According to Vedic injunction (Lectures, Conv. and Letters)

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Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

According to Vedic injunction, one, everyone, should have a spiritual master.

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

Now, the idea of accepting spiritual master, that is also very obligatory. You see? As soon as you accept one as the spiritual master. First of all, we have recorded in your... You have heard it, that acceptance of spiritual master must be selected, you see, after careful examination, just like one selects his bride or bridegroom after careful examination. And in India they are very careful because the marriage of the boys and girls take place under the guidance of the parents. So the parents very carefully see. So similarly, if one has to... The acceptance of spiritual master is necessary. According to Vedic injunction, one, everyone, should have a spiritual master.

Cow dung is, according to Vedic injunction, is pure. In India it is actually used as antiseptic. In villages especially, there is large quantity of cow dung, and they're, all over the house they have smeared to make the house antiseptic.

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

If one can give evidence from the quotation of the Vedas, then it has to be accepted. Nobody can deny the Vedic evidence. That is the system. How it is so? Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given very nice example. That is in the Vedas. Just like we keep conchshell in the Deities' room. Conchshell is considered very pure, transcendental; otherwise, how we can keep before Deity and you blow conchshell? You offer water with conchshell. How you can offer? But what is this conchshell? The conchshell is the bone of an animal. It is nothing but bone of an animal. But the Vedic injunction is that if you touch the bone of an animal, you'll have to take bath immediately. You become impure. Now one may say, "Oh, this is contradiction. In one place it is said that if you touch the bone of an animal, then you have to purify yourself by taking bath immediately, and here, the bone of an animal is in the Deities' room. So it is contradiction, is it not? If bone of an animal is impure, how you can place it in the Deities' room? And if bone of an animal is pure, then what is the meaning of becoming impure and take bath?" You'll find similar contradiction in the Vedic injunctions. But because it is said by the Vedas that bone of an animal is impure, you have to accept. But this bone of an animal, conchshell, is pure. Just like sometimes our students are perplexed when we say that onion is not to be taken, but onion is a vegetable. So śabda-pramāṇa means the Vedic evidence should be taken in such a way that no argument. There is meaning; there is no contradiction. There is meaning. Just like several times I have told you that cow dung. Cow dung is, according to Vedic injunction, is pure. In India it is actually used as antiseptic. In villages especially, there is large quantity of cow dung, and they're, all over the house they have smeared to make the house antiseptic. And actually after smearing cow dung in your room, when it is dried, you'll find refreshed, everything antiseptic. It is practical experience. And one Dr. Ghosh, a great chemist, he examined cow dung, that why cow dung is so much important in the Vedic literature? He found that cow dung contains all the antiseptic properties. In Āyur-veda, cow dung dried and burned into ashes is used as toothpowder. It is very antiseptic toothpowder. Similarly, there are many things, many injunctions in the Vedas, which may apparently appear as contradiction, but they are not contradiction. They are on experience, on transcendental experience.

According to Vedic injunction, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. Everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is His property. So the whole planet is God's property, whole universe is God's property. But when we are claiming that this is my property, then where is morality?

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

Kṛṣṇa says patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). "If somebody offers Me vegetables, leaves, grains, milk, water, flowers, then I accept." So this is nice foodstuff, it is to be accepted. Because Kṛṣṇa likes to eat this. Kṛṣṇa can eat anything because He is the supreme, He is omnipotent, He can eat anything, but He particularly mentions this. Therefore, foodstuff made of these ingredients is nice, sāttvika, goodness. So the karma-vāda, that you follow morality you'll get good results... But where is your morality? Because you are disobedient to God. In the beginning of your life, you are immoral. You are disobeying the greatest authority. There is another example, a story, that a gang of thieves, they stolen some property from different houses, then out of the village they are dividing amongst themselves the booties. So one thief is saying, "Please divide it morally so that one may not be cheated." Now just imagine, the property is stolen. Where is the morality there? But when dividing, they are thinking of morality. The basic principle is immoral. Where you can have morality? Similarly, according to Vedic injunction, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is His property. So the whole planet is God's property, whole universe is God's property. But when we are claiming that this is my property, then where is morality? If you claim other's property as your property, then where is the morality?

Anyone who is born in the human society, civilized society, he is indebted immediately. Just like child is born in a family. So according to Vedic injunction, he immediately becomes indebted to so many items. What is that? He becomes indebted immediately to the different demigods, sun, moon, Indra, Candra, so many.

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

There is a verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ

na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan

sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ

gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

(SB 11.5.41)

The meaning of this verse is that anyone who is born in the human society, civilized society, he is indebted immediately. Just like child is born in a family. So according to Vedic injunction, he immediately becomes indebted to so many items. What is that? He becomes indebted immediately to the different demigods, sun, moon, Indra, Candra, so many. Because we are receiving light from the sun, from the moon, so we are indebted. People do not care for it because they have no knowledge. Therefore in the Vedas, the sacrifice is recommended, to perform respective duties to become discharged from the indebtedness. So you are indebted to the demigods, indebted to the sages. Just like Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva, he has given us so many Vedic literatures. So we are taking advantage. So deva, ṛṣi, bhūta, ordinary living entities, even cats and dogs. But we, instead of being indebted, we do something else. Just like we are drinking milk. So we are indebted to the cows. So instead of repaying the indebtedness, we are killing them. So in this way we are complicated in so many ways. Devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇām (SB 11.5.41). Pitṟṇām means in the family in which you are born. You are indebted because you are inheriting property, you are inheriting the mother's affection, father's affection. So you are indebted. People should consider. That is civilization.

