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Youth (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"youth" |"youth's" |"youthful" |"youthfulness" |"youthhood" |"youths" |"youthtime"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- Caracas, February 23, 1975:

Exactly like the state law, you may have faith or no faith; you must accept it. Otherwise it will be forcibly imposed upon you. So dharma, as it is explained in English dictionary, "a kind of faith," that is not proper meaning. Dharma means that you are obliged to obey the laws given by God. Just like our material condition, birth, death, old age and disease. So one may say that "I do not believe in death. That is false." You may believe or not believe; you have to die. Similarly, one may believe or not believe; he has to take birth. Death means to give up this body and accept another body. That is very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Just like a child. He must accept the body of a boy. The boy, he must accept next the body of a youth, and the youth must accept the old man's body. This is the law of God. You must accept it. And just when this body is no more practically usable, then you have to accept another body and begin a new life. This is the law of nature, or the law of God. Nature is dull, material. Nature cannot work automatically without the incentive or manipulation of God behind nature. Foolish people think that nature is working automatically. That is their ignorance. Nature is working under the direction of the Supreme Lord. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā,

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
(BG 9.10)

Lord says that "Under My superintendence the material nature is working, and therefore so many wonderful changes are going on." So nature is working under the order of the Supreme Lord, and we are under the stringent laws of nature. Therefore we are obliged to carry out the natural sequences.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- Caracas, February 23, 1975:

Lord says that "Under My superintendence the material nature is working, and therefore so many wonderful changes are going on." So nature is working under the order of the Supreme Lord, and we are under the stringent laws of nature. Therefore we are obliged to carry out the natural sequences. Just like I already explained, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, youthhood to old age, these are natural laws. And after mature old age, you have to change this body and accept another body. So if we say that "I have no faith in the orders of the material nature. I avoid it," that is not possible. So therefore this dharma means you may have faith or may not have faith; you have to abide by the laws of nature. People therefore say, "As sure as death." I may think or you may think that "Don't care for death. There will be no death," but it will happen. Therefore the conclusion is that you cannot manufacture any laws of religion.

Man-made religion has no value. So man-made religions, there are so many religious system, the Hindu religion, Christian religion, Mohammedan religion or this religion, that religion. That is a kind of faith. But religion means the order or the laws given by God. Therefore here it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra. Kaitavaḥ means cheating type of religious system. Real religion means "God is there. I am there. God is great. I am subordinate. I must abide by the laws of God." This is religion. At the present moment, under the spell of illusion in this material condition, we have forgotten our real religion. Real religion means to revive our consciousness—we say, "Kṛṣṇa consciousness"—or God consciousness, by which we agree to abide by the laws of God. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā at the end, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He says that "You have manufactured so many religious system. So you give up all these. You simply surrender unto Me." Therefore real conclusion is, real religion means, to surrender unto God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Visakhapatnam, February 20, 1972, At Ladies Club:

As dehāntaram, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, is dehāntaram, another body, similarly, old man, when the body is very old, it cannot be used anymore, or the supply ingredients is almost finished, then this body we give up; we accept another body. Now this body we are changing from multiforms of bodies, jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati kṛmayo rudra-saṅkyakāḥ, in this way 8,400,000 species of body we are changing. And this human form is the greatest benediction for the soul to understand Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says if in this body we try to understand Kṛṣṇa, janma karma me divyam yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9), if we simply to understand Kṛṣṇa, how Kṛṣṇa comes, what is His business, paritrāṇāya sādhunaṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtaṁ dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya (BG 4.8), what kind of religious principles He re-establishes, sambhavāmi yuge yuge...

So these things are explained very nicely in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone in India knows Bhagavad-gītā, and not only in India, throughout the whole world Bhagavad-gītā is very well known and widely read book of knowledge. I have traveled all over the world. In every country there are different language, translations of Bhagavad-gītā, and in Japanese countries there is Bhagavad-gītā, in Muslim countries there is Bhagavad-gītā. So Bhagavad-gītā is the universal book of knowledge, and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on this Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Melbourne, April 3, 1972, Lecture at Christian Monastery:

Oh, yes. Why not? Just like I had my small body. Then I had greater body, another body, another body. So every moment there is incarnation, reincarnation, every moment. That is medical science opinion. We are changing our bodily condition, material condition, but I am existing. Therefore, as I have passed over my childhood body to be incarnated into boyhood body, from boyhood I have reincarnated in a youthhood body. From youthhood body I reincarnated my old body. Similarly, after leaving this body I must have to accept another body. That I have already explained. Just like we change our dresses. So soul is eternal; the body is not permanent, temporary, and there are 8,400,000's of different types of bodies. We are migrating or transmigrating from one to another. This business, if we want to stop... Because we are eternal, our aims and object should be to attain that eternal status. That we can attain by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the movement. We are giving information to everyone that "If you want your eternal life, blissful life, life of knowledge, then you take to this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and you'll have it."

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

They do not know. That is indicated, that I am... Because I have been described, I am the soul. I am not this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Within this body there is the dehī. Dehī means the proprietor of this body. So that dehī, he is, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, he is changing from one body to another. One body... Just like we have got experience in this life also, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. As we are changing, past and present, therefore after this body is annihilated, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), I am not annihilated; I take another body. That body... What kind of body? That will depend on my work. Just like we become diseased. As we infect certain type of disease, we suffer from that disease. This is practical. Nature's law is there. If you infect some disease, you will have to suffer from that disease. Similarly, as we are creating our mentality by different types of activities, our next life will be according to that mentality. This is the law of nature.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:

There is no necessity, necessity of becoming anxious, "Where is food? Where is food?" Every arrangement is there. Our only business is how to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how to know Kṛṣṇa. And if you simply in truth, if we try to understand Kṛṣṇa, our all problems are solved. Especially this problem, this repetition of birth and death. This is solved. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). And that is the main problem.

So our request is that everyone may take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement without any hesitation. This is authorized movement and approved movement, and people are accepting all over the world. Unfortunately, in India, they are lacking. I must admit that as the younger generation from other countries, they're enthusiastically join, or joining, our Indian youths are not joining in that way. But we require so many preachers, so many young men, to preach all over the world this sublime movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People are accepting. Even in Africa, who are supposed to be uncivilized, they are also accepting. Everywhere. There is no impediment. Ahaituky apratihatā. People are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. You'll be surprised to know that I was going from London to Nairobi, Africa, and our plane stopped for forty-five minutes in Athens, and as soon as we dropped down, some young men there, in Athens, Greece, they immediately began to chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa."

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

So tattva-jijñāsā. This life is meant for tattva-jijñāsā. Not a single moment should be wasted if we actually want to save ourself. But we do not know what is saving. We do not know, even we do not understand the very first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā: tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). A sane person should be inquisitive: "Now I was a child; I got a baby's body. Now, from baby's body, youth's body. From youth's body, now I've got this old, old age body. Then what is next? What is next?" This is the natural inquiry. And the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā in the beginning, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. You'll have to accept another body. The nāstika, they say that "There is no, no more life." Just like Professor Kotovsky, when I was in Moscow, he said, "Swamiji, after the annihilation of the body, there is nothing. Everything finished." Just see. Now, Kṛṣṇa says that na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin na hanyate. Now, shall I accept Professor Kotovsky's statement or Kṛṣṇa's statement? Which shall I accept?

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

Of course, according to our Vedic civilization, we have to accept the authority. All our ācāryas, those who are practically conducting the Vedic civilization or Hindu civilization, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Śaṅkarācārya, everything, everyone says there is life. Śaṅkarācārya says, bālās tāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ(?): "Oh, the boys..." He is going as a sannyāsī, passing through the street. He sees, bālās tāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ: "Oh, the boys are engaged in playing." Bālās tāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ. "And the young men, they are after young girls." Bālās tāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ, and vṛddhāś cintā-magnāḥ, tāvat taruṇās tāvat taruṇī-raktāḥ(?). I was just forgetting the words. Taruṇa means young man. Young man, he is after some young girl, or young girl is after some young man. So childhood is being spoiled by playing, and youthhood is being spoiled by searching after the opposite sex, and old man, vṛddhās tāvat cintā-magnāḥ. And old man is thinking, "Now I could not do so, I could not situate this boy into right position. The girl is still unmarried. Now I am going to die." So many things, thoughts. Parame brahmaṇi ko 'pi na lagnāḥ(?). "And nobody is interested with Para-brahman." This is the world. He is thinking of so many things for others' benefit. He does not know his own benefit, that after death he is going to change his body. He has to accept another body. His chapter will begin a new history. "Now, what kind of body I am going to accept?" That he does not know. Therefore he is called abodha-jāta, fools. So therefore in his ignorance, whatever he is doing, parābhava, simply defeat. Simply defeat.

Lecture on SB 1.3.17 -- Los Angeles, September 22, 1972:

The spirit soul is never born, never dies. It is the body, material body, that takes birth and dies. But spirit soul remains. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). He transmigrates to another body, just like we are transmigrating from one body to another. There are so many children here. Now they are doing so many things foolish, but we enjoy because we know that this body is foolish body. Nobody grudges if a child does something which not to be done. Just like most children, they are chewing their thumb, but if you do that, that cannot be allowed. Because your body is different, and his body is different.

So these rascals, they do not understand the simple truth, that this body is different from my..., from the body of a youth or boy. They are different bodies. They are thinking the body is growing. The body's not growing. Body is changing. Just like in cinema, photograph, you see some body is moving, but that is not moving. That is different body changing, the photographs. But because it is shown so swiftly, we see that one body. As soon as the machine is stopped, the body is stopped. Immediately. We have experience. So these bodies are different bodies. Otherwise, a child does so many things foolishly and the elderly boy or a youth, he does not do so. Because the body is different. Why do they not understand? This is called ignorance. The body is different. Similarly, as everyone has got past, present and future... You are all young men. You had your past. You had a child's body or boy's body. In future you will get a body like me, aged. Similarly, I had my past. I was, I had a youth's body. Now I have got aged body. Then why not future, another body? This is very common conclusion. And it is given, it is confirmed. Not that we are imagining. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. As the child is changing body to boyhood, boy is changing body to youthhood-dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13)—and the youth is changing body to old age body, similarly, the old also will change the body, again will get a small baby's body and again, again. That is the way of nature.

Lecture on SB 1.3.25 -- Los Angeles, September 30, 1972:

In this way... This is called sandhyā, junction. I have already explained that junction means day and night. Day passing, night is coming, that is called junction. Morning passing, noon coming, that is another junction, meridian. So early in the morning and during sunset and in the middle, joining of noon, morning and noon, these are called tri-sandhyā. Tri means three. Three kinds of junction. So everyone has got this tri-sandhyā of his life. Just like in our life. When we were babies, children, that is the beginning. Say, up to fifteen years, sixteen years, that is one portion, sandhyā, junction. Then another junction, youthhood; then another junction, old age. This is the nature's way. There must be three periods of anything material.

So this Kali-yuga has already begun. So in the beginning sandhyā, junction, Lord Buddha's description is given already. Lord Buddha will cheat the atheist class of men. God is very kind. So sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24). Those who are atheists, just to bewilder them: "Yes, there is nothing after death, it is all zero, but you worship me," Lord Buddha said. "Yes, sir, we shall worship you." So the only business, God's business is, "This rascal may some way or other worship Me." Because they are rascals. So here Lord Buddha by policy induced them to worship Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha is incarnation of God. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra. His philosophy is "No, there is no God, but you worship me." But the policy is to worship God. But they do not know. They are thinking that "We are worshiping somebody, some great soul," but he does not know that he is God, incarnation of God.

