Prayasa means

Expressions researched:
"Prayasa means"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Prayāsa means taking some risky work which will require too much endeavor. We should avoid that.

Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:

Similarly there are six things which should be avoided. What are those? Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ, laulyaṁ jana-saṅgaś ca ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati (NOI 2). Atyāhāra, too much eating or too much, I mean to say, keeping bank balance or money, or collecting more than the necessities. Atyāhāra. Generally, too much eating is prohibited. We have to eat simply just to keep the body and soul nicely to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca. Prayāsa means taking some risky work which will require too much endeavor. We should avoid that. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaḥ, prajalpa, nonsense talking which has no connection with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaḥ prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ. Following the rules, but actually I'm not very much careful in executing the work. So niyamāgraha. Niyamāgraha means not to accept the rules and regulation, and another meaning is simply to accept the rules and regulation without good effect. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ laulyam, greediness, and jana-saṅgaś ca, and associating with nondevotees. These things are against execution of devotional service, and the first thing, the patience, enthusiasm, and confidence, these six things are favorable. So we have to take notice of the don'ts and dos. Then it will be all right. Do this, don't do this. There are six kinds of "don't do this," and six kinds of "do this." So that will be nice.

Prayāsa means to labor very hard to achieve a thing.

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

Now, say, for human being. Say, human being, the eating things are grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and so many things which are given by God for human eating. So we should be satisfied with those things which are meant for humanity. We should not simply... For the pleasure of the tongue we should not eat anything. That is called atyāhāra. So atyāhāra and then prayāsa. Prayāsa means to labor very hard to achieve a thing. Life should be conducted in such a way that our necessities of life may come not with great effort, easily, easily. We should not encumber ourself, our life, living policy, in an encumbered way. Then our spiritual progress will be hampered. The modern society has practically encumbered the whole human activities, and therefore they have no time for spiritual culture. You see? But the conception of Vedic civilization was that people used to be satisfied on agricultural produce and for three months working during rainy season. So they get some agriculture produce and they used to eat the whole year.

Prayāsa means we have to acquire something, but if it requires a heavy work, heavy, I mean to say, endeavor, we should avoid it.

Lecture on BG 4.19-22 -- New York, August 8, 1966:

So atyāhāra. Atyāhāra means to acquire more than we need. Because we have to maintain this body and soul together, then we must earn something or acquire something to keep my health and body fit. That is all right. But we should not try unnecessarily for accumulating more. Suppose if I am satisfied by some grains and vegetables and fruits and milk, if my health is properly kept, why should I eat more than that simply for satisfying the palate, my tongue? Oh, no. We should not do that. Yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. So atyāhāra, atyāhāra, to accept more than what we need, that is against Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And prayāsa. Prayāsa means we have to acquire something, but if it requires a heavy work, heavy, I mean to say, endeavor, we should avoid it. We should avoid it.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Prayāsa means do something with extraordinary endeavor.

Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:

We are constructing our temple in Vṛndāvana. We require fifty lakhs. That is required. But I shall not collect more than fifty lakhs even one cent. This is atyāhāra. Similarly, if your body can consume foodstuff one kilo or half kilo, you can eat. But not even an ounce or even a, what is called, grain more than that. That is atyāhāra. You eat. It is not forbidden to eating. But you must eat as much as you can digest very nicely, not more than that. This is against bhakti principle. Eating too much or collecting too much. Atyāhāra. And prayāsa. Prayāsa means do something with extraordinary endeavor. So, of course, we have to do sometime, but it is the general principle. We shall accept... Suppose you are constructing a temple. If it is..., suppose two millions of dollars required, or, say, five millions of dollars. If we cannot do that, we shall not attempt. That is prayāsa, unnecessarily endeavor. Which is within your control, you should act. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaḥ.

Prayāsa means endeavor: "May be like this," "Perhaps like this." No. You give up this habit.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, eho bāhya, "It is not very important nowadays." Yes, eho bāhya, āge kahe āra, "If you know something more, better than this..." Then he... Karma-tyāga, sannyāsa, so many, step by step, he said, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu denied, "Yes, it is right, but it is not very important." Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu said..., uh, Rāmānanda Rāya said, quoting from the Vedas, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtāṁ (sthāne sthitāḥ) śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṇ-manobhir (ye) prāyaśo 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām. "If you want to know who is God, what is God, then give up your, this speculative endeavor." Jñāne prayāsam. Prayāsa means endeavor: "May be like this," "Perhaps like this." No. You give up this habit. Jñane prayāsam udapāsya, give up this bad habit. Then? How? Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva: "Just become humble and meek. Don't declare yourself a great philosopher or great learned scholar and..." No. That is not the process. "Now I am a learned scholar, I can discover God, I can manufacture God." No. Give up this bad habit. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya—be humble. If you know to know God, then be humble. In the Bible also it is said, "God is for the meek and the humble," not for the impudent.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Prayāsa means endeavoring too much for getting something.

Arrival Address -- New Zealand, April 27, 1976:

And just the opposite number is atyāhāra, eating too much or... Āhāra means eating and āhāra means collection-too much collection unnecessarily. Of course, for our preaching we require, but we shall collect as much as we require, not that keep money in the bank and spend for some other purposes. That kind of collection is dangerous. And too much eating is also dangerous. Atyāhāra. And prayāsa. Prayāsa means endeavoring too much for getting something. Our life should be very simple. We shall act so simply that we shall have to save time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we should not attempt anything which is very difficult to execute. So atyāhāra prayāsaś ca prajalpa, Unnecessary talking all nonsense, politics, rascaldom, speculation, this, that. No. Be grave. Don't talk nonsense, waste time. Atyāhāra prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ. Niyamāgraha means not to accept the regulative principle, niyama āgraha. Āgraha means not to accept, and niyamāgraha means simply I am packed up with the regulative principle but I do not see whether I am making progress. So at least one should stick to follow the regulative principle. That is good.