Material atmosphere

Expressions researched:
"material atmosphere"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.17, Purport:

The haṭha-yoga system is meant for controlling the five kinds of air encircling the pure soul by different kinds of sitting postures—not for any material profit, but for liberation of the minute soul from the entanglement of the material atmosphere.

BG 4.24, Purport:

A conditioned soul, entangled in material contamination, is sure to act in the material atmosphere, and yet he has to get out of such an environment. The process by which the conditioned soul can get out of the material atmosphere is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

SB Canto 1

SB 1.2.31, Purport:

As Paramātmā and eternal friend of the living entities, the Lord, by one of His plenary portions, accompanies the living entities to guide them in their material enjoyment and to become witness to all activities. While the living entities enjoy the material conditions, the Lord maintains His transcendental position without being affected by the material atmosphere.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.3.17, Purport:

A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere. A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities.

SB 2.6.29, Purport:

The manifested personalities are mundane controllers of the material affairs, whereas the nonmanifested Personality of Godhead is transcendental, beyond the range of the material atmosphere.

SB 2.7.8, Purport:

The planet awarded to Prince Dhruva Mahārāja is a fixed Vaikuṇṭha planet, installed in the material atmosphere by the will of the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva. This planet, although within the material world, will not be annihilated at the time of devastation, but will remain fixed in its place.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.3.26, Purport:

Amongst the devotees of the Lord there are several divisions, mainly nitya-siddhas and sādhana-siddhas. The nitya-siddha devotees never fall down to the region of the material atmosphere, even though they sometimes come onto the material plane to execute the mission of the Lord.

SB 3.6.7, Purport:

The airs of life are called prāṇa, apāna, udāna, vyāna and samāna and are also differently qualified as nāga, kūrma, kṛkara, devadatta and dhanañjaya. The consciousness of the soul becomes polluted by the material atmosphere, and thus various activities are exhibited in the false ego of bodily identification.

SB 3.22.32, Purport:

It is not that the miseries of the material world completely vanish when one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but for one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious the miseries of material existence have no effect. We cannot stop the miseries of the material atmosphere, but Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the antiseptic method to protect us from being affected by the miseries of material existence.

SB 3.29.35, Purport:

On the other hand, when the living entity wants to enjoy by imitating the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his desire is called māyā, and it puts him in the material atmosphere. A living entity who wants to enjoy on his personal account and not cooperate with the Supreme Lord is engaged in materialistic life.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.22.31, Purport:

Our original consciousness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. When this consciousness is misguided and one is put into the material atmosphere, which pollutes the original consciousness, one thinks that he is a product of the material elements.

SB 4.29.65, Purport:

Actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme enjoyer. When a living entity wants to imitate Him, he is given a chance to satisfy his false desire to lord it over material nature. That is the beginning of his downfall. As long as he is within this material atmosphere, he has a subtle vehicle in the form of the mind, which is the stockpile of all kinds of material desires.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.6.19, Purport:

It is therefore said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: (SB 7.5.31) due to gross ignorance, the conditioned soul does not know that his real self-interest is to take shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. To try to become happy by adjusting the material atmosphere is a useless endeavor. Indeed, it is impossible. By His personal behavior and instructions, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva enlightened the conditioned soul and showed him how to become self-sufficient in his spiritual identity.

SB 5.14.1, Translation:

Similarly, the conditioned soul, being greedy, enters this material world for some material profit. Gradually he enters the deepest part of the forest, not really knowing how to get out. Having entered the material world, the pure soul becomes conditioned by the material atmosphere, which is created by the external energy under the control of Lord Viṣṇu."