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

There is spiritual body. That we do not know. There is no education. We have got spiritual body. That spiritual body is covered by this material layer. Just like your body is covered by shirt and coat, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Everything explained. We are simply giving up. One dress is now old and rotten; we throw it away and accept another dress. Similarly, this body, when it is not workable—it is old enough; the physiological function is not going on nicely—then there is change of body. Arjuna was advised that "Why you are lamenting for your old grandfather? Better kill him. He will get a new body. He will get a new body." Of course, it was spoken jokingly because grandfather... So, but the fact is that. Fact is that, that the, after the old body... Just like we have got several types of body: babyhood to childhood, child to boyhood, youth-hood, old body. Then after this, he is... Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). When we give up this body as dress, old and rotten, we get another. This is going on. But this is anartha. Anartha means unnecessarily we are undergoing this change of body. Anartha. If you want to stop it anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt, directly, immediately, what is that? Bhakti-yogam. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6). And Kṛṣṇa also confirms. This is statement of Vyāsadeva, and Kṛṣṇa also says,

māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
(BG 14.26)

So, bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. This is real purpose of life. This is real purpose of religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). The same thing. That is first-class religion. It doesn't matter what kind of religion you are following, but if the religious system teaches you how to become a devotee to Adhokṣaja-adhokṣaja means beyond our sense perception, the Supreme Lord—then your life is perfect. Then you will be happy.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Los Angeles, April 24, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is described here as Aja. Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Ajo 'pi. "I am unborn." Yes. Kṛṣṇa is unborn. We are also unborn. But difference is that we have been entangled with this material body. Therefore we cannot keep our position as unborn. We have to take birth, transmigrate from one body to another, and there is no guarantee what kind of body you are going to get next. But you have to accept.

Just like we are accepting in this life one body after another. The child is giving up his childhood body, accepting the boyhood body, The boy is giving up his boyhood body, accepting youthhood body. Similarly, this body of old age, when giving up, natural conclusion is that I will have to accept another body. Again childhood body. Just like there are seasonal changes. After summer, there is spring, or after spring there is summer, after summer, there is fall, there is, after fall, there is winter. Or after day, there is night, after night, there is day. As these, these are cycles one after another, similarly, we are changing body one after another. And natural conclusion is that after changing this body I'll get another body. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

This is very logical and supported by the śāstra and spoken by the greatest authority, by Kṛṣṇa. And why should you not accept it? If you don't accept, that is foolishness. If you don't think that there is no life after death, that is foolishness. There is life after death. So because we are accepting one body after another since time immemorial, we cannot think of that there is life eternal. It is difficult for us.

Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Mayapura, October 16, 1974:

Devotee: Youth.

Prabhupāda: Yes. What is the Sanskrit name? Yuvakas tāvad yuvatī-raktaḥ,(?) that "Young men, they are busy working very hard: 'Where is woman? Where is woman? Where is that girl? Where is that girl?' " He's also busy. The boy is busy, and the young man, he is also busy, love affairs, to find out a suitable mate. Similarly... Yuvakas tāvad yuvatī-raktaḥ. And after young life, when one becomes old, vṛddhas tāvad cintā-magnaḥ: "The old man is full of anxiety, absorbed in thought, 'How to do it, how to do that? It is not...' " In this way everyone is busy. Parame brahmaṇe ko 'pi na lagnaḥ: "Nobody's interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." This is the difficulty. That they do not know. They... That the... "This human life, we are working so hard..." Just like we have taken this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are also working very, very hard to collect money and to construct temple and to educate people. This is also working hard. But we have got an aim. It is not without aim. Theoretically or practically, we have accepted it that if we can please Kṛṣṇa, then our future is hopeful. We have got some hope. But what these people have got hope, these karmīs? They have no hope. Simply wild goat chasing, that's all. They do not know what is the aim of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know the real aim of life is to satisfy Viṣṇu, svārtha-gatim. Yajña.

Lecture on SB 1.8.51 -- Los Angeles, May 13, 1973:

So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is very much repentant: "I have killed so many men, and they are, some of them are father, some of them are brother, some of them are sons, some of them are husbands of the women. And because I have killed them, now this woman class, they have become friendless." So he is... Just see how much he is aggrieved, thinking of the condition of the woman. And people accuse that India, woman are considered just like slaves. Just see. The king is thinking of woman so seriously, and is it a fact that in India woman is taken as slaves? Who cares for the slaves? So much anxiety. And that is king. Yes. A king shall give protection to everyone, especially those who are helpless.

So woman is protected in childhood by the father, and when she is grown-up girl, youth, although the father is ready to give her protection in every respect, but she has developed by that time sex desires. Under the circumstances, it is the duty of the father to hand over the girl to a nice young boy to take her protection. This is marriage. Kanyā-dāna. According to Vedic system, kanyā, means daughter, is given in charity. To find out a suitable... Practically, I'll say, in our childhood age, my sisters were married between nine to twelve years. My eldest sister was married when she was nine years old, before my birth. She is the eldest. And my second sister was married at the age of twelve, twelve years. And my third sister was married at the age of 11 years. So by the (indistinct) 12 years, the marriage must be finished. That was the duty of the father. I remember, because my second sister was going twelve years, my mother said to my father that "I shall go to the river and commit suicide. The daughter is not married." (laughter) You see. The father was very sorry, "Yes, I am trying. What can I do?" (laughter) And then next generation, when my... I was also married man, you know. I was married when my wife was only eleven years old. And at the age of fourteen years she gave birth to first child. And next generation, when my eldest daughter was married at the age of sixteen years—it is little increased—but I was also very much upset that the daughter is sixteen years old.

Lecture on SB 1.13.11 -- Geneva, June 2, 1974:

Unless there is some interest for my personal benefit, I cannot become your suhṛt. This is material suhṛt. But spiritual suhṛt is different. Spiritual suhṛt means everyone is suffering for want of spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore attempt should be made so that everyone becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is spiritual suhṛt.

We are now entangled. Actually, our position in this material existence is not very good. Everyone sees it practically. Still, they want to adjust, "Let us make it good. Let us make it good." That is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), again and again chewing the chewed. Just like generally a father, especially here in India, he wants that his son may be well-situated. Therefore we don't get Indian youth very much, because the father and mother settles them. What is that? Get them married and give them some earning capacity, either by service or business. So he becomes satisfied, "This is the end of life." Gṛhamedhi. Just "Now I am married. It is my duty to stick to the gṛha and enjoy senses, that's all." Gṛhamedhi. Sacrifice for Kṛṣṇa, brahmacārī, sannyāsī... Sannyāsīs have become rogues. And there is no brahmacārī nor vānaprastha. Therefore it is very difficult to get Indian workers. They have no... Your qualification is—I told in the beginning—that you have got a renouncing spirit. That is a great qualification. Tyāga. Renunciation is opulence also. Kṛṣṇa, six opulences. One of the opulence is renunciation. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47), jñāna-vairāgya. Vairāgya means renunciation. You have enough of this material enjoyment. You have enjoyed. Or you have seen that there is no actually profit. Therefore you are in a spirit... That is natural. That is natural. If one has enjoyed very much, the next stage will be renunciation. This is natural. So because you have got a renouncing spirit, you are understanding or taking Kṛṣṇa consciousness very nicely, at least, very eagerly. Jñāna-vairāgya. That is required. This vairāgya then... I therefore sometimes like these hippies because they have a spirit of renunciation. That is very good position. Simply they require jñāna, or knowledge. Then their life will be successful. To bring one to the platform of renunciation, that is a very difficult job. Especially when one has got nice wife, nice home, nice bank balance, it is very, very difficult.

Lecture on SB 1.15.20 -- Los Angeles, November 30, 1973:

Just like if somebody attacks woman... Any young man, when he has got sixteen years old, he can attack any woman. But a woman, even though she is sixteen years or eighteen years or twenty years, she becomes immediately victim. So abaleva. Even the woman is higher in age, still, she cannot protect. Therefore woman requires protection. Woman requires protection. According to Vedic culture, woman has no independence, because they cannot keep their independence. It is not possible. A sixteen-year-old boy can go safely all over the world, but a sixteen-year girl cannot. That is not possible. By nature, they are weak. So they require protection. And until she reaches youthhood, she is protected by the father. As soon as she reaches youthhood, she is given to a young man, her husband, to give protection. And in old age, she is protected by the elderly sons. This is the Vedic culture. They have three phases of life: childhood, youthhood, and old age. So... Because they are weak. In the Western countries, the women are given freedom like man, but that is unnatural. Unnatural. Therefore these poor souls are being exploited by the other section. It is a great deficiency of the Western sociology.

But the Vedic culture is different from this. Woman is not given independence. And generally one man marries more than one wife. That is Vedic culture. Just like see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has 16,108. That is allowed. Kṛṣṇa was Personality of Godhead. He could maintain... Why sixteen? Sixteen millions wife. That is not difficult for Him. But even ordinary man, kṣatriyas especially, they used to marry more than one wife. Still. Not only wife, but one wife, one princess is married, and along with her, hundred, two hundred maidservants, they will go with the king. Just like when Vasudeva was married to Devakī, some hundreds of maidservant was given with. So women... The conclusion is that women are weak. They should be given protection. They should not be ill-treated. Just like a father gives protection to the children. It does not mean it is ill-treatment. There is no question of. But protection. Otherwise, abaleva, they can be victimized by any man, powerful, because man is powerful.

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

Those who are mad, they do not see that everything they possess will be vanished. It will not stay. He'll be vanished, his body will be vanished, everything. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api (SB 2.1.4). Asatsu api. All these things are temporary, but I am eternal. They do not think very seriously that "I am eternal, and I am engaged with temporary things. Now, what is my eternal business?" They do not know. That they do not know. This is called foolishness, mūḍha.

But you are eternal. About you, you have heard from the śāstra, and you are experiencing that "I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man. So my body, childhood body, boyhood body, youthhood body is gone. This body is not that body." Nobody can say, "I have got a different body." But I know that I had a childhood body, I had a boyhood body, youthhood body. That I know. So I am eternal, and this body is not eternal. It is changing. It is very simple thing. Why people cannot understand it? Very simple. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam, antavanta ime dehāḥ. This is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā. This body is antavat. It will be finished. But that thing which is spreading all over the body, avināśi, that will not be annihilated. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. That consciousness, the consciousness is spread all over the body, and Kṛṣṇa says that that thing which is spread all over the body, consciousness, that is immortal.

Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:

This kalinā... We are reading kalinādharmeṇa. Kalinā adharma. The two are mixed together becomes one, a sandhi. Kalinādharmeṇa. So kali. Kali means quarrel, unnecessarily quarrel. Kali... Kalinā, "by the age of Kali." This is the age of Kali. There are four ages-Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali-degrading, gradual degrading. This nature's way is to degrade. That is the nature's way, time factor. Just like you construct a very nice house today, good looking, fresh, but by ages it will become old. Your body, my body, in youthhood it is very beautiful, and in due course of time it will be ugly like me. So this is the work of the time. Similarly, nature's way, there are four ages: Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Kali-yuga. Seasonal changes.

So in Satya-yuga, the religious principles are followed strictly, cent percent. That is called Satya-yuga. And Tretā-yuga, twenty-five percent reduced. That means seventy-five percent religious principles and twenty-five percent irreligious. And the Dvāpara-yuga, fifty-fifty: fifty percent religious and fifty percent irreligious. And the Kali-yuga, seventy-five percent irreligious and twenty-five percent religious, gradually reducing to nil—no more religion. Then finished. Then there will be devastation. Again Satya-yuga will begin. This is the way of change of Satya-yuga-Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. The duration of Satya-yuga is about eighteen hundred thousand of years. Eighteen hundred thousands of years. Hundred thousand. Eighteen hundred. Similarly, Tretā-yuga, about twelve hundred thousands of years. Similarly, Dvāpara-yuga, eight hundred thousands of years. And Kali-yuga four hundred thousands of years. This is the beginning of Kali-yuga. Out of four hundred thousands of years, we have passed only 5,000 years. Not only 400,000, 432,000's of years. There is regular calculation in the Vedic śāstra. So out of that, we have passed 5,000 years. That Kali-yuga has begun just after the Battle of Kurukṣetra. So we have passed only 5,000 years of this Kali-yuga. There are still balance, 427,000's of years, still balance.

