Teacher (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"teacher" |"teacher's" |"teachers"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

Devotee: "This is confirmed by all the great teachers, including Śaṅkara and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In India there are many authorities on Vedic knowledge and they have virtually all accepted Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We should therefore accept the Bhagavad-gītā as it is, directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead..."

Prabhupāda: And here is an important fact. The other day while I was walking, I saw one advertisement of tourist agent. India, (indistinct) can view wonderful land. The wonderful land. Anyway, so I asked Karttikeya(?), "So India is considered very wonderful?" He said "Yes." Anyway, India is still considered the land of spiritual cultivation. Even one Chinese author, he has written that if you want to study religion, then you have to go India. He is impartial.

Lecture on BG 1.2-3 -- London, July 9, 1973:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

sañjaya uvāca

dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁ

vyūḍhaṁ duryodhanas tadā

ācāryam upasaṅgamya

rāja vacanam abravīt

(BG 1.2)

Translation: "Sañjaya said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of Pāṇḍu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the following words:"

Prabhupāda: So Dhṛtarāṣṭra inquired from Sañjaya, kim akurvata: "After my sons and my brother's sons assembled together for fighting, what did they do?" This was the inquiry. So to encourage him... Because Sañjaya could understand the feelings of his master that he wanted the fight, no compromise, kṣatriya spirit, "Let my sons and my brother's sons fight..." That is kṣatriya spirit.

Lecture on BG 1.2-3 -- London, July 9, 1973:

Therefore when he saw the Pāṇḍavas are well-equipped with good number of soldiers, pāṇḍavānīkam, he was little surprised, that "How they could gather are so many soldiers?" So immediately, to consult the commander-in-chief Dronācārya....

Dronācārya was everyone's teacher, ācārya. Ācārya means teacher. Ācāryam upasaṅgamya (BG 1.2). The military teacher. So Duryodhana, he was military teacher of the Pāṇḍavas also. When all of them were children, they were given under the instruction of Dronācārya. Dronācārya was brāhmaṇa, but he knew the military art. Therefore he was appointed teacher for all the boys, the Kauravas. So... but Ācārya, Dronācārya joined with Duryodhana. Bhīṣmadeva joined with Duryodhana. None of them joined with Arjuna. Because Arjuna or Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not king at that time, the financial control was not in their hands, and these people, sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, they were on the government political power.

Lecture on BG 1.2-3 -- London, July 9, 1973:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍu-putrāṇām

ācārya mahatiṁ camūm

vyūḍhāṁ drupada-putreṇa

tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā

(BG 1.3)

Translation: "O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pāṇḍu, so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada."

Prabhupāda: So—intelligent. This Drupada, the son of Drupada, he was meant for killing Dronācārya. Drupada Mahārāja was not in good terms with Dronācārya. So he performed a yajña to get a son who could kill Dronācārya. That son is this Draupada. So Dronācārya knew that "Drupada Mahārāja has got his son. In future he would kill me." Still, when he was offered to become his disciple, to learn military art, he accepted, "Yes." That means the brāhmaṇas were so liberal: "When he is coming as my disciple, never mind, he would kill me in future.

Lecture on BG 1.2-3 -- London, July 9, 1973:

That cannot be allowed. That is called saṁskṛta sāhitya, literary... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu when he was hearing Keśava Kāśmīrī, as soon as there was little discrepancy, bhavānī-bhartā, immediately he criticized and defeated him. Sanskrit language is so nice.

Paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍu-putrāṇām ācārya: (BG 1.3) "My dear teacher, just see how many military soldiers are standing there on behalf of the Pāṇḍavas, and they have been arranged by your disciple, who is meant for killing you. So just remember." That means "You become more strong that this boy and the other party may not kill you." But Duryodhana does not know that the death does not depend on military strength or bodily strength.

Lecture on BG 1.16-19 -- London, July 16, 1973:

Nobody would understand where they are living. So they took shelter at the house of Mahārāja Virāṭa.

So Virāṭa, at that time this Mahārāja Virāṭa's daughter Uttarā, was trained by Arjuna for dancing. Arjuna was appointed as a dancing teacher for the daughter of Mahārāja Virāṭa, Uttarā. So when it was discovered that Arjuna was not a dancing teacher, he was the great hero, Mahārāja Virāṭa wanted to offer his daughter, that you marry my daughter, because he was disclosed. So Arjuna said, "How can I marry this girl. I am her teacher. Therefore a teacher is to be considered as father, so it is not possible. So if you like I can get this girl married with my son Saubhadra, Subhadrā's son."

Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ

pitṟn atha pitāmahān

ācāryān mātulān bhrātṟn

putrān pautrān sakhīṁs tathā

śvaśurān suhṛdaś caiva

senayor ubhayor api

(BG 1.26)

tān samīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ

sarvān bandhūn avasthitān

kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo

viṣīdann idam abravīt

(BG 1.27)

Translation: "There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his father-in-law and well-wishers—all present there. When the son of Kuntī, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus."

Prabhupāda: This is the problem. Now Arjuna is facing the problem. What is this problem? Suppose you bring all my friends, my relatives, my sons, grandsons, my father-in-law, brother-in-law, friends, my animals... Because there were soldiers, senayor ubhayor api, there were animals also. Horses, elephants. They are also within the membership.

Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:

So some of the family members on the other side, and some of the family members this side. So other side also, what are they? Tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ pitṟn atha pitāmahān (BG 1.26). Pitṟn, teachers, and pitṟn also. Pitṟn means those who are on the status of father. And Bhīṣmadeva was a grandfather, a real grandfather, pitāmahā. He is on the other side. Droṇācārya, he is on the other side, teacher. They had to be respected. Actually Arjuna did so. Before fighting with Droṇācārya, he first of all throw one arrow on his lotus feet, obeisances. This is the etiquette. "My dear sir, you have taught me this fighting science, now it is being used against you, duty. So I offer my obeisances."

Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:

Therefore you must be a very careful pilot to take care of yourself. Similarly, in this material world everyone individually has to take care of himself. How he can be saved from the clutches of māyā. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. A teacher can give you hints. The ācārya can give you hints that "You can be saved in this way." But the execution of the duties, that is in your hand. If you perform the spiritual duties rightly, then you are saved. Otherwise, even ācārya gives you instruction, if you don't follow, so how he can save you? He can save you by instruction, by his mercy, as much as possible. But you have to take it in your hands seriously.

Lecture on BG 1.28-29 -- London, July 22, 1973:

And the result was, from the beginning of his life, he is Kṛṣṇa conscious. From the beginning. As soon as he took birth, he was Kṛṣṇa conscious. So he was advising his class friends, preaching. Just see. He was five-years-old boy, but he was taking the opportunity of preaching. Because the teacher... He is born of demon family. So all those class friends, they were also sons of demons. So there is no question of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But he learned Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the womb of his mother.

Lecture on BG 1.28-29 -- London, July 22, 1973:

So he was trying to preach. Because he was king's son, there was no other opportunity for preaching, and he was a five-years-old boy. He took the opportunity in the classroom, as soon as the teacher is away, he would preach. He would preach. This is preaching spirit. As soon as you get some opportunity, preach. What is that preach? Preaching, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised us, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is preaching. "Whoever you meet, simply speak of the instruction of Kṛṣṇa." So if you are advanced, if you know what is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa by reading Bhagavad-gītā, you can preach to others. And if you have not read anything, suppose you do not know anything, then you can also preach. What is that? "Just become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, my dear sir."

Lecture on BG 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973:

So everyone should be obliged to mother cow, because she is supplying milk. So according to our śāstra there are seven mothers. Ādau mātā, real mother, from whose body I have taken my birth. Ādau mātā, she is mother. Guru-patnī, the wife of teacher. She is also mother. Ādau mātā guru-patnī, brāhmaṇī. The wife of a brāhmaṇa, she is also mother. Ādau mātā guru-patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā, the queen is mother. So how many? Ādau mātā guru-patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā, then dhenu. Dhenu means cow. She is also mother. And dhātrī. Dhātrī means nurse. Dhenu dhātrī tathā pṛthvī, also the earth. Earth is also mother. The people are taking care of mother land, where he is born. That is good. But by the by they should take care of mother cow also. But they are not taking care of mother. Therefore they are sinful.

Lecture on BG 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973:

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

kiṁ no rājyena govinda

kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā

yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no

rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca

ta ime 'vasthitā yuddhe

prāṇāṁs tyaktvā dhanāni ca

ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrās

tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ

mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ

śyālāḥ sambandhinas tathā

etān na hantum icchāmi

ghnato 'pi madhusūdana

api trailokya-rājyasya

hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahī-kṛte

nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ

kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana

(Bg. 1.32-35)

Translation: "O Govinda, of what avail to us are kingdoms, happiness or even life itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed in this battlefield? O Madhusūdana, when teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and all relatives are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, then why should I wish to kill them, though I may survive? O maintainer of all creatures, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth."

