You follow the temple procedure. You can remain anywhere. It doesn't matter. What is temple? They are following some rules and regulation. (break) If you are eating something and if you get a better thing, you'll give it up. So when one takes to bhakti means he understands the inferior quality of karma. So you take the superior quality activities and you forget inferior quality. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). This is the Vedic version. When one finds out superior engagement, he gives up inferior engagement.
BG 02.59 visaya vinivartante... cited
Expressions researched:
"The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains"
|"ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness"
|"niraharasya dehinah"
|"param drstva nivartate"
|"rasa-varjam raso 'py asya"
|"visaya vinivartante"
Notes from the compiler:
VedaBase query: "2.59" or "The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains" or "ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness" or "niraharasya dehinah" or "param drstva nivartate" or "rasa-varjam raso py asya" or "visaya vinivartante"
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Chapters 1 - 6
BG 2.59, Translation and Purport:
The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
Unless one is transcendentally situated, it is not possible to cease from sense enjoyment. The process of restriction from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting a diseased person from certain types of eatables. The patient, however, neither likes such restrictions nor loses his taste for eatables. Similarly, sense restriction by some spiritual process like aṣṭāṅga-yoga, in the matter of yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, etc., is recommended for less intelligent persons who have no better knowledge. But one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, in the course of his advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no longer has a taste for dead, material things. Therefore, restrictions are there for the less intelligent neophytes in the spiritual advancement of life, but such restrictions are only good until one actually has a taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is actually Kṛṣṇa conscious, he automatically loses his taste for pale things.
BG 3.42, Purport:
Bodily action means the functions of the senses, and stopping the senses means stopping all bodily actions. But since the mind is active, then even though the body may be silent and at rest, the mind will act—as it does during dreaming. But above the mind is the determination of the intelligence, and above the intelligence is the soul proper. If, therefore, the soul is directly engaged with the Supreme, naturally all other subordinates, namely, the intelligence, mind and senses, will be automatically engaged. In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad there is a similar passage, in which it is said that the objects of sense gratification are superior to the senses, and mind is superior to the sense objects. If, therefore, the mind is directly engaged in the service of the Lord constantly, then there is no chance that the senses will become engaged in other ways. This mental attitude has already been explained. paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. If the mind is engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is no chance of its being engaged in the lower propensities. In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad the soul has been described as mahān, the great. Therefore the soul is above all-namely, the sense objects, the senses, the mind and the intelligence. Therefore, directly understanding the constitutional position of the soul is the solution of the whole problem.
BG 6.13-14, Purport:
In the bhakti school, a householder brahmacārī is allowed controlled sex life because the cult of bhakti-yoga is so powerful that one automatically loses sexual attraction, being engaged in the superior service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.59) it is said:
- viṣayā vinivartante
- nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
- rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya
- paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate
Whereas others are forced to restrain themselves from sense gratification, a devotee of the Lord automatically refrains because of superior taste. Other than the devotee, no one has any information of that superior taste.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
SB 1.18.3, Purport:
Knowing the transcendental position of the Lord and the transcendental method by which one can approach that transcendental dhāma, the King was confident about his ultimate destination, and by knowing this he could leave aside everything material, even his own body, without any difficulty of attachment. In the Bhagavad-gītā, it is stated, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: (BG 2.59) one can give up all connection with material attachment when one is able to see the param, or the superior quality of things.
SB Canto 2
SB 2.2.21, Purport:
The highest plane of sensual enjoyment for the longest period of life is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.20). All are but material enjoyments, and one should be thoroughly convinced that he has no need of such a long duration of life, even in the Brahmaloka planet. He must return home, back to Godhead, and must not be attracted by any amount of material facilities. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.59) it is said that this sort of material detachment is possible to attain when one is acquainted with the supreme association of life. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. One cannot be freed from material attraction unless he has complete understanding of the nature of spiritual life.
SB Canto 3
SB 3.7.13, Purport:
The senses are transcendental in nature, but their activities become polluted when contaminated by matter. We have to treat the senses to cure them of the material disease, not stop them from acting, as suggested by the impersonalist. In Bhagavad-gītā (2.59) it is said that one ceases all material activities only when satisfied by contact with a better engagement. Consciousness is active by nature and cannot be stopped from working. Artificially stopping a mischievous child is not the real remedy. The child must be given some better engagement so that he will automatically stop causing mischief. In the same way, the mischievous activities of the senses can be stopped only by better engagement in relation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the eyes are engaged in seeing the beautiful form of the Lord, the tongue engaged in tasting prasāda, or remnants of foodstuff offered to the Lord, the ears are engaged in hearing His glories, the hands engaged in cleaning the temple of the Lord, the legs engaged in visiting His temples—or when all the senses are engaged in transcendental variegatedness—then only can the transcendental senses become satiated and eternally free from material engagement.
SB 3.7.19, Purport:
The association of a bona fide spiritual master like the sage Maitreya can be of absolute help in achieving transcendental attachment for the direct service of the Lord. The Lord is the enemy of the Madhu demon, or in other words He is the enemy of the suffering of His pure devotee. The word rati-rāsaḥ is significant in this verse. Service to the Lord is rendered in different transcendental mellows (relationships): neutral, active, friendly, parental and nuptial. A living entity in the liberated position of transcendental service to the Lord becomes attracted to one of the above-mentioned mellows, and when one is engaged in transcendental loving service to the Lord, one's service attachment in the material world is automatically vanquished. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.59), rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate.
SB 3.8.24, Purport:
The panoramic beauty of nature, which strikes one with wonder, may be taken as a perverted reflection of the transcendental body of the Lord. One who is therefore attracted by the beauty of the Lord is no longer attracted by the beauty of material nature, although he does not minimize its beauty. In Bhagavad-gītā (2.59) it is described that one who is attracted by param, the Supreme, is no longer attracted by anything inferior.
SB 3.9.1, Purport:
One can know the supreme cause, the Personality of Godhead, by the causeless mercy of the Lord, which is bestowed upon the Lord's pure devotees like Brahmā and those in his disciplic succession. By acts of penance only was Lord Brahmā able to see the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and by realization only could he understand the Lord as He is. Brahmā was extremely satisfied upon observing the magnificent beauty and opulence of the Lord, and he admitted that nothing can be comparable to Him. Only by penance can one appreciate the beauty and opulence of the Lord, and when one is acquainted with that beauty and opulence, he is no longer attracted by any other. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (2.59): paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate.
SB 3.14.32, Purport:
Kaśyapa Muni appears to be an impersonalist. Comparing his character with that of Ṭhākura Haridāsa as referred to above, it is clear that the personalist is stronger in sense control than the impersonalist. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā as paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate; (BG 2.59) i.e., one ceases to accept lower grade things when one is situated in a superior condition. One is supposed to be purified after taking bath and chanting Gāyatrī, but the mahā-mantra is so powerful that one can chant loudly or softly, in any condition, and he is protected from all the evils of material existence.
SB 3.31.38, Purport:
Instead of being attracted by material beauty, if one is accustomed to be attracted by the beauty of Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa, then the statement of Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), holds true. When one is attracted by the transcendental beauty of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, he is no longer attracted by material feminine beauty. That is the special significance of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa worship. That is testified to by Yāmunācārya. He says, "Since I have become attracted by the beauty of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, when there is attraction for a woman or a memory of sex life with a woman, I at once spit on it, and my face turns in disgust." When we are attracted by Madana-mohana and the beauty of Kṛṣṇa and His consorts, then the shackles of conditioned life, namely the beauty of a material woman, cannot attract us.
SB 3.32.27, Purport:
The purpose of all yoga is to detach one's sense activities from this material world. The final aims, however, are different. Jñānīs want to become one with the Brahman effulgence, yogīs want to realize Paramātmā, and devotees want to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness and transcendental loving service to the Lord. That loving service is the perfect stage of sense control. The senses are actually active symptoms of life, and they cannot be stopped. They can be detached only if there is superior engagement. As it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: (BG 2.59) the activities of the senses can be stopped if they are given superior engagements. The supreme engagement is engagement of the senses in the service of the Lord. That is the purpose of all yoga.
SB 3.33.20, Purport:
Devahūti was not at all sorry at giving up her material comforts, but she was very much aggrieved at the separation of her son. It may be questioned here that if Devahūti was not at all sorry to give up the material comforts of life, then why was she sorry about losing her son? Why was she so attached to her son? The answer is explained in the next verse. He was not an ordinary son. Her son was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can give up material attachment, therefore, only when one has attachment for the Supreme Person. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Only when one actually has some taste for spiritual existence can he be reluctant to follow the materialistic way of life.
SB Canto 4
SB 4.6.30, Purport:
Whenever there is a nice atmosphere in the material world, immediately there is an awakening of the sexual appetite in the minds of materialistic persons. This tendency is present everywhere within this material world, not only on this earth but in higher planetary systems as well. In complete contrast with the influence of this atmosphere on the minds of the living entities within the material world is the description of the spiritual world. The women there are hundreds and thousands of times more beautiful than the women here in this material world, and the spiritual atmosphere is also many times better. Yet despite the pleasant atmosphere, the minds of the denizens do not become agitated because in the spiritual world, the Vaikuṇṭha planets, the spiritualistic minds of the inhabitants are so much absorbed in the spiritual vibration of chanting the glories of the Lord that such enjoyment could not be surpassed by any other enjoyment, even sex, which is the culmination of all pleasure in the material world. In other words, in the Vaikuṇṭha world, in spite of its better atmosphere and facilities, there is no impetus for sex life. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.59), paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: the inhabitants are so spiritually enlightened that in the presence of such spirituality, sex life is insignificant.