Lecture on SB 1.15.49 -- Los Angeles, December 26, 1973:

If you are in the passion modes, then you stay here in this middle planetary system. And jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Those who are in the most abominable condition of life, adho gacchanti, they go down. Not only the down planetary system, but even to the animal kingdom, the beasts, birds, trees, plants, aquatics. You have to go.

After all, you have to change this body. Change... This is... Bhagavad-gītā says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As we are changing this body from childhood, from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood... This is practical. You are not the same body as you had your body in the womb of your mother. That body is gone. Now daily changing; every moment we are changing body. Advancing age means I am changing body, you are changing body. So it is very easy to understood that we are changing our body. But I know, you know, every one of us, that "I had such and such body." You remember that you had a child's body. You were playing like that. When you see another child, you say, "Oh, I was also a child like him, and I was doing like this." But where is that body? That is gone. Now you have got another body. This example is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. So as you are changing body, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), similarly, after giving up this body, you have to accept another body. This is the logic, and any sane man can understand.

Lecture on SB 1.16.7 -- Los Angeles, January 4, 1974:

So they are very fierceful. So at the time of death this Ajāmila saw fierceful creatures, very odd-looking. So he was very much afraid, "Who are they?" So he thought, because he was very much affectionate to his youngest child... So his name was Nārāyaṇa. He called him, "Nārāyaṇa, please come here. I am very much afraid." But just see the power of chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa. He immediately become eligible to go to Vaikuṇṭha. He did not mean Nārāyaṇa also isn't said. But Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, he gives his commentation that he remembered real Nārāyaṇa after reference to the context. When he called for his child Nārāyaṇa, he remembered real Nārāyaṇa. Because in his boyhood, when he was... Up to his youthhood, he was very sincere devotee of Nārāyaṇa, a son of a brāhmaṇa. But he fell under the clutches of a prostitute. Therefore, after mixing with the prostitute, his all spiritual activities stopped. That is natural. So he became too much inclined to the prostitute, and he became a drunkard, he became a thief, he became a gambler, meat-eater, and debauch. All these qualifications he acquired, by the association of one prostitute. And in this age our only business is to mix with prostitute. Just see our position. How much fallen they should be. There is open market for prostitution. This is modern civilization. By the association of one prostitute... Ajāmila was a brāhmaṇa's son, very regulated, following all the rules and regulation. But as soon as he associated with a prostitute, he became fallen down. So this man remembered Nārāyaṇa. According to Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, he supports that simply calling the name of his son was not sufficient. He remembered Nārāyaṇa. But according to śāstra, that Nārāyaṇa, the holy name of the Lord, if one chants even neglectfully, he also gets the chance of being liberated. That's a fact.

Lecture on SB 1.16.19 -- Hawaii, January 15, 1974:

They'll spend their hard-earned money during the marriage ceremony of their son and daughter. But in this age, gradually, it is said, svīkāra eva codvāhe. Udvāha means marriage, taking the charge of the girl. The boy takes charge of the young girl from the custody of her father. This is marriage. Woman, according to Vedic civilization, they are not recommended freedom. They should be taken care just like children are taken care of. You cannot give independence to the children. That is not possible. Then it is not good for them. Similarly, woman also should be taken care of. They should not be given freedom. That is not good for them. They should be protected by the father in childhood, by the husband in youthhood, and by the grown-up children in old age. Three stages. But in this age, women are trying to take independence of father, husband or children. That is not good. That is described in the śāstra.

So so many symptoms are described, but at the end the remedy is suggested because śāstra means it will guide you for the ultimate goal of life, for the perfection of life. So if the world condition is so bad, then how people will be saved? That is also suggested in the śāstra: kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was advised by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "My dear King, I've described so many faults. It is like the ocean of faults. But there is one boon also. That is special prerogative, special advantage of this age." Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. Kalau, kalau means "In this age of Kali, it is full of faulty things. But there is one boon." What is that? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya: Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—simply by chanting the holy name...," kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya, kṛṣṇasya, so, mukta-saṅgaḥ, "he becomes free from all these contaminations, by one thing, simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ. There are so many contaminations, so many faults of this age, but simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one becomes kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ, he becomes free from the contaminated association.

Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Hawaii, January 18, 1974:

Their consciousness is not developed, but soul is there. If the animal has no soul, then the child has also no soul because the child behaves like an animal. In the family, a small child and a dog, they're behaving similarly, and therefore dog is also considered as one of the family members, children, because his consciousness is not developed.

So the evolution means developed consciousness, and according to the developed consciousness, one gets a particular type of body. This is nature's law. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham... (BG 3.27). The evolution means evolution of consciousness. The same child, when he's... He'll get a different body. Just like a female child. By evolution, means when she gets another body, youthful body, her consciousness is different. If you get the body of a pig, your consciousness is different from the consciousness of a man. A pig will very easily eat stool, but a human being will not eat. Similarly, in every behavior... Just like we, Kṛṣṇa conscious people, we have given up intoxication. Now, if somebody comes and bribes and offers some money that "You take this one thousand dollars and drink," you'll not agree. Because your consciousness is developed. So evolution is not of the body. Evolution of consciousness. And as your consciousness develops, you get a particular type of body. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Therefore, the evolution should be of the consciousness. And this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your life is perfect. And fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you, after giving up this body—tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), no more material body.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Delhi, November 4, 1973:

As we are changing our body in this life from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then old man, then we give up this body, Kṛṣṇa says that similarly, as I was a child, now I have got a different body, similarly, when I give up this body, I'll get another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ.

The people do not even know that there is dehāntara-prāptiḥ, again we have to accept another body. They do not care for it. And there are so many varieties of body. Just like if we are sitting here, so many ladies and gentlemen, each one of us has got a different type of body. Nobody's body is similar exactly to the other body. This is a fact. We can see. So why we have got different types of body? That we do not try to understand. Not only human body, but there are other bodies also. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. We have got bodies in the water, we have got bodies on the land, the tree life, the plant life, the insect life, the birds' life, the beast life, the human form of life... Amongst the human beings there are different varieties—some American, some Indians, some others. So why they are different bodies? What is that science? Why there are different types of bodies?

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Delhi, November 7, 1973:

Yes. The same word is being continued, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2), "Those who are blind about ātma-tattva, the spiritual science, the knowledge of spirit soul." So these persons, those who are blind, those who are accepting this body as the self like cats and dogs, their description is given here again that deha... They are bodily, beginning from bodily cons... "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this," "I am that." Deha and then apatya, children, and kalatra, wife. First of all, one deha, one body. Just like this child. His only one conception, "Yes, I am everything, this body." Gradually, when one grows, becomes youthful, there is sex desire. Therefore finding out the opposite sex, kalatra, wife, or girlfriend or boyfriend. So kalatra ādi, making the center kalatra, then ātma-sainyeṣu, we increase our attraction to this material world.

This whole material world is based on sex desire. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). Everywhere, either in cat society, dog society, human society, bird society, beast society, anywhere you go, even aquatics, fish, insects, flies, ants—everywhere you will find this attraction, sex attraction. This is the ādi-rasa. Everyone is trying to get some taste. So this is the beginning of taste. So we have got attraction, natural attraction. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. This material world is simply attraction of this sex life. So when they are actually unite(d) in different ways... But they must unite. Either in a legal way or illegal way, they must unite. Because attraction is there. But human civilization, they have given some law, not like cats and dogs. Just like in the morning, in the street we saw, the dogs were enjoying sex life. So in the human society, that kind of sex enjoyment, although it is now actually being done in the Western countries... I have seen it. You see? In some public parks or in beach. They don't care, becoming just like cats and dogs, no human civilization. So for human civilization, there is some restriction: the allowance, marriage. That is a civilized way. And the fact is the same, but in a civilized way there is.

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Vrndavana, March 19, 1974:

And when, by that attraction, the man and woman is united, then the result is the children. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). Then the attraction for this material world increases. When one is alone, he's not so much attached with the material world. But as soon as he unites with the other party, then he gets children, and the attraction increases.

The real business is that we have to withdraw our attraction for this material... That they do not know. I am a spirit soul. Being attracted by this material nature, I am now encaged within this body, and I am changing this body. Just like I am changing this body from boyhood to childhood, childhood to, from childhood to boyhood, from youthhood. In this way, I have been entangled in this transmigration of the soul. This is my problem. Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, says, "Real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." This is not problem. Nowadays they have discovered so many problems. But actual problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi—they are not very much serious. Therefore they have been described here as pramattaḥ, madmen. He does not know what is the real problem, but he is very busy with the superficial problems. Therefore śāstra says that these people, blind, they do not know what is the problem. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). My real self-interest is to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is my real self-interest. They do not know. They want to live here, which is described as duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), simply a place of miserable conditions and repetition of birth, death, old age and disease.

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

Icchatā abhayam. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is giving instruction to Mahārāja Parīkṣit what is to be done at the point of death. We have already discussed this point, that we must know the responsibility of our next life. Just like a child is given education for the next life, to become youthful, to get into higher education, admission. Then a youth is given higher education for better life in future. That is natural. Every one is expecting future prospect. Similarly, we, every one of us, we are changing our body exactly the same way as the child is changing his body to boyhood, the boy is changing his body to youthhood, the youth is changing his body to old body. Similarly, after old age, there is next stage is death.

So after death, what is the proposal? That they do not know. And practically we are experiencing that although I am changing body, I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man, now I am old man, so there was past and future in every stage. Similarly, in this stage as I am remembering my past life... I can remember, you can remember... I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man. I was doing like this. Everything I remember. Even if I forget, I had my past life and again I expect my future life. Past, present and future. Why the future should be zero? We have experienced so long, both past, present and future. Why in this old age I shall be future-less, void? There is no life after death? That is the foolishness. That we are not preparing.

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

Now, we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you don't accept Supreme Personality of God, Kṛṣṇa, then what is your Supreme Personality of Godhead you present? Then you compare who is actually Supreme Personality of Godhead. What is the meaning of Supreme Personality of Godhead? Why you are taking? Why you are taking sectarian? Kṛṣṇa claims, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). All forms of life. Not only human forms of life, even animal forms of life, vegetable forms of life, aquatics. They are all... Actually that is the fact. We are not this form. We are not this body. But according to our mentality, by nature's law we are getting a particular type of body. Actually, I am spirit soul. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). Just like I am developing my ideas, youthful ideas. I am getting youthful body. I am developing childish ideas, getting childhood body. So as you develop, Kṛṣṇa, or God, has given you full freedom. You have come to this material world to enjoy. Now you make your plan of your enjoyment. God will give you a particular type of body and you enjoy. Just like the hog, he is enjoying. He is enjoying. What he is enjoying? Enjoying stool. It is very good for him enjoyment. But it is not for enjoyment for you. You'll..., that, "Oh, what a nasty animal it is. It is eating stool." But he is enjoying.

