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Lectures

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Los Angeles, June 23, 1970:

Those who come here, their first principle is they have some regard that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is nice. Let me see." So this is the beginning. Ādau śraddhā. And then sādhu-saṅgaḥ: then associate with these devotees. Then, after some time, when he's little advanced more, then he is eager to become initiated. This is third stage, as some of these students are going to be initiated today. The initiation means bhajana-kriyā. Actually executing devotional service: initiation. And if one actually executes devotional service, then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt, then all nonsense habits will disappear. Then I'll not have to stress on the point these four regulative principles. Automatically it will go away. That is the test. How one has properly utilized his initiation will be tested that he has no more attraction for these four principles: illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, and meat-eating. They will automatically go. There is no need of asking. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Then ruci. When one is freed from all these prohibitive principles, then he develops a taste, tato ruci. Tato niṣṭhā: then he's steadily confirmed. Athāsaktiḥ. Then attachment: he cannot go. He cannot go. Athāsaktis tato bhāvaḥ. Then ecstasy. And then he comes to the platform of love of Godhead. So when that platform is reached, then everything is successful. And if that platform is not reached, then everything is simply waste of time.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 16, 1972:

My Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, he used to advise us to read Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Everyone, after initiation. At least, he advised me. So this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is very important as study book for the Vaiṣṇavas. It is the science of devotional service. And people are, in Western countries, taking interest. In the Temple University, it has become a textbook in the religious class. There are sixty students who are regularly studying the Bhakti, Nectar of Devotion published by us. And gradually it is being introduced in other colleges and schools. I think you are straining.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:

So the more you be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). "Always think of Me." Man-manā. Mad-bhakto. "You just become My devotee." It is very simple thing. To become Kṛṣṇa conscious is possible by everyone. And actually, it is happening. We are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. So these boys, they're coming from different religions, different countries, different nationalities, different faiths. But actually, because they're accepting Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), they're happy. There is no difficulty. And people are accepting it. As if just they were ready to accept this cult. This is our experience. Any of our students can be questioned why he has accepted this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. He'll explain. So although Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a movement by any particular person, nation or religion, but still, because Kṛṣṇa appeared in India, Lord Caitanya appeared in India... And Lord Caitanya says that anyone who has taken birth as a human being in the land of Bhāratavarṣa must take the responsibility of spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement for the benefit of all world.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:

Say, four days ago I was in Manila. That was the, my first visit and all young men... In the hotel we held one meeting. The hotel capacity was about eight hundred men. Still, it was overflooded. And they liked this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chanting, dancing. So nice. So it has been proven that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will be accepted in any part of the world. This is India's culture. Why not distribute? Why the government is not interested? That is my presentation. If you, India wants to be glorified, then she must give something. Not simply begging. "Give me grains, give me money, give me weapons. Give me engineer." Give something. That is my proposal. Then India will be glorified. "Oh, India has got something to give, not to take only, like beggars." I was questioned in Berkeley University by some Indian students, "Swamijī, what this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will benefit? What this saṅkīrtana? We want technology." So I replied, "Yes, you have come to learn here technology, but I have come here to teach you. Not to learn. But to teach. And they are learning." So according to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, every Indian can become a teacher provided he accepts the teachings of their predecessor ācāryas? Otherwise they'll remain beggars. That is my proposal. Thank you very much. (end)

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:

The boys who were playing with Kṛṣṇa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that after many, many births accumulation of pious activities... Because you cannot develop devotional service without pious life. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. If you want to become associate with Kṛṣṇa, then you cannot act as a sinful man. Just like a criminal is not allowed to come out of the jail. He has no freedom. Similarly, if we act sinfully in this life, then we'll have to remain within this material world, one body after another. So we, we have to give up sinful activities. Therefore we forbid our students, no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. Because these are the pillars of sinful life. So we have to give up these things to accelerate our promotion to devotional service. We cannot go on doing this and that at the same time. It is something like that, you ignite fire and pour water. It will be useless attempt. If you want to burn the fire blazing, don't put water on it. Keep it dry. Similarly, if you want to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you cannot indulge in sinful activities. And when you are proved that you are no more sinful, yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam, one who has become freed from the reaction of sinful life, yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmāṇi...

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 20, 1972:

Just like we have asked our students to finish sixteen rounds chanting minimum. Sixteen rounds is nothing. In Vṛndāvana there are many devotees, they chant 120 rounds. Like that. So sixteen rounds is the minimum. Because I know in the Western countries it is difficult job to finish sixty-four rounds or 120 rounds, like that. Minimum sixteen rounds. That must be finished. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. This is the direction. Observing the regulative principles. In this way, we must be abiding by the direction of the spiritual master and the śāstra. Then rest assured. Success is guaranteed.

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

Pradyumna: "This eternal engagement in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life, free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. Generally..."

Prabhupāda: Bhakti-rasa is better than liberation, mukti. Because generally the Māyāvādī philosophers, jñāni-sampradāya, they consider mukti means to merge into the spiritual existence, Brahman. Brahma-sayujya-mukti, to, to merge into the impersonal Brahman effulgence of the Absolute. They consider it, that is the highest. And the Buddha philosophers, they think to make all these activities zero, śūnyavādī. Dismantle. Because on account of this combination of matter, earth, water, fire, air, ether, this body's made, and the body is subjected to pains and pleasure on account of this mixture. So Buddha philosophy is that you dismantle this mixture. Let earth go to the earth portion and water portion to the water portion. Then there is no existence of the body, and there is no pains and pleasure. Make it zero. This is called śūnyavādī. And the Māyāvādī, their philosophy is stop this variegatedness. We are suffering pains and pleasure within this material world on account of these varieties. So these varieties, they are on, built on the foundation of the Supreme Spirit. So merge into the Supreme Spirit and get out of these varieties. This is their philosophy. So the Buddha philosophy or the Māyāvāda philosophy, they're almost one, because their ultimate goal is to make things zero.

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

Just like father and son. A father and son may be separate for many, many, many, many years. But as soon as they meet together, again the same affection comes. Again the same affection comes. Wife and husband. Therefore sannyāsī is strictly prohibited to see his wife. Because there is staunch affection. By meeting again that affection. By meeting again that affection may come. He may fall down. Therefore strictly prohibited. At least, other members can be seen. But not the wife. So the fact is that we have got devotion for Kṛṣṇa. That is fact. But some way or other, we are separated and we have forgotten. So as soon as, by this regulative principle, by the order of the spiritual master, by the injunction of the śāstras, we begin devotional service. That, that, just like our students do here. They are offering ārātrika. They're offering dress, offering garland. These are the items of arcana. Hearing about Him, chanting about Him. This devotional service is the pushing process. Pushing process. And as soon as the energy comes, then automatically: (makes noise) clak clak clak. No more pushing. Automatically. This pushing process is required.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:

Pradyumna: "...in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life, free from anxieties, and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa."

Prabhupāda: Yes. People generally think that liberation is the ultimate goal or the full achievement. But liberation is a very insignificant thing in the presence of devotional service. Therefore Bhāgavata says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra. Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). Mokṣa means liberation. So Bhāgavata says that dharma artha kāma mokṣa, they are thrown away from the study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And Śrīdhara Swami confirms it: atra mokṣa-vāñcāḥ-paryantaṁ nirastam. A devotee is above the point of liberation. The devotional service is called pañcama-puruṣārtha. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given His opinion: premā pumartho mahān. Not dhara is pumarthaḥ. Our ultimate goal of life is neither dharma, or artha, religiosity, economic development, kāma, sense gratification, and mokṣa, liberation.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:

Pradyumna: (reading:) Nectar of Devotion. "This eternal engagement in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to bring a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Generally, neophyte devotees are anxious to see Kṛṣṇa, or God, but God cannot be seen or known by our present materially blunt senses. The process of devotional service as it is recommended in The Nectar of Devotion will gradually elevate one from the material condition of life to the spiritual status, wherein the devotee becomes purified of all designations."

Prabhupāda: Yes. The process of seeing God... Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136)]. Just like a person suffering from some disease, his eyesight is blocked. He has got the eyesight to see, but on account of some cataract disease, he cannot see. Similarly God is there, and I can see Him also. But the cataract of illusion is covering via media between God and me.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:

That is the first qualification of the demons. They do not know what is right doing and what is wrong doing. Suppose we, just like we restrict anyone who comes to our camp to become our student, we restrict that "You should not do this" or "You should do this." Anywhere, if you go to a physician, he'll say also that "You shall do this." Some "do's" and some "do not's." So the asuras, they do not know, because they have no direction, they do not know what are the "do's" and what are the "do not's." This is the first qualification of the asuras. They do not know. Because they do not like to take lesson from superior. They manufacture their own lesson.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 5, 1973:

Yes. It was hundred and two stories. Now the others, they have increased to hundred and four,-five. So... But why these American boys are frustrated. Their fathers, their grandfathers have got enough money, enough skyscraper buildings, but they are not satisfied. They don't want to work like their father and grandfather. They've left. I have got many students, my disciples, their father, very rich man, industrialist, lawyers. But they don't like.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

So, people are misled. They are thinking that by material comfort they will be happy. And practically we are seeing, this competition of material comfort... The capitalist and the labor class, worker class, they are fighting—strike. Actually, the propensity is that... That is explained in Marshall's theory of economics. We were student of economics. So in that book Mr. Marshall explained that the family affection is the origin of economic impetus. That's a fact. These hippies, they have no family affection. They are not married, and therefore there is no economic impetus. They can live in any way, any wretched condition of life. And one who is married, responsible man, he has got some responsibility to see that..., provided he has got affection for the family. Otherwise, practically, so-called family life, there is no affection.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

But actual interest is... Human life should be sober. He should... Therefore the first beginning of real life is to understand that "I am not this body." This is the first lesson. But where is that education? Throughout the whole world, go anywhere. Where is that education that students are being taught that "You are not this body"? There is no education. Then what is the value of this education? To keep them andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), to keep them in the darkness. That is going on. This is the only institution which is giving people real life.

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

So the comfort I am feeling, that is the rasa, taste. We want very nice cushion, sitting position. So that tasting, that "I am now comfortably seated," this is called śānta-rasa. Then above the śānta-rasa, there is dāsya-rasa. Dāsya-rasa... Just like my students, my disciples, they want to serve me, and I want to take service from them. This is also an exchange of rasa, a taste. Śānta, dāsya. Similarly, next advanced stage is sakhya-rasa. Sakhya means friendship. Just like one is serving somebody, but if that service is very intimate, then there is the rasa of friendship, dāsa, sakhya-rasa. And when that is advanced... (feedback) (aside:) What is this sound? When that is advanced, it becomes vātsalya-rasa. Vātsalya-rasa means the taste of relationship between parents and the children. These are advanced. Śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, and then vātsalya-rasa, parenthood, filial love. And above this, there is mādhurya-rasa. Mādhurya-rasa means the taste between husband and wife, lover and the beloved. That is called mādhurya-rasa. Similarly... These are the primary rasas. (aside:) The draft is coming this side, or...? It is open.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

People may not misunderstand our propagation that we are proselytizing some persons to Hinduism. Yesterday one so-called jñānī came to me, and he challenged me that "Swamijī, formerly the Christians used to convert the Hindus and the Muhammadans used to convert the Hindus into Muhammadanism or Christianism. Now you are converting the Christians into Hinduism. Then where is the difference between their activities and your activities?" So this fool does not know this is not making a person from Christian to Hindu. This is not the process. We are not interested. I never said in any meeting in the Western countries that "Hindu religion is better than your Christian religion. You give up your Christian religion and come to Hindu religion." No, that was not my propaganda. There are many old students here present. They may remember. I never made propaganda. Rather when they inquired one can attain perfection by following Christian principles, I said yes. So our propaganda is not to proselytize people from Christian to Hinduism. Our propaganda is to make everyone know this fact, that everyone is eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is our propaganda. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That is our propaganda. We are trying to convince people that "Your original position is servant of Kṛṣṇa. You have now forgotten that. You revive your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and you'll become happy." That is our propaganda.

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

We cannot deviate from the path of the previous ācāryas. We must strictly follow. That is the qualification. We must follow their instruction. Therefore I repeatedly say to my students that "You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra sixteen rounds, and follow the regulative principles. Your strength is there." If we..., just like Himalayan mountain, nobody can push it. Very simple thing. It is so powerful. Yaha hoite sarva-siddhi haya. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's request. Don't deviate from the instruction. Then you will stand as strong as the Himalayan mountain. Very simple thing. Anyone can do. We are asking, following the footsteps of predecessor, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction to Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpānuga. Therefore we are called rūpānuga. Anuga. Anuga means following. Going, following the footsteps of Rūpa Gosvāmī. So as the, Rūpa Gosvāmī is following his predecessor, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so we have to follow our predecessor. Then we will be successful.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the, the process of prāyaścitta, atonement, is discussed, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī has recommended that this process of prāyaścitta, ritualistic ceremony... After committing some sinful activities to counteract it, there are, in every śāstra there is some counteracting formulas. The people generally follow that. In Christian religion also, there is confession, atonement. A sinful man goes to the church and confesses. Similarly, in every religion, there is such atonement process, but Parīkṣit Mahārāja refused to accept this atonement process. He protested that a man commits sinful activities and executes some atonement process—again he commits the same thing. Then what is the use of this atonement? So Śukadeva Gosvāmī understood it because he was a serious student. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī was also a serious teacher. So he then said, "No. Atonement process cannot rectify one. Only prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam. One must be thoughtful. One must be in knowledge. Then he can give up sinful activities." So he recommended the process of knowledge. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa tyāgena yamena niyamena (SB 6.1.13). These are the processes.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:

Actually, yoga practice means yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. The whole yogic process, aṣṭāṅga-yoga, is meant for controlling the senses. Durdanta indriya-kāla-paṭalī. Indriya, the senses, are just like snakes. As it is very difficult to enchant the snakes, similarly, it is very difficult to control the senses. And the yoga system (is) especially meant for controlling the senses, controlling the mind, and then concentrate on the form of Viṣṇu. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). This is yoga process. But practically we see the so-called yogis, or student of yoga class, I have seen in Western countries, they are habituated to all these nonsense habits—illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating. Still, they're passing on as yogis. So that kind of yoga will not help. Go on.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:

Pradyumna: "There are four varṇas, namely, the brāhmaṇas, the priest and intellectuals; the kṣatriyas, warrior and statesmen; the vaiśyas, businessmen and farmers; and the śūdras, laborers and servants. There are also four standard āśramas, namely, brahmacarya, or student life; gṛhastha, householder; vānaprastha, retired; and sannyāsa, renounced. The regulative principles are not only for the brahmacārīs, or celibate students, to follow, but are applicable for all. It doesn't matter whether one is a beginner, a brahmacārī, or if one is very advanced, a sannyāsī. The principle of remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly and not forgetting Him at any moment is meant to be followed by everyone without fail. If this injunction if followed, then all other rules and regulations will automatically fall into line. All other rules and regulations should be treated as assistants or servants to this one basic principle."

