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Star (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

Now the description of that eternal sky... When we speak of sky, because we have material conception of the sky, therefore we think of sky with sun, moon, stars, like that. But the Lord says that the eternal sky, there is no need of sun. Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6). Neither in that eternal sky there is need of moon. Na pāvakaḥ means neither there is necessity of electricity or fire for illuminating because the spiritual sky is already illuminated by the brahma-jyotir. Brahmajyoti, yasya prabhā (Bs. 5.40), the rays of the supreme abode. Now in these days when people are trying to reach other planets, it is not very difficult to understand the abode of the Supreme Lord. The abode of the Supreme Lord is in the spiritual sky, and it is named as Goloka.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

Avyakta means nonmanifested. Even the part of material world is not manifested before us. Our senses are so imperfect that we cannot see how many stars, how many planets there are in this material universe. Of course, through the Vedic literature we get information of all the planets. We may believe or not believe, but all the important planets in which we have connection, they are described in the Vedic literature, especially in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But the spiritual world, which is beyond this material sky, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo (BG 8.20), but that avyakta, that nonmanifested spiritual sky, is the paramāṁ gatim, that is, one should desire, one should hanker after reaching that supreme kingdom. And once approaching that supreme kingdom, yaṁ prāpya, one approaching or one achieving that supreme kingdom, na nivartante, one hasn't got to return back to this material world. And that place which is the eternal abode of Lord, that from where we haven't got to return, that is our, that should be our... (break) Now a question may be raised, what is the way how to approach the supreme abode of the Lord.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

The brahmavādī, paramātmavādī and the devotees. In spiritual sky or in the brahma-jyotir there are spiritual planets, innumerable spiritual planets, we have already discussed. And the number of those planets are far, far greater than all the universes of this material world. This material world is ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). This is one-fourth part manifestation of the whole creation. Three-fourths part of the creation is the spiritual world and in the one-fourth part of this creation there are millions of universes like this which we are experiencing at the present moment. And in one universe there are millions and billions of planets. So there are millions and billions of suns and stars and moons in all this material world, but all this material world constitute only one-fourth manifestation of the whole creation. The three-fourths manifestation is in the spiritual sky. Now, this mad-bhāvam, one who desires to merge into the existence of the Supreme Brahman, they merge in the brahma-jyotir of the Supreme Lord.

Lecture on BG 1.24-25 -- London, July 20, 1973:

That is the abode of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-dhāma. Kṛṣṇa-dhāma. People are searching after God. But actually there is the planet where God lives, Kṛṣṇa lives. But you have got your machine, aeroplane, sputnik. You can reach there, but you cannot reach even the highest planet, even on this material planet, material universe. Everyone sees. We see the stars or planets. Now you have got the machine; you go there. No. You cannot go. You are so limited. Even you cannot go to the moon planet, which is so nearest. You cannot go. But still, we are proud of our these airplanes, sputniks. We are thinking, "Now we have become God." These rascals they do not know what is God. They are all rascals. They have no idea what is God. Therefore they have accepted another rascal as God. This is going on. You cannot reach. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām, so 'pyasti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve (Bs. 5.34). Śāstra gives you. Just like your material science also gives you information that there is one planet, highest planet, and one can go there by sputnik in forty thousands of years. So who is going to live forty thousand years to reach there? But they have got theoretically all these things. The highest planet. Material. That is not spiritual.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

Madhudviṣa: He is saying that in your teachings you say the sun is the only self-illuminous body in the universe, whereas the scientists say that there is many millions of stars that are in the sky that are also self-illuminous.

Prabhupāda: No. We say that there are innumerable universes. We say.

Man (2): But in this particular universe, we're talking about.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe, and koṭi means millions. So there are millions and millions of universes, and in each universe there are millions and millions of planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). And each planet is differently constituted. The atmosphere of each planet is different from another. This is God's creation. Now as there are innumerable universes, there may be innumerable suns also.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

Prabhupāda: Just try to understand. Because there are innumerable universes and in each and every universe there is a sun, there is a moon, there is Venus, everything. So under the circumstances, as we accept innumerable universes, automatically we accept innumerable suns. So where is the difference between the astrologer and our...

Man (2): The astronomers also accept that there are innumerable universes and they say that in each one they have millions and millions of self-luminous stars, and in this one also, but you say that in this one there is only the sun.

Prabhupāda: But do you think that I have to accept the astronomers blindly?

Man (2): Well, they say...

Prabhupāda: No. Why? Why? If there are innumerable suns, why they are not present at night? Why you are suffering from want of one sun?

Man (2): Because we are much further away from the others than our particular one.

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

Just like you see one airplane is flying in the air, and when it goes too far, it appears that it has disappeared. It seems to us that there is no more that airplane. It has mixed with the sky. But actually it is not. It is still there, individual existence. It is my ignorance that I see that it is no more separate, it has mixed with the sky. Just like in the daytime we don't find any star in the sky. Due to the dazzling sunshine, we cannot see any stars. At night, we can see millions of stars, there are. Similarly, that is the impersonalism and personalism. One whose knowledge is not perfect, they think imperson, everything homogeneous. And one whose knowledge is perfect... Vedas also confirm it... Just like in the Īśopaniṣad, there is a verse in which it is stated that "Please withdraw Your effulgence so that I can see Your real face." Just like the sun globe.

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

So we have to see through the authorized books the description which is beyond our perception. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet. Tarkeṇa, by argument, which is beyond your sense perception. So many things. Even we see daily so many planets, stars in the sky, but we have no information. They are going directly to see the moon planet, but hopelessly coming back. It is very doubtful to say so. And they have got dogmatic impression: "Except this planet, in other planets, so many, there is no life." These are not perfect understanding. From śāstra-yoni, if you want to see through the śāstra... Just like moon planet. We have got information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that there, the people, they live for ten thousands of years. And what is that measurement of year? Our six months equal to their one day. Now such ten thousands of years, just imagine. It is called daiva-varṣa. Daiva-varṣa means year according to the demigods' calculation. Just like Brahmā's day, that is demigods' calculation. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). We have got information from Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that they calculate the years of the demigods. Everyone's year is calculated.

Lecture on BG 2.51-55 -- New York, April 12, 1966:

"God is great," as in your English language it is said, and nobody can be greater than Him or equal to Him. That is the position of God. Now here, Arjuna, he accepts Kṛṣṇa and he says that "You are Paraṁ Brahman." Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12). Dhāma means in which everything rests. We are resting, everything is resting. Just like... This is scientific and practical, you know, that the innumerable planets that the, that you can see at night as, I mean to say, luminaries, stars in the sky, each and every one of them, more or less, they are all different kinds of planets. But do you know how they are floating in the space? They are floating on the sunshine, on the sun rays. They are floating. That you can see. Similarly, the sunshine is the imitation of the brahma-jyotir that is coming out of the body of the Supreme Lord. So everything is resting on the shine of the Supreme Lord. Therefore He is called paraṁ dhāma. Paraṁ dhāma means "everything resting on You." Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitram (BG 10.12). Pavitram. Pavitram means uncontaminated.

Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:

We have got many necessities of life, not only grains. We require cotton for clothing. We require silk for luxury. We require valuable stones and jewels. All these are produced under certain circumstances of rain. Rain is falling on the sea and the ocean also. So there is purpose. Under certain constellation of the star, if the rain falls on the sea, it produces pearls and jewels. We have got this information from Vedic literature. So everything is produced, whatever you require.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

But you read Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you understand immediately what is this moon planet. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. Śaśī means this moon planet. You immediately understand that this moon planet is one of the stars. Just like the constitutional position of other stars, you understand the moon is like that. And they are searching after whether in the moon planet there is life or not, there is living condition or not. But you open Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you'll find the description of the moon planet, how they are living, what is the constitution of the living creatures there. The soma-rasa, you have heard this word. The soma-rasa is beverage in the moon planet. So everything is there. And who can go there, and how one can go there. So this is perfect knowledge, to hear from the authorities.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- New York, April 8, 1973:

Living entities are part and parcel of God. Suppose God is the big fire and living entities are just like sparks. The sparks, they are also fire. Sparks also, if one spark falls on your body, on your garment, it burns. But it is not as powerful as the big fire. Similarly, God is all powerful. God is great. We are part and parcel of God. Therefore, our greatness is very, very small, infinitesimal. God is great. Therefore, He has created so many universes. We cannot account for even one universe. This one universe which we see, the sky, the dome, within that sky, outer space, there are millions and trillions of stars, planets. They're floating. Floating in the air. Everyone knows.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:

So all we living entities, those who are within this material world... There are so many. Just like you can see so many planets. In each and every planets and stars there are living entities. Sarva-ga. Don't think that only God has favored this planet full with living entities and others are simply empty showbottle. That is not the fact. They do not know it. They have no perfect knowledge. They say that only this earthly planet is full of living entities. No. Everywhere. That description you'll get from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto. There is vivid description of all the planets and what kind of living entities are there. So some of them are described in this Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 26, 1968:

It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our senses are imperfect always. Even we cannot understand perfectly the material world. Just like we have seen so many planets and stars in the sky at night, but we do not know what they are. We do not know even what is this moon planet. We are trying for so many years, trying to go there in sputnik and... Even one planet. Even we do not know what varieties are there even in this planet. If you go on the sea, if you go on the sky, you are perfectly illusioned. So our knowledge is always imperfect. That we must admit. Foolishly, if we think we have acquired all sorts of knowledge, we have advanced in science, this is another foolishness. It is not possible. So when it is not possible to understand even the material things which we are daily seeing with our eyes and perception, what to speak of spiritual? And the Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the Supreme spiritual form. So it is not possible for us to understand Kṛṣṇa by our limited senses. Then why we are bothering so much for Kṛṣṇa consciousness if it is not possible?

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975:

Everyone is thinking that "I am something. I am..." Kartāham iti manyate. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. This false ego. This ego means false ego. And there is pure ego. That pure ego is ahaṁ brahmāsmi, and the false ego: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am this," "I am that." This is false ego, ahaṅkāra. So at the present moment... Not at the present, always, we are surrounded by all these things. That is our beginning of philosophy: wherefrom this land came? Wherefrom this water came? Wherefrom the fire came? That is natural inquiry. Wherefrom the sky came? How the stars are situated, so many millions and millions? So these are the inquiries of the intelligent person. That is the beginning of philosophical life. Therefore those who are thoughtful human being, gradually they are inquisitive of understanding the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:

Now, how this illumination is coming? Originally, in the spiritual sky, just like the sun has the shining force which we call sunshine, similarly in the, from the kingdom of God, there is a shining which is called brahma-jyotir. The brahma-jyotir is reflected by the sun; the moon is reflected by the sun. I mean to say, sun is reflection of brahma-jyotir, and moon is reflection of the sun. Everyone, you know, the stars, glittering stars, they are also reflection of the sun. Similarly, this electricity is also reflection of sun. The diamond, the jewels, everything, that is reflection of sun. (some outside radio noise) That's all right. So Kṛṣṇa says, prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. Śaśi. Śaśi means the moon, and sūrya... Sūrya means the sun. And in the spiritual world there is no need of sun and moon. Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6). In the spiritual world there is no need of sun, there is no need of moon, there is no need of electricity. Because in the spiritual sky everything is illuminated, so there is no need. So we can remember God, or Kṛṣṇa, when you see some illuminating property.

Lecture on BG 7.18 -- New York, October 12, 1966:

So they have been analyzed into three groups. Although they are many, still, they have been put into three groups. What are they? The first are the impersonalists, brahmavādīs. Impersonal Brahman. Just like the same example: In the sunshine your eyes are dazzled. You do not see. If you go little over this planet, earth planet, by aeroplane, and if there is full sunshine, you don't see anything except sunshine. But that does not mean there is nothing beyond sunshine. But my eyes are dazzled by the sunshine. Just like in during daytime you do not find the stars due to the dazzling sunshine, but you don't think that because you do not see the planets or stars during daytime, they are vanquished, there is nothing. No. Similarly, those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth, they first of all realize that brahma-jyotir. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, about that brahma-jyotir, brahmaṇaḥ ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā. Just like the sunshine.

Lecture on BG 8.15-20 -- New York, November 17, 1966:

Now, it is not possible to understand this, these things, by experimental knowledge, just like although you are seeing by microscope and other instrument, astronomical instruments, there are millions and millions of stars—actually you are seeing—but you cannot approach. Your senses, your means, are so insufficient that you cannot approach. What to speak of other planets, you cannot approach even the moon planet, which is the nearest. So just try to understand how much incapable you are. So being incapable, don't try to understand God and God's kingdom by experimental knowledge. This is foolishness. It is not possible. You have to understand by hearing Bhagavad-gītā. And there is no other way. Just the same example: you cannot understand who is your father by experimental knowledge. You have to simply believe your mother. Similarly, you have to believe this Bhagavad-gītā. Then you can get all this information. There is no possibility of experimental knowledge.

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

Now, this verse we have been discussing from the last day. There is another nature, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ. Bhāva means nature, and para, para means superior. So there is another, superior nature, avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Vyakta means what you see manifested. Now, this material universe you are seeing manifested... Practically not seeing, but at least at night we can see how the stars are twinkling, so many planets innumerable. This is manifested. And beyond that manifestation there is covering of the universe. Vyakta-avyakta. And beyond that avyakta there is another, material nature, er, spiritual nature...

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

So in that spiritual planet, puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha, there is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the spiritual planet there are... Just like you see here millions of planets or stars within this universe. This universe is a small particle only. There are many universes like this. And in the spiritual sky there are three... This is only one-fourth manifestation of the planets. There are other. Three-fourth is there in the spiritual sky. That information is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). So each and every spiritual planet, there is expansion of Kṛṣṇa, and they are differently named. In that picture we will find, our Bhāgavata. Innumerable. So puruṣa. They are all puruṣa. Puruṣa means the person.

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Melbourne, April 21, 1976:

Yes, astrology. Astrology. There is planetary system. It is the Vedic system. You can see at night. The whole planetary system is moving like this, bunch of tree. And in Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham (BG 15.1). This, it is just like a big tree, and the root is upwards and the branches and fruits downwards. This is the... The Pole Star is the center of this root of this planetary system. So you read our books, Fifth Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You will get full description.

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

There are... Material world means there are innumerable universes. Just like you cannot count the stars and planets. Every day you are seeing, at least at night you see, but can you count it? No, that is not possible. So this is only one universe, the universe in which our planet, this earthly planet is situated. It is tiny planet. Out of many millions of planets this is one. So we cannot even calculate this one planet. In which portion, which direction, which country is there, how many population, what is there. We have no calculation. This is God's creation. Anything you take... You cannot count even your hair. You claim, "This is my hair." Can you count it? No. That is God's creation. Everywhere God is present and everything is innumerable, beyond our counting capacity.

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

Similarly, the supreme sun is Kṛṣṇa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). He has got... Just like the sun has shining, similarly—try to understand—God has got His effulgence, bodily shining. That is called brahma-jyotir. When the brahma-jyotir is there innumerable universes are generated. Therefore he is cause of all creation. It doesn't require to manufacture each and every universe. He is so powerful that in His effulgence, in His shining, innumerable universes are created. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). In each universe there are many millions and millions of stars and planets.

Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967:

And maharṣayaḥ. Maharṣayaḥ means that seven great sages. Their planet is near the Pole Star. You have seen it that like asking questions, seven stars. So these stars are different planets for different great sages. They also do not know.

Lecture on BG 13.18 -- Bombay, October 12, 1973:

Vibhūti-bhinnam. Each planet has got different atmosphere. Therefore these people, they cannot understand what is the atmosphere. They understand. Some scientists, they say the atmosphere in the moon planet is two hundred degrees below zero. So there are difference of scientists' opinion, but according to Vedic literature we understand that there are innumerable planets, and one of the planets is the moon planet. Nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. Nakṣatrāṇām: "Among the stars and planets," Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the moon."