SB 4.12.15, Purport:
In the deep forest it sometimes appears that there are big palaces and nice cities. That is technically called gandharva-nagara. Similarly, in dreams also we create many false things out of imagination. A self-realized person, or a devotee, knows well that this material cosmic manifestation is a temporary, illusory representation appearing to be truth. It is like a phantasmagoria. But behind this shadow creation there is reality—the spiritual world. A devotee is interested in the spiritual world, not its shadow. Since he has realization of the supreme truth, a devotee is not interested in this temporary shadow of truth. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59)).
SB 4.13.8-9, Purport:
The more one makes advancement in devotional service, the more one becomes detached from material opulence and material activity. This is the spiritual nature, full of bliss. This is also described in Bhagavad-gītā (2.59). Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: one ceases to take part in material enjoyment upon tasting superior, blissful life in spiritual existence. By advancement in spiritual knowledge, which is considered to be like blazing fire, all material desires are burned to ashes. The perfection of mystic yoga is possible when one is continuously in connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead by discharging devotional service. A devotee is always thinking of the Supreme Person at every step of his life. Every conditioned soul is full of the reactions of his past life, but all dirty things are immediately burned to ashes if one simply executes devotional service. This is described in the Nārada Pañcarātra: sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170).
SB 4.22.21, Purport:
Everyone in human society is engaged for the ultimate benefit of life, but persons who are in the bodily conception cannot achieve the ultimate goal, nor can they understand what it is. The ultimate goal of life is described in Bhagavad-gītā (2.59). paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. When one finds out the supreme goal of life, he naturally becomes detached from the bodily concept. Here in this verse the indication is that one has to steadfastly increase attachment for the Transcendence (brahmaṇi). As confirmed in the Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā: without inquiry about the Supreme, or the Transcendence, one cannot give up attachment for this material world. By the evolutionary process in 8,400,000 species of life, one cannot understand the ultimate goal of life because in all those species of life, the bodily conception is very prominent. Athāto brahma jijñāsā means that in order to get out of the bodily conception, one has to increase attachment to or inquiry about Brahman. Then he can be situated in the transcendental devotional service—śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23).
SB 4.22.39, Purport:
As long as one is unable to stop the desire for material enjoyment, there is no possibility of becoming liberated from the entanglement of material existence. It may be argued that the waves of a river are incessantly flowing and that they cannot be stopped, but the waves of the river flow toward the sea. When the tide comes over the river, it overwhelms the flowing of the river, and the river itself becomes overflooded, and the waves from the sea become more prominent than the waves from the river. Similarly, a devotee with intelligence plans so many things for the service of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that stagnant material desires become overflooded by the desire to serve the Lord. As confirmed by Yāmunācārya, since he has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is always a current of newer and newer desires flowing to serve the Lord, so much so that the stagnant desire of sex life becomes very insignificant. Yāmunācārya even says that he spits on such desires. Bhagavad-gītā (2.59) also confirms: paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. The conclusion is that by developing a loving desire for the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, we subdue all material desires for sense gratification.
SB 4.26.14, Purport:
When one is engaged in activities other than viṣṇu-bhakti, or in other words when one is engaged in material activities, he is always filled with anxieties. A sane man should consult his mind, its thinking, feeling and willing processes, and decide how these processes should be utilized. If one always thinks of Kṛṣṇa, feels how to serve Him and wills to execute the order of Kṛṣṇa, it should be known that he has taken good instruction from his intelligence, which is called the mother. Although the King was refreshed, he nonetheless inquired about his wife. Thus he was consulting, thinking and willing how he could return to his steady good consciousness. The mind may suggest that by viṣaya-bhoga, or sense enjoyment, one can become happy, but when one becomes advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not derive happiness from material activities. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā (2.59):
- viṣayā vinivartante
- nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
- rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya
- paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate
"The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness." One cannot be unattached to the sense objects unless he finds better engagement in devotional service. paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. One can cease from material activities only when one actually engages in devotional service.
SB Canto 5
SB 5.1.3, Purport:
Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung, nitāi pada-kamala, koṭī-candra suśītala, ye chāyāya jagat juḍāya. He describes the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda as being so nice and cooling that all materialists, who are always in the blazing fire of material activities, may come under the shade of His lotus feet and be fully relieved and satiated. The distinction between family life and spiritual life can be experienced by any person who has undergone the tribulations of living with a family. One who comes under the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord never becomes attracted by the activities of family life. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.59), paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: one gives up lower engagements when he experiences a higher taste. Thus one becomes detached from family life as soon as he comes under the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
SB 5.1.41, Purport:
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has said that the position of a devotee is so superexcellent that a devotee does not consider any material opulence worth having. There are different types of opulences on earth, in the heavenly planets and even in the lower planetary system, known as Pātāla. A devotee, however, knows that they are all material, and consequently he is not at all interested in them. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Sometimes yogīs and jñānīs voluntarily give up all material opulences to practice their system of liberation and taste spiritual bliss. However, they frequently fall down because artificial renunciation of material opulences cannot endure. One must have a superior taste in spiritual life; then he can give up material opulence. Mahārāja Priyavrata had already tasted spiritual bliss, and therefore he had no interest in any of the material achievements available in the lower, higher or middle planetary systems.
SB 5.3.3, Purport:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is also a living being, but He is the supreme living being. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.7), Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself says. mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: "O conqueror of wealth (Arjuna), there is no truth superior to Me." No one is more attractive or more authoritative than Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is one of the differences between God and an ordinary living being. According to this description of the transcendental body of Lord Viṣṇu, the Lord can easily be distinguished from all other living beings. Consequently Mahārāja Nābhi and his priests and associates all offered the Lord obeisances and began to worship Him with various things. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (6.22), yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. That is, "Upon gaining this, one thinks that there is no greater gain." When one realizes God and sees the Lord face to face, one certainly thinks that he has gained the best of all things. Raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: (BG 2.59) when one experiences a higher taste, his consciousness is fixed. After seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one ceases to be attracted by anything material. One then remains steady in his worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB Canto 9
SB 9.4.25, Purport:
When a devotee has achieved the position of rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord through the mercy of Lord Caitanya, he thinks the impersonal Brahman to be no better than hell, and he regards material happiness in the heavenly planets to be like a will-o'-the-wisp. As far as the perfection of mystic powers is concerned, a devotee compares it to a venomous snake with no teeth. A mystic yogī is especially concerned with controlling the senses, but because the senses of a devotee are engaged in the service of the Lord (hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170)) there is no need for separate control of the senses. For those who are materially engaged, control of the senses is required, but a devotee's senses are all engaged in the service of the Lord, which means that they are already controlled. paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). A devotee's senses are not attracted by material enjoyment. And even though the material world is full of misery, the devotee considers this material world to be also spiritual because everything is engaged in the service of the Lord. The difference between the spiritual world and material world is the mentality of service. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. When there is no mentality of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one's activities are material.
SB 9.4.25, Purport:
That which is not engaged in the service of the Lord is material, and nothing thus engaged should be given up. In the construction of a high skyscraper and the construction of a temple, there may be the same enthusiasm, but the endeavors are different, for one is material and the other spiritual. Spiritual activities should not be confused with material activities and given up. Nothing connected with Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is material. A devotee who considers all this is always situated in spiritual activities, and therefore he is no longer attracted by material activities (paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59)).
SB 9.9.45, Purport:
A devotee is always transcendentally situated. paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: (BG 2.59) one who has seen the Supreme Personality of Godhead is no longer interested in material sense enjoyment. Even such an exalted devotee as Dhruva Mahārāja went to the forest for the sake of material benefit, but when he actually saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he refused to accept any material benediction. He said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "My dear Lord, I am fully satisfied with whatever You have given me or not given me. I have nothing to ask from You, for I am fully satisfied to be engaged in Your service." This is the mentality of a pure devotee, who does not want anything, material or spiritual, from the Personality of Godhead.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:
Real renunciation means you have to give up the andha-kūpa life and take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, harim āśrayeta. If you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then you can give up this, all this "ism" life. Otherwise, it is not possible; you'll be entrapped by this "ism" life. So hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). Not to give up... If you give up something, you must take up something. Otherwise, it will be disturbed. Take up. That is recommendation: paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You can give up your family life, social life, political life, this life, that life when you take Kṛṣṇa conscious life. Otherwise, it is not possible. Otherwise, you must have to take some of this life. There is no question of your freedom. There is no question of freedom from anxieties. This is the way.
Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 59: "The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment though the taste for sense objects remains, but ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness (BG 2.59)." 60: "The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of the man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them (BG 2.60)." 61: "One who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Me is known as a man of steady intelligence (BG 2.61)."
Prabhupāda: This is the conclusion of all symptoms. There are others also?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One more.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Read it.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 62: "While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises (BG 2.62)." Oh, a new (indistinct). There's a purport.
Prabhupāda: Stop there. So if there is any question you can discuss.
Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:
It is foolishness to say that "I will stop my activities." No. That cannot be. Your activities will go on. If you don't act spiritually, then you have to act materially. And if you are fully engaged in spiritual activity, then there is no chance of material activity. Because after all, you are actor, one, if you are engaged in something. Just like in our ordinary life, if we do something at a particular moment, we cannot do other things; similarly, we have to engage ourselves fully in the spiritual life. Then our material activities will be stopped altogether, and then there will be no reaction. In spite of our acting... Just like the soldier. In spite of his killing hundreds and thousands of people, he is not to be hanged; he is to be rewarded. This is the technique.
