Older (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"older"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968:

Śrīmatī: Is that what age is then, as the spirit soul is leaving the body, do you become older?

Prabhupāda: No, spirit soul is not old. The body is changing, that is the process. That will be explained,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

Spirit soul is evergreen. The body is changing. That is to be understood. Body is changing. That everyone can understand. Just like in your childhood your body was different. Just like this child, a different body. And when that child will be young girl, that will be a different body. But the spirit soul is there in this body and that body. So this is the proof that spirit soul does not change, the body changed.

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

This soul... "Do not think that soul is born." No. As God is ever-existing, the soul is ever-existing. It is not... There is no question of birth. And when there is no question of birth, there is no question of death. Because we experience, anything, anybody, who has taken birth, he dies. Nobody will live here. So if the soul has no birth, there is no question of death. And as Kṛṣṇa, God, God is eternal, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ Purāṇa (Bs. 5.33). Purāṇa means old. Because Kṛṣṇa is the original person, therefore He must be Purāṇa, the oldest, older than Brahmā. Because Brahmā is given birth by Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has been addressed in the Bhagavad-gītā as prapitāmaha (BG 11.39). Brahmā is called pitāmaha, the grandfather, and prapitāmaha means "the father of the grandfather." So Kṛṣṇa has been addressed as prapitāmaha, "father of Brahmā." Therefore He's ādi-puruṣa.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Mombassa, September 13, 1971:

So if you study yourself, what I am, am I this body, I am this hand, I am this finger, I am this hair? Go on studying, one day it will, you will come to the point of understanding, but it will take many, many years. But if you take from the authority, just like Kṛṣṇa says that the living force within the body, that living force is changing from one type of body to another. Just in our life experience, everyone of us knows that I was a child, I was a boy. Just like I am an old man. I remember when I was playing on the lap of my eldest sister, I remember still, and my body at that time six months old. But I still remember my eldest sister, she was nine years older than me, and I was playing on her lap and she was knitting.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 19, 1972:

Here Kṛṣṇa says that dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehī, deha. Deha means this body, and dehī means the owner of the body. There is the owner of the body. Now, modern scientists, modern philosophers, hardly they do know that there is a proprietor, owner of this body. This body is not the person. The person is within. Asmin dehe. Within this body, there is the proprietor of the body, soul. Asmin dehe. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Now kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. The changes that are taking place, it is not of the owner of the body, but it is of the outward, external body. Just like if you live in a house. The house becoming older, it does not become, does not mean you are becoming older. The owner of the house does not become deteriorated. It is a crude example. Similarly, the changes, difference, the different types of body, the soul is migrating, transmigrating through different types of body.

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

Durāśā, this is a hope which is never to be fulfilled. Durāśayā. Āśā means hope. So the whole material world is going on, durāśayā. They are trying to make permanent settlement. But there is always disruption, fight... Just like they have now created the United Nations: "My dear all-nations, please do not fight. Let us make a permanent settlement, peace." But the result is the fighting is going on. It cannot be stopped. Here... This is not a sanātana place. This is impermanent, temporary, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This is the nature of this material world. Something is generated at a certain date and it stays for some time, it grows, it gives some by-products, then again dwindles, and then it vanishes. Just like this body. This body is given by the father and mother at a certain date. Then it stays, say, for some time. It grows. Then it gives some by-products. From this body, there will be so many children. Or from the trees, there will be so many fruits and seeds. Then dwindling. Then becomes older. And vanish. This is the nature.

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

Sumanda-matayaḥ and manda-bhāgyāḥ. Manda-bhāgyāḥ means unfortunate. People of this age, mostly they are not very fortunate. In any part of the world, they are not very fortunate. They do not get things, desirable things, very easily. Our desirable things are four things for living purposes: āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Eating, sleeping, and defense, and mating. These are our generally, so far our body is concerned. So these things are also not easily available. So mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). And at the same time, in spite of all these disqualifications, they are always disturbed in mind. Why disturbed? Now, they are... Roga-śokādibhiḥ, for some lamentation and for some disease. So this is the condition of the people of this age, and it is very difficult for them to follow the system of sacrifice which was being performed in the older days.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

Now, when Lord Kṛṣṇa was present on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, He was very old man. He was very old man, although you see His picture just like a young man of twenty years old. But you have seen. Some of you must have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa of battlefield. Arjuna is sitting on the chariot, and Kṛṣṇa is the chariot driver. Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa was of the same age, but Arjuna looks older; Kṛṣṇa looks younger. And Kṛṣṇa at that time had great-grandchildren. His grandchildren and His grandchildren's children were present at that time, and the whole family extended to about ten millions.

