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VS 1.1.12 ananda-mayo bhyasat... cited

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Preface and Introduction

BG Introduction:

In the Bhagavad-gītā, worship of different demigods or rendering service to them is not approved. It is stated in the Seventh Chapter, twentieth verse:

kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ
prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ
taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya
prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā

"Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures." Here it is plainly said that those who are directed by lust worship the demigods and not the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. When we mention the name Kṛṣṇa, we do not refer to any sectarian name. Kṛṣṇa means the highest pleasure, and it is confirmed that the Supreme Lord is the reservoir or storehouse of all pleasure. We are all hankering after pleasure. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The living entities, like the Lord, are full of consciousness, and they are after happiness. The Lord is perpetually happy, and if the living entities associate with the Lord, cooperate with Him and take part in His association, then they also become happy.

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 6.20-23, Purport:

After nirvāṇa, or material cessation, there is the manifestation of spiritual activities, or devotional service to the Lord, known as Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the words of the Bhāgavatam, svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ: this is the "real life of the living entity." Māyā, or illusion, is the condition of spiritual life contaminated by material infection. Liberation from this material infection does not mean destruction of the original eternal position of the living entity. Patañjali also accepts this by his words kaivalyaṁ svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā vā citi-śaktir iti. This citi-śakti, or transcendental pleasure, is real life. This is confirmed in the Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.12) as ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. This natural transcendental pleasure is the ultimate goal of yoga and is easily achieved by execution of devotional service, or bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga will be vividly described in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā.

BG Chapters 13 - 18

BG 13.5, Purport:

In jñāna-maya, realization extends beyond the living symptoms to the point of thinking, feeling and willing. Then there is Brahman realization, called vijñāna-maya, in which the living entity's mind and life symptoms are distinguished from the living entity himself. The next and supreme stage is ānanda-maya, realization of the all-blissful nature. Thus there are five stages of Brahman realization, which are called brahma puccham. Out of these, the first three—anna-maya, prāṇa-maya and jñāna-maya—involve the fields of activities of the living entities. Transcendental to all these fields of activities is the Supreme Lord, who is called ānanda-maya. The Vedānta-sūtra also describes the Supreme by saying, ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is by nature full of joy. To enjoy His transcendental bliss, He expands into vijñāna-maya, prāṇa-maya, jñāna-maya and anna-maya. In the field of activities the living entity is considered to be the enjoyer, and different from him is the ānanda-maya. That means that if the living entity decides to enjoy in dovetailing himself with the ānanda-maya, then he becomes perfect. This is the real picture of the Supreme Lord as the supreme knower of the field, the living entity as the subordinate knower, and the nature of the field of activities. One has to search for this truth in the Vedānta-sūtra, or Brahma-sūtra.

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 2

SB 2.6.18, Purport:

The changing effects of eternal time are conspicuously absent in the immortal kingdom of God, which should therefore be understood to have no influence of time and therefore no fear whatsoever. In the material world, so-called happiness is the result of one's own work. One can become a rich man by dint of one's own hard labor, and there are always fear and doubts as to the duration of such acquired happiness. But in the kingdom of God, no one has to endeavor to attain a standard of happiness. Happiness is the nature of the spirit, as stated in the Vedānta-sūtras: ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt—the spirit is by nature full of happiness. Happiness in spiritual nature always increases in volume with a new phase of appreciation; there is no question of decreasing the bliss. Such unalloyed spiritual bliss is nowhere to be found within the orbit of the material universe, including the Janaloka planets, or, for that matter, the Maharloka or Satyaloka planets, because even Lord Brahmā is subject to the laws of fruitive actions and the law of birth and death.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.28.36, Purport:

Upalabdha means "realization." Realization necessarily indicates individuality. In the perfectional, liberated stage, there is actual realization. Nivṛttyā means that the living entity keeps his individuality; oneness means that he realizes happiness in the happiness of the Supreme Lord. In the Supreme Lord there is nothing but happiness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: the Lord is by nature full of transcendental happiness. In the liberated stage, oneness with the Supreme Lord means that one has no realization other than happiness. But the individual still exists, otherwise this word upalabdha, indicating individual realization of transcendental happiness, would not have been used.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.25.12, Purport:

Material sense gratification, with society, friendship and love, is herein compared to a drop of water falling on a desert. A desert requires oceans of water to satisfy it, and if only a drop of water is supplied, what is its use? Similarly, the living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, as stated in the Vedānta-sūtra, is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt, full of enjoyment. Being part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the living entity is also seeking complete enjoyment. However, complete enjoyment cannot be achieved separate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In his wanderings in the different species of life, the living entity may taste some type of enjoyment in one body or another, but full enjoyment of the senses cannot be obtained in any material body.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.24.48, Purport:

The word varṇam refers to the luster of one's original identity. The original luster of gold or silver is brilliant. Similarly, the original luster of the living being, who is part of the sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), is the luster of ānanda, or pleasure. Ānandamayo bhyāsāt. Every living entity has the right to become ānandamaya, joyful, because he is part of the sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, Kṛṣṇa. Why should the living being be put into tribulation because of dirty contamination by the material modes of nature? The living entity should become purified and regain his svarūpa, his original identity. This he can do only by devotional service. Therefore, one should adopt the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described here as guror guruḥ, the spiritual master of all other spiritual masters.

SB Canto 9

SB 9.24.58, Purport:

All the living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are as good as the Lord qualitatively, but quantitatively there is a great difference between them, for the Lord is unlimited whereas the living entities are limited. Thus the Lord possesses unlimited potency for pleasure, and the living entities have a limited pleasure potency. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Both the Lord and the living entity, being qualitatively spirit soul, have the tendency for peaceful enjoyment, but when the part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead unfortunately wants to enjoy independently, without Kṛṣṇa, he is put into the material world, where he begins his life as Brahmā and is gradually degraded to the status of an ant or a worm in stool. This is called manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. There is a great struggle for existence because the living entity conditioned by material nature is under nature's full control (prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27)). Because of his limited knowledge, however, the living entity thinks he is enjoying in this material world. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. He is actually under the full control of material nature, but still he thinks himself independent (ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate). Even when he is elevated by speculative knowledge and tries to merge into the existence of Brahman, the same disease continues.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 7.116, Purport:

If the Personality of Godhead did not possess both limited and unlimited energies, He could not be called omnipotent. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān: "The Lord is smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest." He is smaller than the smallest in the form of the living entities and greater than the greatest in His form of Kṛṣṇa. If there were no one to control, there would be no meaning to the conception of the supreme controller (īśvara), just as there is no meaning to a king without his subjects. If all the subjects became king, there would be no distinction between the king and an ordinary citizen. Thus for the Lord to be the supreme controller there must be a creation to control. The basic principle for the existence of the living entities is called cid-vilāsa, or spiritual pleasure. The omnipotent Lord displays His pleasure potency as the living entities. The Lord is described in the Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.12) as ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt. He is by nature the reservoir of all pleasures, and because He wants to enjoy pleasure, there must be energies to give Him pleasure or supply Him the impetus for pleasure. This is the perfect philosophical understanding of the Absolute Truth.

CC Adi 7.121, Purport:

Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has tried to mislead the readers of the Vedānta-sūtra by misinterpreting the words ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt, and he has even tried to find fault with Vyāsadeva. All the aphorisms of the Vedānta-sūtra need not be examined here, however, since we intend to present the Vedānta-sūtra in a separate volume.

CC Adi 7.127, Purport:

The falsity of Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya's explanation of vivarta-vāda and pariṇāma-vāda has been detected by the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, especially Jīva Gosvāmī, whose opinion is that actually Śaṅkara did not understand the Vedānta-sūtra. In Śaṅkara's explanation of one sūtra, ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt, he has interpreted the affix mayaṭ with such word jugglery that this very explanation proves that he had little knowledge of the Vedānta-sūtra but simply wanted to support his impersonalism through the aphorisms of the Vedānta philosophy.

CC Adi 14.29, Purport:

Life is meant for varieties of enjoyment. The living entity is by nature full of an enjoying spirit, as stated in the Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.12): ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt. In devotional service the activities are variegated and full of enjoyment. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.2), all devotional activities are easy to perform (su-sukhaṁ kartum) and are eternal and spiritual (avyayam). Since Māyāvādī philosophers cannot understand this, they take it for granted that a devotee's activities (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, etc. (SB 7.5.23)) are all material and are therefore māyā. They also consider Kṛṣṇa's advent in this universe and His activities to be māyā. Therefore, because they consider everything māyā, they are known as Māyāvādīs.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 87:

If by the evolutionary process of philosophical life one happens to reach the platform of intellectual life and understands that he is not this material body but a spiritual soul, he is situated in the vijñāna-maya stage. Then, by evolution in spiritual life, he comes to the understanding of the Supreme Lord, or the Supreme Soul. When one develops his relationship with Him and executes devotional service, that stage of life is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the ānanda-maya stage. Ānanda-maya is the blissful life of knowledge and eternity. As it is said in the Vedānta-sūtra, ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt. The Supreme Brahman and the subordinate Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities, are both joyful by nature. As long as the living entities are situated in the lower four stages of life— anna-maya, prāṇa-maya, mano-maya and vijñāna-maya—they are considered to be in the material condition of life, but as soon as one reaches the stage of ānanda-maya, he is a liberated soul. This ānanda-maya stage is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā as the brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20) stage.

Sri Isopanisad

Sri Isopanisad 7, Purport:

The spiritual entities are meant for enjoyment, as stated in the Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.12): ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. By nature and constitution, every living being—including the Supreme Lord and each of His parts and parcels—is meant for eternal enjoyment. The living beings who are encaged in the material tabernacle are constantly seeking enjoyment, but they are seeking it on the wrong platform.

Sri Isopanisad 15, Purport:

The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is always filled with transcendental bliss (ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt). When He was present at Vṛndāvana in India five thousand years ago, He always remained in transcendental bliss, even from the beginning of His childhood pastimes. The killings of various demons—such as Agha, Baka, Pūtanā and Pralamba—were but pleasure excursions for Him. In His village of Vṛndāvana He enjoyed Himself with His mother, brother and friends, and when He played the role of a naughty butter thief, all His associates enjoyed celestial bliss by His stealing. The Lord's fame as a butter thief is not reproachable, for by stealing butter the Lord gave pleasure to His pure devotees. Everything the Lord did in Vṛndāvana was for the pleasure of His associates there. The Lord created these pastimes to attract the dry speculators and the acrobats of the so-called haṭha-yoga system who wish to find the Absolute Truth.

Narada-bhakti-sutra (sutras 1 to 8 only)

Narada Bhakti Sutra 6, Purport:

In the stage of perfection, one's heart becomes slackened and one becomes more and more attached to attaining the lotus feet of the Lord. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, a great ācārya in the line of devotional service, has described this stage as follows: "Although appearing just like a madman, a person in the ecstasy of devotional service is not mad in the material conception of the term; this ecstasy is the manifestation of the pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord." The Lord has various potencies, one of which is called āhlādinī-śakti, His internal pleasure potency. Only one who becomes a little conversant with this potency can taste such ecstasy. The Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.12) states, ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt: "By nature the Lord is always joyful." This joyfulness of the Lord is due to His pleasure potency.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

We are all hankering after pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The living entities or the Lord, because we are full of consciousness, therefore our consciousness is after happiness. Happiness. The Lord is also perpetually happy, and if we associate with the Lord, cooperate with Him, take part in His association, then also we become happy. The Lord descends on this mortal world to show His pastimes in Vṛndāvana full of happiness. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was in Vṛndāvana, His activities with His cowherd boys friends, with His damsels, with His friends, damsel friends, and with the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana and His occupation of cowherding in His childhood, and all these pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa were full of happiness.

Lecture on BG 1.23 -- London, July 19, 1973:

Tattvataḥ means in truth. The tattvataḥ cannot understand. Even siddhas, those who are perfect...

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
(BG 7.3)

Nobody can understand, even if he is siddha, perfect. Perfect means not spiritually perfect, means materially perfect. Or even spiritually, partially perfect. Brahma-jñānī, they are partially perfect. Paramātmā-jñānī, yogis, they are also partially perfect. Not completely perfect. Completely perfect is the devotees. Only devotees, they are completely perfect. Others, the jñānīs and yogis and karmīs... Karmīs are, they are rascals. Jñānīs, they are partially perfect because they can understand the eternity portion of the Supreme Lord, brahma-jñāna. That is eternity portion. And Paramātmā-jñāna is the cid-aṁśa, knowledge or personally seeing God as the four-handed Viṣṇu. So that is also imperfect knowledge. That when He comes to know Bhagavān, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), then there is perfect knowledge. Ānanda. Because when one comes to the understanding of personal God, there is ānanda. In other features, there is no ānanda. There is eternity, there is knowledge, but there is no ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is the Vedānta-sūtra. One is by nature ānandamaya. We are searching after ānanda, bliss, but we do not know where to get bliss. We are trying to get bliss in this material world by eating meat, eating wine, drinking wine, by sex. They are trying to get ānanda. That is not ānanda. Ānanda is what is satyānanda. These ānandas, these pleasures—flickering, for few minutes, for few hours. That is not ānanda. Ānanda means satyānanda, real ānanda, real ānanda. What is that real ānanda? Brahma-sukha. That ānanda is in exchange with the Supreme Brahman. Brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). That is anantam, unlimited ānanda. Therefore ramante yoginaḥ anante (CC Madhya 9.29). Therefore those who are actually yogis, bhakti-yogīs... There are different types of yoga. So they ramante, they enjoy, ramante yoginaḥ anante, along with the ananta, unlimited.

Lecture on BG 1.23 -- London, July 19, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. When you join with Kṛṣṇa in His rāsa dance as gopīs, or as cowherds boy, play with Him, or become His father and mother, Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja, Yaśodā-rāṇī, or become servant, or even become like water Yamunā, or land in Vṛndāvana and trees or fruits or flowers, any way, or cows and calves... Join with Kṛṣṇa. Then you get ānanda, real ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). That is the description in all Bhāgavatam, how the Kṛṣṇa's associates are enjoying life. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11). Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, "These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, oh, they are not ordinary boys." Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ: "They have amassed the effects of pious activities for millions and trillions of births. Now they have come to play with Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

So that is a question, one must like to put, that "Why God became many?" So that is, that answer is that because God is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1)—He's all-pleasure—therefore, without many, there is no pleasure. Just like here I sit down the whole day alone, but I become more active and more pleasing when you come. Whenever we want to enjoy some pleasure, pleasure is not enjoyed alone. Pleasure is enjoyed with many. Now God is by nature... He's ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He's always full of pleasure, full of blissfulness. Now, if He wants to become many, it is... He's omnipotent. He can become many. Where is the objection there? He can... He can manifest Himself in various... Just now we have quoted a verse from Brahma-saṁhitā, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33).

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

Even after great austerities and penance, one may rise, paraṁ padam, in the, merging into the Brahman effulgence. Still, from there, he falls down. He falls down. Because Brahman, the spirit soul, is ānandamaya. As Kṛṣṇa, or the Absolute, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So simply by merging into the Brahman existence, one cannot become ānandamaya. Just like you are going very high in the sky. So to remain in the sky, it is not very ānandamaya. If you can get shelter in some planet, then it is ānandamaya. Otherwise, you have to come back again on this planet.

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

Adhaḥ means in this material world. That I have explained many times. There are so many big, big sannyāsīs. They give up this material world as mithyā, jagan mithyā, and take sannyāsa, and then again, after a few days, they come to social service, politics. Because they could not realize what is Brahman. They, for ānanda, they have to take part in these material activities. Because ānanda... We want ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). So if there is no spiritual ānanda, there must be, they must come to the inferior quality. This material world is inferior quality. Aparā. If we cannot get spiritual ānanda, or superior pleasure, then we have to take this material pleasure. Because we want pleasure. Everyone searching after pleasure.

Lecture on BG 2.26-27 -- London, August 29, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa says janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We keep always in view that in this material existence there are four kinds of miserable condition, primarily. To stop this. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Everyone's aim is duḥkha-nivṛtti. It may be presented in a different way. So the Buddha philosophy is also duḥkha-nivṛtti, stop pains.

Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), we are, by nature, we want blissfulness. But we do not know how to become actually happy and blissful. That is ignorance. In the material world, they also want to enjoy, everyone. They are thinking that this wine, woman, meat-eating, gambling, intoxication, these things will give me pleasure.

Lecture on BG 2.62-72 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "...he was similarly allured by the incarnation of Māyādevī, but Haridāsa easily passed the test because of his unalloyed devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. A sincere devotee of the Lord learns to hate all material sense enjoyment due to his higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success."

Prabhupāda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Param, if you get better thing, you give up inferior quality thing. That is our nature. Just like our students, American students, they were all accustomed to meat-eating. But now another student, she is preparing the sweetballs, ISKCON balls, and they are forgetting meat-eating. They do not like any more meat-eating. They have got better engagement, sweetballs. (laughter) Similarly, that is the way. When you get better engagement... We are hankering after pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Every living entity is seeking after pleasure. That is his nature. You cannot stop.

Lecture on BG 3.11-19 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "By the purification of existence, the finer tissues in the memory become sanctified, and, memory being sanctified, one can think of the path of liberation."

Prabhupāda: Just like in our contaminated state we become diseased. What is disease? As soon as you contaminate or infected by some impure thing you become diseased. Similarly, our this disease, material disease, birth, death, old age, they are some kind of disease. Otherwise, I am spirit soul, I am pure, as pure as God because I am part and parcel of God. Due to my impurities of this material body I am suffering. So if you purify your existence then you get the quality in complete pureness of God. You become happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), you become jolly. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as you purify yourself and become identified with the existence of God, immediately you become joyful, no anxiety. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). So you have to purify your existence. If you keep your body impurified, then how you can relish the purified consciousness? So you have to do it. Go on.

Lecture on BG 3.11-19 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Seventeen: "One who is, however, taking pleasure in the self, who is illumined in the self, who rejoices in and is satisfied with the self only, fully satiated, for him there is no duty (BG 3.17)."

Prabhupāda: Here it is plainly said by Lord Kṛṣṇa, "the self, one who is taking pleasure in self." How we can take pleasure in self? As soon as we engage ourself with the Supreme Self. That is enjoyment. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Supreme Lord is joyful. Just like if you mix with a joyful society or joyful person, then automatically you become joyful. There is no necessity of becoming joyful separately. That association will make you joyful. If you mix with a society criminal, automatically you become criminal. There is no necessity of learning criminality separately. By association, you'll do that.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

What is the purpose of father's expanding himself into children? A father takes the responsibility of maintaining the children. Why? Why he takes such, I mean, a grave responsibility, a family man. That "why" is answered—just to have happy and enjoyable life. That's all.