So Lord says,
- viṣayā vinivartante
- nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
- rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya
- paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate
- (BG 2.59)
Now negation. Negation. "All right. I shall not do this, which will produce reaction." That, I mean to say, forceful negation will not stand. "I shall not do this." Or, for example, take the small incident of our life, eating. Now, because eating has reaction, because whatever I am eating I have to repay for that... Either you eat vegetable or flesh, that doesn't matter. "Then let me... I shall not eat." Oh, that cannot be. How you cannot eat? You cannot do it. If you have to live, then you have to eat. So here the Lord says, viṣayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ. Just like a person is diseased. He is advised by the doctor that "You shall not take such and such things." So he is starving or he is fasting. Suppose in the typhoid fever the doctor has advised him not to take any solid food. So under the instruction of the doctor, he is not taking any solid food. But suppose his brother is eating some bread. Oh, he likes that "If I could eat." But that means within himself... He is, by force, by the instruction of the physician, he is forced not to eat. But within himself he has got the tendency for eating. But out of fear that "If I eat, there will be very bad reaction of taking solid food," therefore, by force, he is not eating. Similarly, there are so many things which you are refrain from doing by force. No. That sort of abstinence will not make you progressive in spiritual life, by force. No. By force I cannot... Because you are independent. Every individual being has got his little portion of independence. So anything cannot be done by forcing you. No. Even you cannot force even a child. He has got his independence. He'll revolt if you force him. So here it is said that viṣayā vinivartante. One may be refraining from enjoying materially by somehow or other, by force... Nirāhārasya dehinaḥ, rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. But one who is spiritually advanced, he is not forced. He is voluntarily giving up. That is the difference. Voluntarily giving up. How? Why voluntarily giving up? Now, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). He has found something sublime, so sublime that he doesn't care for material enjoyment. He is not forced. He voluntarily gives up. That is the criterion of spiritual life. There is no force.
Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:
Just like there is a nice verse given by Yamunācārya. Yamunācārya, he was a great emperor, but later on, he became a great devotee of the Lord under the disciplic succession. Now, he has got very nice verses written by him. One of the verses is stated like this:
- yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde
- nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt
- tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne
- bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
He says, the experience of his life... So he was a king. He enjoyed his life like anything. Now, after he became a great devotee, spiritually engaged, he expresses that experience in this way, that yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde: "Since I have engaged my heart and soul in the supreme devotional service of the Lord, since then..." What is the result? Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt: "I am getting every moment a new type of transcendental pleasure. Since then..." Bata nārī-saṅgame. This is materially. Nārī-saṅga means sex life, combination of man and woman, nārī-saṅgame. He says that "Since then, that whenever I think of sex life..." Because he has experienced. He was a family man, he was a king. He said that "Whenever I think of, not to act, but whenever I think of sex life, oh, I say, now, 'Tu!' " (as if spitting) So paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Why this life has come to him? Because he has seen something. He has experienced something which is transcendental pleasure. And in comparison to the transcendental pleasure, this material pleasure is just like spitting. You see? Very insignificant.
Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:
So here it is said, rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). One who is forcibly refrained from material enjoyment, oh, that sort of forcibly material enjoyment cannot last. Cannot last. There are many examples. There was a great muni, great sage, whose name was Viśvāmitra Muni, Viśvāmitra. He was formerly a very powerful king. Now, in his later life he gave up everything and he wanted to be a transcendentalist and great meditator, great meditator in the yoga principle of life. He was a yogi, great yogi. Now, this Viśvāmitra was performing meditation in the forest very supremely. So the... Now, Indra, the King of heaven, he became frightened: "So, this man is performing so much penance. So he might come. He might ask from God and claim my seat. So just wake him, wake him. Just detach him from this purpose." So he had many beautiful women at his control, one of whose name was Menakā. So Menakā was ordered that "You go there and try to induce him to have your association." Because in this world our real bondage is this... Either for man or woman, this is the real bondage, the sex life. So the Menakā was sent to Viśvāmitra, and Viśvāmitra was meditating, but his eyes were closed. So that woman made some sound of his (her) bangles, and Viśvāmitra thought, "Oh, in front me, a very nice beautiful woman, very young." Now, that woman was sent for that purpose, so he became implicated in that woman, and a girl was born out of that combination. That girl's name is Śakuntalā. Perhaps... That's a famous name. There is a book of Śakuntalā. That is the daughter of that combination. Now, here is the example, that he was a great meditator, a great yogi. But the inner implications of enjoying sex life or material enjoyment, that did not go. That was by force. By force it was submerged. That sort of forcing, forcing our senses not to act, that will not be suitable. We have to see something more beautiful than this material life. Then we can be refrained, acting material; otherwise not. Otherwise it is not possible.
Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:
Those who are Sanskrit students may recite this important. Viṣayā...
(recites responsively through end of verse 61)
- viṣayā vinivartante
- nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
- rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya
- paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate
- (BG 2.59)
This verse we were discussing last Friday. The subject matter is that we are trying to transfer our activities from the material platform to the spiritual platform. That is the whole idea. So material platform, as I have already explained to you several times, material platform means viṣayāḥ, viṣayḥ. Viṣayāḥ means four things: āhāra, nidrā, bhaya, maithuna—eating, sleeping and defending and mating. These are called viṣayāḥ. The materialistic way of life means these four things: eating, sleeping, defending and mating—sense gratification. But if we want to go to the spiritual platform, then these bodily demands, at least for the present, we have to regulate. We cannot enjoy material life without any restriction and at the same time, we can stand on the spiritual platform. That is the whole thing. The difficult problem is that: we want to be spiritualists by speculation only. That is the whole tendency. People are much interested in philosophical speculation without any practical life.
Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:
So the whole idea is that I have to get out of this material contact and reinstate myself in the pure spiritual life so that I shall not, I shall be free from all miseries. Because spirit soul, as it is, in its pure form, it is sac-cid-ānanda. It is eternal, it is blissful, and it is full of knowledge.
So the whole program is there. So viṣayā vinivartante. Still, even the yoga system... The yoga system, by mechanical process, concentrating the mind and dragging the mind from other engagement, that is also forceful. That is also forceful. Because by some artificial means... Because first thing is that "I am not this body." Still, I am trying to control my senses by some bodily activities. Therefore it is... Some way or other, it is artificial. And as I have... Last day I cited one example that a great yogi just like Viśvāmitra, he practiced yoga and he rose to the highest platform, but still, he failed to control his senses. He came in contact with Menakā, a society woman of the heaven, and Śakuntalā was born.
Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:
So here Bhagavad-gītā says that viṣayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ. There are some rules and regulation for drying up our sensual activities, artificially drying up. Just like "You are not to eat more than once. You are not to do this. You are not to do this." So many negative points. Just like a diseased fellow. A diseased fellow is advised by the physician to refrain from so many things. Similarly, there are rules and regulation for controlling the mind, for restraining the senses. There are so many rules and regulation, but still, those regulations, those restrictive regulation, may also fail. There are so many instances. But here the process which is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, dovetailing your consciousness with the supreme consciousness, that is the highest.
Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:
That is the highest. Rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā (BG 2.59). Just... In other processes, you have to... I'll give you some practical example. Just like in the yogic process there is strict regulation that "You cannot eat this. You cannot eat this. You shall have to eat like this. You shall have to sit like this. You have to breathe like this," so many restriction. But if you dovetail your consciousness with the supreme consciousness, so, in spite of without being restriction, you'll not like the restricted things.
Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:
Rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. You'll dislike those restricted things. One process is that by force I am asking you, "Do not do this." But another process is that you have become so much elevated that you do not like to do this yourself. Just like the other day I cited the example of Yamunācārya. Yamunācārya said that "So since I have dovetailed my consciousness with the supreme consciousness of Kṛṣṇa..." Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde. "So long my consciousness has been fixed up in the transcendental service of Kṛṣṇa," yad-avadhi, "since then, even if I think of sex life, oh, it becomes, my face becomes, I mean to say, turned, and I wish to spite on it." So why? One thing is... One process is applying that "You should restrict from this." Another process is that without even restriction, you do not like to do it. This process is so perfect. Kṛṣṇa says that raso 'pi, even if you have that desire, so you do not like to use it. Although you have got the privilege, but you are at liberty, but you do not like to do it.
Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:
Raso 'py asya, rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya. Although he has all the full capacity... Not that he has become impotent or he has no capacity for sex life. In spite of his having all strength and all capacity, still, he does not like, "Oh, this is... What is this?" You see? That stage comes. Rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā. Why? He has got some superior things, superior sex life, in which he wants to engage himself.
Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:
We want to hear good music, melodious music, but if we engage our ears for hearing melodious music in relationship with the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa... Just like Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma... There are many glories, not only in Sanskrit language, in other languages also, glories of Lord. If we try to hear glories of the Lord with the ear, then my ear may not be engaged in other songs. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Similarly, my tongue. If I determine that "I shall eat only foodstuff which is offered to Kṛṣṇa," then naturally my eating problem becomes restricted and as I go on eating the foodstuff which is offered first to Kṛṣṇa and then I take, then, now, the natural effect will be that my tongue will be controlled. And if I want to control my other senses, then the tongue control is the first business, because if we cannot control the tongue, then other senses is impossible to be controlled.
Lecture on BG 2.62-72 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:
Prabhupāda: A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, even an ordinary person, not in the level of Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā, he's never conquered by māyā. But one who is not fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, either he may be Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā, he'll be conquered by māyā, what to speak of others. This is the position. Go on. "When Haridāsa Ṭhākura was a young devotee of the Lord..."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "...he was similarly allured by the incarnation of Māyādevī, but Haridāsa easily passed the test because of his unalloyed devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. A sincere devotee of the Lord learns to hate all material sense enjoyment due to his higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success."