Lecture on BG 13.35 -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

Similarly, if we work just like animals, then we are degraded more and more downwards. Tala, Atala, Talātala, Pātāla, like that. There are planetary systems, and similarly, there are higher planetary system. You can see every day. Each and every star means they are different planetary system. So according to your work, you are promoted or degraded or you keep here.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hawaii, February 3, 1975:

Direct perception is speculation. Dr. Frog. Dr. Frog is speculating what is Atlantic Ocean. He is in the well, three feet well, and some friend inform him, "Oh, I have seen vast water." "What is that vast water?" "Atlantic Ocean." "How big it is?" "Very, very big." So the Dr. Frog is thinking, "Maybe four feet. This well is three feet. It may be four feet. All right, five feet. Come on, ten feet." So in this way, speculating, how the frog, Dr. Frog, will understand Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean? Can you estimate the length and breadth of the Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, by speculation? So by speculation, you cannot have. They are speculating so many years about this universe, how many stars are there, what is the length and breadth, where is the... Nobody knows anything even of the material world, and what to speak of the spiritual world? That is beyond, far beyond.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 17, 1971:

As soon as you go a little high up, say, twenty-five miles above, you cannot see your city. It is all finished. Similarly, there are so many cities in the stars and planets, upwards. So many universes, so many seas, mountains, skyscraper, houses, we cannot see. Because in the universe these are all simply insignificant particles only. So if in this insignificant particle there are so many state laws, you just imagine to manage this universal affair, the Supreme Lord, how much laws and regulation must be there. Who can deny it? Deny means he's a rascal. But intelligent man will understand that if in a small place there are so many rules and regulations, and in so big place, so universal—aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu—there are laws.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Chicago, July 4, 1974 :

Then ādyam īśvaram, how it is? Now prakṛteḥ param, beyond this material nature. You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā this verse, paraḥ tasmāt bhāvaḥ anyaḥ: "There is another nature." Just like you have seen within your vision the big, I mean to say, horizon, and there within this there are millions and millions of stars, sun, suns and planets we cannot account for, although you are seeing daily. But we have no such knowledge; we cannot account for them. We are so minute. Still we are thinking, "Where is God? I am God." So, Kṛṣṇa is not that kind of God, imaginative. He is real God. Therefore He is prakṛteḥ param. Prakṛteḥ means this cosmic manifestation, beyond that. He is creator of this. God is creator of this cosmic manifestation.

Lecture on SB 1.8.31 -- Los Angeles, April 23, 1973:

So what to speak of Kṛṣṇa, even this material object. They're trying to go to the Moon planet. Actually they do not know what it is. Actually. Then why they're coming back? If they knew it perfectly, what it is, then they would have resided there by this time. They are trying for the last twenty years. Simply they are seeing: "Not this. There is no living entities. There is no possibility of our living there." So many "Nos." And what is yes? No, they do not know. And this is only one planet or one star. The moon planet is taken as star.

The scientists, they say the stars are all suns, but according to our information, in the Bhagavad-gītā: nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. Śaśī means the moon is just like so many stars. So what is the position of the moon? Moon is bright being reflection of the sun. So according to our calculation the sun is one. But the modern scientists say that there are so many suns, the stars. We don't agree. This is only one universe. There are many suns, innumerable, but in each and every sun, every universe, there is one sun, not many. So this universe, what we are experiencing, experiencing by seeing imperfectly... We do not know. We cannot count how many stars are there, how many planets are there. It is impossible. So the material things which is before us, still we are unable to count, to understand, and what to speak of the Supreme Lord who created this universe? That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 1.8.39 -- Los Angeles, May 1, 1973:

Everything looks beautiful when one is related with something in very intimate relation. Just like at night the sky becomes beautiful when there is moon. Everyone can understand. The sky becomes... The sky is there. Vast sky, at night. But on the full-moon night, when the moon is there and the stars are there brilliantly, it looks very nice. Similarly, the state looks very nice if there is good government, good king, good president. Then everyone is happy, everything going on nicely. Similarly, nārīṇāṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ patiḥ. A girl looks very beautiful... Girls are naturally beautiful. But she looks very beautiful when she has got a husband. Nārīṇāṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ patiḥ. And vidyā sarvasya bhūṣaṇam. But if a person, however ugly he may be, if he's a learned scholar, that is his beauty.

Lecture on SB 1.8.41 -- Los Angeles, May 3, 1973:

Next evolution is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. You read carefully. What is that evolution? Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). Now the next evolution is, if you want to go to the higher planetary system, you can go. But they cannot know, they do not know what are these higher planetary systems. They, we see, every night, there are so many planets, stars, but from the śāstra we can understand that the higher planetary system means the material comforts available there, many, many times more than in this planet. You live in this planet, at most, for one hundred years. But in the higher planetary system you can live which you cannot calculate. Just like Brahmā's life, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Brahmā's twelve hours even you cannot calculate with your mathematical figures. But one has to die. Nobody can live permanently within this..., even if you have got a long duration of life.

Lecture on SB 1.10.4 -- Mayapura, June 19, 1973:

So kāmaṁ parjanyaḥ, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Whatever you get, all the necessities of your life will be available if there is sufficient rain. Because after all, the earth produces... This is the system. There is rainfall, proper rainfall, and the earth produces. Not only food grains. Also jewels also, produced. Those who are astronomers, they know. Under certain constellation of the star, if the rain falls on the head of a snake, there is jewel. If the rain falls on the head of an elephant, there is jewel. Then in the sea also, the pearls, they are produced. It is all due to rains. So kāmaṁ vavarṣa. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa. We require so many things. Kṛṣṇa is prepared also to supply. Nature is there. But even Kṛṣṇa wants to supply, if you do not become devotee, nature will restrict, "No." That is the proof. When there was less supply... The Mahārāja Pṛthu wanted to kill Pṛthivī. She explained that "Why you are after me? It is my duty. Now there are only demons. I don't want to give food to the demons. I want to give foodstuff to the devotees." She said. So nature's restriction of supply will be there when people become demons, nondevotees. When people become demons, then nature will stop supply. There will be famine, pestilence. This is the way.

Lecture on SB 1.15.1 -- New York, November 29, 1973:

This is the cause. So try to preach this cult. But not that everyone will accept, but even a few percent, one percent of the whole population accept. Just like in the sky, there is one moon only and there are millions of stars. They're useless. What is the value of the millions of stars? But one moon, oh, dissipate the whole darkness of night. Similarly, at least those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you become, each of you become a moon and enlighten the world. These so-called glow-worms, they'll not be able to do anything. That's a fact. Don't remain a glow-worm. Just become a sun and moon. Then you will..., people will be happy, you will be happy.

Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:

The potency, you can understand. Just like from the fire you have got two potencies: heat and light. Nobody can deny it. Similarly, as fire is placed in one place but it expands its potencies heat and light... That is within our experience. It is not very difficult. Similarly, the sun also... Everyone can see that the sun planet is a big planet, the biggest planet. Or star, as somebody says. Whatever it may be, it is lying in one corner of the sky. But it expands its potency throughout the universe. The sunshine is distributed all over the sky, all over the planetary system. And similarly, heat also. We are feeling 99,000,000 miles away... Is that ninety-nine miles? What is that? Scientists say?

Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:

We take our birth and we accept our death not independently. We are under the another potency. We are also one potency. The potency... There are... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Those potencies have been divided into three. Multi, but roughly, they have been divided into three. One is called internal potency, one is called the external potency, and one is called the marginal potency. So the external potency means this material world. The whole material universe—so many universes, so many planets, stars, skies, and everything—these are the demonstration of the external potency. And similarly, there is the spiritual world. Spiritual world. That we cannot see. That is not within our experience. But we get it from the śāstra. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). Kṛṣṇa says, "There is another nature." Paras tasmāt. "This material nature, beyond that there is another nature." Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That is eternal. This material nature is not eternal. Just like your body, my body, it is not eternal, similarly, this gigantic body of universe, that is also not eternal. It has a date of creation, and it has a date for dissolution. That is the nature. Therefore it is said that "That material nature is sanātana. That is never created; neither it is annihilated."

