In one sense, the people at that time were so educated, advanced, that they could talk about the Absolute Truth and understand within half an hour, one hour. There was no need of books in those days. People were so sharp memoried. Once heard from the spiritual master they'll never forget. With the advancement of Kali, so many things will reduce. One of them is the memory will be reduced. People will be weaker. There will be no more mercy. The brain will not be so powerful or sharp. These things are described. So we cannot even imagine what kind of brain Arjuna possessed.
Reducing (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 2.6 -- London, August 6, 1973:
That is another question. In great necessity, when there is no other food except taking meat... That time is coming. In this age, Kali-yuga, gradually food grains will be reduced. It is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Twelfth Canto. No rice, no wheat, no milk, no sugar will be available. One has to eat meat.
Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:
It is prescribed in śāstra, and it is said, kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum. Kṛte means in the Satya-yuga or what is generally known as golden age. So in the Satya-yuga people used to realize self or used to elevate themselves to highest perfection of life by meditation. Meditation. You have heard the name of Vālmīki Muni. Vālmīki Muni, he meditated for sixty thousands of years. His whole body was covered by, what is called, worms. And... Because at that time people used to live for one hundred thousands of years. So gradually our life is being reduced. Yes. In the Satya-yuga, it is stated, that people used to live for one hundred thousands of years. And then, in the Tretā-yuga, they used to live for one thousands of years. No. In the Dvāpara-yuga for one thousand. And in the Tretā-yuga, ten thousand years. In the Dvāpara-yuga one thousand years. And now it has come down to one hundred years in this Kali-yuga. That also, one hundred years is not completed. Now we are dying within sixty or seventy and gradually it will be reduced to twenty to thirty years. That is also mentioned.
Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Bombay, March 21, 1974:
Kali-yuga means mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. Asmin yuge, kali-yuge, alpa āyuṣaḥ, they are living very short time. The duration of life (is) reducing. Anyone can know. His forefather, his grandfather, lived for, say, hundred years. His father lived for eighty years. And he's going to live for sixty years. In this way, the duration of life will be reduced up to twenty years. That is already foretold. If a man lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered very old man. That day is coming. Because how they will live? There is no eating, there is no sleeping. There is no fixture of this program. These are required. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Simply by dry lecture, how they will feel happy? There must be sufficient food grains so that people may live happily, the animal may live happily. Especially in India you will see.
Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:
So this bhāva stage has to be attained. It is not that artificially we come to the bhāva stage. No. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10). These are the qualifications. Kṛṣṇa is personally saying. Not all of a sudden we can understand Kṛṣṇa. Vīta-rāga. The first qualification is to be detached from... Our present qualification is we are too much attached to this material sense enjoyment. Material life means sense enjoyment. Therefore we have to reduce the sense enjoyment by tapasya. Tapasya. Sense enjoyment is not controlled all of a sudden. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa tyāgena śauca...śaucena yamena niyamena (SB 6.1.13). These are the statements. But if you take the devotional service, then everything become very easy to follow, tapasā. Brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13).
Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:
So tapasya means to reduce these. That is tapasya. Tapasya... This is the general demand of the body, and if you want to be free from this material bondage, then you have to undergo tapasya. Tapasya means these demands of the body voluntarily reducing and coming to the point of nil. That is liberation. That is tapasya. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10). But here, very nicely Kṛṣṇa de... It can be, tapasya can be executed very easily if one becomes man-mayā, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Man-mayā.
Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:
Especially Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has mentioned the word "hog," "pig." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām. Viṭ, viṭ means stool. Stool—bhujam, "one who eats stool." That means the pigs. So they are working very hard, day and night, to find out where is stool. "How to eat? How to eat? How to def... How to sleep?" This is their philosophy.
But actually, human life is not meant for that purpose. And to reduce some work, sometimes we think that "Let me go to the temple. If God or some demigod becomes very pleased upon me, then quickly I shall get the benefit." That is mentioned here. Kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhim. This is also mentioned in the Vedas, that "If you want success in this line, then worship this demigod. If you want beautiful wife, then worship Umā. If you want..." They're all listed. I don't remember just now, but these are recommended. These are recommended. Therefore, according to Vedic system, if you worship some demigod for some particular purpose, that is recommended.
Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:
In the Brahma-sūtra it is said... Brahma-saṁhitā. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma... Indra, indra-gopa, and the King Indra, both are named as indra. Yas tu indra-gopam atha mahā-indra sva-karma-phala-bhuk. Everyone is enjoying the resultant action of his karma. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam ātanoti (Bs. 5.54). Everyone is enjoying or suffering the resultant action of his karma. Sva-karma-phala-bhuk. But karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). But one who is in the devotional service, although he has to suffer the resultant action of his past karma, but that is reduced to the minimum.
Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:
That day I was reading from the Twelfth Chapter, er, Twelfth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—perhaps some of you who were present—that in this age the life will be reduced from twenty to thirty years. We have to wait for that time. So gradually, things will deteriorate. Therefore in the Kali-yuga, the yoga practice or the sacrifice or, I mean to say, very pompous worship of God, oh, that is not possible. People are, have got short life, they are always disturbed, they are disturbed with material disturbances, diseases, and they are unfortunate also. They are not very fortunate. So mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). Mandāḥ. They are very slow, and also unfortunate. This very word is used in the Bhāgavata. So therefore, in the Kali-yuga, if we want to get all this advantage of knowledge, then the only way is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That will help us.
Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:
Now, Kṛṣṇa says, kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ. Kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ, one who is able to reduce the reaction of all sinful life. We must know it that this material existence, either in any form, they are all reactions of our sinful life. That we must know. So in any condition, it does not matter that a highly advanced person, educated, learned, rich, or beautiful, or anyone—more or less, according to degree, they are all enjoying or suffering the reaction of their past karma. And, more or less, all the world, they are considered to be sinful. So kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ. Kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ means those who are trying to reduce the reaction of sinful activities. How? By practicing that sense control. Sense control. Practicing sense control. Just like a diseased person.
Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:
Practicing sense control. Just like a diseased person. By controlling... By controlling according to the prescription of the doctor, by controlling himself he becomes reduced in the sufferings of the disease. The fever diminishes from 105 degrees to 102, then 100, then 99, then 98—he is cured. Similarly, we have to reduce the temperature. We haven't got to increase the temperature. We are just like in the matter of increasing our temperature. We are thinking that by increasing the temperature we shall be happy. We do not know that by increasing temperature we shall never be happy.
Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966:
So jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā. One should have not only theoretical knowledge, but practical knowledge. Practical knowledge. Simply understanding that "I am not this body, I am not body," then I am doing all nonsense of this body. I am discussing... There are so many societies. They are very seriously discussing Vedānta philosophy and smoking, with wine glass, and very enjoying life. You see. So that sort of jñāna, that sort of knowledge, is not necessary. You see? So jñāna-vijñāna. One should have knowledge perfectly, and it must be demonstrated. Demonstrated in practical field. Yes. But that means one who has actually felt himself that "I am not this body," then naturally his bodily necessities will be reduced to the minimum. Will be reduced to the minimum. That is practical. If I am going to increase the demands of my body and I am simply theoretically thinking that "I am not this body," oh, that is not required. Jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā.
Lecture on BG 6.13-15 -- Los Angeles, February 16, 1969:
Generally this yoga practice goes on in the name of improving health. Somebody goes to reduce fat. You see? Reduce fat. Because you are rich nation, you eat more and become fatty and again pay yoga practice fees and reduce your fat. That is going on. I have seen some advertisement the other day, "Reduce your fat." Why you increase your fat? The nonsense they will not understand. That if I have to reduce it, why I increase it? Why not be satisfied with simple foodstuff? If you eat grains and vegetables and light foodstuffs, you'll never get fatty. You see? You'll never get fatty. Reduce eating as much as possible. Don't eat at night. Practice yoga like this. If you become voracious eater, you'll be—there are two kinds of diseases.
Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:
You are not prohibited. But don't take too much. "Oh, it is very palatable, let me take one dozen of rasagullā." No, don't take that. (laughs) Then that is not good. That is greediness. You should simply take so much as will keep your body fit, that's all. You should sleep so much as will keep your body fit, that's all. Nothing more. Yuktāhāra vihārasya yogo bhavati siddha. This is called yukta. We should eat simply for keeping healthy condition. We shall sleep simply for keeping healthy condition. But if you can reduce, that's nice. But not at the risk of becoming sick.
Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:
Because in the beginning, because we are accustomed to eat voraciously, so don't try to eat less artificially. You eat. But try to minimize. Therefore there are prescription of fasting. At least two compulsory fastings in a month. And there are other fasting days. The more you can reduce your sleep and eating, you keep good health, especially for spiritual purposes. But not artificially. Not artificially. But when you advance, naturally you'll not feel, just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. There are examples. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was very rich man's son. And he left home.
Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:
So to encourage Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, one day Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to his room. "Raghunātha? I heard that you are eating very nice foodstuff and you are not inviting Me?" So he was not replying. So He was finding out where he has kept that rice and He took and immediately began to eat. "Sir, You do not eat, this is not for You." "Oh! It is Jagannātha's prasāda! How do you say it is not fit?" Just to encourage him. He may not think, that, "I am eating this rejected," you see? In this way Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī reduced his foodstuff, ultimately, every alternate day only one piece of what is called, butter, so much. And he was offering even bowing down hundreds times and chanting so many times.
Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:
You eat whatever you require. But don't eat more. Similarly don't sleep more. If you can keep your health perfect, but try to reduce it. Suppose you are sleeping ten hours. But if I keep myself fit by sleeping five hours, why should I sleep ten hours? So this is the process. Don't do anything artificially. So far the body is concerned, we have got four demands. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending. The defect is that modern civilization that they are thinking that this eating process, sleeping process if we can increase, that is very nice. If we can sleep the whole day and night on Saturday and Sunday, oh it is great profit, enjoyment. That is the civilization. They think it is an opportunity to enjoy life by sleeping thirty hours a day. You see? No. Don't do that. Reduce it. Try to reduce it but not artificially.
Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:
Yes, you simply, there is no question of attending a so-called yoga class and pay five rupees or five dollars fee to keep yourself reduced fat and so on, keeping your health fit. You simply practice. This practice: Eat what you need, sleep what you need. Your health will be excellent. There is no need of any extraneous help. Simply by practicing this you'll have everything all right.
Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969:
Now, before coming to the point of self-realization, one must take it granted—that is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, that he is not this body. That the living entity is not this material body but that he is different from it and his happiness is in eternal life. This life is not eternal. The perfection of yoga system means to get eternal life, blissful life and full of knowledge. That is perfection. So we have to execute any yoga system with that aim. Not that I attend some yoga class to reduce fat or to keep my body very fit for sense gratification. This is not the end of yoga system. But people are taught like that. "Oh, if you practice this yoga system." That you can do if you undergo any exercise process your body will be kept fit. There are so many system of bodily exercise, the system, this weight-lifting system, there are many sporting system, they also keep body very fit. They can digest foodstuff very nicely, they reduce fat. For this purpose there is no need of practicing yoga. The real purpose is here; that to realize that I am not this body. I want eternal happiness, I want complete knowledge, I want eternal life also. That is the ultimate end of yoga system.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971 University of Florida:
So we have to think, five thousand years ago a personality like Arjuna, he expressed his inability to practice this aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, and what to speak of us? Therefore the conclusion is that in this age when people are very short-living... At least, in India the average duration of life is thirty-five years. In your country it may be more than that, but actually, as your grandfather lived for one hundred years, you cannot live. The things are changing. Especially the duration of life will be reduced. There are prediction in the śāstras. In this age the duration of life, people's sentiment for becoming merciful, brain substance, in so many ways they are being reduced. They are not so powerful. So the duration of age is very small. We are always disturbed, and practically we have no knowledge about spiritual science. For example, that in this university... Not only in this university—there are hundreds and thousands of universities all over the world—there is no department of knowledge where the science of the soul is taught.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:
That gave me impetus to write Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. And this present edition, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, is now published by Macmillan Company, the biggest publisher in the world. And we are doing very nice. We published this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in 1968, in small edition. It was selling like anything. The trades manager of Macmillan Company reported that our books are selling more and more; others are reducing. Then recently, in this 1972, we have published this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, complete edition. And Macmillan Company published fifty thousand copies in others, but it was finished in three months and they are arranging for second edition.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:
Reduce sex. Because material life means sex. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). In the material world, not only in the human society but also in the birds, beast, animal, insect—everywhere the sex impulse is very strong. And if you indulge in sex life, then you'll be complicated more and more in this material body. This is the law of nature. Therefore whole Vedic civilization is meant for curtailing sex life. First of all brahmacārī, no sex life. First of all training is brahmacārī, how to train him to remain without sex. That is brahmacārī. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Tapasya means to remain brahmacārī. This is tapasya. It is very difficult. Therefore it is called tapasya, because the whole world is attracted by sex life, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam, whole world, not only in this planet, every planet, even in the demigods' planet.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:
So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means not bodily consciousness. The material world means bodily consciousness: how to keep the body in comfortable. But that is not possible. Body means misery. You cannot keep it comfortable. That is māyā. It will never be comfortable, but they are all trying to make it comfortable. This is called māyā. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ. So long you'll have a material body you'll have to suffer. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not on the bodily platform. It is on the spiritual platform. To come to the spiritual platform, it is necessary that you reduce or make nil sex life.
Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968:
Here it is said that manuṣyas teṣāṁ śāstra 'dhikara yajñānāṁ sahasra-madhye. Now, what I am, what is God, what is this material world, how it is working, these things are business of an educated man. A foolish man cannot take. Therefore śāstra adhikāra. Śāstra means one has got some knowledge in the śāstras, in the books of knowledge. As soon as we find out one who has got books of knowledge, knowledge in books, or śāstra, the quantity will be at once reduced. In this quarter if you find out how many noneducated people are there, oh, you'll find many. And as soon as you want to find out how many M.A.'s are there, at once the number will be reduced. Similarly, there are many men, but if you want to search out some man who is trying to make perfection of his life, at once the number will be reduced. And out of them Just like so many transcendentalists, swamis, yogis there are. If you count amongst them who wants to understand God, who has got the knowledge of God, at once the number will be reduced.
Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:
There are nine different process of associating with God. The first, preliminary association is śravaṇam. Just like you are hearing. You are kindly hearing the speeches of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That means you are associating with Kṛṣṇa, or God. Always remember when we speak of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa means God. So because we are hearing, we are associating with God. And as we are associating with God, then your material contamination is being reduced. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). As you go on hearing, then the contamination which you have acquired in this material world, that is being reduced. So by the association of God in this way, by consciousness, that "Here is God, here is Kṛṣṇa. In sound there is Kṛṣṇa, in the taste of the water there is Kṛṣṇa, in the illumination there is Kṛṣṇa," so how you can avoid Kṛṣṇa? Every step you can remember Kṛṣṇa. And if you can remember in that way, then your association is permanent, twenty-four hours, your association with Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:
Actually this Bhagavad-gītā is described by Vyāsadeva. So Vyāsadeva recorded it, writing. Otherwise it was being received through hearing. Before this Kali-yuga Vyāsadeva, he kept all Vedic literature in writing. Before that, there was no book. The knowledge was received through the ear, aural reception, śruti. Therefore it is called śruti. Śruti means the knowledge which is received by hearing. And the memory was very sharp. In those days, five thousand years ago, any man... Not any man, but the intelligent class of men... They were called brāhmaṇas. They used to receive knowledge from guru by hearing. They could memorize everything, once heard. In the Kali-yuga the memory is being reduced. The duration of life is being reduced. Peoples' mercifulness is being reduced. This is the symptom of Kali-yuga. Bodily strength—reduced. Therefore Vyāsadeva preferred it that the Vedic knowledge should be kept recorded in writing. So he first of all then wrote all this Vedic knowledge into writing, and the writings...
Lecture on BG 13.23 -- Bombay, October 22, 1973:
So in this Kali-yuga people are degrading, and the supply also will be reduced. There will be no supply of milk, there will be no supply of sugar. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There will be no supply of rice, no supply of wheat. Now you can get black market, white market, but time is coming when there will be no supply, completely. You will be forced to eat this beef. Now it is opening, beef shop, big, big beef shop. This time has already come, gradually, and it will be increasing.
Lecture on BG 16.13-15 -- Hawaii, February 8, 1975:
But that is not possible. Desire must be there. Because I am living there, living being, I must have desires. That is the symptom. A stone has no desire, but a living being, however small, insignificant ant, it has got desire. The insignificant ant gets information that in the other corner of the room, which is one hundred miles for the ant... Because the world is relative, relative world, so this length of the room, from this corner to the other corner, for an ant it is hundred miles, yes, because the world is relative according to the size, atomic size, the distance. Now we have got speedy aeroplane. The distance has reduced. Distance from Honolulu to India, if you go by land it will be ten thousand miles, but... It is ten thousand miles, but the speedy aeroplane has reduced.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971:
Therefore Kṛṣṇa's another name is Ananta. Ananta means "who has no end." Ananta. Anta means end. Everything of us, there is end. But Kṛṣṇa has no end. Similarly, His incarnation has no end. So in spite of so many incarnations, He is full. If we take, try to understand Kṛṣṇa materially that... Just like if you take from some stock one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, like that, then the stock will be finished at a certain point. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Pūrṇam. The Veda says Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇam, complete. What kind of pūrṇam? We understand also complete. But if you want to take something from the complete, gradually it will reduce, and ultimately it becomes zero. So Kṛṣṇa is not like that. The Vedas say that pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation).
Lecture on SB 1.1.3 -- London, August 20, 1971:
So this material civilization is like fever. We should not increase it. Neither we should decrease it to such an extent that we shall die. Just like fever. Fever, 105, 107 degrees, 106 degree, five degree, reduce it. Reduce, reduce, reduce. But it must stay at hundred, not hundred, 98 degrees. If you reduce 98 degree, 97, that is also not good. Similarly, our program is not to increase to the death point, neither to decrease it to the death point. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya. We don't say, "Don't eat." Eat, but don't eat more or don't eat less. That is our program. We don't say don't eat. We don't prohibit anything. We don't say, "No sex life." Yes. We don't say no. Yes, sex life, married sex life, regulated sex life.
Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 27, 1973:
So samam āsata, they were performing the sacrifice for one thousand years. How they were able to do? Because in those days, in the Tretā-yuga... Tretā-yuga... In the Satya-yuga they used to live for one hundred thousands of years; in Tretā-yuga, ten thousands of years; and in the Dvāpara-yuga, one thousands of years. And now in this Kali-yuga, one hundred years. That also not complete. Nobody can complete one hundred years, and it is reducing. Maybe our forefathers or grandfathers might have lived for hundred years, but we are not living so much. And gradually, our children, our grandchildren, they will gradually reduce that span of life so much so that at the end of Kali-yuga, if a man would live for twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a grand old man. Yes. We are reducing. But formerly, they were living so many years. Alpāyuṣaḥ. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ. Prāyeṇa. Almost everyone is short span of life. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. Kalau. In this age, kalau. It is not for a particular nation or party or religion. Everyone is subjected to the laws of nature.
Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971:
Yes, this is very important. Therefore we are insisting everyone to rise early in the morning. Even though sometimes we rise early in the morning, we compensate in other time. (laughter) This should be practiced, you see. Reducing eating, sleeping, mating, that is spiritual advancement. This is the test. The more you reduce... The idea is to bring it to nil. Just like Gosvāmīs, they did it. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **, they conquered over sleeping and eating and mating. Conquered over.
Lecture on SB 1.1.9 -- Auckland, February 20, 1973:
This is the condition. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ. The first qualification is short span of life, short span of life. As I repeatedly say, now in our India the average age, span of life, is thirty years. The vitality is so reduced. In this country also the vitality is being reduced, strength is being reduced. The more the Kali-yuga will advance the vitality will be reduced, the strength of the.... Therefore the span of life will be reduced. So much so that at the end, almost end, people will live not more than thirty years.
Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Melbourne, April 3, 1972, Lecture at Christian Monastery:
Guest (2): Your Grace, the question I would like to ask you is: is there any philosophy, doctrine, creed, or, for that matter, ritual that can bring God down to the point of a human thought, reduce God to a human process of thought?
Prabhupāda: No, God cannot be forced to come down. Then He is not God. You see? If God but comes here, comes down by His own pleasure. You cannot force Him. We get this information from Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:
There are different stages of bhakti. The first-class bhakti is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ, without any material desires, ahaituki. Apratihatā and cannot be checked by any material condition. Bhakti, or devotional service is not such a thing which can be checked. "Sir, I was feeling very sick, therefore I could not chant." No, that is not bhakti. We are subjected to all these tribulations utterly, but bhakti... Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was going to die, or he's change his body, he's going to Vaikuṇṭha. Caitanya... He was chanting daily 300,000s. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised him, "Now you are sick-willed, you can reduce your chanting."
Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:
So actually we are creating anarthas. Anarthas means unwanted things. So just like practical example: anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6). If one is engaged in bhakti-yoga practice, devotional service, immediately the anarthas will be diminished. Just like our students. Since they have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... They were all Americans, Europeans. They knew how to increase anarthas, unwanted things. It is confirmed. Immediately they have given up the cinema bill, the club bill, the intoxication bill, the gambling bill, and so many bills. And medical bill also. We don't pay very much medical bill. That's a fact. So actually Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that if one takes to it, immediately he reduces so many rascal anarthas which is not required. Does a man die without smoking? It is anartha, un..., unnecessary. They are habituated by bad association. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate. By bad association, they learn how to smoke, how to gamble, how to eat... Just like, in India, so-called gentlemen, they go to hotel to taste meat, cow's flesh, how it is tasting. I know, personally, some friends.
Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:
So these are anarthas. So Sūta Gosvāmī said that if you want to reduce your anarthas, which are not wanted... Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. If you engage yourself in devotional service of the Lord, then immediately, directly, the anarthas will be diminished. Which is not required, unnecessary.
Lecture on SB 1.2.28-29 -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:
The fatty woman goes to the yoga class for reduce fat. That is yoga system. You see. Somebody is going to practice yoga system for making right the liver action.
Lecture on SB 1.2.28-29 -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:
He's yogi. That is yogi. Not for health's sake, or curing the liver disease or reducing fat, yoga system. This is not yoga system. But people are so much absorbed in the bodily concept of life, everything they want with this, in connection with this body. That's all. Instead of vāsudeva-parā yogāḥ, they, there is śarīra-parā yogāḥ. Śarīra-parā yogāḥ. Farce. These are all farce.
Lecture on SB 1.2.32 -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1972:
Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Karmāṇi nirdahati... It is said in the śāstra, the karma is reduced for the devotees. That much facility's there. Karma is reduced means in other place, if you commit some sinful activities, then you have to accept a body, and then evolution will take place gradually. Then you again come to human form of body. Then again, if you are intelligent enough, you can utilize. But in Vṛndāvana the karmāṇi nirdahati... Suppose for your sinful, criminal acts you become hogs and dog; next life you are elevated. That is karmāṇi nirdahati. The karma, the cycle of fruitive activities is reduced. But you have to accept. You have to accept. But nirdahati. But why should we waste our time accepting another body of dogs and hog? That we should be very much careful. Although it is nirdahati, it is reduced, why should we accept even that reduced punishment?
Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972:
Everything is written there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You consult Twelfth Canto. Beginning from Second Chapter you'll see, all these things are mentioned. People will decrease their span of life, their intelligence, memory, their propensity for mercifulness, and duration of life, so many things. That will be reduced. And you are seeing, they are being reduced. And people are becoming vagabonds. That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Lecture on SB 1.3.14 -- Los Angeles, September 19, 1972:
Because it requires extra police, extra management, extra everything. But if the people become honest, God conscious, so many expenditure will be reduced. And money will be saved for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness or for Kṛṣṇa's service. Then the whole world will become exactly as it was in the Pṛthu Mahārāja's day.
Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:
That doesn't matter. If you know something, if you write after some years, what is the difference? That is not very important thing. It was written for the persons... Formerly there was no written literatures. Simply by hearing from the spiritual master, their memory was so sharp that they would grasp. But in this age, the memory is not such sharp. Therefore written records are... So these written records were made by Vyāsadeva. All Vedic literatures. Formerly, before Vyāsadeva, there was no written literatures. Simply... This is called śruti. Śruti means simply by hearing. The student should learn simply by hearing. Their memory was so sharp. But at the present age so many things are reducing gradually. The memory is reducing, the duration of life is reducing, the strength is reducing, and the mercy is reducing. So many things are reducing. We are thinking that we are making progress, but actually we are reducing. This is called māyā. We are making progress on the wrong side. That means reducing. Everyone, you know that people are not so much merciful at the present moment. If a man is attacked by some rogue, nobody is going to help him. If a man's apartment is, there is a burglar, thief, nobody is going to help him. Or if a man is very poor, nobody is going to help him. It is dwindling. It is decreasing. Similarly, duration of life. Your grandfather, your forefathers, they were living up to hundred years or more than that. And nowadays hardly they are living sixty or seventy years. Similarly, memory. The memory is also reducing. Knowledge is also reducing. This is the symptom of this age. Things will be reduced. Therefore Lord Caitanya is the most magnanimous.
Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969:
They are not materialists. They are trying to understand the Absolute Truth. They cannot accommodate the Absolute Truth, the Supreme, can be a person. That is their less intelligence. But they are engaged in searching out. Similarly, yogis... Real yogis, not these fat-reducing yogis. I mean to say... (laughter) Real yogis. They are concerned with understanding the Supersoul, Paramātmā. And devotees, they are engaged in serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lecture on SB 1.5.25 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:
Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the only way. There is no other method. There are methods, but you cannot perform it. You are so condemned. "You" means we also, everyone. We are so condemned and the age is so condemned that it is very, very difficult. It is not possible. And another process is this, as Nārada Muni says, ucchiṣṭa-lepān anumodito dvijaiḥ. To serve the devotees, a pure devotee. If you serve some way or other, you contaminate his quality. Tad-dharma. Sakṛt bhuñje. One side is apāsta-kilbiṣaḥ. Kilbiṣaḥ means the sinful reaction of life. To reduce the reaction of sinful life. Because unless we are sinful, we cannot remain within this... A prisoner means a criminal. As soon as you find a person in the prisonhouse you should understand that he's a criminal. That criminality may be of different degrees, that is another thing, but he's a criminal.
Lecture on SB 1.5.35 -- Vrndavana, August 16, 1974:
Similarly, sleeping also. Sleep, you require some rest, but don't sleep twenty-six hours. Not like that. Utmost six hours to eight hours, sufficient for any healthy man. Even the doctor says, if anyone sleeps more than eight hours, he is diseased. He must be weak. Healthy man sleeps at a stretch six hours. That is sufficient. That's all. And those who are tapasvīs, they should reduce sleeping also. Just like the Gosvāmīs did. Only one and a half hour or utmost two hours. That also sometimes not. Actually, we should reduce this. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. This is gosvāmī. Gosvāmīs does not mean go-dāsa. Go means senses and dāsa means servant. If we keep the title gosvāmī and become servant of the senses, it is cheating. You must be gosvāmī, means you must be master of the senses. Self-control. So what the Gosvāmīs did? Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau. Very humble and... Nidrā means sleeping, āhāra means eating, and vihāra means sense enjoyment, vijitau, they conquered over.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:
Immediately it will be dark. But sunlight is full light. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-puruṣam. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they think that when Kṛṣṇa comes, He reduces His energy; therefore He also becomes covered by māyā. This is called Māyāvāda. Māyāvāda means the māyā has covered everything; so māyā has covered Kṛṣṇa also. This is Māyāvāda philosophy. "Because māyā has covered me, you and everyone, therefore māyā has covered Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.7.25 -- Vrndavana, September 22, 1976:
The same sinful, killing animals continually. So there is war, reaction. So what is that war? To lessen the burden. To lessen the burden. It becomes very heavy, unbearable by the earth. And to reduce the weight there is natural... And when there is still more power required, then Kṛṣṇa comes: "Arrange for a war in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra and bring all the rascals and finish within eighteen days." Within eighteen days sixty-four crores men died. This is... But why? It is Kṛṣṇa's arrangement.
Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:
So here Kuntī says, alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). Sarva-bhūtānām, "All living entities..." alakṣyam, "You are invisible, invisible, although," antar bahir avasthitam, "You are within and without." God is within yourself. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, is situated in everyone's heart. The yoga system means to see, find out that God, Paramātmā, or meditate upon Him. Now the yoga system has come down as bodily exercise to keep the health very good, to reduce fat, this is yoga system. This is not yoga system. This is a bodily exercise. Real yoga is that God is within me, but He is invisible, alakṣyam. Antar bahiḥ, although He is within and without, still I cannot see.
Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Los Angeles, April 25, 1972:
Science means that you advance in knowledge so that your miserable condition of life can be reduced, minimized. That is science. Otherwise, what is this science? They are simply promising; "In future." "But what you are delivering just now, sir?" "Now just now you suffer as you are suffering, go on suffering. In future we shall find out some chemicals." No. Actually ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. Ātyantika, ultimate. Ātyantika means ultimate. Duḥkha means sufferings. That should be the aim of human life. So they do not know what is ātyantika-duḥkha. Duḥkha means suffering. So ātyantika-duḥkha is pointed out in the Bhagavad-gītā. "Here is the ātyantika-duḥkha, sir." What is this? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Birth, death, old age and disease.
Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Los Angeles, April 26, 1973:
So mother earth was overloaded and she approached Brahmā on account of overloading of these demons. She was feeling too much uncomfortable. And Brahmā is the chief living being within this universe. So when there is need, others approaches Brahmā, and Brahmā approaches Viṣṇu to reduce the overburden. Then He takes His incarnation, and that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, abhyutthānam adharmasya (BG 4.7). Abhyutthānam adharmasya. "When the principles of religiosity becomes increased, at that time, I appear," Kṛṣṇa says.
Lecture on SB 1.14.43 -- New York, April 7, 1973 :
That is communism. So when we went to communist country, Moscow, I think everyone was in want, and they could not get even foodstuff to their own choice. Whatever government rules and all these thing will supply, they will have to accept. And actually there was no good foodstuff, for us. We were staying in that National Hotel, and Śyāmasundara had to spend at least two hours for getting things. That also not very nice thing. Rice could not be obtained. One Madrasi gentleman, he supplied us some rice, nice; otherwise only milk and butter is available, and meat, that's all. No fruit, no vegetables, no nice rice, and these things are not available. This is Kali-yuga. Things will be..., supply will be reduced. Actually the supply is made by Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.15.25-26 -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1973:
Just like here, when Kṛṣṇa saw that the Yadu dynasty is becoming... On the strength of Kṛṣṇa, they have become so powerful that they (are) unnecessarily fighting, so Kṛṣṇa wanted that His family, may be..., it may not be degraded farther, so He wanted to kill them. And who can kill them? No outsider can kill them, they are Kṛṣṇa's descendants, that is not possible. Therefore yadūn yadubhir anyonyaṁ bhū-bhārān sañjahāra ha, they fighting amongst themselves, they reduced the burden of the world.
Lecture on SB 1.15.25-26 -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1973:
So it is... Kṛṣṇa is exhibiting how things are going on. As soon as there will be burdensome, there will be some war, pestilence, famine—and finished. And finished. You don't require to reduce population by contraceptive method. By nature's way, the wholesale it will be reduced, bhū-bhārān sañjahāra. By nature's way. Why should you commit sinful activities? You don't beget children unnecessarily and don't kill them. That is religion.
Lecture on SB 1.15.35 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1973:
Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the same but He has got different manifestations. That different manifestation He takes. Why? Bhū-bhāraḥ kṣapitaḥ. Bhū-bhāraḥ. He comes in different forms just to liquidate the burden of the earth, bhū-bhāraḥ. Bhū-bhāraḥ kṣapitaḥ, just to reduce the burden of this earth.
Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:
You think, "It is now complete. I am fully satisfied." But he hasn't got the complete idea. The bank balance may be one million dollar today, but if I spend it, it will be gradually reduced, and one day it will be zero. So that is not complete. Complete means you go on spending as much as you like; still, it remains complete. That is complete.
Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:
So in Satya-yuga, the religious principles are followed strictly, cent percent. That is called Satya-yuga. And Tretā-yuga, twenty-five percent reduced. That means seventy-five percent religious principles and twenty-five percent irreligious. And the Dvāpara-yuga, fifty-fifty: fifty percent religious and fifty percent irreligious. And the Kali-yuga, seventy-five percent irreligious and twenty-five percent religious, gradually reducing to nil—no more religion.
Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:
So Karandhara said that there also the temperature has reduced. It has come to 50 or something like that, 40. The temperature is high there.
Lecture on SB 1.15.46 -- Los Angeles, December 24, 1973:
Yesterday we were discussing about this Kali-yuga. The most fallen age. People are most degraded. So there is, by calculation, that seventy-five percent irreligion and twenty-five percent religion in comparison to other ages. But this twenty-five percent religious life also will reduce. Before explaining this verse, I shall give you reference to some of the symptoms of this age. This is also explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter. (aside:) Where is that? Give me that book. We have not yet published, so I am reading reference. Anyonyato rājabhiś ca kṣayaṁ yāsyanti pīḍitāḥ.
Lecture on SB 1.15.46 -- Los Angeles, December 24, 1973:
So about the Kali-yuga, discussing, the Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing the chief symptoms of this age. The first symptom he says, tataś ca anu-dinam. With the process of this age, Kali-yuga, dharma, religious principles; satyam, truthfulness; śaucam, cleanliness; kṣamā, forgiveness; dayā, mercifulness; āyuḥ, duration of life; balam, bodily strength; smṛtiḥ, memory... Just count how many. Dharmaḥ, satyam, śaucam, kṣamā, dayā, āyuḥ, balam, smṛti-eight. These things will gradually reduce to nil, almost nil. Now as I told you, the Kali-yuga... In other yugas... Just like Satya-yuga, the duration of Satya-yuga was eighteen hundred thousands of years. And the human being was living in that age for one hundred thousands of years. One hundred thousands of years. The next age, the duration of that age, twelve hundred thousands of years, and the people used to live for one thousand years, not over ten thousand years. Ten times reduced. The next age, Dvāpara-yuga, again ten times reduced. Still, they used to live for one thousand years, and the duration of the age was eight hundred thousands of years. Now, the next age, this Kali-yuga, the limit is one hundred years. We can live utmost up to one hundred years. We are not living one hundred years, but still, the limit is one hundred years. So just see. Now, from one hundred years... Now in India the average age is about thirty-five years. In your country they say seventy years? So it is reducing. And it will so reduce that if a man lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered grand old man, in this age, Kali-yuga. So āyuḥ, duration of life, will reduce.