Prabhupāda: So Arjuna is thinking in terms of his own sense gratification. He is posing himself as if he does not know what is the plan of Kṛṣṇa. Yes. The plan of Kṛṣṇa is explained by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973:

"You are..." gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Paṇḍita. "You are posing yourself..." He will speak so many things. That is like paṇḍita, learned. It is very nice thing. "Kṛṣṇa..." Arjuna is saying that "How can I kill my kinsmen? There is my grandfather, there is my teacher, there are my kinsmen." It is not bad. For worldly men this is very nice consideration, that "I am not going to kill my kinsmen." That is a very good consideration. Prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). But spiritually, it is ignorance, it is foolishness. Materially, it may be very nice thing, he's talking very nice. Therefore the first chastisement was... Kṛṣṇa took the position of spiritual master. So spiritual master has the right to chastise the disciple. So immediately he chastised. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking, you are lamenting so badly, and at the same time you are talking just like a very learned man."

Lecture on BG 1.45-46 -- London, August 1, 1973:

He is simply glorified by pious activities. There is no impious activities in Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the purest. So whatever He does, that is pure. The rascals they do not know this. They think, "Kṛṣṇa is immoral." And He has become a professor, teacher. He does not know, he does not understand Kṛṣṇa. So many big, big professors, learned scholars, they do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa. And they talking about Kṛṣṇa. They are taking the position of instructing about Kṛṣṇa. Just see how rascaldom. You do not know something perfectly, and still, you are talking about it. This is going on. Puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante (BG 7.19). We have to know Kṛṣṇa. Because as soon as you know Kṛṣṇa, you become immediately liberated.

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

Of course, all explanation are not there. Here, these words, Kṛṣṇa addressed Arjuna, "chastiser of enemies." And Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa, "Madhusūdana," or the killer of the demon Madhu. "Yes, You are addressing me as chastiser of enemy, but do You think my grandfather, my teacher, they are my enemies? You killed demon Madhu, therefore Your name is Madhusūdana, but You are asking me to kill my grandfather and teacher." That is the hint. "It is all right that Your name is Madhusūdana. You killed one demon whose name was Madhu, but You are asking me, Bhīṣmasūdana? Bhīṣma is my grandfather. And Droṇasūdana?" Sūdana means killer. "So how can I be that?" That is the answer.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "It is better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though they are avaricious, they are nonetheless superiors. If they are killed, then our spoils will be tainted with blood (BG 2.5)."

Prabhupāda: This is another indication how superiors should be shown respect. Arjuna says, "Although they have become avaricious, still, they are my superior." Avaricious, why? "They have got full affection for me. My grandfather Bhīṣma has got full affection for me. And Droṇācārya, I am his very dear student so he has also my very affection... good affection for me. But because Duryodhana has paid them, he has accepted their service.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "One should not therefore remain in material perplexities but should approach such a teacher. This is the purport of this verse. Who is the man in material perplexities? It is he who does not understand the problems of life. In the Garga Upaniṣad this is described as follows. He is a miserly man who does not solve the problems of life as a human and who thus quits this world like the cats and dogs without understanding the science of self-realization. He is called a miserly man. This human form of life is the most valuable asset for the living entity who can utilize it for solving the problems of life. Therefore one who does not utilize this opportunity is a miser."

Prabhupāda: As a miser does not properly use his asset. Suppose you have got one million dollars, you keep it only, you do not use it properly or you spoil it. Then you are called miser. But if you utilize it properly and gain out of it, then you are intelligent. Similarly, Garga Upaniṣad says, he makes distinction, two classes. One class of men he says kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. And another class of men he says brāhmaṇa, brāhmaṇas.

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

Prabhupāda: This is the first version of Kṛṣṇa as teacher. What is that? Read it again?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11), that "You are lamenting for a thing which no learned man does. That means you are not learned, but you are talking just like learned man." What is that? "You are talking"?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "While speaking learned words you are..."

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

So mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. We have to follow the footprints of mahājana, great soul. So here is directly you are meeting great soul, Arjuna. He is directly being taught Bhagavad-gītā by the original teacher. Who can be greater authority than Arjuna? So as Arjuna accepts Bhagavad-gīta, if you accept Bhagavad-gītā in that way, then your study of Bhagavad-gītā is perfect. It is very simple. Therefore I'm saying here that Kṛṣṇa is the original teacher, and Arjuna is the original student. So you follow the original student, you understand Bhagavad-gītā. Even Kṛṣṇa is not present before you. He is present by His words. This is the way of following what is pure. Yes?

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

The beginning of instruction is the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. So Arjuna, representing ourself, conditioned soul, covered with the material body and thinking in bodily conception of life... He was to fight with his brothers, nephews, grandfather, Bhīṣmadeva, also teacher the military science, Droṇācārya. In this way the business was not very palatable. Although he was forced to fight by the opposite party who were very near, thick and thin people, and he had to kill them, so it was not very satisfactory to him. Therefore he flatly denied to fight: "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight." He left his weapon, and then Kṛṣṇa was surprised that "My friend, Arjuna, he is denying to fight in My presence."

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

They are my well-wisher, and how can I kill them? It is my duty to offer my respect, touching their feet, and You are enticing me to pierce their body with arrow? So, of course, You have killed so many enemies, but You have killed enemies. Why You are inducing me to kill my grandfather and my teacher?" Of course, Arjuna, also intelligent. He replied that "You cannot accuse me as anārya. This is the consideration. Therefore I am hesitating to fight."

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

This is the duty. This is civilization, that we are meeting with so many problems of life. That is natural. In this material world the material world is problems of life. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). Material world means in every step there is danger. That is material world. So therefore we should take guide from guru, from the teacher, from the spiritual master how to make progress, because this... That will be explained later on, that the goal of our life, at least in this human form of life, in the Aryan civilization, the goal of life is to understand our constitutional position, "What I am. What I am." If we do not understand "What I am," then I am equal to the cats and dogs. The dogs, cats, they do not know. They think that they are the body. That will be explained. So in such condition of life, when we are puzzled... Actually we are puzzled every moment.

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa, now He has taken the position of teacher. Now no more friendly talking because Arjuna has accepted Him as the teacher. So He's the teacher. It is the duty of the teacher to punish or to chastise the disciple when he is wrongly going on. That is the duty. So first teaching of Kṛṣṇa, because Arjuna has accepted His leadership, His teachership, His instruction, accepted that he will follow His instruction, so first instruction is aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You rascal, you are rascal. You are talking like a very learned man that 'How shall I kill my, this grandfather? How shall I kill my brother, this and so on?' This is all bodily concept of life. You are talking on the bodily platform." So what is this body? It is to be neglected? "Yes."

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:

We are trying to know. In future, we shall tell you the perfect." But if you are not in perfect knowledge, why should you take the post of a teacher? If your knowledge is imperfect, then whatever you speak, that is imperfect. Therefore with imperfect knowledge, why you should become a teacher? That is cheating. That is cheating. Therefore purposefully Vyāsadeva is writing, sri-bhagavān uvāca, where there is no cheating, no imperfection, no illusion, no mistake. Four things. No mistake, no illusion, no cheating and no imperfection. This is Bhagavān. Why we are taking Bhagavad-gītā so seriously? There are so many other books we can read, so many theories, so many philosophers, big, big philosophers. But we cannot take them because they are defective. The author is sure to commit mistake.

Lecture on BG 2.2-6 -- Ahmedabad, December 11, 1972:

Arjuna was also very intelligently replying. He addressed Kṛṣṇa as Madhusūdana, Arisūdana. Madhusūdana means "the killer of Madhu demon" or "the killer or enemy." So his purpose is that "I have to kill Bhīṣmadeva, who is my so kind grandfather, and I have to kill Droṇācārya, who is my teacher, from whom I have learned this military art. So You have killed the demons and Your enemy, and why You are inducing me to kill my guru and my grandfather?" This is his argument. Kathaṁ bhīṣmam ahaṁ saṅkhye droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana, iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi: (BG 2.4) "They, my grandfather, my teacher, may chastise me, but how I can pierce with arrows their body?"

Lecture on BG 2.2-6 -- Ahmedabad, December 11, 1972:

So there is need of some brāhmaṇa who can give advice to the people how to live, how to become God conscious, how to become happy. There is great need of this movement. Simply so-called classless society will not help us. That is not Vedic civilization.

Hatvārtha-kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān. (BG 2.5) So Arjuna is giving his nice argument that "If I kill my such great-grandfather and such noble, my teacher, then after killing them, if I enjoy this world, it will be mixed with blood and fire. So I cannot fight. I can..." Arjuna clearly declined to fight.

Lecture on BG 2.4-5 -- London, August 5, 1973:

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

arjuna uvāca

kathaṁ bhīṣmam aham saṅkhye

droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana

iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi

pūjārhāv ari-sūdana

(BG 2.4)

gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān

śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke

hatvārtha-kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva

bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān

(BG 2.5)

Translation: "Arjuna said: O killer of Madhu (Kṛṣṇa), how can I counterattack with arrows in battle men like Bhīṣma and Droṇa, who are worthy of my worship? It is better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though they are avaricious, they are nonetheless superiors. If they are killed, our spoils will be tainted with blood."