SB Canto 6

SB 6.15.26, Purport:

Because people are not educated in terms of the goal of life, they are working like madmen and becoming more and more attached to the material atmosphere. The misguided man accepts the material condition as everlasting. One must give up his faith in material things and give up attachment for them. Then one will be sober and peaceful.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.10.3, Purport:

When the Lord Himself appears as an incarnation within this material world, He is not allured by the material atmosphere, and He has nothing to do with material activity, yet by His example He teaches the common man how to become a devotee.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.24 Summary:

Thus He appears in various forms-sometimes as a fish, sometimes a boar, sometimes Nṛsiṁhadeva, sometimes Vāmanadeva and so on-but in any form or incarnation, although He comes within the atmosphere of the material modes of nature, He is unaffected. This is a sign of His supreme controlling power. Although He comes within the material atmosphere, māyā cannot touch Him. Therefore, no material qualities can be attributed to Him in any degree.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.4.26, Purport:

Everything is done automatically by the laws of nature, which work under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no question of doing anything independently, for one who has put himself in this material atmosphere is fully under the control of nature's laws.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 5.39, Purport:

Tamas means darkness. The material world is dark, and beyond the material world is light. In other words, after passing through the entire material atmosphere, one can come to the luminous spiritual sky, whose impersonal effulgence is known as Siddhaloka.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 25.76, Translation:

“"If a person considered liberated in this life commits offenses against the reservoir of inconceivable potencies, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he will again fall down and desire the material atmosphere for material enjoyment.""

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 25:

The pure devotee of the Personality of Godhead never accepts the Māyāvādī philosophy as an actual path to transcendental realization. The Māyāvādī philosophers hover in the moral and immoral material atmosphere of the cosmic world and consequently are always engaged in rejecting and accepting material enjoyment. They have falsely accepted the nonspiritual as the spiritual, and as a result they have forgotten the spiritual eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as well as His name, quality and entourage.

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 29:

In the Tenth Canto, Fifty-first Chapter, verse 47, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there is this statement: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I cannot say that it is only other people who are implicated in material existence, because I too am much entangled with the bodily concept of life. I am always too anxious about my family, home, wife, wealth, land and kingdom. And because I have been so maddened by this material atmosphere, I am thinking now that my life has been simply spoiled." This statement is an instance of disappointment caused by lamentation.

Easy Journey to Other Planets

Easy Journey to Other Planets 2:

The material atmosphere is robbing us of our eternality. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says, "Our duration of life is being diminished by the sun, beginning from its rising until the time it sets." Daily we are losing the duration of our lives. If the sun rises at 5:30 in the morning, at 5:30 in the evening twelve hours have been taken away from the duration of our lives. We will never get this time back.

Light of the Bhagavata

Light of the Bhagavata 15, Purport:

In the midst of the thunder in the cloudy sky there appears a rainbow that has no string. Its appearance is compared to the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His servants in the midst of the material atmosphere.

Light of the Bhagavata 26, Purport:

The Lord derives transcendental pleasure by accepting services from His various grades of devotees, who are situated in various grades of rasas. These transcendental rasas are pervertedly reflected in the material atmosphere, and thus the spiritual living being, out of ignorance only, vainly seeks the same bliss in matter.

Sri Isopanisad

Sri Isopanisad 17, Purport:

The culture of knowledge reaches perfection only when the knower comes to the point of surrendering unto the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva. Otherwise, even after attaining knowledge of one's spiritual identity, if one does not come to the point of knowing that the living entities are eternal parts and parcels of the whole and can never become the whole, one has to fall down again into the material atmosphere. Indeed, one must fall down even if he has become one with the brahmajyoti.

Mukunda-mala-stotra (mantras 1 to 6 only)

Mukunda-mala-stotra mantra 1, Purport:

The Lord is also addressed as Nātha, the real Lord. One can attain the perfection of life only by serving the real Lord. The entire material atmosphere is surcharged with the false lordship of the living beings. The illusioned beings are all struggling for false lordship, and thus no one wants to serve.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

We, as pure soul, pure consciousness, naturally we are aloof from material contamination. But due to our long association with this material atmosphere, we have accumulated a great, thick layer of dust on the mind. So as soon as the dust is cleared off, then we can see ourself, what we are.

