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Advise (Lectures, SB cantos 6 - 12)

Expressions researched:
"advisable" |"advise" |"advised" |"advisedly" |"advises" |"advising"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

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

When Arjuna declined to fight, and then Kṛṣṇa had to instruct him about the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā just to induce him to fight. And at last, Arjuna was asked by Kṛṣṇa, "Now what is your decision? I have told you everything. What do you decide? Whatever you decide, now you do. I have finished My instruction." He said, "Yes, I shall fight." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava, naṣṭo mohaḥ (BG 18.73). "I was illusioned. Now it is my duty. Because You are ordering and I have heard You very patiently, so it is my duty to fight." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73). This very word is there. "I shall act as you advise." This is the result of studying Bhagavad-gītā. You read Bhagavad-gītā, and when you agree to act by the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, then your Bhagavad-gītā reading is success. Otherwise, if you act differently, then you may read Bhagavad-gītā for many thousands of years. There is no benefit.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

So the Nawab did not mind. He: "What is that? I may be... Now what I am, that's all." So the wife requested that "This man should be killed so that he may not disclose the secret of your life, that you were a menial servant in his house." And "No, no, no. This is... This cannot be. He is just like my father. How can I kill him? This is not possible." And just see. Then she advised, "At least make him Mohammedan. Convert him to be a Mohammedan." In those days it was not very difficult. If somebody, a Mohammedan, takes water from his water pot and simply sprinkle in somebody's body, he becomes Mohammedan. The Hindu society was so rascal. Still they are. Simply by sprinkling water from the pot of a Mohammedan he becomes Mohammedan. So this Nawab said, "All right, I shall sprinkle water. Let him do what he likes," to satisfy his wife. So he did it. When he did it—then the society was so strong—he went to the bhaṭṭācārya to consult: "Oh, sir, I have been sprinkled water by a Mohammedan. So what prāyaścitta?" What is called? What is the English of prāyaścitta, compensation?

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

No, no. Atonement. "So what kind of atonement I have to do?" So the bhaṭṭācārya advised him that "You take one kilo of lead and melt it and drink it, and that is your atonement." You see? So he said, "How it is possible?" "This is the atonement for such sinful activity. Yes." Just see. For the last five hundred, six hundred years... Why...? For thousands of years the Hindu society is so fallen. Therefore so many Mohammedans have increased here. They are not imported. In this way the Hindu population, they have been forced to accept Mohammedan religion. You see? By the Mohammedans. Just like Aurangzeb. He imposed one tax for the Hindus. So all the poor men class, to avoid the tax they became Mohammedans. And there was so much punishment by the Hindus. And so he became a Mohammedan, so-called Mohammedan, by the diagnosis of the bhaṭṭācārya. So this kind of prāyaścitta was current during the fallen days of the Vedic society.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

So here Parīkṣit Mahārāja is advised, yathā puraiva. Yathā evaṁ tasmāt pāpasya niṣkṛtau prāyaścitta yateta kadā mṛtyu puraiva. So prāyaścitta. If you want to be free from the reaction of the sinful activities in this life—exactly in the same way as Christian Bible advises that you have to make some atonement, go to the church and confess your sinful activities and pay some fine—exactly in the same way in Vedic scriptures also, that "Before death you must make some atonement; otherwise you will continue in your next life." Tasmāt puraivaṣv iha pāpa-niṣkṛtau yateta mṛtyor avipadyatātmanā (SB 6.1.8). "Before you meet your death, that you should take." Doṣasya dṛṣṭvā guru-lāghavaṁ yathā. And you have to make atonement according to the gravity of your sinful activities. Yathā bhiṣak cikitseta rujāṁ nidānavit. Just like nidānavit. Nidāna means a expert physician. He prescribes medicine and advises treatment according to the gravity of the disease. Similarly, you have to undergo atonement for the sinful activities according to the gravity. That is the treatment. Then... The king is very intelligent. He is not only king but he's a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

Here also. The priests allow. The guru allow. The professional guru... His disciple will come: "Sir, doctor has advised me to take fish. Without taking fish my eyesight will be lost. He has advised. So what to do? You have asked me not to take fish. You said." "Oh, all right, I give you permission." He gives his permission. This is going on. "I give you per..." Because the guru sees that "If I say no, this rich disciple will be lost. So better let him do whatever he likes. I get my fees. That's all." This is going on. That statement of my Guru Mahārāja, "the society of the cheaters and the cheated," is a fact everywhere. In a law court also, you bribe; you get justice. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Arghyeṇa nyāya-rahitam: "If you have got no money, then you cannot get justice in this age. You cannot get justice." It is clearly stated here. That is the symptom of this age. In the law court you have to bribe.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Nellore, January 5, 1976:

"Anyone who does not follow the instruction of the śāstras and live whimsically as very free to act, such person never gets perfection of life, no happiness, and what to speak of going back to home, back to Godhead." Especially in India, who are born as Indians, they have got a special facility to get this transcendental knowledge from śāstras. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised or ordered to every Indian that "You make your life perfect by going through the śāstras and distribute this knowledge throughout the whole world for welfare activities." The exact words in Bengali is like this,

bhārata bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
(CC Adi 9.41)

Means anyone who has taken birth in this holy land of Bhāratavarṣa must make his life successful by going through the śāstras and distribute the knowledge throughout the whole world. Therefore I am appealing to my Indian brothers to take up this missionary work as ordered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, especially my appeal is to the people of South India. Because all our ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Śaṅkarācārya, they came out from South India, so I especially request gentlemen present here to take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously and join with us. (break) ...says that before our next death comes... Death will come. We say generally, "As sure as death." For our next life. Śukadeva Gosvāmī advises according to our Vedic principle, before death there is a ceremony which is called prāyaścitta or atonement. He advises that when a diseased man goes to a physician, the physician, after diagnosing the disease, he gives the suitable medicine.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Nellore, January 5, 1976:

So Buddhimanta Khan took it that he has now become a Mohammeddan, so he went to the brāhmaṇa for consultation. So when Buddhimanta Khan went to a bhaṭṭācārya, he said that "The," what is called, "prāyaścitta is that you melt one kilogram of," what is called, "lead, and drink it." So he, being helpless, he went to consult another brāhmaṇa bhaṭṭācārya. He said, "All right, if you cannot drink molten lead, then you can drink one kilo of melted ghee." So in this way, when he was helpless, he went to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew the situation of the then society. He therefore advised him that "You better give (up) your family life. You go to Vṛndāvana." So He advised him that "Go to Vṛndāvana, live there and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." So the difficulty is, in the śāstras there are atonement for prāyaścitta of so..., not like that—you drink hot ghee or hot lead—but there are prāyaścittas. So one has to execute that.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-8 -- New York, July 21, 1971:

If you want to enjoy life, forgetting Kṛṣṇa, forgetting God, then Kṛṣṇa will give you all facilities so that you can forget Him. And if you want to enjoy life with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Kṛṣṇa will give you chance how to make your progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is up to you. If you think that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness you'll be happy, do that. Kṛṣṇa does not object to that. Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). Kṛṣṇa, after advising Arjuna, He simply inquired, "Now I have explained to you everything. Whatever you desire you can now do." So immediately Arjuna replied, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "Now I shall execute Your order." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. God does not interfere with your little independence. If you want to act according to the order of God, then God will help you. Even sometimes you fall down, if you become sincere that "From this time, I shall remain Kṛṣṇa conscious and execute His orders," then Kṛṣṇa will help you, in all respects. Even you fall down, He'll excuse you and He will give more intelligence, "Don't do this. Now go on with your duty." But if you want to forget Kṛṣṇa, if you want to become happy without Kṛṣṇa, He, He'll give you so many chances that you'll forget Kṛṣṇa, you'll forget. Life after life. That's all.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-15 -- San Francisco, September 12, 1968:

In every country and every law that "life for life" is good. Because if he's hanged in this life, then next life he hasn't got to suffer. His all sinful reaction is finished, being hanged. Therefore in every state, and especially in the Manu-saṁhitā, it is said that it is king's mercy when a person is hanged for his murdering sinful activities; it is to be thought that king's mercy. So because we have to suffer for any... Just like if we take more food, then we have to suffer—indigestion or something else. This is nature's law. Either you be careful, or if there is some sinful reaction, be, I mean to say, alarmed, and take care of it. Otherwise, the suffering will increase. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī advises that as... In India still, the practice is if somebody commits some sinful activity he goes to a learned paṇḍita, brāhmaṇa, "Sir, this thing has been done by me. So what is the atonement?" He prescribes something. Of course, in this way some business is also going on. (chuckling) But actually one should atone. That is the statement of Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:

That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). Just like we feel warm and we feel cold due to the skin. So that does not mean because we in the summer we feel warm, therefore we shall not go to the fire and cook our foodstuff. Everyone does his duty. That is tolerance. Even it is very warm in the kitchen and if it is summer season, perspiration, nobody, I mean to say, stay away from cooking. One has to do his duty. So Kṛṣṇa advised Arjuna that tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. "My dear Arjuna, even there is some pain due to the miserable condition of this material world, so we have to tolerate that." Just like a patient, he is suffering in so many symptoms of the disease. Doctor is giving him medicine. He is also being treated nicely, but his suffering is there. And then? What the patient will think? He has to tolerate, tolerate, because he knows that "I am going to be cured very soon. The treatment is there. So let me suffer little.'

Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- Los Angeles, June 21, 1975:

Similarly debts. If you don't clear your debts, if you think, "All right, there is some debts. It will...," no, interest, compound interest So similarly, the disease. We are already in the material disease. This birth, death, old age, and disease. This is our material miserable condition. And again, if we act sinfully, then it will increase. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī is advising that "Before your death, you should atone for the sinful activities, what you have done." Just like in the Manu-saṁhitā, if a man has committed some murder, it is advised that King should order him to be hanged. Otherwise next life he will have to suffer so much. So this order of hanging a murderer is a kind of kindness to the criminal.

So here it is advised that doṣasya dṛṣṭvā guru-lāghavaṁ yathā (SB 6.1.8). There are different kinds of sinful activities, and there are different kinds of suffering also. A little infection of bronchitis, the suffering is not so acute, but infection of smallpox is fatal. We should always remember that. We are infecting. On account of this material world, we are infecting different modes of material nature.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- Los Angeles, June 21, 1975:

So there is punishment according to the heaviness and lightness of criminal activities. The example is given here: bhiṣak cikitseta rujāṁ nidānavit. Just like you go to a physician for treatment of your disease, he gives different types of medicine. Not that one medicine for everyone. No. If one has got little headache, he gives one that tablet, aspirin tablet, but if it is pneumonia, then the treatment is different. That is being advised, that "One has to see what kind of sinful activity he has done and what is the atonement for that purpose." This is advised. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was advised that "These people, they are suffering in different grades of suffering on account of different grades of sinful activities. So best thing is: before death, if they seek atonement for different grades of sinful activities, then it is good for him so that after death he may not suffer very severely." But people do not accept even that "There is life after death, we are eternal, and the infection which you are committing, that will react." There is no such knowledge. The modern civilization is so foolish. Simply like cats and dogs, they are eating and sleeping and sex life and little defense, that's all. They have no knowledge.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Nellore, January 7, 1976:

I do not know which is sinful, which is pious." Nārada Muni, as Vaiṣṇava, advised him that "You stop this hunting business and I will give you your livelihood." So hunter, having seen a Vaiṣṇava, was little convinced about spiritual life. Then he said that "Sir, if you give me my livelihood, then I can give up my, this business." Then Nārada Muni suggested that "You and your wife may come with me. I shall arrange for your livelihood. You give up this business."

So they followed the instruction of Nārada Muni, the spiritual master, and they came with Nārada Muni and sat down in a place on the bank of the Ganges at Prayāg. Nārada Muni gave them one tulasī plant, and they sat down near the tulasī plant, and he advised that "Go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." In the meantime, in the village it was advertised that "The hunter has become a Vaiṣṇava. Let us go and see." So people who were coming to visit, they were bringing... It is the custom still now, India, that when you go to see some Deity or a Vaiṣṇava, sādhu, you bring some..., one must give rice or attar; you give them as contribution.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Nellore, January 7, 1976:

So people who were coming to visit, they were bringing... It is the custom still now, India, that when you go to see some Deity or a Vaiṣṇava, sādhu, you bring some..., one must give rice or attar; you give them as contribution. So he thought that Nārada Muni was sending the attar, rice, dahl, and everything. So he became confident that he would not die because he is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. In this way he gradually became a perfect Vaiṣṇava because he was chanting under the instruction of the spiritual master and committing no sinful activities. So we being in the disciplic succession of Nārada Muni, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are advising the same principle, that "Don't commit sinful activities, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra."

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Nellore, January 7, 1976:

Now, one may say that "If I give up all these thing which is habituated to me, there will be some painful condition." So therefore Bhagavad-gītā has recommended to tolerate. Mātrā sparśās tu kaunteya. We have to tolerate. This is called tapasya. Even though it is painful for me—it is not at all painful, but those who are trying to practice in the beginning, it may be painful—so Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, is advising that even it is painful, you must do it and tolerate it. So mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). The example is given just like we suffer sometimes in scorching heat and very pinching or chilly cold. But we tolerate and do our business. Sometimes to cure our disease, say, for example, fever, we have to swallow very bitter quinine pills. But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, considering the people in general of this age, Kali-yuga, He knew that people will not be able to even tolerate such little pain for advancing in spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Nellore, January 7, 1976:

It is very difficult in this age to follow the principles of brahmācārya, as it is recommended, tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena vā (SB 6.1.13). (to translator:) Yes, go on. Therefore Nārada Muni also... Śukadeva Gosvāmī also advising that "If one is unable to follow the regulative principles, then," he says,

kecit kevalayā bhaktyā
vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ
aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena
nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ
(SB 6.1.15)

The translation is, "Only a rare person who has adopted complete unalloyed devotional service to Kṛṣṇa can uproot the weeds of sinful action with no possibility that they will revive." Kevalayā bhaktyā. "Simply... He can do the simply by discharging devotional service, just as the sun can immediately dissipate fog by its rays." So by other processes temporarily it can be ceased, but actually from the root of the cause it is not possible to get it out.