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

This material world is devī-dhāma, under the... You have seen the picture of Durgā. So material nature is also devī, devī-dhāma. And maheśa-dhāma. Above this, there is maheśa-dhāma, the region of Lord Śiva. Devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu. Then the Vaikuṇṭhas. And the topmost is kṛṣṇa-dhāma. That dhāma, or that universal system, that is very, very big, many times. This material universe is considered one fourth creation. It is one... Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "This material world is one fourth creation of God." And the three-fourth creation is the spiritual world. Just imagine. This material world, this universe, which you are seeing, the big sky, dome, this is one universe. That is also stated. We get all this information from Vedic literature. This universe is only one single universe, and there are so many planets, stars. These are all stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe, and koṭi means millions, 100,000 one hundred times.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

So yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means this one universe, and aṇḍa... Aṇḍa means egg. Therefore it is called jagad-aṇḍa, "egglike, round." We are within the egg. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). There are millions of eggslike clustered together. This is material world. Millions, not one. And each universe... Koṭiṣu vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. In each universe there are millions and trillions of stars and planets. Koṭiṣu vibhūti-bhinnam. And each one of them is different from the other. Just like you are going to, trying to go to the moon planet, but you cannot stay there because the atmosphere is different. Everything is there. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣu vasudhādi (Bs. 5.40). Vasudhā means planets. This is also called vasudhā, this planet. So just imagine what insignificant this vasudhā in comparison to the whole material world. There are millions of universes, and in each and every universe there are millions and trillions of the stars and planets. This is the whole creation of material world. And taking them together, this is one-fourth creation of God. The three-fourths creation is the spiritual world, and in that spiritual world, the topmost planet is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is the place of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Paris, June 11, 1974:

The material world means innumerable universes are coming out through the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Innumerable universes. We cannot account for one universe in which we are. There are innumerable planets. Everyone has experience in stars and planets. This is one universe. And such universes are coming out, millions, through the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu. When He exhales, they come out. When He inhales, they go within. That is the creation and not creation. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā... (Bs. 5.48)

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

So these Vedas is considered as the desire tree, means any kind of knowledge you want, it is complete there perfectly, any kind, either spiritual or material, any department of knowledge. And that is called desire tree. All kinds of knowledge, you can achieve from the Vedic language. There is Dhanur-veda, Āyur-veda, Jyotir-veda and all kinds. Veda means knowledge. So for military art, if you want to consult Vedic literature, you will get complete information, perfect. Similarly, Jyotir-veda. Jyoti means the luminaries in the sky, the stars. You can get. We are trying to go to the moon planet and wasting our time and energy, but if you consult Vedas, you get full information of the moon planet, sun planet or any other planet. There are millions and millions of trillions of planets. You can get all, Brahmaloka, up to the topmost planet. Jyotir-veda. That is called Jyotir-veda. And the Dhanur-veda. Āyur-veda. Āyuḥ means duration of life. And nobody wants to be diseased. So that means medical science. That is also fully there.

Lecture on SB 2.1.6 -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

An interesting story has been described by our Satsvarūpa Mahārāja in the Back to Godhead: The learned scholar and the boatman. The boatman... In Bengal there are many rivers, and so people generally transport by boat service. So a learned scholar from Calcutta, say, was going home in the village on a boat, and he was very happy. So he was asking the boatman, "My dear boatman, do you know what are these stars, this astronomy, how they are working?" "No, sir, I do not know." "Oh, your life is twenty-five percent lost. You do not know anything." Then after some time, "You know the geology, how this earth, water, they are working?" "No, sir, I am poor man. What can I know?" "Oh, your fifty percent of your life is lost." Then all of a sudden there was a cloud, black cloud on the sky, and there was storm. Then at that time the boatman asked, "Sir, do you know how to swim?" "No, I do not know." "Then one hundred percent you have lost.(laughter) You are going to be drowned." He jumped and he drowned.

Lecture on SB 2.9.3 -- Melbourne, April 5, 1972:

Practical application means that this "I" and "mine," it is all misconception. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. I am His servant. When I say "I," "I" means "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa." And if I say "my, mine, Kṛṣṇa is mine. I am Kṛṣṇa's, Kṛṣṇa is mine." That is perfect "I" and "mine." "I am Brahman, I am God, I am the Supreme, I am moving the stars"—just like these rascals, they think like that—that is rascaldom. There are so many rascals, they think like that, meditate, "I am the Supreme, I am moving the star. I am moving the sun. It is being controlled by me." That is their meditation. That is explained there. That is their meditation. Is it not? Does not somebody meditate like that? They do not take actual, whether actually he is able to move the sun and moon, but foolishly thinking like that. They are taught that "If you simply think like that, then one day you will become." How impractical proposition.

Lecture on SB 2.9.10 -- Tokyo, April 26, 1972:

So this is the description, beginning, just to get an idea of the spiritual world. Unless we go there... Just like we have come to Japan. We are getting direct experience. But before coming here, from books and literature and maps—it is an example—we can get some information, what is Japan. Similarly, the spiritual world, what is that spiritual world, in other places, in Upaniṣad also describes. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, this description, na tad bhāsayate sūryo na candro na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6). There is no need of sunlight, moonlight, what to speak of the stars, neither na pāvakaḥ, neither electricity. Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na candro na pāvakaḥ. Here in this material world we cannot see things without sunlight, moonlight or electricity. We are proud of our eyes, but as soon as there is no light... Now there is sunlight; we can see very nicely. The spiritual world is not like that. There is no need of sunlight, moonlight or electricity. The first impression is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Similarly here also, pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ, na..., na pravartate. What is the meaning?

Lecture on SB 2.9.10 -- Tokyo, April 26, 1972:

Pradyumna: "The kingdom of God or the atmosphere of Vaikuṇṭha nature, which is called the tripād-vibhūti, is three times bigger than the material universes and is described here as also in the Bhagavad-gītā, in a nutshell. This universe, containing billions of stars and planets, is one of the billions of such universes clustered together within the compass of mahat-tattva. And all these millions and billions of universes combined together constitute only one-fourth of the magnitude of the whole creation of the Lord. There is the spiritual sky also. Beyond this sky the spiritual planets are there under the names of Vaikuṇṭha, and all of them constitute three-fourths of the entire creation of the Lord. God's creations are always innumerable. Even leaves of a tree cannot be counted by a man, nor the hairs on his head. However, foolish men are puffed up with the idea of becoming God himself, although unable to create a hair of their own bodies."

Prabhupāda: So I have protested this false God consciousness in all my purports. That is my business, to punish all these rascals. You see? I become very much angry, anyone says before me, "I am God, he is God, everyone..." I cannot control myself. (laughter) Yes. I am so obstinate enemy of these rascals. I want to kick them on their face, but it is incivility. It becomes... But I want to kick them. It will be my pleasure. Never mind I go to hell.

Lecture on SB 3.25.8 -- Bombay, November 8, 1974:

There is another world, but what the scientists have got information? They have no information, sufficient information of this material world. But there is another world, another nature. This nature, we can, although we cannot reach, there are millions and trillions of stars glittering in the evening. We can see simply. Simply we can see. We cannot go even to the moon star. Moon is also a star, nearest star. That's all. Similarly, all these stars, they are like moon. Nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. Kṛṣṇa says, nakṣatrāṇām. They are nakṣatra. The nakṣatra, the modern science, they say they are all suns. No. They are like moon, glittering. If we have to believe our śāstra. Nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. So we cannot even go to the nearest planet, nearest star, and what to speak of going beyond? Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). The spiritual, there is spiritual sky, paravyoma. That is called paravyoma. This is called material vyoma, and... The vyoma means ākāśa.

Lecture on SB 3.26.44 -- Bombay, January 19, 1975:

So similarly, in the laboratory, if a scientist can produce a life some way or other, so they will go and see and give him clap. Just like this airplane is flying in the air. Little discrepancy is immediately crash down. So he is getting so much credit, and the scientists also saying, "There is no need of God. Now we have solved all the questions." But nobody is giving credit to Kṛṣṇa who is floating millions and trillions of stars and planets in the air. So by taking Kṛṣṇa's stock, the petroleum or gas, we become scientist and fly the airplane, and Kṛṣṇa has given the petrol, and He has no credit. He has no credit. That is the difference between demons and bhakta. A bhakta sees in everything presence of Kṛṣṇa. "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa's energy is there. Here is nice taste. Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa." Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8).