Similarly, God has expanded into so many living entities because He wants enjoyment. He wants enjoyment. Because you will find in the Vedic literature that the nature of God is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12)"By nature He is enjoying." So we must understand that God has expanded Himself into so many living entities just for His enjoyment. Now, we are meant for... Just like sons, children are meant for satisfying the father, similarly this is a common sense affair, that we living entities, we are meant for satisfying the Supreme. That satisfaction of the Supreme can be done by performance of yajña. That is the beginning.

Lecture on BG 4.1-2 -- Columbus, May 9, 1969:

The father is responsible, the king is responsible, the teacher is responsible, the husband is responsible for development of spiritual life of their dependent. Bhāgavata says that "If you cannot develop the spiritual life of your dependent, then don't become a spiritual master, don't become a teacher, don't become a father, don't become a husband." These things are restricted. So it is very nice culture, this Vedic culture. Try to understand.

And Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of such Vedic knowledge. And it is being spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, Kṛṣṇa. Try to understand it as it is; then your life will be sublime. You will feel joyful always. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Abhyāsāt: "By nature we are joyful." But what is that nature? That spiritual nature, not this material nature. Material... Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). If we remain in the material nature, then our whole struggle for existence will continue. It will never stop. But if you take to the spiritual nature, Brahman nature, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), you immediately become joyful.

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

Sac-cid-ānanda. Sat means eternal, eternity. Oṁ tat sat. So sat, cit. Cit means full of knowledge. Full of knowledge here, tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi. This is called cit. He knows everything, past, present and future. Sat, cit, and ānanda. You see Kṛṣṇa's form here, ānanda. He's enjoying. This is real Kṛṣṇa's form. He is always enjoying. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said. He's ānandamaya. Kṛṣṇa, real form...

The Kṛṣṇa's form in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, that is not Kṛṣṇa's real form. That is Kṛṣṇa's Vāsudeva form. Kṛṣṇa expands Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, in that say. So this is a great science, Kṛṣṇa science. If you are interested, there are books you can study and you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma (ca) me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). So everyone should try to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth. But people do not try to understand.

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

So ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. The Vedic version says, Vedānta, that "A spirit soul is by nature joyful." Therefore—we are spirit soul—we are hankering after joy, where there is dance, where there is cinema, where there is nice food, where there is nice song, nice picture, nice beautiful woman or man. Everyone is searching after joy. Therefore the Supreme must be joyful. But I am conditioned. Therefore my joy is being checked up. But He is not conditioned. His joy is unlimited. He is everlastingly in enjoyment in Vṛndāvana, dancing with gopī.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:

Rādhārāṇī, uh, Mother Yaśodā, keeping Kṛṣṇa underneath the cart, and Kṛṣṇa is breaking the cart, killing the Śakaṭāsura. And Mother Yaśodā thinking Kṛṣṇa is saved. Then when the cart was broken, the utensils scattered, and she became anxious. This is Kṛṣṇa's enjoyment, to deal with His devotee in different rasas and enjoy. Sākhya... Śānta dāsya sākhya mādhurya vātsalya. In this way Kṛṣṇa is always enjoying. He has no other business than enjoyment. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He's by nature simply enjoying. Enjoying. That is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:

Zero is śūnyavādi, voidism. No, you cannot remain in zero. That is not possible. If you accept this void philosophy, to make everything zero, that is artificial. Then again you'll fall down. Because you cannot remain in zero. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they want to... Or the Buddhist philosophers, they want to make things zero. That is not possible. You cannot remain in zero. Because you are ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). You want ānanda, pleasure. Pleasure cannot be in zero. That is not possible. Is it possible? To make things zero and you'll enjoy? No, that is not possible.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Bombay, March 31, 1974:

Everyone is seeking to find out Kṛṣṇa. Directly or indirectly. Kṛṣṇa means the all-attractive. All-attractive. Bhagavān means the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. So indirectly or directly, everyone is seeking Kṛṣṇa, the all-attractive. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. The Supreme Bliss.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Geneva, June 1, 1974:

It is said, mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ: "All human being is searching after Me." As we have explained yesterday, Kṛṣṇa means sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), the transcendental form of eternity, knowledge and blissfulness. In the Vedānta-sūtra, the summarized philosophy of Vedic knowledge, it is said, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: "The spirit soul by nature is jubilant." So the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is supreme living being, and we are also living being, but we are not the Supreme. Try to find out this difference. But both of us, we are of the same quality. That means jubilant. So our present position being materially contacted... Just like a man in his healthy condition, he is happy, but in his diseased condition he is not happy, similarly, we, being part and parcel of the Supreme, we are naturally jubilant, but on account of being contacted in material nature, we are morose.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Geneva, June 1, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa's nature, you will find always Kṛṣṇa, He is enjoying with His flute and His associates, His consort Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs. You will never find Kṛṣṇa in morose condition. He is in jubilation always. And because we are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we have got the propensity to dance with young girls or enjoy the company of the young girls. That propensity is not unnatural. It is natural, jubilation, but because it is in material contact, we cannot enjoy it fully. There are so many inebrieties. Those who have seen our temple, we worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in jubilation. They are, along with the gopīs, playing the flute and many musical instruments, dancing. That is the definition given in the Vedānta-sūtra. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt, means "by nature jubilant." There is no moroseness. There is no unhappiness. That is the kingdom of God.

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

Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). God is ānandamaya, always full of pleasure. You will see Kṛṣṇa's picture. Just see so many pictures—ānandamaya. He is sitting down on a small rock and enjoying the association of the small animals. Just see. They are also coming to Kṛṣṇa. Simply by touching Him, they are feeling blissfulness. And Kṛṣṇa also embracing, "Yes, come on." So this is ānandamaya. Both of them are enjoying. Kṛṣṇa as a child in the lap of Mother Yaśodā—enjoying. Then Kṛṣṇa as a friend of Rādhārāṇī, He's enjoying. So you'll find always Kṛṣṇa enjoying. This is Vṛndāvana.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

Similarly these foolish persons who are thinking that "I shall merge into the brahma-jyotir," they are less intelligent because they cannot exist there. He has got inclination, desires. There is no facility for fulfilling your desires unless you go to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in order to fulfill the desires he'll come again to this material world. Because he wants activities, pleasure. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. The spirit soul and the Supreme Lord is by nature joyful. Whenever there is question of joyfulness there must be varieties. So there is no variety. So without variety he cannot remain therefore very long. He has to come. But because he has no information of the spiritual varieties he is bound to come back to this material variety. That's all. So therefore their intelligence is less. They are not very high class men.

Lecture on BG 4.26 -- Bombay, April 15, 1974:

So our business is to finish this material affair or not to be attracted by the material affairs, but to be attracted by the spiritual affairs. That is required. Not that finishing. It cannot be finished. Therefore in the śāstra (it) says, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "Those who are thinking that 'Now we have brahma-jñāna, knowledge, and we have become one with Brahman, therefore we are now liberated,' vimukta-māninaḥ, that is not liberation." The liberation is not there because tvayy asta-bhāvāt, because the senses are not yet engaged in the service of the Lord." They do not know the Personality of... Tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. They cannot be liberated.

Why not? They have already become liberated? No. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Āruhya. They have undergone severe penances, austerities. That is right. And they have come to the paraṁ padam, brahmapāda, but patanty adhaḥ, because... ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Everyone wants ānanda, and part and parcel of ānanda, Kṛṣṇa, he wants ānanda. So simply realization, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, will not stay, will not stay. Because simply knowing "I am such and such," simply knowing that "I am a millionaire," or simply knowing that "I am a big man," that will not help him. He must also have activities. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. Abhyāsāt means there must be activities. If you stop activities, there will be no ānanda. Then you will again search out where is activities. And because you have no spiritual activities, you will come down to the material activities.

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

People are anxious to see God. Here Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that as soon as one gets knowledge from the right person, then he never comes into the field of delusion. The whole thing is that in the present stage of our life, we are conditioned and deluded. We do not know things as they are. That is the cause of our all miseries.

Otherwise, constitutionally, we are ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. By nature, we are jolly. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. In the Vedānta-sūtra you'll find. The nature of Brahman is ānandamaya. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sat, cit, ānanda. Sat means eternity, cit means full knowledge, and ānanda means pleasure. This is our constitution.

Lecture on BG 6.1 -- Los Angeles, February 13, 1969:

When they see that boys and girls are dancing, the children also dancing. Automatically. This is spontaneous, this is life. And that is our real life in the spiritual world. There is no anxiety. Simply people are dancing and chanting and eating nicely. That's all. There is no factory, there is no labor, there is no technical institution. There is no need. These are all artificial. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta says. The, every living entity, God is ānandamaya, full of bliss and pleasure, and we are part and parcel of God, we are also the same quality. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. So our whole process is to join the supreme ānandamaya, Kṛṣṇa, in His dance party. That will make us actually happy. Here we are trying to be happy by artificial means. And we are becoming frustrated. But if you actually be situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply you revive your original position, joyful, simply joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. These are the Vedānta. Because our nature is ānandamaya.

Lecture on BG 6.1 -- Los Angeles, February 13, 1969:

Pleasure is the ultimate goal. But you do not know where is the pleasure. that is illusion. Real pleasure is in the transcendental form of Kṛṣṇa. You'll find Kṛṣṇa always jolly. There's so many pictures you see. And if we join, you become jolly. There's so many pictures you see. And if we join, you become jolly, that's all. Have you seen any picture Kṛṣṇa is working with machine? (laughter) Huge machine? Or have you seen any picture He is smoking? (laughter) By nature, pleasure, you see? Pleasure. So you have to unfold yourself, unfold yourself in that way and you find pleasure. Simply full of pleasure, that's all. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature simply pleasure. Not by artificial means. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ. In the Brahma-saṁhitā you find.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Fiji, May 24, 1975:

When Kṛṣṇa was present He was not controlled by anyone. He was only controller. If you study the life of Kṛṣṇa, you will find He is always controller, never controlled by anyone. Therefore the śāstra says, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). And about His form? His form is sat-cit-ānanda. How it is? Now, you can distinguish. Your form, this body, is asat; it will not stay. But Kṛṣṇa's form is sat, just the opposite. And your form or my form is full of ignorance, not cit. But Kṛṣṇa's form is full of knowledge, just opposite. And ānanda. My form is so full of miserable condition of life that I have no ānanda, blissfulness. But Kṛṣṇa's form is blissfulness. You will find Kṛṣṇa's picture always smiling and playing on His flute with His cowherd boyfriends or the gopīs or His mother, Yaśodā, always jolly. Ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is, the Vedānta-sūtra says, "The Absolute Truth by nature is ānandamaya, always jolly."

Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:

We have to execute the Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga system under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. Mad-āśrayaḥ. Then asaṁśaya, without any doubt. Samagram, in fullness. In fullness means brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti (SB 1.2.11). Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). Brahman is sad-aṁśa, the part which is eternal, and Paramātmā is cid-aṁśa, and Bhagavān is ānanda-aṁśa. And Bhagavān is full, sac-cid-ānanda. And we are all seeking after ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta says that a living entity, or Kṛṣṇa... Any living entity... Kṛṣṇa is also the supreme living entity, and we are small living entities. So every one of us are seeking after ānanda, transcendental bliss. So when we join together, the living entities and the Supreme Lord, that becomes ānanda, rāsa-līlā. That is wanted. That we are seeking. But we are seeking in a different way, in the material world. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa therefore says, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī also, in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, he says, ādau gurvāśrayam. "If one is interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness, he must approach a spiritual master." Kṛṣṇa also says, mad-āśrayaḥ. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). These are all Vedic injunctions. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12).

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971:

Guest (5): Why is there soul and Supersoul in the body when soul is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Not why. It is always there, soul and Supersoul. There is no question of why. But soul and Supersoul, they are qualitatively one. Just like you have got your body. If you say, "Why there is hand?" so how can I answer? As soon as there is body, there is hand, there is a leg, there is a mouth. That is the creation. The creation is like that. There is soul and Supersoul. Just like you have got the whole body, and there are parts and parcels of the body, the limbs of the body. That is the beauty of the body. If you simply keep a lump of body it is not beautiful. Therefore the body should be nicely constructed, and there must be different parts and parcels of body. There is a design. But if simply there is soul, super, and there is no under soul, then how Kṛṣṇa becomes ānandamaya? About the Absolute Truth in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. "The Absolute Truth is full of bliss." So in order to enjoy bliss there must be Supersoul and under soul. Otherwise it is not blissful. Is it clear? Yes. There must be.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

Actually a living entity is eternal, but the problem is that he is changing body. Just like either I may live at Canada or USA or India, I shall live somewhere, but nobody will allow me to stay. Except in my own country, nobody will allow me to stay for long time. Similarly, this is not your place. This material world is foreign country for you, this material world. We belong to the spiritual world. We belong to the world where life is eternal, where life is blissful, and where there is no ignorance. Just like Kṛṣṇa's body is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā and other Vedic literatures that īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ means His body is made of spiritual eternity, sat, and cit, full of knowledge, and ānanda, and full of bliss. In the Vedānta-sūtra also, it is stated about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth, as ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: "By nature He is full of bliss, the Absolute Truth, Absolute Person." You see the Kṛṣṇa's picture: ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37).

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

It is very nicely stated that tapo divyaṁ yena sattva śuddhyet: (SB 5.5.1) "If you accept this tapasya, or austerity, for God realization, then your existential position will be purified." At the present moment, due to my material conditional life, because I have got this material body, therefore my pleasure... I am hankering after pleasure, but whatever pleasure I am acquiring, that is not permanent, or flickering, or simply illusion. But that hankering after pleasure is your constitutional position. Because you are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, who is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), who is by nature blissful, and you are part and parcel of that blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore your nature is also blissful. That is a fact. But you are seeking pleasure or blissfulness in a place where it is not possible. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). And by purification of your existential position, the result will be yasmād brahma-saukhyam. Brahman means the greatest. Greatest. Bṛhatvād bṛhannatvād iti... Brahman means the greatest and who comes in contact with Brahman, he also becomes greatest. That is called Brahman. So if you accept austerity in this life and don't behave like cats and dogs and hogs simply for sex pleasure, then the result will be that your existence will be purified, by which you'll realize eternal happiness, anantam, which has no end, no beginning, no end. Actually it is so.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

Spirit cannot be cut into pieces. The part and parcel of the spirit, it is not that at a certain time we have become cut or separated from the Supreme. No. We are individual soul eternally, sanātana. Sanātana. That is our position. So therefore those who are thinking that by merging into the existence of Brahman, they will become one, that is not possible. Not one. They'll remain individual, but the whole atmosphere is spiritual. That's all. But it is impersonal spiritual. There is only existence, sac-cid-ānanda. But there is no ānanda. But every spiritual identity, every spiritual soul, as well as the supreme spirit, they are ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

So actually, our material life, existing, is society, friendship and love. If there are nice, beautiful women at home, children and friends, we are taking, "This is our life." But that is not life. Real life is to understand what I am, ātma-tattvam. Ātma-tattvam. Without understanding ātma-tattvam, the life is failure. Therefore Vidyāpati sings, tātala saikate vāri-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramaṇī-samāje. We have created this society, friendship and love in this material world for becoming happy. Everyone wants to be happy, because that is his natural inclination. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). As Kṛṣṇa is happy always... You will see. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying His life with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs or the cowherds boys or His father, mother. That is spiritual, everything. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is ānanda-cinmaya. A similar imitation here in this material world. The same thing, suta-mita-ramaṇī-samāje. But it is false. Just like you see water in the desert. You'll see there is vast mass of water in the desert, and the animal falsely go to drink the water and dies. Similarly, in this material world, this suta-mita-ramaṇī-samāje, what we are trying to become happy, that is like will-o'-the wisp, false thing. Real life is in the society of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:

It is already explained that Kṛṣṇa has got two energies. Just like heat and light, the energies of the fire. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is enjoying His spiritual, blissful life. He is spiritual, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ ānanda... (Bs. 5.1). Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). So He is in Vṛndāvana having His ānanda, spiritual bliss, enjoyment, with His associates, ever associ..., eternal associates, the gopīs, the cowherds boys, His mother, His father, Mother Yaśodā, Nanda, Nanda Mahārāja. So He is enjoying in His abode, Goloka. That is also confirmed: goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Still, He is present everywhere. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). He is within this universe, He is within your heart... Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). In one word: without Him, nothing can exist.

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

So what is the ultimate problem? The ultimate problem is we do not want to suffer. That's all. We want comfortable, peaceful life. This is the ultimate problem. Is it not? Just think over. That is... In Sanskrit language it is called ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛttiḥ. Ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛttiḥ, to solve the problems of miseries. We don't want any kind of misery. We don't want to suffer. We want very peaceful and joyful life. That is... But that is not being possible within this material world. That is the problem. The living entity is, by nature, he wants joyful life... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Abhyāsāt means by natural tendency he wants joyful life.

Lecture on BG 8.5 -- New York, October 26, 1966:

When you take the body of a certain type of body, you act according to the body. Just like the dog is acting differently from human body because he has got a different body. Hog is acting differently because he has got a different body. So there are 8,400,000's of different bodies. So mad-bhāva, mad-bhāva means the nature, Kṛṣṇa's nature. You keep your individuality, but you get Kṛṣṇa's nature. And what is Kṛṣṇa's nature? Kṛṣṇa's nature is always blissful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Always joyful. So you get a body of joyful, full of knowledge, and eternal. Not that you become Kṛṣṇa. You get exactly the same bodily constitution as Kṛṣṇa has got.

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

That knowledge is being explained. And when you come to that real knowledge then you become brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). When you actually understand that "I am Brahman," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul. This is my shirt and coat. Oh, so long I was busy with this shirt and coat only? I have no business with it." Yes, you have got business, but that is not your main business. Your main business is to take care of yourself as soul. That is your main business. This is called knowledge. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54).

Then one who comes into this knowledge, he becomes another prasannātmā, "Oh, I was so much ignorant of knowledge." Now, just like you committed some mistake, and when you come to the knowledge that you committed, you become prasannātmā, "Oh, I was mistaking like this, and simply I was anxious, I was taking so much care, anxiety. This is mistaken." Similarly, as soon as you come to this understanding that "I am spirit soul," then immediately you become prasannātmā, jolly. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). So this is perfection, liberation. This is called liberation. When you come to the platform of jolliness, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) You are ānandamaya. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), part and parcel of sac-cid-ānanda-vig... Sac, cit, ānanda.

Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Paris, August 13, 1973:

People are trying to do that, that... When a man get some money, bank balance, he no more works. But that is the tendency, that "Without working, I shall maintain myself happily." That is our tendency. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. Vedānta-sūtra says. Because our tendency is to enjoy life, but we do not know where to enjoy, how to enjoy. And that is called illusion. We are trying to enjoy life in this material world, where there is no enjoyment. There is no enjoyment. Repeatedly śāstra says. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "This place is simply for miserable condition of life." Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "And still, it is temporary."

Lecture on BG 15.15 -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Yogeśvara: I think his question is the husband will leave the wife because he is dissatisfied. But if our love for Kṛṣṇa originally is perfect why should we have left?

Prabhupāda: You have left... Just like somebody is daily eating puris and halavā, and he wants to eat puffed rice. So that tendency is there. That is also a side of enjoyment. "I am eating daily this, let me eat this." What is the difficulty? That tendency is there. That is also enjoyment. After all, we are hankering after enjoyment, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). So different taste we desire, that "Let me taste this, let me taste that, let me taste that." So the real basic principle is enjoyment, sense enjoyment. That's all.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 14, 1976:

So you should be very, very careful how to follow the rules and regulation. That is nivṛtti-mārga. If we still remain in pravṛtti-mārga, then we will not be able to make any advance in spiritual life. And if we do not make advance in spiritual life, then again and again, śarīra. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Everyone is suffering on account of this body, and this human body is meant for ending this suffering. That should be the aim of life. But those who are asuras, they do not know how to end this life of suffering and accept the life of ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt, (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) simply ānanda in Vaikuṇṭha, in Goloka Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa, to live with Him as His associate, you have no information. We are demons, and therefore we take pleasure in so-called material activities. And that means we are doomed. We should stop this nonsense and take to the principles of nivṛtti-mārga. Then our life will be success.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.3 -- Rome, May 27, 1974:

(reading purport:) "In this prayer, Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī practically summarizes the complete introduction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the essence of Vedic literature. That is explained here. "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the natural supplementary commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra." As I told you that Vyāsadeva compiled, he divided. There was originally one Veda, Atharva-veda. Then he, just to divide it for different paths of understanding... Sāma-veda, Atharva-veda, Yajur-veda and Ṛg-veda. Then he explained the Vedas in the Purāṇas. Then again he summarized in the Vedānta-sūtra. The whole Vedānta knowledge was codified, codes. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). There are so many codes. So again these codes were explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

One who is advanced in knowledge of Brahman, he is called brāhmaṇa. So, if we actually want peace... Everyone is hankering, that is our prerogative. Every living entity must hanker after happiness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because by nature we are happy. By nature we are happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. So as spirit soul we are naturally happy, blissful. But because we have been covered by the eight material elements—earth, water, fire, air, ether. These are gross elements. And within the gross elements—mind, intelligence and ego. So somebody is satisfied with the comfort of the outward gross elements, this body. They are called materialists. Simply sense gratification. Indriyāni parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ (BG 3.42).

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- New Vrindaban, September 7, 1972:

One European gentleman went to Calcutta. He saw many temples, and when he came to our temple, he saw the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. He went to other temples also, Kālī's. So he remarked, "Here is God." His remark was that "I saw in other temples, they are working. The Goddess Kālī is working. But here, He's enjoying." So God, that description is there in the Vedānta-sūtra, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
(Bs. 5.1)

Although He's cause of everything, but he hasn't got to work. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. That is Vedic information. In the Upaniṣad you'll find, He has nothing to do.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:

Unless one is sukṛtivān, he cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore everyone should be instructed to become sukṛtivān, puṇyavān. Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. Unless one is free from all sinful activities simply by acting piously... Janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām, te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 7.28). They can understand what is Kṛṣṇa and what is Kṛṣṇa worship. Others cannot do.

Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to make people free from all sinful activities. Then they will be happy. Because in the soul proper, it is pure. Just like you contaminate some disease, so you suffer. You have got fever, you have got some pain. So you have to go to the physician. He will give you some medicine to counteract the contamination. Then you become happy. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa. Naturally, we must be happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This is our position, that we must be always ānandamaya, jubilant. This is our position. Just like Kṛṣṇa is dancing—you have seen—similarly, our position is simply dancing with Kṛṣṇa and be happy. That is our position. But we have come to this material world to enjoy independently of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have been captured by the illusory energy.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:

We wanted to be happy. Just like there are many examples: A very rich man's son, he wants to become happy without his father. He becomes independent, comes out of home and goes here and there, but he does not become happy. There are many instances. Again he comes back home. Similarly, our position in this material world is like that. Our position is very jubilant and happy, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), sac-cid-ānanda. Sat-cit-ānan... We have got our eternal life, sat; cit, and full of knowledge; and blissful, as Kṛṣṇa has got. Therefore because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūta (BG 15.7), so Kṛṣṇa, if Kṛṣṇa is good, so I am also good. If Kṛṣṇa is happy, then I must be happy. If Kṛṣṇa is jubilant, then I must be jubilant. Wherefrom we get this idea of happiness? Because we are part of Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa dances with the gopīs, we also want to dance with young girls here, in this material world, Why? Wherefrom this idea we have got? The idea is already there, and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have got this propensity. So ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

The Vedānta-sūtra says that ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because we are spirit soul, our position is ānandamāyā. Ānandamāyā means always blissful. Because we are part and parcel of God... God is blissful, all-good, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). His form... He has got form. He is not formless. But His form is different. That form is sat-cit-ānanda. Sat means eternal, and cit means full of knowledge, and ānanda means full of bliss.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Bombay, December 28, 1972:

So those who are anxious to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of imperfect knowledge, this is right conclusion. If your senses are imperfect, whatever your knowledge may be, that is imperfect, because you are gathering knowledge from..., by imperfect senses. You know the story of studying..., blind man studying an elephant. So blind man is going, somebody is catching the leg. So they, "Oh, elephant is just like a pillar, a column." And somebody is studying the tail, somebody is studying the trunk. So different knowledge, because they have no eyes. And one who sees the elephant as it is, he can understand that elephant is neither column, nor a trunk, nor this; he is a complete body. Similarly, those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of blind knowledge, they come to the understanding of impersonal Brahman, brahmeti. That is also truth, just like you touch the elephant, a blind man touching the elephant, but because he hasn't got eyes he is concluding that elephant is like, just like a column. But he has touched. Similarly, either the impersonalist or the yogi or the bhakta, they have come to the Absolute Truth; therefore it is called advaya-jñāna. There is no difference between impersonal Brahman and localized Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference, but still there is difference. This is called acintya-bhedābheda-tattva: inconceivable one and simultaneously different. The same example can be given, that when the sunshine enters into your room, it means that sun has entered, but at the same time the sun is far, far away from you. Similarly, to understand Brahman means the Absolute Truth is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). If you simply try to understand impersonal Brahman, then you simply understand sat aṁśa, the eternity; paramātmā, citaṁśa; and ānandāṁśa is Kṛṣṇa. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973:

A sane man knows that reflection of water is not water. But that does not mean... Because there is no water in the desert, it does not mean that there is no water. The water is there, but not in the desert. That is knowledge.

Therefore we were discussing last night this verse, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Jīvasya, every living entity should be inquisitive to know where is real pleasure. Because we are hunting after pleasure, everyone. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because we are by nature ānandamaya, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Mamaivāṁśaḥ, Kṛṣṇa says.

Lecture on SB 1.2.11 -- Vrndavana, October 22, 1972:

After many, many births, understanding the Brahman... Brahman understanding is certainly transcendental, but because Brahman is only partial realization of the Absolute Truth, only the eternity... The Absolute Truth is eternal, blissful, knowledgeable, cognizant. So Brahman realization means realization of the eternity portion. Paramātmā-realization is knowledgeable. Paramātmā knows everything. Paramātmā is present in everyone's heart, and He knows everyone's activities. But actual realization, complete realization, means ānanda, sac-cid-ānanda. That ānanda-realization is in Kṛṣṇa-realization. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Kṛṣṇa is by nature jolly, always full of bliss. You have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa. He's always tri-bhaṅga-murāri, with two hands, with, playing on flute, surrounded by the gopīs, enjoying. That is blissfulness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa comes, Kṛṣṇa canvasses. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "Why you have created so many rascaldom, politics and economics and this and that, So many things are encumbered. Please come to Me. You'll be happy." This is the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. He comes. He shows His vṛndāvana-līlā, that "You can dance also with Me. You can play with Me just like cowherds boy. And I shall give you protection. There are so many demons. They're coming to attack us. But I'll give you protection." Jolly life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Delhi, November 18, 1973:

Without becoming mendicant, you cannot do any welfare activities. That is the Vedic process, sannyāsa. So but he could not live. After giving up his job as a lawyer, he could not live for more than one year, because he was living very opulently and all of a sudden he became a mendicant. He could not tolerate. That we have seen. But here we see that the Gosvāmīs, they were also very big men, ministers, but how they lived? Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau, gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī. Gopī-bhāva. They were living simply by thinking of the ecstatic love of gopīs. Gopī-bhāvāmṛta. That is compared with an ocean. As the ocean is beautiful, constant flowing of waves, similarly, the ocean of bliss of the gopīs relationship with Kṛṣṇa, these Gosvāmīs were always absorbed in that. Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. So Kṛṣṇa's opulence, Kṛṣṇa's dealings with the gopīs, they are not ordinary things.

ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.37)

He got His pleasure potency. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Supreme Absolute Truth is the reservoir of all pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Delhi, November 18, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is father for all living entities. They are simply struggling here in this material world under different desires, and therefore they are getting transmigrating from one body to another, and in this way they are wandering within this material world. That is their real disadvantageous position. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says the real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is the real problem. Whole spiritual process should be executed to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is real problem. So Kṛṣṇa therefore comes, that "Why you are rotting in this material world?" Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni indriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. "Why you are struggling so hard?" For ānanda. Everyone is struggling for ānanda, but he does not know whether ānanda is there. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Absolute Truth, He is the reservoir of ānanda Therefore you will see Kṛṣṇa's picture always in ānanda. Wherever you see Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is in the battlefield, still, He is smiling, ānanda. He is not morose. Arjuna is morose. But He is not morose. Because he is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.

Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Vrndavana, October 24, 1972:

So the process is this, actually. If you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa, if Kṛṣṇa says, "All right," then every, everything is all right. Bas. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Somehow or other, you satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Then you have all perfection. Very simple method. You try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and your everything satisfied. Every, everything is perfect. Kṛṣṇa also says that. It is not very difficult to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa says, "You want to feed Me. That's all right. You collect little flower, patram, a little leaf... Whatever you... Not that all. Any one of them." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, a little water, yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Real thing is bhakti, love, devotion. Not that Kṛṣṇa is asking you, "Bring volumes of luci, puri, kacuri, halavā." No. Kṛṣṇa wants your love. Real thing. Bhaktyā. Yo me bhaktyā prayac... Kṛṣṇa is not beggar, neither Kṛṣṇa is hungry, that He has come to your place to eat something. That's not the position, Kṛṣṇa's. Kṛṣṇa wants only your love. Just like father takes the responsibility of the whole family. He works hard day and night to maintain the family. He expects only love from his wife and children. That is the impetus of economic development. Otherwise he's earning daily thousands and lakhs of rupees. It is not that he will eat. He will eat that four cāpāṭis. That's all. Worth six annas. But he works so hard just to be satisfied that his wife, his children love. When he comes at home, he sees them very satisfied.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa has expanded this family. Ekaṁ bahu syām. He has become so many living entities. What is the idea? Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because He's ānandamaya, He wants to enjoy the love exchange between the living entities. That is His purpose. Otherwise, why He has created? He wants love. But these rascals, they have forgotten that thing. They are saying, "There is no God. I am God. I am enjoyer." Instead of loving God, they are becoming "God." This has killed the whole situation. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes, and He wanted to reestablish that reciprocal exchange of love which is called bhakti. You love Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa loves you. Kṛṣṇa loves you, even without your love. Otherwise, how you are eating? You, why, you cannot live even for a moment without Kṛṣṇa's mercy. That's a fact. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. So Kṛṣṇa comes.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972:

Anyone who has taken seriously devotional service... Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu vairāgyam (SB 1.2.7). Liberation means knowledge and detachment. Knowledge, full knowledge means that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, and my bodily activities are not congenial for my ultimate goal of life. I must engage myself in spiritual activity." This is called jñāna and vairāgya. When one knows that he is not body, then why should he work hard day and night for maintaining this body? That is knowledge. And karmīs, they are trying to maintain this body. Sometimes karmīs also take to bhakti-yoga. Not bhakti-yoga, so-called bhakti. But their aim is how to maintain this body nicely. That is also accepted. Akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ (SB 2.3.10). Because if you take to bhakti-yoga even for maintaining this body nicely, that is also very nice, because gradually, due to the influence of bhakti-yoga, you will come to the platform of mukta, mukta-saṅga. Bhakti-yoga is so strong.

Therefore śāstra recommends that either you are karmī, either you are jñānī, either you are yogi, you take to devotional service. Your all desires will be fulfilled. That is the injunction.

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruṣaṁ param
(SB 2.3.10)

This is the recommendation. It is all-inclusive. If you have got desire like the karmīs or the jñānīs or the yogis, you take to bhakti-yoga. Bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. You will become prasanna-manasa. You will be engladdened. You will come to the platform of joyfulness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Spiritual life means ānandamaya. There is no displeasure. Always ānanda. That is spiritual life. Spiritual life means ānanda, and material life means anxiety. You can distinguish. If you are always put into anxiety, that is material life. And if you are always jolly, that is spiritual life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.

Lecture on SB 1.2.34 -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1972:

Therefore Vyāsadeva made this śāstra, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ajānantaḥ, for these rascals, one who does not know the aim of life. Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. We are meeting with so many problems of life. These are called anarthas, unnecessary. I am spirit soul; you are spirit soul. We are as good as God. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Our real position is ānanda. Sac-cid-ānanda. Why we are meeting so many problems? This is due to this body. This is due to this body. Therefore the real culture is, real education is, how to stop this repetition of body. But they do not know. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. He is fully joyful. You'll see always Kṛṣṇa joyful. When He's killing an animal, he's laughing. He's joyful. You have seen Kṛṣṇa's picture. It is not that it's a problem. You have seen. Kṛṣṇa is killing that Keśī demon, a horse, big horse, just like a child's play. Kṛṣṇa is, I mean to say, fighting with that bull. What is the name of that bull?

Lecture on SB 1.3.8 -- Los Angeles, September 14, 1972:

So Nārada Muni compiled these śāstras, tantra. Tantra means expansion. Just like there is notebook. Just like Vedānta-sūtra, the lessons are given in codes. Just like the businessmen, they send code. One word composed of four letters, it has got so many meanings. So those who are using those codes, they can understand, "By this code, this sentence or this paragraph is meant." Similarly, the Vedānta-sūtra is giving Vedic knowledge in codes-athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12)—in this way. This janmādy asya yataḥ code is explained by the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, eighteen thousand verses to explain this one code. Similarly, the Vedic knowledge is expanded, or also contracted. So tantra is expansion, because ordinary men cannot understand Vedic knowledge. Just like Mahābhārata, it is in the form of history, but in it is Vedic instruction. Similarly, in this Nārada Pañcarātra made by Devarṣi Nārada, it is also Vedic.

Lecture on SB 1.3.23 -- Los Angeles, September 28, 1972:

Happiness can be attained when you come to God—because you are part and parcel of God. The same example. A little child is crying. Nobody could pacify it. As soon as the child is put on the breast of the mother, immediately happy. Because the child is the part and parcel of the mother. And immediately he understands that "Now I have come to safe, my mother." Immediately happy. This is practical. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of God, Viṣṇu. So unless we come to Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu—Kṛṣṇa is Viṣṇu there is no happiness. It is not possible. It is not possible. But the rascals, they do not know. They are trying to become happy by so-called scientific advancement. What is this science? Ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. The aim of life is to come to the platform of happiness, where there is no distress at all, simply happiness. That is our aim. There cannot be any distress. Only happiness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).

Lecture on SB 1.3.23 -- Los Angeles, September 28, 1972:

So you see so many pictures of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is playing with His cowherd boys; Kṛṣṇa dancing with His girlfriends, gopīs; Kṛṣṇa is stealing butter; Kṛṣṇa is doing so many—simply happiness, simply happiness. You won't find Kṛṣṇa is morose and sitting or crying. (laughter) Even if He is killing some demon, very laughingly, as easy job. You see? So either He is killing or dancing, He is happy. So we are giving this information of happiness, the topmost happiness, without any... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that spirit soul, the Supersoul or the individual soul, their nature is to become happy. Ānandamaya. Happy. Spiritual life means happiness. There is no distress. But that happiness can be attained in cooperation with the Supreme. We are sparks of fire. So with the fire, if the sparks are "fut-put"... You see sometimes, the sparks; it looks very beautiful. The same spark, as soon as falls down from the fire, extinguished. The fiery quality immediately extinguished. So our material condition is like that. We have given up the company of Kṛṣṇa, and we wanted to be happy in this material world; therefore we are suffering. So same spark, particle of carbon, if you put again to the fire, it will again become red hot and fire. So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that we are trying the sparks, which by chance has fallen down from the fire, to pick it up again and put it in the fire. That is real happiness.

Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:

Enjoyment is the goal of everyone's life. But the difference is that the materialist is trying to hanker after flickering enjoyment, and the transcendentalists, they are hankering after the spiritual enjoyment, or eternal enjoyment. Enjoyment... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because enjoyment is our life. We cannot be void. That is not possible. Therefore the impersonalists, about impersonalists, this Bhāgavata version is that although they rise up almost to the spiritual platform, but because they cannot enjoy... Impersonalists means there is no enjoyment. There is simply light, a life of knowledge. But simply knowledge will not make me happy. I must enjoyment. I must have enjoyment. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), because my nature is to enjoy. That enjoyment cannot be done in the impersonal or void philosophy. That is not possible. Therefore Bhāgavata says, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ: "If somebody thinks that he has become liberated after undergoing the process of impersonal philosophy and austerities and penances..." The impersonalists, they also practice severe penances to attain to that Brahman stage. That is also nice thing. But they cannot stay there, because there is no enjoyment.