Lecture on SB 1.15.46 -- Los Angeles, December 24, 1973:
Memory, smṛti, that will also reduce. We see nowadays, people are not very..., of sharp memory. They forget. Daily work they forget. Doing something daily; still, he is forgetting. The loss of memory. Similarly, āyuḥ, bodily strength. Everyone can understand. Your forefathers, your father or grandfather, as they were bodily strong, you are not so, I am not so. So bodily strength will reduce. Memory will reduce. Duration of life will reduce. Then dharma... There is no question. It is almost reduced. Nobody is interested in religion. The churches, temples are being closed, locked up. This was a church. Where we are sitting, this was a church, and it was sold, because nobody was coming. Similarly, we are purchasing in Australia a very big church. They are selling. In London I have seen many hundred of churches. Nobody is going there. Not only churches. In India also, except a few important temples, ordinary, small temples they are being closed. They have become habitation of the dogs. So dharma, religiosity, is reduced. And truthfulness. And kṣamā, forgiveness. That is also reduced. We are very sorry that one thing has happened. He was excused, but again he was shot dead. Just see. No forgiveness.
Lecture on SB 1.15.46 -- Los Angeles, December 24, 1973:
So satyam, śaucam, kṣamā, dayā, āyuḥ, duration of life, bodily strength and memory. These eight kinds of things will reduce, reduce, reduce. When you will see these symptoms, you will find, "Now the age of Kali is making his progress very nicely." This is progress. Then another symptom is vittam eva kalau nṟṇāṁ janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ. Formerly, according to spiritual understanding, one man's position was calculated. Just like brāhmaṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.15.50 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1973:
Where is the necessity of education for these things? There is no necessity. Anyone—animals, man, birds, beasts, insects—they know all these thing. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. It does not require any education. If there is education for this purpose, that is for restraining. Just like in human society. There is education for sex life, marriage. What is that marriage? Marriage means restricting sex life to one. That is education. If you are not restricted in that way, then you are animal. That is education. But... Because sex life does not require any college education, but if there is education in sex life, not to increase the propensity of sex life, but to reduce it... To reduce it.
Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:
Therefore we have to reduce it. It is not possible, but there is possibility. Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he made it in his life, during Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... Even after departure of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, about four hundred years ago. He was a very rich man's son. Very good wife, very good state. He left everything, and ultimately, he made these things, even eating, nil. He was eating every third day a small quantity of butter, nominal, little. Otherwise he gave up eating. So it is possible. It is not that "How one can give up eating and live at the same time?" That is possible. By the life of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī we see.
Lecture on SB 1.16.19 -- Hawaii, January 15, 1974:
So this chapter is on the subject matter, "How Parīkṣit Received the Age of Kali." We are studying this chapter at the present moment. In Los Angeles we were studying, and again, after that, we are presenting. So Kali-yuga is not very good age, simply faults. We have several times discussed that in this age, people's duration of life, mercifulness, bodily strength and so many things, eight kinds of things, will be reduced. The age is reducing; the bodily strength is also reducing. Now you American generation, you are not as strong as your father or grandfather. You can understand that.
Lecture on SB 1.16.20 -- Los Angeles, July 10, 1974:
And the memory, memory also reduced. Formerly, people were so sharp in memory that once heard from the spiritual master, he will remember. He will not forget. There was no need of books. Book is required because our memory is now, the power of recollection, is very poor. Just like one who cannot memorize, he has to take note down. Formerly, five thousand years ago, there was no need of books. The students will go to the spiritual master or teacher and... Therefore it is called śruti. The Vedic language is called śruti. Śruti means hearing. It is not reading. Simply, pious students will hear from the right source. Evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Simply by hearing, they will understand everything. They will never forget. But in the Kali-yuga it is not possible. Therefore Vyāsadeva, the whole Vedic understanding, knowledge, he recorded into books. Otherwise before that there was no need of books. The power of recollection will diminish. And mercy. Mercy will reduce.
Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:
"Mother, you are the reservoir of all riches. Please inform me of the root cause of your tribulations, by which you have been reduced to such a weak state. I think that the powerful influence of time, which conquers the most powerful, might have forcibly taken away all your fortune, which was adored even by the demigods."
Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:
So just imagine, if we waste our time, how much loss we are suffering. We calculate loss and gain. So don't waste time. Kāla, kāla is very... Yoga system means to save time. The whole process, mechanical process, of yoga, mystic power, means to save time. We have got a limited duration of life. Suppose one is destined to live for... Utmost they will live, anyone, but nobody goes to live for hundred years-say, seventy, eighty, sixty or something like that. Gradually it is reducing, and it will reduce twenty to thirty years. That will be duration of life. Because people are becoming more and more sinful.
Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Delhi, November 6, 1973:
Vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ. Vyavāya means sex life. So vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ. The vayaḥ... Vayaḥ means duration of life. The more you indulge in sex life, your duration of life is reduced. That is the scientific method. Therefore the yogis, they give up sex life. It is a very great science, the breathing. During sex life there is more breathing. So the more you misuse your breathing, your duration of life is reduced. And if you can preserve this breathing, then you can increase your duration of life. Why people are dying nowadays, fifty years, sixty years, seventy years? No. One should live for at least hundred years. But because they unduly indulge in sex life, they die early. Their duration of life is reduced.
Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Delhi, November 7, 1973:
Because your this body in this material world, especially in this age, cannot live more than hundred years or (all?) within. And people are dying nowadays sixty, seventy. Oh, eighty years old? Very old. But time will come in this age... That is stated in the Śrīmad-SB.. If one lives from twenty to thirty years, he will be considered as a very grand old man. Yes. That time is coming very soon. Of course, it will take time. Because as the Kali-yuga is increasing, people are becoming more and more pramatta, more and more animal-like. So their duration of life naturally will reduce. They are not human being. They will be mlecchas and yavanas.
Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Delhi, November 7, 1973:
The people will reduce to such small stature because they will not be properly fed. Just like at the present moment the stature of the body is reducing. It is reducing. One, my German Godbrother, in 1934, when he came, he was very... That Sadānanda. So he was very lean and thin. So I asked him that "You German people, I understand they are very robust. Why you are lean and thin?" So he told me that "In my childhood, in the First World War, the ration was controlled. Only children, we could get fat, butter." He showed his wristwatch: "This quantity only, once in a week." So unless people can get sufficient food, how the stature will remain? It is reducing. Now there is no rice, there is no ghee, there is no this, there is no... In this way rice will (be) completely finished. No more rice, no more wheat, no more sugar, no more milk. These are stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So if you don't get all these thing, then how your body will be developed? It will reduce just like... At that time, eranḍopi drumāyate, the castor seed trees will be considered as very big tree. Eranḍopi drumāyate.
Lecture on SB 2.1.7 -- Paris, June 15, 1974:
So we have given you so many books. Don't sleep. Don't waste a single moment. Of course, you have to sleep. Reduce it as much as possible. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending-reduce it. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. That is the example given by the Gosvāmīs. Nidrā, āhāra and vihāra. Āhāra means eating, and vihāra means sense enjoyment, and nidrā means sleeping. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau: "Conquered over." That is spiritual platform.
Lecture on SB 2.9.4-8 -- Tokyo, April 23, 1972:
In the Kali-yuga this memory is declining, and they are proud, "We are advanced." There is no question of advancement. It is simply degraded. But this is māyā. Falsely they are thinking, "We are advanced." In this age, memory will be reduced, duration of life will be reduced, people's merciful tendency will be reduced, strength of the body will be reduced. In this way everything will be reduced. Now we do not find very strong men, very strong memory, living for a long time, bodily strength. No. These are reducing. Now people are not merciful. One man is being killed before you in the street; nobody takes care. This is the sign of Kali-yuga. Everything will be reduced. Memory also being reduced. There are eight kinds of things reducing. One of them, these four, five, I have already mentioned. Important things. The duration of life is reducing, no sympathy, no sympathy. One is suffering from some disease; nobody is taking care. This is the sign of Kali-yuga. "Oh, let him die. Let me live." These are the signs of Kali-yuga: no memory, no sympathy, no long duration of life, no bodily strength, no education. This is the symptoms of Kali-yuga. Therefore the only means is harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). They cannot in the ordinary way it is impossible to make advancement.
Lecture on SB 3.25.11 -- Bombay, November 11, 1974:
Therefore father said, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Kṛṣṇa says, the supreme father, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). He's the supreme father. You don't care for father. Therefore... The nature is working under the direction of the supreme father. That's a fact. So if you do not care for your father, then the result will be nature will reduce supply. Reduce supply. Nature will not allow to the demons to flourish. No. That is not allowed. Tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram andha-yoniṣu (BG 16.19). The demons are always liable to be punished. Some big, big demons like Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, the Lord personally comes to punish them. Otherwise, the ordinary demons, they are punished by the laws of nature. Kṛṣṇa does not require to come to punish these petty demons. But when there is big, big demons like Rāvaṇa, like Hiraṇyakaśipu, like Kaṁsa, then Kṛṣṇa, or Lord Rāmacandra, They come to punish them.
Lecture on SB 3.25.14 -- Bombay, November 14, 1974:
So Kapiladeva, previous verse, He said that yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ mato niḥśreyasāya me. The supreme yoga system is ādhyātmikaḥ, or pertaining to the soul. Just like in your country a... (loud sound of fireworks, firecrackers, etc., going on in background) Nowadays... The haṭha-yoga is very popular. Sometimes the fat ladies go there to reduce their fat, and... (laughter) Some bodily... Here also they practice yoga to keep the digestive system regular. So people like this kind of yoga, gymnastics. But real yoga is ādhyātmika. Ādhyātmika means to awaken the soul to his proper position. That is real yoga. So that is not a manufactured, novel concoction. That is Purāṇa. As the soul is purāṇa, śāśvataḥ purāṇaḥ, similarly his business is also śāśvataḥ purāṇaḥ. That business is to reconnect his lost relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 3.25.18 -- Bombay, November 18, 1974:
So this ahaṁ mameti, this is ajñāna. So when one is jñānī, then this influence of material nature, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), will be reduced to nil. That is, it is said, prakṛtiṁ ca hataujasam. "Now no more prakṛti can disillusion me that I am this body, and in bodily relation everything is mine." This ajñāna, ignorance, is immediately mitigated, and he becomes free. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). "Then I do not belong to all these things.
Lecture on SB 3.25.23 -- Bombay, November 23, 1974:
Therefore I am neither Hindu nor Muslim. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," then where is the suffering of Hindu-Muslim riot? The understanding is missing. Because people are being educated to become more bodily conscious, therefore their sufferings are increasing. Sufferings are increasing. And if you reduce this bodily concept of life, then suffering also will be reduced.
Lecture on SB 3.25.26 -- Bombay, November 26, 1974:
So virāga, bhaktyā pumāñ jāta-virāga aindriyād. Here our material disease is that we want to satisfy our sense. This is material life. The whole material civilization is going on, we have repeatedly said... Advancement of civilization means advancement of sense gratification. That's all. So bhakti means just the opposite. So, so long we are, I mean to say, very much interested in sense gratification, there is no question of bhakti. That is not possible. So we have to reduce the tendency for sense gratification by increasing our devotional activities. That is the process. Therefore it is said, bhaktyā pumāñ jāta-virāga. Virāga, from where? Virāga means distasteful. Virakti. The other word is virakti: "No, no, I don't like." That is called virāga.
Lecture on SB 3.25.30 -- Bombay, November 30, 1974:
This is spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī after describing the faults of Kali-yuga. There are many, many hundreds and thousands of faults. People will suffer. They are all described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. People's intelligence, bodily strength, mercifulness—everything will be reduced. And so many things are described. Some of them are very prominent even at the present moment. Just like in the Kali-yuga, it is stated lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam: "People will think by keeping long hairs they will become beautiful." Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. So that is very visible now, especially in the Western countries. They keep very long hairs. Dāmpatye ratim eva hi: "Marriage, husband and wife, they will be simply by agreement." Nowadays that is happening.
Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:
The Gosvāmīs, they conquered over these things. Nidrāhāra-vihāra. That is required. That is spiritual life. If you are embarrassed with these four things, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca, then we are not making progress in spiritual life. It should be reduced. Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī did. All the Gosvāmīs—they had no business. But that is very difficult. If one has to imitate the behavior of Rūpa Gosvāmī and all the Gosvāmīs, it is very difficult. Therefore yukta-vairāgya. We must eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam as much as it is needed for maintaining my body. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-mai... In this way, spiritual progress of life...
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:
But God has no such body. His body is different, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So that sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, spiritual body, can be expanded, reduced. Aṇor aṇīyāh mahato mahīyān. He can expand this body, spiritual body, bigger than the biggest, and He can reduce the body smaller than the smallest. That is God's body. You cannot do that. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-caya... God is within the atom. How He is within the atom? Then anor anīyāh. He can become smaller than the smallest. He can become the bigger than the biggest. So Arjuna, when he saw the viśvarūpa, He showed him the bigger-than-the-biggest form. But His usual form is two-handed and two leg. Just like it is said in the Bible, "Man is made after the image of God." So God has got two hands, two legs exactly. But He is the omnipotent, almighty. Our power is limited, His power is unlimited. Otherwise He has got form.
Lecture on SB 5.5.10-13 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1976:
But at the present moment, ugra-karma. The transport is there, but they have manufactured big, big buses for transport, big, big cars, and the animals, they are now killed and eat. That's all. This is civilization. This is civilization. Not to reduce the labor, but increase the labor. Therefore they are called ugra-karma, jagataḥ hita, and that will create disastrous condition of the human society. This is discussed in Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on SB 5.6.2 -- Vrndavana, November 24, 1976:
First of all, one must prove that he's trustworthy; then we can accept him as trustworthy. Our mind is not fixed up, very restless. Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham (BG 6.34). This is right example. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was competent enough, mukta-puruṣa, but still, he was chanting regularly 300,000 times Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Even Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "Now you have become old man. You can reduce the number." Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau **. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī especially, he was very strict in the matter of following the regulative principles, Raghunātha dāsa Goswami. He was living in Rādhā-kuṇḍa. He was very rich man's son and practiced very rigidly vairāgya.
Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:
This is enjoyment life, material enjoyment means. Now, tapasya means denying all these things, denying. Eating as much as I require to maintain my body—this is tapasya, not that voraciously eating. Tapasya means practically not eating. That is tapasya: not eating. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he was a very rich man's son. So he showed us the example, what is tapasya. He gradually reduced his eating, every alternate days a little butter. That's all. Raguṇatha dāsa Gosvāmī. And still, he was taking three times bath and hundred times... Sāṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. He was offering obeisances flat hundred times and taking bath three times. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, those who have gone to Rādhā-Kunda, you have seen, the extreme tapasya. He was very rich man's son. In those days his father's income was twelve lakhs of rupees. He left his happy home and joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu and exemplified tapasya. He showed.
Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:
So tapasya generally means that first thing is that we should reduce our eating, sleeping, mating and defense. This is called tapasya, voluntarily accept. Suppose I am accustomed to eat very voraciously, and if I have to execute tapasya, that means I will have to reduce my eating to the point of no eating. But that is not possible. But that will create some trouble. But I will accept this trouble, this is called tapasya. I am habituated to sleep so many hours; I will have to reduce it. Yuktāhāra vihāraś ca. We don't say, "Don't sleep," but we say, "Reduce sleep as much as possible. Reduce your eating as much as possible." So this is called tapasya. And brahmacaryeṇa. Brahmacaryeṇa means completely cessation of sex life.
Lecture on SB 6.1.13-14 -- Honolulu, May 14, 1976:
Gradually it is reducing. In the Satya-yuga man and woman used to live, human being, up to 100,000's of years. Then, next yuga, it was ten thousands of years, reduced by ten times. And then, next yuga, next millennium, it is one thousands of years. And now, in the Kali-yuga, it is one hundred years. So it is very difficult to perform tapasya. But the recommendation is there, tapasā brahmacaryena (SB 6.1.13).
Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Auckland, February 22, 1973:
Atra hetu sadhrīcīnaḥ samicinaḥ. "It is quite deserving," sadhrīcīnaḥ. Sadhrīcīnaḥ hy ayaṁ loke panthāḥ kṣema akuto-bhayam. This path, this devotional path, is very secure and very deserving, especially in this age. It is deserving, all the ages. But in other ages people were very long living. Just like tapasya: tapasya is not so very easy thing. Tapasya, it takes too long time. But our life is very short in this age. In the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000's of years. In the Tretā-yuga, ten times reduced: ten thousand years. In Dvāpara-yuga, ten times reduced: one thousand years. And the Kali-yuga, again ten times reduced: hundred years. So our life is very short. Where is the time? Therefore to accept this process of devotional service is very deserving, sadhrīcīnaḥ. Sadhrīcīnaḥ sādhavaḥ yatra. Sadhrīcīno hy ayaṁ loke panthāḥ kṣemo akuto-bhayam. Akuto-bhayam, there is no fear.
Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975:
So they are implicated more or less. So in the Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, they were not so implicated as they are implicated at this moment, Kali-yuga, because the age of misunderstanding... And the duration of age is also very short. Prāyeṇa alpa āyuṣaḥ. In this age people are living not very long. Although the limit is hundred years, nobody is living hundred years. It is reduced, reduced, more and more. In the Kali-yuga the memory will be reduced, the duration of life will be reduced, the strength of the body will be reduced, people's sense of mercifulness will be reduced. In this way there are eight items mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it will be reduced.
Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:
So human society, they should rectify their mode of civilization by taking this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then they will be happy. Otherwise, if they keep themself in ignorance, ajñaḥ, dehy ajñaḥ, then ajita-ṣaḍ-varga: he will never be able to control the senses. The yoga system, haṭha-yoga system, is meant for this class of rascals, ajita. Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. Real meaning of yoga means controlling the senses. So because everyone is ajita-ṣaḍ-varga-ajita means not conquered—so those who are too much addicted in the bodily concept of life, for them this haṭha-yoga is prescribed. The purpose is to control the senses, not that to reduce fat or something else. No. Real purpose is yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ because unless we control the senses, we remain in ignorance, blind, and go on. Ajita-ṣaḍ-vargo necchan. Necchan. Na icchan. If we do not try, then even though I do not want to do something, even I... On the cigarette package there is, that "It is not good for health." So I do not like that my health should be ruined, but necchan, I am compelled to smoke. This is our position. It is written, warning there. Government has written. What is the written there?
Lecture on SB 6.1.62 -- Vrndavana, August 29, 1975:
So mind is so susceptible that... But this mind can be controlled only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gata anāntarātmanā (BG 6.47). Mad-gata, thinking of Kṛṣṇa, āntarātmanā, within the core of heart. Mad gata anāntarātmṇā, śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ: "He is first-class yogi." So unless we can control the mind, we cannot become yogi. Yoga means indriya-saṁyamaḥ. Yoga means not reducing fat or this or... No. Yoga means controlling the mind, controlling the senses, and concentrate it upon Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. Mat para. Yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. That is yoga. When we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa and practice yoga, then it will be successful, not that transcendental meditation, this, all foolish things. No. So we have to control the mind. If you want liberation from this material world, you have to control your mind. Therefore Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he showed us example that sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). Simply engage your mind thinking of Kṛṣṇa and talk of Kṛṣṇa. Then this agitation will not disturb you.
Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:
Therefore, in the Kali-yuga the so-called meditation is a farce. Because we are always seeing these lusty affairs before our eyes, naturally when we close our eyes and meditate, instead of thinking of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, we shall think of woman and other things. Therefore it is not possible. In the Kali-yuga it is not possible. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). In the Satya-yuga it was possible, meditation on Viṣṇu, not on other things. But now, in this Kali-yuga, we are infected with so many lusty desires that it is not possible. Therefore śāstra said, kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ majato makhaiḥ. You can realize Viṣṇu because Viṣṇu is the ultimate goal of life. But we do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). So that Viṣṇu meditation was possible in the kṛte, in the Satya-yuga, when a man used to live for hundred thousands of years. And then reduce. The next age it is ten thousand of years. Then again, in the next age, it is one thousands of years. And now it is reduced to one hundred years.
Lecture on SB 6.2.3 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1975:
That means there is a balance of 427,000's of years to finish this Kali-yuga. And gradually, with the advancement of Kali-yuga, people's duration of life, memory, mercifulness, religious propensities, in this way eight items—they are described in the Śrīmad Bhagavatam—will reduce. We can see practically at the present moment. People are not very strong in body. They are lean and thin. And not only in India—we are poverty-stricken—but in Europe, America, also I see. The Europeans and Americans are no more as tall men or very stout men, very... So reducing their bodily strength and memory. That is also fact. We cannot memorize very sharply. People are becoming more and more dull. No more very brilliant scholars are coming out, philosophers, mathematicians. And duration of life, everyone knows it is reducing. In India the average duration of life is thirty years. So this will reduce. And dharma, sense of religiosity, that will also reduce and become more and more punishable by the Yamarāja. Yamarāja is there.
Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:
Such a speed. Now actually, in our calculation the whole world can be circumambulated in twenty-four hours. But that is reduced to one hour, twenty-five. That is admitted by Einstein. This is called relative, relativity, according to the speed. Just like when you travel by airplane from here to London it takes, say, about nine hours. That is relative, relative to the force. Similarly, everything is relative. We are thinking that Brahmā's duration of life is so great, but it is also hundred years. But it is... You will understand very nicely. You can explain. According to our calculation they are immortal. Just like according to calculation of the pataṅga, our life is immortal. You see. They will calculate, "Oh, these human beings are immortal." But none of them are immortal. So we call them immortal, the demigods. Amareśāḥ.
Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:
So we are followers, Rūpānuga. We are followers of the Gosvāmins. So their behavior, saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau. The whole time, twenty-four hours, was used in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra regularly on fixed up, big beads. So we have reduced that to sixteen. But they were chanting... Haridāsa Ṭhākura was chanting four times sixty-four. That means... Three times sixty-four. So three times sixty-four means?
Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:
So these are the instances. And if we fall flat to be conquered by the māyā, then... We have to struggle. This is also another struggle for existence. As the materialists, they are also struggling for existence for a few days or few years only, our struggle is not for few days or few years, but eternally. The same struggle is there. Their process is different, our process is different. So we should be always conscious of our responsibility that... That will help us. We must stay awake. Uttiṣṭhata. Always remain awakened. So regular, seven hours sleep is sufficient. Why it should be more than that? What is the cause? Another cause may be that if we eat more, then sleep more. So in order to reduce the sleeping process, the eating process should be reduced. You can take, make... I..., you fast one day, don't take anything, you will see that there will be less sleep. Is it not? Yes.
Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:
So anyway, that you have to adjust, all of you, that "How I shall not sleep more than seven hours." Six hours, from ten to four, that is six hours, complete. And one hour during daytime. Then no more sleeping unless you are sick. But why you young boys and girls, why should you fall sick? There is no question of falling sick. You have got your now blood running on. You are not old. Your stomach is working nice. So you should adjust. For a devotee, to reduce this is the process, this āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending, they should be reduced, and come to the point, no sleeping, no eating. That is not possible. But spirit soul, when one... Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. He came to that point, no sleeping, no eating. All the Gosvāmīs, they were not sleeping more than two hours. So why about Gosvāmīs? Even big karmīs, like Subash Bose, Gandhi, they were also not sleeping. I heard that Napoleon Bonaparte, he was not sleeping. He was sleeping... When he was passing from one warfield to another, on his horse he slept. That's all. He never went to the bedroom for sleeping. Gandhi used to do that. He would sleep when he was passing from one station, one... In the motorcar he would sleep. Then again he will begin work.
Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:
So formerly, in the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000's of years. Then, in the Tretā-yuga, they used to live for 10,000 years. And in the Dvāpara-yuga they used to live for 1,000 years. That is the maximum. And in the Kali-yuga they can live up to one hundred years. That is also not completed. With the advancement of Kali-yuga the duration of life, bodily strength, memory, mercifulness, religious sense—in this way everything will be reduced. And the duration of life will be reduced so much so that it is stated in the Bhāgavata that "If a man lives for twenty to thirty years he will be considered as a grand old man." And there will be not available especially rice, wheat, milk, sugar. These are stated. This is Kali-yuga.
Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:
The samādhi, the meditation which is going on, some rascaldom, that is not meditation. Meditation means always thinking of Viṣṇu. That is meditation. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is perfect meditation. Always thinking. And it is certified in Bhagavad-gītā, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā (BG 6.47). Mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ. So Kṛṣṇa said, he is first-class yogi who is constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śraddhāvān bhajate yo mām. With faith and devotion, always remembering Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, sa me yuktatamo mataḥ. Yoginām api sarveṣām, of all the yogis They have opened so many classes of yoga class, somebody is advertising that you can remain young, you can have better sex power or you can reduce your bodily fat. So that is also possible. That you can do by ordinary exercise. But real purpose of yoga is to concentrate the mind on Viṣṇu always. That is yoga. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest perfectional stage of yoga practice.
Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Toronto, June 19, 1976:
So alpa-āyuṣaḥ. This is the effect of Kali-yuga. Duration of life, mercifulness, bodily strength, memory, these things will be reduced gradually. You won't find nowadays very fertile brain. It will reduce. Not very strong man, bodily very strong, and mercy, there is no question. On the street, in your front, if somebody's being killed, nobody will take care; he'll go on. There is no mercifulness. Even the mother has no mercifulness, killing the child. This is Kali-yuga. So just imagine what is the duration of this Kali-yuga. That is all described. Mandāḥ. Everyone is bad. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). And if one poses himself that he is intelligent, then that is a, also a bad way of life. Sumanda-matayo. Manda-bhāgyā. Everyone is unfortunate.
Lecture on SB 7.6.3-4 -- San Francisco, March 8, 1967:
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is direct engagement of spiritual activities. This is the concession, this is the concession of this age. We have got very little opportunity in the present age to meditate. It is very difficult. The so-called meditation for fifteen minutes and twenty-three hours all kinds of nonsense activities will never help you. Therefore meditation is out of question at the present age. I am not speaking from my own whims. It is stated in the śāstra. In the śāstra it is said that kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). Meditation on Viṣṇu was possible in the golden age, or in the Satya-yuga. Satya-yuga means at that time the people used to live for one hundred thousands of years. And they were all perfect in religious life. There was no flaw. Then came the Tretā-yuga, when they were perfect three-fourths and the duration of life reduced to ten thousand years. The next yuga, next millennium, is called Dvāpara-yuga, when the life of people, half religious, half pious, half vicious, and the duration of life reduced to one thousand years. And this age is called Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and misunderstanding. The duration of life has reduced to one hundred years.
Lecture on SB 7.6.7 -- Vrndavana, December 9, 1975:
So without being culturally advanced, they do not know the value of life. They waste their life. The advanced persons, they try to reduce waste of time. We have already discussed that the Gosvāmīs, they were ministers. They came to Vṛndāvana not for begging but for advancing the spiritual culture of life. Vṛndāvana is not meant for making a solution of the economic condition. One who has no, nothing to eat outside, they should come and beg capati and roti from door to door. The Rūpa Gosvāmī did it, mādhukarī. Rūpa Gosvāmī used to beg. Not beg, collecting twenty capatis. And only one or two, that's all.
Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Mayapur, February 20, 1976:
You light up many millions of candles, but they are of the same potency. The candle power is not reduced because we have ignited so many candles from the original. No. Advaitam, acyut... Pūrṇasya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate. Even though Kṛṣṇa expands Himself in millions and millions and forms, still, all of them are the..., of the same potency. That is called sattva-dhāmnaḥ. So there are different types of expansion of Kṛṣṇa. They are called vibhinnāṁśa, svāṁśa. Kṛṣṇa expands Himself svāṁśa. That is Viṣṇu-tattva. That is advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam (Bs. 5.33). Then vibhinnāṁśa: mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhutaḥ (BG 15.7). Jīva also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa, but we are vibhinnāṁśa, separated forms. And svāṁśa, Viṣṇu-tattva, that is one. So in this way we have to understand Kṛṣṇa's expansion.
Lecture on SB 7.9.39 -- Mayapur, March 17, 1976:
So whole Vedic civilization is to reduce this propensity, kāmāturam. That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's recommendation. Because if we remain kāmāturam, sexually inclined, then we'll be subjected only to these processes, harṣa-śoka-bhayaiṣaṇārta. In this way we shall be always disturbed. And it will be disturbed mind. You cannot think of the Absolute Truth. That is not possible. The mind must be peaceful. But there is one very easy method to control the mind from these disturbances. What is that? The yoga system means the control the disturbed mind. Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ.
Lecture on SB 7.12.6 -- Bombay, April 17, 1976:
So now, actually behavior, the first thing is suśīla, very well behaved, gentle. Śīla means behavior, and su means very good. Suśīlo mita-bhuk. This can be attained only when one practices eating whatever is absolutely necessary, not eating more. This is also enjoined by Rūpa Gosvāmī: atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ (NOI 2). Atyāhāra, eating more than necessary, is condemned everywhere. Spiritual life means reducing eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That is spiritual life. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. The Rūpa Gosvāmī and other six Gosvāmīs, they conquered over these things, nidrā-āhāra. So a brahmacārī should not eat anything except prasādam, that also when he is called by the spiritual master, "You can come and eat." This we have discussed.
Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:
First decreasing-religiosity. People will become irreligious, and they will forget what is telling truth. They will be accustomed to speak lie. And śaucam, no cleanliness. And kṣamā. Kṣamā means forgiveness. Suppose I have done some wrong... (break) ...but there is no forgiveness. Kṣamā-rūpaṁ tapasvinaḥ, people is advised, especially those who are following penance and austerity, yogic principle or devotional life, they should learn to excuse. In our dealings, there are so many faulty dealings between ourselves. So if we take everything very seriously, then it is very difficult to live. So kṣamā. But that kṣamā—kṣamā means forgiveness—will reduce. Nobody will forgive. Retaliation, vengeance, that will increase. So four items: religiosity, truthfulness, cleanliness, and forgiveness. Four. Then dayā. Dayā means mercy. What is dayā? Who is, I mean to say, less strong. Just like animals, birds, beast, you should be very merciful. Just like children: you should be very merciful to children. According to Vedic injunctions, children, woman, brāhmaṇas, old men, and cows. How many? Children, women, brāhmaṇa, cow, and what else?
Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:
So many children in the womb are killed. But according to Vedic civilization, they are greatest offense. So dayā. Dayā means you should show your mercifulness those who are weak. So this will reduce, dayā. And āyuḥ, duration of life. Duration of life. In the Satya-yuga the duration of life was 100,000's years. A man used to live for 100,000's of years. Then in the Tretā-yuga it reduced ten times. They used to live for 10,000 years. Then in Dvāpara-yuga it reduced again ten times. They used to live for 1,000 years. And now, in the Kali-yuga, the duration of life is prescribed as 100 years. But you see that it is reducing. Everyone may note it. Perhaps your grandfather lived for 100 years. Your father lived for 80 years. And nowadays, 60 or 70 years. Gradually, it will so reduce, we shall come to that statement, that if a man lives for 20 to 30 years he will be considered a very grand old man. If he lives for 20 to 30 years he'll be considered, "Oh, you have got very good life." That will come, gradually. This is the progressive age. Progressive age for material civilization. We are proud of making advancement of our civilization, but these nice thing are being reduced. That means... We are advancing means reducing the nice things. This is advanced. Āyuḥ and smṛtiḥ. Smṛtiḥ means memory. So these eight items will reduce gradually.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 4, 1973:
They are not performing yajñas. They, they think by science, by electricity, by this and that, shall provide everything. But then the electricity is being also reduced, supply of electricity is being controlled. And one after, one after another, one after another... Because the supreme controller, if He does not sanction, your so-called scientific improvement or so-called social service will not make the whole world satisfied. That is not possible. That is not possible. This secret is known to the devotees. Yes?
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:
Otherwise, by God's arrangement, pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). It is pūrṇam. Everything is complete. Just like nature, nature's produces. Sometimes in some season we see there is ample productions of mangoes, and sometimes there is no mango. So after all, it is in the hand of nature, prakṛti. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Prakṛti is producing, producing; prakṛti is reducing; and behind the prakṛti there is Kṛṣṇa.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 8, 1973:
They were practicing to teach us, āpani ācari' prabhu jīvere śikhāya. Simply teaching will not do unless we practice. That is very important thing, practice, practical life. Simply quoting verses, like parrot, will not be very much beneficial. One must apply, jñānam vijñāna-sahitam. Jñāna means to know the thing, and vijñāna means to apply the things in practical life. Jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitam. So we must know the vijñāna, how practically. That is taught by the Gosvāmīs, kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana, always chanting the glories of Kṛṣṇa. Kīrtana, gāna, nartana, nartana means dancing. Dancing is very good. The more you dance, the more you become light; means the burden of material contamination becomes reduced. Dancing is so nice. Even if you don't feel ecstasy, if you dance by force, that will also help us. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartanau-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. By dancing dancing, we shall develop our dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, love for Kṛṣṇa. This is a nice process. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. Then you will merge into the ocean of love for Kṛṣṇa. So this is the highest stage of ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always chanting Kṛṣṇa's name, dancing in ecstasy, and to be merged in the ocean of love for Kṛṣṇa. These are the perfection.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.8 -- Mayapur, April 1, 1975:
There is no anxiety. Here we are full of anxieties in this material... Even big, big businessman, who has got enough money, you'll find he is in anxiety. He's always thinking, "How this business will go on? How this, maintain so many men?" So I have seen it that our printer, Dai Nippon, the president, when we, for the temporary, we stopped our business, he was full of anxiety. Yes. Now they have agreed to reduce ten percent more than any printer. Why? He was full of anxiety. (laughter) This is the fact. So don't think that very big, big businessman or one who has got enough money, he has no anxiety. Anxiety there should be. This is the place of anxiety, kuṇṭha. Prahlāda Mahārāja pointed it out that tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Here, in this material world, whoever is there... The Brahmā is also anxiety, in full of anxiety. Indra... You know. Pṛthu Mahārāja was sacrificing hundred times, and Indra became very much anxious that "If Pṛthu becomes so great, then he may occupy my seat." So he wanted to put hindrances so that he may not fulfill the so many yajñas.
Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 -- Dallas, March 4, 1975:
This is the condition at the present moment. This is called Kali-yuga. The first symptom is: our span of life is very short, decreasing. With the advancement of Kali-yuga, our duration of life is decreasing. Everyone knows that. My father lived so many years, my grandfather lived so many years, but it is certain I am not going to live so many years. And then my son is not... Gradually, it is reduced. Reducing, reducing, reducing. By the end of Kali-yuga, the duration of life from twenty years to thirty years will be considered very, very old age, very, very old. If a man is living for twenty-five years, he will be considered a very grand old man. Yes. That is coming gradually. So therefore it is said, manda, manda. Manda means everything bad or everything slow. Duration of life is bad, then their activities also very bad, always sinful activities. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). And if somebody is little anxious to take shelter of somebody for spiritual advancement, then he will accept some bogus thing, sumanda-matayo, some bogus incarnation of God, some bogus yogi, some bogus... They will take sumanda-matayo, will not come to the real.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 8.128 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 24, 1977:
Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ. People are living not as they used to live formerly. In this age, Kali-yuga, the maximum years one can live: hundred years in this Kali-yuga. Hundred years. In the Dvāpara-yuga it was one thousand years. In the Tretā-yuga it was ten thousand years. In the Satya-yuga it was hundred thousand years. It is reducing. Kali-yuga means the duration of age will reduce, the memory will reduce, the bodily strength will reduce, mercifulness will reduce. In this way everything will reduce. This is Kali-yuga. Supply of foodstuff will be reduced. This is Kali-yuga. So mandāḥ. Everyone is bad, not full strength. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo. And everyone has got a sumanda-mata. Mata means opinion or system which is also sumanda. Not only mandāḥ but sumanda. Everyone is manufacturing a type of Bhagavān, a type of religious system. That is not bona fide at all. Sumanda-matayo. Mandāḥ sumanda matayo. And everyone is unfortunate, manda-bhāgyā, unfortunate in this sense: they do not know what is the aim of life, how human life should make progress.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.111 -- New York, July 19, 1976:
In the previous verse we have discussed that fire is situated in one place, but it is expanding heat and light. We should always remember this comparison, that the sun is there, localized, and from millions and millions of years it is distributing heat and light. Take for... That is not yet reduced.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.367-84 -- New York, December 31, 1966:
Now, although he was Muhammadan and he was brāhmaṇa, but, so far the respect of a king is concerned, Sanātana Gosvāmī rightly told him that "You are Nawab. You are king. You are not ordinary man. Therefore you are empowered by the Supreme Lord. So anything you punish..." Because king's punishment has to be accepted. And in the Manu-saṁhitā it is said that when king punishes a citizen, he is reduced in his sinful actions so that he may not subjected in his next birth for that sinful reaction if he undergoes the punishment of a king. These are stated there.
Festival Lectures
Sri Vyasa-puja -- New Vrindaban, September 2, 1972:
So Vyāsadeva... Formerly, before Vyāsadeva, say, five thousand years ago, before that time there was no need of written literature. People were so sharp in their memory that whatever they would hear from the spiritual master they would remember for life. The memory was so sharp. But in this age—it is called Kali-yuga—we are reducing our bodily strength, our memory, power of memorizing, our feelings of sympathy for others, compassion, age, duration of life, religious propensities. In this way, in this age we are reducing everything. Every one of you can understand very easily.
His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:
He is first-class yogi." So we are teaching our students to become the first-class yogi. Not these yogis to reduce fat. No. That is not required. Yogi means who is always seeing Kṛṣṇa within the heart. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is first-class yogi, bhakta-yogī. Twenty-four hours, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām: you have to fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa by the process of chanting His glories, satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14), not otherwise. Mām, Kṛṣṇa.
His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching this pravṛtti-mārga, nivṛtti-mārga, both. "You do not do this" or "You do this." "Do this" means rise early in the morning, maṅgala-āratrika. Of course, you must sleep, but not sleep like cats and dogs, animals. Simply sleeping means waste of time. The more you reduce sleeping, then you become perfect. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. All the gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, they conquered over these things. What is these things? Nidrā, sleeping; āhāra, eating; and vihāra, and sense pleasure. This is called sannyāsa life, reducing sleeping, reducing eating.
Initiation Lectures
Initiation Lecture -- Los Angeles, July 13, 1971:
Unless one is prepared that "I am accepting somebody as my spiritual master. I must accept whatever he says," if there is any doubt, that "I cannot accept his words verbatim," then one should not accept him as spiritual master. That is hypocrisy. One must be first of all convinced. Therefore it is the duty of the spiritual master and the disciple to associate—that is the injunction of Sanātana Gosvāmī—for some time, and both of them should study. The disciple should study, "Whether I can accept this saintly person as my spiritual master." And spiritual master also will see, "Whether I can accept this boy, this person, as my disciple." That is the way. But sometimes the time is reduced. That doesn't matter.
Initiation Lecture -- Los Angeles, July 13, 1971:
Actual aim of spiritual life—to come to the stage of loving God. That is real spiritual life. If one wants to take to spiritual life for some other gain, that is not. That is offense, that "I will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So my income is now one thousand dollar. It will be three thousand dollar." Not like that. It may be reduced (laughter) sometime. (laughs) Just like our Dayānanda is... His income is now reduced by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, but he is not giving up. That is wanted. You see? Sometimes it is found that in incidents you will find in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yasyānugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad... Therefore sometimes people do not come to worship because generally they say, "The Viṣṇu worship, or Vaiṣṇavas, they are generally poor. So I don't want to be poor." Yes. I was thinking like that. (laughter) When my Guru Mahārāja ordered me... When I was manager in Bose's laboratory, so he ordered me. So I thought, "Oh, I cannot do this. I cannot accept this sannyāsa." But he was so kind, and he is so kind still. Then he forced me, that "You must do it," taking, pulling my ear, he brought me to this line. In the beginning I was not willing. So it is his causeless mercy upon me. That I can understand now. I can understand now how much I have been relieved by accepting this life. So sometimes we find that our income is reduced.
General Lectures
Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Seattle, September 25, 1968:
Tasmād. Tasmād means "therefore." "Therefore one should approach a spiritual master." What is that "therefore"? Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. If one is actually inquisitive to understand about the spiritual existence, then he requires a spiritual master. A spiritual master does not mean that he'll teach you how to keep your body fit, how you can reduce your fat, how you can remain a young man, so many nonsense. This is not the duty of the spiritual master. However you may try to keep your body fit, how long you shall keep your body fit? As soon as you are born, the death is also born along with you. Suppose one man is twenty-five years old. That means he has already died twenty-five years. So you cannot protect yourself from death, however you may become very strong, stout. Therefore actual education, actual spiritual knowledge begins, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā...
Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Seattle, September 25, 1968:
So one who is inquisitive about understanding that knowledge, he requires a spiritual master. Not that one who wants to keep this body fit or wants to reduce fat. No. For him there is no necessity of spiritual master. That he can go to a doctor or a medical physician. That's all. He can advise. What is the use of going to a spiritual master? Spiritual master means jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Who can teach you about the highest benediction, he is spiritual master. So we shall discuss in next meeting. This is very interesting, and you'll be profited if you please come and hear.
Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969:
There was no necessity. Their memory was so sharp that once heard from the spiritual master, they remembered. But in this age, in this Kali-yuga, memory, duration of life, mercifulness, stature of the body, and so many things, they are reducing. They are reducing. We are not advancing. That is wrong idea. For example, in your country the stature is also reducing. Formerly in our childhood, I saw Europeans and Americans, they were very tall. But not only in your country, every country the stature is reducing. The memory is reducing. The duration of life... Your grandfather or great-grandfather, perhaps he lived for hundred years. I saw. My grandmother lived for ninety-five years. My father lived for eighty-four years. So I do not know how long I shall live. Still I am living. So in this way the age, duration of life, will reduce in this age. And it is also said that at the ultimate stage, at the end of this age, if a man lives for twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a grand old man. So because our human assets are reducing... Practically there is no mercifulness now, dayā. Formerly a man was very charitable, but here, at the present moment, where is the question of charity? He cannot maintain oneself. So these things are reducing.
Lecture Engagement and Prasada Distribution -- Boston, April 26, 1969:
Then this age is called Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga means seventy-five percent or more than seventy-five percent, they are impure, and twenty-five percent, I mean to say, that is in book, but actually ninety percent or more than that are impure and maybe five percent pure. This is the situation of this age. And they are also living very short time. In this age, life, duration of life, is reduced, memory is reduced, man's compassion is also reduced. Similarly, there are so many things, they are reduced. Although we are thinking that we are advancing, but actually the most important things we are reduced. Take for example the duration of life. Every one of us knowing very well that as your father or forefather or grandfather lived for long duration of life, it is very difficult to find out a man who is over seventy years or eighty years. I have got experience. My grandmother lived for ninety-five years.
Lecture Engagement and Prasada Distribution -- Boston, April 26, 1969:
So the duration of age is reduced, and people are not very intelligent. Of course, it is very revolutionary that I am speaking that people are not very intelligent, but actually it is. Why they are not intelligent? Because they do not know what is the destination of life; therefore they are not very intelligent. The Bhāgavata says that destination of life is God realization. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇu. God-realization. In this human form of life we can realize what is God. It is not possible in other form of life. There are 8,400,000 forms of life. You have seen it. There are trees, there are aquatics, there are germs, reptiles, then birds, then beasts, then human beings. Out of this human form of life, more than fifty percent, they are uncivilized, and maybe twenty-five percent of the human beings, they are civilized. And out of them, maybe ten percent are believing in God, following religious principles. In this way the whole thing is being reduced.
Lecture Engagement and Prasada Distribution -- Boston, April 26, 1969:
In this way the whole thing is being reduced. So in the Bhāgavata it is said that not only they are living for short duration of life, they are not intelligent enough that this human form of life is meant for God-realization. Now, especially nowadays amongst the educated circles, they inquire, "What is God? What is God?" You see. But apart from your country or Western countries, in... I have met in many, many large gatherings of universities. Especially, I am very sorry to say, many Indian students ask me that "What is God?" Now, India is supposed to be the place where God descends as Lord Kṛṣṇa, as Lord Rāmacandra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So it is very surprising that Indian students are asking, "What is God?" So this is lamentable in this sense, that people are reducing in their sense of spiritual realization. That is a very regrettable fact. And the Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam: "A man is supposed to be defeated in all his activities if he does not inquire what he is." This statement is also in Bible, you know, that "If one loses his own self and he gains all material prosperity, what does he gain?" Actually, this is the fact.
Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969:
My dear boys and girls, I thank you very much for your coming here and participating with this saṅkīrtana function. The saṅkīrtana function, or... It is called saṅkīrtana-yajña, sacrifice. There is a statement in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that saṅkīrtanair yajñaiḥ prayair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). In this age... As poet Ginsberg has explained to you, this is called Kali-yuga, or very degraded age. From the spiritual point of view, from material point of view also, people are reducing their duration of life and their merciful tendency, their strength, their stature. If you study scrutinizingly, you will see that your stature is reducing, your memory is reducing, your duration of life is also reducing in this Kali-yuga. There are many symptoms.
Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 'The Present Need of Human Society':
So in the Bhagavad-gītā He is giving us the principles of dharma. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He said to Arjuna, "Because you are My very dear friend, I am giving you the most confidential information, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja." This is dharma. Dharma, satyam, truthfulness. That is also reduced, being reduce. Dharma means to become devotee of the Lord. That is practically not reduced. It is practically nil. And people have manufactured so many dharmas, dharma without the principle of God consciousness.
Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 'The Present Need of Human Society':
So they, there are many, so many theories for avoiding God consciousness. But that's not very practical. Therefore in the Kali-yuga, it is said, dharma satyam, the truth is neglected, the dharma is neglected. It is reduced.
Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 'The Present Need of Human Society':
This is summarized, summarization of the kind of people in this Kali-yuga. What is that? Alpāyuṣaḥ. Their span of life is shortened. Here also it is said, āyuḥ, āyur balaṁ smṛtiḥ. Bodily strength, span of life, and memory reduced. Formerly, there was no need of book. Therefore our Vedic literatures are known as śruti. The student will hear from the master, from the teacher, śruti. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet, śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). Simply by hearing, they'll remember. That was going on up to the date of Vyāsadeva, five thousand years ago. There was no writing principle. There was no need of writing. People were so much powerful in their memory, they could immediately remember everything by hearing once from the teacher. Then Vyāsadeva, when he saw the Kali-yuga is coming, people's memory will be not so sharp, then he wrote all these Vedic literature. He's called Veda-vyāsa. Vedic knowledge was already there by tradition, by hearing, but he chronologically wrote all these Vedas. So there are so many symptoms. I may explain some of them. Kālena balinā rājan naṅkṣyaty āyur balaṁ smṛtiḥ: "These things will be reduced: dharma, truthfulness, cleanliness, and forgiveness, and mercifulness." People are not very merciful now. Especially in the Western countries, if one is attacked by another, people will pass. Nobody will care for that. He may be killed. People do not show any mercy. And kṣamā. Kṣamā means forgiveness. That is also being reduced. Memory reduced, merciful reduced, span of life reduced, bodily strength reduced, health is reduced. This is the symptom of Kali-yuga.
Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 'The Present Need of Human Society':
So the present need of human society, because they're reducing their good qualities, satya śamo dama titikṣa ārjava... (BG 18.42). And money is becoming the most powerful thing. As it is stated here: vittam eva kalau nṛṇāṁ janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ. Formerly, if one is qualified brāhmaṇa, he may be a poor man, but a brāhmaṇa, when approaches a king, the king will stand up and offer him... Even Kṛṣṇa, when He was King of Dvārakā, Sudāmā Vipra, His friend, he came. Immediately He stood up and gave him His own seat. So because he was a qualified brāhmaṇa... So everywhere qualified brāhmaṇa was respected by the qualified kṣatriyas, vaiśyas. But now, there is practically no qualified brāhmaṇa, neither a qualified brāhmaṇa is respected.
Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 'The Present Need of Human Society':
There are many symptoms. In this way, the conclusion is... This is the description given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. There are many other symptoms. Our time is short. The king, the government, that is also stated. Government will be simply taxing. And people, being harassed in famine and taxation, they'll give up their hearth and home, will go to the forest and hills. And gradually, time will come when the ages will be reduced so much that a person twenty to thirty years old will be considered as great, grand old man. These are the symptoms of Kali-yuga.
Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:
Suggestion is already I have given, that utilize this land for cultivation. I have seen so much land vacant. In Austria, Australia. Eh? Yes, Australia, and special... In U.S.A. also, there are so much land vacant. They're not utilizing... Whatever production, they... Sometimes they throw it in the water. And, I, I have heard in this Geneva, that there was excess of milk production. Therefore they want to kill twenty-thousand cows to reduce the milk production. This is their brain. Actually, there is no brain. So they, for brain, they should come to these śāstras.
Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:
About us, it is described in the śāstra, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā upadrutāḥ, prāyeṇālpayuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ (SB 1.1.10). In this age, Kali-yuga, we are living not very long time. In Kali-yuga, the duration of life will be reduced so much, gradually, that if a person lives for twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a grand old man. That day is coming. Now we have got practical experience. Our grandfather or father lived for so many years, but we are not living for so many years. Our sons will not live so many years. In this way the duration of life, the memory, the mercifulness, the bodily strength—everything will be reduced.
Philosophy Discussions
Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:
Prabhupāda: This is innate truth: as three angles of a triangle are equal to 180 degrees, similarly snow is white. Snow is white, water is liquid, stone is hard, chili is hot, sugar is sweet. These are eternal truths, fundamental truths. Similarly, a living entity is eternal servant of God. This is eternal truth. It cannot be changed. Water is liquid. That is the natural position, but when water becomes hard, it is due to temperature, under certain conditions, but as soon as the temperature reduces, the water becomes liquid. So liquidity of water is truth. Similarly, whiteness of snow is truth. Similarly, servitude of the living entity is truth. But he is serving māyā. That is untruth. If we take that there are two types of truth, there cannot be two kinds of truth. Truth is one. What we take as truth, that is māyā.
Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:
Prabhupāda: Why in your mind? That is the law. When the temperature is reduced to a certain point, the water becomes frozen and becomes solid. That is the law. How can you say without law?
Śyāmasundara: But the concept of law is a mode of thought.
Prabhupāda: Well, that is imperfect human society. But nature's law, God's law, is not like that. Nature's law: just like fire burns; it burns everywhere. It is fact, perpetually. It is not that in certain cases it burns and in certain cases it does not. It burns. Even a child touches the fire, it will burn. No consideration. Just like in human law, a child steals and an adult steals. Court excuses, "He is a child. Let him be." But nature's law is not like that. The fire, whether adult touches or a child touches, it must burn. That is nature's law.
Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:
Hayagrīva: He maintains that certain knowledge of God's existence would destroy a man's freedom and reduce human experience to a show of puppets frantically currying the favor of the Almighty.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is favor. Just like nobody wants to die, but the superior power obliges everyone to die. So he is dependent. Why should you think that he is independent? That is foolishness.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Śyāmasundara: He saw that his predecessors had become increasingly abstract in their thinking, trying to find out what is the nature of substance, the essential substance, and they had reduced it to nothingness, practically.
Prabhupāda: Because they do not know, that is vairasana(?). Nirākāra, nirākāra, the Sanskrit word... When one cannot actually specify what is the nature of God, what is the form of God, and by thinking, speculative speculating, they cannot come to the right conclusion, so out of frustration they say, "No, there is no God."
Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. The, normally, what they call the age determination, or how old a species is, they normally find out from this so-called (indistinct). They find some bone or something which contains normally carbonate. And normally they get this age of the elements or age of these findings by so-called Carbon 14 method. Carbon 14 is an isotope of normal carbon, it is called Carbon 12. Carbon 14 is radioactive. It's one in which they put in the radioactive testing, and they find out because it follows the normal chemical laws or physical laws. This is governed by the Lord Himself, by Kṛṣṇa Himself. They're finding the chemical lowest form, and from that chemical lowest they normally try to reduce the, how old the sample is, and that method is very limited, it is not applicable to all findings also, and a test, a very reliable test (indistinct) to about five thousand, six thousand years old but beyond that it is very doubtful whether the findings are really true or not. (break) It is empiric so we cannot fully convince that such-and-such species lives such-and-such long just from that finding. You need more evidence to prove it (indistinct) was existing and it disappeared from such-and-such time but it gives a relative value from so-called modern scientific point of view.
Prabhupāda: But evolution we accept. Evolution we accept but it is not that there was no existence of human being. That we do not accept. Evolution we accept. Just like my childhood manifestation is extinct but there are many other child. Same time. So our point is all the species of life, they are existing simultaneously. Evolution there is, we accept that but it is not that one is missing, one has gone away, and another is come, ten million, thirty millions there was no human being. This is all nonsense. He cannot find in the layer, that is not evidence.
Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:
Prabhupāda: So different forms, just like human beings, formerly they were very tall, and they are reducing their stature, and at the end of Kali-yuga they will be stature like this. So this is not change of the species. This is changing, just like your father is taller than you, is he not? Is he not taller?
Śyāmasundara: No. I'm taller than he is. But they say because our generation got better foodstuffs than our parents.
Prabhupāda: So therefore, according to circumstances, the stature is changing. It is not the species. It is the same human, but formerly the human being was taller, stouter; now they are reducing in strength, in stature, in memory, in duration of life, span of life, in mercy. That is stated in Bhāgavatam. They do not change every species.
Philosophy Discussion on Edmund Husserl:
Śyāmasundara: Well, their idea is to reduce everything to the level of pure consciousness.
Prabhupāda: That is pure consciousness.
Śyāmasundara: But by examining a phenomenon purely, without any other consideration, he says that each thing has its given content or its principle of principles, as an object of intuition. Or he calls it also a thing of authentic reality. Just like a leaf. If you look at a leaf, and you have no consideration of previous knowledge where do these things come, what is a leaf, anything, then the authentic reality of that leaf will present itself to my consciousness. It will be self-evident what is that leaf.
Prabhupāda: You don't take... That means that analytical study of the leaf.
Philosophy Discussion on Edmund Husserl:
Śyāmasundara: Well, you were just saying before that if someone analyzes everything scrutinizingly, they will find out that it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. But unless they are able to make that analysis, then what is the point of analyzing? Shouldn't we have the freedom to analyze something?
Prabhupāda: Suppose that when he says to analyze, analyze. When he will not take help? (indistinct) analyze.
Śyāmasundara: This is just the first step of his process. There are three steps. The first step is simply to reduce the phenomenon to their self-evident (indistinct)...
Prabhupāda: What is that self-evidence?
Śyāmasundara: ...that it is green, that it grows on trees—those simple things that anyone can see, they're self-evident.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Śyāmasundara: That we don't have to consult any authority about or have any knowledge about previously. We can see those things.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Philosophy Discussion on Edmund Husserl:
Prabhupāda: Now we are coming to (indistinct). He says that we are concerned with only the phenomenon, what we see.
Śyāmasundara: Starting with that. Starting with that. Reducing everything to the...
Prabhupāda: Starting with that, that's all right. But how he'll come to the perfect knowledge? Not by speculation. That is our point.
Śyāmasundara: But...
Prabhupāda: And intuition is also wrong way. You cannot come to the perfect knowledge by speculation or intuition. You must approach a person who knows (indistinct). The same example repeated: you cannot understand who is your father by speculation and intuition. You must approach your mother and ask her, "Who is my father?" That will be perfect knowledge. That is the process. But when..., if you insist on that "Without asking my mother I will understand my father by speculation or intuition," that is nonsense. That is stupidity. That stupid he is.
Philosophy Discussion on Edmund Husserl:
Śyāmasundara: Just like one of Husserl's predecessors, Descartes, we discussed him before, he wanted the same platform, the same basis of understanding. So his only thought, his first thought, was cogito ergo sum: "I think, therefore I am." Eliminating all other thoughts, conclusions, there is at least that one thing: "I think, therefore I am." So he wants to start on the same basis, by wiping away all understanding and knowledge and beginning from the objects themselves, and reducing from those things, the essence of those things, to the truth.
Devotee: Isn't that jñāna-yoga?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Devotee: Isn't that the same thing as jñāna-yoga?
Prabhupāda: No. Jñāna-yoga does not think that. Jñāna-yoga means you have to receive jñāna, knowledge, from others.
Philosophy Discussion on Bertrand Russell:
Prabhupāda: That is atomistic. Atom, paramāṇu. And in the Brahmā-saṁhitā the paramāṇu logic is there, atomic theory. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham. So it is not a new discovery. The paramāṇuvāda, atomic theory, is there already.
Śyāmasundara: Well, he seeks to reduce philosophy to the smallest particle, where each individual fact is to be examined.
Prabhupāda: That is not possible. Here is a scientist. He says that atom is divided into protons, (indistinct). That bigger, they do not know how (indistinct) and where it is ended.
Philosophy Discussion on Mao Tse Tung:
Devotee: The antithesis is there in his teaching. He defeated his own instruction in his preface. That's what I was trying to... One thing about Mao's Communism in Russia in its relation to the Soviet Communism is that Soviet Russians are finding that the (indistinct) in a commune is going down because the family life is broken up. The children are taken away from the parents. The parents live separately and see one another occasionally. Similarly, it's dropping still more sharply in Red China, Mao's state. So Mao, in an effort to curb back and to reduce things to their natural order, wants to still further dissolve the struc...
Prabhupāda: But we don't accept either Mao or Marx. We don't accept anyone.
Devotee: Why are you discussing them?
Prabhupāda: Discussing to defeat their philosophy. Because their philosophy is accepted in the world, so we are giving the weak points of that philosophy.
Philosophy Discussion on Plato:
Prabhupāda: Pañcayat, in India it was pañcayat. So each man of the village, it is to reduce the responsibility of the state if that small cases, the pañcayat, some of the important men of the village they would sit together, and whatever they will decide, that the state will accept, court will accept. So minimize the responsibility of the court in deciding several cases. So in the India the Pañcayat system is there.
| Page Title: | Reducing (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Matea, Visnu Murti, Partha-sarathi, Rishab |
| Created: | 15 of Jul, 2008 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=146, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 146 |