So this is the business of God, thankless task. Everyone wants to enjoy life in a different way, and he has to find out a particular type of body. In the human form of body you cannot eat stool. Your mouth, your hands, your legs are differently made. So for eating stool, you must have a particular type of body, mouth, taste, tongue, everything different. Then you will enjoy stool. A tiger, his body is different because he wants to enjoy fresh blood from another animal. So he has got a different type of body. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, nānā joni sadā phire kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare, kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare. We get different types of body and we eat different types of all nasty things. Nasty things. Because we have got a particular type of body. But actual human body is that, Kṛṣṇa conscious body.

Lecture on SB 2.3.22 -- Los Angeles, June 19, 1972:

Anādi. He is not emanation from anyone. He's original. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. All others are emanations from Kṛṣṇa. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyam (Bs. 5.33). He's the original. Ādyaṁ Purāṇa, the oldest. Then why Kṛṣṇa does not look like old man? Just like in some other religious sects they present God as very old man. But Kṛṣṇa is, although the oldest... Because He's the origin of all emanations, He must be oldest, but He's nava-yauvanaṁ ca, just like a young man, sixteen to twenty years old. That is Kṛṣṇa. Yogeśvara. Kṛṣṇa, the oldest of all, still He appears nava-yauvana. Nava-yauvana, just youthful life is beginning. That is called nava-yauvana. So according to our human society, the youthful life begins at sixteen years. So Kṛṣṇa is like that. He'll look always sixteen to twenty years old, not more than that. We have never seen Kṛṣṇa has become old. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Liṅgāni. Liṅgāni means form. So Kṛṣṇa has many forms.

As Kṛṣṇa, as Viṣṇu, as Nārāyaṇa, as Baladeva, as Jagannātha. So many. Govinda. There are thousands and thousands of forms. So we must see at least one of such forms. Either you see Kṛṣṇa form or Rāma form or Viṣṇu form or Nārāyaṇa form or Baladeva form, or His incarnation, Nṛsiṁha-deva form, Matsyāvatāra, Mīnāvatāra... So many. If we do not increase our anxiety or inclination to see one of the forms of Viṣṇu... Here it is specifically mentioned, Viṣṇu. Not others. Liṅgāni viṣṇor na nirīkṣato ye. If we do not see, then our eyes are exactly like the painted eyes on the plumes of the feathers, or plumes of the peacock. It looks very nice, but it has no value. No, it has no seeing power. So our, these eyes are also painted, because it is material. These eyes will remain when I shall give up this body, but it will have no more seeing power. The seeing power is gone when the spirit soul gives up this body. So in spite of the beautiful eyes, it is unable to see. Similarly, so long we have got this instrument... This is an instrument to work. Māyayā...

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ
piśaṅga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ
sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi-
praveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ
(SB 2.9.11)

"The inhabitants of the Vaikuṇṭha planets are described as having a glowing sky-bluish complexion. Their eyes resemble the lotus flower, their dress is of yellowish color, and their bodily features are very attractive. They are just the age of growing youths. They all have four hands, they are all nicely decorated with pearl necklaces with ornamental medallions, and they all appear to be effulgent."

Prabhupāda: So, still you are not prepared to go to Vaikuṇṭha? If you get this body, if you go to Vaikuṇṭha, four hands, catur-bāhavaḥ, four hands? You cannot see any human being here with four hands. Although Kṛṣṇa is two-handed, but Nārāyaṇa, He is four-handed. Therefore when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes on this platform... You have seen two hands, not four hands. Four hands is not for human being. It is only Brahmā has got four hands, and above him, in the spiritual world, all the inhabitants, they have got exactly the form like Viṣṇu. You cannot distinguish who is Viṣṇu and who is ordinary living being. But Viṣṇu has got some special feature on His chest. So by seeing that, He is recognized by the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī. Otherwise, just like here, if some big man comes, president, he looks like ordinary man, but he has got his badge. By that badge one can understand that he is president or some big man. From general body feature, bodily feature, one cannot understand distinction between Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, and the devotees. But there are special features of Lord Viṣṇu by which He can be... Then?

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Surucaḥ supeśasaḥ. Supeśasaḥ. What is the meaning of supeśasaḥ?

Pradyumna: Growing youthful.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Supeśasaḥ means this. Just like we are old man. Now it has become slackened. But when I was young it was very tight. This is called supeśasaḥ, muscles very tight. Supeśasaḥ means young, all young. Suvarcasaḥ, and luster. When a man is young, there is some luster, attractive luster. This is nature's gift. A woman becomes... A girl becomes full of youth, lustrous. A man, a boy becomes... Attraction. Without attraction, there cannot be sex. And without sex, there will be stopped of generation. So by nature these things are there. So śāstra makes some adjustments. The natural attractions are there, but they know what is the meaning of this attraction. Therefore, according to Vedic rules, the boy is selected by the father, the girl is selected by the father. They are given in marriage so that that natural attraction can be utilized for generating good population, not prostitution. You see? Therefore early marriage, selection by the parents, these are recommended. That is called marriage. Now the boys and girls are loitering in the street, and they are mixing freely and having all business. And then one day say, "All right, I agree. You are my wife. You are my husband." Svīkāra eva ca udvāhe. These are the signs of Kali-yuga. It is simply deteriorating. The human civilization is deteriorating. In the name of advancement of civilization, they are becoming animals simply. And the more the age of Kali-yuga will increase, these things will also increase more and more, more and more. Later on, you won't get foodstuff. You will be obliged to kill some animal and eat. Now you have got alternative. But we are becoming very much fond of animals, so Kṛṣṇa will, or nature will make some arrangement that you cannot eat except animals. That day will come. You cannot eat, even if you do not like. Nobody will say, "I don't like." Everyone will like. So there will be no supply of wheat, no supply of rice, no supply of sugar, no supply of fruit. These things will be stopped. No supply of milk. These are stated. You won't get. Then naturally... Just like in Arabian desert, they were animal eaters. What is growing there? So if in Jerusalem, if they have eaten flesh, so that is not their fault. Jesus Christ might have allowed: "All right." But why in other places where there are so many nice foodstuff? What is the reason? If you don't get something... (someone calling in Japanese) Who is this?

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:

So...(someone calling in Japanese) It is Japanese language? Why? He wants to see. Hm. So eternal life, yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). Eternal life, such nice, always youthful, such nicely dressed, and four hands. Now you are eating with two hands. You will get four hands. (laughter) So you can voraciously eat also if you like, with four hands. How much you can eat, two hands? So these are the facilities. Why don't you try for this? And Kṛṣṇa assures, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām.

yānti deva-vratā devān
pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām
(BG 9.25)

So when there is facility, you can go to this kingdom of God. Why don't you...? Just like a student studies very faithfully, taking so much pains. Why? He expects that "Somehow or other, if I can pass this examination, I will get a very nice job, good salary, and live very happily." Everyone hopes like that. A businessman works so hard day and night with the hope that "At the end of my life, if I get a good balance, bank balance, then I shall live peacefully without any botheration." So everyone hopes like that for future. But what is this civilization? They have no future hope. The rascal professors, they say..., he is saying that "After death everything is finished." After death everything finished—why? Why there are so many varieties of life? After death there is life. But you do not know what is that life. That is your ignorance. Here is a chance, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that you get next life very good life. If you complete, you go to Vaikuṇṭha and get life like this. If you don't complete, if you are so unfortunate that you cannot complete one life, that is unfortunate. Why you... So then you get chance to get your birth as a human being in very rich family, in very pious family. That chance is again given so that you can revive your, again, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

It is better to remain dependent. That is very good. Independent woman cannot be happy. That's a fact. We have seen in the Western countries, on, in the name of independence, so many women are unhappy. So that is not recommended in the Vedic civilization and on the varṇāśrama-dharma. So therefore the mother, Devahūti, was given under the charge of his (her) grown-up son, Kapiladeva. And Kapiladeva was fully cognizant that He has to take care of His mother. Therefore mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā. It is the duty of the father to protect the girl very nicely. Women are very delicate. They should be given... So during childhood, until she attains, I mean to say, youthhood, puberty, the girl is under the protection of the father. Still, in India, the father takes care of the girl until she is married to a suitable boy, the father takes. And then the young husband takes care of the young girl, wife, and then some children are born, and then grown up. Suppose a man marries at the age of twenty... That is, I mean, the highest. A boy is married not later than twenty-five years. And the girl is not, married not later than sixteen years. That is the system. So a sixteen-year girl and twenty-five-year boy, if the child is born, then when the man if fifty years old, the child becomes twenty-five years old. So he can take charge.

So taking this calculation, even Kapiladeva was twenty-five years old, He was quite able to take charge of His mother Devahūti. So He knew that "Father left My mother in My charge, and therefore I must take charge of My mother and keep her always pleased." Mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā. This... The boy is not irresponsible. He is always ready to please His mother. Here we have given these pictures in this Bhāgavatam. Here Kapiladeva in a brahmacārī dress, and mother is taking lesson from the son. Now, sometimes it is asked, "How the mother will take lesson from the son?"

Lecture on SB 3.25.7 -- Bombay, November 7, 1974:

So śāstra says, "This is not good." Here also, Devahūti says that bhūmann asad-indriya-tarṣaṇāt. Asad-indriya-tarṣ... Actually, these senses are not real senses. It is covered. Just like my, this body, covered with this shirt, or this cloth. It is not my real body. Although you see the shirt has got a hand, that hand is not real hand. The real hand is within the shirt. Similarly, our real body is within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehe. Dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means the real body, or the spiritual body of the soul, is within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe. And the body is changing. Kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. It is sometimes child, sometimes youth, sometimes a young man, sometimes old man. And then vanishes. It is... There are six changes. So this is not real body. But... And we are engaged in this unreal body, sense gratification. We have got senses. So therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). Atīndriya-grāhyam. Beyond the senses. Therefore these senses are to be purified. That is called tapasya. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). And... Yes. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we purify our senses... Senses you cannot destroy. That is not possible. Just like some, somebody said that "You become desireless." Desireless... Desire is the mental activities. So we cannot be desireless. That is not possible. We have to purify the desire. That is required. That is recommended.

Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974:

Unfortunately, they do not know that there is life after death, but they do not know what kind of life is going to happen next after death. They are blind, andha. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The leaders are also blind. And they are leading them. They are also blind. Especially in this age, the human society is in great danger. They do not care what is next. But there is next life. We get it, information, from Kṛṣṇa: tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Dehāntara-prāptiḥ there is. How you can deny it? The authority says. And we have got experience also. We are having dehāntara from boyhood to childhood, from childhood to boyhood, from boyhood to youthhood. In this way, we have changed so many bodies, dehāntara. This is called dehāntara. Similarly, after death, there will be dehāntara. It is very reasonable, but people do not believe it.

So this is our position, and the human life is the opportunity to stop this dehāntara. And to stop this dehāntara, that is the main business. And how it can be done? Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa. And how you can understand Kṛṣṇa? Simply by association of the devotees. That's all. It is not very difficult. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Rūpa Gosvāmī says. If you get some faith, "Now I shall become free from this material attachment," then, as it is advised here, sa eva sādhuṣu kṛtaḥ. The attachment we have got for material enjoyment—similar attachment should be for the sādhu, that's all. Suppose I want to drink. As I become mad without getting any drinking, similarly, when you become mad without sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83), then you are liberated. You have to simply divert the attachment. Not to speak of drinking, even those who are smoker, if he cannot smoke for one hour, his throat becomes dried up, "Give me biḍi. Give me biḍi." So as you have got attachment for the biḍi, similar attachment for sādhu will be our liberation. Tat kṛtaḥ sādhuṣu. That is to be learned. That you can learn with sādhu-saṅga, if you mix with the sādhus. Therefore our mission is if we can create some sādhu and they distribute themself all over the world...