Lecture on SB 1.5.18 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1969:

So in the material world the standard of happiness, taking the basic principle, it is all the same. But we have created, "This is good standard. That is bad standard. This is very nice. This is very bad." Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna. In the material world, "This is good," "This is bad"—actually, it is the same thing. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ: it is due to the skin that we are sometimes feeling warm and sometimes feeling cold. The material nature is the same. Similarly, our feelings of happiness and distress is just like feeling the warmth and, I mean to say, chilly cold. Due to the skin, due to this body. Actually, there is no happiness in the material world. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "This place is full of misery, full of misery." Now, how you can make it happy? Caitanya-caritāmṛta also says that dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna. In this material world it is our mental creation: "This is happiness. This is distress." Actually, it is all distress. After all, we have to die. After all, we have to finish this business. So what is happiness or distress? Bhāgavata also says that "Don't bother yourself to make yourself happy by working day and night without trying for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is simply waste of time." There is no question of happiness in this material world. If you actually want to be happy, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), if you want to be placed in real happiness, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate (SB 1.5.18).

Lecture on SB 1.7.5-6 -- Johannesburg, October 15, 1975:

It has nothing to do with anything material. Simply spiritual knowledge. So vidvān. Vidvān means the most learned, Vyāsadeva, not ordinary. Śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte. He is mahā-muni. Muni means thoughtful philosopher, and he is mahā-muni. He is greater than any thoughtful philosopher, Vyāsadeva, Veda-vyāsa. His name is Veda-vyāsa. Veda-vyāsa means he compiled all this Vedic literature. And, at last, he summarized the whole Vedic knowledge into Vedānta-sūtra, Vedānta-sūtra, a small aphorism: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt... (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In short aphorism. And it has got very deep meaning. That is Vedānta-sūtra. And this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra by the author himself under the instruction of his guru, Nārada Muni. Therefore we began this that according to the advice of Nārada Muni, that "You write about the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1976:

So compulsory, the government is trying to make compulsory, but that cannot. You cannot make a person honest simply by legislation. He must be vimarśanam. Prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam. One must be fully conscious, "Now what I am doing, it is wrong." Then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Just like a person who is a thief, he knows that "I am stealing, and if I am arrested, I'll be punished." He knows that. And he has seen that one thief is arrested. So we get two kinds of experiences. One kind of experience by hearing: "If you do this, then the result will be this." That is hearing. And one kind of experience by directly seeing. So the thief has both. He has seen that a thief has been punished, and he knows by hearing from the lawbooks or from religious books that stealing is not good. But still he commits repeatedly, again and again stealing. Why? Because he has no knowledge. Therefore knowledge is essential. That knowledge can be revived. This is kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam (CC Antya 20.12). You want ānanda, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Everyone is seeking after ānanda. So pūrṇānanda. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's recommendation.

Lecture on SB 1.7.30-31 -- Vrndavana, September 26, 1976:

Now how the fact is working, that is given by the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, especially Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90) is all cheating, all cheating. Up to mokṣa. The aspiration to become one with the Supreme, mokṣa, that is kaitava, cheating. That is the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. When you understand that the so-called monism, to become one with the Supreme, it is cheating... That is not fact. Because you cannot remain in the zero. That is not possible. We are part and parcel of God. God is ānandamaya, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature, God is ānandamaya. So if you are part and parcel of God, how you can be nirānandamaya? You are also ānandamaya. That quality is there. But do you enjoy alone? You sit down in a room alone for three hours, you'll feel disturbed, immediately. And what to speak of eternally. It is impossible to remain alone. And for want of ānanda you'll again fall down in this material world. The impersonalists who think that "I have become one with the Supreme..." One with the Supreme means that is eternity, fact, sat. Sat cit ānanda. Simply by becoming sat, eternal, you don't get ānanda.

Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- New York, April 13, 1973:

So ānanda-līlāmaya-vigraha. Ānanda-līlā, Kṛṣṇa's līlā, pastimes are all jubilant. Ānanda-līlāmaya. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is by nature ānandamaya. Kṛṣṇa, you'll never find Kṛṣṇa is very unhappy. Kṛṣṇa is never unhappy. Kṛṣṇa is always happy. Therefore nanda-gopa-kumārāya govindāya (SB 1.8.21). He is happy, and whoever, whoever associates with Him, he's also happy. Govindāya. We are after sense gratification. Go means senses. So if you associate with Kṛṣṇa, you enjoy your senses affluently. Just like the gopīs are dancing with Kṛṣṇa. So there is no scarcity of sense gratification also. But that is not this sense gra..., gross sense gratification. That is spiritual sense. That is spiritual sense.

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:

We are also aja because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. And nitya. Nityaḥ śāśva... Ajo nityaḥ. Nitya... The Māyāvāda philosophy is that we are aja, and Supreme Brahman is aja. So when we are uncovered by this material body, we mix with the aja. That is their theory, monist. We merge into the existence of aja. But that is not fact. You merge. That is like merging a green bird into a green tree. When a green bird enters a green tree it appears that the green bird is now merged and he, it has no more existence. No. That is not... One can understand. The bird enters into the green tree does not mean the bird has lost his existence. His individuality is still there. Similarly, when we merge, even in Brahman effulgence, we do not lose our individuality. Although it appears that we have lost our identity, individuality, but actually that is not the fact. And because it is not fact, therefore our another quality is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) we want ānanda.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

These rascals, karmīs, they do not know. They want to become happy by their own endeavor. That is called karmī. They are working very hard—the same thing—to be very happy, and the devotee is also trying to become happy. Everyone is trying. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). Everyone is trying to be, become happy, because to become happy is our natural tendency. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Everyone is trying to become happy. But the karmīs, the jñānīs, the yogis, they do not know how to become perfectly happy. They're making their own endeavor. Karmīs are trying to work harder, hard, day and night, to get money. "Some way or other, never mind black and white. Bring money. I must have nice car, nice house, nice bank balance." This is karmī. And jñānī, when he is fed up with working, when he understands that "This working hard and bank balance could not make me anyway happy, so therefore this is false, all these activities, what I am..." The brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. So they become disgusted and take to Brahman. Brahma satyam.

Lecture on SB 1.8.35 -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1973 :

Spiritual world means there is no work. There is simply ānanda, joyfulness. That you see from reading Kṛṣṇa book. They are not working. Kṛṣṇa is going with he calves and the cows. That is not working. That is amusement. That is amusement. They are dancing, they are going to the forest, they are sitting down on the bank of the Ganges. Sometimes the demons are attacking, Kṛṣṇa is killing. This is all pleasure, amusement. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. That is spiritual world. Just like, take a sample of spiritual activity. We are... We have got so many branches, so many members, but you are not working. Simple, a sample of spiritual life. Our neighbors are envious: "How these people dancing and chanting and eating?" (laughter) Because they are working hard like cats and dogs, and we have no such responsibility. We haven't got to go to office or factory. Just see, practical example. This is only a little tinge of spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

That positive world, here it is said, tvayi me ananya-viṣayā matiḥ. This is positive. The negative side is to give up. To give up... Because we are living beings... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). So we want ānanda. So whatever I possess, now I give up. Then, if I don't get better engagement, then where is my ānanda? There is no ānanda. So as we do not get ānanda, so then I come back again. There is a Bengali hearsay, napad jimane na, na jamai batta.(?) When a widow, old woman, her husband is dead... We have got experience. And she talks very loosely with the grandson-in-law. I have got experience. When we were young, young married, so my grandmother-in-law, my father-in-law's mother, she was talking very loosely, just like husband and wife. So that's a practical... Because she... She is hopeless of getting another husband because she is old enough. So where is the husband? She accepts or talks like husband to the grandson-in-law. So similarly, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not accept Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's līlā. They think it is māyā. They do not accept it. So there is no ānanda. Therefore they come down again. Punar mūṣiko bhava. Again open hospital because there is no engagement. And he has to raise fund. So this is very easy thing: "Sir I am going to open a hospital. Give me some fund." Nowadays, especially, it is very difficult to collect fund. If you say, "I am going to open a temple," nobody will give you. But if you say, "I am going to open a hospital," he'll give you.

Lecture on SB 1.8.47 -- Mayapura, October 27, 1974:

Who is this Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu? He immediately recognized, "He is Kṛṣṇa. He is Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Person, He ordered this vairāgya-vidyā, "Just give up, nonsense, all these things. Just surrender to Me." This is vairāgya-vidyā. The so-called affection and duty and so on, so on, sarva-dharmān parityajya: (BG 18.66) "Give up." This is vairāgya-vidyā. So Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya could understand that "He is the same Kṛṣṇa, same Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead ordered, but He did not personally teach how to become elevated in vairāgya-vidyā. Here is the same person, He has come again to teach practically how to attain this vairāgya-vidyā stage." Therefore he said, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam (CC Madhya 6.254). Vairāgya-vidyā means you become detestful to the material thing—paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59)—but, as Kuntī said that "My affection may increase for you," vairāgya-vidyā means not only simply give up affection of this material, but you increase your affection for Kṛṣṇa. That is vairāgya, not that giving up all affection for the material world, you become zero. The zero stage is brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20) stage: "I have no more any affection for material things." But zero stage, you cannot stay. That is not our nature. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). We want ānanda.

Lecture on SB 1.10.7 -- Mayapura, June 22, 1973:

Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the same Absolute, but Rādhārāṇī is the expansion of the pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa. We have got potency as Kṛṣṇa has got. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). This is the Vedic injunction. Parā, they say. Absolute Truth has many potencies, innumerable, vividhaiva śrūyate. One of the potencies is the pleasure potency. Just like we want some pleasure. Pleasure is the constitutional position of spirit soul, or the Absolute Truth. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). God and we, being of the same quality, we are by nature always joyful. So our joyfulness is checked when we are in material condition. Therefore there is struggle. We are hankering after, to revive that joyfulness, but this contamination of material energy, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, they are checking, obstacles.

Lecture on SB 1.10.13 -- Mayapura, June 26, 1973:

Variety is enjoyment. If I agree with you in every respect, then where is varieties? Just like if you are given a nice dish of foodstuff. Somebody says, "Give me this one." Another says, "Give me this one." So variety of taste. Although all sweetmeats are made of the same ingredients, sugar and yogurt or curd, but somebody says, "Give me this rasagullā," somebody, "The sandeśa..." Somebody says, "Give me panthva(?)." They're made of the same ingredient, but it is different taste.

So you cannot neglect these varieties of taste. That is enjoyment. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). We are all ānandamaya, joyful. Therefore there must be varieties. Without varieties, there is no joy. Simply hackneyed, one thing, "Brahman, Brahman, Brahman," nobody likes it. They keep with "Brahman, Brahman," they fall down or they again come to the explanation of this Bhāgavatam. I have seen so many Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. By "Brahman, Brahman," they could not attract audience. Then come to Bhāgavata reading and explains in nonsense way all the Bhāgavata, Māyāvādī. But they come to... Because Bhāgavata is full of varieties. But they explain in their own way.

Lecture on SB 1.15.32 -- Los Angeles, December 10, 1973:

So if you become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness means no more material desire. That's all. Only Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. So long you will have a pinch of material desire, you will have to take birth. According to your desire, Kṛṣṇa will give you facility. Why there are so many types of body, eight million? Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). We are making our next body by thinking of something. We have got so many thoughts, material thoughts. So at the time of death, when that thought is prominent, then I get the next moment a body like that. So if you simply think of Kṛṣṇa only, then you get a body where by which you can go to Kṛṣṇa. You can go to Kṛṣṇa. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). It is very scientific and very practical. So by going to Kṛṣṇa, you can talk with Kṛṣṇa personally. You can play with Kṛṣṇa personally. You can dance with Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa-loka. Just like we have got a picture, rāsa dancing. Here is picture, Kṛṣṇa's. Everyone can get this opportunity. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes to show practically how enjoyable life with Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa is simply jolly, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).

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

Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. Simply He is enjoying, playing on flute and enjoying with Rādhārāṇī. That's all. He hasn't got to go to office, to the factory. (laughter) He hasn't got. He is simply to enjoy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). And we also take, imitate that enjoyment. We also want to mix, young boys and girls, dance together. Because we imitate Kṛṣṇa. The same thing is there. With gopīs Kṛṣṇa is dancing. Here also we are dancing, in nightclub, and this club, that club. But that will not give you satisfaction, because it is imitation. If you want real dancing, come to Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted.

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

So our point is that Kṛṣṇa, or God, is there, and He is working through His potencies. Just like a big man, he is sitting on his parlor. He hasn't got to go. Just like we have seen Mr. Birla in... Those who are with me, they have seen. He is sitting in his home, but he has got many potencies. He has got secretaries, clerks, and this and that, so many things. So they are doing all work. He hasn't got to work. A big man means he hasn't got to work personally. He has got so many assistants. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, He is the Supreme. He hasn't got to work Himself. He hasn't got to work. Vṛndāvanaṁ parityajya padam ekaṁ na gacchati. He is always engaged in His playing flute and dancing with the gopīs. That's all. Pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is pleasure. So His potencies are working. What kind of potency? That is described. I have given the example. Just like the sun is there and the sunshine is there, and the sunshine is working everything. By the sunshine, the trees are coming out, the leaves are coming out. They are dropping when there is no sunshine. Everything is depending on sunshine.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Vrndavana, March 18, 1974:

So Māyāvādī's position is like that. Māyāvādīs, they have got a... Because we are sure that we are going to Kṛṣṇa. But they have no Kṛṣṇa. Aiye. They have no Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they again come to this material world. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅ... Because they have no shelter, therefore they'll come back again within this material world. Because in the impersonal feature they cannot remain many days. You get freedom from the cage, but if you do not get to eat something, how long you'll live? Therefore they prefer again to come to the cage. That fiftil... Because they have no other way. Therefore this Māyāvāda philosophy, voidism, impersonal philosophy, is not very good. You cannot remain impersonal or in void because your position is..., because you are living entity, because you are part and parcel of the supreme living entity, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is always full of jubilation. So you also, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, you also want jubilation. But how you can get jubilation, how you can be jubilant in the sky, in the zero? This is the difference between Māyāvāda philosophy. Therefore you cannot be happy even by getting free from this encagement, material world, and if you place yourself in impersonalism and voidism, that will not help you. Try to understand it. That will not help you.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

We are worshiping here Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Originally there is love. Therefore we, being part and parcel of God, we are also trying to love. A man is trying to love another woman, woman is trying to love another man. This is natural. This is not artificial. But it is perverted in the material covering. That is the defect. When we are free from this material covering, then we are qualitatively ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), as jolly... As Kṛṣṇa is dancing always... Kṛṣṇa you will never find... You have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa. He is fighting with the Kāliya serpent. He is dancing. He is not afraid of the serpent. He is dancing. As He is dancing with the gopīs in rāsa-līlā, similarly, He is dancing with the snake. Because He is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. He is ānandamaya, always jolly. Always. You will see Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa... Just like in Kurukṣetra the fighting is going on. Kṛṣṇa is jolly. Arjuna is morose because he is living entity, but He is not morose. He is jolly. That is the nature of God. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. This is the sūtra, in the Brahma-sūtra, that "God is ānandamaya, always jolly, always cheerful." So you can become also cheerful when you go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our problem.

Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972:

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find. Tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca. We require some satisfaction and some enjoyment, because that is our nature. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Spirit soul. God is also blissful, and we part and parcel of God, we are also blissful. We want simply ānanda, pleasure. That is our nature. But that ānanda, pleasure, you cannot enjoy independently. That is not possible. You must enjoy with Kṛṣṇa. That is called rāsa-līlā. Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, they assemble together. Similarly, we are part and parcel ... Just like part and parcel of big machine. They are assembled, then it works. If the part and parcel are scattered, oh, then it has no meaning. It is simply scrap of iron, that's all. But when they are assembled together, that is meaning. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So we must assemble together. Central Kṛṣṇa. Central Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 2.8.7 -- Los Angeles, February 10, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa remembers everything, knows everything. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni: (BG 7.26) "I know everything." That is Kṛṣṇa. But we do not know. That is the difference. Kṛṣṇa is not impersonal. He's also a person, but He is not a person like us, like you, like me. His personality is supreme. Nobody is greater than Him. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. These are the Vedic information. He's individual, but He has nothing to do. He's such individual. Just like Kṛṣṇa is here. The whole world is going on under Kṛṣṇa's direction, but He has nothing to do. He's enjoying with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. That is Kṛṣṇa's position. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He has to create one universe or destroy one universe—He hasn't to take any attention. He's engaged in His pleasure—Kṛṣṇa, the reservoir of pleasure. His pleasure is never disturbed by all these activities. He's so perfect. Just like in our society, we are not perfect. Still, you boys and girls, you love me. Whatever I say, immediately done. So if an ordinary person like me, he can do things without his personal endeavor, how far..., how Kṛṣṇa is great, that na tat-samaḥ, there is nobody equal to Him.

Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974:

So this is the, I mean, the mentality. Why this mentality? The mentality is that "Without varieties we cannot enjoy." Variety is the mother of enjoyment. So the impersonal Brahman realization, or Paramātmā realization, does not give us steady ānanda. We want ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The living entity, or Brahman, or Para-brahman... Just like our Kṛṣṇa. He's Para-brahman. He's enjoying ānanda. Similarly, we also, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, mamaivāṁśo jīva... (BG 15.7), we want ānanda. So ānanda cannot be in impersonalism, or voidism. That is not possible. Ānanda means varieties. When you get varieties of foodstuff, made of the same ingredient—same, I mean to say, grains, or milk and sugar—but we can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparations... At least, hundred preparations, and we enjoy: this is peṛā, this is baraphi, this is kṣīra, this is rābṛi, this is dahi, and so many things. So variety is required. Variety is required. So therefore the last word of tattva-jñāna is to understand Kṛṣṇa, who is full of variety.

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

Never we are born. Na hanyate hanyamāne... (BG 2.20). So this is the fact. So why I shall be interested in something noneternal?" This is called knowledge. If I am eternal and my position is to enjoy life... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature, I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), and Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). So qualitatively I am also sac-cid-ānanda.

Lecture on SB 3.25.23 -- Bombay, November 23, 1974:

That is recommended here: mad-āśrayāḥ kathā mṛṣṭāḥ śṛṇvanti kathayanti ca. If you simply talk about Kṛṣṇa and hear about Kṛṣṇa, then that stage will come when there will be no more suffering always. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This is called ānandamaya in the Vedānta-sūtra. A living entity or Kṛṣṇa, they are ānandamaya. Prācurye maya-pratyaya. Simply ānanda. When you are in pleasure, transcendental bliss, there will be no more possibility of this material suffering.

Lecture on SB 3.25.27 -- Bombay, November 27, 1974:

So we are trying to enjoy. Enjoyment is our business. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānanda, Kṛṣṇa is ānandamaya, and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We are also ānandamaya. But we are seeking ānanda in different atmosphere. Just like any man can become very honest citizen, do business honestly, earn money and live very honorably. But no, somebody has learned how to steal. The government does not say that you becomes thief and go to the prison house. The government does not say. But you have selected to become a thief.