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

Now if one comes to the understanding, enlightenment, this is the beginning of enlightenment—self-understanding, that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. I do not belong to this material world. I am not part and parcel of this country, this world, or this material atmosphere, but I am part and parcel of the Supreme." This is enlightenment.

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

The whole material atmosphere is going on, but we... There is a program. There is a plan. The plan is that, as soon as the living entity is promoted by gradual evolution, promoted to the platform of human life, he has to understand his spiritual position. That is the whole program. The nature is going on on this plan of the Supreme Lord.

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

Here the Lord says that by force we cannot stop anyone's material activities. That is not possible. By force, it is not possible. So any other system of spiritual realization, either by the process of philosophical speculation or by this process of artificial, I mean to say, gymnastic of this body, you see, or meditation, forceful meditation... Whole day I am working in a material atmosphere. Suppose for two hours I meditate. Of course, it will make some progress. Anything, spiritual action, that will not go in vain.

Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:

So the goal, ultimate goal, it is described, "The Supreme is the Personality of Godhead for the devotee, and liberation for the impersonalist." The impersonalists, they simply want to be free from this material atmosphere and go to the spiritual atmosphere. Just like one who is in the darkness of a room, his aspiration is how to see light. That's all. The impersonalist means simply to see light, knowledge. And personalist means to direct, to be in direct touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on BG 3.31-43 -- Los Angeles, January 1, 1969:

Kṛṣṇa wanted him that "You should fight this Kurukṣetra battle," but he wanted to be good man. So that fighting, when he was convinced of Kṛṣṇa's instruction, this Bhagavad-gītā, that means he transcended even the goodness platform of this material world. So Kṛṣṇa is trying to raise him to the... traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. This whole material atmosphere is surcharged with three modes of material nature. So one has to transcend the modes of material nature. Just like one should not try to become a first-class prisoner.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

And if you have desired always Kṛṣṇa, you will have a body where you can enjoy Kṛṣṇa, your spiritual body. So therefore it is upon me, what we want. So we have to simply pray to Kṛṣṇa, as Lord Caitanya has taught us, ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau: "This material atmosphere is a big ocean of nescience. Some how or other I am put into this, fallen. Please pick me up. Please pick me up and make the one dust of Your lotus feet." That should be the only prayer, "Please pick me up." Then He will pick up.

Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966:

Although they attain that power, real yogis, they do not exhibit it. They do not exhibit it. They have got the powers, so many wonderful powers, but he doesn't... His only aim is ātma-viśuddhaye: "I am now contaminated by this material atmosphere; so I have to purify myself." So that purification process we shall discuss next day. But I may say in this connection that so much difficult process for purifying the ātmā is very easily done, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Because the sound, this transcendental sound vibration, is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is absolute.

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

The meaning is that "One can understand Me only by this bhakti-yoga process. And when one is fully aware of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then he becomes fit to enter into the Kingdom of God." So the purpose of yoga practice is to promote or to leave this material atmosphere and enter into the spiritual atmosphere. All the yogis, the jñāna-yogī, they remain in the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. The dhyāna-yogī is practicing the localized aspect, but the bhakti-yogī, he is promoted directly in the planet which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana, and there he associates with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and enjoys life blissfully, eternally.

Lecture on BG 7.5 -- Nairobi, November 1, 1975:

You are as good as God by quality, but quantity, you are not as great as God. This is self-realization. Therefore śāstra says that "If the minute quantity of a spiritual spark would have been equal to the supreme whole, then how he has come under His control?" This is reasoning. We are under control. In the material atmosphere we are fully under control. But when we are spiritually free, still we are under control, because God remains the great and we remain the small.

Lecture on BG 9.2-5 -- New York, November 23, 1966:

Prakṛti, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sar... (BG 3.27). At that time you are not this stout and strong body, that you don't care for anything. Then you are that smallest, fragmental portion. So you are just under the material atmosphere, so under the mercy of the material nature. And that material nature will give you some kind of body for which you are fit. Then again begin your work. This is the position.

