This is not very bad proposal. Any intelligent man... If you have, you chant. Our Lord Caitanya says that nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ, bahudhā nija-sarva-śak..., tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe. There are many names. As there are many potencies, there are many names also. Just like take for Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is not understood simply by uttering this word "Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa is understood if you call "Govinda." That is also Kṛṣṇa. If you call "Mādhava," He is also Kṛṣṇa. If you call "Vaṁśī-vadana," He's also Kṛṣṇa. So the aim should be that it is God's name or the Supreme Lord's name. If the name is different in vibration or form, it does not matter. (aside:) Yes, you can come in. Why you are standing there? Yes?
Not understand (Lectures, SB)
Expressions researched:
"never understand"
|"never understands"
|"no understanding"
|"not have understood"
|"not understand"
|"not understands"
|"not understood"
Notes from the compiler:
VedaBase query: "not understand" or "not understood" or "not understands" or "no understanding" or "not have understood" or "never understand" or "never understands" not "do not understand" not "don't understand" not "does not understand" not "doesn't understand" not "did not understand"not "didn't understand"
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Montreal, August 3, 1968:
Prabhupāda: Why do you not understand? If I say that "If you give me three dollars, I shall give you this," then what is the difficulty to understand? Eh?
Guest (2): Yes. Is it just... Is it just in the potency of the name? Is that?
Prabhupāda: No. As there are different things of different value, similarly, in each name there are potencies of the Lord. But there is degrees of potency. Just like rāma-līlā and kṛṣṇa-līlā, pastimes. Both of them are the same thing, God. But in the rāma-līlā you find less potential exhibition of the Lord, but in kṛṣṇa-līlā you find full potential manifestation of Lord. So degrees of potency... Although it does not mean the Rāma is less potent. No. Rāma is also the same potency. But under circumstances He exhibits a partial potency, not full potency. But kṛṣṇa-līlā, you will find full potency.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:
"Can you show me God?" Akṣa. Or akṣaja means ah, the alphabet, and kṣa, beginning from ah up to kṣa. So all the letters are there. So we make words by combination of these letters. So akṣaja, so within our power, we make so many words by combining these alphabets, but God is beyond that. Akṣaja-jñānam. Either you are beyond the direct perception or beyond your word-making capacity. Therefore God's another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhaḥ-kṛta akṣaja jñānam jata. So adhokṣaja means beyond direct sense perception. That is also nice name of God. God is not understood by speculating our senses.
- athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
- prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
- jānāti tattvaṁ (bhagavan mahimno)
- na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan
- (SB 10.14.29)
We cannot understand God by mental speculation, that is not possible. Realization God means when God reveals unto you. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). By our these blunt senses, speculating, we cannot understand what is God.
Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:
As you know, because I was little interested in hearing, my Guru Mahārāja, he accepted me as his disciple. He marked this. "This boy is interested in hearing. He does not go away." Actually, I do not know. I could not understand what he was speaking in the beginning, but still I was very much interested to hear him, out of curiosity or something like that.
So hearing is very important thing. Notpādayed yadi ratim, viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ. Kathā. Hari-kathā. This is accepted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When He was talking with Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya on various subject matters, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya began from the varṇāśrama-dharma, sādhya-sādhana. "What is the aim of human life? How a human being executes his religious principles?" Sādhya-sādhana. So Rāmānanda Rāya began from the varṇāśrama-dharma. Actually, unless the human society comes to the category of varṇāśrama-dharma, he is not a human being; he is animal. Still, in India, because they are still inclined to the system of varṇa and āśrama, there are so many benefit for the Indians. I have traveled all over the world so many times. Because there is no varṇāśrama-dharma, how loose they are. That has been experimented. I have seen.
Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Bombay, December 28, 1972:
These are very important words. The Absolute Truth can be understood, can be known, by whom? Chraddadhāna munayo. Chraddadhāna. Tac chradda dhāna: those who are faithful. That is the beginning. If one is not faithful, if he does not believe in God, for him it is, it is to be forgotten. He cannot not understand what is Absolute Truth. Atheist who does not believe in God, who has no faith, he cannot receive; he is not possible. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). They are narādhamāḥ, or always constantly engaged in sinful activities. They cannot (indistinct). Chraddadhāna, ādau śraddhā, those who have got faith, that is the beginning. Then chradda dhāna, simply having faith, will not do. Then one must associate with sādhu, chraddadhāna munayo, must be thoughtful philosopher, munayo. Chraddadhāna munayo. Tac chraddadhāna munayo jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā (SB 1.2.12).
Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- Los Angeles, August 20, 1972:
They will be benefited. This is the fact. Because the vibration... Just like when there is thunderbolt vibration, that vibration has got effect on everything... That is scientific. Everything. Similarly, this vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is so strong that it will benefit anyone who hears. Therefore we are sending saṅkīrtana party. They may understand or not understand, they may appreciate or not appreciate, we are forcing them to become pious simply by hearing this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. It is so nice.
Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). The whole world is full of sinful life. So we are creating the atmosphere, puṇya-śravaṇa. Chanting and hearing. Simply by these two processes. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Puṇya, pious. So anyone who is coming here, even he does not understand a single word which we are speaking, if he simply hears, he becomes pious. Simply by hearing.
Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Vrndavana, October 30, 1972:
That is brahminical stage. Don't think that Arjuna was a kṣatriya. He, after studying Bhagavad-gītā, he became brāhmaṇa, because he understood Kṛṣṇa. He says, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). He understood Kṛṣṇa rightly. Others, they, that story of the yājñika-brāhmaṇas... Not story, fact. They could not understand Kṛṣṇa.
When the yājñika-brāhmaṇas were engaged in sacrifice, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were requested by their friends, cowherd boys, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, we are hungry. Please give us some food." They knew Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Kṛṣṇa said that "There is a sacrifice, a great ceremony is going on. The brāhmaṇas, the yājñika-brāhmaṇas, are engaged. Go there and ask some food." So they approached. You'll find this description in the Kṛṣṇa book. So the brāhmaṇas refused, because they could not understand Kṛṣṇa. They thought that "Unless the sacrifice is finished, how the foodstuff can be distributed?"
Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Vrndavana, October 30, 1972:
They thought that "Unless the sacrifice is finished, how the foodstuff can be distributed?" But they were so ignorant, that they could not understand that the person for whom the sacrifice was being performed, He's asking personally. That is ignorance.
So Kṛṣṇa says therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). Simply by becoming brāhmaṇa, one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. He must become a devotee. Because Kṛṣṇa is understood by simply devotional service. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa does not say that to "By becoming brāhmaṇa, one can understand Me." No. Brāhmaṇa stage is impersonal realization of Brahman. There is no personal realization. When the personal realization is there, he's called Vaiṣṇava, brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava. The brāhmaṇa has got two titles: brāhmaṇa-paṇḍita. Still, in India, a brāhmaṇa is addressed as paṇḍita, however rascal he may be. Because it is expected, when one is born in the brāhmaṇa family, he must be well-learned. These are the six occupational duties of brāhmaṇa: paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. A brāhmaṇa must be very learned scholar, studying.
Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Vrndavana, October 30, 1972:
This is the injunction of the śāstra. In spite of his good qualification, expert in six occupational duties of a brāhmaṇa, if he's an avaiṣṇava, if he has not understood Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then he cannot become guru. Therefore, according to Vedic system, not a brāhmaṇa is accepted as guru, but when he becomes gosvāmī. Gosvāmī means fully controlled in full knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He can become guru.
The... Rūpa Gosvāmī's... That six kinds of control. One who has controlled over his speeches, over his anger, over his tongue, over his mind, over his genital, over his belly, when one has full control over these six things, he's a gosvāmī. Pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt. He can make disciples all over the world. That is the injunction of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. He was himself a gosvāmī. In the beginning, when he was a minister, he was not a gosvāmī, but later on, when he became completely educated by Śrī, Śrīla Mahāprabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, both the brothers, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, they became gosvāmīs. And other gosvāmīs, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, they became their assistants. This Vṛndāvana, the present Vṛndāvana is the excavation of the Six Gosvāmīs. This place where we are sitting, here the Six Gosvāmīs used to assemble daily for discussing on Bhāgavata. Especially it, it is the place of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī's nephew.
Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972:
Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was recognized by Rūpa Gosvāmī, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "My dear Lord, You are the most munificent of all incarnations. The other incarnations, people could not understand, but You are freely distributing Yourself." Kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne. Kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ. Therefore we have to follow the footsteps of Rūpa Gosvāmī, rūpānuga. Then we can understand Lord Caitanya. And if we get favor of Lord Caitanya, we can very easily understand Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Go on.
Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:
Because it is not so easy to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person. They'll have to wait to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person. They'll have to wait for thousands of births to understand Kṛṣṇa. They'll have to wait. Although they are very much proud of their knowledge, we know where they are: partial realization. Of course, they are also in the same field. But they'll not understand the Supreme Person. Those who understood, the great sages in the beginning, in the beginning of the creation, munayaḥ, great, great sages, Marīci, Ātreya, Vasiṣṭha and others, so they worshiped the Supreme Person, bhagavantam, not the impersonal feature. Impersonal, actually, there is, there cannot be any worship of the impersonal feature, Brahman. It is simply accepting some trouble. Kleśaḥ adhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām. It is simply troublesome. But unfortunately, these impersonalists have spread all over the world.
Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:
That is called brahmajyoti. That brahmajyoti is impersonal, but the brahmajyoti is resting on the Personality of Kṛṣṇa.
So ultimate Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṇa. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature, Vedānta, and Kṛṣṇa says that vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Anyone who has not understood Kṛṣṇa, he has not studied the Vedic literature very perfectly. Vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham. Kṛṣṇa says He's the compiler of Vedānta. So who will know Vedānta better than Kṛṣṇa? The so-called Vedantists, they are very much proud of their knowledge of Vedānta, but the, the real compiler of the Vedānta philosophy is Vyāsadeva. He's incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, vedānta-kṛd vedānta-vit. He is the compiler of the Vedānta-sūtra and He knows what is Vedānta-sūtra, not the so-called Māyāvādī philosophers.