Lecture on SB 3.25.29 -- Bombay, November 29, 1974:

So spiritual life, that is spiritual life, that if you take to spiritual life and take to the process then your ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, your spiritual life, will be blissful more and more. It is not decrease. Because we want ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is the Vedānta-sūtra. Living being or Para-brahman or Brahman, everyone is ānandamaya. That ānanda can..., you get perfectly when you take ānandamaya with Kṛṣṇa, in association with Kṛṣṇa. You associate with Kṛṣṇa as servant or as friend or as father, as mother, as conjugal lover. There are five rasas: śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, mādhurya. Here also in this material world we have got the same rasas.

Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974:

So our actual constitutional position is that we are small particle of Nārāyaṇa. And our business is, because we are part and parcel of Nārāyaṇa... Why Nārāyaṇa has created? Ekaṁ bahu syām: "The Nārāyaṇa has become many." Why He has become many? To enjoy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He has created us. Just like a gentleman accepts a wife, putrārthe kriyate bhāryā, that is the aim, that "If I get one wife, I'll get children." Putra-piṇḍa-prayojanam. This is the spiritual value of begetting children, that "Putra will offer piṇḍa. So in my next life I am in difficulty; by offering piṇḍa, he will save me." This is the purpose of putrotpāda. Pu means pun-nāmno narakāt. Pun-nāmno narakāt. Tra means trāyate, "delivers." Pun-nāmno narakāt trāyate iti putraḥ. This is the meaning of putra. But if the putra is going himself to the pun-nāmno narakāt, then who will deliver me? That is the position now. Nobody is offering śrāddha ceremony. Nobody believes in that. So anyway, if a man taking the responsibility of maintaining wife and children, why? Because he thinking that "I will enjoy life. I will enjoy good atmosphere." Everyone is trying to that. Any family you go in this evening, they are trying to enjoy life with wife and children and friends. Therefore they are taking the responsibility.

Lecture on SB 3.25.36 -- Bombay, December 5, 1974:

So sac-cid-ānanda. The Brahman realization is sat realization, Paramātmā realization is cit realization, and Bhagavān realization means ānanda realization. Sat, cit, ānanda. And in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that the Absolute Truth is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānandamaya. He's always ānandamaya. You read Kṛṣṇa's līlā—He's always full of transcendental bliss, especially in Vṛndāvana. Vṛndāvana, that is His original residence. There, simply ānanda. Kṛṣṇa is playing with His cowherds boys friends. Kṛṣṇa is dancing with the gopīs. Kṛṣṇa is stealing Mother Yaśodā's butter. Kṛṣṇa is doing... All ānanda, transcendental bliss.

Lecture on SB 3.26.2 -- Bombay, December 14, 1974:

So the ānanda, the spiritual happiness is not without varieties, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Spirit, Brahman, Para-brahman, is full of happiness, and how happiness can be possible without varieties? Variety is the mother of enjoyment. So therefore this nirviśeṣa, nirākāra, or without any varieties, or voidness, this is not perfect knowledge. That is not self-realization. Self-realization is to understand that I am spirit soul. I do not belong to this material world. I am Brahman, not matter, that is called so 'ham, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But they have misinterpreted in a different way. So 'ham means, "I am the Supreme Lord." That is craziness. You are not Supreme Lord, but you are of the same quality. As Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, He is also seeking enjoyment and because you are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, you are also seeking enjoyment. But you are seeking enjoyment in a field which is just opposite, in the material world.

Lecture on SB 3.26.3 -- Bombay, December 15, 1974:

But there is another planetary system. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6). There is another..., paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20), another nature where, yatra, na tad bhāsayate sūryaḥ, there is no need of sunshine, there is no need of moonshine. Because the each planet is svayaṁ-jyoti. Here we have got one planet, the sun planet, jyoti. But there, in the Vaikuṇṭha, all the planets, Vaikuṇṭha planets... Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Here, in this planet, you are full of anxiety. And if you are transferred to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, there is no anxiety. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) simply ānanda, no anxiety. Here you must suffer anxiety, asad-grahāt, on account of accepting this asat. Asat means untruth or temporary, which will not exist. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). This is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction, that this materialistic individuality, on account of accepting this asad-grahāt, asat, not permanent, not true, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Always full of anxiety. So in the material world you are trying to be free of anxiety. That is not possible. That is not... Therefore it is required, ātma-darśanam. Jñānam ātma-darśanam. Jñānaṁ niḥśreyasārthāya puruṣasya ātma-darśanam. First of all you know what is your position. Just like when one man is diseased. The physician first of all diagnose that what is the disease; then he gives medicine. Similarly, first of all you ascertain what is your constitutional position. You try to understand. That is the beginning everywhere. That is Vedic literature.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

Therefore, those who are yogis, they are also enjoying. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande. That is real happiness which increases. Which decreases, that is not real happiness. That is illusion. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande cid-ātmani. Cit, that is spiritual, spiritual ānanda. Really we want ānanda, happiness, blissfulness. That is our natural instinct. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). So... But we are searching after ānanda in this material world, and that is described here that saṁsṛtir bandhaḥ pāra-tantrya, under material condition and changing this body one after another. This is not ānanda. Satyānande cid-ātmani. Ānanda is available on the spiritual platform. Satyānande cid-ātmani. Ramante... Iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahma abhidhīyate. Therefore the yogis, they enjoy, ramaṇa, in the spiritual world. That ānanda is called Rāma, Hare Rāma. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is also attractive, and Rāma is enjoyment. So when we dovetail our activities with Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, then our life becomes happy. Before that there is saṁsṛtiḥ.

Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa is not alone. Kṛṣṇa is always in varieties. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is ānandamaya.

ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.37)

He is ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. So Kṛṣṇa is not nirviśeṣa; He is saviśeṣa. But this material world is actually nirviśeṣa, but it appears something like varieties. The same thing, the example, I have already given: a lump of matter—either you take earth or water or gold or silver—and you can make varieties of things, cause and effect. But that is nirviśeṣa. But the spiritual world, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), as it is said in the Vedānta-sūtra, the origin of everything, the cause of all causes, that is full of spiritual varieties. That is not nirviśeṣa. Here in this material world we are seeing these varieties. We have got these planets. On the planets there are so many mountains, so many trees, so many plants, so many houses, in each and every planet. Don't think the other planets, that is void. No. They are also full of varieties. Full of varieties.

Lecture on SB 3.26.18 -- Bombay, December 27, 1974:

He is always living in Goloka Vṛndāvana. He does not require to move. That is His inconceivable potency. Suppose I am sitting here. Suppose I have got to do something in my apartment. So unless I go there, that business cannot be performed. This is my position. But Kṛṣṇa, although He does not leave even by a step Goloka Vṛndāvana... He is always enjoying in company with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī: ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). His only business is ānanda, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1).

Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:

Complete knowledge is one who understands that "If I have got so many propensities, so the origin of me, the supreme father, why He should be without any propensities? What is this logic?" "Like father, like son." It is... The son has got so many propensities. Wherefrom it has come? It must be in Kṛṣṇa. This is intelligence. Everything is there is Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa is stealing butter. That means Kṛṣṇa has stealing propensity. But the difference is that Kṛṣṇa's stealing butter is worshiped, and my stealing is beaten with shoes. (laughter) That is the difference. So we should not imitate Kṛṣṇa, but we should understand that janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) everything... Here it is said, bījam ādhatta. So just like father impregnates the child or the son within the womb of the mother, and he comes, "Like father, like son," generally, similarly, we are. We have got the same propensities, vīryam, but it is being misused in the material connection. Therefore we are not getting pleasure. Otherwise, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) All these propensities, varieties of qualities, will give us ānanda.

Lecture on SB 3.26.25 -- Bombay, January 2, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa's another name is Mukunda. Gato mukundam, śaraṇam, parihṛtya kartam, gataḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ mukundam. Mukunda... Muk means mukti, liberation, ānanda. After liberation, you become... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That original ānanda, your feature of jubilation... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. We are, by nature, ānandamaya. Not only Kṛṣṇa, God, but we, being part and parcel... The ānanda is not self-centered. Kṛṣṇa, when He takes ānanda, hlādinī-śakti, when He dances with the gopīs, when He plays with the cowherd boys, when He plays as a child of Yaśodāmāyi, and in every way Kṛṣṇa is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. So to take this ānanda, to enjoy this ānanda, He has expanded Himself in so many forms. The svāṁśa, or the incarnation, and the vibhinnāṁśa, we are, jīvas. So to become really ānandamaya, Kṛṣṇa has—ekaṁ bahu syām—He has become many. So don't try to close up this business, "One." That is not very good intelligence. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they want to become one. "One" means you agree to the Supreme. That is oneness. Just like we are conducting this international society. We have got many workers, many disciples, but we are one. "One" means they are carrying their spiritual master's order. Therefore they are one. "One" means one is agreement, not that they have become amalgamated, no more individuality. Individuality is there always, but they are one, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's devotees. The devotees are simply trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is trying to maintain His devotees. This is oneness, not that we lose our individuality.

Lecture on SB 3.26.28 -- Bombay, January 5, 1975:

So Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Saṅkarṣaṇa, or other Viṣṇu form, or the living entities who are living there in those Vaikuṇṭha planets, they have no anxiety. There is no anxiety, neither there is influence of this māyā, neither there are the activities of the three modes of material nature. That is called spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭhaloka. They are free. Neither there is birth, death, old age, and disease. These things are absent. Everyone is full of transcendental bliss. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature they are ānandamaya, always jolly. And here also, in this material world, when we become free from this material concept of life, bodily concept of life, when we are fully aware of the thing that "I am not this material body; I am spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi," he also becomes jolly because he acquires the spiritual quality. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. That is the sign. Prasannātmā. Na śoc... Prasannātmā. What does it mean, prasannātmā? Na śocati na kāṅkṣati: (BG 18.54) "There is no hankering, and there is no lamentation." Then it is possible to see everyone on the equal level. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu.

Lecture on SB 3.26.29 -- Bombay, January 6, 1975:

This body, material body, is asat. Everyone knows. It will not stay: temporary. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. This body is vināśi, and the dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13), the dehinaḥ, the proprietor of the body, he is avināśi. He is sat, but this body is asat. Asad-grahāt. The śāstra says that sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). This living entity, although part and parcel of the Supreme Being, Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, so why, instead of ānanda, we have got anxieties? Instead of ānanda... Actually, we should have been in ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Just like Kṛṣṇa is before us. He is ānanda, He is enjoying, He is playing on His flute, and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is serving Him, and all the gopīs serving Him. And those who are devotees, they are also trying to assist Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs to give Kṛṣṇa pleasure. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ. All the expansion, Kṛṣṇa—Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs—they are expansion of ānanda-cinmaya-rasa; they are not material. They are all ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). They are also Kṛṣṇa's. Everything is Kṛṣṇa, separated and personal. So these are personal expansion. We are also Kṛṣṇa's. We are separated now in this material... Therefore we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975:

But because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa wants enjoyment, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), ānandamaya, so we part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we also want ānanda. So to remain in the Brahman effulgence is not ānanda. It is eternity only. It is not ānanda. Therefore on account of absence of ānanda, they come down again to enjoy this material ānanda. We have got many experience of persons. The Māyāvādī sannyāsī, they take sannyāsa, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, but after some time they come to take parts in politics. Why? Is (If) jagan mithyā, why you are taking to politics? Because they could not get ānanda. Nirviśeṣa, nirākāra—simply philosophizing, but there was no ānanda. "Therefore let me go to the jail by political activities. There is ānanda." (laughter) Yes, they do practically, yes. So they will take ānanda in the jail, not with Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 3.26.42 -- Bombay, January 17, 1975:

That is God, that by breathing, unlimited number of universes are coming out and going in. And the duration of existence of each and every universe is the duration of life of Brahmā. That we cannot calculate. Even we cannot calculate his twelve hours. So that is God. We accept such kind of God, not a little magician. No. That is not possible. We cannot accept such cheap gods. We accept Kṛṣṇa, the sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1), and we want to be eternal servant. That is our actual position. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). By His unlimited potency, energy, unlimited universes are coming out with unlimited number of varieties of planet, and each planet is differently situated, different atmosphere, different temperature. So in this way varieties. That is ānanda. Kṛṣṇa has created these varieties because He is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānandamaya. Unless there is variety...

Lecture on SB 3.26.42 -- Bombay, January 17, 1975:

So we are part and parcel of that variety-maker. We are also one of the varieties, jīva-śakti. We are also one of the varieties. So how we can become variety-less, nirviśeṣa? That is not possible. Even artificially we try to become nirviśeṣa, variety-less, our constitutional position is that we want variety. How it can be stopped? Therefore in the śāstra it is said, the so-called Māyāvādī, impersonalist, monist, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (SB 10.2.32), although they get up to the position of oneness, monist, but from that position they fall down. Why? Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Because they have no information of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, where to enjoy ānanda, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), and they are by nature seeking after ānanda, this so-called oneness, monism, that will not please them. They will require again ānanda. But because anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ, they have not worshiped Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, they come down again in this material world and worship the feet of māyā. That is their position. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). And as soon as you are engaged in the service of māyā, that is your adhaḥ patanti. Adhaḥ patanti. As we, all these materialistic person who are within this material, you are serving māyā... Everyone is serving. Nobody is without serving. But they are serving māyā. So you have to transfer your service from māyā to Kṛṣṇa. Then your life will be successful and you will taste different varieties of prasādam perpetually and enjoy life eternally and blissfully.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Los Angeles, January 20, 1969:

So you may answer that "Why shall I take so much pains for realizing the Absolute? I can take some pains here for material acquisition, I shall be happy here. I do not..." That answer is also given. Tapo divyam... Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). "My dear boys, you just take to this austerity, life of austerity, for realizing the Absolute, by which your existence will be purified." We began... Because we require this human form of life is meant for being purified. So just like a diabetic patient is advised by the physician not to take so many things—not to take sugar, not to take this, not to take this—that prohibition is meant for his curing. Similarly, here also, if we accept some voluntary pains in giving up our sense gratificatory process, then our existence will be purified. Tapo divyam. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Sattvam means your existence. Yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet. Śuddhyet means becomes purified. Then you may ask "What is the result?" "Suppose if I purify by your prescription." Śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam. Because if you purify your existence, then you get unlimited pleasure. Your life is, you are finding out where is pleasure. That is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Every living entities is fit for enjoying because he's part and parcel of God. Because he part and parcel, he's also enjoyer, although in the minute quantity. But he can enjoy in association with God. So in order to enter into the association of God, he has to purify himself. Yasmād brahma-sau... Brahma, brahma-saukhyam. Brahma means the unlimited or spiritual. Spiritual means unlimited, unending, eternal—the greatest. These are some of the meanings of brahma.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1976:

Life is successful means it is stated here, sattvaṁ śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam (SB 5.5.1). We are, every one of us, we are after happiness, sukham. From sukham it has come saukhyam. That happiness, if we want to continue our eternal life, then we require eternal happiness. Without happiness our life is not worth. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Everyone should be happy, ānandamaya. That is spiritual world.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

So the spirit soul is in this way bound up by the material gross body and subtle body. This is our disease. This is... Material existence means we are suffering from this disease. So in the first verse it was suggested by Ṛṣabhadeva to His sons, "My dear sons," tapo putrakā. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). Our position is... As I explained the other day, we are part and parcel of God. So God's existence is sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ: (Bs. 5.1) eternal, blissful, knowledge. So we are part and parcel. Our knowledge, our blissfulness, our eternity may be very small, but we possess the same quality. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that spirit soul or God... God is the supreme spirit, and we are minute. He is vibhu, unlimited; we are aṇu, very small—molecular or atomic. So quality is the same. So our seeking after eternity, seeking after full knowledge and to remain blissful, that is our nature because we are part and parcel of God.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1970:

The example I have given here in this class many times, that a car, motorcar, is running at seventy miles speed, but if a cyclist catches the motorcar, he can also run on the same speed. So although the cyclist is small... Similarly, although we are small particle... Just like in the fire, these sparks, the particle sparks, we can see they are very small in comparison to the fire, but when the fire and the sparks are together, everything is beautiful. Everything is beautiful. The sparks also looks very beautiful, and the fire also looks very beautiful. So God has become many. Eko bahu syāma. Why? Because as it is stated in the Vedānta-sūtra, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is by nature ānandamaya, joyful. (end)

Lecture on SB 6.1.18 -- Denver, July 1, 1975:

So this purificatory process... Bhakti means purificatory process. We are impure. Because we are impure, therefore we are undergoing so many tribulations, so many miserable condition of life. Otherwise we are spirit soul, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Our position is ānandamaya. Ānandamaya, the Vedānta-sūtra says, ānandamaya..., "By nature, spirit soul is ānandamaya, always full of jolly." You see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is full of jolly. Always you see pictures of Kṛṣṇa, either He is playing with the cowherds boy or either He is killing some demon, He is laughing, very sportively He is killing. And what to speak of with the gopīs and Rādhārāṇī? Because He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), always full of happiness and bliss. And we are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore our position is the same, maybe in small scale. The position is the same, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānandamaya. So why should we be morose? Why should we be unhappy? Because we are now at the present moment covered with the sinful reaction of our life. So if we purify ourself... Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). We have already discussed, or that will be discussed later. The human life is meant for that. Purify. Don't keep yourself unclean. Purify. Then you regain your original, spiritual life. That is the only business.

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975:

They cannot judge that unless in Kṛṣṇa there is ball dance, how this ball dance can be shadow? The variety is there. But unless there is reality, how the shadow... We are after shadow. Shadow is not reality. But there must be reality. And if in the shadow there are so many varieties, so why not reality also full of varieties? The poor fund of knowledge of the Māyāvādī... They cannot understand even that unless in the shadow there are so much varieties, unless there is reality... And in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) "The living entities and the Supreme Being, they are full of enjoyment." Why we are seeking enjoyment here in this mater...? Everyone is seeking after enjoyment. But they are seeking after false enjoyment.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person... We are also. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa we have got the same quality. So you see Kṛṣṇa, He is enjoying with the gopīs, with the cowherd boys, friends, in Vṛndāvana, in the forest, with cows, with calves. This is enjoyment, variety. Zero is enjoyment? No. Zero is not enjoyment. Ānanda mayo 'bhyāsāt. This is the Vedānta-sūtra, that the Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, is simply enjoying. Everything enjoyment. You find Kṛṣṇa always, wherever He is, He is playing on flute with company, either gopīs or cowherd boy or somebody, somebody. This is enjoyment.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- Los Angeles, June 5, 1976:

So, Kṛṣṇa is always joyful. Kṛṣṇa is always joyful. Just like see before you. Kṛṣṇa is joyfully accepting to be bound up by His mother. He is Supreme Lord; nobody can chastise Him, but He is taking pleasure: "How My mother chastises Me." This is also another pleasure. Just like a very rich man, he always eats very nice foodstuff. So sometimes he wants, "Can you give me little puffed rice?" Puffed rice is not very valuable food, but he likes. This is change of variety of enjoyment. So everyone worships God: "My Lord, my Lord, my Lord." So therefore God sometimes wants that "Who will chastise Me?" He selects one of His devotees, first-class devotees: "You become My father, you become My mother, and you chastise Me." This is God's pleasure. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. Then that is God. Ānanda, that is ānanda. Here, Mother Yaśodā is going to bind Kṛṣṇa. It is not His displeasure; He is not unhappy.