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

So these rājarṣis, they were great personalities. They were, although on the royal throne, they were not for luxury and tax collecting. No. They were just exactly like real father. Always thinking of the happiness of the prajās. It was actual democracy. There was committee of the brāhmaṇas who guided the king, and the king was, I mean to say, control over the citizens by the guidance of the brāhmaṇas. This was the system. So here it is said, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). This system for understanding Bhagavad-gītā was current. Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna. Now He says also, sa kālena iha mahatā yogaḥ... (break)...spoke the secret of this Bhagavad-gītā to his son Manu. Manu spoke the secret of the Bhagavad-gītā to his son Ikṣvāku. So now that system is now lost. Kālena mahatā. By the great power. Kāla means time. Time has got his influence, very great influence. Time's business is, whatever you make, time will try to kill you. That's all. You make a nice house, very nice house, but as soon as it becomes older it is being killed. You have very good body, nice body, but the influence of time is trying to kill you. That is the influence of time. So in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll also find that when Arjuna saw the universal form of Kṛṣṇa, he asked that "Who are You?" And Kṛṣṇa said in that universal form that "I am Kāla. I have come to kill." That's it. This was the answer.

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

Balabhadra: I thought Kṛṣṇa was sixteen only.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Balabhadra: But in the Bhagavad-gītā it said that He was twenty or twenty-five.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like you see the sun, you say, "Twelve o'clock," or "Sun is older." But sun is the same thing. It is your calculation. Sun at twelve o'clock, midday, is not older than it was in the morning, but it is our calculation that "Sun is now, say, six hours older from His appearance. That is our calculation. So Kṛṣṇa is always sixteen, but we calculate like that.

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

Similarly, we say that this world is false, or shadow. The shadow, without being the reality, how there can be possibility of shadow? If there is no reality of my hand, how the shadow of the hand can be there? So this world is temporary shadow. That is accepted. But there is the real world which has no destruction. This world is destructive. It will be dissolved. Just like our body is temporary, but it will be dissolved. Anything material that has got a birth, a stay for some time, a byproduct, a growth, a dwindling, and then vanish. That is the nature, anything. Just like this body. It was born from the mother's womb at a certain time, and it is staying for some time. It is staying for some time, and the body has got some byproducts, like children. We have got some children, the byproducts. Then it is dwindling. Just like I am getting older. Anyone, everyone, we are getting older. And at the last, it will vanish.

Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:

And they used to call every woman from the beginning of life, "Mother." This is training. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. From the very beginning of life, all women they are treated as mother. That is the system, Vedic system. Everyone will call a woman as "Mother." Never mind whether she is younger or older. It doesn't matter. Woman has to be addressed as "Mother." That is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's instruction. Who is learned scholar? Who has got three qualification, he is learned scholar. What is that? Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu: "To treat all woman as mother."

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

So this life is meant for purifying our existence. That means stop this cycle of birth and death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We should always keep in front. We may think, we may be puffed up, as very much advanced in material comfort, but,... You may do so, but, at the same time, you should keep in front, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. You should always think that what advancement we have made? Have we stopped dying? Have you stopped birth? There are so many contraceptive method, but the population is increasing, the birth is going on. Similarly we have discovered so many nice medicines, but people are dying. You can not stop this, birth, death. They are trying to remain as young men, as young women, but they are getting older.