Prabhupāda: So the first problem was for Arjuna how to kill the kinsmen, family men. Now, when he was chastised by Kṛṣṇa as a friend that "Why you are so weak? Don't be weak. This is sentiment. This kind of compassion is sentiment. Uttiṣṭha. You better get up and fight." If I do not want to do something, I can offer so many pleas. You see. So next he is presenting gurūn: "All right, Kṛṣṇa, you are talking about my kinsmen.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

Just see what best depth of knowledge He has given. It is made by Kṛṣṇa. So in knowledge, in wealth, in strength, in beauty, and in everything He was opulent. Therefore He is Bhagavān. You cannot accept any ordinary man as Bhagavān. So therefore Bhagavān. Now, bhagavān uvāca. And because He has been accepted as the spiritual master... Just like a teacher has the right to sometimes rebuke the student, so in the first instance He is rebuking Arjuna in the following words that

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

(BG 2.11)

that "Arjuna, you are speaking just like a very great, learned man, but you are... You are... In other words, you are a fool. You do not know how things are going on because paṇḍitāḥ, those who are learned men, they would not have lamented just like you are doing."

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

This is the Vedic process. And therefore Veda says, tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Tad vijñānārtham, in order to learn that transcendental science, one has to accept guru. Gurum eva, certainly, one must. Otherwise there is no possibility. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is accepted here as the spiritual master of Arjuna, and as the spiritual master or father or teacher has got right to chastise his son or disciple... A son is never dissatisfied when father chastises. That is the etiquette everywhere. Even the father is sometimes violent, the child or the son tolerates. A typical example is Prahlāda Mahārāja. Innocent child, Kṛṣṇa consciousness child, but father torturing. He never says anything. "All right." Similarly Kṛṣṇa, just after taking the position of the spiritual master, is designating Arjuna as a grand fool. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu also said that "My spiritual master found Me a great fool (CC Adi 7.71)." Was Caitanya Mahāprabhu a fool?

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

After condemning the bodily conception of living entities, how was it possible for Kṛṣṇa to place a conventional proposition on the body again? Therefore, the plurality is on spiritual grounds as is confirmed by great teachers like Śrī Rāmānuja. It is clearly mentioned in many places in the Bhagavad-gītā that this spiritual plurality is understood by those who are devotees of the Lord. Those who are envious of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead have no bona fide access to the great literature. The nondevotee's approach to the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā is something like a bee licking on a bottle of honey.

Lecture on BG 2.10 -- London, August 16, 1973:

How he can be fool? But he is playing the part of fool. If he does not play the part of a fool, how this Bhagavad-gītā will come from the mouth of Śrī Kṛṣṇa? And because he is devotee, he is perfectly playing in such a way that Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction. So perfect teacher and the perfect disciple, Arjuna. We have to learn from their de... Our position... Arjuna is representing just like ordinary man like us, and Kṛṣṇa is Hṛṣīkeśa, giving His advice, perfect advice. If we take, if we read Bhagavad-gītā in the spirit of understanding like Arjuna, the perfect disciple, and if we accept the advice and the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, the perfect teacher, then we should know that we have understood Bhagavad-gītā. By my mental speculation, by rascal interpretation, by showing one's scholarship, you cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. That is not possible. Submissive.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is chastising Arjuna because he has accepted, he's becoming His disciple, so the spiritual master has the right to chastise the disciple for right direction like the teacher, like the father. Similarly, although Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are friends, but Arjuna has accepted Him as spiritual master. There should not be any compromising words as it is done between friend and friend. The right things must be said that "You are wrong. Don't talk nonsense. Talking like very learned man but you do not know anything." "Why I do not know?" "Because this body, while living, agatāsūn..." Asun means the living force. While the living force is there, and when the living force is gone, two conditions... This body is moving very nicely because the living force is there.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:

So this world at the present moment at least, it is a fool's paradise. Nobody is learned. Because everyone is working under the bodily concept of life. This is chastise. This is the first chastisement. Just like before giving lesson, if the student is writing or reading wrongly, then the teacher immediately says, "You fool, it is not like this. It should be like this."

So the first step Kṛṣṇa took in educating Arjuna... The Bhagavad-gītā is now being actually being spoken, bhagavān uvāca. The first basic principle is explained to Arjuna that "You do not know anything. Don't talk just like a learned man." Actually, that is our own... Every one of us in the same position. Just like yesterday, two boys came. No philosophy, talking like nonsense, starvation, as if he has taken, what is called? Contract for stopping starvation.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

So that pleasure you can have only when you are spiritually realized soul. That is possible. That is possible. We are reading all these scriptures, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and there are so many Vedic literatures that if anyone wants to have spiritual life, there is complete facility. There is complete facility.

Now, this Prahlāda... Prahlāda was a boy, a child, not boy. He was only five years old. So his father called him, "My dear son, what you have learned from your teacher best? Please explain."

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

So this, this question... Because Arjuna was disturbed that "How can I fight with my grandfather? That is all right. That is my duty to fight, but how can I fight with my grandfather, Bhīṣmadeva, with my teacher, Droṇācārya? It is not possible." So he is playing the part of a fool, but he was not a fool, but just to teach us. Unless he becomes a fool like us, why this Bhagavad-gītā will come?

The Bhagavad-gītā... Just like it is play. Kṛṣṇa is constant companion of Arjuna. So Arjuna cannot be put into that ignorance. It is for our benefit that by the will of the Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is put into that sort of ignorance.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

So here Arjuna, he was declining to fight, declining to fight, that "How can I fight with my grandfather?" You see? "He is respectable. He has brought me up since my father's death. And here is my teacher, Droṇācārya. He has taught me this military art. Whatever I am warrior, my expertness is due to him. And do you think, Kṛṣṇa, I shall kill them? No, I can fight with them. I can kill them, but it is not my duty." So Arjuna, and, says like that. But Kṛṣṇa says, "No. You must be dutiful. Never mind who is that, your grandfather or your teacher. No. When there is fight... You are a kṣatriya. A kṣatriya should not be..., has no other consideration in the fight. He must fight."

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

Similarly, if you can analyze the characteristics of the living entity, then you can at least understand what is God, what is the characteristics of God. Therefore the beginning of spiritual education is to understand one's self, this self-realization. How to realize self? We have to take knowledge from others. Knowledge means..., to acquire knowledge, to learn from the teacher. So here is the supreme teacher, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the supreme teacher by everyone, by all the great sages formerly, like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Devala, Asita. All other great sages. And recently, in the modern age, by our ācāryas, Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Rāmānuja, yes, Śaṅkarācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī. All these great sages, great ācāryas, they came from your South India.

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

The body is changing, but I am not changing. I am eternal. Therefore I am not this body. I am not changing. This simple truth, the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa has begun instructing Arjuna... After Arjuna has accepted his discipleship, the first instruction is this, that "You are lamenting on the body of your grandfather and teacher regarding fighting, but your grandfather, or the soul...," which is already explained that, "You are soul, I am the supreme soul, or all these kings and soldiers who has assembled, they are also souls. They existed in the past. Now they have changed their body. Again they will change their body, but they will exist." This is the instruction.

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

When this child will grow five feet long, the father and mother, will they cry, "Oh, my child! Where is my child, that one-feet long?" He knows. The parents know that my child is there, but changed the body. This is a fact. Similarly, "You are lamenting on the body of your grandfather and teacher, even they change their body, what is the cause of lamentation? They will exist." This is the beginning of instruction of Bhagavad-gītā or spiritual instruction. Unless one understands this simple fact, that the soul is different from this body, the soul is eternal, the body is temporary, changing... Because without understanding this, there is no spiritual education. A false education. If one identifies with this body, there is no understanding of spiritual knowledge.

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

So he's going to hell. So the person who is destined to go to kingdom of God, the sooner he dies is better for him. And this person, one who is going to hell, the later he dies it is good for him because as soon as he dies the hell is prepared for him. So similarly, "Why should you lament for your grandfather and teacher? They are so highly elevated, spiritually elevated. Death will take place so long this body is there. Now they have come to fight as a matter of duty. So there is no lamentation." This is the instruction Kṛṣṇa is giving. Yes.

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

Now the question is, "Yes, I understand that my grandfather is spirit soul and this body is material. Still, by nature I'll be unhappy if my grandfather is killed and my teacher is killed. I'll be unhappy." So Kṛṣṇa is instructing Arjuna that this kind of unhappiness, distress, is this world. You cannot avoid it. These are necessary distresses. The example He's giving that severe cold. In the winter season, in the month of January or some month, the winter is very severe, intolerable. Sometimes somewhere it is below 30 degrees zero. But what is to be done? The people in such part of the world who live... Just like in Canada it goes sometimes 30 degrees below zero. Does it mean that they'll close their offices and work and everything? No. Everything is going on as usual. One has to tolerate. That's all. In India also, in India and other parts of the eastern countries. Just like Arabia, Iraq or...