Prabhupāda: This has been practically proved in the Western countries. These boys and girls, European and Americans, they were not informed about the regulative principles in the beginning. We enforce the regulative principle when a student is serious to become initiated. Otherwise, ordinarily, in all our centers, everyone is welcome and join the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Gradually, by mixing with the devotees, by being purified on the transcendental vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they voluntarily offer to become serious student, initiated. In this way, we have expanded. Practically the basic principle is chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and giving them some chance to hear about Kṛṣṇa from the Bhagavad-gītā as it is. This is our principle.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 29, 1973:

"Whatever You like, You can do." Mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu... "Still You are my prāṇa-nātha." This is oneness. I keep my individuality, but I am so surrendered that I have nothing to disagree with Kṛṣṇa. This is oneness. Not that I mix up, I lose my individuality. I have got individuality. I must go on with individuality. And even individuality's never stopped. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "All these kings, you and Me, all of us, we existed in the past, we are now existing, and in the future also we shall exist." There is no question of intermingling the individuality. The individuality's there, but individuality sacrificed, full agreement. Full agreement. That is oneness. Just like in our Society, I am the head. So everyone is in agreement with me. That is oneness. Not that my disciples, my students, have lost their individuality. They're using their individuality to improve the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—but sanctioned by me. That is oneness. That is oneness. Similarly, our devotional service is like that. We, varieties of work we are doing, but we must see whether Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. That's all. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). This is our philosophy.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.1 -- Mayapur, March 25, 1975:

So if you push on this movement, unadulterated Kṛṣṇa, it will go on. It will go on. And as soon as you adulterate Kṛṣṇa, it will not go on. It will not be effective. You may be very good scholar or very good politician or this or that, but you'll never understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). If you want to pollute Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will never be revealed to you. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). So by the grace of Kṛṣṇa you have taken the shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. It is great fortune for you. So do not adulterate Kṛṣṇa. That is my request. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa. And to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Kṛṣṇa Himself taught... That was also difficult. Then Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya (is) teaching us how to approach Kṛṣṇa. That is Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Caitanya means spiritual, living, and carita means character. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta means that the supreme living force, Kṛṣṇa. The living force is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we contradict the so-called scientific theory that life has come from chemicals, matter. No. We are trying our best. We have engaged our scientist students. They have already..., one student has already written one small book, The Scientific Basis of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, and we are going to publish another book. I have given instruction to the scientist students.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.1 -- Mayapur, March 25, 1975:

So study this Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Now we have got this English edition, very elaborately described, following the footsteps of our Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. So there is no such edition of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, very elaborately described. But it can be understood by the advanced student. It can be... And so... Advanced, you can, anyone, you can become advanced. Advanced means at least one should understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you simply understand these two words, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you are advanced. It is not very difficult. Everything, all Vedic literature, they are meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). So if you simply understand... What is that understanding? That Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We have written in our Kṛṣṇa book, "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." If you become convinced, then your study of Vedas—finished. Tepus tapas te sasnur āryā (SB 3.33.7). Anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa... What is that understanding? Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "My dear Arjuna, there is no more superior authority or person or truth than Myself." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7).

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.1 -- Mayapur, March 25, 1975:

We have written in our Kṛṣṇa book, "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." If you become convinced, then your study of Vedas—finished. Tepus tapas te sasnur āryā (SB 3.33.7). Anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa... What is that understanding? Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "My dear Arjuna, there is no more superior authority or person or truth than Myself." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). These few words, if you simply understand... Blindly or openly, it doesn't matter. Because if you touch fire, either blindly or openly, it will act. It will act. It is not that because I blindly accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Person, that will not act. No, it will act. Even if you have accepted Kṛṣṇa blindly, it will act. Because the thing is the same. Either you accept in open eyes or blind eyes. So similarly, if you accept this theory—it is not theory; this is fact, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead—these few words, then you are advanced student, immediately. Take it from me, that simply this conviction, that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," then you are advanced student in spiritual life.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.6 -- Mayapur, March 30, 1975:

Anyway, this kind of literature... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to read Gītā-Govinda, Caṇḍīdāsa, amongst with His confidential devotees. The Gītā-Govinda, the loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, it is not for the neophyte student. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu... You'll find Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaching... Generally, He was talking with Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, He was talking with Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, He was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya—but the subject matter was not the same. When He was talking officially with the Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, there is no talk about Kṛṣṇa's pastimes with Rādhārāṇī. Simply on the basis of Vedānta He was talking. But when He was talking with Rāmaṇanda Rāya, He talked about Kṛṣṇa's pastimes with Rādhārāṇī. So we should be very careful that from the very beginning... Just like the professional Bhāgavata readers. The Bhāgavata reading means describing rasa-līlā. Whenever you find there is Bhāgavata reading, they are describing. I have seen one big Gosvāmī. He was professional Bhāgavata reader, and whenever... He would speak very nicely on rasa-līlā, and after describing rasa-līlā, Bhāgavata reading, he would come for recreation and smoke cigarette. I have seen it.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.8 -- Mayapur, April 1, 1975:

Then whole world, the people, will suffer. That is the position now. There is no standard ruler. A ruler must be representative of Kṛṣṇa. Then... Then everything will be... Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was representative of Kṛṣṇa. Or Lord Rāmacandra, He was God Himself. Such executive head needed, not these rascals. Then you'll never be happy. Simply by hook and crook you select some rascal president; you'll never be happy. He must be Kṛṣṇa Himself or Kṛṣṇa's representative. Then people will be happy. Imaṁ rājarṣayoḥ viduḥ. They are thinking that "The Bhagavad-gītā is meant for some parasites. They are doing nothing, and they are indulging in reading Bhagavad-gītā and living at the cost of others." They are thinking like that. But actually the ruler should be the well-conversant student of Bhagavad-gītā. That is the statement in the Bhagavad-gītā. Imaṁ rājarṣayoḥ viduḥ. It is meant for the saintly kings. Because if the king or the president understands Bhagavad-gītā, he can make solution of all the problems. But he remains a rascal, and there is no solution. They're simply fighting with one another. This politician is fighting with another politician. This is going on. This will never make us happy. Therefore it is better to go away from this place and go back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 -- Mayapur, April 8, 1975:

It is possible if we become obedient student of guru, then even though we may be dumb, deaf and dumb, still, we can become good lecturer. Mūkaṁ karoti vācālam, talk very much about Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa's grace, mūkaṁ karoti... Paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim, if one is lame man, he is made to cross over the hill, mountain. This is the mercy of guru.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.76-81 -- San Francisco, February 2, 1967:

The reason is that Vedānta philosophy, because the Māyāvādī sannyāsīns... The Vedānta philosophy actually belongs to the Vaiṣṇava sampradāya because it was compiled by Vyāsadeva, who is the original spiritual master of this Vaiṣṇava sampradāya. Of course, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they also accept Vyāsadeva as their original spiritual master, but they have interpreted Vyāsadeva's views; therefore they are not considered to be bona fide disciples. Just like you'll see in the Bhagavad-gītā that Arjuna, in the beginning he was arguing with Kṛṣṇa, between friend and friend, but when he surrendered himself as student, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam... (BG 2.7). He said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, now I am surrendering unto You. I accept You as my spiritual master." Śiṣyas te aham: "I am Your disciple, not friend." Because friendly talks, arguments, there is no end. But when there is talk between spiritual master and disciple, there is no argument. No argument. As soon as the spiritual master says, "This is to be done," it is to be done. That's all, final.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.76-81 -- San Francisco, February 2, 1967:

What they will understand, Vedānta-sūtra? Their life is so molded by the present atmosphere, materialistic atmosphere, that they are unable to touch Vedānta-sūtra. They are unfit to touch even Vedānta-sūtra, what to speak of understanding it. Therefore they'll create more rascaldom to create so many Vedānta societies and they are the same rascals, still. For hundred years they are studying Vedānta-sūtra, and the same thing, the same bad habit—same illicit connection, same intoxication, same gambling. Everything is going on. And they're Vedānta-sūtra student? This is rascaldom. There must be change in life. Otherwise, what is the use of Vedānta-sūtra? Veda-anta. Vedānta means... Veda means knowledge, and anta means end, end of all knowledge. Everyone is searching after knowledge, but there must be some end. What is the ultimate end? The Bhagavad-gītā says, vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham: "I am the compiler of Vedānta. I am the knower of Vedānta." So, if you simply understand what Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, you are Vedantist. And what says Kṛṣṇa? What does He say? He says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all rascaldom. Simply surrender unto Me." This is Vedānta. This is Vedānta. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra).

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.76-81 -- San Francisco, February 2, 1967:

So Veda is full of contradiction," no, it is not contradiction. It is fact. One doctor, Mr., Dr. Goshal, he is a medical college chemist. He analyzed this cow dung and found all antiseptic properties in cow dung. So this is Vedic injunction. Whatever is there, it is already tested, it is already experimented. You have simply to accept. Don't try to argue. This is acceptance of Vedānta-sūtra. Not that "Oh, I have got to serve some purpose, political purpose. So I'll have to prove from Bhagavad-gītā there is nonviolence." In our country, Gandhi, he was supposed to be a great student of Bhagavad-gītā. He wanted to prove that there... (break) ...by violence. So he was killed. How you can prove Bhagavad-gītā nonviolence? There is tacit order, "You must fight. The other party is impious. So you must fight." These are the injunction. You cannot change. That is not Vedānta-sūtra.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.91-2 -- Vrndavana, March 13, 1974:

So the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs everywhere, they are very proud of their Sanskrit education. Sometimes people ask our students whether you have learned Sanskrit. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness understanding does not depend on Sanskrit scholarship. That is the teaching of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said to the Māyāvādī sannyāsī Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that "My Guru Mahārāja studied Me as a great fool." Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, presenting Himself. He was a learned scholar, undoubtedly, very learned scholar. In His youthful age He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. This paṇḍita title, especially the brāhmaṇas are given this paṇḍita title. But He was specifically known as Paṇḍita, Nimāi Paṇḍita, very good scholar. And He defeated the Keśava Kashmiri, a great, renowned scholar of Kashmir. The Kashmir country is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also. It is a very old country. And there were many learned scholars. And one scholar came to Navadvīpa to defeat the paṇḍitas, the learned scholars of Navadvīpa, but he was defeated by a young boy, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Nimāi Paṇḍita was at that time only sixteen years old. But He defeated only in composition, Sanskrit composition. The Sanskrit composition, there is rules and regulations. So you know the story. He pointed out many defects in the verses composed by the Keśava Kashmiri. So he was defeated.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.91-2 -- Vrndavana, March 13, 1974:

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised... That is His propaganda. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-māha-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ sarvātmanaṁ paraṁ vijāyate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12). That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... So His Guru Mahārāja advised Him... He presented Himself like that to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. Presenting Himself as fool means that the general mass of people, they are not fit for becoming very great Sanskrit scholar or very good philosopher or student of Vedānta philo... That is not possible in this age, in Kali-yuga. Mass of people, they are almost śūdra. Śūdra-sambhava. Scholarship, to study Sanskrit, to study Vedas, Purāṇas, they are meant for the brāhmaṇas. Not even for the kṣatriyas, or what to speak of vaiśya. Vaiśya, śūdra and woman, they have been classified in the Bhagavad-gītā as less intelligent. Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdras te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. But Kṛṣṇa is so merciful. If you take the shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, whatever you may be... You may be scholar or not scholar. You may be rich or poor; women, śūdra, vaiśya, or pāpa-yoni. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. In Bhāgavata also, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbha yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ ye 'nye ca pāpā (SB 2.4.18). Pāpā means born in low-grade family. They are called pāpā. Śuddhyanti: they become purified. This is the verdict of the śāstras, that bhagavad-bhakti does not depend on any kind of material qualification. Simply you have to become very sincere and serious. That is the only price.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.108 -- San Francisco, February 18, 1967:

Oh, because you have got independence. Don't you see so many students come. They go away again. Yesterday Kīrtanānanda went to call Ranchora. He said, "Oh, I have forgotten this!" So you can forget. There is another student. He was also our student, Wally. "Oh, you can go immediately!" Suppose if you... "Oh, I don't care for this Kṛṣṇa consciousness Society. Who calls you? You can go." That independence is there. We can misuse.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.149-171 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1967:

He has already impregnated the seed. Just like Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda. In 1896 he sent the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message to McGill University. That book you have seen. The letter was there. And these are coincidence. Now, after so many years, a servant of that disciplic succession has come here again to preach. So these things are significant. Caitanya Mahāprabhu practically sown the seed of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is spreading, and it is sure it will spread. Now it has come to your country, and I am sure the students who are taking very seriously about this movement, they will spread in the western world.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 8.128 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 24, 1977:

Prabhupāda: We have to understood... Come to this school and learn it, not in a minute.

Guest (5): Sir, not minute.

Prabhupāda: Then why you are asking all these things? You come, become a student, and learn. It is not so easy subject that standing for one minute, you'll understand everything.

Guest (5): Not standing. If God... If God is not doing everything...

Prabhupāda: God is doing everything. I have already explained. If you want to remain a demon, God will keep you in demonic condition. That's it. He is doing everything. That's a fact. And if you want to be devotee, then God can make you devotee also. Ye yathā mām prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmi (BG 4.11).

Guest (5): That would be good.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So...

Guest (5): That's why I asked of the point which is not clear to me. That's why I asked of the point. I know that God is, God is moving everything...

Prabhupāda: God is doing everything. That's a fact.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.66-96 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

Now, after Caitanya Mahāprabhu's approval of renouncement of Sanātana Gosvāmī, He instructed him for two months at Benares. In the formerly... Here it is referred. In the formerly, as He instructed Rāmānanda Rāya at, in Kabul (?)—Kabul is a place in the Madras, South India—similarly, in that occasion the Lord was questioning Rāmānanda Rāya, and Rāmānanda Rāya was replying and here, in the similar way, the Sanātana Gosvāmī will question and Lord Caitanya will reply. So sometimes the disciple and the spiritual master, the relationship is like that. Sometimes the teacher questions to the student, and student replies, and sometimes the student questions to the teacher, and teacher replies. This is called iṣṭagoṣṭhī. To develop knowledge, these questions and answers are required. According to system of accepting a spiritual master, it is said that just after acceptance... Ādau gurvāśrayam. One must have to accept a spiritual master. Then the next position is sad-dharma-pṛcchāt. Then he should be very much inquisitive. A student... Not finishing, that "Now I am initiated. Everything finished." No. He should be very inquisitive. Unless one is very inquisitive, there is no necessity of accepting a spiritual master. That is the instruction in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). One has the necessity of accepting a spiritual master who is very much inquisitive about transcendental matter. Otherwise there is no necessity. Simply, "Oh, because so many people accept a spiritual master, so I'll have to accept somebody as spiritual master. My business finished"—no. One should be very much inquisitive. Yes. He must be very much eager to understand what is transcendental subject. Then his, this business of accepting a spiritual master will be fulfilled.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.66-96 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

So that is the relation between spiritual master and the student, not that the spiritual master, because he has officially accepted the post as spiritual master, he should remain as... He should accept the students also as his spiritual master. This is the reciprocation. Prabhu. Everyone would address the other as prabhu. But officially one may be a spiritual master. But in spiritual platform there is no such difference. But officially, custom is that spiritual master is considered in the place of Supreme Lord, and therefore he is given the such respect. But the spiritual master, bona fide spiritual master, he thinks that "I am your disciple. I am your disciple." And practical example I have seen: our Guru Mahārāja, when we offered obeisances, he used to return me, dāso 'smi: "I am your servant." He used to return me this way, "I am your servant."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.97-99 -- New York, November 22, 1966:

So this mentality should be sacrificed first, before going to a spiritual master. First of all you have to select who can be your spiritual master. That requires some knowledge. Or you have to behave with a person to understand, "Whether he is fit to become my spiritual master?" Then you should offer yourself to be a student. That is the process, not that all of a sudden you shall go to a person, "Oh, please accept me as your..." No. You should first of all try to understand whether he is actually fit. Then offer yourself. So just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, when he first saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he did not offer himself, but when he heard from Caitanya Mahāprabhu and he understood, "Yes, it is very nice thing. So I should now retire from service, and I should wholly devote to Caitanya Mahāprabhu," so he left his very lucrative job, ministership, and just like a very poor man he approached to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he's placing, submitted himself as blank slate, that "These are my qualifications. Please accept me."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

"My Lord, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, very kindly You went to my place and You have delivered me so that after Your visit I decided to resign from the government service, and I have come to You. So You have delivered me from the pitfalls of this materialistic way of life. Now tell me what is my duty." This is student. This is disciple. Approach a bona fide guru, a spiritual master, and abide by his orders and do accordingly. Then your life will be successful. And if you keep yourself in the darkness, that "I am very rich man. I am very learned man, but unfortunately, I do not know what I am," so what is the use? The Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: vidyā-kule hi karibe tāra. So if you do not know yourself, then what your so-called education and high family, high nationality, will help you? Nature's law is different. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). If you do not cultivate spiritual knowledge, if you remain like cats and dogs, then prakṛti, nature, will give you the cats' and dogs' body next life.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.100 -- Washington, D.C., July 5, 1976:

So these are Vedic instructions, and Sanātana Gosvāmī, although he was a minister in Muhammadan government, Nawab Hussain Shah's, but in touch with Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he has come to his knowledge that grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita: "Actually, I am not paṇḍita, but in village, in ordinary common sense, because I happen to be a brāhmaṇa, they call me paṇḍita. I also accept as paṇḍita. But my real position is that I am such a paṇḍita, such a learned man, that I do not know what is good for me. This is my position." He is submitting to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, his guru. Why guru is necessary? Tad vijñānārtham. When we are perplexed that "I do not know what is my actually goal of life, what is benefit here for me..." Just like Arjuna did. When he was talking with Kṛṣṇa on equal terms, two friends... But when he saw that the actual solution is not coming, then he submitted himself to Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa, now we are not friends. We are friends, but treat me as Your disciple." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). So "Make me paṇḍita. I am talking all foolishly. I am kṣatriya, it is my duty to fight and I am denying it. I know that I am deviating from my duties. So how it has happened? What is the cause? So kindly, śiṣyas te, I am submitting myself before You as Your student. Śādhi māṁ prapannam, I am surrendering."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.102 -- Baltimore, July 7, 1976:

like that, but there is no mistake. But the (laughs) technical. So it is finished? Kene? Finished? (laughter) There was one governor, a Mr. Carmichael. So in India, in British period, every officer had to learn the local language. We were students in the Scottish Church College. Our all professors were Europeans, but during their service they had to learn Bengali. So one governor, Mr. Carmichael, he was called for presiding over a meeting. So he wanted to speak in Bengali. So he said, dekhite dekhite kimbhasa kartiya gele. So the pronunciation is galo, but he said gele. So people were smiling. (laughter) The audience, they were smiling. So there are some technical. Just like we pronounce something and not to the correct current pronunciation. So, but when we are reading Bengali, let us do it, as far as possible, as the Bengalis do. That's all. Otherwise there is no mistake.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.121-124 -- New York, November 25, 1966:

They were so, I mean to say, their memory was so sharp that once heard, they can remember, they could remember. The life was so nice that... In the advancement of Kali-yuga, as I have several times described, that this memory will be decreased. People will be less, less memorious, memory... Their memory will be very shortened. They'll forget. Just like the lady was angry(?). At once forgets. One moment she says that "Oh, it was terrible heat," and next moment says, "Oh, I don't feel any unhappiness." That is forgetfulness. So memory will be so short that people will forget. Just like the animals. They forget. There is no memory. In some of the animals there is no mind. That is also analyzed in the Bhagavad-gītā, er, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So memory shortened, shortened. So just to give us remembrance again, the books are... Vyāsadeva, he wrote those Vedic traditions into books. Vyāsadeva is the first man who wrote this Vedic knowledge into writing. Before that, there was no writing. Only by hearing, by memory, the students will grasp the whole thing and coming down, tradition, tradition. Yes. Śruti, by hearing.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.124-125 -- New York, November 26, 1966:

So our civilization is going to the lowest of the mankind. And we are, we are trying to advertise ourself that we are advancing, but the... Yesterday some boy came: "Who is God? I am God." He was speaking like that. You see. And he appears to be educated student. From his appearance it appears that he, he's educated. So this is education is going on, that they're going to be the lowest of the mankind. The purpose of education is to make man the highest of the mankind, but modern education is teaching lowest of the mankind. And if some of the students are taught to become highest of the mankind, their guardians become disturbed: "Oh, my son is going to be highest of the mankind? Swamijī, you are playing dangerous things." Oh. Just see. Swamijī's speaking, "No, don't smoke. Don't take tea. Don't have illicit connection with women. Be upright. Be devotee." "Oh, Swamijī's dangerous." And if somebody teaches, "My dear boys, take LSD, go to hell, and become mad. Go to the lunatic asylum," "Oh, that is..." What can be done? This is the situation.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.144-146 -- New York, December 1, 1966:

So Kṛṣṇa also, as spiritual master of Arjuna, He played. He is the original ācārya. Then ācārya's disciple becomes ācārya when he assimilates the knowledge received from bona fide ācārya. So he becomes bona fide to act as an ācārya. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). Ācārya means one who has become a rigid disciple of his ācārya. Just like a critical student under a professor, he becomes a first-class professor, similarly, a person who is a very rigid student of bona fide ācārya, he becomes next ācārya. That is the... Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam. This is the disciplic succession. So as in the Bhagavad-gītā five thousand years before Lord Kṛṣṇa said, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam: (BG 15.15) "The purpose of all Vedic literatures, the conclusion, is that, to understand Me, Kṛṣṇa..." By understanding Kṛṣṇa, immediate liberation... That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā,

janma karma me divyaṁ
yo jānāti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti kaunteya
(BG 4.9)

Anyone who can understand critically and in truth about the appearance, disappearance, activities, transcendental activities, pastimes, of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, at once he becomes liberated. Tyaktvā deham: "This person who has known like that," tyaktvā dehaṁ, "by quitting this body," punar janma naiti, "he never... No more he takes another material body." Then what does he do? Mām eti: "He comes to Me."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.146-151 -- New York, December 3, 1966:

He is putting something before us. Even in Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa also says that "I am person. I am person." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). And it is confirmed by Arjuna. What is that? Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. So the Bhagavad-gītā, the speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā, establishing Himself that "I am person," and the student of the Bhagavad-gītā, I mean to say, Arjuna, he is accepting, "Yes. You are person. I accept it." I do not know why these fools explain, from Bhagavad-gītā, impersonalism. Where is the chance of explaining impersonal about conception of God from Bhagavad-gītā? Now, how they can surpass the speaker and the student? The student is Arjuna. He is accepting that "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead." And the speaker, Kṛṣṇa, He is also establishing Himself that "I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Now, wherefrom these fools take impersonal idea, I do not know. How they can? There is no chance. But still, they will poke their nose in that way. It is very sorry plight. You see? They are simply misleading persons.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.353-354 -- New York, December 26, 1966:

This is another significance of incarnation. Incarnation never says that "I am incarnation of God." I have read one book about a big avatāra in India. He was canvassing his students, "Do you now accept me as incarnation? Do you now accept me as incarnation?" And the... Perhaps you know. (laughs) And the disciple was denying, "No." Then, at a time the disciple said, "Yes, I accept you." So this is not avatāra. Here Caitanya Mahāprabhu says avatāra does not canvass that "I am..." Guru does not canvass. Sādhu does not canvass. He automatically, by his qualities, he becomes accepted. Yes.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.354-358 -- New York, December 28, 1966:

Here is the transla... "I shall briefly describe to that state which the knowers of the Vedas call the imperishable, which the ascetics, freed from passion, enter, and desiring which, they lead a life of self-control." Not... Brahmacarya is celibacy. Translation is not here. Celibacy means completely ceasing from sex life. Yad icchanto brahmacarya. Brahmacarya means celibacy. No sex life. Therefore the brahmacarya āśrama is recommended. The first basic principle of religious life, according to Vedic principle, the students are expected to go to the spiritual master's place and learn how to live without any sex life. For twenty-five years or at least for twenty years, the student is trained up in that way. Then he's allowed to enter into the gṛhastha life to marry. So there is a process. Religion means there must be process. It is not simply mental speculation. Yad icchantaṁ brahmacaryaṁ caranti. Yad icchantaṁ brahmacaryaṁ caranti tat te padaṁ saṅgraheṇa pravakśye. These things are described in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.391-405 -- New York, January 2, 1967:

So we have to rectify ourself. Unless we approach to the spiritual stage... That is the process. Just like a diseased man, he cannot imitate the healthy man. A healthy man eats as he likes, but a diseased man, if he eats as he likes, he'll die. Death is sure. So he has to be restricted, not the healthy man. So if you want really happiness, if you want really freedom, and if you really want everything is reality, then you have to transfer yourself to the spiritual world, in association with Kṛṣṇa. That is the whole process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And for that purpose, just like a student for getting a degree in the university, he, I mean to say, tolerates all kinds of inconveniences—"Never mind. Let me pass and go away"—similarly, we have to make use, the best use of this bad bargain, this material body, and continue in Kṛṣṇa consciousness just to achieve the highest perfection of life, freedom, love. This is the process. And if we imitate... The same example. If we, in diseased state, if we imitate a healthy man's activities, then death is sure. Death is sure. Nobody can say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with so many girls. Oh, let me enjoy also." You cannot, because you are in diseased condition. If you do that, then you continue your diseased life and you'll die.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.62-67 -- New York, January 6, 1966:

Now, India was united on the strength of religious culture and Sanskrit language. All over India the lingua franca, or the language, common language, at least for the scholars, not for the common man... The common man could speak any language—Hindi, Parsi, or Bengali, Oriya, Telegu, so many. There are so many languages. In every district you will find some language. But that was not taken into consideration. When education is concerned, every student all over India, they would take education in Sanskrit. Sanskrit language was the... So our present government, they have introduced a state language as Hindi. There are so many protests and so many quarrels. They would have done better if they would have introduced Sanskrit language as it was previously. So the Sanskrit language was one, and the culture was Vedic. Therefore there was no disunion.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.62-67 -- New York, January 6, 1966:

So one evening... Still during summer season on the Ganges side in the evening there are so many ladies and gentlemen, especially gentlemen. Ladies do not come. Nowadays come. Formerly they did not come out. So they came for strolling. And Nimāi Paṇḍita, although He was sixteen years old, He had many students. So formerly the system was that as soon as a boy becomes little grown up and learned, he will also teach some students. Catuṣpāthī. So although all the students were of the same age, still, Nimāi Paṇḍita was chief of them. So He was discussing with His own students on the bank of the Ganges. So Keśava Kāśmīrī came there for strolling, and he understood that "Oh, here is a boy, Nimāi Paṇḍita. He is to talk with me. So what this boy will talk with me?" He thought like that. So when he came before the assembly of the students, he talked with Nimāi that "Are You Nimāi Paṇḍita?" "Yes, sir. Who are you?" "I am Keśava Kāśmīrī." "Oh. Come on, come on. Sit down." The introduction was there.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.62-67 -- New York, January 6, 1966:

So the Paṇḍita, Kāśmīrī Paṇḍita, became surprised. The Kāśmīrī Paṇḍita became surprised: "How is that? This boy understood? He was a student of grammar, and He is pointing out literary defects?" Oh, he became very much, much surprised. Then he admitted. He was learned scholar. He admitted his fault and he said, "How is that? I have heard that You are student of grammar, and You are pointing out defects in literary construction?" "No. Yes. Yes, sir. I am a student of grammar. But I have heard it from great scholars like you. Of course, I do not know, but I have heard it." He very submissively replied that "I am not scholar, but I have heard it from scholars that this is the technique (?)." He could understand that "He is a very clever student." And there were many others. He pointed out defects. He thought in the beginning, "Oh, He is asking to compose some poetries. I shall show Him how can I compose poetry, hundreds." He did not care so much that He will point out so many defects in them. But when he saw it, he became sorry. And then the students, Lord Caitanya's students, as it is usual, they began to laugh. Caitanya Mahāprabhu at once told them, "Don't laugh in that way." So this Keśava Kāśmīrī went to his home, and he was a devotee of Goddess Sarasvatī. He prayed that "Mother, I was never defeated in such a way. What offense I have made unto your lotus feet that I am defeated before a boy?" So then Goddess Sarasvatī presented herself in dream and informed that "This boy is not ordinary boy. You are fortunate that you are defeated before Him. Best thing will be that you go and surrender unto Him, and you'll be profit." So this Keśava Kāśmīrī became a student of Lord Caitanya.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.31-38 -- San Francisco, January 22, 1967:

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu the disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī is quoting one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in which it is said that simply for understanding, if you waste your time, but if you do not practically apply yourself, then it is simply a waste of time. There is a very nice story. In our college days in logic class of Professor Purnachandra Sen, he cited a very nice example, that a student approached his teacher and the contract was that he wanted to become a law student, lawyer, and the contracts were that when the student will appear in the court after being duly qualified as lawyer, then he will pay the remuneration of the student. This was the contract between the... So that the teacher may very quickly make him qualified. So teacher agreed, "Yes. I shall make you qualified within one year. So you have to pay me five million dollars," like that, something. So when he was qualified, passed his law examination, he said, "Now you come. You practice in the court." So he said, "No. I am not going to practice." "Then pay me." "How can I pay? If I practice, then I'll pay, but I am not going to practice."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.31-38 -- San Francisco, January 22, 1967:

So this kind of law student, that he has learned all laws and he has become lawyer officially by his degree, but he's not going to practice... So similarly, if we simply know what is Brahman and what is not Brahman, but do not practice, it is just like that. It is useless waste of time. If you become a medical man, but if you don't practice as a medical man, then why should you take so much trouble? Similarly, those jñānis and yogis, they do not take to the devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is practical. If you... So far, we are trying to be practically employed in Kṛṣṇa's service. That is our business. We may not be haṭha-yogi or dhyāna-yogi or this yogi or that yogi or a very learned scholar, that we can distinguish and interpret that "Not to Kṛṣṇa but to myself." In this way I can waste my time. But if I do not apply myself (to) the purpose, then what is the use of?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967:

This is the secret of modern fashionable interpretation. If you want to establish... Suppose you have got some conviction, and if you want to establish it by evidence of an approved literature... An approved literature. Just like Gandhi. Gandhi wanted to establish nonviolence from Bhagavad-gītā. He was a... He is known to be a great student of Bhagavad-gītā, but he was not at all. His political theory was that he wanted to conquer over the enemies by nonviolence method. Nonviolent noncooperation, that was his, I mean to say, theory. He wanted to get away all kinds of nonviolence from the world, all kinds of violence from the world. So he wanted to prove from Bhagavad-gītā nonviolence. But how you can prove nonviolence from Bhagavad-gītā? Because Bhagavad-gītā is being spoken in the violent battlefield. But because he wanted to prove nonviolence, therefore he says, "Oh, these Pāṇḍavas means this. This Kṛṣṇa means this. This chariot means this. These Kurus means this. Dharmakṣetra means this. Kurukṣetra means this." He has invented and manufactured so many rascal meaning that it is very difficult... He said that dharmakṣetre... In the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā there is the verse, dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1). Now the very word yuyutsavaḥ means persons who are desiring to fight with one another. Now, how you can prove nonviolence? But he extracts some meaning: "These Pāṇḍava means five senses and the Kurukṣetra means this body." In this way, his interpretation.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1970:

But they are forgetting that we, either we may be American or Russian or China or India, we are all subordinate to God. This is the mistake. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, and they want to enjoy this material world. This is their disease. Now our duty is to invoke their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that "You are superior." That's all right. But you are subordinate to Kṛṣṇa. You cannot enjoy, but you can... Just like we have decorated this temple not for our sense gratification. What is the difference between our students and ordinary man? They are also decorating their apartment very nicely. We are also doing the same. But the purpose is different. We are doing the same, but the purpose is different. We are doing it for Kṛṣṇa, and they are doing their for their... So our superiority is that either I am trying for decorating my personal apartment, I am trying to decorate this temple—my superiority is there because I am utilizing matter for my purpose. But when it is utilized, his intelligence is applied to utilized this matter for Kṛṣṇa, then his life is successful. The superior intelligence should be utilized for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇārthe akhila-ceṣṭā. Then your life is successful. Then the same superior energy, if you apply it for your sense gratification, you'll be entangled and anxiety. And then you'll have to change your body, one after another. That is going on.

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 9 -- Los Angeles, May 13, 1970:

As I told you the other day, when I lectured in the Massachusetts Technological College, so I inquired that "Where is that technology to study the mover?" But they have no such arrangement. They could not answer satisfactorily. So that is avidyā. So here, in the Īśopaniṣad, it is said, andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti ye avidyām upāsate. Those who are engaged only in material advancement of education, the result will be that they will go to the darkest region of existence, andhaṁ tamaḥ. It is very dangerous position that at the present moment there is no arrangement in any state, all over the world, about spiritual education. It is pushing the human society to the darkest region of existence. Actually, it is happening so. In... In your country, your rich country, you have got nice educational system, so many universities, but what class of men you are producing? The students are coming to become hippies.