In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "sex life in religious principle." Religious principle means, according to Vedic injunction, putra te kriyate bhāryā, putra piṇḍa prayojanam. There is necessity of a bona fide son in the family, and to beget a bona fide son, there is necessity of accepting wife.

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

To maintain the laws of the world, as to maintain the laws and order of a state, there is violence department, the police department, the military department. Why? The government can stop it. "Oh, this is unnecessary expenditure." No. That is necessity for maintenance of the state. Similarly, war is sometimes necessary for maintenance of the order of the world. But people have misused. That is a different thing. But here, in this battlefield of Kurukṣetra, there is no question of misuse. Because it is under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no such question of misusing. War is necessary, but that does not mean it should be misused. There are so many instances. Just like sex life is necessary for generating for progeny. But that is being misused for sense gratification. That is another thing. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "sex life in religious principle." Religious principle means, according to Vedic injunction, putra te kriyate bhāryā, putra piṇḍa prayojanam. There is necessity of a bona fide son in the family, and to beget a bona fide son, there is necessity of accepting wife. So acceptance of such wife and sex life in that connection is not abominable. But to keep some friend and enjoy sex life for sense gratification, that is abominable. But the function is the same. Somebody may say, "Oh, this is also sex life, that is also sex life." But there is much difference. Similarly, apparently, a thing may appear to be the same, but it has got great significance. That is to be judged by higher authorities. That higher authority, supreme authority, is there, Kṛṣṇa Himself.

According to Vedic injunctions, dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samāna. One who is not executing his own religious principle, he is no better than the animals.

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

So, it is the duty of the kṣatriya to see that everyone is executing his proper professional or occupational duty. We have discussed this point yesterday, sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya. Sva-dharma. This is very important. At the present moment there is no sva-dharma. Therefore according to Vedic injunctions, dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samāna. One who is not executing his own religious principle, he is no better than the animals. So who will see that everyone engaged in discharging his occupational duty? Sva-dharmam means occupational duty. It is the duty of the king, government. In the beginning it is the duty of the father, of the teacher, to train children to the principles of sva-dharma.

In social engagement, according to Vedic injunction, especially for the brahmacārīs, the vānaprastha, retired life, and sannyāsa life, these three orders of life are restricted from associating with women.

Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:

Our mind is so strong and so uncontrolled that even though we artificially try to control our senses, still, sometimes, at a certain period, we fail. Just like Viśvāmitra Muni failed. Yatato hy api kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ. Vipaścitaḥ means a very learned man, very learned man, and still trying, not ordinary man, but learned man, trying to control his senses. Yatato hy api kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ, indriyāṇi pramā... But the senses are so strong that at certain point it fails even by the attempt of a very learned scholar who knows everything. Therefore in social, social, I mean to say, engagement, according to Vedic injunction, especially for the brahmacārīs, especially for the brahma... Not only brahmacārīs. Brahmacārī means student life, and other three orders of life means vānaprastha, retired life, and sannyāsa life, these three orders of life are restricted from associating with women. Only householders, those who are married, they are simply allowed to associate with women. And others, just like the brahmacārī, the vānaprastha, the sannyāsa, they are strictly restricted from association of woman.

This is brahma-karma-samādhinā. And the performance is just according to the Vedic injunction. So in this way, if we, I mean to say, execute the duties of our living condition, then the result will be that at the end we shall be attaining Brahman.

Lecture on BG 4.20-24 -- New York, August 9, 1966:

Brahmārpaṇam brahma havir. And the thing which we are sacrificing, we have to understand that the things belong to the Supreme Brahman. Brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir brahmāgnau. And the fire which is on the altar, that is to be understood as the energy of the Supreme Brahman. And brahmaṇā hutam. And the person who is offering the sacrifice, he is also part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. In this way, if we offer sacrifice, then brahmaiva tena gantavyam. The person who is offering such sacrifice is sure to attain spiritual salvation. This is brahma-karma-samādhinā. And the performance is just according to the Vedic injunction. So in this way, if we, I mean to say, execute the duties of our living condition, then the result will be that at the end we shall be attaining Brahman. And the whole process is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

According to Vedic injunction, you are destined to achieve a certain amount of happiness and certain amount of distress also, because you cannot achieve here in this material world any happiness which is not disturbed.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

"Then," one may question, "if I simply try to achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then how my belly problem will be solved?" The answer is tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. According to Vedic injunction, you are destined to achieve a certain amount of happiness and certain amount of distress also, because you cannot achieve here in this material world any happiness which is not disturbed. There must be distress. So there are two things, happiness and distress. So as you are getting distress without inviting it... Nobody invites distress, "Let distress come upon me." Nobody invites, but it comes. Similarly, even if you do not pray for happiness, whatever is destined to you, it will come. So don't bother yourself about the material distress and happiness. Try to achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which you could not achieve in so many lives after life. That is injunction. That is called absolute knowledge.