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- London, August 20, 1973:

Just like a child. Because he has got delicate the body, little pinching makes him crying, uncomfortable. So it is all due to body. But the soul is different from the body. So Kṛṣṇa is trying to convince Arjuna that "Why you are hesitating to fight? Do your duty. Your so-called grandfather or so-called guru, as you say, your teacher, they are not this body. So in this fight, if your grandfather or teacher is killed, why you are lamenting? They are eternal." That is also explained, that "They were existing in the past, they are existing at present, and they will continue to exist. Simply the body will change. So why you are lamenting? Rather, it is a great facility that your grandfather has got now old body, he is not very comfortable, but he will get next life a very new body. So it is good for him if you kill him."

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

And they are illusioned. They accept something as reality which is not reality. Just like we accept this body as reality. This is called illusion. But it is not reality. "I am soul." That is reality. So this is called illusion. And then, with this illusory knowledge, imperfect knowledge, we become teacher. That is another cheating. If you have not... They say, all these scientists and philosophers, "Perhaps," "It may be." So where is your knowledge? "It may be" and "perhaps." Why you are taking the post of a teacher? "In future we shall understand." And what is this future? Would you accept a post-dated check? "In future I shall discover, and therefore I am scientist." What is this scientist? And, above all, our imperfectness of senses. Just like we are seeing one another because there is light. If there is no light, then what is the power of my seeing?

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

So this body, antavat, it will be finished. However you may try, so scientifically, applying cosmetic and other things, you cannot save the body. That is not possible. Antavat. Antavanta means, anta means end, and vat means possessing. So "You have got your duty to fight, and you are lamenting that the body of your grandfather or teacher or kinsmen, they'll be destroyed and you will be unhappy. That's all right, you'll be unhappy, but even if you do not fight, their body will be finished today or tomorrow or say a few years after. So why should you go back from discharging your duty? This is the point. "And so far the soul is concerned, of your grandfather, teacher and others, they are nitya, eternal." Already explained, nityasya uktāḥ.

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

So, immeasurable. You cannot measure what is the soul, but the soul is there, and the body is perishable. "If you, even if you do not fight, you save the bodies of your grandfather and teacher and others as you are so much overwhelmed, so they are perishable. Antavanta means today or tomorrow. Suppose your grandfather is already old. So you do not kill him just now or, say, after one year or six months, he may die because he's already old. These are the arguments put forward. The main point is Kṛṣṇa wants Arjuna that he must fight. He must, he must not deviate from his duty as a kṣatriya. He should not be overwhelmed by the bodily destruction. Therefore He is giving instruction: "The body is different from the soul. So don't think that the soul will be killed. You stand up and fight." This is the instruction.

Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

That is an... Even if you get nice position, you have to flatter. Even if you get a president, become president of the country, you have to flatter your countrymen: "Please give me vote. Please... I shall give you so many facilities." So you have to flatter. That is a fact. You may be very big man. But you have to flatter somebody. You have to accept some master. Why not accept Kṛṣṇa, the supreme master? Where is the difficulty? "No. I shall accept thousands of masters except Kṛṣṇa." This is our philosophy. "I shall accept thousands of teachers except Kṛṣṇa. This is my determination." Then how you can be happy? The happiness can be achieved only by accepting Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1968:

No. It is the only one movement that can give peace and life and prosperity to the people. Yes.

Devotee: "However, since he was not risking rebirth of the soul, Arjuna had no reason to be afraid of being affected with sinful activities due to his killing grandfather and teacher. But at the same time, Kṛṣṇa sarcastically addressed Arjuna as mahā-bāhu, mighty-armed, because He, at least, did not accept the theory of the vaibhāṣikas which leaves aside the Vedic wisdom. As a kṣatriya, Arjuna belonged to the Vedic culture, and it behooved him that he continue to follow its principles." Twenty-seven.

Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973:

One who is not executing his own religious principle, he is no better than the animals. So who will see that everyone engaged in discharging his occupational duty? Sva-dharmam means occupational duty. It is the duty of the king, government. In the beginning it is the duty of the father, of the teacher, to train children to the principles of sva-dharma. A brāhmaṇa, it is the duty of the brāhmaṇa to see that his son is being properly trained up as a brāhmaṇa. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Everything is there. The brāhmaṇas should be taught how to become truthful, first of all. A brāhmaṇa will never speak lie, at any cost. It is stated that even if his enemy inquires something confidential from him, he'll say, "Yes, this is my position." This is truthfulness.

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

So he was hesitating from his duty: "I shall not fight. I shall not fight because by killing my kinsmen, by killing my spiritual master, by killing my teacher, killing my grandfather, I will be sinful." That was his conclusion. Now, Kṛṣṇa says that "If you think in that way, that you shall be, I mean to say, enjoying, enjoying the reaction. Then, of course, you'll not be working in the spiritual field. You don't take in that way because this war is a duty and because I want that you should fight." It is the order from the authority. Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. "Therefore you should fight."

Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

Peace can be had only, really—human society.

So this is the culture. The Vedic, whole Vedic culture is to make a man a brāhmaṇa, not to keep him in the śūdra stage, not to. Every father has to take care. The state has to take care, the teacher has to take care—how to make the children, the poor children, the innocent children, to..., a perfect brāhmaṇa. The whole culture is like that. You see? so Bhagavad-gītā teaches that. And don't become... Don't remain in the śūdra stage and a miser, but just try to become a brāhmaṇa by culture. Then your life will be successful.

Thank you very much. Now, any question? Yes?

Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

Now, those who have studied Bhagavad-gītā up to the end, and I hope some of you have already read Bhagavad-gītā... Arjuna was a military man, and Kṛṣṇa was trying to induce him to his duty as military man, that "You must fight." But Arjuna was declining that "I cannot kill my relatives, my friends, my brothers, my teacher, my grandfather." That was his consideration. Now, this consideration is material platform. When we think of in relation with this body, that is material platform. Anything done in consideration of this body... This body means senses. The body means the senses. That means anything which we do for sense gratification, that is material. And anything which we do for the satisfaction of the Supreme, that is spiritual platform. That's all.

Lecture on BG 2.55-56 -- New York, April 19, 1966:

That activity will be standard and without any mistake, without any flaw, because it is dictated by the Supreme. Just like a fa..., a child is given instruction to write "A." So he does not write, does not know how to write. He's doing this way, that way. The teacher says, "My dear boy, kindly do this, this way, this way, 'A.' " So, if he does it, he's nice. It is nice. Similarly, we have to engage our consciousness... There is a supreme plan, supreme plan, all over the creation of the world, supreme plan. Everything is going on under some plan. Don't you see how the sun rises exactly at the right time, how the moon rises exactly at the right time, how the seasonal changes come exactly at the time? Eh? Everything is going on under the control of the supreme consciousness. (break) ...C, A, T, cat, C, A, T, cat, C, A, T, cat. Now, that required. Now, if somebody says, "Oh, 'cat,' he has once said 'cat.' What is the use of again saying 'cat'?" No.

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

The yogis can display many wonders, many wonders. In my childhood I had got one tutor. So he was telling about his spiritual master. He was a yogi. That... He said that when he visited his spiritual master who was a yogi, his spiritual master asked him, "What do you want to eat?" And because my teacher knew that his spiritual master was a great yogi, he wanted to have a taste of pomegranate of Kabul. In India pomegranate of Kabul, Afghanistan, that is very famous. So his spiritual master said, "Yes, you will find it in this room. You can see it." So he saw that just it has been taken from the tree of pomegranate, and the juice was falling down. You see? So these wonders can be played by a yogi. You see? There are many yogis still living; they can manufacture gold. They can manufacture gold. The process is that they can eat, I mean to say, what is called? Pārā. What is the English of pārā, that liquid metal, white?

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

I don't say, but the śāstra says there are 900,000 forms of aquatics. So you cannot say no because you have no experience. You have no experience. But from the śāstra, Vedic literature, we get this information, Padma Purāṇa. We are not speaking unauthorizedly. The śāstras are accepted by the ācāryas, the great teachers. And we get knowledge from the śāstra. I may be imperfect, but I get knowledge from the perfect source. That is perfect knowledge.

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

So Mahārāja Parīkṣit's father, Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, he was only sixteen-years-old boy, but he was fortunately married. His marriage is also very peculiar. The daughter was... Uttarā was offered to Arjuna, but Arjuna said that "This girl, I have treated her as my student." He was teacher. "I cannot marry. She is my daughter." So then Arjuna said, "I have got grown-up son. I'll arrange her marriage with my son." So Uttarā was married with his son at the age of sixteen years. The boy and the girl, both were sixteen years old, and they were married. Fortunately, when the battle was going on, this boy was also called to fight, and the girl was pregnant. But the boy never returned. He died in the battlefield. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja remained in the womb of his mother.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: To teach the rascals (laughter). The students are all rascals, and the teacher's duty, to educate him properly, that is.