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 10 -- Los Angeles, May 15, 1970:

So here is one word, iti śuśruma. Śuśruma means heard. The word meaning is there. "It is heard." In the Vedic disciplic succession, it is never said, "It is experienced." That is the secret of Vedic understanding. No student will... Just like people are now engaged in researching what is there in the moon planet. So this is material policy, to try to understand things by his own experience. Pratyakṣa, direct, experimental knowledge. The Vedic understanding is different. It is śruti. Śruti means to hear from authoritative source. That is real knowledge. Just like I have given many times this example that if you want to know your father by experimental knowledge, is it possible? Not possible. Then how to know my father? By hearing from the authority, mother. That's all. Simple thing. Similarly, things which are beyond our experimental knowledge you should not try to understand by your imperfect senses. That is not possible. If you cannot know your material father by experimental knowledge, how you can know the Supreme Father by experimental knowledge? The original father... The father of the father, father, father, you go on searching father, and the original father is Kṛṣṇa. So if you cannot understand your material father, the next generation, by experimental knowledge, how you can know God, or Kṛṣṇa, by experimental knowledge? Can you answer this, anyone?

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 10 -- Los Angeles, May 15, 1970:

So you have to hear from such person, dhīra. Here it is stated, iti śuśruma dhīrāṇām. Dhīrāṇām. Then your knowledge will be perfect. If you hear from adhīrāṇām, those who are not controlled, then it is useless knowledge. But here it is in the Vedic version of Īśopaniṣad, iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ ye nas tad vicacakṣire. So the student has approached the spiritual master and he says that "We have heard like this. Now it may be kindly explained." So teacher or the spiritual master is not inventing something. The same old thing. Just like the Bhagavad-gītā, the old thing is being explained again by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. So we have no, nothing to research. Everything is there. Simply we have to hear from a person who is dhīra, who is not agitated by the six kinds of agitating agents. That is the process of Vedic knowledge.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 34 -- San Francisco, September 13, 1968 :

Therefore, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very urgent necessity for the human society. They should learn how to love Kṛṣṇa. Then everything will be adjusted, very easily. It is not utopian theory; it is practical. There are many instances, and those who are following, the students in, in our society, ask them how they love others, how they love everyone, because they are..., they are trying to love Kṛṣṇa. So govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Therefore our process is, try to love the original person. And as soon as you become an expert lover... You will find in, in our Back to Godhead there is a picture that a hunter, after being initiated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is loving even the ants. Those who have seen our Kṛṣṇa pictures. Have you got Back to Godhead here? You can show picture?

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

If a girl is just like jewel, very qualified, even she is born in low family, accept her. Nīcād apy uttamāṁ vidyāṁ strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. Duṣkulād api means born of low family. Never mind. Don't care for her parentage. If she's qualified, accept her. There are many instances. Similarly, if you are serious about understanding God, don't consider that "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "Why shall I go this? Why shall I hear from Swamijī?" If you are serious about understanding God, to love God, then here is the nicest process. That is practical. There is no question of grudging, "Oh, why shall I go there? They are following some Hindu, Vedic scripture." No. There is no question of Vedic scripture. We, our business is how to love God. That's all. Just like many students come here to take higher education. As there is no consideration that "Why shall I go to America or Germany? They are different people. Oh, I don't take higher education." No. Everyone goes. Similarly, if there is nice process to understand God, to approach God, you should take it. Don't be grudging. Take it. You'll be benefited. Kevalayā bhaktyā.

Festival Lectures

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

If you divide all people, they will..., you will find one class of men: they are not interested with this opulence of material happiness. They are seeking-philosophers, learned scholars, scientists, religionists, reformers. Their business is different. So naturally, the brāhmaṇa class of men, they are not very rich. (baby starts crying) Oh. What happened? (break) ...are always, because they do not endeavor for material opulence, apparently they look very poor, but actually, they are rich in knowledge. But people do not care for knowledge, at the present moment at least. They care for material opulence. They think that this life is meant for highest grade of sense gratification. That is the general thinking. In this city, any city you go, they are struggling very hard. Everyone is trying to get very rich, to get monetary power, so that they can satisfy their senses. Just like I hear from my students that this island, Hawaii, is meant for tourists. Tourists means they are all rich class of men. They come here to spend money for sense gratification. That is the way of civilization, the modern civilization: "Earn money at any cost. At the risk of all advancement of life, enjoy." So this is not new thing, but at the present moment in this age, this mentality has increased very improportionately. So when I came to the compound, to the yard of this house, I was very happy to hear the chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, because in this great city of sense gratification, at least in one corner there is the vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

So Buddha philosophy simply takes account of this gross body. They do not take account of the mind, because as soon as they go to the platform of mind, then immediately the question will be "Whose mind? Whose intelligence?" Then you have to come to the spirit soul. But the people for whom this Buddha philosophy was preached, they were not very intelligent class of men. Therefore Lord Buddha did not give them the information of the subtle body or the soul. They were unable. Why they were unable? They were gross materialists. The gross materialists, they are animal-killers, gross materialists. That, these animal-killers, according to Bhāgavata also, they cannot understand finer things. Those who are animal-killers and animal-eaters, they cannot understand finer philosophical matter. Their brain is gross. Therefore they are much inclined to mechanical way of life. Machine. Machine is gross. You see? We therefore forbid our students, not to be meat-eaters, because by refraining yourself from meat-eating, you will have, you will develop finer... Not only refraining from meat-eating. That is one of the conditions. There are other conditions also. But this is one of the condition. Parīkṣit Mahārāja said, "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is understandable by liberated class of men." Liberated class means above the brāhmaṇas. "But those who are killer of the animals..." The killer of the animals are two kinds: one, gross killer, killing cows, goats, chickens, so many, gross killer... Another killer is soul-killer. Soul-killer means those who do not take any care for the soul. They are taking care of this gross body.

Ratha-yatra and Press Conference -- San Francisco, July 4, 1970:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to utilize to the best possible means this human form of life. We are coming to this human form of life in the evolutionary process from aquatics to reptiles, to plants and trees, then birds and beasts, then human form of life. Out of that human form of life, there are many uncivilized form of life, just above the monkeys. But those who are civilized... Civilized means those who are following the instruction of the Vedas, varṇāśrama-dharma. The human society (is) divided into four varṇas and four āśramas. The four varṇas are social division, namely the student life, the householder life, the retired life, and renounced life. These four divisions of social life and four divisions of spiritual life—brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha..., brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—in this way there are eight divisions. These eight divisions of human society are very scientifically adopted. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). This civilized division of human society is so perfect that one can gradually, from the aquatic life, can go back to home, back to Godhead.

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, June 27, 1971:

Kṛṣṇa says, those who are constantly, twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service... Just like these students, the member of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Society, you'll find them twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. That is the, I mean to say, significance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are always engaged. This Ratha-yatra ceremony is one of the item, so that at least, one day, all of you will be able to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is only practice, and if you practice throughout your whole life, then at the time of death, if you can fortunately remember Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful. That practice is required. yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). We have to give up this body, that is certain. But at the time of death, if we remember Kṛṣṇa, immediately you are transferred to the abode of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, but still Kṛṣṇa has got a special abode, which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968:

So even if you can execute one item, you become perfect. It is so nice. Śrī viṣṇu śravane parīkṣit. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he simply executed the function of hearing, he got perfection. Similarly, abhavad vaiyāsakī kīrtane. Vaiyāsakī means Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he simply glorified the Lord. Prahlādaḥ smarane. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was simply meditating. There are many examples. Simply by following one principle of this devotional service, they got the highest perfectional life, liberation, back to home, back to Godhead.

So we shall invite today to speak about Kṛṣṇa from our students, as well as all the members who are present here. So I shall request Janārdana to speak something about his realization of Kṛṣṇa. (pause) All right. Let him speak.

Sri Vyasa-puja -- Hamburg, September 5, 1969:

Others, tigers and other beasts, they go away. But the snake, they crawl. They cannot get out. Mostly they burn. So this example is given to this materialistic life as forest fire because nobody wants any disturbance, but disturbance is created. Actually I am seeing. Since I have come to this part of the world in 1965, so many boys are chased by the government draft board. You see? They belong to the independent nation, and formerly they were independent. And what is this nonsense independence? You see? Simply nonsense. There is no independence. But we are thinking, "I am independent." "Oh, that nation has become independent. I shall become independent." Just like one of my students said he wanted to be anarchist.

Sri Vyasa-puja -- Hamburg, September 5, 1969:

So these false notions, isms, are going on. People are being misled. You see? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Practical experience: In my country, India, I was also a student of Gandhi. In 1920 I joined the noncooperation movement and gave up my education because Gandhi's program was to boycott the British educational institution. So most of the university students... I was also. I passed my final examination, B.A., but I gave up. I did not appear, and I joined this movement. Fortunately, in 1922 I also met my Guru Mahārāja, and he, on my first visit, I do not know why, he told that "You should preach this Caitanya philosophy to the outside world." I replied that "We are dependent nation. Who will hear us? In the world, nobody hears any person who is coming from dependent nation, so we must have first of all independence." A young man I was at that time, and I was also misled in so many ways. But my spiritual master saved me, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja.

Sri Vyasa-puja -- Hamburg, September 5, 1969:

Now, this spiritual master's succession is not very difficult. Of course, my students, they offer me so much respect, but all these respects are due to my spiritual master. I am nothing. I am just like peon. Just like peon delivers one letter. He is not responsible for what is written in that letter. He is not responsible for what is written in that letter. He simply delivers. But a peon's duty is that he must sincerely carry out the order of the postmaster and deliver the letter to the proper person. That is their duty. Similarly, this paramparā system is like that. Every one of us should become a spiritual master because the world is in blazing fire. (aside:) You can give them prasādam. Now, of course, time is very high. So to understand the spiritual master... Spiritual master is not a new invention. It is simply following the orders of the spiritual master. So all my students present here who are feeling so much obliged... I am also obliged to them because they are helping me in this missionary work.

Sri Vyasa-puja -- New Vrindaban, September 2, 1972:

Ladies and gentlemen, this ceremony... Of course, those who are my students, they know what is this ceremony. Those who are visitors, for their information, I may inform you something about this ceremony. Otherwise, it may not be misunderstood. A outsider may see it that "Why a person is being worshiped like God?" There may be some doubt. So this is the etiquette. This ceremony is called Vyāsa-pūjā. Vyāsa. Vyāsa means the original author of Vedic literature. He is incarnation of Nārāyaṇa. He gave us all Vedic knowledge. He received the knowledge from Nārada. Nārada received the knowledge from Brahma. Brahmā received the knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. So in this way, by disciplic succession, we get transcendental knowledge.

Sri Vyasa-puja -- New Vrindaban, September 2, 1972:

This is called Vyāsa-pūjā. And the spiritual master receives all honor, all contribution, on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not for his person. Just like in our country when there was British rule, there was a viceroy, a king's representative. So naturally, when viceroy used to go to some meeting, many people used to present valuable jewels, valuable, because just to honor him. But the law was that not a single of the jewels or contribution the viceroy could touch. It was going to the royal treasury. The viceroy could accept on behalf of the king all contribution, but it goes to the king. Similarly, this day, Vyāsa-pūjā day, whatever honor, contribution and feelings is being offered to the spiritual master, it is... Again, as we have received the knowledge from upwards, similarly, this respect also goes from downward to the upward. This is the process. So as the spiritual master is teacher of the student, he has to teach the disciple how to send back his respect and contribution to God. This is called Vyāsa-pūjā.

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973:

So brahmacārī, in the beginning of life... Brahmacārī means beginning of life, student life. They must be trained up how to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the first training. The brahmacārī is trained up to rise early in the morning and offers fire sacrifice, then studies of Vedas, then saṅkīrtana. There are so many routine work for brahmacārī. So this must be executed. And for gṛhastha-dāna, charity. Gṛhastha must be prepared or trained up to give charity. And who will accept the charity? The charity will be accepted by the brahmacārī and sannyāsa. Not the vānaprastha. Brahmacārī will accept charity on behalf of the spiritual master. And a sannyāsī will accept charity only for his maintenance. That's all. The gṛhastha cannot accept charity. But a gṛhastha-brāhmaṇa, he can accept charity, but he will not, I mean to say, accumulate money by taking charity. Whatever he gets, he must spend. Then dāna-pratigraha. Pratigraha means accept. But he cannot keep in bank a bank balance. He must, whatever extra he has got, he must immediately give in charity.

His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971:

So a scripture for a society which is not very enlightened and a scripture for a society which is very enlightened must be different. Just like a dictionary. For the schoolboy, a pocket dictionary. And for a college student, international, big dictionary. Both of them are dictionaries. But the small pocket dictionary is not equal to the big dictionary. Because it is different made for different classes of men. So scriptures are made according to different classes of men. There are three classes of men: first-class, second-class, and third-class. The third-class man cannot understand the philosophy and scriptural injunctions of the first-class man. That is not possible. Higher mathematics cannot be understood by the small schoolboys who are simply trying to understand "Two plus two equal to four." But "Two plus two equal to four" is equally good to the higher mathematics student. But still, higher mathematics and lower math is different. Therefore it is said, śrutayo vibhinnāḥ: the scriptures are different. So if you simply try to understand what is God by reading scriptures, you cannot achieve. You must approach a guru. Just like a medical book. It can be available in the market. If you purchase one medical book and study and you become doctor, that is not possible. You must hear the medical book from a medical man in the college, medical college. Then you will be qualified. And if you say, "Sir, I have read all the medical books. Recognize me as a medical practitioner," no, that will be not.

His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971:

No, no. Bona fide spiritual means he must get knowledge. He must get knowledge. He must inquire from the... The student must inquire from the spiritual master. If he remains dumb, then what bona fide spiritual master can do? Ādau gurv-āśrayaṁ sad-dharma-pṛcchat, jijñāsuḥ. He must be jijñāsuḥ. He must be jijñāsuḥ. We get so many letters daily. So many inquiries. The student must be very inquisitive. Otherwise how he shall make progress? If he remains dumb, then what the bona fide spiritual master can do? If you go to a very nice school but if you do not study, if you do not inquire, then what is the use of going to the nice school? You must be also very alert to inquire, to understand, to make progress. Then it will be all right. If you do not utilize the benefit of having a bona fide spiritual master, then that is your fault. You must utilize the opportunity. We are publishing so many books, so many literatures, magazines. Why? Just to enlighten more and more. But if you don't take advantage of this, then how can you make progress? Change of spiritual master requires when the spiritual master is not bona fide. Otherwise there is no necessity of changing.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1973:

So every student, any disciple, every disciple, especially those who are competent, he requested that "You take up this mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and preach in the western countries. That was Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura's first attempt. Before that, even the ācāryas, Rūpānuga Gosvāmīs, they left literature, but they did not attempt to preach practically. And Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was very, very anxious to preach this Caitanya cult in the western countries. This is Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura's special contribution.