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

He's the cause of all causes. So this Purāṇa-puruṣa, Kṛṣṇa, He's the oldest. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). That is Kṛṣṇa. You'll never see Kṛṣṇa's picture as old man. No. Has anyone seen Kṛṣṇa as old man? No. Nava-yauvanam, always fresh youthful life. The same. You have seen the picture of Kurukṣetra battle. Kṛṣṇa was sitting... At that time He was great-grandfather, but He was looking twenty years old, young... That is Kṛṣṇa.

So we also become like Kṛṣṇa. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the inhabitants, they are also living entities. Just like in this, within this universe, this material universe, there are living entities—there are also living entities, but they are in spiritual body, the same form of body as Kṛṣṇa. You have read in the Sixth Canto of Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Ajāmila, the vaikuṇṭha-dūta came for Ajāmila to take Ajāmila. They are also four-handed, very beautiful. That is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. But in Kṛṣṇaloka they are two-handed. So in the spiritual world there are so many varieties—four-handed, two-handed living entity. They're all nitya-mukta. They're all everlastingly liberated. So we have been just like a prisoner is. Although he's a prisoner, he can be also good citizen. There is no hopelessness. Similarly, we are now prisoner in this material world, and we have got this material body. Therefore we are changing: sometimes young, sometimes old, sometimes these boys, some... But tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then, after leaving this body, you're not any more getting this material body. That is stated. tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then what happens? Mām eti. He comes to back to home, back to Godhead. And as soon as you go, you get your original, spiritual body, same beautiful body as Kṛṣṇa has, as Nārāyaṇa has. This is the opportunity.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Īśa-tantryām. Just like if your hands and legs are tied very fast with some rope, and if you say, "I am independent," what is the meaning of it? If your hands and legs are tied up by a strong rope and still you think that you are independent, has it got any meaning? Similarly, we are tied up by the stringent rules and regulation of the material nature so fast, and still if we think that we are independent, is that very sanity conjecture? No. Even in your eating process, you are so much tied up by the rules and regulation that if you eat little more than you can digest, then there will be some disease immediately. Immediately there will be indigestion, diarrhea. You will have to suffer. If you enjoy when you are youthful too much sex life, then after a few days you will be impotent, no more sex life. In this way we are simply tied up by the rules and regulation of the material nature, and still, we are defying the authority and thinking, "I am independent." This is called rascaldom, mūḍha. They have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍha, all rascals. You cannot control the laws of material nature and you are thinking you are independent? And the laws of material nature means material nature is the agent. Real conductor is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says,

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
(BG 9.10)

So behind the material nature there is God. Under His direction material nature is working. Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā, the material nature power, is working just like chāya, shadow. So in this way...

Lecture on SB 3.28.17 -- Nairobi, October 26, 1975:

Harikeśa: "The Lord is eternally very beautiful, and He is worshipable by all the inhabitants of every planet. He is ever youthful and always eager to bestow His blessing upon His devotees."

Prabhupāda:

apīcya-darśanaṁ śaśvat
sarva-loka-namaskṛtam
santaṁ vayasi kaiśore
bhṛtyānugraha-kātaram
(SB 3.28.17)

This word is very important, bhṛtyānugraha-kātaram. Anugraha. Anugraha means favor. Just like the father wants to favor the son always. Father wants that "My son may become very fit, competent to take all my favors." This is father's wish. Every father, even in this material world, if father is very big man, great man, he wants that "My son also, let him become bigger than me." Is it not practical? So if God, Kṛṣṇa, is the original father... Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4), Kṛṣṇa says. It is not concoction or contemplation. No. It is the fact. Kṛṣṇa says,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
sambhavanti mūrtayo-yāḥ
tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
(BG 14.4)

"I am the seed-giving father of all living entities." It doesn't matter in different forms. He does not say that "I am the father only of the white, not of the black." He never says. He has no such distinction: white, black, European, American, or poor, rich, bird, beast, human being. No. He does not make any discrimination. He is always ready to bestow favor as the original father. That is God.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- London, August 30, 1971:

Dhīra, one who is cool-headed. Not a passionate(?), crazy fellow, but cool-headed. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. He can understand that as one passes through different bodies, baby's to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then old age, similarly, this body, when it will be no more existing, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), the body may be destroyed, but the soul will continue to exist. This is the Vedic principle of knowledge. This is called spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge does not mean anything else. To understand the spiritual, constitutional position of the living entity, that is called spiritual. And at the present moment, by constitution, my position is that I never die or I never take birth. But because I have accepted this material body, therefore I have to change. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our garments. I am putting on this garment. When it is old or not usable, I give it up. I accept another coat or shirt. Similarly, we have got coat and shirt over our position as soul. The shirt is the subtle body: mind, intelligence, and ego. And the gross coat is made of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, sky. In these two coverings, I, the soul, I am existing.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- London, August 30, 1971:

Prabhupāda: I have already explained. Just like you are being incarnated from baby's body to child's body, child's body to boy's body, boy's body to youthhood body, this is reincarnation. There is no question of believing. It is a fact. If you do not know it, it is ignorance. But it is a fact.

English boy: I'm Christian, and lots of what you just said is completely disputed in the Bible. I'd like you to tell me, please, and tell the other people here about how the word "God," as defined in the Holy Bible, of which I, as a personal Christian, hold very sacred... I have witnessed here today more or less blasphemy against God, and you claim to come from God and... Or your disciples claim you come from God. And I'd like you to sort of classify your distinction of God and my distinction of God, please.

Revatīnandana:

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

So my spiritual master has requested that I answer this question. We are functioning in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on the basis of the Vedic literature, Vedic scriptures. Amongst these Vedic scriptures, we consider the Bible to be one. Lord Jesus Christ is teaching in the Bible that "You love first God with your whole heart and soul, and then you love your neighbor as yourself." My spiritual master is teaching that we are all part and parcel of God, and as part and parcel of God, our business is to render loving service to the Supreme Lord. You say that you are living love of God. But God says, then you will love your neighbor as yourself.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

"No, that is not your discretion. Now you have infected, you see. You must take this body." This risk is there. And just to forget ourself we sometimes say, "No, there is no life after death." Why there is no life after death? You were a child. The child became a boy, the boy became a young man, the young man became an old man, and what is the old man? He must have a body, next body. That is not simply mental speculation. This is confirmed by the most exalted authority, by Kṛṣṇa. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As you have changed your body in so many ways from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then, similarly, dehāntara-prāptiḥ.

Now, Kṛṣṇa does not say what kind of body you are going to get. That will depend on your work. Just like this is described as the dress. Now, if this dress is spoiled or torn, you have to purchase another dress. That will depend on your purchasing power. Similarly, after this dress is spoiled, no more usable, you have to purchase another body. That may be a dog's body or a god's body—that depends on your purchasing power. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). There are deva-lokas, Indraloka, Candraloka, Brahmaloka, so many, millions of years' age, a thousand times better standard of life. That also you can get. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ. And if you are in the karma-kāṇḍīya, then you can go to the pitṛ-loka. And bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni: and if you remain a materialistic person, you remain here. And mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām: and if you worship Kṛṣṇa, if you become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then you go to Kṛṣṇaloka. So why should we waste our time? Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Even if you go, promoted to the Brahmaloka, still, you have to wander within these so many planets, so many bodies.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:

Nature is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā: sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Goddess Durga is accepted as the material energy or material prakṛti. So she's so powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā, icchanurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā (Bs. 5.44). Sā Durga is not independent. Icchānurūpam api yasya, under who's direction she is working? Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. I am worshiping the Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, the Supreme Person, ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣam nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). These are the information we get from the śāstra. Adyam, He is the original person. Ādyaṁ purāṇa puruṣam, the oldest person. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca, and at the same time always fresh youth. So how we shall learn all these things? Mahat-sevā. Go to mahat, mahānta, the guru. Serve him. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). You cannot challenge like a nonsense. You have to engage yourself to the service. That is the beginning. Brahmacārī is indicated, "Go to gurukula." And you may be a king's son or a very learned brāhmaṇa's son, it doesn't matter. You serve your guru just like a menial servant. This is the instruction. This is the first education. Go to gurukula and serve the mahat guru, the broad-minded guru, just like a menial servant. What is that? You go collect everything for guru, alms, and do not claim proprietorship. It is guru's property. Whatever you collect, that is not your property. That is guru's property. And go to gurukula, and when guru will ask you, "My dear boy, please come and take your prasādam," then you'll take. If guru forgets to call you, you should fast. This is gurukula. Not that "I am hungry. There is foodstuff. Let me eat." No. Without permission of guru you cannot touch anything. This is the injunction.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

You know the point of hair. Now divided into ten thousand part and take one part. That is the form of the soul. That little spark takes shelter into that emulsified pea, and because the soul is there within, it develops from the mother's womb. The child does not develop all of a sudden. Every mother knows that. It grows gradually, little by little, little by little. When it is seven months, then it is further..., it moves. So in this way the... Kṛṣṇa says that don't take this body as the living being. Dehinaḥ asmin dehe. Within this body, the soul is there. So everyone can understand.

Now, because the soul is there, therefore the body is changing. Everyone knows that he was a child. I know, you know. I remember my childhood body or my boyhood body, my youthhood body. I am old man. I remember them, that "I was doing as a young man like this. I was doing as a boy like this. I was jumping. Now I cannot jump. Why? The body has changed." The body has changed. It is very good logic. The same "I" am there. I was a boy. I was jumping. Now I am old man. I have changed my body. I cannot do that. I will have to take the stick. Because the body has changed. So where is the fallacy of logic? It is very clearly... And the authority says... Kṛṣṇa says, not an ordinary person. He says, "Within this body there is the soul, and as on account of the soul, the body is changing shape from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, from youthhood to old man's body. Similarly, when this body will be useless, he will accept another body." This simply truth one has to understand first of all before anything spiritual knowledge. If one cannot understand that the spirit soul is different from this body, then he is cat and dog. He is not human being.

Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:

That we have already discussed. There are 900,000's forms in the water. Then there are two millions forms of trees, plants. And jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Then insects, moths and flies, like that, they are 1,100,000 forms. Then birds, one millions forms. Then beast three million forms. And then human being, civilized or not civilized, there are 400,000. This is the total number of different forms of life. The living entity, spirit soul, is the same, but they are passing through different forms of life. Just like I am the same man. I have passed through my babyhood body, my childhood body, my youthhood body. Now I have come to another body. So it is a fact that I was staying in a baby's body. Now it is another body. A very simple thing, that we are changing body, but I am, the soul, the same. We have to understand this thing. The evolution is going on.

Now, by nature's law the evolution brings you to a nice body, civilized human body, with higher consciousness. But if we utilize this higher consciousness simply for constructing very high skyscraper buildings and do not know what form of body I am going to accept next, that is not very good intelligence. My business is that by nature's evolutionary process I have come to this human form of life. Now I have got good intelligence, better than the animals. If I utilize that intelligence for simply having nice motorcar and skyscraper building, but I do not know what is my future, then it is not very good intelligence. You can construct a very nice skyscraper building, and you can have a nice car, but you will not be allowed to stay here. What you have done for that? You will be kicked out at any moment.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Los Angeles, January 15, 1970:

The second ceremony will be for offering sacred thread. So one who has got this sacred thread, he is called dvijaḥ, twice-born. Twice-born. Once born by the father and mother, and the next birth is given by the spiritual master and Vedic literature. Vedic literature is the mother and the spiritual master is the father. As in every birth the necessity of father and mother is there, similarly, in this birth also, spiritual rebirth, there is necessity of mother and father. The mother is this Vedic knowledge, and the father is the spiritual master.