Prabhupāda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Param, if you get better thing, you give up inferior quality thing. That is our nature. Just like our students, American students, they were all accustomed to meat-eating. But now another student, she is preparing the sweetballs, ISKCON balls, and they are forgetting meat-eating. They do not like any more meat-eating. They have got better engagement, sweetballs. (laughter)
Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:
Now, here, the bhakti-yoga system is that if you stick to the hearing of Hare Kṛṣṇa and the music, melodious music of khol, karatāla, then naturally you become detestful for hearing other songs. So this is practically indriya-saṁyama. The bhakti process is that sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). You cannot stop the senses to work. That is the negative process. Because the senses are meant for working. Therefore you have to give better engagement to the senses. That will be explained in the... It is already explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, Second Chapter, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. If you force one to stop, it is very difficult. Therefore so many yogis also failed. Just like Viśvāmitra Muni. By force, he was trying to control his senses, but as soon as the sense got opportunity, one Menakā, a heavenly society girl, came before him, he became captivated. He became captivated. These examples are there. And the child was born, Śakuntalā. You know, everyone. So he was a great yogi. He also failed because it was artificially being tried.
Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:
American man: What is the value of accepting this sacrifice for the human being?
Prabhupāda: For better benefit.
American man: But now can it be accepted as a kind of masochism?
Prabhupāda: What he's speaking? Masochism? What is this?
Devotee: Self-inflicted pain. "I want to hurt myself."
Prabhupāda: No. It is not like that. Just like if you are diseased, doctor says that "You don't eat this." So that is not self-inflicted. The idea is that just to become cured from your disease you accept the instruction of the physician. So unnecessarily, that is also condemned. If you simply fast unnecessarily, that is condemned. No. For a better purpose, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Yes. You can take some, accept some painstaking—for better purpose. If there is no purpose, what is the use of painstaking? Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). That is simply labor of love. That's all. So here everything is recommended for understanding Kṛṣṇa. That is not very difficult. By Kṛṣṇa's grace it is not at all difficult, but it appears to be difficult for a person who is accustomed to do such things. Otherwise it is not difficult.
Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:
As soon as you get attachment for Kṛṣṇa, naturally, vīta-rāga, you give up attachment for your material life. Vīta-rāga. Unless you have got attachment for Kṛṣṇa, you cannot up attachment of this material sense gratification. That is not possible. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). By force, you cannot train a person that "You must be refraining from all these things." No, it is not possible. Vīta-rāga means when you increase rāga for Kṛṣṇa, then you can become vīta-rāga. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā ni... That if you get rasagullā, you can give up gur. Gur is also sweet, and rasagullā is sweet. But if somebody says that "Why you are eating gur...?" Or something else. "Here is nice rasagullā." Similarly, unless we get better things... Better things...
Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:
Kṛṣṇa is better thing, there is no need of proof. These European boys and girls, they have not come to me for better money. Because money is considered the best thing in the world, but they have enjoyed all these things. Therefore they are no more after money accumulation. They are after Kṛṣṇa. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. They can earn. They have dedicated their life. They're doing everything for me. They could earn in their country thousands of dollars. Thousands of doll... Any man can earn any day twenty-five dollars minimum. And twenty-five dollars means two hundred and fifty rupees per day. So they can get so much money. Why they have sacrificed everything? They have sacrificed their money. They have sacrificed their intoxication habit. They have sacrificed their illicit sex life. They have sacrificed their gambling life. Why? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Because they have understood little trāyate mahato bhayāt.
Such things, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). And you become fearless. You fearless. Even so many incidences happened in this spot, why they are fearless? Because they had attachment for Kṛṣṇa. This boy was threatened for life, but still he stood, fearless. Vīta-rāga... (end)
Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:
The Lord Zetland, he also said, "Oh, no, no, this cannot be done. This is our life." Lord Zetland to some of our godbrothers, he said, "Can you make me brāhmaṇa?" "Yes, we can make you brāhmaṇa. You give up these..." "No, no. This is not possible. Horrible."
It appears to be horri... Because we are so much absorbed in māyā. As soon as you ask anybody that "You cannot eat meat," he'll think it, "Oh, it is horrible." As soon as you say, "You cannot drink, you cannot have any intoxication," he thinks, "This is horrible." But actually it is not... This is māyā. It is not horrible, but we are thinking horrible. We are not eating meat. Are you dying? No. We have got so many nice foodstuffs. Why shall I eat meat? So paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). So our philosophy, our Vaiṣṇava philosophy, we do not say only that "Don't eat this," but "Eat this." We do not enjoy this, but enjoy this.
We give one alternative. We are not simply zero. The Māyāvādī philosophy is zero. We say that "Make this side zero, and take this positive side."
Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:
You cannot remain in zero. Because you are ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). You want ānanda, pleasure. Pleasure cannot be in zero. That is not possible. Is it possible? To make things zero and you'll enjoy? No, that is not possible.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. You can make zero automatically when you find better engagement. So we have to give better engagement. Then things will be zero. Because you have got better engagement, you are not interested to go to the hotel. There is hotel also, cinema also in Vṛndāvana. But will you go there? So if you become attached to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this hotel, restaurants and, and dancing, and this and that, they'll be zero. Automatically. But if you simply try to make it zero, that is not possible. That is not possible. Therefore paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you get better engagement, to try to engage yourself always in the better engagement, then these material activities will be zero. But zero is not our philosophy. Positive, not negative. They simply make negative. Negative will not help us. Negative, there is of requisition negativeness.
Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:
If by frustration one commits suicide, oh, that is not the end of his miseries. He creates another misery. He creates another misery by committing suicide. Just like here, in the state law, if somebody attempts suicide and takes some poison, and if by treatment of the physician he's all right, he's again under the law, to be punished. Perhaps you know it. After curing him from that poisonous effect, he is under criminal code of the state: "Why you have attempted suicide?" Similarly, in the laws of nature, if you commit suicide, that is another criminal act. So suicidal policy, to end this misery of life, is not all. We must have, I mean to say, greater life.
In the Bhagavad-gītā you have read—already we have discussed—paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: (BG 2.59) "One has to end this miserable life after finding out a life of bliss and knowledge and eternity." That should be our... We should not be trying only to end these miseries of life, expecting something void. No.
Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:
Suppose if I decided, or anyone of you have decided, that "I shall leave this place, New York. I have no fascination for this city." Then anything you offer him, "Oh, I give you such-and-such thing. You remain here for such-and-su..." No. He doesn't care for anything. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. He has got some information, some other place. He has decided to go there. So he has no, I mean to say, anxiety or desire for anything. So our desire should be—that is perfect desire—that we must leave this body. We must leave this material existence. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Unless you understand this fact, that this material existence is... (end—incomplete)
Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:
So if you rise up to that stage that you can attain some planet and take your rest there, so then there is no possibility of falling down. But so long you are in the sky, oh, there is every chance of falling down, every chance.
Similarly, simple understanding of brahma-bhūtaḥ stage will not help me unless I take shelter unto Kṛṣṇa. As soon as I get shelter unto Kṛṣṇa, as soon as I engage myself in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then there is no chance of falling down again into this material world, because there is engagement. Our nature is such that we want some engagement. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).
Lecture on BG 7.2 -- London, March 10, 1975:
We are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. That is very difficult. But if we keep Caitanya Mahāprabhu with His associates, this Pañca-tattva, Gaura-Nitāi, Gaura-Gadādhara, or Pañca-tattva, and worship Him according to the śāstra description... The śāstra description is yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ. This is yajña. Life is means for performing yajña. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said yajñārthe karma. You are very busy. Yes, you should be busy always, twenty-four hours. For what purpose? Yajñārthe, not for your sense gratification. That is devotional life. Yajñārthe karma. Karma. We are not dull matter. We have got our flexible hands and legs to work. People think that "These Kṛṣṇa conscious men, Hare Kṛṣṇa people, they are escaping." What is that, escaping? We are not escaping. We are practically taking the real activities. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Although people see that we do not work, we do not go to the factory, we do not to the mine, we do not go to the so many, so many things, or professional. We do not become lawyer, engineer. They say that we are escaping. No. You see we are always busy, twenty-four hours busy. I am old man of eighty years; still, I am busy. I am traveling all over the world, writing book at night, talking with visitors, and so many things. You can see. So where we are escaping? We are the most responsible worker. So the... What is the difference? The difference is all people are engaged for sense gratification. We are engaged for satisfying Kṛṣṇa. But activities are there.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:
And if a sannyāsī who has rejected this world as mithyā, and if he also wants to open hospital and school and college, then what is the difference between the common man and this learned scholar or learned self-realized brahma-jñānī? That means he has not realized what is actually siddhi, what is brahma-jñāna. Otherwise why he is coming? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You can cease yourself from all material activities when you actually realize the Supreme Brahman. Just like you see the Americans and European boys. They are no more interested with material activities. You bribe them that "Again come to material activities." They will refuse, because paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. They are actually liberated. Actually liberated. And simply talking big, big words and becoming engaged in material activities, what is this nonsense? You are thinking liberated? You cannot give up even the family affection, and you are liberated?
Lecture on BG 8.21-22 -- New York, November 19, 1966:
One who is spiritually realized, his symptom will be full satisfaction. He'll no longer be hankering after this nonsense material enjoyment. That is spiritual realization. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya (BG 2.59). Raso 'py asya.
Now, just like... It is very clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like a diseased man, he's forbidden by the doctor, "Oh, you don't eat. You don't have sex life. You don't, don't..." So many don't's. But he is forced to accept that don't, but inner side he feels, "Oh, if I get, I'll be happy." Inner side is want. But a spiritualist, inner side is strong. He's not impotent, but he'll don't like sex intercourse. Doesn't like. He hates. That is spiritual life. Inner side is strong enough. He can marry thrice, but he has got a detachment. That is spiritual life. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Just like if you get something superior, naturally, you give up all inferior things.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:
Our difficulty is that we have been entangled with this material world, because we have been attracted by this sense-gratification in the material world. And vairāgya vidyā means unless you become detestful, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), unless we find a better position, a better enjoyment, we cannot give it up. So this bhakti-yoga means offering the better position, better gratification, better pleasure, so that one can give up this inferior pleasure in the material world. Therefore bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-vidyā, jñāna-vairāgya. Vāsudeve. That vairāgya can be very easily achieved by bhakti-yoga vāsudeva.