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

There are millions and trillions of living entities, not only in this universe. There are millions and trillions of universes, and there are millions and trillions of planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). Koṭiṣu, there are innumerable universes, and as you see, experience, within this universe, within this ball-like sky... In the even..., in the night at least, we can see so many twinkling stars. Similarly, there are innumerable universes. And there are innumerable... In each and every universe there are innumerable, these planets. This is called material world. You cannot estimate how many universes are there and how many planets are there. But this is only one-fourth manifestation of God's creation. All these universes taken together, ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42)—this is only one-fourth manifestation. Therefore the Vaikuṇṭha, spiritual world, is called tripāda-vibhūti, three-fourth. This is one fourth. So just imagine. We cannot have any estimation even the one-fourth manifestation of the one-fourth energy of God, and what to speak of the three-fourth energy manifestation, opulence, everything. In the spiritual world the number of living entities are far greater than the number of living entities here in this material world.

Lecture on SB 5.5.35 -- Vrndavana, November 22, 1976:

We can see by practical experience this outer space, the sky. You cannot have any limitation where it is beginning, where is end. Although we can see within our experience, but still, we cannot calculate. In our childhood we used to present a problem before our friends, that eka tala sukuri gunte pare na vyapare (?). Now, one plateful of betel nuts, but nobody can count. The betel nut You can see the sky is within your experience, but how many stars and planets are there, till now nobody has been able to count. It is unlimited. This is only one universe. There are millions and millions, universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagadaṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Within the brahma-jyotir there are innumerable koṭi, jagadaṇḍa-koṭi. And some of the portion is called material; some portion is called spiritual sky, paravyoma. But the whole spiritual and material sky is full of different planets, and each planet is full of living entities. Janakirna. This very word is used, janakirna, not vacant as these rascals are calculating that it is full of dust. (screeching noise—aside:) What is that? It is full of dust and rocks. (sounds of children playing) (aside:) Ask them to be... Nothing is full of dust. Dust is there, as well as living entities are also there. Janakirna. This is God's creation.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Nellore, January 5, 1976:

At the end of the Fifth Chapter, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has given description of the hellish planets. You have seen in the sky. There are millions and millions of stars or planets, and they are divided into three groups. Everything is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). (break) ...sattva-sthāḥ, meaning that those who are in the sattva-guṇa, modes of goodness, they are promoted to the higher planetary system. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasaḥ: "Those who are under the influence of passion, they remain in the middle planetary system." And those who are in the lowest grade of tamo-guṇa, adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, after hearing the pitiable condition of persons in the hellish planets, he became sympathetic. Therefore he is putting the statement before Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Adhuneha mahā-bhāga yathaiva narakān naraḥ: "My dear sir, you have described about the hellish condition of the suffering persons. Now kindly give me any enlightenment how they can be delivered."

Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:

So the one word is very significant in this connection: graha-grasto vicetasaḥ. Graha-grasto means ghostly haunted or influenced by bad star, graha-grasto. Sometimes we become... We are always graha-grasto in this material world. It is said by some Vaiṣṇava poet, piśāci pāile yena mati-cchana haya māyār graṣṭa jīvera sei dāsa upajaya. Piśāci, ghostly haunted or inspired by the witches, when one becomes so, mati-cchana, he becomes bewildered and his intelligence becomes scattered. Mati-cchana. That is the condition of all living entities within this material world in different degrees. Everyone is ghostly haunted. And what is that ghostly haunted? That ghostly haunted, tan-nimitta-smara-vyāja. This Ajāmila had seen one śūdra and one śūdrāṇī were embracing, kissing, laughing, enjoying in lusty affairs. So he became tan-nimitta. By seeing these activities of the śūdra and the śūdrāṇī, naturally the lusty desire is there, which I explained yesterday. It is called hṛd-roga-kāma. This kāma, lusty desire, is a heart disease. So he was infected by the heart disease by seeing the scene, that one woman and man is embracing kissing, immediately.

Lecture on SB 6.2.17 -- Vrndavana, September 20, 1975:

He went to the forest to undergo severe austerities so that he can see Nārāyaṇa and beg some benefit, to get a greater kingdom than his father. He was insulted by his stepmother, so the boy, son of a kṣatriya, he determined that "I shall have a better kingdom than my father." So he got it. By Kṛṣṇa's grace he got it, that Dhruvaloka, the polestar. It is very big star. So he went for this purpose. Arthārthī. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino arjuna. Arthārthī. Ārto arthārthī. So he was in search after money, Dhruva Mahārāja, and therefore at five years old he went to the forest. His mother advised that "Kṛṣṇa can help you only." Others cannot help. So he was simple boy. He decided, "Where is Kṛṣṇa?" "Now, my dear child, I know that He is found in the forest." So he went to the forest, and he very severely Nārada Muni tried to persuade him, "No, no, you are simply a small child. Why you are so much infected with the insult given by your stepmother?" So he said, "No, I don't want your advice. If you can give me God, just talk of that.

Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:

When people become mlecchas... Mleccha means not following the Vedic principles. Those who are following the Vedic principles, they are classified guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), in four divisions. And beyond these four divisions, who are less than śūdras, they are called mlecchas and yavanas and caṇḍālas. Their behavior is so abominable that they cannot be accepted as civilized man. Civilized man, not by so-called material advancement. Civilized man is this four division of society—brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras. That is civilized society. Where there is no such division, everyone is a śūdra, that is not a civilized form of society. At the present moment the whole world is... (break)

Drakṣye tan-nabhita-susta-māyā sattva-pradhāna api kim tato me. Anye ca ye vrsyasi yo maresa bhrgradayaḥ spṛṣṭa-rajas-tamasya sapta-pradhāna..., drakṣye hi tam na viduḥ spṛṣṭa-māyā sattva-pradhāna api kim tato 'smi.(?) Bhṛgv-ādayaḥ. There are seven ṛṣis headed by Bhṛgu: Bhṛgu, Vasiṣṭha, Ātreya, like that. There are seven great ṛṣis. The seven planets you see on the northern side, they are supposed to be their abodes, bhṛgv-ādayaḥ, centering Dhruvaloka, the polestar. You have seen the seven stars? What is called?

Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:

Devotee: It's called the Little Dipper. Seven-star formation?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Like that.

Devotee: Box and then one thing going up?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: That's the Dipper.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Seven star in the northern pole, center being the polestar. It is moving whole night.

Guest: Saptarṣi-maṇḍala.

Prabhupāda: Saptarṣi-maṇḍala, yes. That saptarṣi-maṇḍala is the abode of great seven ṛṣis. So here it is said, Yamarāja says, "Even the seven ṛṣis..." They are controlling the affairs, like the demigods, and they are brāhmaṇas amongst the demigods, the great sages. The demigods, some of them are brāhmaṇas, some of them are kṣatriyas, exactly in the same way. So this bhṛgv-ādayaḥ ṛṣis, they are brāhmaṇas. Sattva-guṇa-pradhānāḥ. Sattva-pradhānāḥ. They are standing on the modes of goodness. So... And they are viśva-sṛjo 'mareśāḥ. Amara. Amara means the demigods. They are supposed to be amara in our calculation. Just like Brahmā. We cannot calculate his duration of life. His duration of life is so long that it is beyond our calculation.

Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:

The Lord's effulgence is Brahman effulgence. Within that Brahman effulgence there are innumerable universes, jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means this brahmāṇḍa. Aṇḍa. It is round; it is not flat. Aṇḍa, just like egg. Koṭi. Koṭi means innumerable. And in each universe... Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi koṭiṣv aṣeṣa-vasudhādi (Bs. 5.40). In each brahmāṇḍa there are unlimited number of planets and stars, aśeṣa-vasudha. And vibhūti-bhinnam. And each planet is differently situated. Each planet has got specific atmosphere, specific arrangement. Just like the sun globe. The sun globe is fiery. The moon, moon planet, it is very pleasing. There is also fire, but it is surrounded by cold atmosphere; therefore it is very pleasing. So vibhūti-bhinnam. Each every planet has got different atmosphere. And each and every planet, there are different kinds of living entities just suitable for that atmosphere. Don't think that in the sun planet there is no life. There is also life. If there is no life, how Kṛṣṇa says that imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1)? Vivasvate means... The king of sun planet is known as Vivasvān. So Kṛṣṇa spoke with him, so how you can say there is no life? This is material world, many millions of universes. In another place it is said, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-bilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48).

