Secluded place (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"secluded and sacred place" |"secluded place" |"secluded sacred place"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Sometimes this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is misunderstood to be inertia, and one with such a misunderstanding often withdraws to a secluded place to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious..."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is very important point. Sometimes it is thought that spiritual life means to retire from active life. That is general impression. People think that for cultivation of spiritual knowledge or self-realization they should go to some Himalayan caves or some secluded place. That is also recommended. But that sort of recommendation is meant for persons who are unable to engage themselves in activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Kṛṣṇa is teaching Arjuna how one can remain in his position. Never mind whatever he is, still he can become perfectly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the whole substance of the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Sometimes this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is misunderstood to be inertia, and one with such a misunderstanding often withdraws to a secluded place to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious by chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa."

Prabhupāda: Sometimes the so-called devotees of Kṛṣṇa... In Vṛndāvana you'll find that they are keeping themself in a secluded place and supposed to be chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But practically it has been seen that by such artificial way of becoming Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it does not make anyone advanced. I have seen practically. They are living in a secluded place, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, but practically, when he comes out, he's smoking. You see. He cannot give up even smoking, and what to speak of this material world? You see? That is artificial. This is not recommended. First of all you become mature. Then secluded place.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Otherwise there is no secluded place. Māyā is everywhere. Māyā will dictate, "Oh, you are so tired. Why don't you come out and smoke a cigarette?" Yes. And he thinks he's advancing, the nonsense is advancing. No. Phalena paricīyate. By the result one has to be judged how far he has advanced. Similarly, there are so many persons, they are meditating. What meditating, nonsense? What is their character? If you challenge their character, nonsense. So these sort of things will not help. Come practically forward.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Just like our students, going door to door, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And people are taking advantage of it, they are hearing. So this process is beneficial to the public. Even a small child who joins here, he also claps, tries to clap. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not to remain in a secluded place to get cheap advertisement, "Oh, that man is meditating." No. Go, practically work.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he practically worked. So there is practical work. No question of going into a secluded place. We should remain in the congested city and preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement without being affected by this contamination of city life. That is perfection. They shall not be contaminated, touched by the contamination of the city life, but still, they will go on with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is perfection. Yes.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. Yuktaṁ vairāgya, real renunciation, is to dovetail everything for Kṛṣṇa. That is renunciation. Not renunciation that "I earn whole time millions of dollars and distribute among my children and are all engaged in some other way, and I become Kṛṣṇa conscious in a secluded place." No. You can begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning. Earn for Kṛṣṇa, spend for Kṛṣṇa, think for Kṛṣṇa, work for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Fight for Kṛṣṇa. Nothing to be rejected. Everything to be dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:

We should always know that great thinkers, great, I mean to say, sages, ṛṣis, they are sitting in the secluded place, in a forest, not idly. They are always thinking how people should be benefited, how people should be benefited. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. Just like we sing daily about the Gosvāmīs.

Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:

Just like this Ṭhākura Haridāsa. Ṭhākura Haridāsa was a man in renounced order of life. Now for him, it is, there is injunction that those who are in renounced order of life, they should not sit down in a secluded place with woman. Why a renounced order of man? It is... The śāstra injunction is that, so far Vedic literatures are concerned, they are very much strict about association, free association of man and woman. They are very much strict. They have compared woman as fire and man as the pot of butter. So, according to strict Vedic principle, except one's own wife, nobody sit down in a private place with woman, even she happens to be a mother, even she happens to be a daughter, even she happens to be a sister. So much restriction is there. Mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā nāviviktāsano bhavet: (SB 9.19.17) "Either she is your mother, either she is your daughter, either she is your sister, don't sit down in a secluded place alone with woman." So such a stricture is there.

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

Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was chanting in a secluded place always. Now, if somebody, without being elevated to such high position, imitates, "Oh, Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted. Let me sit down in a solitary place and chant," he cannot do that. It is not possible. He'll simply imitate and he'll do all nonsense.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, haṭha-yoga, how it is to be performed, that you have to perform in a sacred place, alone in a secluded place, sitting like this, seeing like this, eating like this. Who is following those regulations? Nobody is following. So they are, simply it is going on under the name of "yoga," but actually, nobody is following the principles. That is difficult. That is not possible in this age. Now suppose if you have to perform haṭha-yoga in a secluded place, in a sanctified place and alone. Who is fulfilling these three conditions?

Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:

The brahmacarya is very strictly enjoined in the Vedic śāstra. Brahma, to maintain brahmacarya, it is advised mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā nāviviktā... Mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā (SB 9.19.17). So one should not sit down with woman in a secluded place, even though the woman is mother, sister of daughter. So much restriction. And why? Balavān indriya-grāmaḥ: "The senses are very powerful."

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

The yogi's business is always to remain alone in a secluded place. Alone and secluded place. Yoga cannot be performed in assembly. Just like we are in assembly. Here you are performing yoga, I am performing yoga in the yoga class, and somebody is teaching, "Do like this. Do like that. Do like that." That is not yoga system. At least, according to Bhagavad-gītā. Here it is clearly said that yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānaṁ rahasi sthitaḥ. He should always be engaged in his, I mean to say, focusing his mind towards the Paramātmā. And that is possible, rahasi. Rahasi means in a secluded place. In a secluded place. It is not... I cannot concentrate my mind in the hubble-bubble of this society or in a big city.