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 -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976:

The disciple, Abhaya Charan Dāsa, was to become His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, founder-ācārya of International Society, Krishna Consciousness." So whatever I appreciated forty years ago, the same principle is going on. We have no change. What I understood my spiritual master... Practically I met him in 1922, and this poetry was written in 1936. That means fourteen years before writing this poetry, I met my Guru Mahārāja in 1922. At that time I was quite a young man, twenty-five years old only, and I was posted in a very responsible position and as the office manager of Dr. Bose's laboratory. And I was fond of in those days, of Gandhi's movement. In 1922 I joined Gandhi's movement, and I gave up my educational career because one of the Gandhi's program was to boycott the universities. That's a very long story. And many students gave up their educational career and joined this Gandhi's movement, and I was one of them.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976:

So by that process, lower animals and then the chronological order is there... First of all aquatics, jalajāḥ. Jalajāḥ means aquatic. Then sthāvarāḥ, trees, plants. Then flies, then birds, then beasts, then human being. In this way, bahu sambhavante, after many, many millions of years we get this opportunity of human life to realize God. And this civilization is denying, refusing the opportunity to the human society to understand God—such a soul-killing civilization. It is a fact. They are denying "What is God? There is no God. Everything is science," although they cannot explain science. They cannot do anything, simply talking like nonsense. Last night some girls came, so they are students of botany. So I asked them, "Can you manufacture a seed which can give birth to a big banyan tree?" "No, sir, it is not possible." Then what kind of botany you are studying? Actually what is their science? They talk simply something which is going on in the middle portion. Where is the beginning and where is the end of knowledge, that they do not know. They are theorizing only in the middle. They do not know janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), where is the beginning of this science. That is... Beginning is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). He is the beginning. Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). That seed, you scientist, you cannot manufacture. What chemicals are there that if you put in the earth and pour some water and it will grow a big tree? These scientists, they cannot explain what is the chemical composition is there. But there is. So that is in the hand of Kṛṣṇa.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976:

So this knowledge means to understand the original source. That is philosophy, find out the original source. That is knowledge. So the vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo. Actually the knowledge terminates when you understand Kṛṣṇa. He is the source of everything. So there is a "struggle for existence, a human race, the only hope, His Divine Grace." So we got this information from His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, and that knowledge is still going on. You are receiving through his servant. And in future the same knowledge will go to your students. This is called paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā prāp... It is not that you have become a student and you'll remain student. No. One day you shall become also guru and make more students, more students, more. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, not that perpetually... Yes, one should remain perpetually a student, but he has to act as guru. That is the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is not that because I am acting as guru, I am no longer student. No, I am still student. Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us this instruction that we shall always remain a foolish student before our Guru Mahārāja. That is the Vedic culture. I may be very big man, but still, I should remain a foolish student to my guru. That is the qualification. Guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāśana (CC Adi 7.71). We should be always prepared to be controlled by the guru. That is very good qualification. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Āra nā kariha mane āśā **. So we should become always a very obedient student to our guru. That is the qualification. That is the spiritual qualification.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Los Angeles, February 7, 1969:

So when he was three years or four years old, he took one mango from the Deity room and ate it. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, "Oh, you have done a great wrong thing. You have taken the mango of the Deity before offering Him? It is a great offense." The child took it very serious, and my Guru Mahārāja never took mango throughout his whole life. Whenever mango was offered, he would say, "Oh, I am a offender. I cannot take that." You see? So there was a big meeting. What is this sound? Somebody's sleeping? All right. (laughter) In Midnapur district, when he was young man, he was holding meeting. He was a great astrologer, and he opened an astrological school when he was young man. And there are many big students still practicing. They are all students of my Guru Mahārāja. And there was a meeting in Midnapur district. The subject matter "Brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas." So in that meeting Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was invited. At that time he was not very in healthy condition, indisposed. So he asked Sarasvatī Ṭhākura that "You go and speak there." So he spoke on the distinction between brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, and he defeated so many learned paṇḍitas. Then the whole audience began to take, touch his lotus feet and touch with water and drink it, in this way, when he was young man. That book is also available in Bengali, Brāhmaṇa-Vaiṣṇava.

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

One of my friends—he's still living, Śrī Narendranath Mullik—he informed me that "One saintly person has come. Let us go and see." At that time I was young man, and I did not care for very much about so-called saintly persons. Because in our house, my father used to receive so many sannyāsīs, but some of them were not very to the standard, and due to my association with college friends, younger days, I lost my faith practically, although I was born in a Vaiṣṇava family. My father was a pure Vaiṣṇava. From my childhood, he gave me Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity for worshiping. A ratha... I was playing with my boyfriends, Ratha-yātrā, Ḍola, like that. My father encouraged. So I was trained up in this line, but in my youthful age, when I was college student, gradually, by their bad association or something, gradually, I lost my activities. But when this friend, Mr. Mullik, took me to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, he immediately asked me that, "You are educated young boys. Why don't you take up Lord Caitanya's message and preach in the Western world?" In the very first sight, he told me. At that time, I argued with him that "We are dependent nation, and who is going to hear about our message?" So he defeated my argument. (aside:) There is no necessity of closing. Yes. He defeated my argument. He was learned scholar.

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

Mukunda. In this way, five or six students used to come. Gradually, it developed. Then we started next branch in San Francisco, next branch in Montreal, next branch in Buffalo, Boston. In this way... Now we have got forty-five branches. So practically, we began work from 1968. '66 I started, but... And '67 I became very much sick. So I came back to India, and again I went there in 1968. Practically, this propaganda work began vigorously from 1968. So from 1968, '69, '70, and this, '71. So three, four years, all these branches have grown up, and now practically, throughout the whole continent, Europe and America, they know what is Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Due it to our propaganda. Just like these boys. You have seen they are chanting and dancing. We send street saṅkīrtana even the most busiest quarter of New York, Fifth Avenue. And they go. The American boys, they are very daring. Sometimes police arrest them. And police is not harassing. The public and police, both, they are now sympathetic, that "Here is a movement which is actually genuine and very beneficial to our people." They are sympathetic. And even some of the Christian priests, they are also very sympathetic. They say that "These boys, American boys, they are our boys. They're so nice that they're mad after God, but we could not give them. Swamijī has given them." So they appreciate. Actually, these boys, they come from Christian family, Jewish family. There are many churches in America. I was surprised. When I first went to Butler, that's a small county, but I saw there about dozen of churches. So I thought the American people are very religiously-minded. And actually so. The history of the American people, mostly they came from England for this religious purpose. So they migrated in America for being religiously advanced.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975:

So I got a free passage through some Indian steam navigation company. So I came by ship. So when I was on the ship at Boston port, Commonwealth port, I was thinking that "I have come here. I do not know what is the purpose because how the people will accept this movement? They are differently educated, and as soon as I will say, 'So, my dear sir, you have to give up meat-eating and illicit sex and no intoxication and gambling,' they will say, 'Please go home.' " (laughter) Because that was the experience of one of my Godbrother. He went to London, and he had the opportunity to talk with one big man, Marquis of Zetland. Marquis of Zetland was formerly governor of Bengal. At that time I was student. He was Scotsman, and I was student of the Scottish Churches' College. So he came to see our college, and he was standing in front of me in the second-year class. So he was very nice, good gentleman. So he proposed to my Godbrother, "Whether you can make me a brāhmaṇa?" So my Godbrother proposed, "Yes, we can make anyone brāhmaṇa provided you follow this principle: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling." So that Lord Zetland immediately replied, "Impossible." (laughter) So I was thinking that "I will propose something which is impossible. Anyway, let me try."

Jagannatha Deities Installation Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.13-14 -- San Francisco, March 23, 1967:

Therefore we have established Back to Godhead. The students are allowed, whatever they are hearing, they must be thoughtful and write. Kīrtitavyaś ca. Not only simply hearing. "Oh, I am hearing for millions of years; still, I cannot understand"—because you do not chant, you do not repeat what you have heard. You have to repeat. Kīrtitavyaś ca. śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca dhyeyaḥ. And how can you write or how you can speak unless you think of Him? You are hearing about Kṛṣṇa; you have to think, then you can speak. Otherwise not. So śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca dhyeyaḥ and pūjyaś ca. And you should worship. Therefore we require this Deity for worshiping. We have to think of, we have to speak, we have to hear, we have to worship, pūjyaś ca... Then, occasionally? No. Nityadā: regularly, regular. Nityadā, this is the process.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Address -- London, September 11, 1969:

We simply accept a sincere soul who wants to dedicate his life for God's service. So it is not easy thing. These boys and girls who are following me, they are very elevated. They are not ordinary boys and girls. They have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Their quality is greater than any mundane erudite scholar. It is a challenge. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). Anyone who has developed God consciousness, love of God, all good qualities will automatically develop in him. All good qualities. Test any of our students, how they are good, how they are advanced. Test it. Bring anyone in this world and test any one of our boys. You'll find how much difference there is in their character, in their feeling, in their consciousness. So this is the only thing. If you want peaceful society, then you must make them God conscious, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything will be automatically solved. Otherwise your so-called United Nations will not help.

Arrival Lecture -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971:

Prabhupāda: Why the young people go to university?

Woman Guest: I'm sorry?

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

Woman Guest: That's the age of education.

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

Woman Guest: Why just in the last five years?

Prabhupāda: Because they have got now. Before this there was no such thing. Now they have got it, they're coming.

Woman Guest: Were you trying before then?

Prabhupāda: No. Before there was no such movement in your country.

Arrival Lecture -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971:

Please excuse me." Nṛsiṁha-deva was very much satisfied: "Here is a pure devotee." But the same pure devotee requested the Lord, "My Lord, my father was atheist, and he has committed so many offenses, so I beg that my father may be liberated." And Nṛsiṁha-deva said, "Your father is already liberated because you are the, his son. In spite of all his offenses, he is liberated, because you are his son. Not only your father, but your father's father, his father up to seven generations, they are all liberated." So if Vaiṣṇava appears in a family, he liberates not only his father, but his father, his father, his father, his father, in that way. But that is the best service to the family, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Actually, it has happened. One of my students, Kārttikeya, his mother was so much fond of society that usually when he wanted to see his mother, mother says "Sit down. I am going to the dancing party." That was the relationship. Still, because he, this boy, is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he was talking of Kṛṣṇa to his mother many times. So at the time of death the mother asked the son, "Where is your Kṛṣṇa? He is here?" And she immediately, she died. That means at the time of death she remembered Kṛṣṇa, and immediately she was delivered. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). At the time of death if one remembers Kṛṣṇa, then life is successful. So this mother, on account of the son, Kṛṣṇa consciousness son, she got liberated, without actually coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is the benefit.

Arrival Lecture -- New Delhi, November 10, 1971:

So these boys, when I started my class, 26 Second Avenue, some of these students were coming, and then I started my kīrtana at the Thompkins Square Park, sitting on the ground floor. These boys and the girls were coming. That was the first publicity, make in the New York Times, about my kīrtana, and gradually it developed. Next branch was opened at San Francisco, then at Montreal, then at Boston, Buffalo. In this way now we have sixty-five branches all over the world, and each branch there are maximum two hundred devotees like these, and minimum twenty-five devotees at least. And each branch... At Los Angeles we are spending $20,000 per month, which is in Indian exchange two lakhs of rupees. Similarly, we are spending $10,000 in New York. In this way we have to spend seven lakhs of rupees per month for maintaining all these men, and we have got big, big publication like this. When I went to the Western country I brought only three volumes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the temple of our Sri Kṛṣṇa Sharma.

Arrival Lecture -- Paris, July 20, 1972:

Unfortunately, our science, philosophy in school, college, university, they are simply concerned with the perishable, not with the imperishable. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for taking into account of the nonperishable. So it is the movement of the soul, not the movement as political movement, social movement or religious movement. They are pertaining to the perishable body. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is pertaining to the imperishable soul. Therefore our this saṅkīrtana movement, simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, your heart will be gradually cleansed so that you can come to the spiritual platform. Just like here in this movement we have got students from all countries of the world, all religions of the world. But they no more think of the particular type of religion or nation or creed or color. No. All of them think as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. When we come to that platform and when we engage ourself in that positional occupation, then we are liberated.

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

So these students, European, American students, they are offering respect to their spiritual master. Outsiders may think that the spiritual master is very puffed up, and he is sitting and taking respect from the disciple. But the fact is that they are to be taught like that, how to offer respect to the spiritual master. This is our Vedic process. Any sect or Vedic sect, the principle is ādau gurv-āśrayam: "The first principle is to accept guru." Unless there is guru, how it can be executed-yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23)? This is Vedic injunction. Other Vedic injunctions are like, the same. Kaṭha Upaniṣad says, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "If you want to learn that transcendental science, then your first business is to go to a guru." Guru... As God is one, guru is also one. There cannot be different gurus. Nowadays it has become a fashion that "I have got my own guru. You have got your own guru." No. Guru means the representative of God. As God is one, similarly, guru is also one. There cannot be different gurus. Because God is one, how there can be different gurus? The principle of guru is one. (child crying) (aside:) Stop. The original guru is Kṛṣṇa. Yaṁ brahmā varuṇendra-rudra stunvanti divyaiḥ stavaiḥ. Original guru, unto whom Brahmā, yaṁ brahmā varuṇa indra, all the demigods, offering their prayers. Within this universe Brahmā is considered to be the foremost living being, but is he also offering respect to Kṛṣṇa.

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

So this is the secret, that if you want to become guru honestly... If you want to cheat, that is another thing. There are so many cheaters. People also want to be cheated. As soon as we say that "If you want to become my disciple, you will have to give up four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication up to drinking tea and smoking cigarette, no meat-eating and no gambling," and they criticize me, "Swamijī is very conservative." And if I say that "You can do all nonsense, whatever you like. You simply take this mantra and give me $125," they will like. Because in America, $125 is nothing. Any man can pay immediately. 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.

Arrival Talk -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

Indian man: What are the, our Prime Minister's view regarding this movement?

Prabhupāda: So far I know, she likes this movement. But she is also not independent.

Indian man: That's true. Nobody is independent. Even she.

Prabhupāda: Recently one of my students met the Home Minister. He said, "Yes, this movement should be spread all over the world." They are appreciating. But there are different parties, different circumstances. Our four items—no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling—so I think they are taking some steps on this ground. They are trying to stop cow-killing.

Indian man (2): Yes, they have already banned cow-killing.

Prabhupāda: And they are going to take steps for intoxication.

Indian man (2): Stopping intoxication also. Actually, these are the things which can bring up the character of the nation.

Prabhupāda: We are already intoxicated in material existence, and if more intoxication is there then...

Indian man (2): From bad to worse.

Initiation Lectures

Brahmana Initiation Lecture with Professor O'Connell -- Boston, May 6, 1968, (Glenville Ave. Temple):

That's all right. So that Hari-bhakti-vilāsa is written by Sanātana Gosvāmī in the name of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. Because Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was a very young boy, and Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, they were very elderly. But because all the six Gosvāmīs happened to be direct disciples of Lord Caitanya, so Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, although very young, he was treated as younger brother of Sanātana Gosvāmī. So this book was actually written by Sanātana Gosvāmī, but it was published or dedicated to Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. In this book the rules and regulation of the Vaiṣṇavas are described—of the brahmacārīs, the students; of the gṛhasthas, householders; vānaprastha, retired men; and sannyāsī, renounced order—how gṛhastha should live, how brahmacārī should live, how vānaprastha should live, how sannyāsīs should live. All the... It is called Vaiṣṇava smṛti.

Brahmana Initiation Lecture with Professor O'Connell -- Boston, May 6, 1968, (Glenville Ave. Temple):

So the general rule is that if one is inquisitive... Just as we follow in our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society we ask everyone to come. We don't make any imposition that with such and such qualification one can sit here or hear. No. All these students who are initiated, they know we don't impose anything. "You must be such and such, you must be such an such educated, you must be Hindu or you must be brāhmaṇa, or you must be white or black..." No such restriction. Anyone. This is universal. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, everyone is welcome. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's all. And hear something from Bhagavad-gītā. So following this principle, if one is a little more interested, then he offers himself. "Swamijī, I shall be initiated." So if I see that that boy or that girl is sincere and is following, then we say that "You have to follow these four principles." What are these? Niṣiddhācāra. These are injunction by Lord Caitanya, that no illicit sex life, no intoxication, no, I mean to say, nonvegetarian dishes, and no gambling. These four principles. So they agree, and he is given initiation for chanting beads, Hare Kṛṣṇa, at least sixteen rounds daily. So if one follows the rules and regulation rigidly...

Initiation of Satyabhama Dasi and Gayatri Initiation of Devotees Going to London -- Montreal, July 26, 1968:

Anyone who is trying to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the most dear friend of Kṛṣṇa. If you want to please Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says that "Anyone who is trying to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, he is My most dear friend." Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ: (BG 18.69) "Nobody is so dear to Me as such person who is trying to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the world." So you are all pledged to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So if you take up this work seriously, Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased upon you. Thank you very much. Now you come forward, those who are to be initiated. And today there will be thread ceremony for the students who have chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa for at least one year. So I think three or four. Mukunda, Gurudāsa, Śyāmasundara, you are prepared? And Umāpati, you are also prepared? Huh?

Initiation of Satyabhama Dasi and Gayatri Initiation of Devotees Going to London -- Montreal, July 26, 1968:

So these ten kinds of offenses should be avoided and at least sixteen rounds you must chant. All the Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, they had a limited, not limited, a number, fixed, that "So many times I shall chant." So we are offering only minimum of sixteen rounds. That, it will take, sixteen rounds, it will take about, utmost, three hours. So you should... Out of twenty-four hours, you should engage at least three hours for chanting. So then this is the beginning of initiation, and those who have chanted at least for one year, then the next initiation is to offer him Gāyatrī mantra. Some of the students, boys and girls, will be offered this Gāyatrī mantra. And when the Gāyatrī mantra is offered men, they are offered also sacred thread, and girls, they are not offered sacred thread. If their husband is a brāhmaṇa, she automatically becomes brāhmaṇa because wife is considered to be the half, better half. She is the better portion. So she automatically becomes better brāhmaṇa (laughter). So better brāhmaṇa does not require any thread. There is a Bengali proverb, ya va nauket poiyete darkana naya (?). The proverb is that in India if one has got sacred thread, he is immediately understood that he must be belonging to the higher caste, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, or vaiṣya. But if somebody knows that he is brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya, he doesn't require to show the sacred thread. Similarly, the wives of brāhmaṇa is already known that he (she) is brāhmaṇa, so she does not require to show the sacred thread. So don't be sorry because you will not be offered the sacred thread. That's all right.