Lecture on SB 1.3.23 -- Los Angeles, September 28, 1972:
So Kṛṣṇa appeared in the Vṛṣṇi family, and our business is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa fully. He is unlimited. But still, by following the footsteps of great mahājana, great devotees, personalities, we can understand to some extent what is Kṛṣṇa. So we may not understand fully. If we simply take it for granted, even without understanding Kṛṣṇa, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme and our business is to love Him... Real our aim is how to love Kṛṣṇa. Just like the gopīs. They did not know that Kṛṣṇa is God. Or the cowherds boys, they did not know. Even mother Yaśodā did not know that Kṛṣṇa was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But their love for Kṛṣṇa was spontaneous. They did not know anything beyond Kṛṣṇa. If you come to that stage, that is perfection. Not that we want to know what is God. What you will know? What knowledge we have got we can understand what is God? But we can see by God's activities.
Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:
I am just quoting Sanskrit mantras before you. You may not understand the language, but the vibration of the sound, the Sanskrit mantra, hymns, it has got special value. Mantra, sound vibration. Śabdād anāvṛttiḥ.
Now, the whole material world is produced from sound. That is scientific fact. Scientists are researching the importance of sound, physical science. Sound, light, and transmission of sound and light. There are so many things, electronics. So this sound vibration, this is material sound. They have got so much wonderful power. And just try to understand what is the power of the spiritual sound. Real sound is coming from the spiritual world. It is simply just like gramophone. The sound is coming originally from the person; the gramophone is reproducing. That is not the original source of the sound. Similarly, whatever sound is there in this material world, the original sound is produced by God. Just like in your Bible it is said, "Let there be creation." It is, simply it was sound and there was creation. So spiritual sound is so powerful. And we are trying to catch you directly from that sound vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and I am sure it is acting. Simply, śabdād anāvṛttiḥ.
Our question by Nārada Muni to Vyāsadeva, asking that "My dear Vyāsadeva, the author of all Vedic literature, you are such a learned scholar.
Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:
So you can imagine how intelligent at that time people were that Mahābhārata was... Mahābhārata is even at the present moment they can(not) understand rightly Mahābhārata. Say, for Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is part of Mahābhārata. But the philosophy is not understood properly even by the greatest philosophers. They commit mistake. So that means as the days are going, we are becoming less, less intelligent. Less, less intelligent.
Therefore in this age of less-intelligence class of men, this, the yoga system as it is... Not bluff yoga, real yoga. Yoga indriya saṁyama. Oh, that is not possible, real yoga system. Controlling the senses, sit in a solitary place, and alone, with celibatic life, no sense enjoyment. There are so many rules and regulations. Not that... If I say that "Whatever you like you can do. You just meditate," what meditation you'll do? That is not possible in this age. Next stage of elevation is sacrifice. These are statement of the Vedic literature. (break)
Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:
We have to go to that stage.
We have to give up this imitation, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Śaṅkarācārya placed this theory before all the world, but that is not explained properly because people at that time could not understand more than that. Brahma satyam: "The Absolute is truth." And jagan mithyā, "And this world, the manifested world, is false." How it is false? That is not explained by Śaṅkarācārya. That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that reality, real father... If you accept Kṛṣṇa as your father, oh, He'll give you all protection. If you accept Kṛṣṇa as your husband, oh, there is no question of divorce. If you accept Kṛṣṇa as your friend, oh, Kṛṣṇa will give you everything.
So so many relationships. All these relationships in the relative world, they are all shadow or temporary. But the same thing is there in the spiritual world. And if we come to that platform, then there will be happiness.
Thank you very much. Any questions? No questions. All right. You have question? No. Of course, I am trying to explain as far as possible understandable by you. But still, if there is any doubt, you can question. You can put. Mukunda, you can... No, you... (end)
Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:
We have to give up this imitation, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Śaṅkarācārya placed this theory before all the world, but that is not explained properly because people at that time could not understand more than that. Brahma satyam: "The Absolute is truth." And jagan mithyā, "And this world, the manifested world, is false." How it is false? That is not explained by Śaṅkarācārya. That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that reality, real father... If you accept Kṛṣṇa as your father, oh, He'll give you all protection. If you accept Kṛṣṇa as your husband, oh, there is no question of divorce. If you accept Kṛṣṇa as your friend, oh, Kṛṣṇa will give you everything.
Lecture on SB 1.5.9-11 -- New Vrindaban, June 6, 1969:
Nāmāny anantasya yaśo 'ṅkitāni. If glorification is there, even they are presented in broken language, then śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ. Just like my Guru Mahārāja, sādhu, a saintly person, immediately passes: "Yes. It is all right." It is all right. Because there is glorification of the Lord. Of course, general public will not understand... But this is the standard, standard version, spoken by Nārada. You write something; the aim should be simply to glorify the Supreme. Then your literature is pavitra, purified. And however nicely, either literally or metaphorically or poetically, you write some literature which has nothing to do with God, or Kṛṣṇa, that is vāyasaṁ tīrtham. That is pleasure spot for the crows.
This is the version of Nārada Muni. We should be taking note of this. And for the Vaiṣṇava there is one qualification: poetic. You should... Everyone should be poetic. So... But that poetry, that poetry language, should be simply to glorify the Lord.
Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- London, September 12, 1973:
Asmin dehe, in this body, there is the proprietor of the body, dehī, who possesses this body. But there is no information. Nobody knows. There is no education on this point: what is that proprietor of this body. They are simply going on, like cats and dogs. Cats and... If you try to instruct a cat or dog, "My dear dog, you are not these bodies," he'll not understand. He is so grossly in ignorance, it is very difficult for him to understand that he is not this body. But human being, although at the present moment they are grossly ignorant for want of spiritual education, still, because he is human being, he can be educated. He can be revived to his original consciousness, which is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:
Because you have been attracted by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and dancing, you are no more interested. This morning time, in every house, you can go. Either they are sleeping or they are drinking bed tea, without washing mouth, and all the germs are going within the tea, and they are being infected within the intestines, and they are getting so many diseases. But they will not understand. But here, and the bhakti-yogam, everyone rises early in the morning and then washes himself, takes bath, becomes cleansed, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, read book. This is bhakti-yoga. Automatically everything will be... Hygienic principle, health question, economic question, and social, political—everything will be solved. It is not joking. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6).
Why the anartha is created? How? That is explained in the previous verse.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1976:
So because you do not know what is God, so our life is void. But here Kṛṣṇa is personally coming, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). What is that glāni? Dharmasya glāniḥ. That you are very dharmika, so-called dharmika, but you have no understanding what is God—that is nonsense. That is not dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means the order of God. That if you do not know God, if you manufacture your God, "God has no head, no mouth, no nose, no nothing, no, no, no, ultimately zero..." Ultimately zero. So there are two kinds of dangerous person. One person is atheist, agnostic. And another person is Māyāvādī, impersonalist. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādī. Therefore these two things are mentioned: Māyāvādī, "God means has no head, no leg," and śūnyavādī, "There is no God." So the person who says "There is no God," he's gentleman, because he does not believe. But the person who takes the shelter of Vedas and professes that "I am vaidika, I am vedāntī," and refuses the form of God, he's more dangerous.
Lecture on SB 1.7.27 -- Vrndavana, September 24, 1976:
And when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared before him, before her, both the husband and wife: "What do you want?" "Now we want a son like You." So Kṛṣṇa said, "There is no second one beyond Me, so I shall become your son." So He became son. So He must play perfectly, that Yaśodāmāyi may not understand that "Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Then the feelings of mother and son will disappear. Kṛṣṇa is playing exactly like a little child. So that is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Similarly, to us. We are not so elevated like Nanda Mahārāja or Yaśodā Mahārāja (māyi). We're just beginners. So we do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. We cannot see Kṛṣṇa, either His virāḍ-mūrti or this mūrti. So what we can see? We can see stone, wood, or material things. So when Kṛṣṇa appears to be seen by you and He appears like a stone statue, He's not stone statue. Don't think. Therefore we must learn how to see Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.7.28-29 -- Vrndavana, September 25, 1976:
Killing is also vīra-rasa. Because He is the reservoir of all rasas. So janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So do not think that this violence or fighting is bad. No. Nothing is bad when it is utilized for Kṛṣṇa. And nothing is good when it is utilized for your sense gratification. Everything is bad.
So here Kṛṣṇa ordered that this is brahmāstra. He could not understand that intolerable temperature, heat, and Arjuna inquired, "Wherefrom the heat is coming?" So Kṛṣṇa informed him that "This is due to brahmāstra released by Aśvatthāmā. This rascal does not know how to counteract it." Naivāsau veda saṁhāram. "He does not know." Formerly, in the military science, you have released one kind of arrow. If I am expert, then I can release another arrow which will counteract your arrow. Naivāsau veda saṁhāram. It is called saṁhāram. So Aśvatthāmā released that brahmāstra. Now Kṛṣṇa advised Arjuna that "You release this saṁhārāstra," how to counteract. Unnaddham astra-jñaḥ. Unnaddham:
Lecture on SB 1.7.30-31 -- Vrndavana, September 26, 1976:
They cannot understand more. Therefore further improvement was given by Śaṅkara because he was preaching. The whole world became Buddhist, and he wanted to establish Vedic principles. So they have already made zero. So how Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya can say, "No, it is not zero. It is fact." They'll not understand. He said in a different way, that "Zero is this material world." Brahma satyam. But brahma is fact. This is zero.
Now how the fact is working, that is given by the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, especially Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90) is all cheating, all cheating. Up to mokṣa. The aspiration to become one with the Supreme, mokṣa, that is kaitava, cheating. That is the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. When you understand that the so-called monism, to become one with the Supreme, it is cheating... That is not fact.
Lecture on SB 1.7.34-35 -- Vrndavana, September 28, 1976:
Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaje. This is the idea, that unless we approach the adhokṣaja, Kṛṣṇa... And Kṛṣṇa... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Those who are trying to study Kṛṣṇa by these blunt senses, they'll never understand Kṛṣṇa. They'll never understand.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa is regretting, that "This rascal, they consider Me as human being." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). They have been described as rascals. One who estimates Kṛṣṇa from material point of view, material vision, he is mūḍha. Therefore he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Lowest of the mankind, narādhama. Why lowest? Sinful? Duṣkṛtina? These things are there. If we want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then we should take the prescription of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :
So Kuntī Devī says that "You are within and outside." Kṛṣṇa is within, within your heart, and Kṛṣṇa is outside also. Otherwise how this big cosmic manifestation is going on? Huh? Not only that, He is everywhere, even within the atom, aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayān... Still we can not understand where is Kṛṣṇa. This is our misfortune. Duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, they can not understand. Why they cannot understand? That because they are duṣkṛtinaḥ, always engaged in sinful activities. Who can see Kṛṣṇa? Who is not sinful. Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpam (BG 7.28), one who has finished his life of sinful activities, he can understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is our request to everyone: Please do not commit these four kinds of sinful activities—illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. This is the preliminary qualification to understand God. Especially one must not kill animals. The Bible also.Therefore it is said, "Thou shalt not kill. You rascal, if you want to understand what is God, you must stop this killing art. Thou shalt not kill." But these rascals will not understand. This is the mis..., misfortune. And therefore God is always covered to their eyes. Kuntī Devī therefore said, māyā-javanikācchannam. Māyā-javanikācchannam ajñā. Ajñā means rascal, who has no knowledge, dull, dull-headed, mūḍhāḥ, ass. These words are used in the śāstra. Why mūḍhāḥ?
Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :
Although he is in your front, the father or the brother whom you see every day, this man, being, has dressed himself in such a way, he is playing the part of a king or something else, you can not understand. Somebody says, "Did you see your father is playing?" "Where is my father? Where is my father?" This is the position. Because Kṛṣṇa is playing His part in a different way. He has ot so much business because He is directing the whole universal affair. You can understand, if one man becomes busy in so many things, his brain becomes puzzled. But Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart—not only the human being; the animals, the trees, plants, everyone. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ. And what He is doing? He is giving direction. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am sitting in everyone's heart," sarvasya ca aham hṛdi sann... Again hṛdi, in the soul, in the heart. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca, "I am giving particular direction to everyone." He is forgetting something, he is reminding..., he is reminded something. In this way Kṛṣṇa is doing. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanam. How much busy is that? The thief wants to steal something, somebody's house, so he is also praying God, "Please give me some opportunity so that I can steal." So Kṛṣṇa is giving him direction, "All right, you steal in this way." And the same person in whose house the stealing wil be committed, he is also praying, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, please protect me from thieves."
Lecture on SB 1.8.20 -- Mayapura, September 30, 1974:
"You take your bathing in the Ganges." That will make him pious. If he simply takes his bathing daily, regularly, automatically he'll be pious. Or go and see the temple and offer your obeisances. Everything will be taken.
This small boy, he has nothing, no understanding what is Kṛṣṇa, but because he's dancing, because he's chanting, sometimes he's ringing the bell, these are pious activities. Automatically they'll do. So many people. Therefore temple is required. Temple is required. The innocent persons, those who are neophyte, for them, temple worship is essential. By seeing the Deity, by offering obeisances to the Deity, by taking caraṇāmṛta, by ringing the bell, by dancing, by taking little prasādam, by touching the feet of Vaiṣṇava or touching the body of Vaiṣ..., in this way they're getting piety. This chance is given therefore to the ordinary... There is no question of becoming muni in the beginning. How it, one can be?
Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- Mayapura, October 1, 1974:
So why should you not understand Kṛṣṇa? Everything is given there. Why you should...? At least, the intelligent class, the Americans and Europeans, they are very intelligent materially. They have proved their intelligence. Why not spiritually? If they are materially intelligent, brain is there, you can utilize it either for material purpose or... Now, so far, you have done for material purposes. You have done enough, so many machineries and so many things. But there is no happiness. You take to..., apply your brain and intelligence to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. That I have said many times, that you American boys or American people, you are fortunate, so many ways. How? Now, because you have got the result of pious activities.
Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:
Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma is recommended to be chanted by common man. But śāstra says that after chanting one thousand of Lord Viṣṇu's name—there are hundreds and thousands of names—it is equal to if you chant once Lord Rāma's name. Similarly, if you chant three times Lord Rāma's name, then it is equal to once chanting Kṛṣṇa's name. So we understand or not understand, if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, the result is there. Without any offense, if we chant, then the result is... Once chanting of Kṛṣṇa's name is so powerful that immediately the chanting makes you free from all kinds of reaction of sinful activities. Eka kṛṣṇa-nāme yata pāpa hare, pāpī haya tata pāpa kari bare nare(?). The pāpīs, they are very much expert in committing sinful activities, but Kṛṣṇa, this holy name, once chanted, is so powerful that this expert sinful man cannot commit so many sinful activities. This is there. So some way or other, if we offenselessly chant Hare Kṛṣṇa name, it is so powerful.
Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Mayapura, October 13, 1974:
"Here is God." This is the sum and substance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And the process is also bona fide because Kṛṣṇa Himself is teaching the process. Kṛṣṇa, first of all, generally He told, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), because this is the process. But because they are mūḍhas, rascals and sinful, they could not understand. They could not understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa came personally to teach people how to surrender. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikhāya.
- namo mahā-vadānyāya
- kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
- kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
- nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
- (CC Madhya 19.53)
Rūpa Gosvāmī could understand that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu." Kṛṣṇāya. Now He is acting as Kṛṣṇa-caitanya. Kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne: "He has assumed the name of Kṛṣṇa-caitanya, but He is Kṛṣṇa Himself." And what He is doing? Because previously, as Kṛṣṇa, He simply ordered that "You surrender. Then you'll be purified and you'll be promoted." Now here, as Kṛṣṇa-caitanya, He is giving kṛṣṇa-prema. Kṛṣṇa-prema. Unless I understand you very thoroughly, how there can be love for you? Love is not so easy that simply by meeting, or one day's transaction, one becomes lover of other. No.
Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Mayapur, October 14, 1974:
Meat-eating was not at all allowed. The higher caste, especially the brāhmaṇas, they would never touch. Still in some provinces, in Maharastra provinces, in Madras... Of course, they are now taking.
So meat-eaters means mleccha. So now that is increasing, meat-eaters. So when wholesale population will be meat-eaters, mleccha, they'll not understand anything about spiritual matter—"Why it is forbidden?" because the meat-eaters, they cannot understand anything about spiritual matter. It is very difficult. Vinā paśughnāt. Parīkṣit Mahārāja said,
- nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād
- bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt
- ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt
- pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt
- (SB 10.1.4)
This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is possible by a person who is nivṛtta-tarṣa. Nivṛtta-tarṣa. Nivṛtta means finished. Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. We have to finish this material business before we can understand spiritual thing. If one has got still inclination for material things, it is useless waste of time for him to understand, try to understand what is spiritual thing.
Lecture on SB 1.8.38 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1973:
Even the powerhouse is also imperson. But the man behind the everything, that is a person. Therefore God is person. Logical conclusion. How He can be imperson? Imperson has no brain. The... Just like so many machines now we have invented, very wonderful machines. But the machine is not the brain. The operator is the brain. Why do they not understand? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "You are seeing the energy or the wonderful action and reaction of this material cosmic manifestation. But don't think that they are working independently. No. I am behind there." So what is the difficulty to understand? Or from example you can understand how things can go on nicely without a nice brain behind these things? It is conclusion. Mayādhyakṣeṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says further, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4). Avyakta, avyakta is also mūrti, a form. Just like the sky. The sky is avyakta, not manifest, but it has also a form, a round form, the universe.
Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Mayapura, October 24, 1974:
I can discover what is God," that is not possible. That is not possible. Athāpi te deva-padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). You cannot understand God by your speculative method. Big, big scholars, they have speculated about Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Misled, they could not understand.
Just like a big politician, Gandhi, he also has Bhagavad-gītā in his hand, but he never spoke throughout his whole life that Kṛṣṇa is worshipable. He never spoke. Have you seen that he has advised that Kṛṣṇa is worshipable? Never. Dr. Radhakrishnan, he is also so big scholar. He has commented on Bhagavad-gītā. Rather, he says, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa." When Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), Dr. Radhakrishnan says, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa." That is the difficulty. Because they have no mercy of Kṛṣṇa upon them, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25).
Lecture on SB 1.15.1 -- New York, November 29, 1973:
That is māyā. You have no freedom. We get experience, suppose there is very nice palatable food. If I think, let me eat as much as possible, then next day I'll have to starve. Immediately dysentery or indigestion.
So you cannot violate the laws of Kṛṣṇa, or laws of nature, that is not possible. You are not at all independent. Because these rascals, they'll not understand this. They are always thinking, we are independent. That is the cause of all unhappiness. Nobody is independent. How you can be independent? Nobody is independent, neither you can be independent, neither nobody is independent. That factual, who is independent? Here you are sitting, so many boys and girls, who can say "I am independent of everything"? No, nobody can say. So this is our mistake, and by misusing our independence we are suffering in this material world in so many ways. That has to be reformed. That has to be checked.
Lecture on SB 1.15.22-23 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1973:
"What you have done?" So actually, it was a stone. So they began to rub the stone so that there will be no existence of the stone. Rubbing, rubbing, rubbing, rubbing—that pulp and water, that was distributed, and all of them became sticks. So then, after that, they became intoxicated, and they could not understand amongst themselves who is friend, who is enemy, and took those sticks and began to beat one another. In this way they died. This is the story. You know It is stated in the Kṛṣṇa book.
So our point is to know this is a play only, background. Actually, Kṛṣṇa wanted to take them away. And nobody could kill them. Therefore He planned a killing plan amongst themselves. This is the fact. But we should know that vipra-śāpa-vimūḍhānām: if any person is cursed by vipra, brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava, then they are finished. Therefore according to the Vedic civilization, brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are always honored so that they may not be dissatisfied. This is the rule.
Lecture on SB 1.15.29 -- Los Angeles, December 7, 1973:
So when Prahlāda Mahārāja was enquired by his father that "What nice thing you have studied, my dear boy, in your school?" so he replied, "My dear father, the best education I have received, how to become anxiety-less." That's all. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. "Not only for me, but for everyone. But you will not understand, my dear father, because you are demon number one." (laughter) He is addressing his father, asura-varya, asura-varya. Asura means demon, and varya, varya means the first-class. (laughter) He is not addressing his father as "My dear father," "My dear best of the atheists." Therefore his father was very angry, "This child, he talks with me on equal level and does not fear me. Kill him!" Asura. He is prepared to kill his son even, if he does not agree with him. You see. We are also prepared. If one is not devotee, if he is son, we can kill him. The same. But our is for Kṛṣṇa, and the asuras is for himself. That is the difference.
Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:
This is creation of māyā, illusion. Don't be bewildered with all these things. Just come back to Me. I've come to call you." Oh, but they'll not accept. This is their dog's obstinancy. So what can be done? They... Everyone can share the father's property. Here is also... the material is also God's property. But they'll not understand. They'll make the division, "This portion United States of America." Then why you've got this United States of America? It is Kṛṣṇa's property. Why you are saying, "No, this is Chinese, this is Russian," and they're fighting unnecessarily, unnecessarily?