Lecture on SB 6.1.10 -- Los Angeles, June 23, 1975:

That he does not conclude, that "Again I am engaging my son in the same business? So why shall I be unhappy if my son has joined the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement?" No. He wants, "Please come home and again be doing the same thing. Which I have done and I am frustrated, you do the same thing and be frustrated." (laughter) This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Nobody will advise. His son will become hippie—he will tolerate: "This is modern fashion." And if he joins Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, he is unhappy, because he wants that "My son also be doing the same thing." That is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). The world is going like that. They are chewing the chewed. We are teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that "What you will gain by this material way of life? Just try to understand Kṛṣṇa, and then you will get the greatest benefit." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). The all troubles which we are suffering, that is due to our accepting this material body. That they do not know. They do not know except this material body anything. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhātuke, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:

So this aṣṭāṅga-yoga is not possible in this age—śamo damaḥ, controlling the mind, controlling the senses. Because nobody can properly practice the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system. Impossible. It is not only impossible now—even five thousand years ago, when Kṛṣṇa was advising about this aṣṭāṅga-yoga to Arjuna. Arjuna was not ordinary man. He was friend of Kṛṣṇa. He was a great son of a royal family. And Arjuna's name and fame, everyone knows. So he said to Kṛṣṇa: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, this yoga practice is not possible to be performed by me. I am unable." So Arjuna said frankly that he was unable to practice this yoga system. And what we are, in comparison to Arjuna? So this aṣṭāṅga-yoga system is not possible at all in this age. If you are satisfied by learning some sitting posture, artificially, that may give you some chance of good exercise of the body. You can keep good health. But there is no chance of spiritual realization by aṣṭāṅga-yoga practice in this age.

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:

Therefore Ambarīṣa Mahārāja fixed up his mind always... Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are teaching our students, how to fix up the mind always in Kṛṣṇa, some way or other. That is the first-class yoga system. And Kṛṣṇa also advises. (break) ...feet, and pray, bhajate. "Kṛṣṇa, I am Your eternal servant. Kindly again engage me in Your service. Somehow or other, without being engaged in Your service, I have been dragged to the service of māyā. Service I am going. I am rendering service. Because I am eternal servant, therefore my serving process is going on. But where it is going on? I am serving my lust, I am serving my anger, I am serving my greediness. So that means, in one word, I am serving my sense gratification. So kindly help me. Instead of serving my sense gratification, let me serve Your sense gratification." That is yoga. That is first-class yoga. Pray always, fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, and pray that "I am eternal servant. Now I'm engaged in the service of my sense gratification, and You please help me. I have come to my senses, to engage my(self) in Your sense gratification." The business is there, sense gratification.

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:

These are prescribed duties of human being. What are the prescribed duties? The first prescribed duty is tapasā, they must execute austerities. This is human life. That is everywhere recommended. Ṛṣabhadeva also recommended, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattva: "My dear boys, don't live like cats and dogs and hogs." He advised. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). "If I don't work hard, how shall I satisfy my senses? At night I must have this intoxication, this woman, this club, this If I don't work hard how shall I get this enjoyment?" So Ṛṣabhadeva says, "This kind of enjoyment is available to the hogs. It is not very good type of enjoyment, sense gratification." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām means the stool-eater. So they are also enjoying by eating stool and having sex without any discrimination, don't care for mother, sister So this kind of sense gratification civilization is there amongst the dogs and hogs, but human life is not meant for that. Human life is meant for tapasya, austerity, so that human life you can stop your repetition of birth and death and come to your eternal life and enjoy blissful eternal life of knowledge.

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:

So this is the position. So they do not believe in the next life, and what to speak of cats' and dogs' life. "Never mind." Everything is very dark. Therefore, unless we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the human civilization is doomed. It is not human civilization. Human civilization is responsible life. Actually, we are being educated, we go to school, to college, to become responsible man. So this responsibility should be "How to stop this repetition of birth." In many places this is advised. And that is the only aim of human life. Punar-janma-jayāya. I have told you many times that when Viśvāmitra Muni went to Daśaratha Mahārāja to take Rāmacandra and Lakṣmaṇa to kill one demon in the forest... Viśvāmitra Muni is brāhmaṇa. He was so powerful, he could himself kill that demon, but because he is brāhmaṇa, he is not allowed to kill. A brāhmaṇa must be nonviolent. So therefore he went to the kṣatriya, Mahārāja Daśaratha. This is kṣatriya's business. Kṣatriya means..., kṣat means injury, and tra means delivered. The kṣatriya's duty is... There is somebody is creating disturbance, injury to others—it is the government's duty, kṣatriya's duty, to punish him immediately, or, if required, to kill him, immediately. That is kṣatriya's duty.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:

So if yoga practice is performed by concentrating one's mind on Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, that is first-class yoga, and that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā: (BG 6.47) "Of all yogis, one who is always thinking of Me within the heart, he is first-class yogi." So if you are practicing yoga, we should recommend that you think of Kṛṣṇa within your heart. That will help you. That is our advice. But if you think something else, that is your business. (laughter) We cannot advise anything. But we would advise you, if you are fond of practicing yoga... This is also yoga. This is called bhakti-yoga. Everything yoga. Jñāna-yoga, karma-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, haṭha-yoga. Generally, they practice haṭha-yoga, and they're satisfied only by getting into practice the system of āsana. That's all. But there are many other steps: yama, niyama, āsana, praṇāyāma, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, pratyāhāra, samādhi. Say, generally, the so-called yogi class, they simply practice some āsana. And no yama, niyama, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, pratyāhāra. So to practice yoga, it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, first of all, you have to select a secluded place. And that must be very sacred.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Honolulu, May 19, 1976:

So we have to understand this philosophy. Everything is there in the book. So we have to read it carefully, understand it through the teacher's or guru's instruction. So in this way, if our mind becomes fixed up in Kṛṣṇa the person or the Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa word, sakṛt, once only... Sakṛt means once only, yes. Kṛṣṇa padāravindayoḥ, pandaro(?), niveśitam, fully absorbed. This practice, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, means to practice this, how to fix up the mind always at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also advised the same thing: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Mayy āsakta-manaḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. This is yoga, meditation. If you simply sit down in a place and you... It is recommended that in a solitary place and sitting straight, right angle, and not closing the eyes but half open—this is yoga practice—and looking over this point of nose, and observing celibacy, brahmacarya, following the rules and regulations, in this way you can practice yoga. Not that you can do whatever nonsense you like and you have become a yogi.

Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Chicago, July 5, 1975:

This is training. Mind is very flickering. Even five thousand years ago, when Arjuna was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "You make your restless mind fixed up," he frankly said, "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham: (BG 6.34) "I see my mind is always very much agitated, and to control the mind is exactly an attempt to stop the wind. So it is not possible." But actually his mind was fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. So those who mind have been fixed up at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they have conquered. Their mind is fixed up. That is wanted. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). These are the qualifications of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. He was very responsible emperor, but his mind was fixed up at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Chicago, July 6, 1975:

So now, you know, the exchange is... What is the exchange today? It is at least five hundred times increased. Anyway, that Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, when left home... His father and uncle was very strictly observing. He was given very nice beautiful wife and very beautiful house. But he was not very much satisfied. He wanted to join Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So his father was very strictly keeping guard, that "This boy may not go out." Just like some of your parents do. (laughter) So... But this cannot be checked. So Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, after all, by some tricks—after all, he was very intelligent, rich man's son—he went away to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And his mother was advising to his father that "Why don't you handcuff this boy?" So his father was saying that "I have already handcuffed him with such beautiful wife and such beautiful residence, and he has opened this. Now what this material handcuff will do?" So anyway, he left father's home and approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was in Jagannātha Purī, and he was intrusted to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, to take care of him.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Chicago, July 6, 1975:

Similarly, he was offering daṇḍavat. You offer daṇḍavat, the same way. That is also counting. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka, keeping a strength, a numerical strength, just like we are advised at least sixteen rounds. So these things were going on. Not that because he was taking little butter alternate day, he lost his strength. No. The strength was all right. So the fasting means if you don't feel weak, then you fast. Not that you imitate Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. That is not possible in the beginning. But it is possible if you practice, if you practice. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau **. So everything is possible. But that is advanced spiritual life. It is no use imitating a higher authority, Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Just like he was chanting not sixteen rounds, but 164 rounds. So that is not possible. Gradually, śanaiḥ śanaiḥ, gradually, we have to practice.

Lecture on SB 6.1.24 -- Honolulu, May 24, 1976:

So "I want to relieve them from this anxiety." What is that? Tad sādhu manye asura-vārya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. Then, what you advise? Hitvātmā-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam. He's fallen in this dark region of black well, this family life. Hitvātmā-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam. Gṛha, we can take this material world, even up to the sky, that is also another bondage, either in society, or in country, or in this body, or within this material universe—wherever you want—that is andha-kūpa, dark well. So he advises, "Give up this darkness," hitvātmā-pātam , "because it will kill you." In this dark well you'll be killed. Just like, the dark well, we are put into the dark well, you'll be killed. Hitvātmā pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ, vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). That is the first... You should give up this dark well and go to the forest. Vanam. Come to Vṛndāvana. Vanam means forest. We have constructed very nice temple. Come there. And vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). Vanaṁ gato means to come to the forest.

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975:

So those who are attached to the material world, they are called asat. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt, one should associate with sat, means those who are in spiritual advancement. They are called sat. And those who are interested in material advancement, they are called asat. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised, "Don't associate with persons who are trying to be advanced in material way." Asat-saṅga-tyāga, ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra. And how we can understand this person is materialist? That is stated next line: asat eka strī-saṅgī. Those who are too much attached in sex, they are asat, materialist, and Kṛṣṇa, those who are not devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. If you can find out these two persons, then you understand who is asat and who is sat. And sat—just the opposite. Sat means he is no more interested in material enjoyment. That is sat. And those who are interested in material enjoyment, they are asat.

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

That is civilization according to Vedic culture. Therefore the training from the very beginning, brahmacārī. Brahmacārī is instructed in such a way that he'll remain brahmacārī throughout the whole life. A brahmacārī is open to accept either a gṛhastha āśrama or vānaprastha āśrama or sannyāsa āśrama, but the guru advises, "Better remain all through brahmacārī. No botheration." So he's trained properly, but still if he has desire, then he's allowed to become a gṛhastha. That is also for a limited time. The whole plan is how to stop, because as soon as here, that Ajāmila, he was not properly married, he became the husband of a prostitute. But there are ten children, but he's entangled with the family, with children, and now he's engaged bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan bālakaṁ sneha-yantritaḥ, one after another. First of all sex desire, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8).

Lecture on SB 6.1.27 -- Honolulu, May 27, 1976:

So this material civilization, they're decorating this body. So the bodily concept of life is condemned in the very beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā. This knowledge was given to Arjuna by Kṛṣṇa when he surrendered. When he was talking friendly, He did not say. When Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna submitted that "Kṛṣṇa, I'm now perplexed. So how my intelligence can be revived? You know." Arjuna knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so his perplexed position can be solved by Kṛṣṇa. That he knew. Therefore he said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "Kṛṣṇa, no more friendly talks. We are wasting time. Now I become Your disciple, śiṣya." Śiṣya means disciple. "You kindly advise me. I'm surrendering unto You." Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). Spiritual master means you must surrender to him. If you talk foolish, then you will not be benefited. You must submissively hear and accept whatever he says.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Philadelphia, July 13, 1975:

So regular resultant action of sinful life, one has to. Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "You go to Droṇācārya and tell him the lies." "What is that?" "Now, tell him that 'Your son Aśvatthāmā is dead.' " Because Droṇācārya had some benediction that unless he is shocked by the death of his son, he will never die. So Kṛṣṇa had to take this diplomatic, because it is politics. So Kṛṣṇa... Because Droṇācārya will not believe anyone. He knew that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is a most pious man; he never tells lies. So if Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira goes and says that "Your son is dead," then he will believe. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa could have gone personally, but He knew that people do not believe Him. (laughter) He is very tricky. (laughter) So therefore no tricky man can excel Him. A man may be very tricky, very intelligent, but he will not be able to excel Kṛṣṇa. He is more tricky. Just like in His childhood, Kṛṣṇa was naughty, so mother wanted to bind Him. So Kṛṣṇa also became tricky. Mother first of all brought some rope and bound, and when it was to be knotted, it was short.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Honolulu, May 28, 1976:

So those who are in the lowest stage of knowledge they are in the bodily concept of life—the indriya, the senses. Just like cats and dogs, they cannot think more than that. So, but Kṛṣṇa advises, "No, don't stop here." Indriyāṇi parāny āhur (BG 3.42). Bodily concept of life, sense pleasure, they think it is all. There is no more other. Those who are little above the bodily concept of life, they find pleasure in the mind. And farther, they find pleasure in intellectually. And in this way the thing is very complicated. It requires very cool brain to understand all these things. But those who are meat-eaters, they are very troubled. They cannot understand. For them the subject matter is very, very difficult.