Initiation of Hrsikesa Dasa and Marriage of Satsvarupa and Jadurani -- New York, September 5, 1968:

Come on. Oh, he has shaved his face. Very nice. Sit down. (break) Today we have got two functions. One function is initiation of a brahmacārī, and another function is marriage ceremony of our one disciple Satsvarūpa brahmacārī and Jadurāṇī brahmacāriṇī. (break) ...Caitanya-bhāgavata there is a verse which says, gṛhe vā vanete thāke, hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke. The purport is that either if you remain in household life or you remain as mendicant in the forest, in either case, you just become a devotee of Lord Caitanya. So although we have four divisions of the social orders, namely the brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa... Brahmacārī means student, strictly observing life of celibacy, following the rules and regulations enunciated by the spiritual master under strict discipline. That is called brahmacārī. And next is that if a brahmacārī wants to get himself married, that is allowed. So when a brahmacārī is married, he is called gṛhastha, or householder. But because a brahmacārī is trained from the very beginning of his life renunciation of material enjoyment, he cannot be absorbed like ordinary man in family life. Ordinary man, they cannot give up the family life or association of woman even up to the end of life.

Initiation of Hrsikesa Dasa and Marriage of Satsvarupa and Jadurani -- New York, September 5, 1968:

So the śūdras means the lowest class of men, who have no culture, but the higher classes, the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, they are considered highly cultured. And how they are called highly cultured? Because they are twice-born. First birth, janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Saṁskārāt, by following this ritualistic ceremony of initiation or marriage, they are called dvija, twice-born. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijo veda-pāthād bhaved vipraḥ. This initiation means this boy is being accepted as initiated in order to give him Vedic instruction so that he may live as a student, as a brahmacārī, within the society and get complete instruction of Vedic knowledge. And when he is competent, he is called vipra. Veda-pāthād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. And when he realizes the Supreme Self, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he will be called brāhmaṇa. At that time we offer thread ceremony.

Initiation of Hrsikesa Dasa and Marriage of Satsvarupa and Jadurani -- New York, September 5, 1968:

So this process are there, we are observing, and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is gradually making progress with these principles. We have got already eleven branches, and one of our principal students, Śrīman Hayagrīva Brahmacārī and Kīrtanānanda Swami, they are attempting to open a new social community project in West Virginia, New Vrindaban. So this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement is taking ground gradually, and we hope in future these gṛhasthas, these householders, vānaprasthas, sannyāsīs, they will implement this Vedic culture gradually, and people will be more and more happy. Thank you very much.

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

So you haven't got to take certificate. You can yourself understand it is so nice thing. Pratyakṣāvagamam. Pratyakṣa means directly, avagamam. You understand it directly. If you meditate, so-called meditation, you do not know how far you are making progress. You see. You are in oblivion. You do not know. But here, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you'll directly feel, directly feel. I have got so many students, so many letters, how they are feeling directly. It is so nice. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). And very nice to perform. Chant and dance and eat. What do you want more? (laughter) Simply chanting, dancing, and eating nice sweetballs, kachori. So su-sukham and kartum avyayam. While performing, while practicing this process, it is very pleasurable, and avyayam. Avyayam means whatever you do, even if you execute one percent of this movement, that is your permanent asset. Permanent asset. If you do two percent, three percent, four percent... But don't wait for next life. Finish, cent percent. It is not very easy to execute; therefore finish. Don't wait, that "Let me finish in this life a certain percentage of self-realization, and next life I shall do.

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

So this initiation... As many of our students are initiated, so some of our students are going to be initiated this evening. The initiation means the third stage of joining this movement. The first stage is śraddhā, a little faith. Just like our students are going in the marketplace, they are chanting, and many people are contributing some money; somebody's purchasing our Back to Godhead. This is the beginning of faith: "Oh, here is a nice movement. Let me cooperate." Ādau śraddhā. Then, if he becomes little more interested, then he comes here, into the class. "All right, let us see what these people are teaching, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness." So they come. So that is the second stage. The first stage is automatic sympathy for this movement. The second stage is joining or associating with this, our activities. Just like you have kindly come here. You are hearing me. Similarly, if somebody becomes more interested or his faith is still further advanced, then he comes, that is the second stage. And the third stage is... Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅga atha bhajana-kriyā (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Now, the initiation means beginning of the activities. Beginning of the activities. How one can develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the perfectional state, that is called initiation. It is not that initiation means finished. It is the third stage.

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

We ask our students to refrain from that illicit sex life, nonvegetarian diet, and intoxication, and to take part in gambling. These four things. So ordinarily these four things are very prominent in the society, especially in the Western countries. But these students who take initiation and follows chanting, they very easily give up these four things without any difficulty. That is called anartha nivṛtti. That is the fourth stage. The fifth stage is then he becomes fixed up: "Yes." Just like one student, Mr. Anderson, I've not seen him, but simply by associating with our other devotees, he has written that "I wish to devote my whole being for this Kṛṣṇa consciousness." This is called niṣṭhā, fixed up. Tato niṣṭhā tato ruci. Ruci means they get a taste. Why these boys are going out? This chanting, they have got a taste. They have developed a taste. Otherwise for nothing they are not wasting time. They are educated, they are grown up. So taste. Fixed up, then taste, tathāsaktis. When the taste is, then attachment. He cannot give it up. And I receive so many letters. Some students, they could not cope with their Godbrothers, they go away, but they'll write that "I cannot go. I cannot go." He's captured. You see? Umāpati has written that letter, that he becomes in difficulty, he cannot live, he cannot l-i-v-e or l-e-a-v-e. He's in Dallas. You see? He cannot quit the company, or some misunderstanding, he cannot live with Godbrothers. But that is temporary. So that is called asaktiḥ, attachment. Tathāsaktis tato bhāva. Then gradually increasing, some ecstatic position, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. And then perfectional stage, that he loves Kṛṣṇa cent percent. So this is the process.

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

He cannot be attacked or infected by the disease. Similarly, in spiritual life also one has to remain purified. The whole process, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to purify the people in general from the contaminated condition of material existence. Purifying. It is purifying process. A living entity by nature is pure because he is part and parcel of the Supreme Pure, God. But due to his impure condition, he has forgotten his eternal relationship with God. So this initiation means that one is being accepted as student by the spiritual master to promote him gradually to the purified state, where he can realize himself and God. This is the whole process. In contaminated state we cannot approach. I have given this example many times. Just like if you want to enter into certain place, then you must be adjusted with the conditions. Just like people are going to the moon planet. There it is supposed to be it is very cold. So people go with a certain type of dress by adjusting. Similarly, if you want to enter into the spiritual kingdom, the abode, the planet where Kṛṣṇa lives, so you must be purified. Adjust yourself. Not only to the spiritual kingdom of Kṛṣṇa—any planet you want to enter, you must adjust yourself in that way.

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

So anyone who is keeping himself always in touch with the vibration of Kṛṣṇa consciousness—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—that is the only, I mean to say, guaranteed platform where you can keep yourself purified without any material contamination. And in this purified state, if we can leave this body ultimately, then there is no doubt we enter into the supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead. These things are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, and you read carefully. This initiation does not mean... Of course, this chanting will save you, only chanting. But if you read some literatures also, and the philosophy also, then it will be more and more convincing that you are making progress. And in the Ninth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā you will find that this is the process by which you can understand practically whether you are making actually progress in spiritual life. Pratyakṣam avagamaṁ dharmyam. This bhakti-yoga system is so nice that one can directly understand how he is making progress, and very quickly. That's a fact. All of our students who have taken to this process, within very short time, they are realizing that actually they are making some progress. Therefore they are sticking to the principles and going on.

Sannyasa Initiation -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1970:

So today is a special function day. Some of our advanced students, they're accepting the renounced order of life. First of all, one of our students, Kīrtanānanda Brahmacārī, he was offered when I was in India, Vṛṇdāvana, in Janmāṣṭamī day he was offered this sannyāsa order in the Rādhā-Dāmodara temple. Similarly, here we have got also Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. There is no difference between Rādhā-Dāmodara temple and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. So we postponed this to be held on the Janmāṣṭamī day at New Vrindaban, but by some reason we are now postponing to go there, and we have decided to perform this function here. And I am very glad that we are all present. Now, this sannyāsa mantra should be studied very seriously and we shall chant this mantra after the regular function. Especially those who are accepting the sannyāsa order, they should try to understand the import of this important mantra. The import of this important mantra especially is that, as we prohibit several things during ordinary initiation, just like no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling, similarly there are many no's in accepting the sannyāsa order. Especially meat... not meat-eating, mating.

Initiation Lecture -- London, August 22, 1971:

Not in the animal society. Married means that one should be satisfied with one woman and one man. That's all. And there is no question of divorce. Divorce is introduced by the modern rascals, but it is not sanctioned by any religious person. You see? So we are observing these rules: no illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. So all my students, they strictly follow these rules, and therefore they're advancing so quickly. Yes. You see the advancement so quickly because they follow my instruction. They follow very obedient, and they have therefore, by grace of Kṛṣṇa... Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23). It is the statement of the Upaniṣad. "Anyone who has got unflinching faith in God and spiritual master..." Yasya deve parā bhaktir. Deve means God. Parā bhaktir, unflinching faith. Tathā gurau, and similarly, in guru. Tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ. To him all this Vedic knowledge becomes revealed automatically. So my students, all... Not only here in England, in London, in all places, if you go, if you travel, if you go to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, and many other places—I've got twenty branches—in Japan, and Honolulu, so they are strictly following, and they are making wonderful stride. Now here, I came here for the first time. Before me I sent my six students, married students. They were only with me utmost for one year. I sent them, "You go to London and try." And they tried their best. So they have created some impression amongst the Londoners, which... One of my Godbrother came forty years ago. He could not do.

Initiations and Lecture Sannyasa Initiation of Sudama dasa -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:

So we shall invite every one of you. We have opened this temple in this country. So we invite all Japanese boys and girls, young men. Especially we invite them because they can understand. Old men, they are sophisticated. They, whatever they have understood, it will take hundred years to forget. (laughter) But young men, they are inquisitive, they are receptive. They can easily... Practically all over the world, all our followers, disciples, students, they are all young men, or teenagers, or some of them, about twenty-five years or thirty years, but no old men. That is the special feature of this movement. In all countries we have got branches, all over America, all over Europe, all over Canada, Australia, and in your country we are now making progress gradually. We have got center here. We are thinking of opening one center in Quoto. What is that?

Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975:

So the most important item is śravaṇam, or hearing. If you do not do anything else, if you simply sincerely hear about God, then gradually you will be God conscious. That is also true in the material science. The students go to the school, college, and hear from the professor, and gradually he becomes learned in that subject matter. Especially in this age, śravaṇam, or hearing, is very, very important. We are therefore opening different centers in different parts of the world, and they are being given the chance of this bhakti-yoga system, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23), like that. So all these devotees present here, they are not Indians. I have not brought them from India; neither I have bribed them here. But by hearing only, they are now coming to God consciousness and devotees. Therefore this śravaṇam item, or hearing item, is very, very important. So if you all, ladies and gentlemen present here, take advantage of hearing about God from this institution, you will also become God conscious. We have got many sense organs, out of which the aural sense, or the hearing sense, is very important.

Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975:

So if we stop these voluntarily, this is called austerity, austerity, tapasya. Austerity means voluntarily accept some painful condition. So those who are habituated to all these things, namely illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling, to give up these habits, it may become little painful in the beginning. But if you practice and pray to Kṛṣṇa that He will help, it is not difficult to give up these habits. And as soon as you give up this wetting process, the sinful life, then immediately you become fifty percent purified to approach God. Then, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you make further, further, more and more progress. And when you are completely free of all sinful reaction, then you understand God and you love him. In the contaminated stage, you are trying to love so many things, but you are frustrated. So if you can love God, then you will never be frustrated and your loving desires will be fulfilled. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are teaching all our students how to love God. That's all right.

Cornerstone Ceremonies

Foundation Stone Ceremony Speech -- Bhuvanesvara, February 2, 1977:

When I was twenty-five years old, I first met him. He asked me to do this task. But I thought that "Let me adjust my family life, and then I shall do this." But I took it very seriously. But family life, never it was adjusted, so he forced me at the ripe old age to take up this work. So I tried to make an experiment that nobody had done: "Let me try." But I tried sincerely, so by the grace of my Guru... Guru-Kṛṣṇa, they favored me. When I was on the Commonwealth Jetty, Pier, yes, I was thinking that "Who will hear me? As soon as I shall say to these people that 'No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication and no gambling,' immediately they will say, 'Please go home. Don't talk here.' " Because I know that. This is their daily life. But by the grace of Kṛṣṇa they agreed. All these students, all these disciples... I do not accept anyone as my disciple that "You can do whatever you like." No. My first condition is that "You must be sinless."

Wedding Ceremonies

Paramananda & Satyabhama's Wedding -- Montreal, July 22, 1968:

So in India still, amongst the strict followers of Vedic principles, this lust affair is adjusted spiritually. What is that? The boys and girls, they are not allowed free mixing before marriage. Especially... Both the boys... Here, one of our students, he was in India, and he tried to talk with a young girl on the street, and he (she) was insulted. He was surprised. Because the practice is there that no young boy or young girl can talk with... Of course, now it is different. Even up to our young time we have seen that without being married, no girl, no boy, could mix together. So this lust affair, this attraction, was little bit controlled. The father, the parents of the girl, and the parents of the boy would select. They had no personal selection. And that selection was made very scientifically, taking the horoscope of the girl, taking the horoscope of the boy, and calculating, "How this boy and girl will amalgamate? How their lives will be happy?" So many things, they were considered. And when everything was settled, then the marriage would take place. That is the system of old Indian, Vedic principle.

Paramananda & Satyabhama's Wedding -- Montreal, July 22, 1968:

So I am a sannyāsī. I have renounced my family life. I have got my children, my grandchildren, I have my wife still living, but I have separated from them. This is called sannyāsa. Why I am taking interest again, this family life of my students? Because I want to see them properly progress towards spiritual life. Therefore, although it is not the business of a sannyāsī to take part in marriage ceremony, in this country, just to save my students, both boys and girls, from sinful activities, I am personally taking interest that they may become good gentleman and lady by marriage. So I am very happy that those boys and girls who have agreed, and they are now married and getting children, and they are feeling very happy. Many of them are present in this meeting. From their face, from their activities, it appears that they are very happy. So in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society we have got this program that if some boy or girl wants to get married, I help. So this marriage ceremony is today arranged on that principle. But the present bride and bridegroom must know it certainly that this marriage is not for sense gratification. This marriage is for purification of life. So there is no question of divorce.

Paramananda & Satyabhama's Wedding -- Montreal, July 22, 1968:

Our first principle is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and other things, secondary. Putrārthe kriyate bhāryā. If you can produce nice children, Kṛṣṇa conscious children, it will, you will do greatest service to the human society. Because the human society is producing children like cats and dogs, the whole human society is in trouble. How you can expect peace and prosperity in the society of cats and dogs? Therefore there is necessity. There is necessity to produce children of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to train them from the very beginning. You will be all glad to know that some of our students, very small boys in San Francisco, they are being trained, and they are making wonderful progress. So there is no fault of these hippie boys and girls. They have not been trained. Not only here, every part of the world, the educational system is not very satisfactory. From the very beginning of their life they are allowed to mix freely, and they are allowed to enjoy sex life unrestricted. This is neither good for their health nor for education. So therefore we are getting now the result of education: communists and hippies. So people, those who are guardians of the society, should take serious note of it and make life very regulated.