Lecture on BG 9.29-32 -- New York, December 20, 1966:
Any way, if somebody takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, naturally and generally it will be found that he is becoming gradually a perfect pious man, perfect honest man. That is the thing. Kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati.
Śaśvac-chānti. Because he will relish. He will relish this Kṛṣṇa consciousness so nicely that he will give up all nonsense automatically: "I don't like it, don't like it." This is the process. He will give up automatically. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. The whole world is after sense gratification, but a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, just very soon he will find that "All these nonsense, oh, there is no happiness." He will give it up. He will give it up. It is so nice thing. Some way or other, if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, your reluctance for sense gratification will automatically come, automatic... You haven't got to train yourself that "How to stop my sense gratification?" If you simply go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa sincerely. And what is that process? Chanting and hearing. When you chant, you hear, and you will enjoy. And you will enjoy so nicely that you will give up all that is not wanted in the advancement of his spiritual life.
Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:
So some of the institutions, government, they are inviting us, that "How you can help?" So we say that "Our process is simple. We cannot take any other process. Our process is that if anyone wants to be cured from this bad habit, then let him come, live with us. That's all. Sit down here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. See the ārati, and take prasādam." And there is no... We don't supply any tea or coffee. No. We cannot supply. And nobody grudges also, that "You are not supplying us tea or coffee or cigarettes." No. So the spiritual power is so nice that automatically forget. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you find something very palatable, very nice, then you give up the bad thing. If you are offered a nice rasagullā, why should you take ordinary molasses or gur or anything else? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. That is the formula given by Lord Kṛṣṇa. When one relishes a transcendental pleasure, he automatically gives up the so-called material pleasure, automatically.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Vrndavana, October 16, 1972:
Prabhupāda: Everyone is hankering after, "Where is peace? Where is peace?" You know, you European and American boys. You have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness because on account of your hankering, "Where is peace?" Is it not?
Devotee: Yes.
Prabhupāda: What is that? So you were, you were not after money; because money and woman, you have seen, enough. There is no scarcity of money and woman in Europe and America. You can earn any, as much as you like, and you can enjoy. But still, why they are coming out confused? They want something. That I have several times repeated, that your only qualification is, you are advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness because you are..., you have no other material desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Nobody can allure you by material inducements: "Oh, here is money. Please come. Here is woman. Please come." That you have seen. You want something... Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). So that's a very good qualification. Not only you who have come to me as my disciples—I am speaking of the whole Europeans and Americans.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 27, 1971:
The sex impulse is there in the Vaikuṇṭha also. But they are so elevated that, after all, it is enjoyment. If you get better enjoyment, you give up. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). That is the nature. You are enjoying something, but if you get better enjoyment, you give up this inferior enjoyment. So don't think in the Vaikuṇṭha or in Goloka Vṛndāvana there is no sex impulse. There is—in Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But not like this abominable way. The impulse is there in a perfect order. So they're enjoying. Not like this abominable sex life. The devotees there, they are so much absorbed in Kṛṣṇa thought, they don't like to have sex. There are beautiful women, beautiful men, very, very. But they have got other engagement, very nice engagement. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Just like, for example, in this, our society also, you see thousands of men are standing, paying to see some dead body. Sense enjoyment. You see? But our men are not so rascal that they will stand for five hours to see some dead body. You see? Similarly, why? Why they are able not to go there, stand? Because they have seen something better.
Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:
So this bhakti-yoga, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is so nice that if you take it very seriously, if you enter into the mystery of this bhakti-yoga... It is not all mystery, it is very open. Then naturally, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). And that is required. Vairāgya.
Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972:
If one is very, very intelligent, then he takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, and his life becomes successful, he becomes free from so many addictions... This is the result of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). Simply by becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, all the good qualities of the demigods... Demigods... Just like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Nārada. There are many, many demigods. They are good qualified. Otherwise, how they are posted in such exalted position? They are very qualified. So simply by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, all the good qualities of the demigods, or all godly qualities, will manifest. There is no doubt about it. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra... (SB 11.2.42). They will be reluctant. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). They will find something so nice that they will give up all this nonsense. This is the process. Unless you give something better, how one can give up his bad habits?
Lecture on SB 1.5.12-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 11, 1969:
A devotee can..., cannot be equally interested with material pleasure and transcendental pleasure. No. Virakti. Bhagavad-gītā also says that paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Just like in a hospital a diseased person is forced not to accept a certain type of foodstuff. He has the desire. He has the desire to take such food. Just like a typhoid patient, suffering from typhoid. Doctor says that "You cannot take any solid food. A little liquid food you can take." But he has the desire to take the solid food. "Oh, doctor has asked me not to take such food. All right, what can I do?" But he has got the desire. But a devotee, he hasn't got to be forced just like the physician asks him, "Don't do this." He automatically does so. Why? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: he has seen or he has tasted something better for which he doesn't like to take any more this abominable taste. That is bhaktiḥ pareśānu... That means when we become detestful such abominable things, then we should know that we are advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The test is in your hand. You haven't got to ask anybody, "Do you think I am increasing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," but you can understand. Exactly in the same way: if you are hungry and if you are eating, you know, by eating, how much your hunger is satisfied, how much you are feeling strength, how much you are feeling pleasure. You haven't got to ask anybody. Similarly, if anybody increases his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the test will be that he will be disinterested with all material pleasures. That is test.
Lecture on SB 1.5.25 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:
So Nārada Muni, in his previous birth, he was engaged in washing the dishes, eating the foodstuffs left by the dvijaiḥ, by the brāhmaṇas. In this way he infected their disease. As in ordinary material sense if you eat the remnants of foodstuff of a diseased fellow, then you infect that disease. Therefore sometimes when there is a patient suffering from tuberculosis, it is strictly separated from the family to another room or another house so that... It is very infectious. Cholera is very infectious. Smallpox is very much infectious. There are many infectious disease. So as you infect this material disease by eating the foodstuff left by a diseased fellow, similarly, if you eat the remnants of foodstuff left by a Vaiṣṇava you become Vaiṣṇava. This is infection. So we should voluntarily accept this infection. The other infection we should avoid, but this infection we shall welcome. But the process is the same. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You can refrain from the lower class of infection simply by infecting yourself with the higher class, or transcendental class of infection.
Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Los Angeles, April 22, 1973:
So if one is engaged in pious activities, naturally his sinful activities will vanish. One side, voluntarily he should try to break the pillars of sinful life. Another side, he must engage himself in pious life. Simply theoretically one cannot, because everyone must have some engagement. If he has no pious engagement, then simply theoretically he will not be able.
For example, practical, your government is spending millions of dollars for stopping this intoxication. Everyone knows. But the government has failed. How simply by law or by lecturing you can make them without LSD or intoxication? That is not possible. You must give them good engagement. Then it will be automatically... And practically you see that our students who come here we instruct: "No intoxication." Immediately given up. And the government has failed. This is practical. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you don't give somebody good engagement, you cannot stop his bad engagements. That is not possible. Therefore we are giving two sides good engagements, at the same time prohibition. We simply don't say that: "No illicit sex, no intoxication, no, no..." Simply negative is no meaning. There must be something positive. Because everyone wants engagement. That is because we are living entities. We are not dead stone.
Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Los Angeles, April 22, 1973:
The other philosophers, they are trying to become dead stones by meditation. "Let me think of void, impersonalism." The, artificially how you can make it void? Your heart, your mind is full of activities. So these are artificial things. This will not help the human society. The so-called yoga, so-called meditation, they are all rascaldom. Because there is no engagement. Here there is engagement. Here everyone is engaged to rise early in the morning for offering ārātrika to the Deities. They are preparing nice food. They are decorating, making garlands, so many engagements. They are going for saṅkīrtana party, they are canvassing for selling books. Twenty-four hours engagement. Therefore they're able to give up this sinful life. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate.
Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Los Angeles, April 22, 1973:
Just like... The, everything is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like in hospital. In hospital there are many patients, they are not eating anything on the Ekādaśī day. Does it mean that is observing Ekādaśī? He is simply hankering after, "When I shall eat, when I shall eat, when I shall eat?." But these students, they voluntarily don't eat anything. We, we don't say that you don't eat anything. Some fruits, some flowers. That's all. So paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Just like a child. He has got in his hand something he's eating. and if you give him better thing, he will throw away the inferior thing and will take that better thing. So here is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this better engagement, better life, better philosophy, better consciousness, everything better. Therefore they can give up the sinful activities of life and that will promote to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:
So one cannot be attached to Kṛṣṇa as long as he is attached to viṣaya. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura or Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, he says, viṣaya chāṛiyā, se rase majiyā, mukhe bolo hari hari. Viṣaya chāṛiyā. So long you are attached to sense gratification, there is no question of chanting "Hari Hari." That is not possible. Viṣaya chāṛiyā. So it is not possible to do it immediately, but if we practice the system given by the ācāryas, as we have introduced, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, then one day we'll be able. Viṣaya chāṛiyā. Then paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). When you gradually relish the transcendental mellow of devotional service... That Yāmunācārya said,
- yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde
- nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt
- tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne
- bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
So this is the process. The more you become attached to Kṛṣṇa... That is very psychological. If you become attached to something, you become detached to something else. Attachment, detachment cannot be. So more you become attached to Kṛṣṇa, then more you become detached to this material world.