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Boston, May 8, 1968:

Vedic mantra says that tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. Paramaṁ padam, the highest perfection of life, is to understand Viṣṇu or God. Tad viṣṇuṁ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. In order to reach that goal, they are always looking after that. Just like in darkness you are walking on the road. The cynosure of the neighboring eyes. You see the stars. Just like in the ocean, the navigators, they look to the Pole Star, that which side they are going. Similarly, our aim should be always to Viṣṇu. Always to Viṣṇu. But unfortunately we are not educated in that way. We are educated in different way. Therefore there is disaster. The same example we can give. If you do not know that the Pole Star, then you may be misdirected. Just like Columbus, he came to America, or many, there are many navigators. If they miss that, misses that Pole Star, then they will be misdirected. Similarly, our human form of life, the aim should be to understand Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. That should be the aim of life. Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. So here also, the same thing, viṣṇu pādopasarpaṇam yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānāṁ priya. Sarva-bhūtānām means all living entities. Priya, that is real dear object. Sarva-bhūtānāṁ priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt. He is the proprietor of my self. He is Superself. Just like I love this body. Why? Because I am the spirit self, or soul is within this body. Therefore just like I love this apartment. Why? Because I live here.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:

Philosophy, any philosophy, er, any science you take, you have to accept some axiomatic truth. Then you go on. But wherefrom the axiomatic truth? Science is discovering some subtle laws of the nature, but who made that law? As soon as you say that "Here is a law which is being carried very nicely," there must be a lawmaker. You have to accept it. The science of astronomy, the planets, the stars, the sun, the moon moving in their orbit very nicely, very perfectly, and accurately—there is law. This is law of nature. You might have discovered—you are great scientist—that under this law, the law of gravitation or this law, that law, so many laws there are. But the background you have to inquire, "Who is the law-maker?" Unless there is law-maker, how there can be law? Take for example your state laws. As soon as you say that this is law, "Keep to the right," you have to accept there is a law-maker under whose direction this law is being carried out nicely. If you don't carry out, then you are punished. Similarly, nature's law is not ultimate.

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 11, 1976:

So this material world, material world means so many planets you see, so many stars and planets, the sun planet, moon planet and loka, sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). This is one universe, and there are millions of universes. Altogether that is material world, and that is one part of creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). The jagat means this material world. So the whole material, ananta koṭi. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). This ananta-koṭi-brahmāṇḍa is only one-fourth manifestation of God's creation, and just imagine what is the other three-fourth, that is spiritual world. So the nitya-siddha mahā-bhāgavata, they come from the spiritual world on the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they, by example, they preach Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. This is mahā-bhāgavata.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Calcutta, March 5, 1972:

So there are innumerable numberless universes. We cannot account for one universe even. We do not know how many planets and stars are there. When we are very much advanced in scientific knowledge, we are trying to go to the moon planet after spending millions and trillions of dollars. But still we could not fix up anything in the moon planet. That is the nearest planet. And what to speak of other planets. There are innumerable planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagadaṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). So these are the explanation. So the Brahma, you have one Brahma, there are innumerable Brahmas and innumerable Śivas and innumerable demigods, as many universes are there. Innumerable suns and moons and planet, innumerable. And all this taken together, that becomes one fourth of the whole creation of God.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10-11 -- Montreal, July 14, 1968:

According to Vedic knowledge, the sunshine is distributing its shining all over the universe, and the stars or the moons, they're glittering, being reflected by the sun. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, nakṣatrāṇām aham śaśi. Kṛṣṇa says that "Out of the many stars, I am the moon." That means moons and the stars are on the same category. As the moon is a reflection of the sun, similarly the stars are also a reflection of the sun. So this shining you can see, it is expanded all over the universe. And whoever is coming in front of that shining, sunshine, it is glittering. Just like you can see sometimes an airplane running very high on the sky. As soon as there is reflection of the sunshine, it glitters. So everything in touch with sunshine, it glitters. So now, the sunshine is expanding all over the universe, but where is the rest of the sunshine? The sun planet. The sun planet, you can see that it is lying in one corner of the sky. But because the sun planet is lying in one corner of the sky, does it mean that sunshine is greater than the sun? No. Similarly, Brahman may be very great. There is no question about it. But Brahman effulgence is resting on Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10-11 -- Montreal, July 14, 1968:

On account of His bodily luster being expanded, there are creation of so many millions and trillions of universes. But if you take it for granted that each star is a universe—no. That, according to Vedic literature, that is not accepted. But in each and every universe, there are millions and trillions of planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa (Bs. 5.40). Aśeṣa means there is no end. Millions and trillions, there is counting, but here it is mentioned, aśeṣa. Aśeṣa means there is no question of count. Aśeṣa-vasudhādi. Vasudhā means planet where the living entities can reside. This is the meaning of vasudhā. No planet is without any living entities. Every planet is full of living entities. Vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. But each planet is particularly opulent in a particular way. Just like you can see the moon planet is particularly opulent by some particular feature. It is very cold. Similarly, sun planet, it has got a particular feature. It is very hot. So each planet has got a different particular type of feature. Vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam.

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

Even this universe, to us it is a great, wonderful thing. We do not know even what are there in the four corners of this universe, millions and millions of stars, millions of planets, millions and millions of oceans, mountains, and what to speak of living entities? Everything unlimited. The universe... It is also stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). In the effulgence of Brahman... The example is also there. It is not very difficult. Just like in the sunshine is the effulgence, shine. Sun is there, and the shining is there, but within the shining there are innumerable planets. In the daytime we cannot see, but at night we can see wherefrom these stars and planets coming. They are already there. In the sunshine, due to the bright sunshine, we cannot see them, but they are existing. As our planet is existing within the sunshine, so similarly, there are millions of planets. They are also existing. Yasya... Similarly... Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). This is only universe, but these each universe, millions of universes, they are existing within the Brahman effulgence, brahma-jyotir, both spiritual and material. Everything is there.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, December 28, 1972:

But our philosophy is different. Our philosophy is that as there are varieties in this material world, there are varieties in the spiritual world. That varieties. Just like the sky. In the sky, there are varieties. There are different kinds of planets, floating in the sky. Ordinarily seeing, in daytime, we see the sky is vacant. How it is vacant? It is not vacant. It is the defect of my eyes that I cannot see the varieties. The vari... At night we can see the varieties. There are so many planets, so many stars. And each of them full of varieties. Just like this planet. It is, we learn from the śāstra. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudādhi bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). There are innumerable universes. This universe is one only. And each and every universe, there are millions of planets. And each of them has got special significance. Just like this Moon planet, the Sun planet, this Earth planet, each one has got significance. Here, the bodies are earthly. In the Sun planet, the bodies are fire. Fiery. Similarly in the Moon planet, the bodies are different. Each and every planet.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

So what is the value of this material opulence? Why shall I ask you all these nonsense. Kindly engage me, kindly engage me in the service of Your servant, that I want." This is devotion. They don't want anything. Kindly engage me nijunkaman ātmā dāse (?). That is the prayer. So the devotees, they do not want anything material. They are not captivated by so-called followers. No. Na dhanaṁ na janam, janam means followers, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). What is this false power? Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tara sahasrasaḥ. If one disciple is enlivened with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he can work as the moon. Otherwise so many foolish followers, what they'll do? Just like stars. Thousands and millions of stars, they cannot do anything. One moon is sufficient. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tara sahasrasaḥ. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is not required that everyone will be follower. That is not possible, because it is very difficult. But still, if one follower, sincere follower is there, it will go on. It will go on. Nobody can stop it. Go on.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.108-109 -- New York, July 15, 1976:

Now, we are grouped under the taṭasthā-śakti, and there are other two potencies, or energies. That is called spiritual energy and material energy, the spiritual world and material world. We have got experience of the material world not completely. We do not know even what are going on in the whole material world. We see the universe. We see at night so many stars and planets, but we have no idea. So we do not know even what is this material world perfectly, and what to speak of spiritual world. But the spiritual world is there, as there is this material world, and the living entity belongs to the spiritual world. Actually he belongs to the spiritual world. By chance or some way he has come to the material world. So when he goes back again to the spiritual world, then he gets his normal condition of life. Unfortunately, in the modern education there is no information of the spiritual world, the spiritual identity, and go on, our relationship with God—nothing. Simply they are working like cats and dogs under the influence of māyā and the suffering. To stop this suffering, one must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and understand the position of his life and be perfect.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.112 -- New York, July 20, 1976:

Why a few selected persons come here? Because it requires background of pious activities. Otherwise it is not possible. We do not expect that cent percent of people will become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is not possible. But if there is one ideal Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he can do benefit to many thousands. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca taraḥ sahasrasaḥ. If there is one moon in the sky, he can illuminate the whole universe, na ca taraḥ sahasrasaḥ, not these twinkling stars. It is not possible.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.154-157 -- New York, December 7, 1966:

So that is going on. There are innumerable universes, which you cannot estimate, and each of the universes, the Lord is incarnating Himself by one of His plenary portions. Kṛṣṇa is present in some of the universes even now. We do not know where is that universe because we cannot see. What is information we have got? We do not know anything about this universe. We see so many stars in the night, so many sun, moon, but what do we know about them? Still, we are claiming that "We are very powerful. We are very advanced in knowledge." This is our poor fund of knowledge. Anyone who is claiming that "I am God" or "I am everything," he is a fool number one. Take it for... Immediately take as fool. What does he know? So indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokam (SB 1.3.28). There are many universes and many planets. So in either of them or each of them, some sort of incarnation is present there.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.156-163 -- New York, December 11, 1966:

Lord Caitanya says that "The conception of Brahman is that it is the rays of the body of Kṛṣṇa. Just like the sunshine is the rays of the body of the sun disc, similarly," brahma-aṅga-kānti tāṅra nirviśeṣa prakāśe. And in that brahma-jyotir, or rays, there is no variegatedness. Just like if you all of a sudden see to the sun, you don't find any variegatedness in the sky. It appears just like only dazzling effulgence. But when the sunlight is not there, we can see millions and millions of stars in the firmament. So in the Upaniṣad also, it is prayed that "My Lord, You kindly move this curtain of glaring effulgence so that I can actually see You."

Festival Lectures

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, SB 6.3.24 -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971:

They worship saguṇa-rūpa. Saguṇa means forms of this material world. Sādhakānāṁ hitārthāya brāhmaṇa-rūpa-kalpanaḥ.(?) Kalpanaḥ. According to Māyāvādī school, the Absolute Truth is imperson. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām, adhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). Say, for meditation, it is very difficult to meditate on impersonal feature. Therefore, they artificially think like that: "I am the whole. I am moving the stars, I am moving the moon." Or some color display is taking place. Artificially. This meditation is artificial. Therefore, they do not get any result. Simply waste time, and they remain the number one debauch, as they are. So this kind of meditation... Because they will not put any form... "The Brahman is impersonal." So how they can think of any form? It is very difficult to adjust. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām (BG 12.5). They want to meditate upon impersonal Brahman, but it is very troublesome. Because Brahman is not impersonal, but force, they want to make Brahman impersonal.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- San Francisco, July 15, 1975:

So I would have collected millions of dollars if I would have cheated like that. But I do not want that. I want one student who follows my instruction. I don't want millions. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tara-sahasrasaḥ. If there is one moon in the sky, that is sufficient for illumination. There is no need of millions of stars. So my position is that I want to see that at least one disciple has become pure devotee. Of course, I have got many sincere and pure devotees. That is my good luck. But I would have been satisfied if I could find out one only. There is no need of so-called millions of stars.

So therefore the process is there, and it is very simple, and if we understand the all instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā and then we study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... Or even if you don't study, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given very simple method.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation Lecture and Bhagavan dasa's Marriage Ceremony -- New Vrindaban, June 4, 1969:

So there is a story that the ghost entered the mustard. He is throwing the mustard, but the ghost has already entered the mustard. Similarly, we are trying to solve the problems, but the problem is this body. The ghost is within this body. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... Of course, we daily discuss these things, that "I am not this body," and what are the problems. The sum and substance of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that we want to go back to Kṛṣṇa. There is another nature. Just like you are seeing this material nature, so many stars and planets. We are very much busy studying, but we have no knowledge practically about this material world even. But we get information from Vedic literature that this material world, cosmic manifestation, is only one-fourth part of the whole God's creation. So there is another nature, which is called spiritual nature, and there is spiritual planets, Vaikuṇṭhas, and Kṛṣṇaloka, the highest planet.

General Lectures

Lecture to Technology Students (M.I.T.) -- Boston, May 5, 1968:

There is a nice story. You'll appreciate it. In India, especially in Bengal, there are many rivers. The land is full of rivers. Because it is on the bank of the Bay of Bengal, all rivers are falling. Therefore Bengal, the land of, especially the east Bengal, is full of rivers. One student of technology was going home, and he was on the boat. So the student was asking the boatman, "Do you know what are the stars?" The boatman said, "Sir, we are ordinary boatman. What do we know about these stars?" "Oh. Then your fifty percent of life is wasted, useless." Then he was asking, "Do you know what are these trees? Do you know any science of botany?" He said, "Sir, we are ordinary laborer. What do we know about botany?" "Oh. Then seventy-five percent of your life is useless." In this way the student of technology was asking the boatman, "Do you know this? Do you know that?" And he said that "I am ordinary man. What do I know all these things?" Then all of a sudden there was a black cloud, and there was storm, and the river began to be inflated, and the boatman said, "My dear sir, do you know swimming?" "Oh," he said, "no." Then he said, "Then your cent percent knowledge is spoiled. Now you have to go down to the river. Your life is finished." In this way they dropped in the river, and the technological student, because he did not know how to swim, so the storm and the waves grabbed him.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 18, 1968:

So you have to continue that first-class yoga system, and that is explained here, mayy āsakta-manāḥ: being attached. Mind is the vehicle for being attached. If you are attached to somebody, some boy, some girl, some person... Generally, we become attached to a person. Impersonal attachment is bogus thing. If you want to be attached, that attachment must be personal. Is it not a fact? Impersonal attachment... You cannot love the sky, but you can love the sun, you can love the moon, you can love the stars, because they are localized person. And if you want to love the sky, it is very difficult for you. You have to come again to this sun. So yoga system, culminating in perfection, in love... So you have to love somebody, person. That is Kṛṣṇa. Just like here is a picture. Rādhārāṇī is loving Kṛṣṇa and offering His (Her) flowers to Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is playing with His flute. So you can think of this picture nicely, always. Then you (will) become constantly in yoga, samādhi. Why impersonal? Why you something, something void? Void cannot be.

Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968:

So there, in the spiritual planet, all planets are illuminating. This is an example, a sample, the sun. Sun is the only planet within this universe which is illuminating. All other planets are reflection of the sun. The moon, the stars, they are simply glittering, reflected by the sun. They are dark, just like this planet is dark. So similarly, in the spiritual sky all the planets are illuminating. None of the planets are dark. Therefore the whole sky is illuminating. There is no darkness. Just get an idea. Of course, it is not possible to explain what is the spiritual world from the material world, but from the śāstra... Just like you read geography. If you want to go to India, you get some idea that "India is like this. The shape is like this, the climate is like this, the people are like that." So you simply get an idea. But actual experience you'll get when you go to India.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968:

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very scientific movement. Unless you raise the population from the animal propensities, how you can expect peace? Do you think is there any peace in the dog society, in the cat society? No, it is not possible. You keep some dogs. They meet. As soon as they meet together there will be howling—"gow, gow, gow, gow." So you cannot expect if you create dog society, then you cannot expect. You have to create a portion, a certain percentage of the population, brāhmaṇas. Then there is possibility. Just like in the sky the numerical strength of the stars are greater, but there is one moon. That one moon is sufficient to illuminate the sky. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tara sahasrasaḥ. Millions of millions of stars twinkling, they cannot dissipate the darkness. You see. Only one moon, only one sun. So try to make some percentage of the population actually brāhmaṇa. Go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. And protect the cows. Actually, we are taking so much advantages.