So there was a dvijaḥ. Dvijaḥ means he was born in the family of a brāhmaṇa. And he was sanctified also. From the life history of this man we understand that in his early age, when he was up to his youthful life, sixteen or seventeen or up to twenty years, he was very well behaved boy. He was under the care of his father and mother, and how by bad association he became a debauch, that is stated here. It is stated that, kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścid āsīt dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ. Ajāmilaḥ, his name was Ajāmila, and he was a brāhmaṇa. But he contacted some woman which is called dāsī, or prostitute, and he remained with her. Dāsī-patiḥ. In India also, still, the practice is that if anyone, any person, wants contact of more woman than his wife, then he cannot disturb in the society. He has to search out this dāsī, or some prostitute. So from time, very long, long ago, even in Kṛṣṇa's time we find that there was a prostitute class. When Kṛṣṇa entered Dvārakā, these, some of the... They were still devotee. Although their profession was prostitute, prostitution, still, they were devotee. So we find from this narration of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that many devotee prostitutes also went to receive Lord Kṛṣṇa. So it does not matter even if one is prostitute, she cannot be devotee. She can be devotee also. So this man, Ajāmila, contacted a prostitute. Dāsī-patiḥ ajāmilaḥ nāmnā naṣṭa-sadācāraḥ dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ. And because, although he was born in a nice family, he contacted the association of a prostitute, his sadācāraḥ, his well-behaved life, became lost.

Lecture on SB 6.1.20 -- Honolulu, May 20, 1976:

"My Lord, I have simply wasted my life." Why? Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa na bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā viṣa-khāinu. "I got this nice human form of body for understanding, worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Now I did not do anything, that means knowingly I have taken poison."

So if we misuse this human form of life only like animals, eating, sleeping, sex and fearing, then we are spoiling our life. We must prepare next life. If we don't, then after death we have to go to the Yamarāja, and he will decide what kind of next body... Body will change. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad... Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). After death you have to change the body. As you are changing from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, similarly this old body, when it is no more usable, that means death. But the subtle body, mind, intelligence, that is... We have got proof. At night this body is silent, but your mind, intelligence and ego takes you somewhere. You dream that "I have come to here." Sometimes we dream, "I am flying in the sky," or gone to some forest or some friend's house or so many things. "I am talking with a beautiful girl or beautiful man." So this dream we every day see. So that means when this body stops, the gross body, the subtle body is there. Why don't you believe it? Unless the subtle body is working, how do you dream? The dreaming means subtle body is working. So transmigration of the soul means the soul is twice covered—subtle body and gross body—just like shirt and coat. So when this gross body is finished, the subtle body is there. It takes you to another body. The subtle body with the semina of the father, it is injected in the mother's womb, and then again you will develop another body. This is the process of transmigration. So this body, how you'll be transferred to another body, that will be judged by the Yamarāja.

Lecture on SB 6.1.24 -- Chicago, July 8, 1975:

He will never say, "In my opinion you can do like this." No. He must give evidence from the śāstra. Therefore our practice is, whenever we speak something, immediately we quote from authoritative śāstra. In this way...

So here it is said, tasya pravayasaḥ putrā daśa. So in his so-called gṛhamedhī life... That I was going to explain. Gṛhamedhī life means darkness. He will know simply how to beget child, that's all, up to the eighty-fifth year. He is going to die next moment. So he is fortunate that he named his son Nārāyaṇa. This is God's grace. This was done—Kṛṣṇa is so kind—because in his youthhood he was a devotee. Not devotee; he was trying to become a devotee. Dvija, he was initiated. We have begun his life that kānyakubje kaścid dvijaḥ. He was initiated, but he fell down. Later on, he fell down in contact with a prostitute. Therefore he lost his all qualification, and he was busy... Instead of serving Kṛṣṇa, he was busy in begetting children, up to the eighty-fifth year. Therefore pravayasaḥ. Although he had made... The last one is tenth. Although he had nine sons, still, at the eighty-fifth year he is begetting another. That is called kṛpaṇa.

tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ
kaṇḍūtivan manasijaṁ viṣaheta dhīraḥ
(SB 7.9.45)

Dhīra, one who is sober, he thinks that "What is the use of simply begetting children? One, two, three, that's all. Let me engage now in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is dhīra, sober.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26 -- Honolulu, May 26, 1976:

This world, what is this world, material world? The material means sex desire. That's all. The woman is hunting after man, and the man is hunting after woman. Either in human society or bird society or beast society or dog society or cat society, the principle is sex. And the human society means to understand this, that what is the basic principle of material life. If we understand it is sex, therefore we have to cut down the sex desire gradually by becoming brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is the process. Otherwise, if I do not know what is the cause of my material bondage, then how we can take remedy? This is the cause, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam. The desire is there. As soon as one is grown up, reaching youthful time, the sex desire is very strong, very strong. So they unite, a man..., a boy finds out a girl, a girl finds out a boy. They unite, and there is sex, and as soon as there is sex then there is bondage. Immediately. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitha. As soon as they unite, then the relation becomes very tight, very strong. Then, as soon as one is married, or unmarried—generally speaking married—then he wants apartment. Ato gṛha. Gṛha means apartment. So long he remains brahmacārī there is no need of apartment. He can dine right out on the street. (laughter) But as soon as they're joined together, immediately apartment, gṛha. Then how to maintain the apartment? Then he must have land. Because formerly there was no industry. Everyone must produce his own food by tilling the field. So to produce food he must have some land. So land was available, still available. One can produce. But they have left that process of livelihood. They are taking to industry.

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

So in that interview I gave that information that woman's freedom? I gave this reply, that "Where is the woman's freedom? The boy and the girl intermingle, and the girl becomes pregnant, and the boy goes away without any responsibility, and the burden..., the child is a burden for the woman. Either she should kill or beg from the government. Is that independence?" They are trying to be independent. This is not civilization. There is no question of independence. The woman must be given protection in childhood by the father unless she is married, and in youthhood by the husband, and in old age by grown up sons. This is Vedic civilization. Na striyaṁ svatantram arhati. Just like children, they must be always protected. It is not dependence, it is protection. So there should be responsible father, responsible husband, responsible sons to keep woman very happy. In India still it is going on.

So the point is that here the sex life is the highest pleasure, and in the spiritual world there is no sex. So what is that pleasure? That pleasure is this chanting and dancing, Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. That is stated in the śāstra. They are so much absorbed in this chanting and dancing, they are no more interested in sex. That is the only way. If you want to stop the pleasure of sex, then you have to take this pleasure, this transcendental pleasure. You'll forget everything. That is said by Yamunacārya:

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

So the Yamadūtas, they very politely submitted. They could understand immediately that these persons so nicely decorated, four hands, looking very youthful, all the good qualities... So with due submission, they said that "You look so nice, gentle. Why you are interfering with our duties?" Kim arthaṁ dharma-pālasya kiṅkarān no niṣedhatha. So they accepted the submission. Very humbly they submitted, with great respect. Therefore they were smiling. And the word is used here, tān pratyūcuḥ prahasya idam. When there is argument, dealing, if the words are exchanged very politely, so things go on nicely. So prahasya. Prahasya, now they are challenging, the Viṣṇudūta, that "You are claiming to become the servants of Yamarāja, and he is Dharmarāja, he is authority, and how is that you do not know whom to arrest and whom not to arrest? This man is now free from all sinful reaction. How is that you are claiming to be servant of Yamarāja, Dharmarāja, and do not know?" Therefore they were smiling.

Lecture on SB 6.1.44 -- Los Angeles, July 25, 1975:

Why it is so? That is the difference between matter and spirit. Why you are misunderstanding that "The spirit is also matter; it is coming from chemical"? This miseducation is going on that spirit is also chemical composition, although I cannot experiment it by mixing chemical, producing...

So under this misconception of life we are simply acting inauspiciously. Why inauspiciously? Because we are working blindly. We do not know what is my next life, or we do not believe in next life. But you believe or not believe; next life is there. As the child has his next life, the boy has his next life, the youth has his next life, similarly, the old man has got his next life. You believe or not believe; you have to accept next life. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). This is real education. You have to accept the next life. Now, what kind of next life you will get, you have to prepare in this life. That is auspicious. That is bhadrāṇi. And if you don't prepare for the next life, irresponsible... Just like a street boy does not take education because he has no idea of next life. But his father, his mother, is anxious that "My son's next life, future life, will be spoiled if he does not take education." They are anxious. Similarly, the father and the mother, the guru, the friend—everyone should be actually well-wisher of his friend, dependent, when he gives spiritual education. Then he is friend. Otherwise they are enemy. Pitā na sa syāj jananī na sa syāt. The sastric contraception means that "If you cannot educate your sons how to stop repetition of birth, then don't become a father. Don't become a mother." This is śāstric... "Don't become a guru. Don't become so on, so on, well-wisher, if you cannot stop."

Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- Detroit, June 15, 1976:

That is explained in Bhagavad-gītā, that "Arjuna, yourself, Myself, and all these persons who have assembled in this battlefield, all of us, we were existing before, we are existing now, and we shall continue to exist." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is the first, preliminary knowledge of understanding spiritual life, that "I am eternal." Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin. As spirit soul, I do not take birth, neither I die. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). I am not finished with the destruction of this material body. That is going on already. My childhood body is destroyed now. You cannot find out where is that body. My youthhood body, that is destroyed. We cannot find out anymore. So in this way, this body will be also destroyed, and we shall get another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). In this way, we are changing body, one after another. So why there are different types of body? That means the living entity, spirit soul, he is contacting different types of material modes of nature. And according to that, we are developing a gross body. The transmigration of the soul means the gross body is lost. Because anything material, it will be finished. That is the nature of material, anything material. It will be finished. But the spirit soul is not finished.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 3, 1967:

Just we were experiencing. This child who is playing, he is now, he has got a small body. Similarly, when he will get a body like his father, he has to change so many bodies, so many bodies. So the body will change but he, the soul, will remain the same. And now, at the childhood, or in the womb of his mother, or when the body is just like his father, or when the body is just like his grandfather—the same thing, soul, will continue. So therefore soul is permanent and the body is changing. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). This body is temporary. Temporary. Either this childhood body or boyhood body or youthhood body or mature body or old body, they are all temporary. Every moment, every second, we are changing. But the soul within the body, that is permanent. So this body, Prahlāda Mahārāja says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma: "Now, after many many births..."

Perhaps you do not know. There are nine million types of aquatic animals. So we have to pass through all these nine millions. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. And lakṣa-viṁśati, 200,000's. I am sorry, not nine millions; 900,000. And then two millions species of plant life, vegetable life, we have to pass through. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-sāṅkhyakāḥ. And eleven hundred thousands species of worms and reptiles. Sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati kṛmayo rudra, pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam. And there are ten hundred thousands of species of the birds. So similarly, there are three million types of four-legged animals. And the human species of life are only 400,000 species, or types, as you say. In this way the total is 8,400,000's of types of bodies, and we have to pass through, by transmigration, from one body to another, another, another, another. Now we have got this civilized form of body. Prahlāda Mahārāja says that it is very rare opportunity. We should not misuse this body just like other animals. Then it will be our foolishness.

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

"We want to be tiger." So I answered "What is the use of tiger?" Tigers, to become tiger... Tiger is very important animal? It is, rather, enemy of the human society. So actually, the present society is producing tigers or hogs or dogs or camels, like that. In the form of human body. The real human body, the intelligence should be utilized to understand God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Tad api janma.