Lecture on SB 1.8.47 -- Mayapura, October 27, 1974:
Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead ordered, but He did not personally teach how to become elevated in vairāgya-vidyā. Here is the same person, He has come again to teach practically how to attain this vairāgya-vidyā stage." Therefore he said, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam (CC Madhya 6.254). Vairāgya-vidyā means you become detestful to the material thing—paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59)—but, as Kuntī said that "My affection may increase for you," vairāgya-vidyā means not only simply give up affection of this material, but you increase your affection for Kṛṣṇa. That is vairāgya, not that giving up all affection for the material world, you become zero. The zero stage is brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20) stage: "I have no more any affection for material things." But zero stage, you cannot stay. That is not our nature. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). We want ānanda.
Lecture on SB 1.15.30 -- Los Angeles, December 8, 1973:
So long one is sinful, he has no possibility of understanding. Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpam. One who is completely free from all sinful activities, anta-gatam, finished, yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. And how you can become free from sinful activities unless you act piously? Because we must have some engagement. If you have no pious engagement, then you cannot become free from sinful activities. You must act. If you do not act piously, then you must act viciously. This is the way. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they simply wants to stop impious activities. But they do not engage themselves in pious activities. Therefore they fail. They fail. You must have side by side. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you get something better, then you can give up inferior. But if you do not get better, you cannot give up the inferior. That is not possible.
Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:
These Māyāvādī philosophers, they may go very high by knowledge, by speculation, but they will again fall down. Why? Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: "Because they could not get the shelter of Your lotus feet, therefore they will fall down." That is not secure. Because a man cannot remain without any activity, without any desire. That is not possible. A man, animal, any, even insect, he must be doing something. I have got practical experience. One of my sons in child..., when I was young man, he was very naughty. So sometimes we used to put him on the rack. He could not get down. So he was feeling so uncomfortable because his activities stopped on the rack. So you cannot stop activity. That is not possible. You must give better activity. Then you will stop. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that you get better activity. Therefore you can give up the inferior activities.
Lecture on SB 2.1.7 -- Paris, June 15, 1974:
The paramahaṁsa stage is described here. If you simply imitate, that "Now I have become paramahaṁsa, I do not require to follow rules and regulations"... But you must prove that you are paramahaṁsa.
Therefore what is that paramahaṁsa stage? That is nairguṇya-sthā ramante sma guṇānukathane hareḥ. His only business is to glorify Kṛṣṇa. He does not do that... Not that "I have become paramahaṁsa. Let me eat and sleep." No. The symptom is that he cannot waste a moment without glorifying Kṛṣṇa. That is paramahaṁsa. At that time, you can know, that when you cannot remain even for a single moment without describing Kṛṣṇa, then you can know that you are on the paramahaṁsa stage. No attachment anything material; simply attachment for Kṛṣṇa. Then you can give up the regulative principles. Not before that. Don't imitate. Unless you come to that stage, positive stage... It is not that simply negative. Negative means you must stand on a positive platform. Therefore those who are Śūnyavādī, simply negative... The other day, some Zen Buddhist came. He said that "to become desireless." These nonsense people, they do not know it is impossible to become desireless. They are thinking... Therefore they are disturbed always. It is not possible to become desireless. You... That is negative post, nirvāṇa. That is Buddha philosophy, nirvāṇa. "Stop these material nonsense activities." But unless he has got positive activities, how he can give up this nonsense? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You must give good engagement. Otherwise, he'll go on committing all nonsense. Just like you, you have been given good engagement, Deity worship and so many other things. You are engaged. Therefore you have no time to divert your attention for nonsense things. Simply artificially, if you want to stop, no. The U.S. government, they tried to stop this intoxication habit, LSD, millions of dollars. Not a single man was stopped. Not a single man. And here in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as soon as they come, immediately... Why? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. When he understands that he is better intoxication, "Why shall I go to LSD?" That is required.
Lecture on SB 3.25.11 -- Bombay, November 11, 1974:
If a person is advancing in bhakti-yoga, the result will be that he is detached from material attraction. That is the sign.
Just like these European, American boys. They are born to enjoy material happiness. They are, in their country, the affluence of material happiness, money and women, they are thrown in the street. You pick up as much as you like. But they are now vairāgya, because they are devotees of Vāsudeva. They have no more attachment. This is bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means vairāgya, detachment for material enjoyment. That is the sign. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Not that "I am a big, big devotee, but I have got very great attachment for material enjoyment." That is not bhakti. This is the sign. If you have got bhakti, then you will have no attachment for material enjoyment. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktiḥ. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is... Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā. Param means better, superior things; dṛṣṭvā, by seeing, these lower inferior things is rejected. That is... Two things cannot go on.
Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:
That is the test that whether you are actually initiated. If you are still attached to these... Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktiḥ... If you are not detestful to all these nonsense habits, then you must know that you are not making any progress. You are not making any progress. Because this is the result. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. If you are actually making advance in bhajana-kriyā, then this attachment will be finished. No more. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Not by force, but appreciating something, better condition of life, one rejects all this nonsense. That is advancement. Bhajana-kriyā. By bhajana-kriyā, by being initiated and executing the bhajana, now, one just be detestful. Then niṣṭhā. Tato niṣṭhā, firm faith. Tato ruciḥ. Ruci means taste. You cannot do without it. Just like the drunkard, he cannot remain without drinking. Similarly, a devotee is also drunkard. He cannot remain without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called ruci, taste. Tato ruciḥ athāsaktiḥ. Then attachment. That is required.
Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:
So without spiritual engagement, one cannot give up this material engagement. That is the real fact. One must... Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati... They gave up this material enjoyment. That's all right. How they lived? Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhuḥ. They dipped into the ocean of the transcendental loving affairs of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. That was their asset. Therefore they lived very peacefully and very happily.
So we have to... We, we cannot simply give up. As it is said that tyakta-karmāṇaḥ, give up everyone, engagement, and tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ,... You'll become mad if you give up all these things, unless you have got staunch faith in Kṛṣṇa. Then you cannot give up. It is not possible. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you find Kṛṣṇa's association is so nice, then you can very easily give up your opulent position, svajana, bāndhavāḥ, family, business and everything. If you... That requires sādhu-saṅga, sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83), to associate with sādhu, devotees. Then you can develop such thing when day will come you'll be able to give up everything and you become liberated person, quite fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. Unless you are completely free... If you have got a tinge of attachment for material enjoyment, Kṛṣṇa will give you chance: "All right, you enjoy. You enjoy, to the fullest extent." Because we have come to this material world for enjoying sense gratification.
Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974:
We have got some attachment to the material modes of nature. That is the cause of our bondage. Now, if we want to be free from this bondage, uncontaminated, then the same attachment should be transferred to the sādhu. Sa eva sādhuṣu kṛtaḥ, the same attachment. Everyone has got attachment. Nobody is free of attachment. The Māyāvādī philosophy, they say that "Stop this attachment." The Buddha philosophy says that "Make this attachment zero." This is also a little advancement, but it is not possible to make our attachment zero. That is not possible. Therefore Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad..., paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Just like a child has got attachment for playing, and gradually, his attachment should be transferred for reading, going to school, education. But if you stop his attachment, then he will become mad. You must give something. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Just like we are. To the Western devotees, we are advising them—at least, those who are accepted as our disciples, they must—no meat-eating. They are accustomed to meat-eating, but that how this meat-eating has been stopped? We have given them nice things, kacuris, śṛṅgāra, rasagullā. So they have given up meat-eating. So you must give something more palatable. Then detachment will be possible. First of all nullify the attachment, and then give him better attachment. Then he will forget. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. You cannot force a living entity by force. Gradually... The same example: a child has got attachment, but by some system, its attachment is turned over.
Lecture on SB 3.26.5 -- Bombay, December 17, 1974:
The devotional service is so nice and happy. You see this devotional service. You always engage..., you are always engaged in the Deity worship, bring nice cloth. Instead of dressing yourself with nice cloth, dress Kṛṣṇa with nice cloth. Then your desire for dressing nicely will vanish. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Bhakta is satisfied when Kṛṣṇa is very nicely dressed. He doesn't care for his own dress. Therefore this colorful life is diminishing. Here we are trying to become very nicely dressed, to be attractive by others. But when one becomes a Vaiṣṇava, he is no more interested in this colorful life. But he is interested in the colorful life of Kṛṣṇa. He is interested, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. He is satisfied.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:
Devotee: What is the way for controlling our desires?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra eṣaḥ (SB 11.2.42), paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), you have to give better engagement, then they will give up this inferior engagement. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate means if you get better engagement, then you can give up inferior engagement. You must have some engagement. Without engagements he will become mad. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give better engagement. So when he's engaged in better type of activities, he forgets all this inferior... That is explained bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra eṣaḥ (SB 11.2.42), as soon as one become devotee, he naturally becomes reluctant. Just like these American and European boys and girls, they are little advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they have immediately given up all these inferior engagements of drinking and illicit sex and meat-eating. They have given up. This is the way. You give them better engagement and they'll give up this inferior engagement. That is the pushing of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:
Guest (2): Swami, I'm going to work to formulate this question. I don't know if I can speak it clearly. Now it's true that a soul must evolve through perhaps many lifetimes in order to reach the point at which he is ready to attempt renunciation. Right?
Prabhupāda: No. Renunciation, that depends on your understanding. If you understand that "This thing is not good," you can renounce it immediately.
Guest (2): Then in order to reach the level at which you can understand that...
Prabhupāda: No, no. There is no question. It is no question of understanding. If you understand in a minute... That depends on the student to understand. Something, "This is bad; this is good." Now if you understand it properly, that "This is not good, bad," so you can renounce it immediately. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). So that depends on your capacity to understand what is good, what is bad. If you think that this material existence, repeated birth and death and changing this body, is not good, then you can immediately renounce and you can prepare yourself for spiritual life. But if you think that "Oh, it doesn't matter I am repeating my birth and death. It is good," then you cannot renounce.