Lecture on BG 7.14 -- Hamburg, September 8, 1969:

The ultimate problem is, of course, death. Nobody wants to die. Even one is very old man, older than me, and his body is not working, he's invalid, he cannot walk even, lying on the bed—still, he wants to live. If some suffering old man, who has so many diseases, invalid person, if you say, "My dear father, grandfather, you are so much suffering. Let me shoot you." "Oh, no, no, no. Don't shoot me." He doesn't want to die. So death is a problem. Nobody wants to die, but death comes and captures him, just like President Kennedy, within a second: (snaps his finger) "Leave this position." Forced. Submit. "Yes. What can I do?" No scientific advancement of knowledge. Of course, this is also another science, Kṛṣṇa science. But we understand scientific knowledge, this material scientists, material science. They are also trying. The Russians sometimes say that "Time will come when science will solve the problems of death. Nobody will die." Let them think like that, but it is not possible.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

Who is the oldest person? Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa is..., aham sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). Na me viduḥ sura-ganaḥ (Bg 10.2). These things are there. So He is the oldest person. Ādi-puruṣam. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham bhajāmi **. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇah sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ (Bs. 5.1). He is the ādi-puruṣam; therefore purāṇaḥ-puruṣam. Purāṇaḥ means old, the oldest. Who can be older than Kṛṣṇa?

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 23, 1976:

Guest (4) (man): Śrīla Prabhupāda, how can we understand why the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement seems to attract so many young boys and young girls in the Western world...

Prabhupāda: Tax? Tax?

Hari-śauri: Attracts.

Prabhupāda: Attracts, oh.

Guest (4): Attracts so many young people and not so much the middle-aged and older people in the Western world.

Prabhupāda: Not only Western world, everywhere. Therefore they are called "old fools." (laughter) Because they require time to forget what they have learned. Young men, they are receptive. Therefore, for education, younger age is recommended. There is a history in... One father and one daughter, they both appeared for B.A. examination. The father failed and the daughter passed. Younger generation, they can receive very nicely. Older generation, it is little difficult.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971:

In the Vedic civilization there are twenty big, big books, dharma-śāstra, for regulating life. Very difficult subject matter, dharma-śāstra. So Sūta Gosvāmī was offered the seat of vyāsāsana because he was aware of these things, itihāsa, history, Purāṇa, still older history, dharma-śāstra, the scriptures, everything. Therefore he's first of all addressing that "You have read... Not only you have read, but you have described." Description means... You read something. Unless you fully assimilate, understand, you cannot describe it.

Lecture on SB 1.2.1 -- New Vrindaban, September 1, 1972:

In the Vedic literature, therefore, description of God's body is given as sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Vigraha means form. Sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ. Isvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). He is not formless. He has got His form, but it is a different form. How we can understand? Because we have got experience of this material world. We cannot see anything subtle. Gross things we can see. Therefore we can understand by our thoughts what kind of form God has got. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sat means eternal, cit means knowledge, and ānanda means blissful. So if we compare with our body, then we can understand what is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sat means eternal. So if we compare with our body, this body is not eternal; it is destructible. It has got a history, it is produced at a certain period, it exists for a certain period, it grows, it gives some by-product, then it becomes older and older, and then vanquished, no more. That is our practical experience, we know. But God's body is eternal. Therefore He hasn't got a body like this. This body is not eternal. Everyone can understand. But His body is eternal.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14 -- Los Angeles, August 17, 1972:

Dhruva Mahārāja, at the age of five years old, he left his father's home, went to the forest, and with determination he saw God, Kṛṣṇa, within six months. But after coming back, when he was older, when he became king, oh, he was so powerful that there was some mischief done by the sons of Kuvera, he killed them like anything. You see? He killed them like anything, so that the Kuvera personally requested that "Mahārāja Dhruva, I know that they are criminals, you are doing your duty as king, but I request... Otherwise my whole dynasty will be finished." So immediately, Dhruva Mahārāja accepted a great man's request, Kuvera. And this Kuvera being so satisfied by the behavior of Dhruva Mahārāja that he was prepared to give him any benediction: "My dear king, you can ask me, from me, any benediction you like. You have kept my request." So what Dhruva Mahārāja asked him? He was Kuvera. Kuvera means the treasurer of the demigods. If he wanted that "The whole treasury of the universe should to given to me," he would have given him. But what he asked? He asked, "My dear sir, you are so kind, you are prepared to give me all benediction. Please give me this benediction so that I may be attached to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on SB 1.3.13 -- Los Angeles, September 18, 1972:

Śāstra says balavān indriya-grāmo vidvāṁsam api karṣati. "The senses are so strong that even one is very learned, he becomes agitated." He becomes agitated, even in the presence of mother, sister, and daughter. So senses are so strong. Balavān indriya-grāmaḥ. It is prohibited. What to speak of others. Therefore, the common moral teachings and the Vedic civilization is to accept any woman except his own wife as mother. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. Para-dāreṣu. Everyone is supposed to be married. Dāra means wife. Para-dāreṣu, other's wife. It doesn't matter if she is younger or older, but she should be treated as mother. Therefore it is the system in Vedic culture, as soon as one sees another woman, she (he) addresses her, "mother," Mātājī.

Lecture on SB 1.5.4 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1968:

So here Vyāsadeva says that sa vai bhavān veda samasta-guhyam. "My dear Nārada, my dear spiritual master, you can answer why I am unhappy because you know the presiding Deity of the whole creation, purāṇa-puruṣaḥ." Purāṇa means old, and puruṣa means the Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the oldest. He must be oldest because He is the father of everything. So nobody can be older than Kṛṣṇa. Here it is said purāṇa-puruṣaḥ. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is also described how is that purāṇa-puruṣaḥ the oldest man, Kṛṣṇa. So it is described there, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33).

Lecture on SB 1.7.24 -- Vrndavana, September 21, 1976:

Everyone is, even an animal, a small insect, everyone is interested in sense enjoyment. This morning I was reading in the Bhāgavatam, one Saubhari Muni, he was a great yogi, and within the water he was executing the yoga, mystic, and he saw that the two fishes are enjoying sex. So he became sexually inclined-old man, yogi. So he went to Māndhātā king, that "You give me one daughter, your daughter." So he was within the water, old man, and old man's bodily feature is not very good. The king knew that "This is a useless person, but he is a yogi. He has come to ask me for a daughter." So he said, "Yes, you are welcome. I have got my fifty daughters. So any one will like you. You can accept. I have no objection." So Saubhari Muni understood that "The king has tactfully avoided to give his daughter." So he was a yogi. So he made himself very beautiful young man. That yogi can do that. They can change. Because we are not this body, so body is old, it can be younger; younger body can be older. Nowadays in medical science, they are also doing. A man is woman, woman is man. So body can be changed. There is no difficulty if you know the process.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

This is the instruction, that we should try how to become again immortal. We are immortal by nature, but we have covered by another nature, external nature, bahiraṅga-śakti And because we have been entangled with this material body, we have to die. Otherwise there is no death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. The living entity does not take birth, neither it dies. Then why we are taking birth and dying? The..., this question does not arise to the fools and rascals of this materialist world. I was talking with one very big man in London, Lord Fenner-Brockway. He came to see me. So I asked him this question. He was old man. He was a, I think, older than me. He was eighty-four. So he said, "Yes, I'll die peacefully." You see? This question does not bother even any man. And I talked with that Professor Kotovsky in Moscow. He also said, "Swamiji, after death, everything is finished." You see? Big, big men in Europe, very exalted position, they do not know even that there is life after death.

Lecture on SB 1.16.36 -- Tokyo, January 30, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. So will it help me to think of Him twenty-four hours by going to the railway station or in the temple? This is common sense. Any sensible man can understand that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, here is Rādhārāṇī, worship is going on, the devotees are offering prasādam, always they are constantly engaged—that is man-manā bhaktaḥ." Or "I give up the association of the devotees and temple and go to hell, that will help me?" This is common sense thing. I manufacture my own way by the advice of some, another rascal. This will not be good. This, this is very good, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). "Always think of Me." Here is the chance. As soon as I see... As I advance in my spiritual life, I'll see, "Here is Kṛṣṇa." It is not the doll Kṛṣṇa. Doll Kṛṣṇa is for the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. But one who is advanced, he sees Kṛṣṇa. Just like you have read the story of, in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, two brāhmaṇas went to Vṛndāvana. So the devotee is seeing, "Here is Kṛṣṇa." When the older brāhmaṇa said that "I promise," the younger said, "Sir, you are talking before Kṛṣṇa. If you regret from this promise, it will be great offense." Because he was seeing Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Los Angeles, June 13, 1972:

Therefore they want to get the maximum comforts of life only in this present life, thinking conclusively that there is no life after death. This ignorance about the eternity of the living being and the change of covering in the material world has played havoc in the structure of the modern human society. Consequently there are many problems multiplied by various plans of modernized man. The plans for solving the problems of society have only aggravated the troubles. Even if it is possible to prolong life more than 100 years, advancement of human civilization does not necessarily follow. The Bhāgavatam says that certain trees live for hundreds and thousands of years. At Vṛndāvana there is a tamarind tree. The place is known as Imlitala, which is said to be existing since the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the Calcutta Botanical Garden there is a banyan tree said to be older than 500 years, and there are many such trees all over the world. Svāmī Śaṅkarācārya lived only 32 years, and Lord Caitanya lived 48 years.

Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Bombay, March 23, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:

In the Calcutta Botanical Garden there is a banyan tree said to be older than five hundred years, and there are many such trees all over the world. Svāmī Śaṅkarācārya lived only thirty-two years, and Lord Caitanya lived forty-eight years. Does it mean that the prolonged lives of the abovementioned trees are more important than Śaṅkara or Caitanya? Prolonged life without spiritual value is not very important. One may doubt that trees have life because they do not breathe. But modern scientists like Bose have already proved that there is life in plants, so breathing is no sign of actual life.

Lecture on SB 3.25.27 -- Bombay, November 27, 1974:

The bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-yoga. Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. This was composed by Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When he understood Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu he wrote this verse, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ (CC Madhya 6.254). Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is that Purāṇa-puruṣa, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the original. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravar.. (BG 10.8). Everything has come from Kṛṣṇa; therefore He's Purāṇa, the oldest. Oldest. Nobody can be older than Kṛṣṇa, but He's always young. That is Bhagavān. Advaitam acyutam anādi. Anādi. He has no ādi. He's ādi. Ādi means the original.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 3, 1967:

Now here Prahlāda Mahārāja, as soon as he saw some opportunity that the teacher is out of the class, he will call all the boys, "My dear friends, this bhāgavata-dharma, this understanding God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, should be learned from the very beginning of life." "Why? Let us play. Why bhāgavata-dharma now? All right, if there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, when we shall get older or when the time of death will be nearing, we can study at that time bhāgavata-dharma." But Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "No." Kaumāra. Why kaumāraṁ? Now, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. You are calculating that when you'll get old, at that time you shall try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But what is the guarantee that you are not already old enough? Who can say? The next moment I can die.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 12, 1968:

Anyone who is completely, I mean to say, unaware of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is to be taken as child. Doesn't matter one who has got age. It doesn't depend on the age. It depends on the knowledge. So not only young children, but anyone who is unaware of the science, he is also child. And anyone who knows this science, he is old. Vṛddhatvaṁ vāyasā vinā. There is a Sanskrit word that "One man has become old even without age." This is contradictory. How one can become old without age? Suppose a man, a boy, is sixteen years old, just like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He was teaching Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when he was only sixteen years old, but he was so learned that when he entered the assembly, all the great sages, including his father, stood up to receive him. So he was oldest. So he was older than his father even. Why? Because he was so learned. So our childishness or experience, old age, means according to the acquirement of knowledge. If one is advanced in knowledge, he is to be understood older. And if one is not advanced in knowledge, he is a child. That's all. So child does not mean that a five years old boy. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was only five years old, and just see how nicely he is teaching. So he is older than any other man. At least, he is older than his atheistic father.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9-17 -- San Francisco, March 31, 1969:

The materialistic attraction means, the first attraction is sex. This whole world, not only human society, in animal society also... There are 8,400,000's of different kinds of societies according to different kinds of species of life. "Birds of the same feather flock together." As it is said, that a species, a particular type of species of life... Not only that, we human beings, we have flocked together. Birds of the same feather. This is not very important thing. If you combine together as American or Indian or Chinese or many other names, oh, same thing in there in the lower animals also. Therefore this saying is very nice, that "Birds of the same feather flock together." So this propensity of combination of society, community, amongst the human being, is not very important improvement. So in this way, our attachment increases. So when we are old enough, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that ko gṛheṣu pumān saktam. The older we are, our attachment for home—home, society, society, friendship, love—increases.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9-17 -- San Francisco, March 31, 1969:

So therefore the whole stress is given, Prahlāda Mahārāja giving, that if we want to begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we have to begin immediately because the more we grow older, our attachment for material things becomes more and more strong, and at that time it is very difficult. Therefore according to Vedic civilization, as I was explaining the other day, at a certain point one has to, by, I mean to say, voluntarily, one has to give up the so-called society, friendship and love, and engage fully for cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 7.9.3 -- Mayapur, February 10, 1976:

The devotional service is nothing material. It is spiritual. So there is nothing impossible, impossible. That is real appreciation of spiritual life. If one thinks that "Prahlāda Mahārāja was only five years old. How he could offer such nice verses in glorifying the Lord?" that is possible. Bhakti does not depend on the age. Bhakti depends on sincerity of service. It is not that because one man is older than me, therefore he will be greater devotee. No. Ahaituky apratihatā. First of all, bhakti must be without any motive, without any motive of personal sense gratification. That is real bhakti. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). We have to make all our desires zero.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:

The whole struggle is now to mitigate our suffering condition. But the suffering condition is continuing. You... You may open nice hospital, but you cannot stop death. That is not possible. You may invent nice medicine, up-to-date, scientific medicine, but you cannot stop the disease. They do not see this. You can invent so many contraceptive methods—still you cannot stop, I mean to say, life. Janma, birth, birth control, there are so many medicines. But where is the stoppage of birth? The population is increasing. Neither you can stop death, neither you can stop birth, neither you can stop old age. There are so many rascal Gods—they are becoming old. Why they becoming old? God never becomes old. It is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). God is always just like young boy. Why these rascal Gods becoming older? So janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Jarā means old age, and vyādhi means disease. Birth, death. You cannot stop.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971:

Woman Guest: It seems that most of the devotees are young people, persons under thirty, under twenty-five. Why is this so? Why hasn't the movement spread? Is this a deliberate thing, or why do you feel it hasn't spread to parents or to older people?

Prabhupāda: Why the young people go to university?

Woman Guest: I'm sorry?

Prabhupāda: Why in the university you'll find all the students are young boys and girls? Why?

Woman Guest: That's the age of education.

Prabhupāda: That's the age of Kṛṣṇa consciousness (laughter). Old fools, they cannot change their opinion.

Arrival Talk -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

We have received one letter, telegram, from one gentleman. What is his name? Patel? Bhogilal Patel. He's very rich man. So I was sometimes a guest in his house. He is very friendly. He comes to see me in Bombay. Old man. He is older than me, one or two years. But he has sent me one telegram, "Swamijī, take this land, one hundred acres of land in Ahmedabad."

Initiation Lectures

Initiation of Bali-mardana Dasa -- Montreal, July 29, 1968:

So two boys who are now ready to be initiated, my request to all, especially to boys who are just going to be initiated, that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is authorized because, even taking it for granted that it has begun from Kṛṣṇa, then it is at least five thousand years old. Kṛṣṇa appeared on this planet five thousand years ago. So if you take history of any religious or any cultural program within this world, no religion, no cultural program is older than 2,000 years or 2,500 years. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, even according to history, it is five thousand years old, the older than any principles of religion or culture. And if you go above historical references, then it is coming down from millions and millions of years past, because it was first instructed, as we understand from the Bhagavad-gītā, that it was first instructed to Sūrya. Imaṁ vivasvate proktam: "I first of all spoke this science to Vivasvān, Sūrya." Sūrya means sun-god.