So it is a factual thing that if people are saved, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, all these false identification will stop. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). The United Nation, if you simply understand that "Why you are talking of unity? You're already unity, in unity, because this property belongs to Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.15.41 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1973:
That was my recommendation. And actually, I was very inquisitive. I could not follow what Guru Mahārāja was speaking, but still, I was asking others, that "When Guru Mahārāja will speak? I will hear." I could not follow. He was speaking in a very high philosophical term. So at that time I had no capacity to under... Still, I wanted to hear him, I understand or not understand.
So this is very good qualification. So those who are coming here to listen about God, they are very fortunate. Kṛṣṇa will help them. Śravaṇam. The beginning of bhakti-yoga is started from the practice of śravaṇam, aural reception, ear. Therefore the mantra is given through the ear, initiation mantra. Then kīrtanam.
Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974:
Just like in India, we manufacture some mahātmā. But according to śāstra, he is not mahātmā because he was-Mahatma Gandhi, I mean to say—he was not on the platform of knowledge. He was on the platform of karma, karmī. He wanted to deliver his countrymen from the clutches of the British, Britishers. That was his aim. But because he was not jñānī, he could not understand that "Why I am trying to drive away some people for the benefit of another?" That is a great subject matter.
So anyone who is on the karmī field, he is not jñānī. He is not jñānī or mahātmā. Then who is mahātmā? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). After working uselessly for many, many lives like cats and dogs, trees and plants and like that, evolution, when one works for understanding the ultimate goal of life, jñānī... So jñānīs also cannot understand immediately that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal of life.
Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Hawaii, January 18, 1974:
Only the material, that's all. This is illusion. They cannot explain how this body is moving, why the dead body does not move, what is the difference, what is the thing that is missing. These rascals will not understand. Even there is instruction by higher authorities that within this body there is the soul... Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam (BG 2.13). Dehino 'smin dehe, in this body, dehī. The dehī... Dehī means the possessor, the owner of the body. It is said clearly, and we can understand that when I meditate upon my body, actually what I am. So if one is deep thinker, he'll immediately understand that "I am not this body." Take, for example, study on this finger; and if you think, "I am this finger"? No, you'll come to the conclusion, "It is my finger." Any part of your body, you study; you'll never agree that "I am this." It is "I am in possession of this." We say also, "My body, my finger, my head, my hand." And where is that "I"? You are simply thinking, "My, my, my, my," but where is that "I"? But they have no brain. And still, they're passing on as great philosopher, great scientist, and getting Nobel Prize.
Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:
As soon as you are, you have passed your examination of the civil service, the civil post is ready, immediately. There is no delay; it is already there. Simply you go and take your seat. So what is that examination? Just try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That's all. If you can understand this very fact... So you understand or not understand, if you have firm faith, if you take Kṛṣṇa, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality," then your examination is passed. Just like fire. You understand what is fire or not understand, but if you catch fire, it will act. When you take fire, you do not try to understand what is the chemical composition of fire. Anyone who understands the chemical composition of fire, then takes to fire, that man, and a child who does not know what is the chemical composition, catches the action is the same. If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa through philosophy, science and everything that we have got, that is also the same thing, and if anyone blindly accepts Kṛṣṇa, the same thing. It doesn't matter.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:
Otherwise, if you make me a dictionary, that go on questioning, there will be no end. That should not be done. Now, we have not discussed here about Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Of course, this is also relevant question, but the public will not understand. We are discussing on general subject matter. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa discussion is very confidential. You have to go to the platform first of all by understanding Kṛṣṇa. You see? Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-tattva is discussed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the Tenth Canto. So first of all you have to go through the nine cantos very carefully. Then you will understand. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta you'll find, rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api bhuvi (CC Adi 1.5). If you want to discuss about Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, that is not in the public meeting. They are very confidential subject matter. People may misunderstand what is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Generally, questions should be put on the subject matter discussed in the meeting. That should be the point. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-tattva is very confidential, for higher status of understanding. Yes?
Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:
That is described here, śrotavya. You have to understand. How you will understand? By hearing. God has given you the ear. If you simply hear, if you simply hear... There is no question of education. It is not that one who is not educated, he will not understand what is God. He will understand, because the ear is there. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ: (SB 7.5.23) Viṣṇu, of Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you hear. Therefore we are opening so many branches, just to give people the chance of hearing. And as soon as you perfectly hear, the next position will be to glorify. Just like these European, American boys. First of all they heard. Now they are preaching. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Because they have perfectly heard, therefore they are very enthusiastic. They are going all over the world. They are preaching. And so śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca. If one has actually heard, known about God, then next stage will be he will be very much enthusiastic to speak to others. That is preaching. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyaḥ. Smartavya means remembering.
Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:
So that bhāva required. Unless we understand what is God, what is His nature, how He acts, what is our duty, what is our relationship, then we are nothing better than cats and dogs, simply... śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi (SB 2.1.2), simply talking, talking, talking, and reading and reading, but no understanding of God. This is useless life, cats' and dogs' life. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is saving people from becoming cats and dogs just to make them human being.
Lecture on SB 2.3.1-3 -- Los Angeles, May 22, 1972:
The Māyāvādī, Shankarites, they have made a hodgepodge. They have made so much blunder in understanding the Vedic conclusion. Misleading, simply. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has especially warned that "Anyone who hears about the Māyāvāda commentation, he's doomed. He's gone forever, lost." He will have no understanding, either this way or that. The Vedas, they give us information of the demigods, but they are not imagination. And neither Kṛṣṇa is imagination. The Bhāgavata is giving this direction; Bhāgavata means Vyāsadeva is giving direction that "If you want this profit, then worship this demigod."
So he's playing childish, foolish things? He's giving some wrong information? Imagination? What business he has got to do that? But these Māyāvādī rascals will say that "the demigods are also māyā, Kṛṣṇa is also māyā, everything is māyā." Therefore we call them Māyāvādī, everything māyā. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is māyā. They say it is good for raising oneself to the platform of impersonalism.
Lecture on SB 2.3.15 -- Los Angeles, June 1, 1972:
Just like the children here, they are also dancing with their parents. They are offering flower, trying to imitate how to chant. Naturally. And they are very much pleased. So similarly, in our Dallas school, if these things are introduced, kṛṣṇa-krīḍa ... I have already suggested how they can be engaged in kṛṣṇa-krīḍa. So some way or other, they should be engaged in kṛṣṇa-krīḍa. It doesn't matter whether one understands it or not understands it.
It is just like touchstone or infection. You know or do not know, it will act. Because kṛṣṇa-bhakti, love for Kṛṣṇa, is there in everyone's heart. If it is not so, how you all young boys and girls are taking very seriously? It is a question of two, three years, or less than that, our students are joining, but they are becoming first-class kṛṣṇa-bhaktas, devotees. Even in India, they also are surprised that how these Europeans and Americans are coming to such nice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not only Europeans, Americans, but Africans also. This is the proof that love for Kṛṣṇa is there in everyone's heart. That is stated by Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaṛacā, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti nitya-siddha. Eternally, it is a fact. Simply it has to be awakened. Just like attraction for the opposite sex. A girl or a boy. That is natural. It is not unnatural.
Lecture on SB 2.3.23 -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1972:
I have seen many scholars, they cannot understand Bhāgavata. Sanskrit scholars, they will read, but they will not be able to understand. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā also. If anyone studies Bhagavad-gītā from scholarly point of view, a-b-c-d, he'll not understand. Kṛṣṇa therefore says that "Arjuna, I shall speak the lessons of Bhāgavata unto you because you are My very dear friend and you are My devotee." Kṛṣṇa did not want to speak Śrīmad-SB.. Bhagavad-gītā to a scholarly student. No. These books are not to be understood by mundane scholarship. That is not possible. All the Vedic śāstras, all the Vedic śāstras. There is a big commentary on Bhagavad-gītā by a great scholar and political leader, Lokamanya Tilak. So one of his devotees, he's also politician. When I was in London in 1968... So he has got a society there. They're preaching the Tilak's political view, like that. He has got a... So he came to see me, and he was very much eulogizing Lokamanya Tilak, that he has written his big commentary, Karma-yoga.
So he wanted to invite me in talk on Tilak's great task. So I told him that "Tilak does not understand Bhagavad-gītā." So immediately he was surprised.
Lecture on SB 2.9.1 -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:
This Amrtalal Chosa and Girish Chandra Chosa, they introduced in India theatric... So we called him to give us direction. He was giving us direction, and repeatedly he was telling that "You feel like that," especially to me. "You feel like that." So actually, when we played according to his direction, the audience were all crying. And we could not understand how they cried. We could not understand. On the stage when we played, it was so perfect that all audience were crying. Actually we saw they were smearing over their eyes with... But the whole thing is artificial, but the effect to the audience became so nice. So similarly, we are... Actually we have nothing to do with this material world, But we have been trained by the illusory energy in such a way that we are thinking, "I am Indian. I am American. I am this. I am that. I am brāhmaṇa. I am śūdra. I have to do this. I have got so much duty," all these illusions, simply thinking. We have nothing to do with all this nonsense, but still, we are taking it very serious. "I have to do like that. I have to do like that. I am this. I am that." That's all. That is explained. Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan: "Except the influence of that ātmā-māyā, the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa..."
Lecture on SB 2.9.3 -- Melbourne, April 5, 1972:
Prabhupāda: What disagreement? Everything is explained there. Why there shall be disagreement?
Sudāmā: Well, if there is no understanding, but still, the question, there is a question presented, then...
Prabhupāda: Then without understanding... or understanding... What is the difficulty? Everything is explained there. So what is the difficulty of disagreement? Everything, word to word meaning is there. Translation is there. Purport is there. Where is the difficulty?
Sudāmā: The point is, then, to practically apply. Then you will understand.
Prabhupāda: Practical application means that this "I" and "mine," it is all misconception. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. I am His servant. When I say "I," "I" means "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa." And if I say "my, mine, Kṛṣṇa is mine. I am Kṛṣṇa's, Kṛṣṇa is mine." That is perfect "I" and "mine." "I am Brahman, I am God, I am the Supreme, I am moving the stars"—just like these rascals, they think like that—that is rascaldom. There are so many rascals, they think like that, meditate, "I am the Supreme, I am moving the star. I am moving the sun. It is being controlled by me." That is their meditation.