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

Simply you have to change. That's all. You have to change. If you utilize things for sense gratification, then you go to the darkest region of this material atmosphere. And the same thing, if you offer to Kṛṣṇa, it becomes spiritual.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

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

First night the soul takes shelter within that body, and the mother supplies the energy, and it develops. From that pea it becomes a small body, but the small body becomes greater and greater, and when it is fit for developing, or increasing in this material atmosphere, mother delivers the child and again it becomes developing. So developing means changing the body.

Lecture on SB 1.5.4 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1968:

Your goal of life is that which you cannot achieve even by traveling the whole space. What is that? That goal of life is to search out God and your relationship with God. Because you are part and parcel of God, and somehow or other, you have been entrapped by this material atmosphere, and you are not happy. Nobody is happy. If one says that "I am happy," he must be a crazy man or he must be speaking lie. Nobody is happy.

Lecture on SB 1.15.37 -- Los Angeles, December 15, 1973:

Will your wife, will your children, will your family, will your community, will save you? No. Nobody can save you. So therefore those who are thinking that "This material atmosphere, relatives, will save me," they are mistaken. They are ass. They do not know that every individual being is responsible for his own work. Therefore we must be very careful that "Why should I waste my time in working hard? What is my problem?" These things have to be known.

Lecture on SB 2.1.6 -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

So sāṅkhya-yoga, either you take this Kapiladeva's philosophical principle or that Kapiladeva, that's all right. But after analyzing, if you do not find out Nārāyaṇa, the creator of this material atmosphere, material elements, then it is useless laboring so much, hard, for analyzing.

Lecture on SB 2.1.6 -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

But simply by understanding the blood analysis, pathology, does not mean it is cured. The cure is different. Similarly, these sāṅkhya-yogī philosophers, they may analyze very critically. Even they can count the atoms which is composing this whole material atmosphere. But that does not mean you have understood the original force which has created all these things. That is discussed here. Etāvān sāṅkhya-yogābhyām. So you become a very big scientist, very big physicist, chemist. That is all right. But you must know how to remember Nārāyaṇa at the time of your death.

Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:

First of all try to understand what is your interest. But that you do not know. Because you are thinking falsely that "By adjustment of this material atmosphere I shall be happy." Everyone is trying. Nationally, individually, collectively, everyone is trying. But it is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It will be frustration. Therefore it is called bahir-artha-māninaḥ.

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

Because I am spirit soul, I have nothing to do with this material atmosphere. Asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ: "This spirit soul has nothing to do." But on account of his material association by different processes, we have grown this body, material body, and we are now... That is entangled.

Lecture on SB 6.1.16 -- Denver, June 29, 1975:

If we want happiness, then we have to work. There is no doubt about it. But Kṛṣṇa says that yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). Somebody is working to become happy within this material atmosphere by becoming very big man within this world, or a little more intelligent, they are not happy in this life, but they want to become happy in the next life. Sometimes they go to the higher planetary system.

Lecture on SB 6.1.27 -- Indore, December 15, 1970:

Everyone is thinking that "My..., this material atmosphere, my bank balance, my nice house, my nice family, children, they will protect me." That is foolishness. Nobody will protect you. You have to protect yourself.

Lecture on SB 6.3.20-23 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

Because it is transcendental, viśuddham, beyond the range of this material atmosphere. Our knowledge is... We get knowledge after creation of this body; therefore all knowledge is material. We tax our brain, which is a material production only. So there is no possibility of understanding religion or God by taxing the material membrane.