Guest (2): Is not the perfect master, when come to the Earth, prophet, he showed to the God?

Prabhupāda: You were asking what is the duty of the master and teacher.

Guest (2): Yes.

Prabhupāda: The teacher's duty is to make right the rascals, that's all.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: The teacher's duty is to make right the rascals, that's all.

Guest (2): When is the perfect mast...

Prabhupāda: So, first of all this is the duty of the teacher. So, therefore, a disciple should consider himself, that he's a rascal, and then he goes to a teacher. If he thinks himself, that he is quite all right, he does not require a teacher.

Guest (2): But when we are going to the teacher, teacher is showing from the 1, 2, 3, 4, teacher is showing, but not to what you can tell him to just you. Teacher is telling, teacher is showing us. So the perfect master, when the Lord Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: But how do you know the perfect master, if you are a student?

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: First of all you answer me, that if you are a student, how you can know who is perfect teacher? (laughter) So you do not know what is your position. If you are teacher, if you are a student, then you should go to the teacher submissively, not that strong attitude.

Guest (2): If I am the student, excuse me, your honor sir.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (2): If I am the student, I am going to the class, and I want to know that he's the principal teacher or not?

Prabhupāda: So how you can know, principal teacher or not, if you are student?

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: So how you can know, principal teacher or not, if you are student?

Guest (2): Naturally he's giving us lesson from there, I will understand that he is teacher, and he will show us that this is A, this is B, this is C...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (2): Anyhow, the books is near to us, and I do not know that this is A or this is B or this is C...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (2): Anyhow book is near, but the proper teacher, or the master is showing us that this is A, this is B, this is C, and then we know that this is A, and this is B, and that C. Anyhow that before when we devote our, to bring to class in the school, and the books was very near to us, we do not know this is one, this is two, this is three, this is A, this is B, this is C. Books was near to us, with our eyes we can see, but we do not know what is this A and B, and the teacher is the one showing us that this is A and this is B, and this...

Prabhupāda: That's all right, then what do you want to know?

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: Now, the student goes to learn from the teacher A, B, C, D. The teacher says "This is A," but the student has to accept that this is A. The student cannot argue, "So why not this way?" That is not a student. When a teacher says that this A, so you have to accept this is A, you cannot argue. That is the relationship between the student and the teacher. A student cannot argue. The teacher says, "This is A," the student has to accept that is A. He cannot argue. If he argues, then he cannot learn. That is the first proposition.

Guest (2): That is correct.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He must surrender.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: But first of all you learn A, B, C, D, then. Without a learning A, B, C, D, how you want to pass any examination? (laughter) That is not student. The student must submissively learn from the teacher, from the A, B, C, D, and if he makes progress then one day he will be able to pass the examination.

Guest (2): When the Lord Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: He, you cannot learn what is there in the examination by studying A, B, C, D. That is not possible. You have to wait. You cannot say immediately, you pass me immediately. That is madness. You must learn first of all A, B, C, D. Gradually, not all of a sudden. That's all right. Any other question?

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: Any other question? All right, let us chant. Chant with us. Yes, there is. Come forward please.

Guest (4): I would like to ask the teacher. I, as I understand the Ramakrishna movement is, uh, Hare Kṛṣṇa, rather, movement is uh, centering on the practice of chanting the great mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, no. My question is, what is the, why is that this particular movement is not emphasizing so-called meditation?

Prabhupāda: It is meditation. When you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, your senses are attracted by this vibration. You hear. As soon as you hear, your mind is fixed-up. That is meditation.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

Why you are hankering after Kṛṣṇa? Because He is perfect. We are not perfect. We have got so many deficiencies. We commit mistake, we are illusioned, we cheat and our senses are imperfect. We cannot acquire knowledge by sense perception perfectly. So with so many imperfectness, if we try to become a teacher, then I am a cheater. I am not a teacher. We must know first of all. So we are receiving knowledge from Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa is accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead and with perfection of knowledge.

So here the matter is being clarified, and Kṛṣṇa is answering also that bahūni me janmāni vyatītāni. Kṛṣṇa appears.... Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). He comes on this planet or in this universe. When He comes in this universe, He comes on this planet. There are innumerable universes. Not one, but innumerable. So there is a rotation of Kṛṣṇa's coming here.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

"Oh, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, Vāsudeva is everything." Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ: "Such kind of great soul is very rare."

But fortunately we have got these instructions of Bhagavad-gītā, and the teacher is Lord Caitanya. If we follow these principles and try to understand it with all our knowledge, all our logic and argument, then our life is successful. Here is an opportunity the movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And it is very easy. You simply sit down. If you don't like to come to this temple, it doesn't matter. At, in your home only, you sit down with your friends, with your boyfriend or girlfriend or family members, children. Sit down and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you have got a nice musical instrument it is all right. Otherwise, God has given you these hands. You can clap, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Very easy. Just try it and you will understand everything gradually.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

Because we understand it from Bhagavad-gītā. It is stated that avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam: "That thing which is spread all over your body..." And what is that thing? This consciousness. You pinch any part of your body; you feel pain because the consciousness is there. "So that thing, consciousness," Kṛṣṇa says, the teacher of Bhagavad-gītā, "that is eternal." Eternal. Now, how it is eternal? When you were a child the consciousness was there. Then you grew up to your boyhood—the consciousness was there. Then you are now young—the consciousness is there. And when you become old man like me, the consciousness will be there.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

There are eight million four-hundred-thousands of different species of life. They are suffering.

The tree... If you get the body of a tree, you stand up for ten thousands of years in one place. We have got experience when teacher punishes us, "Stand up on the bench," for a few minutes, we become disturbed: "Sir, please excuse me. I shall not do this." Now, if you have to stand up for ten thousands of years in one place, just see. These are the punishment to the miscreants. So this human body is the only opportunity to understand all these things and make your life successful so that you may not come again for standing up for seven thousand years or ten thousand years. Yes. But the miscreants will not believe this. They think, "A tree, it is another thing. I am perfect." He does not know that every chance there is that you also become a tree.

Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

Study, yes. Study, simply study will not help you. You must study from a bona fide teacher. Otherwise it will be misleading. Just like if you want to be a medical practitioner if you purchase books from the bookstore, medical books, and you study, that will not help you. You have to admit yourself in a medical college and study there. Then you will understand. If you say that "I have studied all the medical books," the government will not recognize you as a medical practitioner. When he will see and the government will see or any person will see that you have regularly passed medical examination from authorities then you will be accepted.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

Everything will be helpful for my spiritual realization, for my self-realization. If I am full of anxiety, how can I make progress in spiritual realization? It is not possible. Therefore it is the duty of the state, duty of the father, duty of the teacher, duty of the spiritual master to give chance to the small children to develop in such a way that he becomes fully realized spiritual soul at the end and so that his miserable life in the material existence is over. That is the responsibility.

In Bhāgavata you will see that Ṛṣabhadeva says that "One should not become the spiritual master, one should not become the father, one should not become the mother, one should not become the husband—who cannot give relief from these miseries of material existence". It is the husband's duty also. Because the wife is under the protection of the husband, he has got so much responsibility.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

Or he may be highborn. That doesn't matter. But when he comes out from the womb of the mother, he has got his own responsibility. He has to advance his cultural life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is his responsibility. That is his responsibility. Of course, father, mother, state, teacher, friend, they can help us, but ultimately, the responsibility lies with me.

If I want to enter into the kingdom of God, or Kṛṣṇa, if we want to be Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no impediment. There is no impediment. Ahaituky apratihatā. In the Bhāgavata says that if one wants to cultivate the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is without any cause and without any impediment. Because it is transcendental subject matter, it does not depend on any material condition, on any material condition. There is no consideration of material impediment.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Bombay, April 2, 1974:

You must commit mistake. And sometimes we are illusioned, pramāda. That we are all, because we are accepting this body as "I am," which I am not. That is called pramāda, bhrama pramāda. Then vipralipsā. I have got bhrama, I commit mistake, I am bewildered, I am illusioned. Still, I am taking the position of teacher. That is cheating. If you are defective, if you have got so many defects in your life, how you can become teacher? You are a cheater. Nobody's teacher, because without being perfect, how you can become teacher? So this is going on.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Bombay, April 2, 1974:

He is there, lying on the floor. So just see our fault, how much defective our eyes. I am seeing the body of the father and I am thinking, "He is my father." Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13), ass and cow, the seeing of the ass and cow. So in this way we are defective.

How we can guide the people? How we can become teacher? How we can become leader? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape (SB 7.5.31). Andha. I am andha, blind, and I try to lead others, andhas. Therefore there must be chaos. This will not help us. We must see through the eyes of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We must study Bhagavad-gītā perfectly well.

Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:

He was locked. That is not a very old story, say, about hundred years before, that Trailinga Swami. So thrice, four times, he was put into the custody, and he came out. So this is the first siddhi, first perfection.