Lecture on SB 3.12.19 -- Dallas, March 3, 1975:
"My dear Dhanañjaya, there is no more superior power than Me, or greater than Me." So if we accept the statement of Kṛṣṇa, then we understand Kṛṣṇa immediately. Otherwise, by speculation, it is not possible. That is the fact. There are so many... Such a person, such a big, who is estimated as very, very big person, Mahatma Gandhi, he could not understand Kṛṣṇa. From his writing we see. He said, "I don't believe that there was any person Kṛṣṇa living ever." Just see. He could not understand. Similarly, Dr. Radhakrishnan, Tilak, so many big, big scholars, they have written comment on Bhagavad-gītā, but they, still they have proved that they're rascal number one. Because they did not follow the process of understanding Kṛṣṇa, therefore they could not understand. And here even a child, our Śyāmasundara's daughter, (s)he used to go to somebody and ask him, "Do you know what is Kṛṣṇa?" He says, "No, I do not know." "He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Just see. And all these boys and children, they are learning so easily Kṛṣṇa, and a person like Mahatma Gandhi, he said that, something different. You see? Just see. This is the position.
Lecture on SB 3.25.18 -- Bombay, November 18, 1974:
So if you can understand Kṛṣṇa... Janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says that "If you can understand Me, how I come here, how I come, I play the part of a human being and teach the whole world, Bhagavad-gītā, what is My mission, why I come, everything, where is My residence, what is My father's name..." People are searching after God, but God is canvassing, "Please understand Me. Here I am." But people will not understand. So what God will help you? How can He help you? He says everything. Now, "I come from My Vaikuṇṭha, or spiritual world." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). "At that time I come. And I teach. And what do I teach? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66)." This is dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means the law given by God. That is dharma. You cannot make Hindu dharma, just like you cannot make any law. This is... Suppose the government is there. Now, you cannot say that "We Hindus, we have made this law," "We Muslim, we have made this law," "We Parsees, we have made this law." No. What all law is given by the government you have to accept, either you are Hindu, Muslim, or Christian and Hin... It doesn't matter. Therefore dharma means to accept the law of God. Not that you manufacture something.
Lecture on SB 3.25.19 -- Bombay, November 19, 1974:
There is no duplicate. There is no equal. There is no greater than. That is kaivalya. So nobody can be equal to Parabrahman, and nobody can be greater than Parabrahman. That is Parabrahman. So brahma-siddhaye means simply one should not understand that "I am Brahman," but he must understand what his relationship with the Parabrahman. That is brahma-siddhi.
So for brahma-siddhi, for self-realization, people are trying in so many ways. First of all, the business of human life is only meant for this purpose, brahma-siddhaye. So long we are... athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the Vedānta-sūtra. Brahman... Because, unless you become inquisitive, then how there can be brahma-siddhi? Therefore, this human life is meant for brahma-jijñāsā. Not that simply whole day work... They are also inquiring. They go to the market: "What is the price? What is the rate?" The whole day. In Ser Market you go, "Ke aba baye?" (Hindi) Everyone is asking. Not for that kind of question. That everyone is questioning, from the morning. "What is today's news?" Immediately newspaper. "What is the news?" Then it is no more... Then you go the market, "What is the price of rice? What is the price of this? What is the price of that?" You purchase. Then you eat. Then you go the office or market. Then again, "What is the price? What is the..." Not that kind of inquiry. That is going on. That is also going on by the cats and dogs. They are also inquiring, "Where is food? Where is remnants of foods?
Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:
That is wanted. Dṛḍha-vrata. That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā. You'll find parallel passages, the same thing. Because Kṛṣṇa, or God, cannot say anything contradictory. Whatever He has said... Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of spiritual life. If you can understand Bhagavad-gītā, then you can begin Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If you have not understood Bhagavad-gītā, it is useless. You cannot understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Just like Bhagavad-gītā ends with the assertion of the Lord: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Sarva-dharmān. We have created so many dharmas. But dharma cannot be so many. Dharma is one. Or religious system... What is that, religious system? The all religious system, the author of religion, author of religion... Just like author of law is government, similarly author of religion is God, Kṛṣṇa. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). You cannot manufacture dharma, just like you cannot manufacture law at your home. That will be not feasible.
Lecture on SB 3.25.25 -- Bombay, November 25, 1974:
Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned that māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. If you happen to hear from a Māyāvādī, impersonalist, who does not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or does not know what is Kṛṣṇa, if such person reads Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you will never derive any benefit. You can go on hearing them for hundreds of years; still, you will never understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That is forbidden. Sanātana Gosvāmī has forbidden, that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam. Hari-kathā, talks, discussion on Hari, or Kṛṣṇa, that is amṛta. Amṛta means nectarine. If one hears, then he gets his amṛta. Amṛtatvam.
So amṛtatvāya kalpate. Amṛta means no more birth and death. Mṛta means birth and death, mṛtyu, but amṛta means to stop birth and death. The whole spiritual life means to stop this birth, death, old age and disease, to get amṛta, no more birth, no more death. That is the real aim of spiritual life. Of course, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the spiritual life begins if one is pious, if one is pious. Ārto arthārthī jijñāsuḥ. Catur-vidhā bhajante mām. Kṛṣṇa said, "Four classes of men..." Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtinaḥ arjuna. Sukṛti. Sukṛti means pious. One who has got background, pious life, not impious life, sinful life, such pious men, out of them, four classes of men, catur-vidhāḥ, they come to devotional life, begins.
Lecture on SB 3.25.35 -- Bombay, December 4, 1974:
You can go to a person who knows how to open the bottle of honey. Then you can taste. Otherwise, if you simply lick up the book, Bhagavad-gītā, becoming a very big scholar, you will never taste it. You will never taste it. You can satisfy yourself, "Now I am licking up daily Bhagavad-gītā, thrice," but what you will understand unless you are a devotee? You will not understand. The bottle is packed up.
So here it is said, paśyanti te me rucirāṇy amba santaḥ? "They can see Me, santaḥ." Not these rascals and fools. They cannot see. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25), Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I am not exposed to these fools and rascals, nondevotees." Why I say "fools and rascals" to the nondevotees? I am not saying; Kṛṣṇa says. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Mūḍha means rascal. Mūḍha means rascal. And duṣkṛtinaḥ, duṣkṛtinaḥ mean always engaged in sinful activities, no restraint. They can eat everything, they can drink everything, they can do everything without any restriction.
Lecture on SB 3.25.36 -- Bombay, December 5, 1974:
I have spoken to you so many things, but now, because you are My very dear friend and devotee, therefore I am disclosing the most confidential knowledge." What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam: (BG 18.66) "Just surrender unto Me. That's all. This is the confidential knowledge. Don't try to understand many things, or if you have heard, if you could not understand Me here, then I tell you. This is the most confidential part of knowledge, that sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66)." Before this verse... Guhyād guhyatamam. Guhyād guhyatamam. Guhya means very confidential. So this guhya, this Brahman realization, is also very confidential. But Paramātmā realization is guhyatara, still more confidential. And to understand Kṛṣṇa is guhyatama, superlative degree. Guhyād guhyatamam.
Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:
He has never seen Atlantic Ocean. He's speculating. Some friend told him, "My dear friend, frog in the well, I have seen a vast mass of water." "What is that?" "Now, Atlantic Ocean." "What is that Atlantic Ocean?" "Very great mass of water." "Oh? Bigger than this well? Maybe four feet or ten feet or...?" In this way, if you speculate, you will never understand what is God.
If you want to understand God, then try to understand from God Himself. He knows. Just like if you speculate of a big man, a neighbor, a friend, that "What is his wealth? Oh, he appears to be very rich man and very strong man, very influential man." And these are the opulences: very beautiful, very wise. So you can calculate. But if you make friendship with that gentleman and if he speaks about himself, then you can understand what he is. Then how you can understand God, Kṛṣṇa, by speculation? This is foolishness. Therefore, śāstra advises you that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya: "If you think that you are very learned scholar, you are very advanced in knowledge, and you can manufacture what is God, give up this foolishness first of all. Don't make this foolishness." Jñāne prayāsam. Oh, what is your knowledge? Limited. Kūpa-maṇḍūka, the frog in the well. How you can imagine? Simply by imagination? Is imagination God?
Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974:
At the end, he is accepting, "Kṛṣṇa, You are Parabrahman." So if we are part and parcel of Parabrahman, then we must be Brahman. Where is the difficulty? So this brahmāham, brahmāsmi, this Brahman realization, can be understood in a moment if you believe Bhagavad-gītā as it is. But if you foolishly interpret in this way and that way, then it will take millions of years. You will not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā, what is God, what is... But if you take it as it is, then immediately you can understand that you are Brahman. There is no difficulty.
So what is the duty of the part and parcel? That is also very easy to understand. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. So what is the duty of the finger? I ask the finger, "Please come here." It comes immediately. I ask the finger, "Come here." So that means service. Therefore part and parcel's duty is... Just like in a office, if I say, "This man is one of our part," or "one of my partner," a partner means he is working for the same interest. That is partner.
Lecture on SB 3.26.18 -- Bombay, December 27, 1974:
He explained Bhagavad-gītā. Actually, one should not explain Bhagavad-gītā or any Vedic śāstra unless one has agreed to become a disciple. But devotees are so kind that they preach even amongst the nondisciples just to take them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, according to law, one should not speak beyond the jurisdiction of his disciple because they will not understand. They will not follow the rules and regulations. How they will understand? Kṛṣṇa says, yeṣāṁ tu anta-gataṁ pāpam: "One who is completely free from all kinds of sinful activities." That is the primary qualification to understand Kṛṣṇa or understand Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on SB 3.26.20 -- Bombay, December 29, 1974:
If this determination is there, then everything is possible.
There is a verse, ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim: (Nārada-pañcarātra) "If you take the shelter of the lotus feet of Hari, Kṛṣṇa," ārādhitaḥ, "and worship it," ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, "then there is no more necessity of austerities, penances, and so many other things. Simply this is required." Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim... Nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim: "And after undergoing your religious principles and ritualistic ceremonies and austerities, penances, fully executing the occupational duty, everything done," but nārādhito hariḥ, "but you could not understand how to worship Hari," so tapasā tataḥ kim, "then what is the use of your this tapasya?" There is no use. It is simply waste of time. Śrama eva hi kevalam. This is confirmed everywhere. Śrama eva hi kevalam.
Lecture on SB 3.26.29 -- Bombay, January 6, 1975:
"What is the aim of life? Why I have put into this condition, accepting this material body, the source of all miseries?"—these questions should be asked. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. And that should be answered properly. Then our life will be successful. Otherwise it is as useless as the body of a cat or a dog—no understanding, mūḍha. Mūḍha.