Lecture on SB 6.3.27-28 -- Gorakhpur, February 20, 1971:

And chāga-nārāyaṇa, the goat nārāyaṇa, they must be killed for this daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. This kind of discrimination of not for the sādhu. He's not a sādhu. Sādhu is equally disposed to all living entities—not only human society; animal society. In the material atmosphere... Because the material atmosphere is envious to one another. I am envious to you, you are envious to me. That is the position of the material world. So these so-called philanthropists or altruists, they take a section only, do good to them, but neglect others. Neglect others. Or others are enemies. But a sādhu is equipoised.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10-11 -- Montreal, July 14, 1968:

Brahmajyoti means spiritual sky. This material sky means brahmajyoti is covered by material cloud. Actually, everything is brahmajyoti. Just like clear sky, but some portion of the sky is sometimes covered by cloud. Some portion only. The whole sky is never covered by sky. Similarly, some portion which is covered by this material atmosphere, that is called material world. That's all. Actually, the original sky is spiritual. Original sky is full of sunshine, but the covered portion means we cannot see the sunshine.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-99 -- Washington, D.C., July 4, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa says, "Out of many millions of persons, one is interested how to become siddha." Siddha means liberated, one who is not entangled with this material atmosphere. He is called siddha. So out of many millions of people, one may be interested how to become free from this material entanglement. And yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3), and out of many such siddhas, one may understand Kṛṣṇa. Kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.313-317 -- New York, December 21, 1966:

Material nature means the jurisdiction of sense gratification. That's all. Simply people are engaged by sense gratification like cats and dogs. That's all. This is material atmosphere. And in the spiritual atmosphere there is no sense gratification; there is only activity for satisfying the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.49-61 -- New York, January 5, 1967:

Every planet, every spiritual atmosphere or material atmosphere, they have got some particular specially, every, every planet. So that is designed by Kṛṣṇa. Te te prabhāva-nicayā. Every planet has specific influence or specific... Just like in the moon planet the specific feature is that it gives you cold light. Moon planet is never hot. Similarly, in sun planet, it supplies you heat. You cannot expect from any other planet heat or any other planet this coolness. They are designed by the Supreme Lord, everything nicely.

Festival Lectures

Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami's Appearance Day -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:

So anitya saṁsāra, this material atmosphere, it is anitya. Anitya means temporary. Although temporary, I shall live here, say, for fifty years or hundred years. Still, I am very much busy to make adjustment of my, this temporary living condition. Everyone is busy: how to have a house, how to have nice bank balance, how to be secure nationally, this way, that way.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Address -- Los Angeles, July 8, 1974:

You'll remain always happy, because although we are in Los Angeles, we have nothing to do with the material atmosphere of Los Angeles. Therefore a devotee who lives with Kṛṣṇa or in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not live in the material world. He always live in the spiritual world.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, September 27, 1968:

I have seen one gentleman in Calcutta, he was drawing 6,000; he committed suicide. Committed suicide. Why? That money could not give him satisfaction. He was trying to have something else. So this material atmosphere, by earning great amount of money, will never give you satisfaction, because every one of us is the servant of the senses. This platform of service of the senses should be transferred to the platform of service to Kṛṣṇa, and then you will find all problems solved.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, March 31, 1971:

God is ānandamaya, and we, being part and parcel of God, or Kṛṣṇa, we are also ānandamaya. But we are seeking ānanda in a different atmosphere, in the material atmosphere. Therefore we are being baffled. The only remedy is that you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you will be happy.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

We have lost this consciousness that "I am the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the supreme blissful enjoyer, but somehow or other, being complicated within this matter, I am suffering. I am trying to become happy with this material atmosphere, which is not possible." Just like if you are put into the water you may be very nice swimmer, but you cannot be happy there because the water is not your place. You are a living entity of the land.

Lecture at Caitanya Matha -- Visakhapatnam, February 19, 1972:

If one tries to understand Kṛṣṇa, as He is, not by fiction, not by speculation, not by so-called scholarly, foolish commentation, but Kṛṣṇa should be understood as He is. Then, that is right Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and then one will be able to understand how Kṛṣṇa is working, how the whole world, material atmosphere, and material, cosmic manifestation is working. Then you will understand. Kṛṣṇa says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10), under my supervision. To understand Kṛṣṇa, and anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa, scientifically, then he, Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ.

Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972:

Because we are part and parcel of God, we are as pure as God, but we have been contaminated by this material association, and therefore we have got different types of bodies, encagements. And according to the different types of bodies we have to enjoy or suffer the material atmosphere. This is our position. So bhāgavata-dharma means to surrender unto God. That's all. Very simple thing.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975:

Then why you are anxious to save the soul, individual soul? The answer will be that because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So ultimately we want to love Kṛṣṇa, but because we are in a forgetful platform, then someone is trying to save his body, someone is trying to save his bodily relationship. Therefore in so many ways we are implicated with this material atmosphere.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Temple Press Conference -- August 5, 1971, London:

Woman Interviewer: Yes, Your Grace, it seems to many people that there is probably more. There are probably more people in the world now who are seeking some kind of spiritual new light than probably ever before, or at least, there's more evidence of it. And I wonder if you agreed with that, and if so can you tell me why it is?

Prabhupāda: Yes, That should be the natural hankering with us. Because we are spirit soul we cannot be happy in material atmosphere. Just like you take out the fish from the water, it cannot be happy on the land, similarly, if we are without spiritual consciousness we can never be happy. So people after advancement of scientific knowledge and economic development, they are not happy. They are becoming hippies. So the cause is that they're in search of spiritual life and this is the proper delivery, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Sridhara Maharaja -- June 27, 1973, Navadvipa:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: I said that just examine the healthy body. This material world is an excema expect(?) in the healthy body.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Material, material atmosphere means diseased condition.

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: We are trying to be satisfied in this material condition, society, friendship, love and so forth, so on and we are after that. But there, there is no possibility. Unless you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, harim āśrayeta, there is no possibility. The whole world is trying to adjust things of the society, friendship, love and material atmosphere. That cannot be. That is not possible. Only by taking shelter... Therefore Kṛṣṇa says. Not whimsically. That is the only remedy: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the only remedy. There is no other remedy. But they'll not take. What can be done? This is the only remedy, harim āśrayeta. One should take shelter of Hari, Kṛṣṇa. Then he'll be happy. Otherwise it is not possible.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 17, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: They were not able to understand that he is going to raise another temple. Another temple, that is how the Jews, were against him. I think... That is what my conjection, no? Another temple means another creed of...

Prabhupāda: This is "against" or "for," this so-called "against" or "for," it has no meaning. Just like children fight, sometimes against, sometimes for. So it has no meaning. Unless one is raised in the spiritual consciousness, this so-called goodness and badness has no meaning. Caitanya-caritāmṛta kara says, dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna: "In the material atmosphere, the so-called goodness and so-called badness, they're all the same, simply a different type of mental concoction. That's all."

Morning Walk -- March 26, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: All disease. That is also... Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate, sa guṇān samatītyaitān... (BG 14.26). These varieties of different qualities due to these material modes of nature, but if you transcend... Just like if you remain in the water, there are so many symptoms of danger. You come out of the water; there is no danger. You cannot expect, even if you have got the best boat, you cannot expect that you are safe in the water. But if you remain one inch above the water, then there is no danger. So this devotional service is like that. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). As soon one is fully engaged in devotional service, then he's above this material atmosphere.

Room Conversation with Robert Gouiran, Nuclear Physicist from European Center for Nuclear Research -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: He says that there are like criss-crosses, like swords blocking...

Prabhupāda: So one thing is that he's feeling difficulty in the material atmosphere of the West. Is it the fact?