Paramananda & Satyabhama's Wedding -- Montreal, July 22, 1968:

These are the demands of this body. But they should be so regulated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that it will not be disturbing element, but we shall make progress further and further towards spiritual realization of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, not only the new bride and bridegroom, I request every one of my students who are present that this... The aim of married life is to produce nice children, Kṛṣṇa conscious children. That is the best service to the human society: produce nice children. Don't produce cats and dogs. That is my request. Otherwise don't produce. Remain separate. Separate means there is no separation, but don't produce children. That is my request. Putrārthe... Pitā na sa syāj jananī sā syāt. The Bhāgavata says, "One should not become a father, one should not become a mother, unless they are able to protect the children from the imminent danger of death." What is that? The cycle of birth and death. If you can train your children to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your child will go back to Godhead in this life. That should be the aim. As you will try to go back to Godhead in this life, similarly, you shall take charge of your children that he can also go in this life back to Godhead. The mother's and father's duty should be that "This child is born out of my womb, and this is the last phase of his life, to come into this womb of any animal or man—no more material body." That should be the responsibility of father and mother. That is the direction of Bhāgavata.

Wedding of Syama dasi and Hayagriva -- Los Angeles, December 25, 1968:

Illicit sex life we don't allow. We prohibit four things: illicit sex life, intoxication, and meat-eating and gambling. Those who become our student, we prohibit first of all these four things. And if we find some of the girls and some of the boys, they are strictly following, and if they are agreeable, then we arrange for their marriage. So there are many instances of marriage like this. They were living very irresponsibly in the former life. Now they are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Some of my students, they are married couples, young men. Six of them have gone to England. They are preaching very nicely. Very nicely. They have attracted the attention of respectable gentlemen like Lord Mountbatten, Lord Sorenson, and the High Commissioner of India, Mr. Dhavan. So they're doing very nicely. So our principle is to make people God conscious; thereby they will be happy. And the method is very simple. Just like we do not deny anything. We give nice wife, we give nice husband, we give nice foodstuff, we give nice philosophy, and at last, we give the nicest thing, Kṛṣṇa. So our program is very nice. Any gentleman come and discuss with us. We shall prove this is the nicest program at the present moment.

Wedding of Syama dasi and Hayagriva -- Los Angeles, December 25, 1968:

So I am very happy that Professor Howard Wheeler, he is very obedient student. And by God's grace, Kṛṣṇa's grace, we practically met on the street. You see. When I first started my class in New York, 26 Second Avenue, I was just going out after entering the storefront and this boy met me. He asked me, "Swamijī, you are coming from India?" And I told him, "Yes, my dear boy." So that was our first acquaintance, and I think that is eternal.

Wedding of Syama dasi and Hayagriva -- Los Angeles, December 25, 1968:

So in this happy ceremony, I have got my heartfelt blessings upon you. You be happy. Our parents are present here. It is a very nice arrangement. And forget... In any circumstances... This material world we have to pass through many circumstances, but sometimes, even it is intolerable, we have to tolerate. So according to Hindu conception of life, even there is some misunderstanding between husband and wife, it is not taken very seriously. Never taken very seriously. But in your country, in the name of liberty and freedom, there are so many things. I do not wish to discuss all those things. But according to Vedic system, husband and wife, united together, there cannot be any separation. Perhaps you have heard the name of Mahatma Gandhi. He was married when he was student, sixteen years old, and his wife was also of the same age. Later on Mahatma Gandhi became a very famous man.

Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969:

This evening we are going to hold a marriage ceremony for three couples of our students. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to understand to always bear in mind or always be in consciousness that we are eternally related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So the process is to utilize this human form of life for elevating oneself to the highest perfectional stage. There is evolution of life from lowest animal in the water and up to the highest platform or highest planetary life, where the duration of life is many, many millions of years. The highest planetary system is called Brahmaloka, or where the first created being, Brahmā, lives. The duration of Brahmā's life is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand makes one twelve hours of that Brahmaloka. Just like there is distinction of the duration of life between the microbes and the human being, similarly, there are different grades of different duration of life in different stage of planetary system. So the life is evolving.

Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a new movement. It is there always in the Vedic scriptures, but people have forgotten. So we are trying to revive that movement, although in India the movement is there always, especially since the last five hundred years, introduced by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In your country it is introduced since 1966. But people are appreciating. We have got many books and literature, magazines, to convince people about the importance of this movement. And those who are coming to be a serious student of this movement, initiated, they require to follow four principles of regulation. That one, first regulation, is that the student is not allowed to have illicit sex life. In this country, the guardians, the teachers, the government allows the boys and girls to meet together and have illicit sex life without marriage. That is not allowed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If any boy or girl wants sex life, then he should regularly be married. That is civilized way. Because in the civilized society there is marriage ceremony.

Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969:

So it is a great responsibility to take care of the girls. According to Manu-saṁhitā, Vedic principle, woman has no independence. She must be taken care of by somebody. In the early age the father is to take care, in the younger age the husband, a good husband has to take care, and when she is old, the elderly son, he has to take care. But a woman is never allowed to remain independent. That is Vedic principle of life. Actually, the woman is the weaker sex. They require protection by good father, good husband, and good child also. In my case also... There are many cases. I've left my home. I have got my wife, my elderly children, my grandchildren. So they are taking care of my wife. She has no concern. So that is the way of social system. And especially in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we want to give the students complete peace of mind, because without peace of mind nobody can cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969:

Prabhupāda: Forty, thirty-five years.

Himāvatī: Yes. Rukmiṇī is only seventeen. Rukmiṇī is seventeen. She's not very old.

Prabhupāda: She is only... She is the first child?

Himāvatī: I don't know. I think so, first child. She has one sister.

Satsvarūpa: Just one announcement. Tomorrow night is Swami Bhaktivedanta's last appearance, last lecture, last kīrtana in Boston, and that's at the International Student's Association. They have a place at 33 Garden (?) Street. He'll be speaking there. But we'll be carrying on this sublime teaching, especially in the form of saṅkīrtana. We'll be chanting in the streets. We'll be pushing this more than anything. Then the feast, of course, Hare Kṛṣṇa Love Feast. But especially if you see us in the parks and the streets, join us and feel this real transcendental bliss by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, all summer, as long as the weather is nice. (indistinct) a basket around. If you can give something it will help for the cost of this feast and wedding. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Initiation of Sri-Caitanya dasa and Wedding of Pradyumna and Arundhati -- Columbus, May 14, 1969:

It doesn't matter whether a man is a śūdra or a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī or a householder. It doesn't matter. If he actually knows the science of God, Kṛṣṇa-tattva... Kṛṣṇa means God, the Supreme Lord, and tattva means scientific knowledge. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vetta sei guru haya. And another place Lord Caitanya says that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra sarva deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). To become a spiritual master, one may think it is very difficult job. Yes, it is very difficult job, but it is also very simple thing. Very difficult job in this way: If one cannot assimilate the Vedic knowledge, veda-vāda-paraḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ, if they become simply Vedic student only, without assimilating, then it is very difficult. But if one can understand what is the idea of Vedic principle, then it is very easy. So what is the idea of Vedic principle? The Lord says, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). By different scriptures, Vedic literature, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata... There are so many allied scriptures. The whole aim is, target is, Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam. So actually the Vedas are searching Kṛṣṇa.

Wedding Lecture -- November 17, 1971, New Delhi:

So marriage is essential. So far our society is concerned, we don't allow anybody to remain in our society as friends, girlfriend or boyfriend. No. They must be married. And these boys and girls, after being married, they are preaching nicely Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All my students who are married, they are doing preaching work more than sannyāsī. Yes. In the Kali-yuga, practically it is forbidden. Sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam kalau pañca vivarjayet, aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ.

aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ
sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam
devareṇa sutotpattiṁ
kalau pañca vivarjayet
(CC Adi 17.164)

Formerly there was a system: if the husband is unable, then a son can be begotten by the husband's younger brother, devareṇa. But in this age, Kali-yuga, that is forbidden. Similarly, aśvamedha yajña, gomedha yajña is also forbidden, because there is no yajñic brāhmaṇas. Formerly when an animal was put into the fire, sacrificed, and by Vedic mantra it was given a new, fresh life. That was the test of Vedic mantra pronouncing. But that is not possible nowadays. In the Kali-yuga, the only yajña is the sañkīrtana yajña.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Hayagrīva: He says we must... "Therefore we must not doubt that God has so ordained everything that spirits not only shall live forever, because this is unavoidable, but that they shall also preserve forever their moral quality so that His city may never lose a person."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is Vaikuṇṭha conception, yaj jñātvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramam, "That is My specific place, where going nobody returns back to this miserable material world." These ideas are taken from Vedic literature, that's all. They are not new. It is known already to the Vedic students. Everyone has taken from Vedas, and they have presented their own way.

Hayagrīva: He writes, "The soul changes its body only gradually and by degrees, so that it is never deprived of all its organs at once. There is often a metamorphosis in animals, but never metempsychosis or transmigration of souls."

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Hayagrīva: That is he does not believe that the souls in animals transmigrate at death from one body to another.

Prabhupāda: Then what is his understanding of the soul?

Hayagrīva: He says there are no entirely separate souls without bodies.

Prabhupāda: That is rascal. That means he is imperfect. How he can say so when we practically see that the soul is changing from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood? How he can say like that? He is transmigrating. That is, every day we have experience. How he can deny that? Otherwise, if he, if the soul does not transmigrate, then how the child becomes a young man? The body is different. The, this is simple understanding, that he has changed the body. The body changes and the soul remains eternal.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Śyāmasundara: That boy Svarūpa Dāmodara is going to move into the temple for a few days, and each day we will discuss a different scientific topic. Tomorrow genetics, and something else.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He is a scientist. He will talk technical words.

Śyāmasundara: He is going to bring all of his books. And I also studied science for many years, so if I refresh, and if all of the students become armed with these arguments, they can defeat any scientist.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Oh yes.

Śyāmasundara: Normally they are unable to answer scientists. It is difficult to answer scientists for some devotees, because they have such strong arguments.

Prabhupāda: This point should be stressed, that he is dealing with dead bones, and we are dealing with living brains.

Śyāmasundara: Just like Bhagavad-gītā is so perfectly written, so perfectly conceived.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And also there is Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, everything, everything; every, Purāṇas.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Śyāmasundara: There is no example given, but for instance, if there are two different theories involving a subject, then that theory which is more easily practiced is more true. It has become part of our experience; that is true. He says that anything that is meaningful or real must have some influence on practice on our experience, and vice verse. Anything that is practiced must be meaningful or real.

Prabhupāda: So that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have invited our students, and when they actually practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the result is immediately there. Just like you all European and American boys, you were eating meat, and other things were practiced, but since you have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you have left it. So by practicing, we see the practical result; therefore this is most practical.

Śyāmasundara: What about, for instance, people who are practicing sense gratification, and they find it very practical to gratify their senses. Does this mean that it is meaningful or real?

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is real. But by sense gratification we will gradually glide down to the hellish condition of life. Therefore sense gratification should not be allowed unrestricted. That is practical. If you eat more, you suffer from indigestion. If you have more sex life, then you get tuberculosis. This is practical. If you indulge in intoxication, then gradually you become a nonsense, crazy. Therefore when we say that "Don't do this," this is practical.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: So this depends upon one's education. If one is educated, in one way he may become tender, and another man, if he is educated in a different way, he may be hard. But our proposition is that originally the soul is good. This tenderness and hardness, they are developed later on. But they are not standard. When you come to the platform of soul, there everything is good. In that platform, either tenderness or hardness, both of them are in the absolute. So our philosophy is that, as we understand from Bhagavad-gītā, that every living entity is part and parcel of God. So God is good, pavitra. Just like Arjuna accepts, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitram (BG 10.12). Pavitra means pure. But because we are part and parcel of God, therefore we are pure. The impurities are acquired by our contamination with this material world. So either you become tender or hard—that is impurity of this material world. So we don't give any credit to any person, either he is tender or hard. These are all material qualifications. When he is spiritually placed, then we give him, that he is now liberated, either from tenderness or from hardness. These are all material qualifications. One is hard, one is tender. So that is our material quality. Just like a disease. One is suffering from headache, one is suffering from indigestion, or one is suffering from fever. So one who is suffering from headache, he is thinking, "Instead of having a headache, if I would have suffered from indigestion it was better." You see? And the man who is suffering from indigestion, passing stool every three minutes, he is thinking that "If I would have suffered from headache instead of this nasty disease, I would have been all right." So these rascaldom, either tenderness or something, it is the same thing. It is our mental concoction that he thinks this is a better disease. It is not better. It is bad. Therefore it is explained by Caitanya-caritāmṛta, 'dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali saman, ei bhalo ei manda sab more ghara. 'Dvaite: when you are contaminated, diseased... I will give you one... I heard from one of my medical practitioners friend. So he told me that when he was a student in Calcutta there was a big professor, Colonel Megha, English professor. He was lecturing, and with in talking he said that in our country that seventy-eight percent of the students are infected with syphilis. Yes. So the doctor said as soon as he heard from Professor Megha, he said, "Horrible." And the doctor said, "Why you are saying horrible? In your country ninety-nine percent are suffering from malaria. So as a doctor you should take the disease.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Śyāmasundara: But is our... Is the result of our inquiry to change the external environment?

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you are seriously inquiring and if you know things as they are, then we can change our activities. What we are preaching? That your business is to know Kṛṣṇa. So if people actually take this movement seriously, then his mode of life will be changed. That is practically happening. All our students, they were leading a certain type of life, and since they have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their whole program has been changed.

Śyāmasundara: We have come to the same question we were discussing with Marx: whether changing external environment is prerequisite to improvement or changing the consciousness is prerequisite. And you answered before, in Marx's case, that if we change the consciousness, then the environment becomes changed...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Śyāmasundara: Then the result of following these guidelines is predictable results? Automatically certain things happen.

Prabhupāda: Yes. One after another. Just like a teacher gives a task to the students, one type of task in the beginning, next another type, next another type, he makes progress.

Śyāmasundara: What are those again? Patience...?

Prabhupāda: First of all, enthusiasm.

Śyāmasundara: First enthusiasm.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Unless you are enthusiastic, how can you enter into any activities? Utsāhān. Then patience—not to be impatient, "Oh, I am working so hard, I am getting no result." No. You will get. So (indistinct) niścaya, the firm conviction that "Because I have taken the path of the mahājanas prescribed by Rūpa Gosvāmī or prescribed by Kṛṣṇa, it must be successful." It may be taking some time, it is delayed, that doesn't matter. It will be successful. Niścaya. Not that niścaya can sit idly. No. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. Prescribed duties must be performed fairly, in good faith, sato vṛtteḥ. And in the association, that will give us impetus. People are coming to our association automatically. Just like John came in our association, and gradually he has become a devotee.

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Prabhupāda: That is not possible. If you don't practice, it is not possible to understand at the last moment.

Śyāmasundara: No. That's what he means. We must practice it so that as if thinking any time we may die, so we must practice being absolved of sin.

Prabhupāda: That is practically being done by our movement. We are teaching our students to chant always Hare Kṛṣṇa, without any stopping. So death may come at any moment, but if we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, that is happy death.

Devotee: The Christians have this philosophy that at the time of death, if a priest is there he can give you absolution at your deathbed, and then you can be saved from all your sins.

Prabhupāda: But provided I have got consciousness to understand the words of the priest.

Devotee: Even if you commit sinful activities all your life, if he is there at your deathbed then you can be saved from your sins.

Prabhupāda: That is quite possible, you see, because he can remind you. But at the time of death, when everything is stopped, the functions of the body, kapha, pitta, vāyu, therefore Kulaśekhara says that "Let me die immediately." Actually, natural death means I will be encumbered with so many things, natural disturbance of this body, the disturbance, they'll be choked up, and cough, mucus, so many things. So unless one is practiced, it is not possible. Therefore practice is required from the very beginning-austerity, penance, brahmacārī, celibacy, like that. These things have to be practiced.

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Prabhupāda: Transparently before God means to be engaged in His service. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching that way. They are always engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, twenty-four hours; therefore they are self-realized. They are standing on their self. That is mukti. That is liberated. And those who are, these karmīs, the jñānīs, the yogis, they are not engaged in the self. They are trying to realize self. Therefore all these students, or the disciples of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they are liberated persons, because they are acting as such. So everyone should join this movement and become liberated, immediately. You preach like that. Try to understand and preach.

