness, but there is living..., the soul is there.

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

But if somebody's not doing anything harm to you, and if you kill, then what is this philosophy? What is this philosophy? Give him some bad name, because I have to kill him. "Oh, he has no soul." You can attack, he has no consciousness, you have no soul. You can attack him. Why you are killing? Let him kill you.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: That is called, in Sanskrit, (indistinct), (indistinct) and suṣupti. When you are fully conscious, that is called (indistinct). And (indistinct), dreaming, that (indistinct). And another state, suṣupti, no consciousness. That is (indistinct).

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: Ocean has no consciousness. It is matter.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: Yes. He is divine by nature. He is covered by nondivine, by māyā. That is our philosophy. He's in a (indistinct). Just like this same example: the man is living, there is breathing, but he has no consciousness. Just like you put electric in that (indistinct), how you call, (indistinct). So similarly, by the influence of māyā, we have forgotten ourself, our spiritual nature.

Philosophy Discussion on Rene Descartes:

Prabhupāda: So it is upon the leaving of the soul this body there is no more consciousness. This is reasoning. Why a second before there was consciousness and after there is no consciousness? If you chopped up the body there will be no protest, there will be no feeling of pain, that "What is that?" This is reasoning, that something is missing. That soul has gone out; therefore the consciousness in the body is absent. That soul is immortal; the consciousness is also immortal.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Dr. Weir of the Mensa Society -- September 5, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Similarly, those who are not active in rendering service to God, they're as dead as this finger cut off from the body. So they have to be awakened to that consciousness. Just like a tree, you cut it, it has no consciousness to protest. But, even an ant, a small ant, because it has developed consciousness, you try to kill it, it'll protest. Therefore the more consciousness you develop, you become active. That is nature's law. That is nature's law. Developed consciousness does not mean to become dead.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles:

Marilyn: Do the animals have no consciousness of God?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Marilyn: Do the animals have no consciousness of God?

Prabhupāda: They have no God consciousness. They do not know what is God.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Because I am conscious, I am thinking of marrying, begetting children. Because I am conscious. And because there is no consciousness, therefore this wood cannot think that he'll beget.

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So if we define the definition what is living and what is non-living, so living means that contains consciousness.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: And the non-living, that has no consciousness.

Morning Walk -- December 2, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: But this tree's consciousness and my consciousness is different. My consciousness is developed. If you pinch on my body, my consciousness will be immediately protesting. But you cut, it will not protest. So consciousness is different. So there is nothing which has no consciousness, but it is a question of degree.

Morning Walk -- December 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That thing which is spreading the energy all over the body, that is eternal. Now, what is that thing which is spreading the consciousness? It is the soul. So long the soul is there, you have got consciousness, otherwise there is no consciousness.

Morning Walk -- December 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. At the present moment, because your, these blunt eyes cannot see the soul, you have to learn it by appreciation. Avagama. It is called avagama.(?) Appreciation. Just like Kṛṣṇa says that tad viddhi, that, that thing which is spreading consciousness, that is soul. Now you can perceive there must be something which is now absent, otherwise why there is no consciousness?

Morning Walk -- December 18, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. So they have no consciousness? Then children? They treat like animals. They have no soul? Then better send all the children to the slaughterhouse. Their, children's flesh is very sweet and palatable.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 7, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes, what is the difference that you say the animals...? How do you say? What is the symptoms of possessing soul? The symptoms of possessing soul is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. The consciousness. The animals have no consciousness? How foolish they are!

Room Conversation with Mr. Deshimaru -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Let's say if your hand is cut off, and it's lying there. Why is it that you are not conscious of that hand? (French)

Pṛthu Putra: Because the nerves are just cut.

Prabhupāda: No, no, if the body and the hand is the same, when it is cut, then it is lying down on the floor. So why there is no consciousness. His question is very intelligent.

Deshimaru: Because the hand is cut.

Prabhupāda: But it is hand. Why there is no consciousness?

Karandhara: It's part of the body. It should have its own consciousness if the body and consciousness is the same.

Prabhupāda: You say the consciousness and body is the same. So when it is cut, why there is no consciousness? Therefore the body is different from consciousness. Therefore body is different from consciousness.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- November 8, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: ...nirakalpa-samādhi. One man told me that's a very good... (laughing) I say we...

Prabhupāda: That is another nonsense. Nonsense. Fools.

Dr. Patel: Nirakalpa-samādhi. But they must be getting some sort of condition of the mind, though temporary. That is why they must have turned to that, no?

Prabhupāda: There is no consciousness.

Dr. Patel: Were you having the experience?

Prabhupāda: First of all you must give it up. Our philosophy is first of all you must give it up, all these bad habits.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 6, 1976, Mayapura:

Hṛdayānanda: In the outer space there is no consciousness.

Prabhupāda: Who says? The fools say. There are consciousness. There are so many birds flying from one planet...

Morning Walk -- March 1, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Yes. But explain or not explain, I am seeing practically that two things are coming out: one, the skin, where there is sensation; and where, this nail, there is no sensation. This is matter and spirit. Where there is consciousness, that is spirit. Where there is no consciousness, that is matter.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk with Svarupa Damodara -- June 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No, there is no... Matter means matter develops on spirit. Without spirit there is no existence of matter. Just like spirit means consciousness. You see in this finger. Here is consciousness, and little after, there is no consciousness, this nail. But the nail has grown from the skin. So therefore, from consciousness, unconsciousness... Not that from unconsciousness, consciousness.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Jayasri -- London 13 November, 1969:

Regarding the things that Krishna is giving you, everything belongs to Krishna and He is giving everything, even to the nondevotees, even to the animals who have no consciousness of Krishna; and what to speak of His devotees.