So the cats' and dogs' life or the cats and dogs in two legs... Any human being who has no spiritual knowledge, he is no better than the cats and dogs, but difference is: the cats and dogs have got four legs, and this animal has got two legs, that's all. Dvipāda-paśu. They have been described as dvipāda-paśu. Dvi means two, and pāda means leg. So anyone who has no knowledge of the spiritual existence—how this material body has developed, how we are put into different conditions life—without this knowledge he is two-legged animal, that's all. So don't remain as two-legged animal. You may develop from two-legged animal another body—four-legged animal—but that is not our business. Our business is athāto brahma jijñāsā.
Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:
Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. Śrī-vigraha. This arcā-mūrti, śrī-vigraha, ārādhanam, you should worship. This is the ācārya-panthā. This is the paramparā.
So this worship is going on under this paramparā system. It is not manufactured. Ācāryaṁ mām... What the ācārya says, if you follow, then you become perfect. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). If you follow the instruction of ācārya, then you understand perfectly everything. Tad viddhi praṇi... But you have to understand by praṇipātena, by submission, not by challenging. If you challenge, then you will never be able to understand. This whole process is submission. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). If you are not prepared to submit, then you will never understand. You will remain in this tamas, tamas. Tamasi mā. But don't remain in tamas. Come to the light.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:
He said that this Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the same Lord Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa advised, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This sarva-dharmān includes all our material activities. So, but people could not understand. The instruction is still standing, Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya, "Just simply surrender unto Me." But nobody is doing that. God says that, "You surrender unto Me; I shall give you all protection." There is assurance. But we are so unfortunate that we cannot believe or cannot be assured on the words of God also. We do not believe. "Oh, God cannot give us protection. Let me try my own technology. I shall protect myself." This is the world(?). That means he's not detached with these material activities. Kṛṣṇa says also that "You give up..." Just like we are also saying. There are so many proposals. They come, philanthropists: "People are starving. We have to see first of all." The Communists say, "Then we can discuss about spiritual... There are so many people starving," as if they have taken contract for feeding them. But these are only simply big, big words. They cannot do anything. Neither they are willing.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 8, 1973:
So this instruction of Ṛṣabhadeva is very, very important. Try to understand. Our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a protest to the modern way of civilization. The leaders of the modern society, they want that people should be engaged in working like dogs and hogs and asses. They should not understand what is the value of life, what is the object of life. Let them always remain intoxicated, and sense gratification, and produce more product for sense enjoyment. This is modern civilization. All these factories... I understand that in this country the farmers are taxed so heavily that they are forced to work in the factory. This is a policy of the government leaders to engage people. If anyone wants to live peacefully, save time for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the leaders of the society or the government will not allow him to do so. This is the position.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:
Those who are born in India, it is automatically Kṛṣṇa conscious. Unfortunately, we are killing that consciousness. This is our advancement of civilization. So our only request is that "Don't kill yourself. Don't commit suicide. Take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness." It is explained very nicely in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. Why should we not understand Kṛṣṇa? Why? Why we are spoiling our life? Of course, Bhagavad-gītā is very popular book. Practically everyone reads. But unfortunately they do not... Most of them, they do not take Bhagavad-gītā as it is. That is the difficulty. If you take Bhagavad-gītā as it is, you become self-realized liberated soul. But the misfortune is that we become more than Kṛṣṇa, and we want to comment Bhagavad-gītā in our own way. That is our misfortune. (applause) That is our misfortune.
So don't be misfortunate. Be fortunate. Everything is there. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā. And here, in the Fifth Chapter, Fifth Canto, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the same thing is recommended by Ṛṣabhadeva to his sons. The first paragraph we have discussed last night. The second paragraph, the Ṛṣabhadeva says, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2).
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:
I may say many things to you, but when I say something directly, "Do it," your first duty is to do that. You cannot argue, "Sir, you said me like this before." No, that is not your duty. What I say now, you do it. That is obedience. You cannot argue. Of course, Kṛṣṇa never said anything contradictory, but if when one thinks foolishly that Kṛṣṇa said something contradictory, no, that is not to be. You could not understand. So even though you could not understand, you take My direct orders now. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām e... (BG 18.66), that is your business. The master says like that, and the servant's business is to accept it as it is, without any argument. That's all right.
Lecture on SB 5.5.35 -- Vrndavana, November 22, 1976:
If you become pious... Because pious is the good position. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. So to become pious is good because there is hope of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, if you remain impious, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). If you remain sinful, then you'll remain always rascal. You'll never understand Kṛṣṇa. You'll never understand. Therefore we must try to become pious. And that pious means no sinful activities. Therefore we proscribe four sinful things, the pillars of sinful life: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling—four pillars. If you break these four pillars from the very beginning of your spiritual life, then you stand on the platform. But if your, these four pillars are there, you stand on a false platform, not on the spiritual platform. That is yogic siddhi. Yeṣāṁ anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānām.
Lecture on SB 5.6.3 -- Vrndavana, November 25, 1976:
Our struggle is... Kṛṣṇa said, "This is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. This place is for miseries," and these rascals are trying to adjust things. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. These rascals, they are trying to bring peace by material arrangement, mūḍha. Therefore they are mūḍha. It is not possible. Kṛṣṇa has made it suffering. How you can become happy here? But these rascals will not understand. Within the suffering they will try to become happy. That is not possible. The toilet room he wants to make a Deity room. How it is possible? That is not possible.
So it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), and you have to practice tapasya if you want to get out of it. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). We are now accustomed to this miserable condition of life. If you want actual happiness, then you have to undergo austerity, tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam. You are hankering after happiness. That happiness, brahma-sukha, eternal happiness, you will get by practicing tapasya.
Lecture on SB 5.6.7 -- Vrndavana, November 29, 1976:
Īśad apetasya. So the more we forget Kṛṣṇa, then we are in the material stage. Material stage means bhayam, always fearful. "Why shall I accept Kṛṣṇa as human being, as a person? Oh, it is... It is not. How He can be a person? How a person can produce such a vast sky?" He says, bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva: (BG 7.4) "Yes, I have produced the sky." But these rascals will not believe how a person can do it. They'll comment in their own way. So avoid this.
Here Ṛṣabhadeva says about the Personality of Godhead. Accept them; believe them; take it. You understand or not understand, take it for granted. Then you will be able to make advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:
He is fixed up." Then he surrendered himself: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, we are now talking as friends. No, we shall talk now as master and disciple. You I accept You as my master." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). He accepted Him as the master and he became disciple to understand Bhagavad-gītā. This is the way. If you have got your own opinion, you will never understand Bhagavad-gītā. You have to take lessons from the master. Although the book is there, for example I can give you. Suppose if you want to be a medical man, the books are available in the market. You can purchase and read and become a doctor. Is it possible? Is it possible that simply by reading books, purchasing from the market, I become a medical man? No. That is not possible. You have to learn it from a person who is a medical man. Then you will. You go to the medical college and learn the medical science from the practical medical man, and then you examine, put yourself in examination. When you pass... This is the way. So any śāstra, any book, even in the material world, it is not possible to read oneself and understand the real fact. That is not possible. Therefore Vedic injunction is that if you want to learn that spiritual science, tad-vijñāna. Tat. Tat-vijñāna means spiritual science. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is the instruction.
Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:
I have already explained. So after becoming siddha, perfect... Perfect means one must know that "I am not this body; I am soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is perfection of knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānām: (BG 7.3) "Those who have become perfect, out of many millions of them, one can understand what I am." It is not so easy to understand God. But if you take the process as is recommended in the śāstras by saintly person, then it is easy. Otherwise it is not easy. If you speculate to understand God, that is not possible. Then you go on and many, many years speculating. You will never understand God. Either you take the shelter of Lord Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa, if you follow his instruction—this is the way of understanding—then you will understand. But if you don't care for his instruction, then you will never understand. This is the process. Hmm.
Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:
All the dirty things are within our heart. The bodily dirty things, if you wash once, it is all gone. But it is very difficult to remove the dirty things within the heart. That requires purification. So this process, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, begins from the purification of your heart.
Now, the television man was asking how it is possible. It is possible. One may not understand. Just like a child, he does not know how he is produced. I know. I asked my mother in my childhood, "My dear mother, how did I come out from your belly?" I still remember. So my mother showed me her navel: "You come out from this place." So anyway, a child cannot understand, but when he grows up, he understands everything. So how Kṛṣṇa consciousness acts, how this transcendental sound cleanses your heart, you may not understand in the beginning, but if you take to it and if you practice it, then you understand. Then you can understand. And in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, śabdāt anāvṛttiḥ. As from the sound the whole material existence has come into being, similarly, from sound also, you can go back to the spiritual existence.
Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Honolulu, May 10, 1976:
So does it mean that "I shall become submissive, and whatever my guru will say, I will have to accept?" No. Paripraśnena. Tad viddhi. Here is the paripraśna. Śrī-rāja uvāca. Ask him. That is intelligent. Intelligently serve. First of all we must... It is not that he is checking the guru, "How my guru is learned?" No. The submission is there. But when the guru says something, he may not understand. That concession is given, paripraśna. You inquire.
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī said that "You have to atone for your sinful activities before your death; otherwise you will suffer in the next life." Rājovāca. Rājovāca, rāja, the king, he was little doubtful about this atonement. Atonement.
Lecture on SB 6.1.26 -- Chicago, July 11, 1975:
Bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan bālakaṁ sneha-yantritaḥ, bhojayan pāyayan mūḍhaḥ. In spite of so much affection and taking care of the children, he is addressed here, mūḍha. Just see. (laughs) They are very much proud of being affectionate, but śāstra says, "You are rascal, that's all." Mūḍha. Bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho na veda āgatam antakam. He could not understand that "I am very busy in raising my child, but here, back side, there is death. Death is waiting to scramble me."
So not only in these activities, in every activity we are very busy with material activities. And we do not know that on my back side death is standing. He will take everything, what I have got. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. The death is also Kṛṣṇa. He said, aham, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham: "I am death. You cannot see God. You are very much proud of your eyes. Now you see I have come. I will take away everything, what have you got. Now you protect yourself and your property, your skyscraper building, everything. Now you protect." So therefore mūḍha. He does not know how to protect things, but he is creating things. That is called mūḍha. Just like I am collecting lakhs and millions of money, but next moment there is standing somebody, he will take away.
Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:
Devotee (1): You were talking about Ajāmila, and I would like to know what is the difference between the planetary systems that the earth here, or the universe. Is the planetary system the universe, or is there something beyond the planetary system which it is situated in? I do not not understand the difference between planetary system and the universe.
Prabhupāda: Universe is a covering just like a football, and within that, there are planetary system. And these football-like universes, they are floating in the Virajā water, where Mahā-Viṣṇu is lying. So each universe is covered.
Revatīnandana: Like a coconut?
Prabhupāda: Eh? Yes.
Revatīnandana: Like a coconut half filled with water?
Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:
So actually that is the position. Anyone... There is a verse. There is a verse that "Don't go to the Vaiṣṇavas." The Yamadūtas were especially instructed. But this Ajāmila was known, a sinful person. Everyone knew. But he had become, I mean to say, free from all sinful contamination because at the time of death, he uttered the word "Nārāyaṇa" without any offense. The Yamadūtas, they could not understand that he is no more under the laws of criminal punishment; he is free from all contamination. And actually, that is the position. Kṛṣṇa... One who utters the name "Kṛṣṇa," he immediately becomes free from all sinful activities, immediately. That is the power of Kṛṣṇa's name. But the difficulty is that after being freed, we again commit mistake in sinful activity. Kṛṣṇa's name has got the power. As soon as you utter the name "Hare Kṛṣṇa," immediately you become freed from all contamination. Therefore if one thinks that "I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, so even if I commit sinful activities, that will be counteracted by my chanting," that is another, greatest offense.
Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:
Why you are thinking God is formless? Here I am, Kṛṣṇa, form. You see, I have got My flute in the hand. I am very much fond of the cows. I love the cows and the sage and Brahmā, everyone equally, because they are all My sons in different bodies." Kṛṣṇa is playing. Kṛṣṇa is speaking. Still, these rascals will not understand Kṛṣṇa. So what is Kṛṣṇa's fault? It is our fault. Andha. Just like the owl. Owl will never open the eyes to see that there is sunlight. You know this, owl? So they will not open. However you may say, "Mr. Owl, please open your eyes and see the sun," "No, there is no sun. I don't see." (laughter) This owl civilization. So you have to fight with these owls. You must be very strong, especially the sannyāsīs. We have to fight with the owls. We have to open their eyes by force from this, with machine. (laughter) So this is going on. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a fight against all the owls.
Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, June 9, 1976:
That is bhakti, no other business. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. Śūnyam means zero. We are singing, āra nā kariha mane āśā **. Make all... They could not understand. They are so much atheistic that it was impossible for them to understand what is God, what is devotion. So therefore Lord Buddha propounded the philosophy, "Make all your nonsense activities zero, so much. First of all make zero, then positive we shall say." That is zero movement, śūnyavādī. At least, if a rascal children is always doing something nonsense, then first of all stop him. Make him zero. Then good lesson: "Come. Do this." So this Buddhist movement means to make their atheistic activities zero. At least that is good. It is better not to... Maunam, silent. Instead of talking all nonsense, better be silent; don't create disturbance. So... And the other movement, nirviśeṣa-vādī, are giving little hint, Śaṅkarācārya, Māyāvāda, that "Yes, this zero is not sufficient. There is positive." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. His movement was that "This material world is false; make it zero. But there is a positive thing which is Brahman." What is that Brahman, he did not disclose.
Lecture on SB 6.2.14 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1975:
Caitanya Mahāprabhu regretted that the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that all the potencies or all the energies in the Absolute Person, the same thing you'll find in His name, in His form. But these things are not understood by less intelligent class of men. To understand these things means to know Kṛṣṇa in truth.
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
This is tattva, truth, that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, His holy name, His form, His attributes, His pastimes, His paraphernalia, His dhāma... Just like we are in Vṛndāvana-dhāma. So why Vṛndāvana-dhāma is worshiped? Because the Vṛndāvana-dhāma is not different from Kṛṣṇa. When you take little dust of Vṛndāvana-dhāma and take it, that means you are taking the dust of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, and you take it. Vṛndāvana-dhāma, so important.
Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:
So yasya ca līlā durvibhavya ity aham iti vādyam. Na spṛṣṭaṁ rajas-tamaṁ ye iti tam abhyehi pretam ceṣṭitaṁ vā na viduḥ.(?) Although they are freed from the contamination of the lower-grade qualities, still they could not understand, although there is possibility. There is possibility. Sattva-guṇa-pradhānāḥ. The brāhmaṇas..., it is for the brāhmaṇas. By quality, they can understand to some extent. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. He has to become Vaiṣṇava. Simply brahminical qualification will not help him. That is the greatest qualification within this material world. But still, he has to surpass that... Just like postgraduate. The brāhmaṇas may be graduate. Others, they are not graduate. They are, say, ISA matriculate, like that. But even the brāhmaṇa has to become... That is also stated. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipraḥ, nipuṇa, mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A brāhmaṇa, his qualification is that he knows what is his business. And that business is ṣaṭ-karma. Ṣaṭ-karma means a brāhmaṇa has to become very learned. Paṭhana. He must be a serious student of Vedic religion. That is first qualification. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. And he has studied all these Vedic literatures, and he remains a fool, that is... Immediately he is disqualified. So paṭhana-pāṭhana. Not that he would simply take advantage of the knowledge without distributing it. Therefore a brāhmaṇa's business is to distribute the knowledge. Just like yesterday we saw. There is a small school. That's a very nasty condition. But this is the business of the brāhmaṇas. In the village a brāhmaṇa would sit down and the village boys and girls would come there to learn from him, and they will bring some presentation. That will be his livelihood.
Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:
They do not, cannot do anything. They have taken to this process." So therefore he is avaiṣṇava. Just like Rāmānanda Rāya. He was accompanied by very, very learned men, learned brāhmaṇas. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when he met Caitanya Mahāprabhu and both of them embraced and were crying in ecstasy, the brāhmaṇas, the smārta-brāhmaṇas, they could not understand that "Why this great personality, governor...? He is so great and simply by embracing a sannyāsī he is crying. And why this sannyāsī... It is understood that He is coming from a brāhmaṇa family. And He has taken such a great personality. Why He is crying by embracing Rāmānanda?" They could not understand. And as soon as Lord Caitanya saw that the smārtas are puzzled, He stopped. He stopped. Perhaps you know this incidence. So the smārtas, they cannot understand the... Smārta, jāta-gosāi. The smārtas, to pull on their business, so they have become gosvāmīs. But actually they are not devotees. So these gosvāmīs will go to a devotee, and one who is willing to accept a spiritual master.
Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:
Tan māyā-mohitād na jānanty ity uktam, avaśed tata tasya ityāhayam iti. Gobhir indriyair cittena na vicakṣata na paśyanti.(?) So gobhiḥ, by sensual gymnastic or mental speculation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be understood. There are many mental speculator, just like Aurobindo Ghosh. So he speculated. He understood that there are activities even after liberation, but he could not understand Kṛṣṇa, so hard it is. Others, the so-called sannyāsīs, just like Ramatirtha or Vivekananda, they could not approach even, in the modern age. And the Aurobindo, he approached up to the Brahman liberation, but he could not approach to the understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is... Arjuna says also in the Bhagavad-gītā, "It is very difficult to understand Your personality." Everyone becomes... The other day in the Melā, Māgha-melā, one Gangeshvarananda, retired high-court judge, he said that "This is the first time, Swamijī, that we are hearing from you on solid basis about the Personality." The whole world, nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi... Nirviśeṣa... Means the impersonalists and voidists, that's all. They have no understanding what is Personality of Godhead. Gobhir indriyair hṛdā cittena na vicakṣate.
Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:
That was the point of Yamarāja to his assistants, that "People like you, they think that Yamarāja... I am the supreme. But that's not a fact. The fact is I am also controlled by another supreme master." And how to know him he is describing. He is describing that, "It is not possible to know Him in this way. It is not possible in this way. Even great sages and ṛṣis, they could not understand in this way. Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute... Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labh... This is Vedic injunction. Simply by talking, becoming a very nice speaker or lecturer. you cannot understand the Supreme. Nāyam ātmā na medhayā. Because you have got very nice brain, therefore you will be able to understand—no. Na medhayā. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na. Then how? Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ-labhyaḥ Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23. "Only such person who is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can understand." He can understand. Otherwise, nobody can understand. So therefore our business should be how to get His favor. And that favor, that is very easy to understand, that if you surrender to a person, then you can get his favor; otherwise not. This is process of understanding the Supreme Personality. (break)
Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 3, 1967:
Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam: (BG 4.2) "By this disciplic succession, this science of Bhagavad-gītā was learned." So you have to approach the spiritual master who is coming down from that disciplic succession. Then he is bona fide. Not only... He may be coming, but if he has not understood, then simply accepting will not do. Then the next symptom is śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). Brahma-niṣṭham means he is firmly fixed up. Nobody can deviate from his point of steadiness. These are the general. There are many other definition in different... And the disciple also, he must have also qualification to approach a spiritual master. It is not that because you have got a bona fide spiritual master, therefore you will be benefited. You must be also qualified.
What is that qualification? What is the disciple's qualification? That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Śreya uttamam. Everyone is engaged for some temporary benefit, everyone in this world, you will find. Everyone is very busy. When you say, "Please come to our temple," "Sir, I am very busy." What is his business? The business is eating, sleeping, and mating. That's all, his business.
Lecture on SB 7.6.7 -- Vrndavana, December 9, 1975:
He is advising to the sons of the demons because the demons, they cannot understand. But it is the duty of the Vaiṣṇava to preach, although Kṛṣṇa advises that "You don't preach the truth of Bhagavad-gītā to the demons." He said, "Those who have not undergone austerities, those who are not very serious, don't speak about these lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66)." Means they'll not understand. But still, the devotees, they take the risk that "All right, let me try to convince this person that 'Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.' " Even Kṛṣṇa says that "Don't try, because they will not be able to understand," still, they try. That is a devotee. Therefore devotee is more merciful than Kṛṣṇa. Devotee is more merciful. Even there is no hope to understand, still, he goes door to door: "Please take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please take to Kṛṣṇa, and you'll be happy." It is not always... Just like you are trying to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness with so much endeavor. It's not that cent percent people of the world will take. That is not possible. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Only the fortunate persons will be able to take it. So we should not be disappointed that "Nobody, majority of people, do not take this. What is the use of?
Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- New Vrindaban, June 24, 1976:
I do not know why people are reluctant to do this simple act when the result is so great. To go home, back to home, back to Godhead is not easy thing. To get out of the clutches of māyā and go back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, it is not so easy thing for ordinarily... But Kṛṣṇa is personally coming and teaching so that people may take advantage of it and go back to home, back to Godhead. Still, people could not understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa came as devotee, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, teaching the same thing. Teaching the same thing. He, although He's Kṛṣṇa, He never invented anything. That is called paramparā system. Although He's God Himself, God also does not invent anything. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ (BG 13.5). He's giving reference to the Brahma-sūtra, Vedānta-sūtra. So our line is like that, even God Himself, He can say something new? No. He said to Arjuna, purātanam yogaṁ proktavān, that "I am speaking to you same old philosophy, purātanam yogam, which I spoke to the sun-god." We must stick to this, that a spiritual understanding is never changed. Now the modern days, we have to adjust things. No. That is not spiritual. There is no question of modern and old. Nitya, that is nitya, eternal. We should always remember that.
Lecture on SB 7.7.30-31 -- Mombassa, September 12, 1971:
Similarly, anyone who thinks that the Supreme Lord and the demigods are on the equal footing, that is offense. Therefore, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu warned that don't hear the interpretation of the Māyāvādīs. Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). Anyone who tries to understand Māyāvāda philosophy, misunderstands, not understands, misunderstands, his future is doomed. Doomed means he will never be able to enter into this bīja-nirharaṇam, nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ. There are different kinds of yoga. This yoga is called bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ pravāhoparamo dhiyaḥ. Now he is recommending that how this bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ can be practiced. The first important thing is guru-śuśrūṣayā. Śuśrūṣayā means you have to satisfy the spiritual master, guru. Now suppose you are very big man and you have to serve a spiritual master. Therefore, you cannot serve any third-class man or anyone. You must be satisfied that here is a person I can render my service. I can accept as subordinate and I can...
Lecture on SB 7.9.6 -- Mayapur, February 26, 1977:
Nakham adbhuta-sṛṅgam. It is not possible to grow some ferocious nails, piercing nails, in the lotus flower. This is contradictory. Therefore Jayadeva says, adbhuta: "It is wonderful. It is astonishing." This... Therefore Lord's power, exhibition of power and sharp nails, they're all inconceivable. Śrīla Jīva Goswami has explained, "Unless you accept inconceivable power of the Supreme Lord, there is no understanding." Acintya. Acintya-śakti. Acintya means inconceivable. You cannot speculate how it is happening, how in the lotus flower there is so hard nail that immediately, within a second, it could kill a great demon like Hiranyakasipu. Therefore it is acintya. We cannot conceive. Acintya. And therefore Vedic instruction is acintyā khalu ye bhāvā na taṁś tarkeṇa yo jayet: "Do not apply your poor logic in the matters which is inconceivable by you." There is no logic that how lotus flower can grow nails. They say, "Mythology." Because they cannot conceive within their poor brain, they cannot accommodate how things happen like that, they say, "Mythology." Not mythology. It is fact, but it is inconceivable by you or us. It is not possible.
Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:
Pradyumna: Does straightforwardness, that ārjavam quality of a brāhmaṇa, does that include making the truth palatable to someone who will not understand the truth directly?
Prabhupāda: Yes. When you speak of higher truths, you don't care whether it is palatable to others or not. In social formality you can see. That has happened actually. Because the Pope, he was not strong enough in the beginning... Because some other Pope, he thought, "It may be unpalatable," he did not speak the truth. Now the other Pope is speaking the truth. They are not accepting. But from the very beginning the priests should have preached in every church, "My dear Christian brothers, you cannot use these contraceptive methods." They were never told in the churches. They were satisfied to get fees. That's all. Everywhere, not only in the Christian world. In the Hindu, in Christian, they don't care for any rules and regulations any more. But they profess that "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muhammadan."
Lecture on SB 7.9.10-11 -- Montreal, July 14, 1968:
Andhā yathāndaiḥ upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Because they follow rascal leaders. Their leadership is andha. Andha means blind. And they are following the blind leadership. They are themselves blind. Why blind? They cannot see future. They do not know what is going to... Because they have no understanding that "I am eternal." This temporary body is only a flash in my life. I've changed so many bodies. Just like in this present existence I have changed my body so many times from my childhood to this old age. Similarly, I am changing my body. So this life, this body is temporary. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Andhā, and I do not see my future; therefore I am blind. And the leader which is leading me, he is also blind. So a blind man leading other blind men, what is the result? The result is catastrophic. Therefore in spite of so many great leaders, politicians, scientists, educationist, the result is that problematic. The whole world is full of problems. They do not know what is their interest. The interest is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That they do not know. So it is the task of the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness to preach this. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore has ordered, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Whomever you meet, your business is just try to make him convinced of the instructions as given by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. That is the best service to the humanity.
Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Montreal, August 21, 1968:
"It is my country," and fighting, both of them, they are thieves because that land does not belong to anyone. No nation. It belongs to God. If... We can understand, if the United Nation passed resolution that "The whole planet belongs to God; we are sons of God; so let us live peacefully as sons of God," oh, there is no quarrel. But that they will never understand. They'll simply try to divide. Just like some gangs of thieves, they have stolen some property. Now they have come out, and they're dividing, and one of them is asking, "My dear brothers, let us divide piously. Let us divide piously." (laughs) Nonsense. The whole property is impious. So what is the meaning of your piously divided?
Just like in India, nonvegetarian diet, according to Vedic system it is condemned. Nobody can eat any meat. But now they have learned how to eat meat. They are doing that. So somebody is saying, "Yes, today I have cooked meat, but in the Ganges water." Ganges water is considered to be pious. So he thinks by cooking meat in the Ganges water, it has become purified. You see? This is our mentality. We are bent upon doing all nonsense, and we want to get it supported by religious cover. Just like recently, the Christian world, they wanted support from the Pope of contraceptive method. That contraceptive method is condemned, but they want to be supported by the religious head. "If you don't support, then you are not good man.
Lecture on SB 7.9.15 -- Mayapur, February 22, 1976:
Materialistic persons, they are thinking, "This world is very pleasing. We are enjoying. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." But the devotees, they think, "It is very, very fierceful. How soon we shall get out of it?" My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This material world is not fit for living for any gentleman." He used to say. "No gentleman can live here." So these things are not understood by the nondevotees, how much pinching this material world is. Duḥkhāla... Kṛṣṇa says it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). That is the difference between the devotee and nondevotee. The duḥkhālayam, they are trying to adjust how to make it sukhālayam. That is not possible.
So unless one becomes detestful of this material world, it is to be understood that he has not yet entered in the spiritual understanding. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). This is the test of bhakti. If one has entered the domain of devotional service, this material world will be not at all tasteful for him. Virakti. No more. Āra nāre bapa (?). The Jagāi-Mādhāi, too much materialistic, woman-hunters, drunkard, meat-eater... So these things have become now common affairs. But it is very, very fearful for the devotees. Therefore we say, "No intoxication; no illicit sex; no meat-eating." It is very very fearful. But they do not know. Mūḍhaḥ nābhijānāti.
Lecture on SB 7.9.30 -- Mayapur, March 8, 1976:
"The same Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, You have now appeared in a body which is called Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Actually You are the same Kṛṣṇa." So where... Why He has come? Now, kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). As Kṛṣṇa, He could not give Him to everyone. Kṛṣṇa ordered—because He is the Supreme Person, He can order—sarva-dharmān parityajya māṁ ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), but He could not induce. We are so rascal that we could not take even directly the order of Kṛṣṇa. We are so rascal. Therefore Kṛṣṇa again thought that "These rascals, they could not understand Me. All right, now let Me appear as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and I shall give not only Kṛṣṇa but kṛṣṇa-prema." This is mahā-vadānyāya. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore He is mahā-vadānya. He's not only giving Kṛṣṇa but kṛṣṇa-prema. That is wanted. Prema pumārtho mahān. Our, this human form of life is meant for achieving love of Godhead. That is perfection of life. That is perfection of life. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is mahā-vadānyavatāra because He is giving kṛṣṇa-prema. Therefore you'll see. Any person, after chanting Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, if he chants Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, immediately he becomes in ecstacy. Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Immediately. Even a third-class man, even a child, even a boy, even a dog will be immediately, in ecstatic... That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Lecture on SB 7.9.34 -- Mayapur, March 12, 1976:
Anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).
So for to know Kṛṣṇa, there are so many Vedic literatures. So we have to know through the mercy of the spiritual master. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Everything is there, just like Kṛṣṇa is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, but people could not understand Kṛṣṇa. Now we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as it is. People are understanding. They are becoming devotee. So we have to go through the right channel. Then we'll know Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you know Kṛṣṇa as He is, your life is successful. That is the aim and object of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—simply to help the people to know Kṛṣṇa. This is the only business, because as soon as you know Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful in which way, eh? The success is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). This is success. This body should be the last acceptance of material body. That is success. Otherwise, if you continue, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ... (BG 2.13). These foolish people, they do not know that dehāntara, there is change of body. Change of body is there already. You are experiencing, but they do not believe that after death there is body. Why not? If you have got experience in the life—"I have passed through so many changes of body, from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youth-hood, then middle age and old body"—then what is next? Why do you finish here? It is common logic. Why should you finish here? There must be body.
Lecture on SB 7.9.53 -- Vrndavana, April 8, 1976:
"The rear side of the chicken is very nice. It is giving one egg daily, and the front side it is eating, expensive, so cut it. Cut the mouth and simply take the egg." The rascal does not know that if he cuts the mouth, there will be no egg. Similarly, if you make cut short of Bhagavad-gītā according to your whims, you'll never understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. You have to follow. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Arjuna understood. Sarvam etam ṛtaṁ manye: "Whatever You have said, I understand. I have accepted it." So you accept it blindly even; then you are benefited. We may not understand.
Just like Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). Aham ādir hi devānām. Devānām means all the demigods, beginning with Brahmā. So Kṛṣṇa says, "I am prior to Brahmā," ādi. Ādi means at the beginning. So who will understand Him? Even one who believes in the śāstra, believes in the Brahmā's āyuḥ... Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). His one day, twelve hours, is forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand—means forty-three crores of years, our calculation. So Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). We cannot calculate the duration of life of Brahmā. And when Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādiḥ, "I am the father of Brahmā," so ordinary man, how he'll understand? He'll not understand. He cannot understand. Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1)
| Page Title: | Not understand (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 27 of Jun, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=96, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 96 |