Robert Gouiran: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That is good.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Dr. John Mize -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Mind is there also. That is spiritual mind. Everything is spiritual. There is nothing material. Body spiritual, mind spiritual, intelligence spiritual, he is spiritual, the land spiritual, water spiritual—everything is spiritual. That is spiritual world. Here in the material world, except the spirit soul, everything is material. And he is encumbered with this material atmosphere by twenty-seven stratas, layers. The five elements, gross elements, then ten senses, and then three guṇas... In this way there are twenty-seven layers. He is within, and he has to be taken out. That is called liberation. Just like if you are covered with twenty-seven layers of dirty things, so it is very difficult position. But there is process to clear the garbage and take him out. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, to take the soul out of the covering of twenty-seven layers of material atmosphere. That śloka is naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu: "almost cleansed." Abhadra, abhadra means dirty things. So this clearing process going on.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 8, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: They do not know what is civilization, that is there. The difficulty is they have no education about human civilization. Bahir-artha-māninā. They are simply captivated by the external energy, bodily conception of life. They do not know what is the aim of life. This is Western civilization. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). This is not Western, this is the demonic civilization. They do not know what is the aim of life. Our..., the material atmosphere, they're not happy, they're failing always, missing the real point.

Room Conversation -- May 1, 1976, Fiji:

Prabhupāda: Yes. If somebody is interested to know what is the important thing, then he can understand this. And if he's animal, simply eating, sleeping, mating, what he will understand? Animal is not interested to know how the world is going on. He gets his food and sex. That's all. That is animal propensity. And as soon as he comes to the human platform, then inquisitive. "Ke āmi, kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya." Sanātana Gosvāmī.... He's not interested, "How I shall develop my economic position?" He has left already a very high-grade economic position. He's not interested. He's interested "Ke āmi, kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya. Actually what is my position? Why I am suffering in this material atmosphere?" That is human life.

Interview with Newsday Newspaper -- July 14, 1976, New York:

Interviewer: But for what purpose and to what end? What's the final end?

Prabhupāda: Yes, so final, that unless you are spiritually realized, you do not know what is the final end. The final end is that we are part and parcel of God. Somehow or other we are in contact with this material atmosphere. So our final aim is to go back to home, back to Godhead. Unless we know this and we practice how to return back again to Godhead, then we have to remain within this material world, transmigrating from one body to another. Therefore the human intelligence is meant for understanding the spiritual identity and the goal of life and act accordingly. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is an educational movement to enlighten the people from gross ignorance to the highest enlightenment of spiritual understanding.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Parivrājakācārya: They are very surprised. They said how is this happening.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Life is everywhere. This bogus theory there is no life, the atmosphere is different, it is bogus, simply bogus. Because spirit soul is never affected by any material atmosphere. That is the distinction between matter and spirit. It has nothing to do with this material atmosphere. They don't have knowledge, they are baffled. And those who have no knowledge, they are accepting.

Press Interview -- October 16, 1976, Chandigarh:

Interviewer: But does that not mean because they are rich they can afford religion.

Prabhupāda: No, no. That is the... Because you are... We have already explained. You are a spiritual being. You cannot be satisfied with material atmosphere in any stage. Just like a fish is an animal of the water. If you bring the fish from water and keep on the land very comfortably, it cannot be comfortable. It is impossible. Similarly, we are all spiritual beings. Any amount of material comforts will never satisfy us, unless we come to the spiritual platform. That is the demand. So now they have satisfied their material demands, but the urge is there, "I want something more, to be happy." And that is spiritual.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Evening Conversation -- January 25, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: Therefore ekādaśī. One day or two days in the month he should practice fasting, and then he'll be able to conquer over these things. These are all practical. So we should practice ourself and teach others. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And if he thinks that he's quite all right in this material atmosphere, then he's doomed. Mūḍhaḥ nābhijānāti. That means aprāpya mām—without achieving Kṛṣṇa—nivartante—again he goes back-mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3)—the cycle of birth and death. Take one birth, suffer, again take another body, again take another body, another body. There are 400..., eight million four hundred... That's all. Sometimes so-called happiness, he is born as demigod, sometimes as dog, sometimes as insect, sometimes as tree.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: So part and parcel should be ānanda-maya. But-manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). I have come to this material world. I am creating so many isms by the mind and acting with the senses, and there is struggle. This is the... Everything is there. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Prakṛti-sthāni, being placed in this material atmosphere, he simply struggles. Therefore we are giving the solution: "You give up this struggle. Go back to home, back to Godhead."