Why... Somebody may say that "Let me enjoy this life. I shall try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness next life, or after enjoying life in my youthhood, then we shall try." So Prahlāda Mahārāja answers, "No, don't remain confident that you shall live long or remain confident that you are getting next life also human form of life." No. Adhruvam. There is no certainty. But if you begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this life and try to achieve the result to some extent, even one percent, two percent, your life, next life is guaranteed a human form of life. It is such a nice thing. Because it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga bhraṣṭo sanjāyate (BG 6.41). One who cannot fulfill the entire course of understanding the science of God, but because he has begun to understand it, never mind he has understood it one percent, two percent, ten percent Not ten percent. Unless one understands the science cent percent, he does not get liberation. But even one percent. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find this stanza, that even little percentage of God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness is attempted, then you can be saved from the greatest danger.

There are many instances in the śāstra, Ajāmila. Simply he was most, I mean to say, a sinful man. All through his life he acted simply sinfully, but at the end of his life, just at the point of death, he remembered Nārāyaṇa. That also in connection with his youngest son. And because he uttered the name "Nārāyaṇa," he remembered Nārāyaṇa, and simply by remembering Nārāyaṇa he was, I mean to say, liberated. So there were many instances.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

The sannyāsī's business is to walk from village to village, town to town, and approach the householder as beggar: "Mother, give me something to eat." He's not a beggar, but he takes the position of beggar. Because everyone is charitably disposed, he thinks proud, "Oh, here is a nice beggar, sannyāsī, let me give him something." But the sannyāsī's desire is to introduce himself as a beggar so that the householder can take up the advantage that "Here is a sannyāsī. Please come on." Naturally he'll ask something, "Swamiji, what is this? What is this?" So he'll get some opportunity to speak something.

So naturally we are inclined to enjoy this life. So if somebody thinks that "Now I am young man, let me enjoy my senses." At the present moment, youth, the senses are very, I mean to say, in order. So let us enjoy it. And when we get old age, when their senses will not be so expert for enjoyment, then we shall think of Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness. That is the general tendency. Or the children they think, "Let us play." So Śaṅkarācārya says, bālasya tāvat kriyāsakta. "Oh, what I am seeing? All the children in the street I see they're all engaged in playing," taruṇas tāvat taruṇī-raktaḥ. "And the young boys and girls, they are after sex." So tarunas tavat taruṇī-raktaḥ, vṛddhas tāvat cinta-magnaḥ. And the old men, they are very thoughtful how to adjust the so big family. "This son is not yet posted in a nice post, the daughter is not married." So many things. So old man is thoughtful, thinking, and the young men, they are after boys and girls, and the children, they are playing. So Śaṅkarācārya is lamenting, bālasya tāvad kriyāsaktas taruṇas tāvat taruṇī-raktaḥ, vṛddhas tāvat cinta-magnaḥ parame brahmaṇi ko 'pi na lagnaḥ. "I do not see anybody searching after God consciousness." Every one is engaged in a different way.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 12, 1968:

"Who always thinking of Kṛṣṇa within himself." That is yoga practice. So the bhāgavata-dharma and bhakti-yoga or yoga practice—everything synonymous. There is no difference. But this is the easiest process. Here you will find the students, although they are not exercising the bodily āsana, praṇāyāma, it is automatically being done because the mind is the center of all activities. So mind is always engaged in Kṛṣṇa. That is bhāgavata-dharma.

So as we have explained several times in these classes, that this concentration is required. And that should be taught from the very beginning of life, kaumāra. Kaumāra means from five years to fifteen years. From sixteenth year, one becomes, one's youthfulness begins, say, up to forty years. Then middle age up to sixty years. Then after sixty years, one is old. This is the definition of different ages. So kaumāra ācaret prājñaḥ. If one is intelligent, if one is wise... Prājña means wise. If he's a fool, rascal, it is not for them. Caitanya-caritāmṛta therefore says, kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa caturā. Caturā means very intelligent. Unless one is very intelligent, he cannot understand the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And if you try to find out intelligent class of men, naturally the number will be very small. If you want that in this street find out some boys who have passed their M.A. examination and Ph.D. examination, hardly you will find one or two. But if you try to find out the illiterate or without any education, you will find many. So we should not judge by the number. We should judge by the quality. What is the quality.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- New York, April 9, 1969:

Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be practiced from the childhood." From the childhood. So, why childhood? Because if one is intelligent, he says prājñaḥ... Prājñaḥ means intelligent. If one is intelligent, he can understand that "There is no certainty whether this is my childhood or old age." Because generally we think that when we are old we die. But who can say that I'm not old enough to die in the next moment? If I have to gain something supernatural which will give me the ultimate benefit of my life, then why shall I wait for old age? Immediately let us begin. If Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very nice thing and if it will give us the highest benediction of my life, then if I am intelligent, then I must begin it immediately. Without any delay. Because generally people think that childhood or youthhood should be enjoyed.

The Śaṅkarācārya he was passing on the road and he's singing. He was lamenting, what is that? Balas tavad krida sakta. Oh, all these boys are playing. Generally, when you pass a road you see the boys are playing, very much busy, and they're very jolly in playing. Bālas tāvad krīḍāsaktas taruṇas tāvad taruṇī raktaḥ. And young boys, they're after young girls. You see? Taruṇas tāvad taruṇī-rakto vṛddhas tāvad anta-magnaḥ. And the old man they are very much morose, what is to be done next. Parame brahmaṇi ko 'pi na lagnaḥ. Oh, everyone is busy. Nobody's interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, spiritual life. Everyone is busy. How they are spoiling their life! That is the version of Śaṅkarācārya. He's lamenting, that the boys, the youths, the old man, they are very happy in their materialistic way of life, but a spiritualistic man like Śaṅkarācārya or Lord Jesus Christ, they are unhappy, "Oh, what foolish things they are doing." That is the thankless task of persons who are spiritually enlightened. They can see it plain that how they are spoiling their valuable life. Simply for sense gratification.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is practically instructed the same thing, that kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān (SB 7.6.1).

Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

I don't think in any university throughout the whole world there is such educational department where this science is handled. The soul. Whether I am this body or I'm not the body. I am not this body; that is the fact. The example is given. What is that? Dehino asmin dehe, in this body there is the proprietor, the soul. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Within this body, there is proprietor. And he's changing bodies. Just like the same soul in a childhood body, in a boyhood body, in a youth-hood body. Then again in a body like me, an old body. So all the previous bodies, they are now finished. Although I know I am soul, I know that I possessed a childhood body, I possessed a boyhood body, I possessed a youthhood body, that those bodies are not existing. They are finished. But I am existing. I know. Therefore this is very simply formula Kṛṣṇa gives. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). This body is changing, but the soul is eternal. Nityo śāśvato yaṁ purāṇo. Although it is very, very old. Because soul is the part and parcel of God. As God is existing eternally, similarly, the soul is also existing eternally. This is a great science.

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja is requesting, "My dear friends, you try to learn this science," dharmān bhāgavatān iha, "from this very childhood life." Because this human form of life, he says that, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Mānuṣaṁ janma. This form of body... We have got by evolutionary process. It is a chance given by the nature to understand what is God. This is the main business of this body. Not that economic development. That is not the business of human body. Sense gratification. Sense gratification is there in the animals. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The human form of life is not meant for to live like the dogs and the hogs. They are busy always for maintaining the body. They are busy. They have no other business.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

Sense gratification is there in the animals. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The human form of life is not meant for to live like the dogs and the hogs. They are busy always for maintaining the body. They are busy. They have no other business. They cannot understand. If I bring some dog in this meeting and try to make him understand, "Please note that you are not this body." It is not possible for them to understand. But a human being, he may be educated like dogs and hog, but if he's given reasonably the, as Kṛṣṇa is giving that the soul is the proprietor of this body and he is as he's changing in this body He's a child-child means he has got a child's body. Baby means he has got a baby's body. Young man means he has a youth's body. So this body has been changed. Similarly when this body is useless, no more can be used, then he transmigrates to another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir.

Now what kind of body he's going to get? Because I have already explained. There are 8,400,000 different forms of body. So the answer is he can get any of these forms. There is no guarantee that he will again get the American body or Englishmen body or Swiss body—not like that. That will depend on nature. That is not in your hand. As soon as you change your body, the next change will be offered by nature according to your desire. So in this life we are creating different types of desires. Therefore, we find different types of bodies. This is nature's work. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Don't think that you are independent. None of us are independent. We may think independently that "There is no God, there is no nature's work, we are everything." That crazy statements may be there, but there is good management, beyond our conception. As you see there is good management in the natures—exactly in due course of time the sun is rising, the moon is rising, the seasons are being changed, the water is there in the ocean, it is not transgressing the limit, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean. There is full control of the material nature. And behind this material nature, there is God. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Prakṛti, nature is working, but nature is working under the direction of God. That we get information from this Vedic literature.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Montreal, June 16, 1968:

What he said? He said, "Oh," bālas tāvad kridāsaktaḥ, "oh, all the boys I see in the street, they are very nicely playing. They do not know anything except play." Bālas tāvad kridāsaktas taruṇas tāvad taruṇī raktaḥ: "And the young, youngsters, they are after young girls, embracing, kissing. That's all." So taruṇas tāvad taruṇī raktaḥ. And vṛddhas tāvad cintā-magnaḥ: "And the old men, they are thinking, 'How to pull on? What to do? How to adjust family affairs?' " Parame brāhmaṇe ko 'pi lagnaḥ: "Oh, it is very lamentable. Nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." He is lamenting because he has got to... He was seeing practically. A sannyāsī is supposed to wander from one country, one village to another. So he is lamenting, bālas tāvad kridāsaktaḥ: "Oh, boys are playing. They are not being trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The youths, they are very much enjoying. So the old men, they are thinking, deep, thoughtful, the same thing. But nobody is interested."

So same thing:

durāpūreṇa kāmena
mohena ca balīyasā
śeṣaṁ gṛheṣu saktasya
pramattasyāpayāti hi
(SB 7.6.8)

At the last end the old men... Because this material world is such nice place that nobody can adjust things. It is simply waste of time, who are trying to adjust things. The other day, in television or radio, the man asked me, "Swamijī, whether it is possible to adjust the misadjustments of this material world?" I told him flatly that it is not possible. You can simply refer the history that the same thing is... "History repeats itself."

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Toronto, June 21, 1976:

Prahlāda Mahārāja has begun, kaumāra ācaret prājñaḥ. General education also. Education is given to the children, not to the old men. Because that is the rising of the body. He's receptive; he can take. Prahlāda Mahārāja's recommendation is that so long we are strong, we are in working order, we are not feeble or all energy lost... No. When you have got full energy, full strength, young men, children, they should take this lesson of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is recommended for them. Not for the old man who has lost everything. But they have taken it that Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is for the old man who is going to die. But here it is recommended—no, for the strong man, youthful children, like that. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is recommending, because the business is very important. Bhavam āśritaḥ: to get out of this bhava. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

So now, we find from the Bhagavad-gītā, there are three words. Sanātanaḥ, eternal, is used there. First thing is this jīva, these living entities, they have been described as sanātanaḥ. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). We are living entities, sanātanaḥ. It is not that we have become jīva-bhūtaḥ by the influence of māyā. We have put ourself in the influence of māyā; therefore we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. Actually we are sanātana. Sanātana means eternal. Nityo śāśvata. Jivātmā is described: nityo śāśvato yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is sanātana. So we are so less intelligent that if I am eternal, sanātana, I have no birth and death, why I have been put into this tribulation of birth and death? This is called brahma-jijñāsā. But we are not educated. But we should be educated. At least we should take advantage of this instruction. We are sanātana. And another world is there, mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). This material world is manifested, and background of this is the total material energy, mahāt-tattva. That is not manifested. So vyakto 'vyaktāt. Beyond this there is another nature, a spiritual nature, sanātana.