Lecture on SB 6.1.31 -- Honolulu, May 30, 1976:

So we should not be impersonalists. We should not be voidists. Nirviśeṣa śūnyavādī. Śūnyavādī means voidist, and nirviśeṣa means impersonalist. The whole world is going on like that. So we should be careful about this voidists and impersonalists. We should take direct instruction from Kṛṣṇa, and He advises, yat karoṣi, yat juhoṣi, yat aśnāsi, yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tat mad-arpaṇam: "You can do whatever you like, but the result should be given to Me." karmāṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadā... "Then you become Kṛṣṇa conscious." Of course, Kṛṣṇa does not advise that "You become a thief, and all the money stolen, you bring to Me." He does not say that. That is not. But even if you are a thief, still you can offer. Don't use it for your sense gratification. Yat karoṣi. "Whatever you've got. If you cannot earn honestly, dishonestly, you give it to Me."

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:

So Ṛṣabhadeva says that that is done by the hogs and dogs. Daily they are whole day and night working: "Where is some food? Where is some stool?" But that human form of life is meant for that purpose, working hard, so hard like hogs and dogs simply for fulfilling the belly and having sex life? No. So they should be taught for tapasya. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). Ṛṣabhadeva was advising, instructing His sons, "My dear boys, this life is meant for tapo-divyam, for spiritual realization, austerity. That should be taught."

So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching that tapaḥ. Tapaḥ means you have to accept voluntarily some difficulties. Actually it is not difficulty because... Just like somebody smoking, and we are advising, "Don't smoke." The smoker may feel some inconvenience. But if he voluntarily suffers that inconvenience, that is called tapasya. Actually he will not die, but because he is practiced to so many nonsense habits, he feels difficulty to give it up.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- San Francisco, July 18, 1975:

They were so fortunate, they could understand, "Kṛṣṇa is..." Kuntī, their mother, she could understand. Kuntī, kuntī-stotra prayer, you will find how she has realized that "Kṛṣṇa, although He is playing just like my nephew, my brother's son, but no, He is the Supreme Personality of..." Even Dhṛtarāṣṭra knew. Dhṛtarāṣṭra knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Kṛṣṇa sent his messenger to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Akrūra, to advise him that "Why you are envious of your nephews? You stop this," before the war of Kurukṣetra, so Dhṛtarāṣṭra admitted that "I know that the advice has come from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but I am so unfortunate, I cannot give up my this habit. Please excuse." So even Dhṛtarāṣṭra knew, and what to speak of the Pāṇḍavas?

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

So entrapped living entities, they are in different grades of life, 8,400,000 different forms of life. Now, how they are entrapped? This sex. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. This is their pleasure. And in the spiritual world there is no sex. So one may question, "How they are living? Life is finished if there is no sex.' So somebody committed suicide, who was telling? Because doctor asked him not to have any more sex. Who told me the other day? Somebody told me, some big man. He was famous man. So he was forbidden. Especially when one is attacked with tuberculosis, the medical man advises, "No more sex. Then you will die soon." So this was ordered and he committed suicide.

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

So we have to believe it? And when you present actual fact, it is mysticism or mythology. Anyway, we are not concerned with their statement. Our process is to know things from the śāstra. Sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya tinete kariya aikya. Our process is deductive, not inductive. We take knowledge, just like this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam written by Vyāsadeva under the instruction of his guru, spiritual master, Nārada. So Nārada advised him that "You have written so many books: Purāṇas, Vedas, Vedānta." Vyāsadeva said, "Still I am not feeling very satisfied." So Nārada Muni advised him that "You are not feeling satisfied because you have not described about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the defect. So now you have got mature experience. You describe simply about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa." So therefore he wrote the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, eighteen thousand verses. So each verse, we are reading suppose one verse daily, or two verses. So eighteen thousand verses, how long it will take? At least five thousand days. So five thousand days, how many years?

Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:

This ignorance of the population has created so many nonsense as representing as guru and dharma-jñā. No. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). The Vedic injunction says, tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam, śābde pare ca niṣnātam. One is advised... First of all, who will accept a guru? Guru is not a plaything, that "I must have a guru, and I will never care to obey his orders, but because it is a fashion to keep a guru, I shall keep a guru." That kind of guru is useless, and that kind of disciple is also useless. One must seek after a guru—when? When he is inquisitive to understand the transcendental knowledge. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. It is not a fashion. It should be very serious. One who is very much eager to understand transcendental knowledge, śreya uttamam... Jijñāsuḥ śreya. Śreyaḥ and preyaḥ. There are two kinds of paths. Preyaḥ means immediate satisfaction or sense gratification, and preyaḥ means spiritual happiness, er, śreyaḥ. Śreyaḥ means spiritual happiness. Just like children, they are interested with playing. That is preyaḥ. Whereas, the elderly persons, they are interested to give education.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Surat, December 22, 1970:

So that is also Veda. Rāmāyaṇa, that is also Veda. So any scripture, any literature, transcendental literature, whose aim is to understand God, that is Veda. Therefore, anyone who is searching after the Supreme Lord, he is following the Vedic religion. This is another conclusion. The searching process may be different according to the country, climate, but if the ultimate goal is God, then that is accepted as religion. Just like Christian religion. Christian religion, they are also searching after God—Lord Jesus Christ advising, "Be lover of God." He presents himself as son of God. The Muhammadan, Muhammad, he also presented himself as servant of God. In this way, everyone is accepting. Or if anyone is accepting God as the ultimate goal of religious process, that is also Vedic. Because Kṛṣṇa says that vedaiś ca sarvair aham. And a godless scripture, that is not accepted as religion. Therefore in India, although Lord Buddha appeared in India—he was a kṣatriya, and he started some religious principle—it is not accepted because it is not, in the Buddha religion, there is no acceptance of God or soul.

Lecture on SB 6.1.41 -- Los Angeles, June 7, 1976:

That you have to receive from Viṣṇu, from God. That, that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ (BG 3.14). Parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. Anna means food grains. Or even you take that "My anna, my food, is animal." That's all right, either you eat animal or vegetable or food grains, it is supplied by God. You cannot manufacture it. Suppose I am eating vegetables, you are eating meat. But meat you cannot manufacture, a vegetable also I may not manufacture. That is supplied by God. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Whatever our necessities are there, it is supplied by God, Kṛṣṇa. So He advises... This world, although Kṛṣṇa supplies everything, but still, you have to work. You have to work. This material world means karma-samjñaḥ. Without working, you cannot live. You have to work. There is a verse in the Bhagavad-gītā: śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. Do not stop working. Some foolish people say that we are not working.

Lecture on SB 6.1.41-42 -- Surat, December 23, 1970:

So therefore, in this age we must stick to this process of chanting. That will make us perfect. If not immediately, it will do, certainly. That is special advantage for the men of this age. Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. Mahān guṇaḥ. It is a great advantage. What is that? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya: (SB 12.3.51) "Simply by chanting Lord Kṛṣṇa's name," mukta-saṅga, 'he becomes free from all contamination and he becomes eligible to be promoted to the spiritual kingdom." That is special advantage of this age. Therefore we are advising, we are preaching, that "You chant this mantra. In any condition of life, begin chanting. You will be benefited." Yes.

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:

So these varieties of bodies are there. You cannot change the law of nature. Struggle for existence: we are trying to conquer over the laws of nature. That is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). So these are the subject matter of studies. Why there are, everyone is unhappy and happy to some extent? According to these qualities. So here it is said, therefore, that "As here we see in this life, in duration of life, there are varieties, similarly, guṇa-vaicitryāt, by the varieties of the guṇa, guṇa-vaicitryāt," tathānyatrānumīyate. Anyatra means next life or next planet or next anything. Everything is being controlled. Traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna that "The whole material world is being controlled by these three guṇas," guṇa-vaicitryāt. "Therefore you become nistraiguṇya, where these three guṇas cannot act." Nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. So how you can stop the action of these three guṇas?

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- Detroit, June 12, 1976:

So nirviśeṣa-vādī, impersonalists, are like that. In the creation of God, there are varieties, not impersonal. Therefore we see, we are sitting here, you won't find two men of the same feature of the body. Even there are twin, still, we'll find some difference. The father, mother can see. There is variety. Here it is said, bhūteṣu guṇa-vaicitryāt. They are guṇa-vaicitryāt. Therefore we don't find two men of the same nature, two men of the same thinking. Varieties, varieties, this is going on. But that is our cause of bondage, varieties. But if we can surpass these varieties, as Kṛṣṇa advises in the Bhagavad-gītā, trai-guṇya-viṣayā vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna. Nistrai-guṇyo, nirguṇa. Nirguṇa does not mean no varieties. Nirguṇa means not these material varieties—the spiritual varieties. So they misunderstand. Spiritual varieties they think material varieties. So nistraigunyo: we have to overcome the varieties of this material nature. We have come to the spiritual platform. And how it is possible?

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

Kṛṣṇa has advised that this material happiness and distress, they are on account of this body. They come and go. They do not stay. So long we are in this material world, this happiness and distress will come and go. Just like seasonal changes: it does not stay. It comes and again goes away. So we should not be disturbed. (aside:) If you want to stand, you can stand. It comes and goes. We should not be disturbed. Our real business is to realize ourself, self-realization, That must go on. It must not stop. That is human life. Suffering and so-called suffering, distress, that will go on so long we have got this body. But we must come to the knowledge that "I am, I have got this body due to my past activities." That is knowledge. Karmaṇā daivā-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1).

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976:

So unless we are free from all kinds of desires, we shall be entangled with these elements. Therefore bhakti, bhakti-mārga, devotional service, means no more material desire. It is difficult because we are associated with the material desires life after life, from time immemorial. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings therefore: anādi karama phale pori bhavārṇava-jale toribāre na dekhi upāy. Anādi karama, time immemorial I am fallen in this ocean of fruitive activities and I have no rescue from this ocean. Toribāre na dekhi upāy. This is our position. Very, very difficult to come out of these elements. But if we practice, that is possible. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā (BG 8.8). Cetasā nānya-gāminā, this is practice. Mind is going somewhere. When we sit down the mind is manufacturing so many ideas. All of a sudden mind is attracted by something which has no connection with my present position, still, mind is dragging me. Therefore Arjuna said, when he was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "You concentrate your mind..." That is the yoga practice. Yoga-indriya-samyaya. So Arjuna said, "Kṛṣṇa it is not possible for me."

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976:

So to engage the mind means, as it is said here, that pañcabhiḥ, the mind means controlling all the senses. So if you control the mind, then all the other senses will be controlled. So therefore it is advised that you engage your mind in Kṛṣṇa. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. And vāk, vāṇī, pāyu, the voice, voice, arms, legs, anus and genitals. So voice should be engaged in vibrating Kṛṣṇa activities. You read Bhagavad-gītā, read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and talk about Kṛṣṇa. Then voice is engaged. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Always engage your voice in chanting or speaking about Kṛṣṇa. The mind is engaged automatically. Then arms, the hands, engaged in cleansing the temple. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira mārjanādau **. This is the advice. This is business of guru, to engage. How the arms can be engaged? You can engage your arms for decorating the Deity, for sewing the clothing, dress, garland. In this way you can engage your arms.

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976:

Therefore our business is... "Artificially, I shall not see anything." Now how it is possible? You'll see in the mind. Suppose you close your eyes, but there are so many impressions, they will come within the mind. Even if you close your eyes. The so-called meditation means he has closed his eyes but he's thinking of his beloved or his business or something like, something like that. So is not possible. First of all, you have to fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa. Always think of Kṛṣṇa. That is advised by Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. These four principles guarantees, Kṛṣṇa says. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.68). If you simply execute these four things, then Kṛṣṇa guarantees, asaṁśaya, without any doubt you are coming back to me, back to home, back to Godhead. It is so nice. So mind engaged in Kṛṣṇa. Always think of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976:

So therefore when we come to the full-fledged human form of life, developed consciousness, we must utilize it, as it is advised by Kṛṣṇa Himself, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). "Always think of Me, man-manā," And who can think of Kṛṣṇa unless he's devotee? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. Who is nondevotee, he'll think of something else. "Why I think of Kṛṣṇa?" Therefore to stick to this principle, to apply the mind always in Kṛṣṇa, that means he's devotee. This is devotee. Devotee means not with four hands or four legs, no. The hands, legs are the same. But his mode of thinking different. That's all. That is devotee. Devotee does not depend on the country, color or religion or circumstance. Devotee means the mind. Anyone who is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, he is devotee. That is the first qualification of devotee. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. Therefore we have to practice. Abhyāsa yoga-yuktena... (BG 8.8). This is called abhyāsa. Mind is going out of my control.

Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:

They cannot control. But human body is meant for controlling. Na ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Nṛloke means "in the human society." Na ayaṁ deha. Everyone has got body. Cats and dogs, they have got body. The trees also have body. The worms have body. All living entity, anyone who has come into this material world, under different body or different dress, they are suffering in this material world. Therefore the śāstra is meant for the human being so that he can understand his awkward position. So everywhere this is advised, ayaṁ deha: "You had many other bodies in your past lives' evolution. Now, this body," ayaṁ deha, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke, "one who has got this human form of body," nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām (SB 5.5.1), "don't engage yourself for simply for eating, sleeping, in very hard labor." Just like at the present moment huge, big, big industries, karma It is called ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means ferocious activities.

Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama. Kṛṣṇa is just like sun. If you want that "In the sunshine or in the sun globe I shall inject darkness," it is not possible. It will be a failure. Sun is so bright that even a big darkness cannot enter. At night it is big darkness, but sun is so strong that as soon as there is glimpse of the sun, immediately whole darkness gone. You haven't got to drive the darkness by separate endeavor. Simply await for the sun rising. Immediately finish. So māyā is darkness. So if you bring Kṛṣṇa within your heart, all māyā will be finished. No more māyā. This is the process. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Māyā can act only when there is no Kṛṣṇa. So therefore Gosvāmī, ṣaḍ-gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, advises, yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet sarve vidhi-niṣedhā syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ. Somehow or other, you fix up your mind on Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.55 -- London, August 13, 1975:

So with whom associate? Now, Īśa. These are... Īśa means His name, His form, His attributes, His, so many things. You see? Nāma, rūpa, rasa—everything is Īśa. So this temple means to give chance to people for associating with Īśa, with Kṛṣṇa. So therefore, according to Vedic civilization, everyone is advised to go to the temple. Still people are going to the church, to the temple, to the mosque, to the synagogue. Why? Īśa-saṅgāt, īśa-saṅgāt, just to associate with God. That is the purpose. So if you actually search after Īśa, Kṛṣṇa, or God, you can get it. There is arrangement. Just like this temple. This temple, if you come, if you make association with this temple, immediately you will be benefited by hearing the glories of the Lord this, every subject matter pertaining to God. We are reading Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā. That is also Īśa. Because these are the words of Īśa, therefore, Īśa being absolute, there is no difference between His words and Him. Kṛṣṇa, five thousand years ago He spoke Bhagavad-gītā. That Bhagavad-gītā is the same Bhagavad-gītā which He spoke five thousand years ago, and it is not different from Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa is absolute. Whatever, His words, His form, His name, His quality, everything, His temple, His activities, His books—everything Īśa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-62 -- Surat, January 3, 1971, at Adubhai Patel's House:

So actual fact is Viṣṇu worship. That is the ultimate goal of Vedic civilization, but they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Their attention is diverted in so many demigods. The greatest disservice to the society, that "Here is another god, here..." Not only manufacturing a man-god, but they are advising that "Any god you can worship." No: Viṣṇu. Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. This is Vedic mantra. Those who are sūrayaḥ, means advanced... Sūrayaḥ means... Sūrayaḥ and asūrayaḥ. Asūrayaḥ means demons. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved suraḥ: "Those who are devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, they are sura." Asuras tad-viparyayaḥ: "And those who are not Viṣṇu bhaktas, they are asuras." Just like Rāvaṇa was very great devotee of Lord Śiva; still, he was a asura. Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was a great devotee of Lord Brahmā, but he was considered asura. So anyone who is not devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, he is asura. That is the verdict. Asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. And this piṇḍa-dāna is offered oblations to the Viṣṇu. So if any man becomes a Vaiṣṇava, he is offering oblations to Viṣṇu every moment, so his forefathers are delivered without any trouble. Without any trouble. If one's son becomes a Vaiṣṇava in the family, he can deliver fourteen generations, up and down. That is the verdict. Not only verdict, this is the version in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-62 -- Surat, January 3, 1971, at Adubhai Patel's House:

Madana-vepitam. Madana, this Cupid. When Cupid attacks somebody or one who... When one becomes, I mean to say, too much attracted by lust, all his education, all his culture, all his knowledge, becomes stunned. That is the... Therefore one has to avoid this society. Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam. The Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he advises us, tyaja durjana-saṁsargam: "Always avoid durjana-saṁsargam, association with durjana." Durjana means sense gratifying persons, those who are engaged only in sense gratification, durjana. And sujana means those who are engaged for spiritual enlightenment. They are called sujana. That is the instruction everywhere. Therefore, from the very beginning of life a boy is sent to gurukula for good association. Gurukula means... Still there are many gurukulas in India, a spiritual master training some boys in spiritual life. That has also become polluted. So many things... This is Kali-yuga. Therefore the only way of deliverance from this bewilderment is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa... He became attracted. Na śaśāka samādhātuṁ mano madana-vepitam. He is personally seeing the sex affairs. How he can be checked from the sex appetite? It is clearly said, na śaśāka: "He was unable," na śaśāka samādhātum, "to control himself." Controlling.

Lecture on SB 6.1.62 -- Vrndavana, August 29, 1975:

So before meeting death... Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. Prahlāda Mahārāja so many times requested, "My dear father, why you are becoming atheist? By His grace you have got so much power. Just submit to Him." "No. There is no God. I am God." So this is called demon. In spite of being punished in so many ways, they will deny the existence of God. So they are... Those who are not devotee, they will be agitated by the māyā, by Madana, by Cupid, by so many other illusory things. But if one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, then nothing can. Because Kṛṣṇa conscious person is not in want. He is not in want. So long we will be in want, our mind will be agitated. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advised that, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām: "Those who are always agitated..." Everyone is agitated. Samudvigna. Tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehinām. Anyone who has accepted this material body must be always agitated in mind, sadā. Why? Asad-grahāt. Because he has accepted this temporary body, he must be full of anxiety. It cannot be avoided. Asad-grahāt. Asato mā sad gama. The Vedic injunction is "Don't keep yourself in this temporary world or temporary body. Must go to the spiritual world, back to home, back to..." This is Vedic injunction.

Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:

We invite all elderly persons, especially retired person. They should come and live with us. We have got a nice guesthouse, and if required, we can construct many other guesthouses. At least those are retired Everyone should retire after fiftieth year. That is the injunction of the śāstras, that pañcāśordhvaṁ varaṁ vrajet. After fifty years one should give up family life and vanaṁ vrajet. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanam. Vanam means Vṛndāvana. Vanaṁ vrajet. Similarly, Prahlāda Mahārāja has advised,

tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehināṁ
sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt
hitvātma-ghātam gṛham andha-kūpaṁ
vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta
(SB 7.5.5)

Vanaṁ gato. One should go in the vana, in Vṛndāvana. Then what to do there? Harim āśrayeta. Otherwise, if we live in Vṛndāvana like monkeys and other animals, that will not be beneficial. Harim āśrayeta. Come here, live here and take shelter of Hari. That is the ultimate goal. Therefore Hari personally says, Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Harim āśrayeta.

Lecture on SB 6.1.64-65 -- Vrndavana, September 1, 1975:

So in this way the material world is very, very entangled. And if we become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then we become free from this entanglement. All these criticisms or the divisions are there for grāmyaiḥ. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised, grāma-kathā nā śunibe, bhāla nā khāibe nā bhāla nā paribe. This is vairāgya—"Don't indulge in grāmya-kathā." Therefore we always advise, "Don't read newspaper. Don't read any other book," because it is full of grāmya-kathā, grāmyaiḥ. So to avoid it as far as possible. There is no need. What is the news of a grāmya-kathā newspaper? The same thing repeated. "Here there is flood, where there is train disaster, where there is accident, and political, and one politician is giving speech, another politician is giving speech." These are the grāmya things. So we should save ourself. Grāmyair manoramaiḥ. These externally very attractive news, we should avoid it completely. We shall simply talk of Kṛṣṇa. That is the safest method. We shall simply talk kṛṣṇa-kathā. And kṛṣṇa-kathā means what Kṛṣṇa has said.

Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:

So money which is due from others—he is not paying—that has become a bad money. Good money means which is in your hand. That is good money. And if you are simply speculating that "I shall get this money from that person. I shall get this money from...," that is bad money. So there is an English proverb, perhaps you know all, "To push good money after bad money." So therefore sometimes intelligent persons, they do not go to the court because he knows that money which is not being paid... Before entering into agreement you should be very clever so that your money may not be bad money which you are advancing. But if somehow or other it has become bad money, don't try to put good money. Let that bad money go to hell. So better nowadays not to go to the court as far as possible. But you should deal with people in such a way... Just like I was advising you, just find out a respectable transporter, because the time is very bad. Otherwise it will become a bad money. You go for cheap thing, that "He will carry my goods free," but he will throw it away. Somebody will take away. Then your whole profit is gone. You should be very careful. And if you have to go to court, then it is still more bad. You see?

Lecture on SB 6.2.2 -- Vrndavana, September 6, 1975:

Therefore we have to follow the ācāryas. We are ignorant. To become ignorant is not any fault. But when the ignorant thinks that he knows everything, then he's fault. Therefore the ignorant people are advised in the Vedas, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). "So I am ignorant, I am fool, I am rascals. I shall remain like that"? No, that is not human life; that is animal life. Animal is also ignorant. A dog, he cannot go to a guru. That is not possible. But a human being, he must. Abhigacchet. It must. It is not optional, that "I may go, or I may not." No, you must. That is the injunction. That is the Vedic injunction. Ācārya-paramparā. Evam paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Rājarṣayaḥ. Formerly the king was responsible, responsible king. Responsible government means responsible king. So what is the responsibility of the king? The responsibility that all the citizens, all the inhabitants of the state, they should live very comfortably and develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the responsibility of the king. He has to see that everyone is free from anxiety, everyone is feeling secure, everyone has no disease, no mental anxiety, and in peaceful condition they are executing bhāgavata-dharma. That is real dharma, bhāgavata-dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma means to understand the science of God. That is Bhāgavata. And it is advised, kaumāram ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha. Kaumāra, from the very boyhood, childhood, one should be instructed and educated about bhāgavata-dharma.

Lecture on SB 6.2.5-6 -- Vrndavana, September 9, 1975:

Therefore human being, this form of human being... Labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29). After many, many millions of years we have got this human form of body. It should not be misused simply like cats and dogs. This is not success of life. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja, although he was five-years-old boy, he advised his classfriend that kaumāraṁ ācaret prājñaḥ. He was instructing. He was a devotee. He was preaching, "My dear friend, you just become devotee of Kṛṣṇa." The children protested, "Eh! We shall now play or we shall become Kṛṣṇa conscious? No, no, we shall play." So Prahlāda Mahārāja repeatedly said, "No, no, no. Even we are children, we should not play. We should become Kṛṣṇa conscious." Kaumāraṁ ācaret prājñaḥ. If you are intelligent... Kaumāraṁ. Kaumāram means from the childhood, from five years. Kaumāraṁ ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha. "Why? All right, if you say that I shall become Kṛṣṇa conscious, I shall become. Let us grow now." No. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣyaṁ janma tad api adhruvam arthadam (SB 7.6.1). "No, no, no. Don't spoil your life in that way. It is... Although we have got this body, human form, but it is also adhruvam. It will not stay."

Lecture on SB 6.2.5-8 -- Calcutta, January 10, 1971:

If anyone simply chants these two alphabets, ha, ri-hari—then baddha-parikaras tena mokṣaya gamanaṁ pratiti: "Although he is a conditioned soul, his path for liberation is open." Yasya smṛtya ca nāmoktvā tapa-yajña-kriyādiṣu, nūnaṁ taṁ pūrṇakaṁ yati sadyaḥ vande acyutam ity ādi-vacanam.(?) There is another quotation, that yasya smṛtya ca moktva tapo-yajña-kriyādiṣu. These are pious activities: austerity and sacrifice, tapas, yajña, and kriyā, pious activities. Everything is done simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. There is no need of doing anything. Simply by chanting, one can achieve the result of japa, yajña, and other ritualistic performances prescribed in the Vedas. And this is specially advised to the karma-kāṇḍīyas, those who are very much fond of performing ritualistic ceremony. For them this instruction is specially meant, that if you chant simply Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offense, then you'll get all the results of japa, yajña, and other ritualistic performances.

Lecture on SB 6.2.12-14 -- Allahabad, January 17, 1971, at Kumbha-mela:

Therefore here it is said, naikāntikam. Naikāntikaṁ tad dhi kṛte 'pi niṣkṛte (SB 6.2.12). Even one becomes free from all contamination of sinful life by prosecuting the particular type of religious principles, that is not sufficient, because ultimately it cannot give any good result. Naikāntikaṁ tad dhi kṛte 'pi niṣkṛte manaḥ punar dhāvati ced asat-pathe. Because the mind is so disturbing that even after being free from all contamination of sinful life, the mind again goes to that sinful activity. It is very difficult to control the mind. Arjuna, when he was advised to perform the haṭha-yoga system to control the mind, he flatly refused, that "I am unable to control my mind in this way." He stated that cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa: (BG 6.34) "Kṛṣṇa, the mind is so agitating and moving," cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi, "it is just like a madman." Just like you cannot control a madman. Sometimes you have to chain a madman for doing mischievous activities. Sometimes you have to send to some hospital for special care.

Lecture on SB 6.2.12-14 -- Allahabad, January 17, 1971, at Kumbha-mela:

. Because if you are engaged in ordinary karma... Karma I have already explained. Karma means doing something for your personal benefit. That is called karma. Or, in plain words, doing something for sense gratification, that is called karma. And as soon as you engage your activities for such sense gratification or for your personal benefit, then you have to commit sins. That's a fact. Therefore we are entangled in this birth and death problem. So here the Viṣṇudūta advises that "If you want..." Tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatām. "If you desire at all that 'I shall be freed from the resultant action of karma,' then your duty should be harer guṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ. You simply try to glorify the Supreme Lord always, twenty-four hours. That will purify you." Khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ. Sattva-bhāvanaḥ. Śrīdhara Svāmī says, sattva-bhāvanaḥ citta-śodhakaḥ. Sattva-bhāvana means citta-śodhaka. Citta means the heart, and śodhaka, the purifying process. So instead of taking yourself to these prescribed ritualistic ceremonies, if you simply engage your mind in describing or glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead... That is our process.