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: They must be entangled. They are trying in the false way, wrong way. He is suffering on account of being placed in this material atmosphere, and he's trying to adjust things with this material... That means he's becoming more and more entangled. Sometimes we have seen a fly falls down in the bee honey and he becomes entangled. So how it will be possible to become free and again fly unless he's taken and washed all these dirty things for him? Then he can fly. Freedom. And so long he'll try to adjust things in the prakṛti-sthāni, that is nonsense, all nonsense.

Room Conversation with Adi-kesava Swami -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is worst. Because I am spirit soul, I am now imprisoned with this material body. It is my unnatural state, and I am eternal, and because I have accepted this material body I have to undergo birth, death, old age and disease. So that is my effort, how to get out of this material body and remain in my original spiritual identity. That is our whole propaganda. We think material atmosphere is our imprisonment, suffering. Material body means suffering. Otherwise I am eternal, blissful, full with knowledge. That is my position.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Jadurani -- Vrindaban 9 September, 1967:

The Lord remains in the hearts of every living entity. He lives in the heart of a hog, and the hog lives in a filthy place. That does not mean that the Lord lives in a filthy place. The Lord lives always inconceivably in His transcendental abode. Similarly, a fully K.C. person lives always in the pastimes of Lord Krishna by such consciousness only. The material atmosphere is no impediment for continuing our K.C. in any circumstance.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Janardana -- Los Angeles 21 January, 1968:

We understand from Vedanta philosophy that the spirit soul is by nature joyful. There is no joy in voidness or Impersonalism and because such imperfect philosophers do not know of the association of Krishna which is full of bliss and knowledge, they will fall down repeatedly into voidness and Impersonalism with the result that they cannot stay there and they fall down to the material atmosphere. In Bhagavad-gita it is said by the Lord that these people, void and Impersonalist philosophers, are in great trouble. If they are fortunate enough to meet a pure devotee of Krishna and if they are sincere in their search for the absolute truth, they will find Krishna Consciousness as the last resort of their philosophical researches.

Letter to Malati -- Los Angeles 12 November, 1968:

Purusa means God or Krishna. Atma, there is Paramatma and jivatma. Both are atma because they are spiritual, but the living entities are called jivatma. Jivatma means the small particle of atma which has tendency to fall down in the material atmosphere. He is called jivatma. And Atma or Supersoul, Who never falls in material contamination, is called Paramatma or Supersoul. And because He does not fall under material illusion, His another Name is Acyuta—Acyuta means never fallen.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 13 February, 1969:

There is a verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam that a book or poetry in which the Holy Name of Krishna is depicted, such language is revolutionary in the matter of purifying the material atmosphere. Even though such literature is presented in broken language or grammatical inconsistency or rhetorical irregularity, still, those who are saintly persons adore such literature. They hear such literature, and chant it and adore it, simply because the Supreme Lord is being glorified in this literature.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Upendra -- Delhi 8 December, 1971:

No poetry, no science, no philosophy, no religion, no culture, no knowledge we have today can be said to be superior to that we find 5,000 years or more ago in India. So where is the question of advancement of civilization? We cannot create even one flower, what to speak of one sun, so we should not be hopeful that in this material atmosphere there will be any kind of improvement at all. Better to become closely associated with the Supreme Perfect, then we shall know what is perfection of our life. This is the culmination of evolution.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Mr. Loy -- Vrindaban 7 November, 1972:

It is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam that once the boy and girl unite intimately the hard knot is formed, and the girl is thinking Oh, without him I am lost, and the boy is thinking Oh, without her I am lost, that is Maya's arrangement for keeping us bound-up tightly in the material atmosphere. If wife is there, then some money must be coming, that means work, land or factory, children, home, friends, community, nation—like that there is increasing complication of illusion of thinking: This is mine, that is mine. But they do not know that one day death will kick them out, mercilessly, and neither home, nor wife, nor children, nothing can prevent that.