Lecture on SB 6.2.8 -- Vrndavana, September 11, 1975:

So therefore this age, Kali-yuga, is the ocean of faulty things. Doṣa-nidhi. Nidhi means ocean. And you will find... Just like unfathomed water in the ocean, Pacific Ocean, similarly, this Kali-yuga is the ocean of unfathomed sinful activities. Kalau doṣa-nidhe. But Śukadeva Gosvāmī said to Parīkṣit Mahārāja, kalau doṣa-nidhe rājan hy asti eko mahān guṇaḥ. In this age this ocean of faults, there is a very valuable thing. That is special concession to these fallen souls of this age. Because Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He is always anxious to deliver us. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham (BG 4.7). He is father. He is the seed-giving father of all living entities. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, mamaivāṁśaḥ. So He is very unhappy. Of course, He cannot be unhappy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). But at least, because we are His sons and we are rotting in this material world for sense gratification, in this way He is very sorry. Therefore He comes and teaches us, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām: (BG 18.66) "You rascal, why you are going here and there? Just surrender unto Me. I will give you..." But still, the rascals will not take.

Lecture on SB 6.2.14 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1975:

So helanam eva vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇaṁ aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ. So some way or other, if we are engaged in chanting the Vaikuṇṭha-nāma Vaikuṇṭha-nāma. Vaikuṇṭha is Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. Vigata-kuṇṭhād yasmād iti vaikuṇṭha. Here in the material world you are always filled up with kuṇṭha, anxieties. And if you go to Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, then there is no more kuṇṭha, full freedom without anxiety. Because even if you realize yourself that you are part and parcel of Para-brahman, when you realize Brahman yourself, not this body, immediately you become jolly. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). There are many sannyāsīs who are brahmavādī. So as soon as they feel "Ahaṁ brahmāsmi," they are no more in anxiety of this material world. And if you increase that—Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān That simple Brahman realization, it is knowledge that "I am not this, but I am that." Neti. But that knowledge will not be sufficient. You have to make progress further because we are by nature ānandamāya. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. Our nature is to search after ānanda.

Lecture on SB 6.2.16 -- Vrndavana, September 19, 1975:

The Absolute Truth, advaya jñāna. There is no duality. He is absolute in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. So Brahman realization means sac-cid-ānanda, simply realization of the sat proportion, eternity. That is Brahman realization. And Paramātmā realization means eternity and knowledge. And Bhagavān realization means eternity, knowledge, and ānanda. Ānandamāyo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). There are three things, if you can reach. But foolish persons, although they are advanced in spiritual knowledge, they do not get the information that behind this Brahman effulgence, behind this Paramātmā realization there is the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. They cannot understand it on account of poor fund of knowledge.

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- Mauritius, October 2, 1975:

People have become mad, pramattaḥ, and doing all sinful activities. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. Vikarma means sinful activities. And why they are doing so? Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti: "Simply for sense gratification." There is no higher aim, only sense gratification. The śāstra says, na sādhu ayam: "This is not good." Why? Because on account of our sinful activities we have already got this painful, miserable, conditioned life, this body, and if we still go on like that, then again we shall get such body and suffering. This is sense. This is jñāna. Every one of us, we are trying to be happy without any suffering. That is the aim of life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). We are living beings, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Our nature is to become happy, pleased, joyful. But this is not the way of becoming happy, joyful, and enjoy pleasure. This is not the way. The way is different. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 7.6.10 -- New Vrindaban, June 26, 1976:

So nidrāhāra, this is spiritual life. This is called tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Spiritual life means purifying our existence. Unless we purify our existence, if we keep ourselves in the material condition, then we have to accept birth and death repeatedly. The human life is the opportunity that we can purify our existence. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). We have to become purified. Nirmalam means completely purified. That is the mission of human life. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1), purify. Why purification required? Because we are after happiness. That is our nature. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Everyone, we want happiness. But we are so blind that happiness in the material world is faced with so many other troubles. Just like I want to be happy, I am sitting peacefully, the mosquito will come and disturb me. The bugs will come, disturb me. The dogs will come, disturb me.

Lecture on SB 7.7.25-28 -- San Francisco, March 13, 1967:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He talked with Rāmānanda Rāya, there was many forms of discussions, how to make oneself perfect. So he recommended so many things. But when he recommended, Rāmānanda Rāya, that sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. We should always remember that this material life is our diseased condition. It is not our healthy life. Because as spirit soul, we are healthy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature we are joyful. There is no question of our being morose, unhappy, diseased. No. Spiritual life, spirit as it is, it is The constitution is blissful, full of knowledge and eternal. That is spiritual life, actual, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). So we are not actually, I mean to say, constitutionally, we are unhappy. Our happiness is our life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. In the Vedānta-sūtra, you'll find that this verse, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. As God is full of joy, similarly, we are also part and parcel of God; we are also full of joy. So we have to treat ourself, how to go that platform of joyfulness. That is explained in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). You can simply become joyful, without any anxiety. When? Brahma-bhūtaḥ: when you understand yourself, when you understand your spiritual existence. That is Brahman Prahlāda Mahārāja analytically, self-analysis.

Lecture on SB 7.7.25-28 -- San Francisco, March 13, 1967:

Well, unless you have got enjoyment, how can you continue your activities? Do you think that in any activity which you, in which you do not feel happy or enjoy, can you continue that activity? No. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness means the more you become active in Kṛṣṇa conscious, the more you become joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That means your real life becomes revealed, joyful life. And as you become joyful, so you are more energetic to work for Kṛṣṇa. That will give you impetus. It is not a dead, stereotyped thing. It is dynamic force. The more you work for Kṛṣṇa, the more you feel energetic, the more you feel light.

Lecture on SB 7.7.30-31 -- Mombassa, September 12, 1971:

Brahma-jñāna means Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), the original form of eternity, bliss, and knowledge. So Brahman realization means eternity realization. And Paramātmā realization means cit, or knowledge. But God realization, Kṛṣṇa realization means sac-cid-ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Supreme Lord is by nature full of bliss. You will see, therefore, Kṛṣṇa always blissful. Kṛṣṇa has no anxiety. Kṛṣṇa is killing a very big, big demon and He is taking pleasure and smiling. You have seen all these pictures in our Kṛṣṇa book, how He is killing the Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Dhenukāsura, Keśī, and so many asuras. Just like a child is playing with toys. And similarly, He is enjoying with His cowherd boyfriends, with girlfriends, gopīs, with His mother, everywhere Kṛṣṇa you will find ānandamayo. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Hawaii, March 21, 1969:

So things have to be organized. People are actually hankering after this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement because it is the natural function of the living entity. It is not artificial. The very, I mean to, vivid example are yourselves. Your contact with me is, utmost, for the last two years, but still, you are taking very serious interest in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Why? Because it is the fundamental necessity. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Every living entity is by nature joyful, spiritually, and because he is materially covered, his joyfulness is hampered. That is the real position. Feverish condition, one becomes sick, attacked by fever—his joyfulness goes away. He becomes sick. Similarly, our natural position is joy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. Kṛṣṇa is joyful. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa; therefore I must be also joyful. That is natural. If my father is black, then I am also black. If my mother is black, I am also black. So our father, the supreme father Kṛṣṇa, is joyful. Don't you see Kṛṣṇa's attitude? Anywhere you see, Kṛṣṇa is joyful. He is not engaged in some industrial work or in some heavy machine making. He is simply playing on His flute. You see? And Rādhārāṇī is there. That is joyful nature. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.

Lecture on SB 7.9.37 -- Mayapur, March 15, 1976:

So spiritual kingdom is beyond this material world made of three modes of material nature, sattva-rajas-tamaḥ. So when incarnation of the Supreme Lord comes... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Kṛṣṇa has given us. We are fallen down from the spiritual kingdom to this material world on account of desiring to fulfill our material senses. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has given us the Vedic literatures. Anādi bahir mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela. This is the statement in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Ataeva kṛṣṇa veda purāṇa karilā. Because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa anadi... Anadi means before the beginning of this creation. The beginning of this creation is called ādi, beginning, but our forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa is anādi. Anādi. Anādi bahir mukha. We are working in this life, in this material world, struggling for existence to get happiness. That is the aim of life. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, we do not know the source of happiness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The ānandamaya-vigraha, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Still, we are searching after ānanda, blissfulness. This is our struggle for existence. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7).

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

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

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the best. Anyone, individually or collectively, you take it. You'll enjoy real life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is real life. And actually, people are accepting. All over the world. Say, four days ago I was in Manila. That was the, my first visit and all young men... In the hotel we held one meeting. The hotel capacity was about eight hundred men. Still, it was overflooded. And they liked this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chanting, dancing. So nice. So it has been proven that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will be accepted in any part of the world. This is India's culture.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 2, 1973:

So the bhakti-mārga means we want real life, eternal life, and varieties also. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānanda cannot... Variety is the mother of enjoyment. Without variety, you cannot feel enjoyment. That is not possible. Suppose if I simply give you a lump of flour. Will you enjoy? But the same flour, you make kacoris, luci, puri, and this and... Oh, you'll enjoy. The ingredient is the same, but when it variety, it is enjoyable. Similarly, spiritual varieties... The impersonalists, they being fed up with this material varieties, they want to make it zero. But that will not help us. In zero we cannot be happy, because we are by nature, we want to enjoy. Enjoy means there must be varieties. The same flour, but you pick up some different varieties of flour and keep it, oh, you'll enjoy. "Oh, it is very nice." Therefore Kṛṣṇa has given so many varieties.

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

So our philosophy is that once going into the ocean, no more coming back. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). That is our philosophy. If we once go in the spiritual world, we do not like to come back. We stay with Kṛṣṇa and dance with Him, or play with Him, or serve with, serve Him as tree, as plant, as water, as cows, as land, as cowherd boys, as father, mother, or as gopīs. This is our philosophy. Once we go to Kṛṣṇa, we live forever with Him in either of these capacities. Let me live at Vṛndāvana in any capacity. It doesn't matter. But live there. Therefore he says that "He further prays that by residing in that ocean of nectar he may always feel eternally continually, without any cessation..." Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). To remain ānandamaya. That is the principle of Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Go on.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 10, 1973:

So this science has to be understood. We are, everyone is after happiness, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). We are spiritual soul, spiritual spark. Our life is ānanda. Sac-cid-ānanda. Eternal life, blissful life, life of knowledge. But we are put into this material condition which is ignorance, miserable and temporary. Just opposite. Instead of having eternal, blissful, knowledgeable life, we have got this body which is non-eternal, non-permanent, and always miserable in condition, and not blissful. Always miserable and always in ignorance.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:

So unless and until we have got a stay in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, which are situated in the Brahman effulgence, then simply in the impersonal Brahman effulgence we cannot stay, because there is no variety. Therefore to enjoy variety, one has to come down again to this material variety. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta, anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Because we are living entities, part and parcel of the supreme living entity, Param Brahman, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, so, as Śrī Kṛṣṇa is by nature joyful, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), similarly we are also joyful. We are also seeking after that joyful life. That joyful life is eternally possible when we dance with Kṛṣṇa, not dance alone or dance with anyone else. So unless we get that position, there is no actually happiness. Because variety is the mother of enjoyment. That is an English proverb.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.7 -- Mayapur, March 31, 1975:

Rāma means who enjoys. So this word rāma is explained in the śāstra that one who is expert in enjoying eternal happiness, he is perfect yogi. Not flickering happiness. Flickering happiness, the yogis are not interested in flickering happiness or material happiness. Material happiness is always flickering, temporary. That is not happiness, but we take it. Real happiness is when we enjoy life with Kṛṣṇa, rāma. That is real happiness. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande. That is ananta. Ananta means unlimited. So our... We are seeking after ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By our nature we want to be very blissful, always happy. That is our nature. And we can possess, revive our nature of eternal happiness, provided we try to get it in this human form of life. There is no difficulty if we follow the path enunciated by great authorities. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). So Nityānanda Prabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Their disciples, they are all mahājanas, great personalities. If we follow their principles, then it is very easy. There is no difficulty. But difficulty is that we do not follow.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.5 -- Mayapur, March 7, 1974:

The Māyāvāda philosophy and Vaiṣṇava philosophy, the only difference is... Although the aim is one, Absolute Truth, but the difference is that they do not accept varieties, varieties of taste. Therefore they fall down. It is not our version, but it is stated in the Vedic literature, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "By severe penance and austerities, these Māyāvādīs, they go up to the Brahman effulgence, but from there they fall down, fall down." Because for want of varieties. You cannot live without varieties. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: "The Absolute Truth is ānandamayo by nature," abhyāsāt. There are the interpretation of the Māyāvādīs of this Vedānta-sūtra, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). But we see that the Supreme Absolute Person is ānandamāyā. Kṛṣṇa, you'll never see without ānanda. He is, I mean to say, taking care of the cows, He's dancing with the gopīs, He's playing with His cowherd boys. Ānandamāyā. These are ānanda māyā. These are the varieties.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.8 -- Vrndavana, March 15, 1974:

So in the Vedas we understand the nature of the Absolute Truth as ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He's ānandamaya, always in pleasure potency. So when Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, wants to enjoy ānanda, so He expands His ahladini-śakti. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). This is Vedic injunction. He has got multipotencies. So when He wants to enjoy, He expands His internal potency, ahlādinī-śakti. That is Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī. Don't think Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī a ordinary girl. No. Then you will mistake. How Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can dance with ordinary girl? No. That is not possible. Cid-vilāsī. He is enjoyer of the internal potency. That is described by Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara.

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

Supreme is there, we are also there. Therefore we are also Purāṇa. And puruṣa. Puruṣa means the tendency of becoming enjoyer. So that tendency we have also got. But we do not know that we can enjoy in cooperation with the Supreme because we are subordinate. Differently, we cannot enjoy. As soon as we make our plan to enjoy life differently with Kṛṣṇa, then we fall under the clutches of māyā. We cannot do that. Therefore we have to revive our consciousness that we agree to cooperate with Kṛṣṇa. That will give us ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. Just like if you want to enjoy your life, some way or other, if you can secure a very nice service in the government, oh, your life is fulfilled. But if you want to enjoy your life separately... The government is all-powerful. If you become a departmental secretary, oh, immediately you get five thousand dollars and everything is all right. Similarly, some way or other, if you can become a secretary of Kṛṣṇa, then your all problems solved. Don't try to enjoy independently. That is māyā. That is māyā.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.118-121 -- San Francisco, February 24, 1967:

So if you remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the cloud cannot touch you and if your former, your original... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). You become always joyful. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati: (BG 18.54) "One who is brahma-bhūtaḥ, he never laments or never aspires anything for material enjoyment." Samaḥ sarveṣu: "And he becomes universal. He sees everyone on the same level: 'Oh, they are my brothers. They are part and parcel of my father. They are my brothers.' " Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

Now, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that brahma is full of six kinds of opulences. Pūrṇa. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa. And ānanda, and full of bliss. There is an English word, I think: "Variety is the mother of enjoyment." Enjoyment, ānanda means enjoyment. Enjoyment cannot be impersonal; there must be varieties. That is enjoyment. You have got experience that when there is a bunch of flower of different colors it is very enjoyable. And if there is only rose only, although rose is very nice flower, it is not so pleasing. With rose, some green foliage, some grass, inferior quality, it looks very beautiful. So when there is question (of) ānanda... Because Kṛṣṇa has got form, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), eternal, cit, full of knowledge, and full of ānanda, bliss. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt, Vedānta-sūtra says. The Lord is ānanda-mayo. This māyā-prātyaya, there is controversy between the Śaṅkarites and the Vaiṣṇavas. They say that māyā-prātyaya... This prātyaya, from Sanskrit verbal root, is affixed in two cases—when there is excess and when there is transformation. So either cases, the ānanda, or the blissful nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is extensive, unlimited. Prācurya. Prācurya means extensive. So ṣaḍ-aiśvarya pūrṇānanda vigrahaḥ yāṅhāra.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that one who has got transcendental form, full of ānanda... Hena bhagavāne tumi kaha nirākāra. And you think of such Personality of Godhead as impersonal, how it is possible? Without being person, there cannot be ānanda anubhava. Just like we are persons. We can feel pains and pleasure. Unless one is person, there is no question of enjoying ānanda. So that is His challenge, that if the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of ānanda, as it is stated in all the Vedic scriptures, especially in Vedānta-sūtra, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt, then how He can be imperson? There is no possibility. And He gives other Vedic evidences also. Apāṇi-pādo javano grahītā, that He has no hand; still, He accepts whatever is given to Him. So there is no possibility of the Absolute Truth's being imperson. He is person. Hena bhagavāne tumi kaha nirākāra.