Lecture on SB 6.2.15 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1975:

These are the, some of the practical examples. There are persons who criticize chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Nāmnād artha-vāda. Because the glories of the holy name are described here, that one can become free from the sinful reaction of life simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, so sometimes those who are not in the line, they think, "It is too much. It is too much." So the next verse, the... It is advised... Not it is too much. You can test it. Test it. What is that test? Patita. When you fall down from a high place... Suppose from the roof you may fall down, patitaṁ. Skhalita: you may slip and fall down. Bhagnaḥ: by falling down you may break your bones. Then sandaṣṭaḥ: you may be bitten by some animal—cats, dogs, a snake. There are so many, domestic. Then tapta: you may be burned. And āhataḥ: you may be injured from others. Then during this time you can test, practical. What is that test? Harir ity avaśena aha. Try to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Pumān. If anyone does so, na arhati yātanāḥ. You'll immediately feel that from the injuries you are not feeling pain. This is practical seen. Even a snake bite... You may be saved. The author says, never says, that you may be saved from death, but the suggestion is that you may not feel much pain. This is practical.

Lecture on SB 6.2.17 -- Vrndavana, September 20, 1975:

So he went for this purpose. Arthārthī. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino arjuna. Arthārthī. Ārto arthārthī. So he was in search after money, Dhruva Mahārāja, and therefore at five years old he went to the forest. His mother advised that "Kṛṣṇa can help you only." Others cannot help. So he was simple boy. He decided, "Where is Kṛṣṇa?" "Now, my dear child, I know that He is found in the forest." So he went to the forest, and he very severely Nārada Muni tried to persuade him, "No, no, you are simply a small child. Why you are so much infected with the insult given by your stepmother?" So he said, "No, I don't want your advice. If you can give me God, just talk of that. You don't talk of compromise. I am not going." This is determination. This is determination. So he, actually, within six months he saw Nārāyaṇa. But when he saw Nārāyaṇa, then his all material desires finished. He said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "I came to ask You for some benefit, material benefit. Now, by seeing You I am so satisfied that I have no more any desire to ask for." This is the ultimate stage, no more desire. We may begin with desire, but perfection is that, when there is no more desire. That is the beginning of bhakti.

Lecture on SB 6.2.24-25 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:

In Ajāmila. There was not pure saṅkīrtana. Just like we are advised when chanting the mantra, mahā-mantra, to avoid ten kinds of offenses. So Ajāmila had no such program. He never meant that he was chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa. This point is being stressed by Śrīdhāra Swami. He simply tried to call his son, whose name was Nārāyaṇa. That was not practically kīrtana, but this very vibration, transcendent vibration, has got so potency that without following the rules and regulations of chanting the holy name, he became immediately released from all sinful reaction. That point is stressed here. Abhavan aśucir api niyamāna asustha-cittaḥ (?). Not only he never meant for chanting the holy name, he was not only sinful, but he was practically in coma because he was dying. His all functions of the physical body was stopped, and he could not chant even properly. Still, he became released from all sinful reaction. At the time of death... Why death? Even in our sleeping condition we are out of our own control completely. So Ajāmila was diseased and was almost on the verge of death, and he was calling his son only.

Lecture on SB 6.2.24-25 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:

Śrīdhāra Swami is explaining the next verse. Prāyeṇa veda tad idaṁ na mahājano 'yaṁ divya-vimohita-matir bata māyayālam trayyaṁ jaḍi-kṛta-matir madhu-puṣpitāyāṁ vaitānike mahati karmāṇi yujyamānāḥ (?). People, if they are advised, as it, as he is actually advised... The question is why there are so many ritualistic ceremonial scriptures. Why? So the conclusion is that people are very much attached to any gorgeous method. If you perform here in this temple a great sacrifice with hundreds of brāhmaṇas and chanting Veda mantras, people will be very much attracted immediately. They'll think, "Oh, something very gorgeous is going on." You see? Why they are so? Vimohita-matir bata māyayālam. Because they are captivated by māyā, they cannot understand what is the potency of the holy name. They cannot understand. Therefore sometimes something, very gorgeous ceremony, is advised just to attract them. Trayyaṁ jaḍi-kṛta-matir madhu-puṣpitāyām. Trayyam. Trayyam means Vedas. Veda is called trayi because there are three kinds of different processes: karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, and upāsana-kāṇḍa. So jaḍi-kṛta. Just like in India there is a section called Ārya-samājīs. They are very much attached to performance of these sacrifices.

Lecture on SB 6.2.24-25 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:

And as soon as his mind is in tranquillity, evaṁ prasanna-manaso... (SB 1.2.20), because as soon as one is elevated to the sattva-guṇa platform, he becomes happy in his mental situation. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso. Unless one is situated in tranquillity of his mental position, one cannot understand the science of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. One must become satisfied. That satisfaction comes on the platform of sattva-guṇa, not in the platform of ignorance and passion. People are... They come... Mostly people, they are being conducted by passion and ignorance. Therefore they cannot understand. They say, "Such and such person is greater than Kṛṣṇa," because they are captivated by ignorance. They do not know and therefore talk so many nonsense. Unless we are freed from the rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ... They advise, "You can do whatever you like. You can eat whatever you like. Now you are liberated, you can indulge in all kinds of nonsense, but still, you are God. You are Brahman." These things are going on. How they can understand Kṛṣṇa? It is not possible.

Lecture on SB 6.3.18-19 -- Gorakhpur, February 12, 1971:

Just like spiritual master of Bali Mahārāja, he tried to advise his disciple Bali Mahārāja not to give to Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu, as Vāmanadeva, came to ask some alms from the Bali Mahārāja, "Give Me some alms. I want three feet of land." And Śukrācārya prohibited: "He is Viṣṇu. He is asking you three feet of land, but He will take everything from you." So in this way, he was against this charity. And when Bali Mahārāja understood that "For his personal interest, he is going against Viṣṇu," he immediately gave up his connection. Similarly, the gopīs also, they flaunted the social law. At midnight they left their husbands and home and came to Kṛṣṇa. There are so many instances. For Kṛṣṇa's sake they sacrificed everything. They became, I mean to say, social outcaste. They transgressed the laws of the Vedas. But because they did it for Kṛṣṇa, they have been accepted as mahājanas, as authorities.

Lecture on SB 6.3.18-19 -- Gorakhpur, February 12, 1971:

So our movement, the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, that is authorized. Here it is stated, tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ. And you have seen that our..., in Back to Godhead, Hayagrīva has also quoted many passages from Bible, the chanting, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra chanting. So this chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, or God, is authorized. And actually the effect is being felt, because we are advised to execute this kind of religious principles according to the law, offenseless, and avoiding these four regulative principles. Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and observing these rules and regulations, one is sure to go to home, go to back to Godhead. There is no doubt about it.

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

So devotees, they take the honey at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa... But how? What they are tasting? They are tasting: niṣkiñcanaiḥ paramahaṁsa-kulair asaṅgair juṣṭād gṛhe niraya-vartmani baddha-tṛṣṇān. Those who are not associating with pure devotees, niṣkiñcanaiḥ. One who has no other business than to taste the honey at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa... The persons who are not associating, that means those who are not becoming life members of Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. (chuckles) Yamarāja is advising, "Go there." (laughter) "Go there." Why? Why? Juṣṭād gṛhe niraya-vartmani baddha-tṛṣṇān. They are staying at home, which is the path to hell, and they are absorbed in unlimited desires. Gṛhe. Gṛhe. Gṛhe means staying at home, not going out for canvassing for Kṛṣṇa. Gṛhe niraya-vartmani. What is this gṛhe? Niraya means hell, and vartmani means path. Gṛhe means "the path of going to hell." That was also advised by Prahlāda Mahārāja. Gṛham andha-kūpam. Tyaktvā gṛham andha-kūpam. Andha-kūpam means blind well.

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

They think that "This atmosphere will give me protection," without seeing that they'll be all destroyed by the laws of nature. So Yamarāja says, "Those who are under this conception, that 'This secure home life will give me protection...,' " but that is not the fact. Such security means security for gliding down to hell. That's all. Juṣṭād gṛhe niraya-vartmani baddha-tṛṣṇān.

(reads commentary): Ke tarhi daṇḍārtham anaya tat praha tan iti darbhyam asataḥ.(?) Asataḥ, duṣṭān. Asat means duṣṭān, rogues. Asato duṣṭān tan eva aha mukunda pādāravindayoḥ.(?) How one can distinguish that he's a rogue? That's what I say, that rogue you can understand immediately: who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious. He's a rogue. So tān evāha mukunda-pādāravindayo marakanda-rūpa-rasaṁ tasmād vimukhān. Those who are averse to taste the honey in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are rogues. They are rogues. And the Yamarāja is advising, "Go there. Bring them here, and I shall chastise them nicely." That is Yamarāja. Duṣṭān tān eva āha mukunda-pādāravindayo yo makaranda-rūpa tasmād vimukhān. Kathām bhūtat? Niṣkiñcinair ajasram juṣṭād tesam jñāpakam aha niraya-vartmani sva-dharma-sunye gṛhe baddha trsnad ye tan.(?) So what is their symptoms? Their symptoms we shall describe tomorrow.

Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:

So we have to take information from the authoritative literature what is the position of this material world, the spiritual world, God, and His relationship with us, our position. This is real knowledge, not that a knowledge that how to live. Living condition is fulfilled by the nature's way. There are 8,400,000 different forms of living entities. They are not concerned how to eat, how to sleep. They know, by nature's arrangement there is already arrangement. Just like the birds in the morning. They rise up early in the morning. They are not concerned where they will eat. They know there is already arrangement for eating. The elephants in Africa, they know that God has already arranged for their eating forty kilos at a time. The ants within the room, they know there is already arrangement. So if God has arranged for everyone, eight million different species of life or forms of life, why not for human being? There is arrangement. But in the human being is advised to do certain things. They must do it. Then there is no question of scarcity. There is... Everything is arranged there. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "You produce your food grains so that the animals and the man, both will be happy." But if you don't produce food grains, if you produce sugarcane, then how they will be satisifed? Food grains must be produced. That is the injunction of the śāstra.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 6, 1967:

Prahlāda Mahārāja, advising his classfriends, "My dear friend, if you want success in your life..." People do not know what is the success of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Everyone is supposed to be interested in his self, what is called self-interested. Everyone, beginning from the animal up to the highest living entity, Brahmā, everyone is interested for his self-satisfaction. But Prahlāda Mahārāja says, not exactly here, in other place, he has said, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). When he was talking with his father, father was instructing him that "You foolish boy. You are simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You do not know your self-interest. You should be politician. You should be technician. You should be bluffer. (laughter) So so many things are there. Unless you become quite alert in this world, how you can live?" The child said, "My dear father, perhaps you do not know what is your self-interest." Yes. He was always challenging his father. Five years old boy, and his father, the most powerful atheist king, and he was talking very freely.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 6, 1967:

So man has become so down and down, especially in this age. But it is not a problem. Bhāgavata says that this is not a problem. You are thinking of maintaining your wife and children. Oh, that is already arranged. As this is arranged for the animals, for the birds, for the beasts, to have a wife and enjoy sex life and beget some children, then why not for you? You are advanced human being. Then Bhāgavata says that tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. One who is intelligent, one who knows things as they are, he is called kovidaḥ. Kovidaḥ means very expert. So Bhāgavata advising the most intelligent man that tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ: "If you are intelligent, then you should try for advancing your Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Why? Na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ: (1.5.18) "Because this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so valuable and rare that if you travel all over the space by your sputnik or something else, you cannot get this Kṛṣṇa consciousness anywhere." Na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so very valuable that I shall simply devote my life only for attaining or achieving this end of life? Then what about my economic problem?" The Bhāgavata says, tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā: "My dear friend, because you are a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, so your economic problem is already solved." You will get something to eat, you will have some opposite sex to satisfy your senses, and you will be able to defend yourself according to your capacity, and āhāra-nidrā, and you will be allowed a place to sleep nicely. That is already arranged.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 6, 1967:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja advises the bhāgavata-dharma. Bhāgavata. What is the bhāgavata-dharma? Bhāgavatān dharmān ācared yata arthadam etaj janma devādi-janmani mahā-viṣaya āviśat. Now, why this life is given so much importance, this human life? There are many other lives, lower and higher. In the higher planets there are demigods. They are far more improved, they are more intelligent, they are more happy than this planet. You must know that the higher planets, the comforts of life is thousand times more. As you go in the higher planetary system, the standard of life, the conveniences, are thousand times greater than in this planet. Therefore the commentator, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī is that "Why not bhāgavata-dharma, cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in the life of demigods? Why in this human form of life?" So the answer is that devādi-janma, devādi-janmani mahā-viṣaya āviśat. Devādi-janmani. In the lives of demigod, they are puffed up with so much material enjoyments that there is very little chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 6, 1967:

Yes. Therefore when, by nature's way, one is starving, you should know that he is getting better. You should not be bothered about that thing. Suppose doctor advises some patient that he should starve. And if you become very compassionate and give him some bread, you will be doing harm to him. Your business is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. You should not be disturbed by nature's process. But if you want to help anyone, just try to help him in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That will be real benefit.

People are very much attracted by humanitarian work, but there are so many institutions that improvement the world's, I mean to say, condition has not improved. Just like from India I was thinking that every American is rich man, but actually, when I come to America, there is economic problem. There is poverty problem here also, although not in comparison to India. But proportion is there, five thousand upon five and five hundred upon..., like that. Proportion is the same. So karma, the karma, the law of karma is there. Everyone is subjected to law of karma, and he has to enjoy or suffer according to law of karma. So we cannot interfere.

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

Just like, man is mortal. Man is mortal, I have learned it from my parents or my teachers that man is mortal. Now, if you want to make research worker, work, whether man is mortal or not, it will take long, long time. But you accept it from the authorities, man is mortal, your knowledge is perfect. So this paramparā system of knowledge is given in the Vedic system of knowledge, and this system of knowledge is followed by the great ācāryas, and the Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the great ācāryas. So you try to accept what Prahlāda Mahārāja is advising to his classfellows.

So what he's advising? Kaumāra ācaret prājño. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). He's advising, "My dear friends, 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.