Lecture & Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968:

It is said that during Lord Rāmacandra's rule, a brāhmaṇa... (aside:) It's not working? ...he came to the king, "My dear king, my son has died. So please explain why, in the presence of father, a son shall die." Just see how much the king was responsible. An old father came to complain to the king, "What is the reason that in the presence of the father, a son dies? Please explain." So just see how much responsible government was there. The government is responsible if the son dies before the father. Naturally, the father is older than the son, so he must die first. So such responsible government was there. Now in the civilized world anyone can be killed by anyone, but nobody cares for it.

General Lectures

Lecture at a School -- Montreal, June 11, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Yes. No, let, if there is any question, we shall answer. That is not yet one hour.

Devotee: Some of the older boys want to stay after, and you can discuss with them then. They may have some questions.

Prabhupāda: So first of all you have to chant? All right. Please join with us and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Yes?

Prabhupāda: Yes. No, let, if there is any question, we shall answer. That is not yet one hour.

Devotee: Some of the older boys want to stay after, and you can discuss with them then. They may have some questions.

Prabhupāda: So first of all you have to chant? All right. Please join with us and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Yes?

Lecture to International Student Society -- Boston, December 28, 1969:

So we are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness. It is not a new movement, because as I told you that this is based on the principles of Bhagavad-gītā, and Bhagavad-gītā is not new. At least from historical point of view, it is five thousand years old. And beyond history, pre—history, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā in the Fourth Chapter, it is said, Kṛṣṇa said,

imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ

proktavān aham avyayam

vivasvān manave prāhur

manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt

(BG 4.1)

That means "I first of all spoke to the sun-god." Now if you take that duration, it will be some millions of years before it was spoken. These things are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. So apart from that statement, from historical point of view, since the days of Mahābhārata, yes, Battle of Kurukṣetra... Bhagavad-gītā was spoken in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. From historical point of view, it is five thousand years old. So this Bhagavad-gītā teaching is coming from, at least, from five thousand, since five thousand years. So it is older than any other scripture in the world.

Pandal Lecture at Cross Maidan -- Bombay, March 26, 1971:

That is sanātana-dhāma. There is—we get this information from the Bhagavad-gītā—the kingdom of God, where everything is permanent. Within this material world, everything is nonpermanent, temporary. Anything you take, it has got its creation, it stays for some time, it produces some by-products, then it grows, and then it dwindles, and then it vanishes. Anything you take. Just like our body. It is produced at a certain time by combination of the semina of father and mother, and then it grows, it stays for some time and it produces some by-products, then becomes older and older, and then vanishes. This is called ṣaḍ-vikāra, six kinds of changes of material world. So although it is temporary, we cannot say it is false. It is not false. That is the difference between Māyāvāda philosophy and Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, March 31, 1971:

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very much authorized. It is nothing like concocted mental speculation. It is authorized on the basis of Vedic knowledge, specifically, directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, five thousand years ago when there was no history of other religion. In the modern age, any religion you can take into consideration, they are not older than 2,600 years. But so far this Bhagavad-gītā is concerned, it was spoken in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra five thousand years ago.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, July 11, 1971 :

Kṛṣṇa consciousness means Bhagavad-gītā. Even from historical calculation, the Bhagavad-gītā was spoken at least five thousand years ago. So, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is, even from historical calculation, at least five thousand years old. So, modern history of the world cannot give any chronological data of historical event more than three thousand years, but this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is still older, from prehistoric days. It is not new. Eternal. As I am eternal, God is eternal, this consciousness is also eternal. But because we have forgotten due to the covering of the illusory energy, we have to revive it. That is our business.

Lecture -- Delhi, December 13, 1971:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What they will argue perhaps, materialists may argue that "We can see that Sarasvatī is changing from the time she was a little girl and now she is a little older, we have seen her both times, but at the time of death we have not seen the next body of anyone.