Similarly, a yogi also, if he wants... Perhaps I cited this story. In my childhood I had my teacher and he had his spiritual master, a great yogi. So my teacher used to narrate the story of his spiritual master, that one day he went to the spiritual master, and the spiritual master asked him, "Well, what do you want to eat?" And they replied that "I want fresh pomegranates from Afghanistan." "All right, sit." So in the room they saw the, a branch of pomegranates just with juices just like somebody has snatched the branch from the tree, and it was there. Yogis, they can perform such wonderful things. If I want this thing, I have to endeavor for it, but a yogi can at once make it. These are some of the preliminary perfections of yogi.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Bombay, April 3, 1974:

Just like Arjuna was hesitating to fight because he thought that "I shall be entangled in the karma-phala if I kill my family men and my grandfather, my teacher." So he was thinking. That was good consideration, pāpa-puṇya. But because he fought for Kṛṣṇa, because he satisfied Kṛṣṇa, he was not bound up. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). If you do anything for your satisfaction, then you become entangled in the karma-phala. But if you do anything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, there is no karma bondage. This is the secret. That is clearly stated. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti (BG 4.14). He is the Supreme. He can direct, but He is not under the direction. He is free.

Similarly, those who are Kṛṣṇa's devotees, they are also free.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

In agreement, businessmen doing some business, the agreement, everyone is thinking, each party is thinking, "How much favorable it has become in my side." That is.... I want to cheat you. You want to cheat me. I am dictating, "The agreement should be like this." That means most favorable for my sense gratification. And you are dictating, "It should be like this." We are talking also on that spirit, "my sense gratification."

Kṛṣṇa says something. That is not wanted. My so-called teacher or ācārya... "There are different ācāryas." No. There cannot be different ācāryas. Ācārya is one.

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

Although I do not like to fight, but Kṛṣṇa is satisfied; therefore I have to fight." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nitya-tṛpta. He is not dissatisfied: "Oh, I have to fight against my relatives, my grandfather, my teacher." Nirāśraya. Nirāśraya means he is not under the obligation of any good result or bad result. Nirāśraya. "In this way, if we engage ourself in any activity," karmaṇy abhipravṛtto 'pi, "if one is engaged in such a spirit of neutrality, simply for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, then the result will be," karmaṇy abhipravṛtto 'pi, "although he is engaged in every sort of work," naiva kiñcit karoti saḥ, "he is free from that work. He is free from the result or reaction of such work."

Lecture on BG 4.20 -- Bombay, April 9, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa says, Arjuna, "Now I have explained to you the whole Bhagavad-gītā. Now what is your decision? You can do whatever you like." Because Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna's decision was that "I shall not fight. I am not going to kill my brothers and nephews and teachers and grandfather. Kṛṣṇa, excuse me. I will not fight." So therefore Kṛṣṇa instructed him the whole Bhagavad-gītā science. Now, after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, he asked, because he has got the freedom, "Now what is your decision?" Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). "Whatever you like, you can do. You can reject My proposal or you can accept." This is freedom. Then Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna said, "Yes," kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73), "I shall accept Your proposal."

Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:

The students are... Formerly, they were in the guru-gṛha, spiritual master's place, and they had to undergo severe types of regulation. So a brahmacārī is expected to go to every householder and beg. There was no system of schooling, there was no system for payment. The spiritual master, the teacher, he did not accept any payment in pound shilling pence. That was not accepted because mostly brāhmaṇas, they used to become the teachers. So they were not accepting any salary. The brāhmaṇas are forbidden to accept any service.

So the education was free. So every student, education was free. And village to village education was... So in former days—even fifty years before I have seen in villages—there was some small school, and all the villages boys, they were coming and taking education.

Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:

So education was very much widespread because education was free in this way. So students were meant to go for begging alms for the teachers. These are some of the regulative principles.

Now, that is sacrifice. They sacrificed their labor for the spiritual master, for the teacher, and whatever they got, they surrendered to the teacher. And it is said that after cooking, if the teacher asked the student, "My dear boy, you come and take your meals," then he will take. Otherwise, if the teacher forgets to call him one day for his meals, then he should not go and ask the teacher that "Sir, I have not taken my food. Give me my food." Rather, he should starve. So much penances, so much regulative(?) was there. These are called sacrifice.

Lecture on BG 4.34 -- New York, August 14, 1966:

The next qualification is paripraśna. Paripraśna means inquiry. Without inquiry, you cannot make advance. Just like a student in the school who inquires from the teacher, he's very intelligent. Even a boy, a child, if he inquires from the father, "Oh, father, what is this? What is this?" that child is very intelligent. Very intelligent. So inquiry is required, not only praṇipāta... "Oh, I have found out a very good spiritual master, very learned and very good, saw. All right. I have surrendered. Then all my business finished." No. That is not...

You may have a very good spiritual master, but if you have no power to inquire, then you cannot make progress. Inquiries must be there. But inquiry, how inquiry? Not to challenge. Inquiry, not that "Oh, I shall see what kind of spiritual master he is. Let me challenge him and put some irrelevant questions and talk nonsensically, this way and that way."

Lecture on BG 4.34-38 -- New York, August 17, 1966:

So there is no bar for anyone, that one cannot become the spiritual master. Everyone can become spiritual master, provided he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. That is the only qualification. And that is very reasonable. If you do not this, do not know the subject matter, how can you be a teacher? Eh? A teacher means he knows the thing. He knows the science. So only qualification of the spiritual master, as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kibā śūdra, kibā vipra, nyāsī kene naya, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā: "Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa..." This is the science of Kṛṣṇa, this Bhagavad-gītā. If anyone knows perfectly, then he becomes the spiritual master.

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

Madhudviṣa: "The path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore mental speculation or dry argument cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a teacher should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige."

Prabhupāda: Yes. The brahmacārī means... These are indication. When a person... When a boy becomes brahmacārī, even if he is the son of very rich man, he should live with the spiritual master as a menial servant. These are the injunction. That, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Apart from his Godheadship, He was a very rich man's son. Really He was a very great king's son, Vasudeva, but He was given under the protection of King Nanda, Nanda Mahārāja, His foster father. He was also very rich man, very...

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

Nobody can be spiritual master of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible, just like nobody can be Kṛṣṇa's father. He is father of everyone. God is father of everyone. But He, out of His love, He accepts some of His devotee as father, as mother, as spiritual master, as teacher, as friend, as elder brother. That is His līlā. Yes. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā you will see... In the Fourth Chapter you have already read, janma karma (ca) me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). The dealings of Kṛṣṇa—how Kṛṣṇa being the supreme father, how He accepts His father and appears as a child of the father—this is transcendental knowledge. So if a somebody simply understands this—how Kṛṣṇa being the supreme father, He accepts another father—then he becomes liberated; immediately he is transferred to the spiritual kingdom. This is knowledge.

Lecture on BG 6.40-42 -- New York, September 16, 1966:

Woman: You say you worship the deity photograph of someone who has gone. But the photograph of a spiritual teacher can be very helpful to teach them to love him because the photograph of a spiritual teacher is not material value, but it symbolizes the truth from which the, he has come.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Those who are spiritually advanced, their photograph and ordinary photograph is different. Just like here is statue of Kṛṣṇa. He's not different from Kṛṣṇa. The original person Kṛṣṇa and this statue of Kṛṣṇa is the same. Similarly, a spiritually perfect person and his photograph is the same. Because it is in the absolute stage. In the absolute stage there is no difference.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, September 10, 1968:

Suppose you are Americans, we are Indian. So we have got some particular relationship with the state. I am Indian citizen, you are American citizen. So relationship must be there. You are sitting here. There is some relationship. Suppose my students, they have got relationship with me. I am their teacher, they are my disciples. Or if you are not my disciple then you are audience, I am speaker. Must be there some relationship.

So similarly, if with everything we have got some relationship, why not with God? There is. That is practical relationship, but we have forgotten. We have forgotten our relationship. And yoga means to connect, to reconnect that relationship again. That is called yoga. Yoga is not a mental speculation or for health's sake. Oh, for health's sake you may not go to the yoga system.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, September 10, 1968:

So he surrendered himself. He said that "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I can understand that the problem which has arisen in this battlefield, it is very difficult problem. I have come here to fight, but I have been disturbed with sentiments. So how I can kill my brothers, my teacher, my grandfather, my grandsons, and so on, so on? So, but I know also that these problems, this problematic situation which has arisen, it can be solved by You only." But Arjuna knew it that "Kṛṣṇa is not my ordinary friend. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore he at once surrendered. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "I am surrendered unto You as Your disciple. Please accept me and just teach me what is good for me."