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

There are two kinds of production: material production and spiritual production. Arthadam. Artha means factual profit. So there are two kinds of profit. Those who are materialists, they calculate profit by dollars, and those who are spiritualists, they calculate profit: "How much I have advanced today in spiritual or Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Both of them are profits. So either make this profit or that profit, but don't waste your time. That is the proposal. But the best profit is, for human form of life, to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So he has analyzed that mugdhasya bālye kaiśore krīdato yāti vimśatiḥ (SB 7.6.7). So fifty years immediately minus from our life. Then, by playing in youthhood and childhood, another twenty years. Seventy years minus. Then jarayā grasta dehasya yāty akalpasya vimśatiḥ. Then, when old age comes, by disease, by invalidity, another twenty years minus. That means fifty plus twenty plus twenty. Out of hundred years, ninety years gone. Then,

durāpureṇa kāmena
mohena ca balīyasā
śeṣaṁ gṛheṣu saktasya
pramattasyāpayāti hi
(SB 7.6.8)

The balance ten years, because the whole life we have spoiled in material activities, in the balance, ten years are wasted: "What I have done, and how to pull on? Oh, this was not successful. How I have to make successful? This boy was not educated. That boy was not properly brought up. He has gone out home...," so many anxieties. That means if we do not practice from childhood, then in the advanced age it is not possible. That is the proposal of Prahlāda Mahārāja.

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

And tadayet daśa-varṣāṇi. And as soon as he is on the fifth year, you must be very strict on the child, on the boy, so that he may not be spoiled. Very strict. Simply engage him in proper education. Tāḍayet daśa varṣāṇi. And prāpte tu ṣoḍaśe varse. And as soon as he is on the sixteenth year... Ṣoḍaśe means sixteenth year. Prāpte tu ṣoḍaśe varṣe putraṁ mitravad ācaret: the son, the boy should be treated as friend. No more punishment. Then there will be reply. So there must be restraint. So from sixteenth year to twenty-fifth year, higher education. And after higher education, if the boy is still after sense gratification, he should be allowed to get himself married and enter into family life. That family life is allowed for another twenty-five years. When youthhood is very strong, let him beget some children and... Of course, there is regulation of children. One has to take care of the children and he has to educate children, not that irresponsibly begetting children. No. So family life.

Then as soon as he reaches fiftieth years or little advanced, when he might have a grown-up child at home, then the father and mother leaves home. Pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. The gentleman, when the boy is grown up, he may get his boy married and get out of home. The wife may remain with him as friend, but there is no sex life. That is called vānaprastha. Vānaprastha means retired life. And that is also another training. First training is brahmacārī so that when he becomes householder, he lives very restrained and regulated life. And then, after satisfying his senses, when he is grown up to fiftieth year, he is advised to get out: "No more sense gratification. Now you prepare yourself for the remaining days of your life for spiritual culture." That is called vānaprastha. So vānaprastha means retired life and training for completely renouncing this worldly life. And when he is prepared, the wife is asked to go back home. The grown-up boys will take charge of her. The woman is always protected. In childhood she is protected by the father, in youthhood she is protected by the husband, and in old age she is protected by the grown-up boy. That is the system. She is never given independence. In the Manu-saṁhitā it is stated, na striyaṁ svatantratam arhati: "Woman should never be given independence."

Lecture on SB 7.6.7 -- Vrndavana, December 9, 1975:

So fifty years out of one hundred years, fifty years wasted by sleeping. And then balance fifty years, twenty years in childhood and youthhood, sporting, playing; another twenty years in old age... Jarayā grasta. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). These are inevitable. As birth is inevitable, death is inevitable, similarly, old age is inevitable. So in this way our time is wasted because we do not know how valuable this human form of life is. There is no such education. They think human life is as cheap as dog's life, but factually it is not. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). One gets this human form of life, 8,400,000 species of life, especially advanced life, the Aryan civilization... Aryan means advanced, advanced in spiritual knowledge. The materialists, they claim Aryan only from the bodily conception, but that is not the fact. Anyone who is advanced in spiritual life, they are called Aryans. Anārya-juṣṭam. Arjuna was chastised by Kṛṣṇa that "You are talking like non-Aryan." Anārya-juṣṭam. So non-Aryan and Aryan, what is the difference? The Aryan civilization means this varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas, four āśramas. And non-Aryan means there is no division. Everyone is one or equal. That is advocated now at the present moment. In India also, they think of casteless society, no caste. But it is not caste. It is division of culture. Brāhmaṇa means advanced in culture, kṣatriya means less advanced than the brāhmaṇa, and vaiśya means less advanced, and śūdra is less advanced, and the pañcamas, fifth grade, sixth grade, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ (SB 2.4.18), they are less. In this way high grade and low grade division of the society, one who follows the high grade culture, they are called Aryans, Arya. In many places in Vedic literature the superior person is addressed as Arya.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- New Vrindaban, June 24, 1976:

If you do not practice from the very beginning, it is not possible. Ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ (SB 2.1.6). It is said that the greatest success of life is at the time of (death) remembering Nārāyaṇa, ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ. Just like Ajāmila. He, at the end of his life, remembered Nārāyaṇa. So this is success. But this can be possible if we practice from the very beginning. Ajāmila, first of all, he was a brahmacārī, brāhmaṇa, very well behaved brāhmaṇa, learned everything, but due to bad association he fell down. But Kṛṣṇa gave him the opportunity, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na me bhakta praṇaśyati. If once one has sincerely become the pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, that will never go in vain. So Kṛṣṇa saw this Ajāmila in his childhood and boyhood and youthhood a devotee, so He gave him the chance. At last, he had ten sons. The tenth son was named as Nārāyaṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa's policy, that "This rascal is forgetting Me, so I'll give him a child whose name is Nārāyaṇa." So, with reference to his son, he was chanting "Nārāyaṇa." "Nārāyaṇa, please come here, my dear son. Nārāyaṇa, please take this food." So in this way, his account was being credited, "Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa." You see? So therefore he got the salvation. Similarly, if we simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and follow these principles, our life is successful. This is called ajñāta-sukṛti. We have to acquire sukṛti. Sukṛti means pious activities. Su means pious and kṛti means activities. Sukṛtino 'rjuna. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janaḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna (BG 7.16). Arjuna... Those who are sukṛtina, means one's background is pious, they begin bhajana, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janaḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna. Ārto, arthārthī, jñānī, jijñāsur. Four kinds of men—ārto, the one who is distressed, and arthārthī, one who is poor, wants some money. Jñānī—one who wants to know what is God; jijñāsur—inquisitive. Such persons, if his background is piety, sukṛtina, then he begins bhajana.

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

I am... I am perceiving that "Oh, yesterday I was sleeping." That sleeping condition is passed, but I am here. I am thinking, "Oh, I was sleeping yesterday like this. I was dreaming like this." Therefore, I am the chief, adhyakṣaḥ. I am the chief controller. So I am... This "I am," it is very easy to understand. Any intelligent man can understand. So there are so many yogis. They are trying to understand, "What I am?" This is "I am." It can be understood in a few seconds if you are intelligent enough. There is no question of prolonging simply to understand "What I am?" You are this. So only to understand that if I am not this body, which is dreaming, which is awakened, which is sleeping, so many conditions... It is changing from boyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. So then I have to understand that "If I am eternal then what is my eternal business? Now I am engaged with this temporary business. Because I am born in this land, America, so America has become my country. So I am called for going to Vietnam. Because I am born American, I have to go. But if I am not this body, I am something else, eternal, then what is my eternal engagement? This is my bodily engagement." Everything is our bodily engagement. So Cai... Prahlāda Mahārāja asking us, tā yenaivānubhūyante so 'dhyakṣaḥ puruṣaḥ paraḥ. That puruṣa, that personality, is transcendental.

Lecture on SB 7.9.34 -- Mayapur, March 12, 1976:

That is the aim and object of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—simply to help the people to know Kṛṣṇa. This is the only business, because as soon as you know Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful in which way, eh? The success is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). This is success. This body should be the last acceptance of material body. That is success. Otherwise, if you continue, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ... (BG 2.13). These foolish people, they do not know that dehāntara, there is change of body. Change of body is there already. You are experiencing, but they do not believe that after death there is body. Why not? If you have got experience in the life—"I have passed through so many changes of body, from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youth-hood, then middle age and old body"—then what is next? Why do you finish here? It is common logic. Why should you finish here? There must be body. This is real reasoning. And Kṛṣṇa confirms it. Not only your contemplation. Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ: (BG 2.13) "In this way you'll have another body." The Kṛṣṇa, the great authority, He says, from whom Brahmā, the first creature, he learned. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva... Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. He... Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. He taught this Vedic literature to the heart of Brahmā. He can teach you through the heart also because He is sitting there. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61).

Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Visakhapatnam, February 22, 1972:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was (indistinct) the great devotee in the world. There are many descriptions of his characteristics and activities. In Bhāgavata, Prahlāda-caritra is everyone knows. So when his father was killed, he said, naivodvije para deva duratyaya vaitaraṇyāḥ. Duratyayā. Duratyayā means (it is) very difficult to cross over this ocean of nescience, material world. It is very difficult. We do not know how we have been put into this ocean of nescience. We are traveling, going through eight million four hundred thousand species of life. Sometimes in different species of life in different types of planets and different types of body, we are passing through. We do not know that. We know, we know even in this life we can understand that I have passed over so many bodies. I had my childhood body, I had my boyhood body, I had my youthhood body, now I have got a different body which is old man's body. Similarly, I shall give up this body and I will have to accept another body by the laws of nature. Tatha dehāntara-prāptir. As we are changing our body even in this present life, similarly, after giving up this body, I have to accept another body. Tathā dehāntara prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). But the problem is what kind of body I am going to have in my next life. That is to be thought over.

Therefore, there is no guarantee. And this time I may have so very nice body in a very aristocratic family. Next life it may be the same aristocratic standard or in the higher planetary system in heavenly body, and it may also be that I can get the body of a cat and dog. Therefore, it is very essential that we should be prepared for the next body. Because after we will give up this body, and our pains and pleasure is according to the body. That is also the statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja, sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām, we get a standard of happiness or distress. Take for example only happiness, forget about distress. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām. One who has got his body in the Khatau's family or any nice family, so his standard of happiness is already fixed up according to the body. He has got a body in such family or in such species of life, so his standard of life is also fixed up according to his karma-yogena. Jantur dehopapattaye. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). Karmaṇā, by our act.

Lecture on SB Lecture -- Melbourne, May 19, 1975:

They are thinking that material sense enjoyment is the aim of life. No, that is not the aim of life. That is the way to become more and more entangled. For sense enjoyment I have got this now body, Indian body, you have got this Australian or American or European body. But you have to change this body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). We are eternal. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. The soul does not take birth; neither it dies. We simply change body.

Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Just like we are changing our body. In mother's womb we had a small body. It grows, and we come out. Again it grows. Grows... It is not actually growing, it is changing. The child is changing his body to baby, the baby is changing his body to boy, and the boy is changing his body to youthhood. Then... in this way you are changing body. That you have got experience. You had a child's body—you remember. Or you had a boy's body—you remember. But the body is no longer existing. But you are existing. Therefore the conclusion is that when this body will be no more fit for existing we shall have to accept another body. This is called tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. So we have to change. That is nature's law. The soul is immortal. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The soul is not finished, simply a particular type of body being finished, no. The people do not know it. And because they are simply engaged in sinful activities, their brain has become so dull that they cannot understand this simple truth that as you are changing body in this life therefore you will change this body to another life. This is very simple truth. But at the advancement of material civilization, we have become so dull and rascal that we cannot understand it.

Page Title:Youth (Lectures, SB)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:16 of Nov, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=68, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:68