Prabhupāda: But why do you believe so much your rascal eyes? That is the answer. Do you think that your eyes are perfect? There are many types of seeing. Not that simply with glaring eyesight you can see. You can see what is Sarasvatī , you are seeing the body. What is Sarasvatī, do you know? So what you are seeing? You are seeing the body. So what is the power of your seeing? There is another body, sukavādī (?), subtle body. Can you see the mind? But everyone has got mind. Can you see intelligence? But everyone has got intelligence. So what is the power of your seeing? Why you are so much proud of your seeing, nonsense seeing?

Lecture -- Visakhapatnam, February 18, 1972:

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a new movement. It is the oldest. From historical point of view, at least five thousand years old. When Kṛṣṇa introduced this consciousness, that is, in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra which took place at least five thousand years ago. And if we believe śāstras, then it is not only four or five thousand years but it is older than forty millions of years.

City Hall Lecture -- Durban, October 7, 1975:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The question is, "Are you saying that simply by chanting the holy names, Hare Kṛṣṇa, that you can do without all of the other instructions which are in the older Vedas?"

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the special concession for the conditioned soul of this age, that if you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then your heart will be purified. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Then everything will be revealed. This is special concession. So you can see it. All these students coming, joining this movement all over the world, they are beginning, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and gradually they are becoming purified and taking this consciousness very seriously. You can see it.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Śyāmasundara: Whereas he says that "The truth develops as I experience it."

Prabhupāda: Yes. But that experience you have to take from a man who is experienced. Just like he wants to philosophize, he is trying to distribute his experience. But he does not like to take others' experience. That is the defect.

Śyāmasundara: He says that the universe continually grows in quantity by new experiences that graft themselves upon the older mass.

Prabhupāda: This older mass, that we (indistinct) should (indistinct). Therefore our policy is that we should gather experience from a person who is already experienced.

Philosophy Discussion on Martin Heidegger:

Prabhupāda: When you are diseased, when you are troubled, you go to the physician. Similarly, if you are actually eager to get out of the anxiety, then you have to go to somebody who knows that Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, "Simply by knowing Me," tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). "You should simply try to understand Me." Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. "Anyone who knows Me, how I appear, what I do, what is My function," that means anyone who knows Kṛṣṇa, "then after living in this body, he does not take birth again." And if there is no birth, there is no death, there is no disease, there is no trouble. As soon as there is birth there must be... Anyone who has taken birth, he must die. That is the law. Anywhere. Anything which is born must die, must get old, must be diseased. Anything, even you take material things—this machine—it has got a date of birth, and there will be a death when it will stop functioning. And it is getting older. That is the law. But here is Kṛṣṇa says that "You can stop death, simply by understanding Me." And if you stop birth, punar janma, then you stop other things.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: I don't think the older child dislikes the younger child. Sometimes.

Devotee: Yes. But he would say this sometimes occurs.

Śyāmasundara: You don't notice it very much in Indian families because they are so well-adjusted, but in Western families this quite often happens—the older child becomes jealous of the younger child's favors, but in order to gain the favor of the parents, he expresses overt love for the younger child, or...

Prabhupāda: I don't think children are so clever, that in order to win the love of parents they will treat like that.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Just like to become feverish, that is not my natural state. Under certain circumstances, I have become weak (indistinct) fever, but that is not my natural condition. If medicine is given, the fever is gone. Then I am (indistinct), and that is called mukti. Mukti, liberation, means to get out of this feverish condition. That's all. (indistinct) mukta, in Sanskrit it is called. Roga is not natural. It comes, disease comes. So whatever disease... Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), that all these four things are disease, externally. Otherwise the living entity has no birth, no death, no disease, no illness. Nitya sasta (Sanskrit). How they're getting older? These are externalities. People are so ignorant that they don't know how to drive away these external (indistinct) conditions. They think it is natural, "Let me suffer." That is their ignorance.

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Hayagrīva: But don't the... The young people are Communists, are very enthusiastic about Communism, but as a person grows older and sees death as inevitable, don't the, don't the older people worship...?

Prabhupāda: No, even the young men, in Russia I have seen, they are after also God. They are unhappy because they are not allowed to go out of Russia. They want to see the world, but they are not allowed. Their independence is suppressed. So they are not happy.