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

"O Kṛṣṇa, You are Para-brahman." Para-brahman. The word... There are two words: Para-brahman and Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that does not mean ahaṁ parabrahmāsmi. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: I am also spirit soul, but not the Supreme. Para-brahman is Kṛṣṇa. I am also īśvara. Īśvara means controller. You are also īśvara. Just like in this school, the teacher is īśvara in his class. He is controlling some students. I am controlling my disciples. I am also īśvara. So everyone can be īśvara. There is no... Everyone can be god. But we are using the word "Godhead." Just like there are some clerks and there is head clerk, similarly, we are all gods. The Māyāvādī philosophy, they say, "Everyone is God." That's all right. But you are not the head God. Head, there... If there is god, there are so many gods, there must be one head God. That is our natural experience. Anywhere you go, there are so many people, but there is some leader, head. I had some talks with one Russian professor, Professor Kotovsky in Moscow.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hong Kong, January 25, 1975:

Arjuna is hearing from Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is speaking to Arjuna directly. How fortunate is Arjuna, that he is directly hearing from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here, therefore, it is said, bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān. Not ordinary teacher, a human being, or a living being, but Bhagavān.

There are two living beings. One is Bhagavān, and the other is the living being as we are. That is the Vedic version. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Bhagavān means He is also a living being. He is not nirākāra. When we say bhagavān nirākāra, that means either we have no knowledge of Bhagavān or nirākāra means He is not a form like us.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hong Kong, January 25, 1975:

So it is our duty the human life to get knowledge from śāstra. That is, means Veda. Veda means knowledge. Get knowledge from the standard Veda. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "In order to understand that Vedic knowledge, one has to go to the proper master, teacher." Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). These are the things. Now, if you want to know Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān... Here it is said, bhagavān uvāca, Bhagavān says, mayy āsakta, mayi āsakta. Therefore if you become attached... We have got attachment for so many things. But if we transfer that attachment to Kṛṣṇa, then, Kṛṣṇa says, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. You have to adopt this yogic process, meditation. Meditation... Unless you have got love for somebody, attachment for somebody, how you can think of him always? That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- London, March 9, 1975:

I am so much defective; still, I want to impress others that I have got full knowledge. How you can have full knowledge if you are so defective? Just like a diseased man. He cannot say, "I am perfect in health." That is not possible. Similarly, if we are defective in so many ways, and if I want to become teacher or preacher to give you the truth, then how can I give? This is not possible. So we cannot hear from anyone who is defective. That is not pure knowledge, that is not perfect knowledge. If we hear from some defective, who theorize, "I think," "In my opinion," "Maybe," "Perhaps..." These are nonsense speaking. So almost everyone, the so-called scientists, philosophers, they simply theorize, "I think." Who are you, you are thinking like that? You are imperfect.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:

Of course, he was a kṣatriya, his duty was to fight, and Kṛṣṇa wanted him to fight, but he was hesitating because the other party with whom he had to fight, they happened to be his family members, most dear kith and kin, some of them nephews, some of them gurus, teacher, grandfather. So all of them—it was a family fight—so Arjuna was not willing to fight, but Kṛṣṇa wanted to fight. And after learning from Him the essence of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), he agreed to fight. That is bhakti. Even by fighting, you can become a devotee. We have to carry out the order of Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

Swedish man (6): Do you have any sort of teachers in your centers, and how do they get their education if you have any teachers?

Prabhupāda: Yes, we have got our books. You can see in our books, every word, Sanskrit word, is given, the equivalent English. We give the roman transliteration, explanation, so there is no difficulty. Just like here is one of my students. He has learned Sanskrit now. He can read, he can write, he can edit. So it is a question of learning. There is no difficulty.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

Then next item is cheating. Cheating means with imperfect knowledge one takes the place of a teacher. And the last deficiency is that our senses are imperfect. It is not independent. Still, we are very much proud of our senses. For example, atheist class of men, they say that "Can you show me God?" He does not think whether he has got any power to see. So far our eyes are concerned, we can see so long when the conditions are fulfilled. Just like we are speaking. As soon as the light will be off, we cannot see one another. So what is the value of these eyes? You simply see under certain conditions. You simply smell under certain conditions. You can hear under certain condition. So therefore your materialistic life is conditional life.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, April 1, 1971:

If you simply hear about Kṛṣṇa. Just like we are speaking about Kṛṣṇa from this Bhagavad-gītā. So if you try to understand Kṛṣṇa as directed by Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will also cooperate with you. Just like a teacher, when he sees that a student is very intelligent, he is following the direction, the teacher is more interest, takes more interest in that student. That is natural. If the teacher says, "My dear child, my dear boy, you write in this way," and if he tries, then the teacher takes more interest. Similarly, as soon as you will try to understand Kṛṣṇa according to the direction given by Him, Kṛṣṇa is within you, He will help you more and more. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam (BG 10.10). Kṛṣṇa says, "I give him special intelligence to understand."

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

There is no loss, but the gain is very great. So why should you lose this opportunity? Let us make an experiment, chanting, Hare Kṛṣṇa. And those who are making, those who are chanting, they are being convinced, they are being advanced. They are realizing. Otherwise... They are not wasting time. Here is a boy, he is postgraduate. He is teacher. So he's not a fool. So why he's sticking unless he's feeling that "Yes, I am advancing"?

So anyone who will take to it, he will understand, yes, he is advancing. It may take little more time or quickly; that doesn't matter. But he will feel it. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. Just like you are suffering, you are hungry. If actually nutritious foodstuff is given to you, when you eat, you understand, "Yes, I am getting strength. My hunger is being satisfied." This is also like that. If you take to chanting, you will feel, "Yes, I am getting strength. My misgivings are being moved." In this way you go on, go on, go on.

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

At least I can remember. Everyone can remember. So stop this problem. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). And what is the difficulty? You do your own work and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. We don't say that you stop your business, stop your occupation. You remain. Just like he is teacher. All right, he is teacher. He is jeweler. Remain jeweler. He's something, he's something. That doesn't matter. But be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Think of Kṛṣṇa. Take kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Everything is there. And be happy. That is our propaganda. You learn yourself, and preach this cult. People will be happy. Simple method.

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

He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Apart from that, He's born in high brāhmaṇa family." Such a learned scholar Nimāi Pandit He was, and so nice person, a sannyāsī, the topmost order in our Vedic society. "Sannyāsī, brāhmaṇa, scholar and everything complete, and He's questioning; I am answering. Oh, this is very awkward position. I have become teacher and He has become student. How it is possible?" So he was hesitating. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him, "No, no. Don't hesitate, because it doesn't matter that you are a gṛhastha, you are not even a brāhmaṇa." Rāmānanda Raya belonged to the Karana society in Orissa. They are supposed to be śūdra. But still he was a very big man. He was governor of Orissa, uh... governor of Benares and very rich man. And very learned scholar, especially in this Vaiṣṇava philosophy. So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the royal scholar in Mahārāja Pratāparudra's assembly house.

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

"Sir, if You can meet Rāmānanda Raya, You'll be very much pleased. He's a great, advanced student in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu met him on the bank of Godāvarī River. And the talk was going on, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu took the position of the student, and he was offered, Rāmānanda Raya was offered the position of the teacher, although he was gṛhastha, governor, and according to our social custom, karaṇa, śūdra. So he was hesitant.

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

So aśraddadhānāḥ, those who are faithless. So those who are faithless... Faithless means, anyone can understand, those who do not believe in the words of God. They are faithless. Just like a child. By nature, he has to believe his parents, his superiors, his teacher, but if he does not believe in the words of the superior, then where is the possibility of education? There is no possibility. This is the first qualification. If you go to a teacher to learn ABCD the teacher says, "My dear child, you begin from the left side, in this way." Then, if the student says, "Why shall I begin in this way? I shall begin this way," then he's faithless.

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

I shall begin this way," then he's faithless. He cannot make any progress. It is not possible. The first qualification is śraddadhānāḥ, faithful. If you go to a teacher you must be faithful; otherwise there is no need of going to a teacher. If you cannot believe in the words of somebody whom you are going to appoint as your teacher, if you have no faith in his words, then what is the use of going to such teacher? There is no use. Don't waste your time and don't waste his time. Therefore those who are going to learn to become a disciple or teacher, he must believe in the words of teacher. Or if you are doubtful, you should not go to such teacher.

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

Or if you are doubtful, you should not go to such teacher. This is first qualification. If you do not believe somebody, then you find out someone else upon whom you can put your faith. "Yes, here is the right man who can teach me." Otherwise there is no use of going to a teacher. This is the Vedic principle.

The Vedic principle is... People are... Everyone is in ignorance because the evolution is coming from the lower species of life, and in Western countries the Darwin's theory of evolution is very prominent, and they believe that man is coming from monkey. Of course, the Vedic śāstra also says the birth of human being are from three sources: one from the cow, the other from the lion, and the other from the monkey. The "monkey" word is there. Those who are coming in the sattva-guṇa, modes of goodness, their last birth is as cow.