Lecture on SB 6.2.14 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1975:
Vṛndāvana, if you come from anywhere by the train and airplane and see Vṛndāvana, that is not seeing Vṛndāvana. Vṛndāvana seeing means
- viṣaya chādiyā kabe śuddha ha'be mana
- kabe hāma herabo śrī-vṛndāvana
When we shall be free from viṣaya... Viṣaya means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. So who can give up viṣaya unless he is a great devotee? Others cannot. Viṣaya, it is very difficult. But if one is advanced devotee—paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59)—they can give up. So if you come to Vṛndāvana and arrange for a viṣaya-bhoga-āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam—then Vṛndāvana is far away. Viṣaya chādiyā. The whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is on the basis of viṣaya chādiyā. And Śrī Locana dāsa Ṭhākura also sings, viṣaya chādiyā se rase majiyā, mukhe bolo hari hari. Viṣaya chādiyā. If... Of course, in the beginning it is not possible, but the ultimate goal of life is to give up viṣaya—no more āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. That is called viṣaya chādiyā.
Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Vrndavana, December 4, 1975:
There is a story of a prostitute, Lakṣahīra. (aside:) You can sleep this way. I am asking you. Yes, you're sleeping. You can go and sleep. Don't make here. So there is a story of the prostitute, Lakṣahīra. There was a prostitute whose charges was one lakh of pieces of diamond. It doesn't matter, a big diamond or small diamond. That was her charges. So one man was suffering from leprosy and he was being assisted, he was being assisted by his wife, very faithful wife. So still, he was morose. The wife asked the husband, "Why you are morose? I am giving you so much service. You are leper, you cannot move. I can take you... I take you on a basket and carry you. Still, you feel unhappy?" So he admitted, "Yes." "Oh, what is the cause?" "Now, I want to go to the prostitute, Lakṣahīra." Just see. He is leper, a poor man, and he is aspiring to go to a prostitute who charges 100,000 of pieces of diamond. So anyway, she was a faithful wife. She wanted to satisfy her husband. Some way or other, she arranged. Then, when the leper was at the house of the prostitute, the prostitute gave him very nice dishes of food but everything in two dishes, everything, one in the golden pot, another in iron pot. So while he was eating, so he inquired the prostitute, "Why you have given me in two pots?" "Now, because I wanted to know whether you will feel different taste in different pots." So he said, "No, I don't find any difference of taste. The soup in the golden pot and the soup in the iron pot, the taste is the same." "Then why you have come here?" This is foolishness. The whole world is going on like that. They are simply trying to taste the same thing in different pot. That's all. They are not detestful that "No more, sir. I have tasted enough." That is not fact. That is called vairāgya-vidyā, no more tasting: "It is all the same, either I take in this pot or that pot."
Therefore it is said that sukham aindriyakam, the sense pleasure, it doesn't matter whether you enjoy as a dog or as a human being or a demigod or as European or American or Indian. The taste is the same. This is very important. You cannot have a better taste. Better taste is only Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). So if you do not increase your taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you will try to taste in this pot and that pot. That is the law. That will be, continue business and continue disease, to taste in this pot and that pot: "It may be very tasteful in this pot, may be tasteful..." The whole world is going on. All these rascals, they go to different countries for tasting sex life. They go to Paris... (break)
Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:
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. Attachment is there. But with this attachment, gṛheṣu saktasya, if you keep your attachment for these things, then you'll never be free from this material condition of life. Therefore you have to convert or divert your attachment to Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 7.6.11-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 27, 1976:
So there are so many items to understand this vairāgya-vidyā or to practice. The first practice is brahmacarya, celibacy. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). So many items, but if one takes to vāsudeva bhakti... Vāsudeve bhagavati, kecit kevalayā bhaktyā (SB 6.1.15). Kevalayā means only by bhakti process one can attain all success, jñāna-vairāgya. So you are situated, you are at least being trained up in bhakti-yoga, and if you strictly follow, dṛḍha-vratāḥ... Dṛḍha-vratāḥ, that is the word, dṛḍha-vratāḥ, with firm determination, then in one life we can learn this vairāgya-vidyā nija-bhakti-yogam (CC Madhya 6.254) and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is possible. It is not impossible. But ordinarily it is very, very difficult. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja giving so many description, in detail, how we are becoming attached. But our real business is how to become detached. Unless we give up, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), unless we have got the taste for the better thing, the inferior things we cannot give up. By cultivation of bhakti-yoga, by this process, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23), we can get the taste of bhakti-yoga, then it is possible to give up this attachment for the material world. This is possible.
Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:
We have got the propensity to love something, at least a dog if not God. So if we turn our face to the loving attachment to Kṛṣṇa, then paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you are given better thing... Just like in children. He is loving something, but if you give him something better, something red, oh, he is attached immediately. He gives up the old thing and takes up the red thing.
Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:
So you cannot... The jñāna system, the yoga system is by force they are trying to detach. That is not possible. It may be possible for the time being. Just like Viśvamitra, a great sage. These are the historical references. He was a very great king and he wanted to realize self, and he began to meditate in the forest alone, as it is, this yoga system, that "He must be in secluded life. He must make his seat in a very sacred place and sit in this posture." There are... So he followed everything completely, perfect yogi. But as soon as Indra saw that "This man is performing a great yoga system. He may not acquire my position," so he sent one beautiful girl, Menakā, to entice him. So she came, she began to dance before her (him), and there was tinkling sound, and at once his meditation broke. And she was very beautiful, coming from heaven, so he became attached, and the woman became pregnant. Then she got a child, Śakuntala, and then Viśvamitra came to this senses: "Oh, I left my kingdom, I came to forest for meditation. Again I am going to be another kingdom." So he decided that "I shall go away." So Menakā tried to entice him, "Oh, why you shall go? You just see how nice girl you have got. Just see." There is a picture. Perhaps you have seen. And Viśvamitra is doing like this: "Don't show me anymore. Let me go away." Of course, he was very much advanced. He could go. But this allurement is always there. But Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful and so nice that if you increase your love for Kṛṣṇa, then you have no more any attachment for anything, any beautiful thing of this world. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Just like Kṛṣṇa and these gopīs. They came to Kṛṣṇa, giving up their all engagements. Some of them were engaged in, I mean to say, loving children, some of them were engaged in serving their husband, or unmarried girls, they were engaged to serving her father, brothers. But as soon as Kṛṣṇa blew His flute, they came, all.
Lecture on SB 7.12.1 -- Bombay, April 12, 1976:
If one is devotee, then he does not like anything material. And the sex enjoyment is the topmost pleasure in this material world. So naturally one who is devotee, he doesn't require to practice brahmācārya separately-paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59)—because sex pleasure may be very nice in this material world, but when one gets a sense of spiritual pleasure, then this pleasure becomes abominable. It is said by Yamunācārya,
- yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
- nava-nava-dhāmany (udyataṁ) rantum āsīt
- tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame (smaryamāne)
- bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
"Since I have begun to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness and getting relish, then, since then, when I think of...," bata nārī-saṅgame, "sex pleasure with woman, I spite on it and my mouth becomes curved, 'Eh,' like that."
Actually it is the position, but because we are under the spell of māyā, we are captivated, bewildered, that after sex life, not only human being, but anyone who is living within this material world, beginning from Brahmā down to the smallest insect, everyone is after sex life. We have heard that even Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā, they became sexually excited. It is said that Lord Brahmā was enchanted by daughter, what to speak of others. This material world is so, I mean to say, bewildering, that sometimes the first-class person also becomes bewildered by sex life.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, December 27, 1972:
Prabhupāda: But one who is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, he does not come to these material activities again. The, the factual evidence... Just this, these boys, these European, American boys. Who could enjoy material life better than them? They were all enjoying. But they have given up everything. They are no more going back to that status of life. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). They have found something better. Therefore they're not going to again that life of meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, smoking and drinking. No. They are not, no more going. Give them bribe also: "You come to again to that stage." Will you go?
Devotees: No. No.
Prabhupāda: No. They'll never go. This is called liberation. This is called liberation. Simply by thinking, "I have become liberated," and I am handicapped by so many bad habits, that is not liberation. That is simply mental concoction. Real liberation is bhakti-yoga.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 20, 1972:
Therefore, if you stick to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will enjoy blissful, transcendental blissfulness. Then you'll not be attracted with this humanitarian work or philanthropic work. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). In the service of the Lord, there are so much pleasure, transcendental pleasure.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:
Prabhupāda: Śrī Yamunācārya says, "Since I have been engaged in serving the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, from that time I do not any more have any desire for sex life. Even if I do remember of sex life, I want to spite on it." So this is the result. Kṛṣṇa is Madana-Mohana. Madana-Mohana. Madana, Cupid, he agitates everyone for sex life. But if we actually be attached to see the beauty of Kṛṣṇa then we shall never be enamored by the arrows of Cupid. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). So... What is the subject matter?
Pradyumna: "...thus minimizing the value of liberation."
Prabhupāda: So this is the position of the materialistic person. Therefore sometimes they take to the path of rejection, giving up. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. They come, by knowledge, by advancement of knowledge. But sometimes that also becomes failure. Even liberation. I have several times explained that many persons on the platform of liberation also falls down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32).
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:
So that is the test; how much you have become advanced in devotional service, you can experience yourself. The example is given: Just like a hungry man, if he's given food, if he eats, then he experiences himself that he's getting strength, his hunger is being satisfied. The, these things will be experienced. He hasn't got to take certificate from others, "Whether I am advancing in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness." He'll feel himself. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhava viraktir anyatra syāt. This is the test.