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

In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says that "These living entities, they are My part and parcels, qualitatively as good as I am." So the Vedānta-sūtra says, "The living entities or God, they are meant for enjoyment." Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature ānandamaya. So "Why I am put into this miserable condition?" This is the questions by intelligent human being. And if he remains satisfied with the miseries of this material life, then he's no better than the cats and dogs. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.112 -- Bombay, November 24, 1975:

Originally the God's potency, Kṛṣṇa's potency—cit-śakti, sat-cit-ānanda. God is sat, eternal; cit, full of knowledge; and ānandamaya. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). You'll never see Kṛṣṇa nirānandamaya. Even if He is killing a demon, He is smiling. That is also ānanda. So the potencies of God, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu-viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā—they are not these ordinary potencies, material potency. Spiritual potency. Viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetrajñaḥ (CC Madhya 6.154). Ksetrajña means jīva. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṣetra-kṣetrajñaḥ. The living soul is kṣetrajña, and this body is kṣetra. Kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānam, yad jñānaṁ tad jñānaṁ mataṁ mama. If anyone understands what is this kṣetra and kṣetrajña and what is their relationship—kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānam—that is jñāna, not this material jñāna. That is spiritual jñāna.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971:

Spiritual entities means by nature, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12); by nature, they want to enjoy life. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. That is the spiritual nature. As Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is by nature joyful, similarly, we being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are also by nature joyful. But unfortunately, we have been put into such condition, material condition, that we are trying to enjoy life in this material condition. That is not possible. So karmīs, they are trying their best to make material adjustments and enjoy life. They are called karmīs. But when they are wiser, that "We have worked so hard, but actually we could not enjoy life. Then what is the problem of life?" that is the platform of the jñānīs and the yogis.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.152-154 -- New York, December 5, 1966:

Anādir ādir govindaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Govinda means... Go means three things. What is that? Go means the senses, and go means cow, and go means land. There are three meanings of go. So He gives pleasure to these three things. Wherever He is present, it becomes blissful, ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta-sūtra says, ānandamaya, always full of... Kṛṣṇa, the reservoir of pleasure. So whenever He is present, in whichever land, in whichever country, in whichever planet He is present, it becomes full of bliss, ānanda. Govinda. And He is playing just like cowherd boy, sixteen-year-boy and playing with cows. His father has got many cows, and He goes to the cows, pleasure trip with friends. That is Kṛṣṇa's business. He is not going to any office or any factory. You see?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966:

Now, even a love extended, so-called love extended, that nationalism, loving the countrymen, loving the humanity, that is also not perfect. We have got practical experience. In our country, in India, Mahatma Gandhi, he loved his country very nicely. He sacrificed everything, and for thirty-five years he simply struggled for the, I mean to say, independence of his country, of his countrymen. But the result was, at the ultimate end, he was killed by his countrymen. After loving so much his country, the result was that he was killed by his country. So in this material world the love is like that. It is never perfect. It cannot be perfect. So Lord Caitanya, taking compassion on these poor fellows, He taught love of Godhead. If you love Kṛṣṇa, then you will feel pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that "Every living creature is searching after pleasure, pleasure." Therefore we have presented this small booklet, that Kṛṣṇa is the Reservoir of Pleasure. If you can love Kṛṣṇa, then you will get pleasure. Otherwise, there is no pleasure. You will be frustrated. This is a fact. If you take it, it is nice. If you don't take it, then that is your misfortune.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.367-84 -- New York, December 31, 1966:

So ekāṁśena, ekāṁśena, this partial, plenary representation of the Supreme Lord, Paramātmā, Viṣṇu, Mahā Viṣṇu, they are also parts and parcels. Viṣṇu parts. Svāṁśa. Viṣṇu, or the Supreme Lord, expands Himself in two ways. One way is Viṣṇu expansion, and the other way is the jīva, these living entities expansion. We are also expansions of the Supreme Lord. Eko bahu śyāma. He alone, He has become so many. And why? What is the purpose of becoming so many? The purpose is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He wants to enjoy Himself with so many. So practically our creation is for enjoying in the company, in the association of the Supreme Lord. But we thought that it is better to become an imitation God and try to lord it over the material nature. That is not possible; therefore we are suffering.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.11-15 -- New York, January 9, 1967:

Everyone loves Kṛṣṇa. Without seeing Kṛṣṇa they are mad. This is the position in the spiritual world. Simply love Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Bhuñje sevā-sukha. And by loving, as we have got a little perverted experience of love affairs, so just imagine when that love is pure and true, how much pleasure there is. So that thing is there in the spiritual world, pure love. And object is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are so much in bliss... That is bliss. That is bliss, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), eternal love with knowledge that "Here is Kṛṣṇa," and ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is perfect stage, lovable object eternal, lover eternal, with knowledge, with eternal life. That is there. In the spiritual world this is going on. They're all in bliss.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.14-20 -- New York, January 10, 1967:

But I am thinking, "I am master." This is called māyā. So one who comes to the senses, he can understand that "I am not master; I am servant because I am constitutionally servant. I am subservient to the Supreme. I am expansion of Kṛṣṇa." Why? Because Kṛṣṇa meant that there would be so many expansions and "They would like to love Me, and I'll be enjoyer." Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Suppose I keep some friends. Suppose I create some disciples. What is the idea? The idea is that we shall enjoy reciprocally. My disciples and we shall talk about Kṛṣṇa, and we shall eat together and we shall chant together. This is the idea.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 Excerpt -- Los Angeles, August 14, 1972:

The material body is different from the spiritual body. That they do not know. So when the Vedas says nirākāra, "formless," that means He has no material form; He has got spiritual form. That spiritual form means full of bliss, ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Vedānta-sūtra. By nature ānandamaya. There is nothing nirānanda. That is spiritual world, always full of bliss, full of knowledge, and eternity. That is spiritual.

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, July 5, 1970:

So actually, who is a fallen soul? Fallen soul means anyone who has taken birth in this material world, he is a fallen soul, never mind what he is. He may be Brahmā or he may be an insignificant ant. Anyone who is within this material world. Because our constitutional position is spirit soul. Spirit means ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), by nature joyful, that is spirit. So because we have been put into some awkward position of this material existence, therefore we are... Although constitutionally we are joyful, we do not find anything joyful. Try to understand this point. In this material world, because we have been encaged with this material body, although our endeavor is to become joyful, on account of this encagement of this material body, we are not joyful.

Ratha-yatra -- London, July 13, 1972:

In the Fifteenth Chapter it is said that the living entities are part and parcel of God. God is by nature joyful. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said about the Supreme Absolute Truth, as ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), by nature joyful. Therefore, as we are part and parcel of God, our aim of life is joy. We are searching after that joyfulness within this material world, but that is not possible. Just like a fish, if it is taken from the water and put on the land, in any condition the fish will never feel joyfulness. Similarly, we are spirit souls. Somehow or other, we have come in contact with this material world. Therefore in this material world we cannot have joyfulness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. This material world is not befitting our spiritual self. Spiritual self requires spiritual joy.

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- London, August 29, 1971:

Rādhārāṇī..., today is Rādhārāṇī's appearance day. So we should try to understand Rādhārāṇī's feature. Rādhārāṇī is the pleasure potency, hlādinī-śakti. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra the Absolute Truth is described as ānandamaya, always in pleasure potency. That ānandamaya potency... Just like ānanda. When you want ānanda, pleasure, you cannot have it alone. Alone, you cannot enjoy. When you are in the circles of friend or family or other associates, you feel pleasure. Just like I am speaking. The speaking is very pleasing when there are many persons here. I cannot speak alone here. That is not ānanda. I can speak here at night, dead of night, nobody here. That is not ānanda. Ānanda means there must be others. So because Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, is ānandamaya, therefore eko bahu syām, He has become many. We are also Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel, to give pleasure to Kṛṣṇa. And the chief pleasure potency is Rādhārāṇī.

Varaha-dvadasi, Lord Varaha's Appearance Day Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 31, 1977:

So our taking the shape of crocodile or boar or something animal that is karma. But that is a horse, real horse is karma but the Gladstone's becoming horse, that is not karma, that is enjoyment. We should understand like that, that when keśava dhṛta-kūrma-śarīra and varāha-śarīra, He's not forced by karma. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti (BG 4.14). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na me karma-phale spṛhā. He is self-sufficient. So, everything His enjoyment. We are also seeking enjoyment because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Kṛṣṇa or His part and parcel, the same quality. Kṛṣṇa is seeking enjoyment, and we are also seeking enjoyment, but we can enjoy together in the spiritual world without any hamper, without any impediment.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Philadelphia, July 11, 1975:

So why one should be disappointed? We say that "You come to the spiritual platform. You will be happy." We want to deliver him from the platform of disappointment. Sometimes one, being very disappointed, he commits suicide. But will anybody recommend that, that "You are so disappointed. Now you commit suicide"? Nobody will do so. So similarly, the skepticism is disappointed. We say, "Why you are disappointed? You come to the spiritual platform, and you will be happy." That is our version. So we are not going to accept his philosophy, skepticism, but we want to deliver him from this fallen condition. That is our mission. He is in false conception, that disappointment. Why? Our Vedic literature says, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The living entity, the spirit soul, is by nature happy.

Initiation Lectures

Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969:

The suffering can be solved by enlightenment of spiritual life, spiritual bliss. That is the way. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. Ānanda means bliss, transcendental bliss. And there is ocean of transcendental bliss. If you want to dip into this ocean, there is chance for you. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Vedānta-sūtra says that we spirit soul, we are by nature full of bliss. That is our nature, ānandamaya. But we have been contaminated by this material affection. So one has to come out of it. That is the process of self-realization, liberation, whatever you call. The process is to come out of this contamination.

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

So my request to you all who are going to be initiated, that you keep always yourself in contact with this chanting and that will make you, I mean to say, able to be always purified, śuci. Material contamination cannot... And you avoid these four principles: illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication of all descriptions. Intoxication does not mean simply liquor. Intoxication means even tea-drinking. Tea is also intoxication, in slight degree. Tea, coffee, cigarettes—everything should be avoided. In India they chew pan. So these things are to be give up, intoxication group, and meat-eating group. Then you make very quickly progress, and by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). After leaving this body, one hasn't got to take another material body and suffer. So long we have got this material body, we have to suffer the material pangs. There cannot be any adjustment. So if anyone is serious for ending all troubles... Everyone wants to live peacefully and happily. That is natural, because spirit soul is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), by nature joyful. He wants to keep himself joyful, but he does not know how eternal joyful life can be attained. That is spiritual life.

Wedding Ceremonies

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

Everyone, every living entity, is by nature hankering after joy, joyful life. That is his nature. Because... Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī, you see. They are also transcendental unity. Kṛṣṇa is representing as a young boy, sixteen years. Similarly, Rādhārāṇī is also a young girl. They are chanting and They are playing on flute and They're enjoying life. They have got Their associates. So it is not dry, but it is highest perfectional stage, in purity. Not in the material modes of passion and ignorance. So everyone is hankering after that pure, joyful life, but he does not know where to get it. That is the defect. That information we are giving. Here is the life. You just try to approach Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and you'll have full life of enjoyment. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is stated that the Supreme Person, the Supreme Lord, is full of enjoyment. He's not morose. He's not old. He is not without a joyful life.

Address at Wedding of Bali-mardana -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1973:

We want to see everyone happy. But they do not know how to become happy. Therefore we are trying to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement that everyone will be happy. Su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). In Bhagavad-gītā it is... Su-sukham; to execute this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very easy. Kartum avyayam: and whatever you perform, it is permanent. Avyayam and su-sukham, very pleasing. There is nothing very painful in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Because Kṛṣṇa is ānanda, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), we are going under the protection of Kṛṣṇa, there must be always ānanda. But people do not know how to enjoy ānanda. They have been put into ignorance. The so-called leaders, so-called politicians, so-called philosophers, scientists, they are simply keeping the people in darkness. So we want to counteract this action of keeping people in darkness.

General Lectures

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

As soon as you realize yourself as soul, then you become immediately free from all anxieties, prasannātmā. Prasannātmā means jolly. Spiritual life means natural joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta-sūtra says that spirit is by nature joyful. So because we are spirit, we are always hankering after joyous life. But because our expression is through this material mind and body, it is not being fulfilled. So as soon as you stand on the spiritual platform, you actually stand on the platform of joyous life. That is the immediate gain.

Lecture Engagement -- Montreal, June 15, 1968:

Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). This will cleanse the status of your mental condition. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. And as soon as you understand yourself, then the whole problem—social, political, economical—everything will be solved. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇam. And gradually you shall realize your transcendental life. Your transcendental life is joyful. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. Transcendental life means always full of joy, joyful. That is our nature. We are hankering after joyful life, but we do not know where to hanker, how to get it. By nature we are joyful. It is said in the Vedānta-sūtra, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) "By nature a living entity is joyful." But my joyfulness is covered by this material understanding. So I have to remove this material understanding; then again I shall become joyful.

Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968:

God, Kṛṣṇa, He's the original person because from the original father, you can take, from whom everyone has come. Therefore He's the oldest. Advaitam acyutam anādim ādyam. Ādyam means the original person. Man is made after God; therefore God is original person. So that person ādyam, acyutam, anādim, nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca means He is always a young man. Just like you are all young men, attractive. Young life is attractive. So that youthful age is always in the spiritual world. And as the youthful means joyful life, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt... (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). All young boys and young girls, they are after joyfulness, but they are being frustrated in this material world. That is the inebriety. The spiritual world means these things are there, but without any inebriety.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 13, 1968:

So everything is spiritual. Background is also spiritual. That is creation of Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahu-śyāma. Just like a painter paints a picture, he makes a nice background. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa wants to enjoy, so He has created us in different varieties to supply His pleasure potency. You see. Eko bahu-śyāma. This Vedic literature says that alone He has many. Why? Just to enjoy. Why? Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He's by nature joyful, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So ānanda does not mean that one. No. Variety. Variety is the mother of enjoyment. So that variety, they're all spiritual.

Class in Los Angeles -- Los Angeles, November 15, 1968:

Baby: Jaya. (cries)

Mother: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: Jaya. Jaya. Jaya. Very nice. The first vibration is jaya. (laughs) (aside:) Your article is out. You have seen it?

Upendra: No, I have not seen it. I heard that it is out.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Very nice article you have... You are feeling all right?

Upendra: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is simply full of bliss. Nobody should become morose. If he's feeling morose, then it is lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the sign.

Northeastern University Lecture -- Boston, April 30, 1969:

Because you are seeking after joy. Because you are originally transcendental, spirit soul. You're hankering after. Your business is to come to that platform of joyfulness. But you are somehow or other put into this material platform. You are not having fulfilled your joy. Just like you belong to this land, and if you are put into the ocean, Atlantic Ocean, however expert swimmer you may be, you cannot be happy. You have to come back to the land. Then you can be happy. Similarly, we are all spiritual souls, spiritual sparks. Just like the sunshine. Sunshine means there are molecular parts of shining principles. Similarly, we are also molecular parts and parcel of God, who is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra... He is full of joy. So we, as part and parcel also, we are full of joy. So unless we come in contact with the Supreme, our joyfulness will never be fulfilled. Therefore we have to come to the spiritual platform if we want to have that full spiritual or full joyfulness, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.

Lecture at Engagement -- Columbus, may 19, 1969:

We must be under the subjugation of some kind of misery. But if you become situated in your spiritual platform of life, brahma-bhūtaḥ, you immediately become joyful, prasannātmā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). And how one becomes prasannātmā? What are the symptoms? The symptoms are also stated, na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he has no more any demand for satisfying the senses, neither he has any lamentation for any loss. This is prasannātmā, joyfulness. That joyfulness is your inherent quality as Brahman, as soul. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. You have heard of the Vedānta-sūtra. In that Vedānta-sūtra you'll find this sūtra, these codes are there. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt brahma. The Vedānta-sūtra begins, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life, this human form of life, is now meant for inquiring about Brahman.

Conway Hall Lecture -- London, September 15, 1969:

The Vedānta-sūtra says, the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman." And the Veda says that ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman. I am not this body. I am spirit soul." And when one understands that he is spirit soul, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), at once he becomes joyful. That is the sign of brahma-jñāna. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. These are the versions of Bhagavad-gītā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. As soon as one realizes that "I am Brahman. I have nothing to do with this material world," his all anxieties immediately finished. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati. In the Vedānta-sūtra you'll also find, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The spirit soul or the Supreme Soul, both of them are ānandamaya. Ānanda means blissful, by nature blissful. Always wants to enjoy. That is the nature of spirit.

Lecture -- Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971:

Here there is no perception of unlimited pleasure. That is not. It is flickering. Rāmante yoginaḥ anante satyānande (CC Madhya 9.29). That is real pleasure. Here the pleasure is like this, that you, somebody is offering that "You take these rasagullās, and after eating rasagullā I shall beat you with shoes." Here the pleasure is like that: "You eat rasagullā and then be beaten by shoes." Perhaps we have got all experience of this. But actual ānanda is brahmānanda, unlimited. Brahmānanda means unlimited. There is no... It is increasing. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. When you get to the... Everyone, we are seeking after ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because Kṛṣṇa is ānandamaya, and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, naturally we are also ānandamaya. But we have fallen in the circumstances where there is no ānanda. Those who are seeking after ānanda, they are under illusion, will o' the wisp. There is no ānanda.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, March 31, 1971:

Without being human being, nobody can perfect his life. Animal, they cannot make perfect his life. It is not possible. By nature they are stopped. But a human being, he can perfect his life. And especially in India there is treasure of knowledge, Vedic knowledge. Why you neglect it? And the summarized knowledge is Bhagavad-gītā. So if we simply try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, we understand immediately the science of God. And because we are all parts and parcels of God, we are actually hankering after uniting with God. That is our seeking. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). God is ānandamaya, and we, being part and parcel of God, or Kṛṣṇa, we are also ānandamaya. But we are seeking ānanda in a different atmosphere, in the material atmosphere. Therefore we are being baffled. The only remedy is that you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you will be happy.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

The Vedānta-sūtra says, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now what is the Absolute Truth? That is the question in the Vedānta-sūtra. The answer is, "The Absolute Truth is that from which everything emanates." Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Now, now, what is that Absolute Truth? Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: "By nature He is blissful." Now try to understand. If the Absolute Truth, God, is blissful, full of enjoyment... Blissful means without enjoyment there is no bliss. Ānandamaya abhyāsa. So we must be blissful. We must enjoy life very nicely. But that is not possible here, because here we are in diseased condition. The proof of diseased condition is that there is birth, death, old age and disease. These are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Every effort is being made here to surpass distressed condition and to reach to the platform of happiness. The whole struggle is there.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

Why people are running by motorcar this way and that way? The background is to be happy, how to become happy. But they are making planning: "I shall be happy in this way. I shall be happy in that way." Just like there is advertisement, "Come on. There are some naked girl pictures." They are inviting, "Come here. You will be happy." So we are planning for happiness. Why? Why you are searching after happiness? Because constitutionally you are happy. Just like when we fall diseased we go to the doctor, physician, to cure the disease. Why? Because constitutionally we are healthy. To remain healthy is our normal life, and to fall diseased condition, that is not normal; that is abnormal. Therefore we go to the physician, take medicine, ask treatment, "How shall I be cured?" Similarly, we are searching after happiness. Why? Because constitutional position is we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, who is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is by nature full of bliss. But our blissfulness has been disturbed. Now we shall have to find out why our happiness has been disturbed so that life after life, we are searching after happiness but we are becoming frustrated. That is our business, not to make the temporary place very comfortable.