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

He recommended, "My dear friends..." Prahlāda Mahārāja was five years old boy and he was preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness in his classroom. When the teachers are out he would preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When friends would request, "My dear Prahlāda, just play. This is tiffin hour," so he said, "No, no, no, no. My dear friends," kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha. "Immediately. We are now young boys. This is the time to learn." Kaumāra. Kaumāra means between five to ten years. This is the time. Dharmān bhāgavatān iha. Why? Now durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma: "Don't think that your life is guaranteed. We can die at any moment. Better understand the science of God in this early age." This is Prahlāda Mahārāja's recommendation.

Lecture on BG 9.15-18 -- New York, December 2, 1966:

One who worships Kṛṣṇa directly, he's very intelligent. Why he's very intelligent? He does not take so much round about way. He goes directly. If it is a fact that one has to come to this point for perfection of knowledge, why not take it immediately? I may not understand anything. I accept it. Let me accept it blindly. Some scientist, and some layman... And the teacher says, "This is fire." Oh, scientist says, "Oh, I'll see the characteristics of fire. I must see. Then I shall accept." All right, you can see. And somebody says, "All right, you are teacher. You are saying it is fire. All right, I accept it." But the scientist who, after studying the characteristics fire may come to the fire, he'll also feel the warmth of the fire, the heat of the fire, the light of the fire. He'll also understand. And this man, blindly or by devotion, by love, accepts... The result is the same, because fire is fire. Either you blindly touch it or your scientifically touch it, fire will act.

Lecture on BG 9.34 -- New York, December 26, 1966, 'Who is Crazy?':

Everyone is being pulled by the ear, just like a teacher takes to pull the ear of a student, and does like this... Similarly, we, every one of us under the complete clutches of the material nature, and we are being put, sometimes this body, sometimes that body. Now, fortunately, you have got human form of body. Oh, but, don't you see there are so many bodies? So many bodies. There are eight million, four hundred thousands of bodies, and, by the laws of nature, by the tricks of nature, you can be put into any kind of body according to your work. So you are completely under the grip of nature. This time, fortunately or unfortunately, I have got this human form of life, but next time I may get the body of a dog or the body of a god. That will depend on my work. But the laws of nature is working. The laws of nature, or the material nature, is forcing me that you accept it.

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 27, 1966:

Any beautiful flower, any beautiful picture, anything beautiful, that attracts. Beauty.

Form and knowledge. If one is learned, he's known as very possessing much knowledge. Just like great scientists, philosophers, or religionist, or teacher, they also attract.

And renunciation. That is also another attraction. If a man is in the renounced order of life. Renunciation means one has got all these things, richness, fame, beauty, knowledge, but he renounces everything for some higher purpose. Just like, in our country, for national movement, so many rich men, they renounced everything.

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 30, 1966:

"So long we are talking as friends, but now I surrender myself as my spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa." So therefore Kṛṣṇa was speaking to Arjuna on the platform of spiritual master. So we should note it that the spiritual, perfect spiritual master is Kṛṣṇa. And anyone who is following the principles, as Kṛṣṇa says, he's also representative of Kṛṣṇa. And the teacher is Kṛṣṇa and the Arjuna is the student. Similarly, as the spiritual master is the representative of Kṛṣṇa, similarly a student must be also the representative of Arjuna. Then Bhagavad-gītā discussion will be nice.

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 30, 1966:

Not that I don't like this. So I'll reject this portion. I like this portion, therefore I accept it. This sort of studying Bhagavad-gītā is useless, nonsense. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye (BG 10.14). "Whatever You have said, I accept it." That is stated.

Similarly, a teacher of Bhagavad-gītā should be a representative of Kṛṣṇa. Representative of Kṛṣṇa means a confidential devotee, unalloyed devotee of Kṛṣṇa. The same thing. He also accepted Kṛṣṇa as his... The student also should be like that. Then the study of Bhagavad-gītā is perfect. Otherwise, it is useless waste of time.

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975:

Ordinary human being, they are subjected to four deficiencies. We are ordinary human being; we commit mistake. That's a fact, every one of us. We are illusioned. Our senses are imperfect, and with all this paraphernalia, when we want to teach, that is not teaching; that is cheating. Because I am imperfect, how can I be teacher? That is not possible. Therefore we have to learn from a person who has no defects in his life or a liberated person. Liberated person means he does not commit mistake, he is not illusioned, he does not cheat and his senses are not imperfect. This is the four signs of liberated person.

Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

You see. Either a flower or anything, nature's product, it is perfectly done. In this way you have to develop your God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There are books. There are explanations. There are teachers. So the human life is meant for this purpose, to understand how God is working, what is God, even what is His name, where does He live, what is our relationship with Him, how things are being managed. These are...

Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra says that "This life is simply meant for inquiring about the Supreme." That's all. The animal cannot do it. So simply if I waste our time just like the animals... The animals' life is simply busy for four things: eating, sleeping, mating, and defense. That's all. They do not know anything more than that.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Hyderabad, April 19, 1974:

This was the question in this chapter, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I want to know what is the prakṛti, what is puruṣa, what is kṣetra, what is kṣetra-jña, what is jñāna?" These are the items inquired by Arjuna.

Arjuna is disciple, and Kṛṣṇa is the teacher. The disciple submissively inquired from the teacher about knowledge. That is the Vedic injunction. You cannot have knowledge, I cannot have knowledge, without teacher. By speculative advancement, one cannot come to the real platform of knowledge. At the present moment, so many philosophers, scientists, they are trying to advance in knowledge by speculation. "I think," "In my opinion," "Perhaps," like this. These things are going on. Big, big philosophers, scientists, they give their opinion. "I think like this." Everybody is thinking, "I think..." And it is being supported. Knowledge means anyone can think in any way, and at the present moment that is being accepted as knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Hyderabad, April 19, 1974:

So therefore the Vedic injunction is tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Abhigacchet, "must." Gacchet. This form of verb, vidhilin, is used when there is the meaning "must. Abhigacchet. So it is not optional that "I may go or I may not go." No. You must go. That is Vedic injunction. So here is the perfect teacher, Kṛṣṇa, real jagad-guru. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it appears in due course of time. There is a time when Kṛṣṇa appears. Everything is there in the calculation of the śāstras.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Hyderabad, April 20, 1974:

So Arjuna was bewildered whether he would fight in the battle or not. So the question was not solved by friendly discussion. Therefore Arjuna surrendered to Kṛṣṇa as a śiṣya, as disciple, not as friend.

So as spiritual master, as teacher, immediately Kṛṣṇa chastised Arjuna, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on a subject matter on which no paṇḍita, learned man, laments." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. He very mildly chastised. Indirectly He said that "You are not paṇḍita; you are a fool, those who are learned, they do not consider this body as very important." They are paṇḍita.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." So we get knowledge from superior authority. That is the process of acquiring knowledge.

We go to school, colleges, teachers. So why? To receive knowledge. So teacher or school, college, they are in higher authority. Similarly, you go on, higher authorities, higher authorities, higher authorities. You reach to Brahmā because he is the original creature and he described the Vedic knowledge. So he is also not higher authority. He also received knowledge from God. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. Ādi-kavaye, the original person.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, September 30, 1973:

And if you do not accept the sampradāya..., sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ.

If you do not take your initiation mantra from the sampradāya, then it is useless. Now, there are so many apasampradāya. They do not come in disciplic succession, but becomes guru, teacher. Therefore everything is topsy-turvied. Nobody has got fixed idea what is God. Everyone has created his own philosophy. The whole thing is now confused.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973:

If you are actually interested, śreya uttamam, the highest perfection of life—tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta—then you have to accept a guru. This is called ācāryopāsanam.

Even Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He accepted Sāndīpani Muni as teacher, master. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is also incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, but He accepted Īśvara Purī as His guru. They do not require guru, but just to keep pace with the official program, even God personally, He accepted spiritual master. So this is essential. Ācāryopāsanam.

To become humble, meek, ahiṁsā, non-violence, śānti, tolerance. In this way you have to make progress. The other items will be described by and by. We have to... Yes. Tomorrow we shall describe. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 17.1-3 -- Honolulu, July 4, 1974:

So arjuna uvāca means Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is teacher, and Arjuna is student. So this is the process of spiritual advancement. As it is indicated in the Vedas, tad-vijñānārtham. Tad-vijñānārtham means "To understand that transcendental science," gurum eva abhigacchet "one must take shelter of guru." It cannot be manufactured. Those who manufacture the method of understanding transcendental science, they are not bona fide. So we have already discussed many times that śāstra-vidhi. Guru means one who teaches the regulative principle from śāstra, from authorized scripture. That is guru. Guru cannot be anyone.

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

"Then go and preach all over the world." Paropakāra. Because the whole world is in darkness. They are too much materially congested. Their brain... Big, big professors, they say, "After death, there is no life." And they are going as teachers and professors. So especially in the western world, they are so much engrossed. So our request is, those who are actually intelligent: "Take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement seriously, especially Indians, and try to preach all over the world." They are also hankering after it. And Kṛṣṇa says that simply by trying to preach the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then he become a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktiṁ mayi parām. Parā-bhakti.