Material process

Expressions researched:
"material process" |"material processes"

BG Chapters 7 - 12

For one using a material process, Kṛṣṇa is considered to be a great historical personality and very learned philosopher, but He is an ordinary man, and even though He was so powerful He had to accept a material body. Ultimately they think that the Absolute Truth is impersonal.

BG 11.52, Purport: In Bhagavad-gītā (9.11) it is also confirmed, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritaḥ: He is not visible to the foolish persons who deride Him. Kṛṣṇa's body, as confirmed by Brahma-saṁhitā and confirmed by Kṛṣṇa Himself in Bhagavad-gītā, is completely spiritual and full of bliss and eternality. His body is never like a material body. But for some who make a study of Kṛṣṇa by reading Bhagavad-gītā or similar Vedic scriptures, Kṛṣṇa is a problem. For one using a material process, Kṛṣṇa is considered to be a great historical personality and very learned philosopher, but He is an ordinary man, and even though He was so powerful He had to accept a material body. Ultimately they think that the Absolute Truth is impersonal; therefore they think that from His impersonal feature He assumed a personal feature attached to material nature. This is a materialistic calculation of the Supreme Lord.

SB Canto 2

No one can know the Lord by any puffed-up material process of challenge, but the humble devotee can please the Lord by his earnest devotional activities.

SB 2.6.38, Purport: As the senses are progressively purified by bona fide devotional service, the Lord reveals His identity according to the spiritual advancement of the devotee. But one who is not in the line of devotional service can hardly perceive Him simply by calculations and philosophical speculations. Such a hard worker can present a jugglery of words before an audience, but can never know the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His personal feature. The Lord has clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that one can know Him only by devotional service. No one can know the Lord by any puffed-up material process of challenge, but the humble devotee can please the Lord by his earnest devotional activities. Thus the Lord reveals Himself proportionately before the devotee.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 11.14.28, Translation: Therefore, one should reject all material processes of elevation, which are like the mental creations of a dream, and should completely absorb one's mind in Me. By constantly thinking of Me, one becomes purified.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The material process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, research.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968: Therefore there are two kinds of processes to receive knowledge. The Vedic process says, avaroha-panthā, descending process. And the material process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, research. This is āroha-panthā, find out whether this, what is this, what is this, neti, neti, neti, neti, analysis, dissection, and so many. This is called āroha-panthā. Trying to ascend by dint of one's material knowledge. Then spiritual knowledge, you cannot have perfect knowledge... Why spiritual knowledge? Even material knowledge. Now there are so many attempts to go to the moon planet. They are trying to go there by so many ascending processes, sputnik, airplanes, and so many things. Still, we do not know what is this planet. But you read Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you understand immediately what is this moon planet. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. Śaśī means this moon planet. You immediately understand that this moon planet is one of the stars. Just like the constitutional position of other stars, you understand the moon is like that. And they are searching after whether in the moon planet there is life or not, there is living condition or not.

It is spiritual process. It is not material process that it requires so much time. No. It requires simply the spiritual technique, to know how you can develop Kṛṣṇa attachment.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 17, 1968:

Devotee: Swamiji? Is it possible for us to worship Kṛṣṇa purely in this lifetime?

Prabhupāda: Why not? Do you think we are simply wasting our time with this process? Why lifetime? Within a second you can do. It is spiritual process. It is not material process that it requires so much time. No. It requires simply the spiritual technique, to know how you can develop Kṛṣṇa attachment. As soon as you are cent percent attached with Kṛṣṇa, your business is finished. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. The whole formula is that you have to develop your attachment for Kṛṣṇa. So if you have developed such attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then your business is finished. No more. That's all right. And nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. And if you cannot develop fully Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then all your labor is waste of time. There is no need of advertising yourself that "I am religious, I am philosopher, I am yogi." All is nonsense if at the end there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there, so all these things end. And if there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, these are all useless labor.

Repeating, repeating the same process, sometimes going up, sometimes coming down—this is the material process.

Lecture on BG 9.22-23 -- New York, December 8, 1966: Now Lord Kṛṣṇa is speaking about His own devotees. So far He has spoken about the elevationists, materialist elevationists. Evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante. Repeating, repeating the same process, sometimes going up, sometimes coming down—this is the material process. Today I am the richest man, and tomorrow I may be a poverty-stricken man in the street. This is going on. As we find in this earth, so also by our pious activities we can be promoted in better planets. Then kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti [Bg. 9.21]. And when the resultant actions of pious activities is finished, then again we are driven to this earth or down than this earth. So this is going on.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

To understand God or Kṛṣṇa, it is not material process.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.149-50 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971: "Neither you can understand the Absolute Truth because you have got a very nice brain, a great scientist." Then Sir Isaac Newton would have discovered what is God, or Professor Einstein or Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, they could have understand. No, they cannot. Because they have very nice, finer tissues of the brain, it does not mean. It is a different process. It is a... To understand God or Kṛṣṇa, it is not material process. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg. 18.55]. Only through devotional service He can be known. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ [Bg. 7.25]. Kṛṣṇa is covered by the curtain drawn by yogamāyā; therefore Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood by everyone, neither His teaching, Bhagavad-gītā, can be understood without becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. This is not possible.

Festival Lectures

These living entities who are hankering after happiness by different process... By material process, by philosophical process, by mental concoction or mental process, they are trying, and Lord Kṛṣṇa also said—they are trying—but that happiness is available when your senses or consciousness are pure.

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969: So Lord Caitanya's philosophy, that is the greatest contribution to the world, that these living entities who are hankering after happiness by different process... By material process, by philosophical process, by mental concoction or mental process, they are trying, and Lord Kṛṣṇa also said—they are trying—but that happiness is available when your senses or consciousness are pure. The same philosophy is also Lord Caitanya's philosophy. He says that jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa-dāsa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. What is the pure consciousness? Kṛṣṇa said that happiness can be achieved in pure consciousness, or when your senses are transcendental. He gave hint. Not only hint, He practically suggested also that "You simply surrender unto Me."

General Lectures

Material process is completely absurd. That is already proved. No amount of material comforts or happiness, so-called happiness, can give us the actual happiness that we are hankering.

Lecture -- Seattle, September 27, 1968: our program is to worship the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. In this material world everyone is trying to get happiness and to get relief from distress. Two things are going on, attempt. There are different processes. Material process is completely absurd. That is already proved. No amount of material comforts or happiness, so-called happiness, can give us the actual happiness that we are hankering. That is not possible. Then there are different other processes also. There are three kinds of miseries due to our material conditional life: ādhyātmic, ādhibhautic, ādhidaivic.

That is material process, how the body will grow. That is also arranged by prakṛti, by nature, under the direction of the Supreme.

Lecture -- Delhi, December 13, 1971: Whether this soul is going to hell or heaven, that is the day of judgement. But they have insufficient knowledge, therefore they think that all the souls after death they lie down for perpetually. It is not that. Actually the judgement is there immediately and he gets another birth, either hell or heaven. Not that he has to wait for the day of judgement. Immediately the day of judgement is... It is does not linger, it is not ordinary court that you have to wait for your judgement for three years or... No, immediately. Immediately it is settled up and the soul is transferred to the father and the... That is material process, how the body will grow. That is also arranged by prakṛti, by nature, under the direction of the Supreme. Just like if you have to paint something, then you have to secure different colors, different... Similarly, the particular type of body the soul will get, how it is to be manufactured, that is also by superior intelligence. The soul is put into the semina of a particular type of father and that quality of the semina mixes with the mother's secretion, then that grows. This is the arrangement.