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

Sanātana-dharma means that eternal occupational duty which you cannot cease. Now, Prahlāda Mahārāja is advising that, dharmān bhāgavatān. Bhāgavatān means... Bhāgavata means pertaining to Bhagavān. And Bhagavān means to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So bhāgavata is the adjective form of the noun word Bhagavān. Bhaga, real form of the word is bhagavat. Bhagavat. Vat means possessing, and bhaga means opulences. One who possess all the opulences, He's called bhagavat. And from bhagavat this word has come, bhāgavata. So bhāgavata means pertaining to God and His devotees. That is called bhāgavata. Just like this book is called Bhāgavata because it deals only with the subject matter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, nothing more. Bas. Therefore it is called Bhāgavata. And you'll find description in this book, the dealings between Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His devotees. So there are two kinds of bhāgavatam. The devotee bhāgavatam and the book Bhāgavatam. And Prahlāda Mahārāja advises that from the very child-hood if one is very intelligent then his duty is kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). One should engage himself in the execution of the duties, occupational duties, in relationship with devotees and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thank you very much. If there is any question? Any question? Hmm?

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Vrndavana, December 2, 1975:

Just like Nārada Muni. He is going to the hellish planet also for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So a devotee is not afraid of going anywhere for the service of the Lord. That is devotee. He has no personal desire, simply how to glorify. So this Prahlāda Mahārāja, he is our guru. Out of the twelve mahājanas, he is one of them. So he is advising, kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). Why so early, kaumāra? Prahlāda Mahārāja says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma: "This human form of life is very, very rarely obtained in the process of evolution, 8,400,000's of different species of life." After that, we have got this durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. It should not be wasted, living like cats and dogs. Everyone should be trained up in this bhāgavata-dharma. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam. And "Yes, it is important, that's all right. But let me live for hundred years. Then we shall talk about Kṛṣṇa." And Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "No." Adhruvam: "You do not know when you will die. At any moment you can die." Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). Therefore, before your next death, you realize Kṛṣṇa. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam. But arthadam. Arthadam means even if you live for a few years and if you take the chance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, still, you are benefited. You are still benefited.

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

That is highest perfection. Na te vidhuḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. Practically, the so-called civilized men at the present moment, they do not know what is the actual goal of life. The Prahlāda Mahārāja advising, although he's a child, but he has heard from authority, from Nārada Muni, therefore he's instructing his class friend. Because his father was a great atheist, Hiraṇyakaśipu. He was very angry. When Prahlāda Mahārāja used to talk of God consciousness, he was very much disturbed, he used to chastise him, "Wherefrom this nonsense boy has learned this God, God, God?" He was very much disturbed. So he was very afraid of his father at home. But in the school, as soon as the teachers were away, tiffin hour, he would take the opportunity and preach something about God. That is the statement here. So he says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ: "My dear friends, this human form of life is very rarely obtained." Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam. Adhruvam means it will also not stay. "Because I have got this human form of body, therefore, I'll live forever." No. I'll have to die like cats and dog. But because I have got this human form of life, I can understand what is the truth. That is my opportunity. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam. It will not stay.

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

So Prahlāda Mahārāja advises very nicely, "My dear friend," tat-prayāso na kartavyo yata āyur-vyayaḥ param, "don't exert yourself for increasing the paraphernalia of sense enjoyment. That is simply wasting your valuable time, your valuable duration of life." Because, we must know, the duration of life is limited. That will finish. "As sure as death." And before death comes again, we must prepare in such a nice way—no more death, no more birth. That is education. Therefore Bhāgavata says that "He is not a spiritual master. He is not a father. He is not a mother. He is not a friend." In this way. "He is not a husband." Who? "Who cannot protect his ward from the impending death." That means the father, the spiritual master, the husband or the protector should be so spiritually advanced that he will teach, he will protect his ward in such a nice way that no more birth, no more death. In this life Kṛṣṇa consciousness education is finished so that after leaving this body, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), after quitting this body, no more birth again.

Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Vrndavana, December 5, 1975:

It is very, very difficult. But still, Vaiṣṇava, he will advise. A moralist who knows śāstra, he will also advise, just like Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. I was saying, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Formerly there was exchange for... Means of exchange was coins, gold mohan(?). Even in India, even in Muhammadan, there was gold. Not this paper, cheating: "I give you money, one thousand rupees, some paper. That's all." Where is money? But people are satisfied. "Yes, I have got one thousand rupees. It is written there. That's all." But actually money is the gold, gold exchange. So therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said... This means at that time there was gold coin exchange. Even in our childhood we have seen in India there was coins, gold coins, silver coins, everywhere, all over the world. In England there was pound, gold coin. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Svarṇa means gold coins, and koṭi means ten millions. So suppose today is 6th December. Now seven o'clock, morning, seven o'clock, 6th December, passed. Can you bring it again by paying one crores of gold coins? Hm? That "Let me get back again seven o'clock, 6th December, 1975, again"? No. It is gone forever.

Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Vrndavana, December 5, 1975:

Everyone is practically aware that how sex life is followed by so many miserable condition of life. Everyone knows it. Either illicit or legal. The world is going on. Because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, now they are creating so many sinful life, killing the child openly. The doctors, the medical men, the scientists, advise, "If you like, you can kill your child." And to kill a child means how much sinful activities, they do not know, but they are inducing. He has to become a child and he will be killed by somebody else. And again as many times he has killed children he will have to live within the womb and be killed. Bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. It will be followed by so many miserable condition of life. But now they are advertising, "One, two, three—no more children." But "one, two, three" means balance children, you kill. This is going on. Then why not stop sex life? Oh, that is not possible. Bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. Not only in this life but in the next life, next life, because there is no... Mūḍhā nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam. These rascals... This rascal civilization is so dangerous, mūḍhā, full of rascals.

Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to create at least one section first-class men so that people may see, "Oh, here are ideal men." Therefore my request to persons who have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they should very carefully keep them as first-class men. People will appreciate and they will try to follow. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). If there is a class of men first class, then people will appreciate. At least, they will try to follow, even though are unable to become first class. They will try to follow. Tat tad eva, sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate. So that is first-class man required. If he acts, then others will follow. If a teacher does not smoke, the students also will stop smoking naturally. But if the teacher is smoking, how the students...? They are also smoking in the class. I have seen in New York. At least in India this is not yet begun. It will begin. Because they are also making progress. (laughter) These rascals are making progress, going to hell.

So, Prahlāda Mahārāja advises, don't waste your valuable time in so-called economic development and nonsense activities. Try to become a devotee of Mukunda. Then your life will be successful.

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Vrndavana, December 7, 1975:

So therefore it is advised... So anyone who is coming to Vṛndāvana, they must seek out the devotees who have dedicated to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and trying to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the ignorant people who are busy in material activities. This is tīrtha. Therefore it is recommended. In India you'll find so many tīrthas, so many tīrthas—Prayag, Mathurā, Vṛndāvana, Hardwar, Rāmeśvaram. That is the arrangement. And after retirement of life, vanaṁ vrajet. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Prahlāda Mahārāja also said to his father, hitvātmā-ghāṭaṁ gṛha-andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad harim āśrayeta. Formerly big, big kings, everyone—compulsory retirement, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. Vanam means go to the forest. One who goes to the forest, he is called vānaprastha. From vana, the word vana, has come vānaprastha. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet, that "After fifty years of age one must go to the forest for meditation, for tapasya, austerity." And when he is perfectly trained up... This training is given from brahmacārī life, gṛhastha life also, but people are not taking training. They are not kuśalam. Actually they do not know what is the aim of life. They are cats and dogs. So one who is kuśala, actually knows the aim of life, for him, yateta ksemāya bhavam āśritaḥ. Because in the material existence it is simply suffering. But these foolish men, they do not understand.

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

So all these things should be discussed, should be understood, so long we are young, strong, brain is in order. Then our life will be successful. And Prahlāda Mahārāja is advising:

tato yateta kuśalaḥ
kṣemāya bhavam āśritaḥ
śarīraṁ pauruṣaṁ yāvan
na vipadyeta puṣkalam

So long you are strong, try your best to understand the instruction of Kṛṣṇa and be Kṛṣṇa conscious and make your life successful.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1976:

Everything is param. Just like anna. Anna means ordinary rice. And paramānna, paramānna means the first-class, sweet rice, cooked with milk. You have got good experience. (laughter) So similarly, āyuḥ, the ant has got āyuḥ, the worm has got āyuḥ, the cat has got an āyuḥ, some duration of life. But so far the human being is concerned, that is param āyuḥ. Param āyuḥ. So if we waste our time simply for sense gratification, then we waste our valuable life.

Prahlāda Mahārāja advises:

tat-prayāso na kartavyo
yata āyur-vyayaḥ param
na tathā vindate kṣemam...

We are acting, working for some good achievement. So our achievement, means the human form of achievement is mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. Mukunda means Kṛṣṇa. How to get shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is the supreme achievement. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises, tato yateta kuśalaḥ kṣemāya bhavam āśritaḥ. Those who are fallen in this material world, somehow or other... It is not our place. This is a rotten place, but somehow or other we have fallen. Bhavam āśritaḥ, we have, instead of taking shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, we have taken shelter of this material world.

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

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.

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

Anyway, the vānaprastha, when the gentleman is completely educated for renouncing this world, then he sends back the wife to grown-up boys and he takes sannyāsa. This is sannyāsa dress. This is preparing, not... Preparing is finished. Sannyāsa means he should distribute spiritual knowledge from door to door. That is his business. He has no family attraction, he has nothing to think for his maintenance, because the society is advised to take care of brahmacārī, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Just see. This is spiritual communism. One section of people, the householders, they have to maintain the three other divisions. We have divided the society into four divisions: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Only the gṛhasthas are allowed to make money, to earn money. But the brahmacārī and the vānaprastha and sannyāsī is to live at the cost the gṛhasthas. Brahmacaris shall go from door to door and beg alms and bring it for the spiritual master. The spiritual master is a sannyāsī. So whatever the brahmacārīs bring, they cook and they eat and they cultivate spiritual Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the system. That means it is the duty of the gṛhasthas, or the householder, to maintain the other three section of the people. And that is varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ.

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

He is advising to the sons of the demons because the demons, they cannot understand. But it is the duty of the Vaiṣṇava to preach, although Kṛṣṇa advises that "You don't preach the truth of Bhagavad-gītā to the demons." He said, "Those who have not undergone austerities, those who are not very serious, don't speak about these lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66)." Means they'll not understand. But still, the devotees, they take the risk that "All right, let me try to convince this person that 'Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.' " Even Kṛṣṇa says that "Don't try, because they will not be able to understand," still, they try. That is a devotee. Therefore devotee is more merciful than Kṛṣṇa. Devotee is more merciful. Even there is no hope to understand, still, he goes door to door: "Please take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please take to Kṛṣṇa, and you'll be happy." It is not always... Just like you are trying to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness with so much endeavor. It's not that cent percent people of the world will take. That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

The soul is beyond all these actions and reactions. But because this living entity's soul is covered by so many gross and subtle elements, he is unnecessarily suffering, although the suffering is temporary. All these sufferings are temporary. Nothing endures. But the suffering is there. Therefore it has been advised by Ṛṣabhadeva, na sādhu manye yata ātmanaḥ ayam asan api kleśada aśa dehaḥ. This whole world, people are suffering on account of these different circumstantial position, the three guṇas and the mind being polluted by these three stages, jāgriti, svapna, suṣupti, and so many things—they are described, twenty-four elements. On account of this packing of the soul, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, asmin dehe, dehi... Dehi asmin yathā dehe: the real spirit soul is packed up within the body in so many coverings. So our so-called pleasure and pains in this material world, they're artificial. They are not factual, on account of being packed in so many material things. Therefore it is called moha, illusion. It is not fact.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

In the Vedas it is said that the soul is unaffected with this material condition. I have several times given this example, that a person has got a good car, and it is somehow or another broken, and he becomes upset, because his car Although he knows that "I am not this car," but his thoughts being absorbed by the attraction of the car, when the car is broken somehow or other he becomes almost unconscious. So this is due to our attachment. So spiritual life means how to get out of this attachment. This is spiritual life. We are "No, what is the wrong if we are attached?" The wrong is that so long we remain attached to these temporary illusory things, you'll not be able to get out of it. That is the whole program. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya. These pains and pleasure is due to this skin; it is not real. But because you are attached to the skin and bone, therefore you feel sometimes pain and pleasure. But that will not endure. Better tolerate it. Tolerate. That is spiritual, tapasya. That is called tapasya. When one can learn how to tolerate these temporary so-called pains and pleasure, then he is advanced.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

So we have to go to the opposite. Attachment... "Then I shall finish all my attachment?" No, you cannot give up your attachment, because that is the symptom of life. You cannot be free from attachment. But the attachment has to be turned to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises in the Bhagavad-gītā,

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
(BG 7.1)

In the Sixth..., the Seventh Chapter, Kṛṣṇa is giving lesson how to become unattached to this material world. Mayy āsakta manāḥ pārtha. If you increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa—if you become perfectly Kṛṣṇa consciousness—then it is possible to be detached. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Your attachment gets better engagement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means attachment for the best. We have got attachment. We have got attachment for our family, for our home, for our children, for our wife, for our society, for our nation, for our country, and so on, so on, so on, so on—so many.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- Vrndavana, December 11, 1975:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu very kindly inaugurated this civilization, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same thing as it is confirmed in the Vedas: vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ projitaḥ janayaty āśu vairāgyam Āśu: "very soon." The examples are here. You are Europeans and Americans; you were attached to so many things. But because you have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, means vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogam. This, you have come to Vṛndāvana to worship Vāsudeva or Kṛṣṇa, or in your country you have established so many temples. In account of being engaged in the devotional service of Vāsudeva, although you are young boys and girls, you have given up so many nonsense things. This is called vairāgya. This is called vairāgya, detachment. Meat-eating is the general life of Europeans and Americans, but at the present moment if someone offers you millions of dollars and he requests you that "You take some meat with me," I think you will deny. This is called vairāgya. This is called vairāgya. I've actually seen our Gargamuni was sent to his father. I advised him that "Your father has big business. Just take it for Kṛṣṇa consciousness." So father was very glad, his father, but he offered meat, and when he said, "Father, Daddy, I cannot take meat," then the father became angry. He drove him away. (indistinct) So he came back. The young man, father's property, he refused to take it.