Lecture -- London, August 11, 1971:

Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, is enjoying ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, spiritual bliss. Cinmaya means spiritual, and rasa, bliss. That is eternal. We are also particles of that ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta-sūtra says every living entity is ānanda-maya. Nature, living entity's nature is to be blissful, happy, always pleasing, but in our material condition of life we are just the opposite. There is neither pleasure, nor knowledge, nor eternity. But these three things are the symptoms of spiritual existence: eternity, blissfulness, and knowledge. (break) Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare, these names are so sweet that how I can relish the transcendental sweet... (break) ...Rādhārāṇī, but in the Goloka Vṛndāvana, everything—the land, the water, the trees, the flowers, the cows, the cowherds boy, everything—they are expansion of Kṛṣṇa's internal potency, ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37).

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

So sac-cid-ānanda... There is... In the Vedānta-sūtra there is another aphorism, that ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) "By nature the Supreme Absolute Person is ānandamaya." The artistic sense... You are engaged in artistic work just to have a pleasure, ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. That pleasure, rasa, a mellow... By painting one picture, you enjoy some rasa or mellow; otherwise why you are working so hard? There is a pleasure. So Kṛṣṇa is raso vai saḥ. Raso vai saḥ: "He is the reservoir of all pleasure." Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). These words are used. Sat, cit, ānanda. Ānanda means pleasure. His pleasure potency is Rādhārāṇī. You have seen the picture of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So Rādhārāṇī is the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency. He has got, as I have already explained, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). He has got multi-energies, and one of the energy is pleasure potency. That is Rādhārāṇī.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

Vigraha means person, with body. Just like we have got body, similarly, the Absolute Supreme Person has also body. But His body is different from ours. Sac-cit-ānanda-vigraha. His body is eternal. Our body, this material body, is not eternal. Sat cit. His body is full of knowledge. Our, this body, is full of ignorance. And ānanda. He's full of joyfulness. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Supreme Person is always joyful, abhyāsāt, naturally. So our, this body is not ānandamaya; it is, rather, always miserable. Therefore we must distinct the body of the Supreme Person from our body.

Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 23, 1977:

The brahmānu-bhūti is simply negation of this material world. Brahmā satya jagan mithyā. But brahmānu-bhūti is not final. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So simply understanding of our eternity-ahaṁ brahmāsmi—is not sufficient. So that is only appreciation of the eternity portion. And then, if one further makes progress, he... Paramātmā. Paramātmā means cit, cid-āṁśa. And lastly, unless we come to the shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, there is no ānanda. And every one of us-ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). God is also ānandamaya. We, being part and parcel of God, we are also seeking after ānanda. So you cannot get permanent ānanda either by Brahman realization or Paramātmā realization. Unless you come to God realization, Personality of Godhead, there is no ānanda.

Departure Talks

Departure Lecture -- London, March 12, 1975:

So don't be misled by this Māyāvāda philosophy, that you fall into the water. Tohe janame punaḥ tohe visarata (?). They say that "Enter into the Supreme." You can enter, but what is the benefit? You will be again evaporated. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Because living entity by nature is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), by nature they want pleasure, every one of us. Every one of us, we are struggling so hard. Why? To get some pleasure. Nobody is trying so hard to making suicide. Is anybody there in this material world who is working so hard for ultimately making suicide? No. Everyone is trying to become happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Prabhupāda: God has nothing to struggle. He is so powerful that He has nothing to do. That is the Vedic injunction. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. The Vedic description of God is like this, He has nothing to do. That is right because just like a big man, a big leader, a king, personally he has nothing to do. He has got so many servants, secretaries, ministers, soldiers, so why he has got to do anything? So he has nothing to do. That is described in the Veda, na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. There is nothing to do actually. Therefore we see Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa picture, the Supreme Lord He is playing on his flute and enjoying. That is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), that is Vedic description, that God is always enjoying, ānandamaya. He has nothing to do.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 11, 1969, New York:

Prabhupāda: To teach these people that "If you become atheist, then here is disc and club for you." But it is not possible to be displayed in the Vaikuṇṭha. Otherwise, if there is no the propensity of violence... Just like there is sometimes mock fight. A father is fighting in mock with a small child, and he has become defeated. But there is pleasure. So ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Lord is joyful. So there is joy in fighting also sometimes. So your question that everything is there, that is a fact.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- June 30, 1972, San Diego:

Prabhupāda: So come to Los Angeles and stay there for some time. I am going to Los Angeles tomorrow, so you can come. Live with us and you will be happy. We can guarantee you will be happy. Yes. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Our Vedic mission is sarve sukhino bhavantu: everyone be happy. This is our mission. And we know how to become happy. That is our credit. We know. How to become happy we know. Therefore, you can inform others also how to become happy. Happiness is our birthright. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Living entity is ānandamaya, full of happiness, but they have fallen in a different condition. Therefore unhappy. Different condition. Just like fish taken out of the water and put into the land, a different condition, and it is throbbing, flapping, unhappy. Take it, put it in the water again, and it will be happy. That's it.

Morning Walk Conversation -- September 28, 1972, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They want to be really happy, and so they say the...

Prabhupāda: No, you be happy, that is nice, because happiness is our position. According to Vedic civilization, every living entity is by nature should be happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is the nature, to become happy. But if you say that the arrangement of nature is not perfect, then you are fool.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 26, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: As soon you try to kill or attack, then he protests. And there is feeling also. Why? Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Because they want to enjoy the material world.

Prabhupāda: If you say so, then material enjoyment or enjoyment, material or spiritual, it doesn't matter...

Someone: Good morning.

Prabhupāda: Good morning. Thank you. (indistinct) Then every living entity wants to enjoy. And that is the Vedānta-sūtra. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Why they want to enjoy?

Morning Walk -- April 29, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: The animal life the subject matter, a small animal, he's concerned where to eat, where to sleep, where to find my food, shelter. This is their business, no other business. They're not concerned with the biggest thing. But this human form of life is to inquire about the biggest. That includes everything. So next code is: Janmādyasya yataḥ. That biggest thing is the original source of everything, wherefrom everything has come. How to know that? Śāstra-yonitvāt. You have to learn it from the Vedas. In this way, sūtras are given, one after another. What is the nature of that thing? Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In this way, all codes are there. And go on, searching, one after another, you get full knowledge of the greatest, Absolute Truth. This is Vedānta.

Morning Walk -- May 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So all the living entities are completely satisfied.

Prabhupāda: Certainly. Because they are in the spiritual life. That is real life. Here it is covered. There is no such season as winter season, as summer season. Always spring. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), simply ānanda, blissful life of knowledge. What do they know, the scientists, about the spiritual life?

Room Conversation with Educationists -- July 11, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: After nirvāṇa, or material cessation, there is the manifestation of spiritual activities, or devotional service of the Lord, known as Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the words of the Bhāgavatam, svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ: this is the "real life of the living entity." Māyā, or illusion, is the condition of spiritual life contaminated by material infection. Liberation from this material infection does not mean destruction of the original eternal position of the living entity. Patañjali also accepts this by his words kaivalyam svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā vā citi-śaktir iti. This citi-śakti or transcendental pleasure, is real life. This is confirmed in the Vedānta-sūtras as ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This natural transcendental pleasure is the ultimate goal of yoga and is easily achieved by execution of devotional service, or bhakti-yoga. Bhaktiyoga will be vividly described in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā.

Room Conversation with Two Buddhist Monks -- July 12, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: According to Vedānta philosophy, every living entity is searching after delight. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature, a living entity is delightful, but he has been covered by this temporary material covering, and therefore his delightness is perverted. So our philosophy, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy, is that paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you give him better delight, then he can give up this inferior delight of material enjoyment. Otherwise, simply by instructing that "You give up this," it is difficult.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 5, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: ...duḥkha-nivṛtti. Ultimately, stop of all sufferings. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Simply ānanda. Dancing with Kṛṣṇa, rāsa dance. Supposing if there is such life—dancing and eating and chanting, no suffering. So would anybody deny that? Is there any such fool?

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Woman Sanskrit Professor -- February 13, 1975, Mexico:

Prabhupāda: I may tell you two things. The purpose is... That is experienced by every one of us, what is the purpose of life, what is the purpose, anything. That, everyone, we can understand very easily. The purpose is ānanda. Pleasure. That is the purpose. There is no difficulty to understand what is the purpose. The purpose is pleasure-seeking. Or purpose is pleasure. One who hasn't got the pleasure, he's seeking after it. That is the purpose. Purpose is ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is the Vedānta-sūtra. Everyone of us, seeking ānanda. The scientific knowledge, philosophy, or even driving the car or whatever you are doing—the purpose is ānanda. That is a common factor. Purpose is... Why I am eating palatable dishes? I can eat anything, but I am seeking that "This sort of foodstuff will please me." That is ānanda.

Room Conversation with Woman Sanskrit Professor -- February 13, 1975, Mexico:

Prabhupāda: No, first of all, our basic principle is pleasure. So whatever gives pleasure, we accept. That is natural. But in the material world, they take material pleasure, but we are for spiritual pleasure. So as soon as we speak of pleasure, there must be varieties. Without... Variety is the mother of enjoyment. So the only thing is that the material pleasure, that is temporary. It is finished after certain period, and spiritual means eternal. So our endeavor is to transfer ourself from this material pleasure to the spiritual pleasure. But the pleasure is the aim, either in this material world or in the spiritual world. This is... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This is the Vedic... Our position is ānandamaya, to remain in pleasure. But here in this material world, the body is temporary, and everything is temporary. Therefore pleasure is temporary.

Room Conversation with Kim Cornish -- May 8, 1975, Perth:

Kim: In Hindu philosophy, what is the nature of the ātman?

Prabhupāda: Nature of ātman is eternal. Eternity, knowledge and blissfulness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) ātmā is joy, ānanda, blissful.

Morning Walk -- May 14, 1975, Perth:

Paramahaṁsa: So therefore many of these communities that they started back in, about ten years ago, 1960's, they have all folded up because there was nothing to hold them together.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There is no engagement. Therefore we are proposing that eat nicely, live nicely, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the engagement. But they have no such engagement. How they will live? Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Every living entity wants some pleasure, but this pleasure is finished. Therefore athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now they seek... Let them seek out pleasure from Brahmān. So that they do not know. Now the situation is then no monies. Then they will tax. Those who are living, they will be disturbed by taxation. They have no other means. Kara-piditaḥ. Kara means tax, and pidita means disturbed. They will be like that.

Morning Walk -- September 26, 1975, Ahmedabad:

Indian man (4): We like His smiling face too much, Lord Kṛṣṇa's smiling face, always smiling. All forms of God we have seen, but His...

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is always smiling because Kṛṣṇa is ānandamayo abhyāsāt. That is the feature of God. He is ānandamaya.

Morning Walk -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Cyavana: They've made so much propaganda that life is meant to enjoy. Everywhere...

Prabhupāda: Enjoy, but where is your enjoyment? Come to the practical point. Where is your enjoyment? You are simply suffering. That is their rascaldom. They are suffering; still, they say, "I am enjoying." This is called illusion, māyā. Enjoy. That we also say, that we are trying to take you to a certain place, kingdom of God or back..., where you will enjoy. Enjoy... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That enjoy is our aim. But where is your enjoyment here? That is your rascaldom. There is no enjoyment; still, you say, "We shall enjoy."

Room Conversation -- October 4, 1975, Mauritius:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The independence is there. Sometimes people ask, Prabhupāda, that if the spiritual world is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), full of bliss, then how is it that, somehow or another, we've left that blissful situation and come into this hellish...

Prabhupāda: This argument we have talked many times. Everyone knows that out of prisonhouse freedom is there. Why he goes to the prisonhouse? Everyone knows it. Why does he go to the prisonhouse?

Morning Walk -- October 7, 1975, Durban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They put forward the argument sometimes, though, that it is very natural to try to enjoy. Everyone is doing it, so why should we fight the nature? People say like this.

Prabhupāda: You enjoy, but where is your enjoyment? Why don't you see to this? Therefore this is not the way of enjoyment. We say there is enjoyment. Just like a diseased person, he wants enjoyment. How he can enjoy? He is diseased person. It is not possible for the diseased person to enjoy. First of all he has to cure his disease. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). First of all, your existence should be purified by tapasya. Be cured of the disease. Then you'll enjoy. Enjoyment is your right. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is your right, but you are now diseased. Why don't you see to this? You are dying therefore. You are becoming old therefore. This is your disease. That they will not admit.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 5, 1976, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: But if he gave us the material world to enjoy, then why do we have to suffer here?

Prabhupāda: No, no, enjoyments... You do not know what is enjoyment. You suffer. Just like you are voracious eater. You eat and then suffer. Then no eating. That means you are nonsense. You do not know how much to eat. Just like you require little salt with your food, and if you put one ser of salt, then that is your foolishness. Because salt has to be eaten, it does not mean that you bring the whole ocean to make it salty. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1). That is the instruction.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So if you know how to...

Prabhupāda: Whatever direction is there, you take that. The medicine is given. Doctor gives direction. "So many drops you can take." Now you say, "Oh, the good medicine. Let me eat the whole thing. I become cured immediately." Then you die. You have to take, enjoy, but according to direction. God does not say that "You don't enjoy." You are, what is called, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). A living entity means ānandamaya, enjoyment. But that ānanda, where it is permanent ānanda, how we have to reach that permanent ānanda, that is being taught. Otherwise, you foolish, you'll eat the whole medicine and die. That's all. Therefore the varṇāśrama-dharma. Varṇāśrama-dharma means that is real human civilization. There is direction that "You enjoy like this." And if you become mlecchas and yavanas, then you'll not enjoy. You simply suffer. You do not know how to enjoy.

'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Rūpānuga: The characteristic here, Śrīla Prabhupāda says, is that life has specific complex form and activity by nature. So that this activity, complex activity...

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is explained in the Vedānta-sūtra, axiomatic. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature, ānandamaya. And variety is the mother of enjoyment. Unless... Just like these bunch of flowers... When there are varieties of flowers, it becomes a very enjoyable bunches. If you simply bring rose, although it is very valuable, it is not so enjoyable. But when there are small, insignificant leaf also, which is not valuable than the rose, but rose becomes beautiful. That is life. And who appreciates it? When a man is living. A dead man cannot appreciate this beauty. There is beauty. Combination of varieties is beauty, or blissfulness.

Morning Walk -- July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: ...slam the door. The door is secure or not? (break) ...trying to find out that happiness from this body, that is mistake. That happiness is there in the spirit soul, not this body. Happiness is our right. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature, we want happiness. Mistaking, where is the happiness. The living being, he is to enjoy happiness. But they are trying to give happiness to the body, which is dead. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). The body is dead from the very beginning, but they are trying to draw happiness from the dead matter.

Conversation with Prof. Saligram and Dr. Sukla -- July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Devotion means to engage your energy and time for Kṛṣṇa. Anyway you do that, that is utilized. Sarvopādhi-vinir... tat-paratvena. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). So if you can serve Kṛṣṇa by your hand, by painting about Kṛṣṇa, that is service. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, if you hear the chanting, that is also service. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇu, about Lord Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. That is the beginning. Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of pleasure, ānandamayo 'byāsāt. So these things are producing ānanda. If it is in connection with Kṛṣṇa, then it is service. (aside:) So, Pālikā, you can take these fruits, cut into pieces and distribute it.

Room Conversation -- July 7, 1976, Baltimore:

Rūpānuga: ...how you explained that our movement is eternal.

Prabhupāda: Hmm? Yes.

Rūpānuga: Just so they don't think it is only ten years old. (devotees bring in a cake or Prabhupāda distributes, eating, etc.)

Devotees: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: Very nice.

Rūpānuga: It is very heavy cake.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Very nice. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This is the movement of ānanda, pleasure only. Kṛṣṇa is ānandamaya, and if you remain with Kṛṣṇa you'll become ānandamaya. A rich man, he's enjoying, and if you remain in association with the rich man, you also enjoy. Where is the difficulty? A very rich man, and his associates, they are also rich men. Is it not? And if you remain with poor man, you are also poor.

Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Bhūgarbha: He says Christianity says the same thing. Not the Christianity of today, but original Christianity said the same thing.

Prabhupāda: Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This is the Vedānta. We are, as spirit soul, being part and parcel of the Supreme, ānanda is our goal, ānanda, blissfulness. But that blissfulness, you cannot get simply by understanding sat-cit. You must come to the platform of ānanda. That is Kṛṣṇa. So because these so-called jñānīs, they do not get ānanda, they do not have the entrance into the ānanda platform, they come to this material ānanda, this material pleasure. Therefore they take to this hospitality or opening a school or philanthropic work, another type of this material pleasure.

Room Conversation -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: This material rasa is the perverted reflection of that cinmaya-rasa. So we have to get ourselves nil of all these material rasas and we have to be situated in the cinmaya. Then our, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Then our life is perfect. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Rasa is there. Here perverted reflection. This perverted reflection... My Guru Mahārāja used to say to taste milk in white lime water. White lime water, it looks like milk. But it is not milk. It is different thing. Similarly, we are trying to taste the rasa of milk in lime water. Therefore we are baffled.

Room Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Everything is being done by superior arrangement. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). People should learn all these things by practical example instead of becoming irresponsible and without any obedience to the superior law. They should learn it, but they have no intelligence. They think, "We are all free." Wherefrom the monkey is coming, why there are so many varieties of life, how it is...? What do they know? Nothing. All bluff, vague explanation and that is going on in the name of science. This is the position. All rascals. Fortunately we have got this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. All knowledge. First-class knowledge. (break) ...eternally-enjoyment. For him everything, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Everything ānanda. He has no such thing that this is harmful, that this is useful. That is Kṛṣṇa. Because nobody can do harm to Him and neither in the spiritual world, anyone is harmful. Everyone is advanced devotee. Even the tigers, they are also devotees.

Room Conversation -- November 13, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Take prasādam, see drama, read books, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Bas. And if you like, you can live with us. So where is the difficulty? Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā (Bs. 5.37). (pause) That American politician has predicted that "This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, within ten years, they will capture our government." (laughs) So do it actually. Then it will be very nice. It is not... Simply take the people in your favor; the government is yours. That they are afraid of. The young boys, they are taking Hare Kṛṣṇa movement seriously, so the government can be changed in their favor. After all, it is democracy. So you can do it. You become president. You become senator. In America it is possible.

Page Title:VS 1.1.12 ananda-mayo bhyasat... cited
Compiler:Visnu Murti, JayaNitaiGaura, MadhuGopaldas, Rishab
Created:07 of May, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=3, SB=5, CC=4, OB=4, Lec=162, Con=26, Let=0
No. of Quotes:204