Śyāmasundara: They say that this is an authentic position, that it...

Prabhupāda: This is authentic position. We are serving Kṛṣṇa. This is authentic position. My position is part and parcel, to serve Kṛṣṇa. So actually I am engaged in service of Kṛṣṇa. That is my authentic position. This authentic position is at the present moment a little confused. But that now I am liberated, healthy, so if I continue healthy, that is my real position. Then I will keep always my self healthy. That's all. There is no change.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: That is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā. It is not a new thing. It is called paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), and actually it is happening. Just like my students, so their former life and this life. They have given up their former abominable life because they have got better life, better thoughts, better philosophy, better eating, everything better. So mind can accommodate something. If you always fill up the mind with Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so there is no chance of the mind being filled up with any other nonsense. That is our philosophy.

Śyāmasundara: This means of salvation called aesthetic...

Prabhupāda: This is salvation, because they are saved from the four kinds of sinful life: illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication and gambling. Because they have got better engagement, they don't like to do this.

Śyāmasundara: He is referring here to art, poetry.

Prabhupāda: Yes, everything is there. Here is art—we are painting. Our students are painting nice pictures. Art. And poetry, all our Bhagavad-gītā and Bhāgavatam are full of poetries.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Śyāmasundara: Because it is so full of madness and frustration.

Prabhupāda: Actually frustration, if it is taken seriously, that frustration may make him successful. Frustration, we get so many letters from our students, frustration, but now they are thinking that they are safe. So frustration is another help, but provided we take the real shelter. Then frustration is not bad. If you are put into some dangerous position, but if you know how to save from it, that danger will be later on a feeling of pleasure. "Oh, I was put into such pleasure and I was saved in this way." (laughter)

Śyāmasundara: He says that the working of the world is ethically evil. For instance, he observes that...

Prabhupāda: To some extent that is all right, because when you are in prison life, you will find evil. But that evil is good for you, so that you can learn some lesson, and when you are out of the prison you will not come again. That is the blessings of evil.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:
Prabhupāda: So that restricting, that people may not pay so much price, they may not drink (indistinct). When the government opens a liquor shop, it does not mean that all of you become drunkards. It is not an advertisement. Similarly, when śāstras give the permission that "You can have sex life by marriage," or "You can eat meat by offering the goat to goddess Kālī," or "You can drink by offering worship to Caṇḍī," it is restricted. Nobody can worship Caṇḍī daily. Nobody can worship Kālī daily. There is also fixed date... Kālī worship can be performed on (indistinct). The (indistinct) comes once a month. So that means restricted. One can eat meat once in a month. But the restriction is not there for eating rice, dahl, ghee, fruit or milk. There is no such restriction. But whenever there is a question of liquor, meat-eating and sex, immediately there is śāstra injunction that "You can do this under certain conditions." That means the whole idea is to restrict. That is, psychology is already there, but śāstras (indistinct), because they know if people become implicated with all these nonsense things, then his duration of materialistic way of life will increase, and we will have to accept material bodies birth after birth. So by restriction, gradually just like we are restricting all these things, gradually, the Western students, they are coming to the point of becoming a pure devotee. But these things are already there. Everyone know it. Mr. Freud does not require to study. It is already there. We know in the Vedic śāstras. But they should be restricted.
Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Śyāmasundara: We know he's a great fool, but we have to convince the students.

Prabhupāda: We have to convince them as I am convincing you. That is your business.

Śyāmasundara: Later on, Freud began to accept that certain nonsexual factors might produce these unconscious conflicts, also, and he divided the personality into three separate systems, called the ego, the super-ego and the id. The id is the unconscious instinctive drive to enjoy-sex desire, everything animalistic. The ego is that part of the mind concerned with adjusting efficiently to external reality. In other words, it's a moral segment of the personality which tries to adjust or protect.

Prabhupāda: We are trying to create (indistinct) these falsity. Everyone has got some false egoism. That is our (indistinct). Just like Freud is thinking that he is American or (indistinct). This is false ego. We are giving everyone the intelligence that this identification with this material body, that is (indistinct). Due to ignorance I am thinking that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am (indistinct)." This is false ego-ahaṅkāra, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. This is inferior quality of egoism. The superior quality of egoism is Brahman: "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." So if he is taught to the superior engagement, then automatically this false egoism becomes stopped.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Devotee: As a result of Freud's philosophy he prescribed, and many of his students prescribed, certain activities. This is one thing we forget to mention—that they prescribed certain activities to help relieve the patient of the trauma, and that is called therapy. Actually there is a higher therapy. Actually one of Freud's students would say that we are all involved in therapy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which we are, and that therapy is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Therapy is a certain kind of activity which will relieve the anxieties and stresses of the mind.

Prabhupāda: That is recommended by Freud?

Śyāmasundara: No. He wasn't a therapeutical psychologist.

Devotee: No, but as a result of his...

Śyāmasundara: Later on they devised that theory of therapy.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) in support of our movement.

Devotee: According to our philosophy, everyone in this material world is under the spell of the material nature, māyā, "that which is not." So Freud observed that not only in crazy people, but in so-called normal people, everybody's lives are based on some types of illusion. So his psychoanalytic therapy is to trace out how I have come to this illusion or that illusion, that due to some childhood experience with my mother and father or my mouth or my genitals, something like that, all of these experiences are contributing to my unreal perception of the world. But the point which you made is that although he may have worked out what is one particular illusion, who is to prevent that there will not be another illusion? So our process is not to bother tracing out each and every illusion that we have, but to become free from the whole process of being controlled by illusory energy.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our position: not to be affected by any more illusion.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Hari-śauri: Labhate paurva-dehikam.

Prabhupāda: Ah, labhate paurva-dehikam. That is everything, spiritual and material. Materially also we find sometime when one person is very extraordinary individual. In the class some student picks up very quickly, some student cannot understand. So this is continuation. One is intelligent means he has got some previous revival of his consciousness. So in this way it is going on. That is the proof, immortality of the soul. Otherwise why? Paurva-dehikam, previous birth. This is the proof.

Hayagrīva: There's a lot of sort of interesting points here.

Prabhupāda: Hm. (break)

Hayagrīva: He points out that there's a paradox surrounding death. "On the one hand, from the point of view of the ego," or what we call the false ego, "death is a horrible catastrophe, a fearful piece of brutality. On the other hand, from the point of view of the psyche, the soul, death is a joyful event, in the life of eternity it is a wedding."

Prabhupāda: Yes. In all cases it is eternal, but it is, death is horrible for the person who is going to accept a lower grade of life, and it is pleasure for the devotee, that he is going back to home, back to God. That is the difference.

Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:

Śyāmasundara: This is why he calls man a useless passion, because he says in the passion of losing himself or giving up something he will never really find anything else, so that it's a useless passion to give up these things.

Prabhupāda: No. That is his case. But this is the process, to find out, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), to find out the best, I give up something worse. Just like we are teaching our students to give up these habits, so they are giving up, with the aim to get a better thing—Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śyāmasundara: He said in the act of giving up, you don't find anything any better.

Prabhupāda: No. He does not find because he is blind, but we find. We take vision from superior person. So our vision is not blind.

Śyāmasundara: He says that we are trying to find the state of escaping contingency, or we are trying to reach an absolute state where we are not conditioned by anything. This is what we are striving for. But we will never be able to find that state.

Prabhupāda: If we are not conditioned, then how are we trying to reach the absolute state?

Śyāmasundara: He says that we are conditioned, but we are trying to be unconditioned. But we can never reach that state.

Prabhupāda: No. That is his hopelessness. That is not our (indistinct). We are giving up something paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. We are giving something for getting higher position, that's all.

Philosophy Discussion on Bertrand Russell:

Śyāmasundara: Just like when we were discussing Hegel, Hegel's belief was everything was synthetic, that it..., for every thesis there was an antithesis, and each combining made a synthesis, so that all things were related and all things combined together were the world. But his idea is the opposite—that everything is separated, everything is individual.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Separated, but there is sympathy. It is not separated abrupt. There is sympathy. Just like here, all our students, they are individual, separately, but there is (indistinct) sympathy, that every one of you are learning Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is sympathy. Even though you are all separated, you have got your individual opinions, still there is a sympathy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise what is the use of this assembly unless there is sympathy? (aside:) What you say, Dr. Rao?

Dr. Rao: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: What your science says?

Dr. Rao: Science says that matter is composed of atoms; atoms, in turn, they are composed of the smaller particles like electrons, protons, neutrons and so on. And now scientists, they have found out that these smaller particles, they are also composed of still smaller particles. So there is no end to it. I mean...

Prabhupāda: Then what about the bigger? So what is smaller, but then what about the bigger? (laughter)

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:

Śyāmasundara: He says that this will solve the problem of not enough teachers in our schools, public schools, not enough teachers for our children. A huge class, and the children have only one teacher. So there's not enough individual time given to each student.

Prabhupāda: So why not produce many teachers? That we (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: No one wants to teach anymore. No one wants to teach anymore.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Devotee: They don't know what to teach.

Prabhupāda: Because they do not know how to teach, and they are simply teaching (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: They don't get enough pay, so many reasons.

Prabhupāda: So our teachers do not ask any payment. They go freely. Why don't you take advantage of these teachers?

Devotee: One thing they (indistinct) Prabhupāda, that we are thinking in terms of Vedic culture, and they say well, if this Vedic culture was previously existing, then why did it dissolve? Why did it fall apart and now we have to make a new one?

Prabhupāda: That is not (indistinct). A new way we cannot. If you want perfection, you must take to Vedic culture, because it is not with the four defects of human beings. Anything introduced for... Just like we are pushing on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and some of the students are falling back. How (indistinct)? That is not the defect of the institution. That is some other power. So people might have fallen from the standard of Vedic culture, but they cannot invent any new one. That is it.

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:

Devotee (2): For instance, they would say if our students are falling back, that is because of the environment.

Prabhupāda: They are not falling back. Some of them (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: Some of them...

Prabhupāda: That is (indistinct) anyway.

Śyāmasundara: So he says that ideally, if our environment was conditioned in such a way that they were rewarded for doing good things and punished for doing bad things, that they would not go away.

Prabhupāda: They would be punished, but they don't care for punishment. Just like it says in the lawbook that if you steal, you'll be arrested, but they don't care for your lawbook, the thief. What can you do? That independence is already there. The lawbook says that if you commit theft you will be punished, and he is actually punished. But if he doesn't care for punishment, then what can you do? Punishment is already there.

Śyāmasundara: For instance, he gives an example that, let's say that in an institution there is lunch served for one hour between twelve and one, and at one o'clock the door is closed and locked, sharply. So automatically everyone who wants to come must come before one o'clock, otherwise they will be punished.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. If anyone prefers to starve, they may not come. That law will be not be obligatory to a person who prefers to starve.

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Śyāmasundara: I think it was some kind of wine, or...

Prabhupāda: Maybe.

Śyāmasundara: ...liquor.

Prabhupāda: But these things were almost in every road. People were drinking (indistinct), students and drinking.

Śyāmasundara: Oh, I remember, yes, it was, that was soft drinks, soft drinks.

Prabhupāda: Another thing, that shopping is so much troublesome.

Śyāmasundara: Telephone.

Prabhupāda: Who is calling? (indistinct). (indistinct) has said that...

Śyāmasundara: (indistinct) these people were descendents of warrior class, kṣatriya class, so they are naturally inclined to those things, meat-eating.

Prabhupāda: No, the warrior class are not like that, kṣatriya. Not that they are addicted. These are caṇḍālas. They are called caṇḍālas. Caṇḍālas, the dog eaters, the hog-eaters. In India they are sweeper class. Mlecchas (?). (indistinct). She comes from that family. Now (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: Anyway, all property, all money, capital, communications, transport everything should be brought into central, centralize, centralized in the hands of the state.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So, what profit will be (indistinct), the member in the central, they will exploit, just like Krushchev was doing, and he was (indistinct). So, our diagnosis is that tendency is there. Unless you reform that tendency, these things will be bogus. Now Russia, just according to Marx theory, they are doing that, but (indistinct) utilize it. How you shall stop this mentality? What is that program?

Śyāmasundara: Their program is first you change the social conditions then the mentality will change.

Prabhupāda:Impossible. It will simply react and there will be another revolution.

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Śyāmasundara: This is just for me.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is... These things are discussed in Upaniṣads. The students asks, "What is reality?" He says that "Think over." Now came, that "Eatables are reality," because he's a small child. So he says, "No, this is not reality. You think over." In this way, this way, one after, one after another, one after another, he finally came to Brahman. So this reality differs according to knowledge. Kṛṣṇa can... The same example: a child. Two things: one lugdoo and one one-thousand-dollar note—which one he will take? He will take this lugdoo. For him this is reality. He does not know the value of this paper. But for his father, which one of them, he can immediately... So reality means according to your knowledge. So these are poor class of men; therefore they are always talking of economic production and this and that, the immediate... That's all.

Śyāmasundara: In fact, when he says that what is practical is the criterion for truth, that is also relative, what is practical. Just like for the child the practical thing is the laddu.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's all right. For a child the lugdoo is reality, but that does not mean that is equal to that one thousand dollar note.

Philosophy Discussion on Socrates:

Hayagrīva: ...that Śyāmasundara treated, but they're somewhat incomplete, so I will read. I've gone to the primary sources. He used a college outline series that wasn't really adequate. So I went to the primary sources, and I'll read a little, and if you want to comment on it, comment. If you don't feel like commenting on it, I'll just go on to the next section.

Once a student of Socrates—this is a section on Socrates-said, "I cannot refute you, Socrates." To this Socrates replied, "Say rather that you cannot refute the truth, for Socrates is easily refuted." This is by way of saying that the Absolute Truth is not a subject of mental speculation or personal opinion. The Truth, or the good, for Socrates stands separate from mundane relativities or personal opinion.

Prabhupāda: That is our opinion. We accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme authority, and therefore we cannot refute what Kṛṣṇa says. And our philosophy is perfect because we follow Kṛṣṇa. He is the Supreme Perfect. This is our position. In other religious system, taking it our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement religious... It is religious, because our religion means the..., to carry out the order of God. That is the sum and substance of religion. We don't manufacture religion, and neither religion can be manufactured. Manufactured religion is useless. That has been described in the Bhagavad-gītā, er, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as dharma kaitava. Means cheating. So this is not cheating religion. Our basic principle is dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means the order which is given by God, and if you execute that, that is dharma. Just like law. Law is given by the government. You cannot manufacture law. That is not law. So our perfection is there, how we are executing the order of God cent percent. One who has no conception of God, neither the order of God, they can manufacture religious system. But our system is different.

Philosophy Discussion on Plato:

Hayagrīva: He also stressed the process of remembering. It's called the, his, Plato's doctrine of recollection. And he says you can ask a boy, who may be ignorant of a subject, you can elicit answers from him, and this answers, he may give you the right answers, and this would suggest that he acquired this knowledge in a previous existence.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore we find a student in school is very intelligent and less intelligent. Otherwise both of them of the same age, why one is more intelligent, he grasps the matter very quickly, and why the other is not so intelligent? This is everything that putra-janma dṛḍhaṁ vidyā putra-janma dṛḍhaṁ dhanam. (indistinct) The two things especially, knowledge, education and money, they are earned in the previous birth, not that all of a sudden one has become rich, all of a sudden one has become very learned man. No. It is continuous. So if one man is extraordinarily learned, it is to be understood that it is the result of his previous culture. Similarly, if anyone is extraordinarily rich, it is to be understood it is due to his past pious activities. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26), these four things are achieved on account of previous pious activities: good birth, good opulence, aiśvarya, and good education, and good beauty. These are the results of pious, good activities. So you can see practically in your country between the black and white. The white men are more advanced in everything, and the black man, although he has got the same facilities, they are in inferior position. Why? It is putra-janma dṛḍham. That is the proof of past life. But so far we are concerned, we are not concerned about one black man or white man. Both of them are in the clutches of māyā. We want to educate all of them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and they have got equal opportunity, it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ (SB 2.4.18). Never mind what is his body, if he is willing to become trained to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the platform of the soul, that we can do.

Page Title:Students (Lectures, Other)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:23 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=144, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:144