Lecture on SB 7.6.10 -- New Vrindaban, June 26, 1976:

I shall disturb you always, in this way or that way." That we haven't got eyes to see, that we are being disturbed. But if we want undisturbed happiness then we have to purify our existence. That is wanted. It is for our interest. To become Kṛṣṇa conscious means that is our interest. Kṛṣṇa doesn't want that you become... Kṛṣṇa wants, but if you do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, He has nothing to lose. But if we do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, it is, our chance is lost. This is the problem. So when Kṛṣṇa comes and He advises sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), it is for our interest. If we do that, then we become happy. Because we want happiness, so little tapasya. Just like if you want to cure your feverish condition you have to accept some rules and regulations ordered by the physician. If we want to cure, bhavauṣadhiḥ. So simple thing: tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Little tapasya. It is not very difficult. But if we undergo a little tapasya—no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication—little, not very... Now those who have given up these bad habits, they are not dying for want of these. But this little tapasya, tapasā brahmacaryeṇa... (SB 6.1.13).

Lecture on SB 7.6.16 -- New Vrindaban, June 30, 1976:

Such attracted persons become involved in society, community and nation and waste their time, not having profited from having obtained human forms. Especially in this age, Kali-yuga, great leaders, politicians, philosophers and scientists are all engaged in foolish activities, thinking, "This is mine, and this is yours." The scientists invent nuclear weapons and collaborate with the big leaders to protect the interests of their own nation or society. In this verse, however, it is clearly stated that despite their so-called advanced knowledge, they actually have the same mentality as cats and dogs. As cats, dogs and other animals, not knowing their true interest in life, become increasingly involved in ignorance, the so-called educated person who does not know his own self-interest or the true goal of life becomes increasingly involved in materialism. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises everyone to follow the principles of varṇāśrama-dharma. Specifically, at a certain point one must give up family life and take to the renounced order of life to cultivate spiritual knowledge and thus become liberated. This is further discussed in the following verses.

Lecture on SB 7.6.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, July 1, 1976:

So we have to give up. So there is therefore regulative principle. At least, no illicit sex. Get yourself married, live like a gentleman, take responsibility, then gradually you'll be able to give up this sex desire. Unless we give up this sex desire, completely unagitated, there is no possibility of stopping this repetition of material birth—birth, death, old age and disease. That is not possible. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises daityeṣu saṅgaṁ viṣayātmakeṣu: "Don't associate with..." Asat-saṅga, the same thing, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava ācāra. This is Vaiṣṇava's business. Don't take any opportunity of asat, those who are materially attached. It is very difficult association. Then it is possible upeta nārāyaṇam ādi-devaṁ sa mukta-saṅgair iṣito 'pavargaḥ. Therefore association is very, sajjati siddhāśaye (indistinct). Those who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, make your association with them.

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

Now Arjuna was advised by Kṛṣṇa that nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. Trai-guṇya-viṣayā-vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna: "My dear Arjuna, this world is moving on the platform of these material modes: goodness, passion and ignorance. And the whole Vedic literature, or scriptures, they are meant for transcendenting one from this platform to the spiritual platform." So Arjuna was advised, nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna: "Just get out of yourself, get out yourself from this entanglement of three guṇas and their work." So Prahlāda Mahārāja is similarly advising, "This is saṁsāra. This is material existence." And what is the basic principle of this material existence? Ajñāna, ignorance, because I have forgotten that I am part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. This is ajñāna. Ajñāna-mūlaḥ apārtho 'pi puṁsaḥ svapna ivārpyate. Although it is just like dream, say, ten years before or twenty years before, oh, I was in India. I was a family man. I was sitting with my wife and children and doing something else. Now that thing is now dream. So we are passing... Just like at night we dream something, so this is also another kind of dream, because this is concrete dream, and at night we see abstract dream. The quality is dream.

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

So we have got this opportunity, this human form of life with sense so that we can understand the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, or Bible or Koran. These are meant for civilized human society. So if we don't take care of these things and simply pass on in this dreaming... Just like animals. They have no sense, simply eating, mating, sleeping and defending. "Gow! Gow! Gow!" As soon as another dog comes, oh, he at once barks, "Gow! Gow! Gow!" So this is dog's qualification. So this defending is also like that. It is defending in its own way. We are defending in our own way. So we must be above this, transcendental, as advised by Kṛṣṇa. Nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna: "Just become transcendental to these qualitative activities." And what is that unqualitative, uncontaminated activity? Oh, that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā,

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

"Anyone who takes to this business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness..." Māṁ ca yo avyabhicāreṇi bhakti. Avyabhicāreṇi means without any material contamination, pure devotional service: "The Supreme Lord is my Lord. I am His eternal servant. My business is to serve Him, nothing more." This is called pure devotion.

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

Servant you are. Just change your servitorship. Instead of becoming servant of senses, just become the servant of the master of the senses. The master of senses is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is called Hṛṣīkeśa. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Devotional service means to serve the master of the senses with your purified senses. That's all. You haven't got to stop your sensual activities, but now you are serving the senses by the dictation of the senses. Now, while you will serve the master of the senses, then your perfection will come.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is advising, "My dear boyfriends," tad bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ, "you practice yoga just to become master of your senses." Not that officially I sit down, fifteen minutes' meditation, and next moment I am master of my senses. This is not yoga. Here it is called bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ. Just practice such kind of yoga by which you can kill the seed of your servant of this material world.

Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):

Similarly, if you apply your consciousness simply for Kṛṣṇa, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167), just favorably, you, I mean..., engage your senses for the purpose of Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa advises in the Bhagavad-gītā, yudhyasva mām anusmara: (BG 8.7) "You fight. At the same time, think of Me." That is the prescription. So Arjuna, he was a fighter. In the beginning, he was a fighter. At the end he remained a fighter. He did not change his position. After hearing Bhagavad-gītā, he did not change his position—he was a fighter, and he become a mendicant, or he become a swami. No. He did not become a swami. He remained as fighter, but the account was changed. Rubber stamp was changed. That's all. He was considering fighting from his own standard point of view. He was thinking, "Oh, how can I fight with my grandfather? How can I fight with my teacher? How can I..." So he was thinking on his personal account. But when Kṛṣṇa informed him, instructed him, Bhagavad-gītā, that "Your business is to fight for Me," and he changed his decision. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to change your position only. That's all. This is Bhāgavatam. This is, if you practice acting only for Kṛṣṇa, then that seed of your material existence will be wiped out completely. So that is bīja-nirharaṇam, wiping out the seed altogether.

Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):

Just like Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna. And if you follow the principles of Arjuna, as he heard, as he understood, then you also hear from Kṛṣṇa. What did he do, Kṛṣṇa, uh, Arjuna, after hearing Bhagavad-gītā? He said, "O my dear Kṛṣṇa," naṣṭo mohaḥ, "my illusion is over," tvat-prasādāt, "by Your kindness." That means, "You have so kindly instructed me. Now my illusion is over." Then what you are going to do? Your illusion is over? Ah, kariṣye tad vacanam: "Oh, I shall act as You are advising me." That means, "I shall fight. I shall fight." So evaṁ param... If Arjuna understood Kṛṣṇa in this way That is a fact. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā. Now, if you follow the principle or the footprints of Arjuna, that Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gītā in this way Now, if you follow the principles of Arjuna, then you understand Bhagavad-gītā. It is not very difficult. That is stated, how, what, what Arjuna understood. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the Tenth Chapter: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). He accepted that "You are Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nobody knows about Your personality." These things are described there.

Lecture on SB 7.7.40-44 -- San Francisco, March 20, 1967:

So this material nature is very powerful. You cannot protect from the onslaught of material nature. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advising us that you try to achieve the permanent. The permanent is the soul. God is permanent. And there is a world, a sky, which is also permanent. So why not transfer yourself to that permanent sky, permanent association, permanent life, permanent supreme knowledge? What we are seeking here in imperfectness? But people have no information. Some of them, they do not believe in it. Some of them are callous. This is our unfortunate condition. But it is neither false nor it is fiction. It is actual fact, truth, real truth, Absolute Truth. Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi. Śrīmad-Bhāgavata presents the objective as the Supreme Truth, paraṁ satyam. Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi: "I offer my obeisances to the Absolute Truth, paraṁ satyam." And what is that paraṁ satyam? Nirasta-kuhakam. Nirasta-kuhakam means "which is devoid of all illusion." Here everything is full of illusion. I am thinking, planning something, and at any moment, oh, it is all vanished, all finished.

Lecture on SB 7.9.1 -- Mayapur, February 10, 1977:

So, in the material world, kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, and mātsarya, these things are condemned. And for a sādhana, (?) means a neophyte devotee, he is advised to give up these low grade habits—kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, mātsarya. But people may question, "Wherefrom these lowgrade qualities came? Kāma is low grade, admitted, but wherefrom it came?" In the Vedānta-sūtra we get the reply, janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "Everything that we experience, it comes from God." So... (aside:) You stand that side. You are standing. They can stand.

So without the original source, even these low grade things, wherefrom it comes? It comes from God. Just like adharma, irreligiosity, is described as the back side of God and religiosity is described as the front side of God. So there is no difference between front side and back side—Absolute. God is absolute any way. Even apart from God's body, even in our body, we do not make any distinction. Suppose if there is some trouble, if there is some boil here in the front side and if there is some boil in the back side, does it mean I shall not take care of the back side boil? I shall take care of it, I shall have treatment for it. I cannot neglect the back side boil because it has come out from the back side. There is no such reason.

Lecture on SB 7.9.1 -- Mayapur, February 10, 1977:

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Śukadeva Gosvāmī has warned that one should not even dream like that, that "Kṛṣṇa's dealing with gopīs is just like our dealing with woman." No. It ms completely different. Therefore we have to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vyāsadeva has devoted nine cantos to understand Kṛṣṇa, and then, in the Tenth Canto, he has put the gopīs' dealings with Kṛṣṇa. That is also beginning from twenty-ninth chapter.

So we should always know this, that lust is coming from Kṛṣṇa, but His lust, this lusty desire, and our lusty desire in the material world, they are not the same. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises, kāmaḥ kṛṣṇa-kārmārpaṇe. We have got lusty desires, but it should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. Just like we are very much anxious to fulfill our lusty desires. So if we turn our lusty desire for serving Kṛṣṇa, we should be equally enthu... (end)

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 18, 1977:

Therefore we advise everyone to become a pure devotee. Pure devotee... This is the example, mahā-bhāgavata. This five-years-old boy, he had no business except to satisfy, to become a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So this very qualification, pure devotee, makes one mahā-bhāgavata. But there are stages. The mahā-bhāgavata from the very birth, that is called nitya-siddha. They are eternally siddha, perfect. They come for some purpose. So Prahlāda Mahārāja came for this purpose, that the demons, even he's his father, he would give him so many troubles because one is Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is the instruction. Prahlāda Mahārāja wanted to show this by the order of Kṛṣṇa. Hiraṇyakaśipu also came—how to become enemy of Kṛṣṇa—and Prahlāda Mahārāja came, show, to show how to become a devotee of... This is going on. So mahā-bhāgavata... Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī, and mahā-bhāgavata or uttama-adhikārī. Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī is in the beginning they have to be taught how to worship the Deity very perfectly. According to the instruction of the śāstra, according instruction of the guru, one must learn how to worship Deity.

Lecture on SB 7.9.5 -- Mayapur, February 12, 1976:

So, sva-pāda-mule patitaṁ, Lord Brahmā, as soon as asked Prahlāda Mahārāja to pacify the Lord, he immediately fell down at His lotus feet, sva-pāda-mule patitaṁ tam arbhakaṁ. Just like we are sometime extraordinarily happy, pleased when a small child offers his obedience. So naturally, when Prahlāda Mahārāja, a small boy five years old, and he fell down at the lotus feet of the Lord, He became very much pleased. So, not only for Prahlāda Mahārāja, anyone in this material world who offers his obeisances before the Deity, don't think it is useless. It is taken into account. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises, if you cannot do anything, you do four things, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). At least come before Me, just like we do. We come in the temple, and offer our obeisances. It is so easy to go back to home back to Godhead. It is not very difficult task at all. If you cannot do anything, if you cannot read books, if you cannot understand philosophy, if your behavior is not on the standard, still if you simply offer your obeisances before the Deity you make progress. You make progress. Undoubtedly.

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 6, 1968:

That is very good, to be in the platform of goodness, but you have to make further progress. Goodness is not perfection, because this world is so that even in the platform of goodness there is passion and ignorance. It is not unmixed. Sattva, sattva-guṇa. Sattva-guṇa is the goodness. So one has to transcend the platform of goodness. That is called śuddha-sattva. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, traiguṇya-viṣaya-veda nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna: "My dear Arjuna, so far the Vedic injunctions are concerned, they are material, traiguṇya." Somebody is in goodness, somebody is in passion, somebody is in ignorance. Therefore the division is brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. "But," He advised him, nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna, "just transcend to the three qualities of this material nature." That transcendental position is this bhakti. So unless one comes to the platform of bhakti, simply by dharma artha kāma mokṣa will not give him the highest perfection. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, therefore, begins with this understanding: dharma projjhita-kaitavo 'tra. Kaitava means cheating. Cheating. So in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the so-called religiosity, which is more or less cheating, is projjhita, prakṛṣṭa-rūpena ujjhita, is completely swept over.