Press Release -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1968:

Vīrabhadra: A thousand people in this room?

Prabhupāda: Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca taraḥ sahasrasaḥ. If we can, I mean to say, raise one person Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means we have successfully preached our mission. One moon is better than millions of stars. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We can have kīrtana and soon the prasādam will be ready.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can we have kīrtana, then serve prasādam?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kīrtana have, twenty-four hours. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Always.

Revatīnandana: Did you mean from seven to eight every evening, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes. You can repeat that, replay, the tape.

Govinda dāsī: Āratika?

Prabhupāda: Yes. You... (end)

Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969:

We want one sincere person who has learned to love God, Kṛṣṇa. That's all. I have come to your country with this mission, and if I find one or two boys or girls sincerely have learned how to love God, Kṛṣṇa, then my mission is successful. I'm not after any number of... Because if I can turn one soul to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he'll do tremendous work, because he'll be fire. You see? He can do tremendous work. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca taraḥ sahasrasaḥ. One moon is complete to drive away the darkness of night, not millions of stars required. What these millions of stars can do? One moon is sufficient. So our propaganda is to create one moon. You see? But fortunately, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, many moonlike boys and girls have come to me. You see? Many moons. (chuckles) I was thinking of having only one moon, but Kṛṣṇa... I am hopeful that there are many moons, and in future they'll be doing very nice. This is para-upakāra. To spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the best service to the humanity. Please try to understand this. It is not a bluffing thing. To love God, premā pumartho mahān... Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that the highest achievement in the human form of life is to attain perfectional stage to love God. That is the highest. Not dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90).

Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969:

Now, amongst all these planets, the sun planet is the chief. How the sun planet is chief? Practically we can see. Everyone, we can see that there are so many glittering planets, illuminating planets, at night, millions and millions, but still, there is darkness. There is darkness at night. In spite of presentation of the moon and millions of other stars, still, you require light. But in the daytime, simply one planet, sunlight, oh, everything is dazzling light. Therefore it is called yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā. Savitā means this sun planet is the eye of God. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā. Rājā means king. Sakala-grahāṇām, all other planets, it is the king. And actually, scientifically, it is true that due to the heat of the sun planet all other planets are rotating; otherwise they'll fall down. But they're floating in the air, in the sky, due to this sunlight. Anyone who knows science, he'll admit, "Yes, that's a fact." And sun is the source of all energy in this material world.

Speech to Maharaja and Maharani and Conversations Before and After -- Indore, December 11, 1970:

Prabhupāda: Then the nature is more intelligent than you. So then there are many intelligent works of nature. You do not know.

Indian man (1): What is in the stars(?) is also nature.

Prabhupāda: So you have no full knowledge of nature. That's it. Then you cannot claim that you are perfect, your knowledge is perfect.

Indian man (1): This example is very interesting, coconut tree.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There are so many things. So many things. But there is explanation in the Vedas, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The energy of Kṛṣṇa is working so wonderfully that it appears that exactly it is done by expert person. Now, take a flower, this flower. How nicely it is painted.

Lecture at Art Gallery -- Auckland, April 16, 1972:

You cannot make a chemical combination or a tablet which contains a big banyan tree, automatically will come out. So don't you think there is need of artistic brain and scientific brain? If you simply say, "It is nature," that is not good explanation. But the Vedas gives us information, "No." Janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "The Absolute Truth is He from whom everything is being generated." First aphorism is athāto brahma jijñāsā. Greater thing. We are engaged in smaller thing. We become amazed when we see a small sputnik is flying in the sky, and it is trying to go to the moon planet, and we are giving all credit to the scientist, and scientist is challenging, "What is God? Science is everything." But if you are cool brain, then you will see that now, in comparison to the sputnik, there are millions and trillions of planets and stars, big, big planets like sun planet, which is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth. Apart from sun planet, if we take this teeny planet, earthly planet, on which we are living, there are so many oceans, so many mountains, skyscraper buildings.

Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974:

Divyam means His birth is not ordinary birth. If it had been ordinary birth, then why we are still performing the Janmāṣṭamī ceremony, Kṛṣṇa's birthday ceremony? Many big, big kings came and gone. Who is performing the birthday ceremony of that king? But we perform according to Vedic system the birthday ceremony of Lord Rāmacandra. Nowadays we have imitated so many other birthday ceremonies, but in the śāstra it is enjoined the birthday ceremony of the advent of God should be observed. The birthday ceremony of God is called jayantī. That is special constellation of the stars. But now the jayantī has been used for so many rascals and fools. This is not śāstric. So because Kṛṣṇa's janma and ordinary man's janma is not the same thing, therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). Divyam means transcendental, not material. Not material. It is spiritual or transcendental, divyam. Janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Still you have to learn it in truth.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: So scientific brain means ultimately becoming a fool. He'll talk all nonsense. Once he is recognized scientist, then he can talk all nonsense, and the people accept it as scientific truth.

Śyāmasundara: They say that our planet, along with all of the other stars and bodies in this universe, is about five billion years old. They have calculated in several ways. One of the ways they have calculated the age of our oceans to be five billion, and the age of our oldest rocks, along with the way that the stars are distributing themselves, that they must be five billion years old. (break) Could you repeat that, Śrīla Prabhupāda? I want to record it.

Prabhupāda: The Western philosophers and historians, in order to support Darwin's theory of anthropology, has never agreed to accept that the Vedic literatures written long, long years ago, but these less intelligent philosophers and theologists, their theory has been also dismantled by the discovery of this Ajanta Cave. From that cave it was very, very intelligent; as they are excavating other part, simply studying the bones. But there is other side also, this is also excavation; and it can be proved that very intelligent persons were there.

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Śyāmasundara: He advises that the state or the ...

Prabhupāda: Just like ekaś candra tamo hanti. Moon, you will find one in the sky, but stars, millions. But moon is wanted, not the stars, to drive away the darkness. That is our philosophy. You cannot say that there may be many moons. No. That is not possible. Many stars, maybe, which have no utility. They are glittering only. What is called? Peeping?

Śyāmasundara: Twinkling.

Prabhupāda: Twinkling. But they cannot drive away darkness. That is not possible. Glowworms. As soon as you come to the quality, that is the lowest number, minimum.

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Even foreigners are accepting the principle.

Śyāmasundara: So if the majority of the whole world accepted Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he would call that of value.

Prabhupāda: No, the majority may not accept. You see, if you want to sell jewels, a diamond, you cannot get many customers. That is not possible. But still, diamond is diamond. It may not have many customers. It doesn't matter. If there is one customer, that is sufficient. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca taraḥ sahasrasaḥ. If there is one moon in the sky that is sufficient to dissipate all darkness. There is no need of thousands or millions of stars. So our movement, if anyone, through all men in the world, can understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will do tremendous good to the people. My Guru Mahārāja used to say like that.

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Hayagrīva: He writes, "Spirit, in so far as it is the spirit of God, is not a spirit beyond the stars, beyond the world. On the contrary, God is present, omnipresent, and exists as spirit in all spirits. God is a living God who is acting and working. Religion is a product of the divine spirit. It is not a discovery of man but a work of divine operation."

Prabhupāda: This is very important thing, that a man cannot manufacture religion. That is very important point. Therefore we say religion means the words, the order given by God. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya: (BG 18.66) "You have manufactured so many religious systems. You give up, kick it out. It has no value. Here is religion." And in the beginning He said, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya: "I have appeared to re-establish the principle of religion." And He says at last that "Give up. Kick out all this so-called religion. Here is religion." What is that? Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ...: "You just surrender to Me." This is religion. And Bhāgavata says, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: (SB 6.3.19) "The order given by God, that is religion."

Page Title:Star (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:21 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=84, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:84