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1977:

Therefore we have to develop our bhakti, love for Kṛṣṇa. Premā pumartho mahān, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised. People are after dharma artha-kama mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90), but Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "No, even if you become liberated, mokṣa, that is not the qualification to get favor of Kṛṣṇa." Prema pumartho mahan. Pancama-puruṣartha. People are trying to be very religious. That is good. Then economic. Dharma artha. Artha means economically very rich, opulent. Then kama, very expert in sense enjoyment. And then mukti. This is general demand. But Bhāgavata says, "No, these things are not qualification." Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). Śrīdhara Swāmī has said that mukti is also another cheating. Why mukti? Kṛṣṇa does not demand that "Unless you are mukta, liberated, you cannot serve." No. You can serve in any condition. Ahaituky apratihatā. Not that because first of all we have to become liberated... Because as soon as you begin bhakti, you are already liberated. The platform is so great that a bhakta, without any other ultra-motive, he's already liberated. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:

You wash, there is no question of moisture in the hair. And those who have got big hairs, they cannot take daily bath. But if you keep your bald-headed, there is no trouble. Śaucam. So bathing is required, taking bath daily, śaucam. And kṣānti. Kṣānti means toleration. Because this world is full of miseries, and you have to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this condition... Kṛṣṇa advised in the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna, that... Because the topic was on the body, so Arjuna said, "Accepting that the soul is immortal and it never dies, still, if some relative dies, we feel pain. Is it not a fact?" Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, it is a fact." Even if I know that my son is dead, my son is not dead. The soul of my son is departed from this body to another body. So there is no cause of anxiety. He has got another body, but still, I feel, "Oh, my son...," for the body, because I am accustomed to love my son by the body. So this concession should be allowed. If somebody is crying, that does not mean he is a fool, but it is material affection. So Kṛṣṇa advises that this kṣānti, titikṣa, toleration. How toleration? Śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Just like we tolerate there is severe cold. There is no use fighting and howling, "Oh, there is so much cold, so much cold, so much." You have to tolerate. You cannot fight.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:

He advised, "Yes, I understand there are pains and pleasures like that, but they have to be tolerated. You cannot be disturbed. You have to execute your business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If there is any trouble, you must know no trouble or no happiness exists because this is material. It has come. It will go. So for the time being, don't be mad after happiness and don't be mad after miseries." Āgamāpāyina: "They come and go." Just like nowadays it is very hot. This season will change, and again we will be disturbed by cold. So disturbance will continue, either heat or cold due to this material body, mātrā-sparśā, due to this skin attachment. So we have to tolerate.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13-14 -- Montreal, August 22, 1968:

He's always defending, but you should not be idle. It does not mean "Because God is defending, therefore we shall stop our work." No. Yudhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna that "You have to fight, but at the same time think of Me, Kṛṣṇa conscious." You have to fight. Just other people are fighting with all circumstances, we have to fight also, but we must have faith that Kṛṣṇa will save. Not that "We depend on Kṛṣṇa. Because we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, Kṛṣṇa will do the act. Let me sleep." No. Karmāṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana. You have to act according to the rules, and so far the result is concerned, leave it to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 7.9.14 -- Mayapur, February 21, 1976:

Therefore the śāstra advises, "You simply make one attempt, how to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise you are not..." Only one thing. That chance you cannot get in other form of life, that a cat, dog, you do not get this. And what is that? Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). By the laws of nature you are getting different types of body in different planets, in different situation and so on, so on, eight million, four hun... You are loitering in this way, but you could not get Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now here is the chance, human form of life, and the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there. Take it seriously. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayeteta kovidaḥ. If you are actually intelligent—kovido means very intelligent—then you take. You must. Kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura: "Anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's first-class intelligent person." All other: fools, rascals. You can call them.

Lecture on SB 7.9.17 -- Mayapur, February 24, 1976:

So there is fight. But if we understand that "Either you or me, we are not enjoyer; we are servant. The enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa," then there will be something. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). We are trying to become friend of another friend. "My dear friend, I shall help you in this way. You are in trouble." So he can help, but there will be misunderstanding. Again the friend will be enemy. So there cannot be any peace. But if we all agree that Kṛṣṇa is the friend, real friend... Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Kṛṣṇa, if He's not our friend, why He's coming down on this platform where we are living in rotten condition? He's great friend, Dīna-bandhu. His name in Dīna-bandhu. Who is very, very poor in heart, He becomes very great friend, dīna-bandhu, and advises him. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. He's always friendly. Kṛṣṇa is never enemy. But still, we create enmity. We become demon with Kṛṣṇa. That is the trouble.

Lecture on SB 7.9.30 -- Mayapur, March 8, 1976:

In the vyakāraṇa, in the grammar, all examples, all sandhis, samasa, everything with Hari. Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyakāraṇa. Dhātu. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was explaining dhātu... Dhātu has got different meaning. Dhātu means the life force, the vital force. So He was explaining that this dhātu means Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa is not there, then life is finished. So the disciples who were students, they thought that "This person has gone mad." You see? So they criticized. So immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu closed the paṭha-śala. So that is Kṛṣṇa varṇayati. In everything He was explaining Kṛṣṇa. And when He was preaching, He talked with the Muhammadans, Afghans, and He proved from Koran there is Kṛṣṇa devotion, from Koran. That is Kṛṣṇa-varṇayati. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam. Anywhere He will explain Kṛṣṇa. Then nothing. And therefore He has advised everyone that yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa. So one has to learn this art, how to explain Kṛṣṇa in every step of life. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Lecture on SB 7.9.35 -- Mayapur, March 13, 1976:

So we should always remember that without... Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Ṛṣabhadeva advised His sons, "My dear sons, this human form of life, don't live like cats and dogs. Don't spoil your life." Then what to do? Now, tapaḥ: "Undergo..." Just like Brahmā was advised. Brahmā is the son of Viṣṇu, so when he was perplexed, the same advice was given, tapaḥ. So he underwent. He underwent tapasā, tīvra-tapasā. Tīvra means very severe. So we are advised, tīvra, tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena. It is said in the śāstra,

akāmaḥ sarva kāmo vā
mokṣa kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta paramaṁ puruṣaḥ
(SB 2.3.10)

This is injunction. We are mixed up. Somebody has got all desire to fulfill within this material world, sarva-kāma. They never become desireless—increasing, increasing, increasing, one after another. And that is... They are called sarva-kāmaḥ. And akāma means no more desire. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). So we have to purify ourself.

Lecture on SB 7.9.39 -- Mayapur, March 17, 1976:

Real yoga means to control the mind and the senses. That is yoga. Because without controlling the mind and the senses, there is no question of spiritual advancement. That is not possible. Without controlling the mind, there is no question of spiritual advancement. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advised to Arjuna that "You practice yoga," in the Sixth Chapter, "so that you'll be able to control the mind." But Arjuna said that "Control the mind is very difficult for me, Kṛṣṇa. I cannot practice this yoga system." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham: (BG 6.34) "Mind is very restless, and it is very difficult to control." Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram: "I think to control the mind is still more difficult than to control the wind." Nobody can control the wind. So Kṛṣṇa... Arjuna said, "Even though I am able to control the wind, I cannot control my mind. It is so strong." So Kṛṣṇa recommended... Kṛṣṇa not discouraged Arjuna. Arjuna is a family man, and he went to the war field to gain his victory. So everyone is engaged in some such engagement, occupational duty, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, in this world. And so mind is very difficult to control.

Lecture on SB 7.9.42 -- Mayapur, March 22, 1976:

So here, ko nu atra te akhila-guro bhagavan prayāsa. So everyone requires some extra endeavor to favor us, but Kṛṣṇa does not require. That is Kṛṣṇa. He can do anything He likes. He does not depend on others. Others depend on Kṛṣṇa's sanction, but Kṛṣṇa does not require anyone's sanction. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said bhagavan prayāsa. Prayāsa, is advised not to take, especially for the devotees. One should not take up some business which requires very hard endeavor. No. We should take up only simple things which is possible. Of course, a devotee takes the risk. Just like Hanumān. He was servant of Lord Rāmacandra. So Lord Rāmacandra wanted information of Sītādevi. So he did not consider, "How I shall go to the other side of the sea, Laṅka?" He simply, believing in Lord Rāmacandra, "Jaya Rāma," jumped over it. Rāmacandra had to construct a bridge. Of course, that bridge is also wonderful because these monkeys were bringing stone and they are throwing on the sea, but the stone was floating.

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

So Prahlāda Mahārāja advised that "The best thing which I have learned is that you should give up this material world." Tyaktva... Gṛham andha-kūpaṁ ātma-pātaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). "My dear father, I have learned this best thing," that tyaktva... Gṛham andha-kūpam. "This world, material world, which is just like a dark well..., if a man is thrown into this dark well as he is in this precarious condition of life, similarly, anyone who is in the material world, he is put in the dark well. Therefore, somehow or other, we have to get out of this and," vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5), "we shall accept the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari." The father became very much angry. Mūrkhāya upadeśa hi prakopāya na śāntaye, if you give good instruction to a mūrkha, to a foolish person, he will be angry. He will not rectify himself, but he will be angry (indistinct).

Lecture on SB 7.9.47 -- Vrndavana, April 2, 1976:

We (conduct) our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, engaging each and every one of you in some active service. We don't advise that "You have become so advanced... Now you are initiated. You can sit down in one place and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is not possible. So therefore, although it is recommended in a secluded place, but that is not possible in this age. We should be always engaged in active service. Then, some way or other, our mind will be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. That is required, activities. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa... Just like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. He was statesman, emperor; still, he was fixing up his mind in Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. That practice we should... Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena (BG 8.8). If we do something... Suppose you are going to distribute books. But what is the idea? "It is Kṛṣṇa's books; it must be distributed."

Lecture on SB 7.9.53 -- Vrndavana, April 8, 1976:

There are two common questions. Everyone, so many people, come to us. Their first question is that "I am not getting peace in my mind. How can I get peace?" Yes, how can you get peace? You have no connection with the Supreme Person. Kuto śānty ayuktasya. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is... How you can get peace? It is impossible. Many examples we have given many times. A child is crying. Everyone is trying to pacify the child, still crying. But as soon as the mother takes the child on the breast, immediately pacified. This is the... You are searching after peace life after life, moment after mo..., hour after... You cannot have peace unless you come to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not possible. Therefore it is advised, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido (SB 1.5.18). For that purpose, how you can see God or you can please God, tasyaiva, hetoḥ, for that purpose only, prayateta, one should endeavor. No other endeavor. Human life is meant for... That is Vedānta-sūtra. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Where is Brahman? Where is the Absolute Truth? Where is God? Govinda-viraheṇa me.

Lecture on SB 7.9.54 -- Vrndavana, April 9, 1976:

So this dhīra, who can...? Mahā-bhāga. Mahā-bhāga, very, very great fortunate person. How he becomes dhīra? Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān—this mahā-bhāga-kono bhāgyavān jīva, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). By the blessings of guru... If by his great fortune he comes to a real guru, then he gets the opportunity. That is the test. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān. This opportunity is not for everyone. Kono means somebody. So guru-kṛṣṇa. If actually one is trying to be dhīra, Kṛṣṇa is there within every... Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). And He advises, guru-kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says, "Now..." Just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja, out of his sentiment, went to the forest and to see God. His mother said that "Your, this mental condition cannot be relieved because you want to challenge your father to have the kingdom. So I am poor. I am, although your mother, I cannot request your father. So if it is possible, Kṛṣṇa can do it." She was Kṛṣṇa conscious; therefore the child became so nice, Dhruva Mahārāja.

Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:

First decreasing-religiosity. People will become irreligious, and they will forget what is telling truth. They will be accustomed to speak lie. And śaucam, no cleanliness. And kṣamā. Kṣamā means forgiveness. Suppose I have done some wrong... (break) ...but there is no forgiveness. Kṣamā-rūpaṁ tapasvinaḥ, people is advised, especially those who are following penance and austerity, yogic principle or devotional life, they should learn to excuse. In our dealings, there are so many faulty dealings between ourselves. So if we take everything very seriously, then it is very difficult to live. So kṣamā. But that kṣamā—kṣamā means forgiveness—will reduce. Nobody will forgive. Retaliation, vengeance, that will increase. So four items: religiosity, truthfulness, cleanliness, and forgiveness. Four. Then dayā. Dayā means mercy. What is dayā? Who is, I mean to say, less strong. Just like animals, birds, beast, you should be very merciful. Just like children: you should be very merciful to children. According to Vedic injunctions, children, woman, brāhmaṇas, old men, and cows. How many? Children, women, brāhmaṇa, cow, and what else?

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

So formerly the kings were trained up in such a way that one man is sufficient to govern the whole universe, whole..., at least one planet. That was the system. The king was so pious. There are many statement, I mean to say, statements about these king. Why they were pious? Because they were also governed. The kings were governed by first-class brāhmaṇas, sages. The brāhmaṇas should not take part in the management of the government, but they would advise the kṣatriya kings that "You rule over the citizens like this." If the king would not do that, the brāhmaṇas had so much power—there are many instances—they will dethrone the king or kill him. But they will not occupy the power themselves. His son will be given the chance. This was the system.

Page Title:Advise (Lectures, SB cantos 6 - 12)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:29 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=124, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:124