Just like Gosvāmīs, the six Gosvāmīs. They were ministers. How they gave up their lucrative service, engagement? Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. They gave up their minister, high posts, association of aristocratic families, maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. They were, themselves, not only maṇḍala-pati, great leaders, but they were associate with great leaders. But they gave up everything. Why? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. They found something better in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore they were able to give up. Just like you are. You are. European and American boys, you were accustomed to better, comfortable life. I know. But you have given up your better, comfortable life, and you have learned, or you are satisfied lying down on the floor, without any bedding. How you have been practiced to it? Because you are trying to find out a better engagement. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).
Sometimes in your country, they are surprised how we are living without furniture. Because without furniture, living is impossible. Sometimes in the beginning, when I was accommodated in some apartment, the landlord used to inquire, "Oh, where is your furniture?" So they do not know they don't require furniture. We can lie down anywhere. It doesn't matter whether in a nice apartment or on the, underneath a tree. That doesn't matter. So how these things happen? Unless one becomes little advanced, one has got little taste in devotional service, they cannot give up these material comforts.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973:
The qualification of devotion is to become a niṣkiñcana. Means one should not try to possess anything material. He should simply try to possess Kṛṣṇa. There must be some possession. The Māyāvādī philosophy, to dispossess material things, will not help him. He must possess something positive. Otherwise he'll fall down. That is our... Because we want something. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). So we simply, we try, that "Let me become sannyāsī, niṣkiñcana." That is not possible. You must take to the service of Kṛṣṇa. Then when you are fully satisfied that "I possess Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is within my heart," then you can give up all this nonsense, kick out: "I don't want." Otherwise not possible.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.27-31 -- New York, January 15, 1967:
Renunciation means paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). One is engaged in the material activities, being attracted in it, and when he loses his attraction in this material world—he is attracted by the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa—that is renunciation. By seeing the Supreme, he rejects this. Just like sometimes we also, if we get some better type of foodstuff, then we reject inferior type of foodstuff naturally. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Because, "Oh, it tastes very nice, so let me take this, reject this." Similarly, material attraction is so long..., as long as we are not in touch with Kṛṣṇa. As soon as we are in touch with Kṛṣṇa, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the result will be that we shall lose our material attraction. Those who are falling down from Kṛṣṇa consciousness again to the material attraction, that means they are not serious about advancing in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not ordinary thing. It is very easy. At the same time very, I mean, difficult also.
Festival Lectures
Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami's Appearance Day -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:
Prabhupāda: These Gosvāmīs, they were very highly posted, ministers. They were not ordinary men. Big, big ministers in the government. But because they became attached to Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa, they gave up their posts. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śrenīm. Tyaktvā means giving up; turnam, immediately. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śrenīm. Maṇḍala-pati means leaders. They were called... (aside:) One will do, not two.
Devotees: One, one, once.
Prabhupāda: Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śrenīṁ sadā tucchavat. Tucchavat means very significant. They did not give any importance to the ministerial post. Here in the material world, if you get a nice government service, what to speak of to become minister, then we are very much proud. But the Gosvāmīs thought of their posts as very insignificant. Without thinking like that, how they can give it up? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You cannot by force become renounced order of life. When you see something better than your present engagement, then you can be renounced. After accepting renounced order of life, if I am still attached to these material things, then that is not advancement. So these Gosvāmīs, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, they gave up their posts.
Initiation Lectures
Initiations and Lecture Sannyasa Initiation of Sudama dasa -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:
Now, this boy is very tender age. He has renounced this material life. He has got young wife, but still, he has given up with mutual consent. The wife also has agreed that "You take sannyāsa for the service of Kṛṣṇa." So this is actually renouncement. Young boy, young man, everyone wants young wife, enjoy this material life. But he has renounced everything. This is great sacrifice. Instead, in spite of presence of young wife and facilities for material enjoyment, one who renounces for the sake of serving Kṛṣṇa, he is sannyāsī. He is called sannyāsa. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). For better service he ceases to act materially. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. That is sannyāsī. He is therefore called gosvāmī. His name is, from this day, Sudāmā das Gosvāmī.
Sannyasa Initiation Lecture -- Calcutta, January 26, 1973:
So renouncement, simply giving up something, is not very good idea. You must have something better. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you get something better, then you give up something inferior. Our Vaiṣṇava philosophy, renouncement means renouncement of sense gratification. The Māyāvāda sannyāsa means karma-tyāga, simply reading Vedānta philosophy, sāṅkhya philosophy, and everything given up. But our Vaiṣṇava philosophy is giving up the wrong thing and accepting the right thing. Side by side.
General Lectures
Lecture -- Seattle, October 18, 1968:
If you once come to the stage of mature stage of love, then that perfectional stage continues eternally, and your life is successful. Premā pum-artho mahān. There are many different types of perfection in this material world. Somebody is thinking, "This is perfection of life." Materialists, they are thinking, "If I can enjoy my senses very nicely, that is perfection of life." That is their point of view. And when they are frustrated, they find out, or try to find out, something better. So if he's not guided, something better means the same—sex and intoxication. That's all. Simply becomes irresponsible. That's all. Because there is no guide. He's finding out, searching out something better, but because there is no guide, he comes to the same sense or sex and intoxication—to forget. A businessman, when he's failure, so much disturbance. He tries to forget him by drinking. But this is artificial way. This is not actually the remedy. How long you can forget? Sleep—how long you can sleep? Again wake up, again you are in the same position. That is not the way. But if you come to the stage of love of Godhead, then naturally you forget all this nonsense. Naturally. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you find out something more palatable, more relishable, you give up nonsense things which is not so nice to taste.
Lecture at Art Gallery -- Auckland, April 16, 1972:
So it is not very astonishing if by 1980 there are majority population, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and dance. There is no... Because it is growing. Now, here is a girl, my disciple. His (her) original name was Janne. Now he (she) is devotee. And she was dancing in a different way. Now she is dancing Kṛṣṇa conscious. She was a very reputed artist, you know, in Australia. Now she has given that. She was earning hundreds and thousands of dollars, but she has given up everything. Now she is Jagat-tarani: she is delivering the world by dancing with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So that is quite possible. It is very simple. Therefore there is every possibility. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā, when one sees better thing, he gives up the inferior thing. That is nature. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is better engagement of life. So as soon as one understands this philosophy, he gives up the lower engagement and comes to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Philosophy Discussions
Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:
Śyāmasundara: Yesterday we were discussing that Schopenhauer's idea that the world is basically an evil place. So he says that there are three means of salvation from this basically evil world. The first means he calls aesthetic salvation, or contemplation of higher ideas which transport us above passion, just like poetry, music, art. By contemplating these higher ideas, you become absent of desire. Desire drops away, and you become transported to a higher plane of not willing, above our will.
Prabhupāda: That is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā. It is not a new thing. It is called paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), and actually it is happening. Just like my students, so their former life and this life. They have given up their former abominable life because they have got better life, better thoughts, better philosophy, better eating, everything better. So mind can accommodate something. If you always fill up the mind with Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so there is no chance of the mind being filled up with any other nonsense. That is our philosophy.
Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:
Hayagrīva: Schopenhauer's second book was entitled The World Is Will. He writes, "My body is the objectivity of my will. Besides will and idea, nothing is known to us or thinkable. But if we narrowly analyze the reality of this body and its actions, we find nothing in it except the will." And he goes on to state that "The genitals are properly the focus of the will, and consequently the opposite pole of the brain, which is the representative of knowledge. The former, that is the genitals, are the life sustaining principle and share an endless life to time. In this respect they were worshiped by the Greeks in the phallus and by the Hindus in the liṅgam, which are thus the symbol of the assertion of the will. Knowledge, on the other hand, affords the possibility of the suppression of willing, of salvation through freedom, of conquest and annihilation of the world."
Prabhupāda: Therefore that is bhakti. Sarvopādhi, this willing... Why? This willing is (indistinct), because this willing is according to the body. So I get one body and will again, we get another body. So I am willing, but I am. So I have now identified with this willing situation. That is my trouble. When I understand that I have nothing to do with this material world, with this, the production of my will, material will, and I am spiritual, so when I will spiritually, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is wanted. Materially willing means I get different types of body, that's all. That is dream life. But what he says?
Hayagrīva: Well, he sees that the basis of life is sex.
Prabhupāda: He has to...
Hayagrīva: That this, that the will is asserted mainly due to sex.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So that is material life.
Hayagrīva: Yes.
Prabhupāda: That is material life. That we say always that yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Here, those who are addicted to material world, their basic principle is maithuna, sex intercourse. So this strong desire for sex, that will continue so long you are in the material existence, because that is the center of all pleasure. But when we get taste of Kṛṣṇa pleasure we can give up this. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). By same superior pleasure they give up this inferior.
Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:
Hayagrīva: "The salvation of the world consists in the salvation of the individual soul. Man's individual relation to God would be an effective shield against these pernicious influences," that is, atheistic Marxism.
Prabhupāda: Yes. At least those who have taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, they never be converted either by Marxism or this "ism" or that "ism." That is not possible. They can convert the Marxist into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but a Kṛṣṇa conscious person can never be turned into Marxism. That is not possible. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because they have seen the highest perfection of life, they cannot be misled by all these third-class, fourth-class philosophies.
Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:
Śyāmasundara: This is why he calls man a useless passion, because he says in the passion of losing himself or giving up something he will never really find anything else, so that it's a useless passion to give up these things.
Prabhupāda: No. That is his case. But this is the process, to find out, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), to find out the best, I give up something worse. Just like we are teaching our students to give up these habits, so they are giving up, with the aim to get a better thing—Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:
Śyāmasundara: He said in the act of giving up, you don't find anything any better.
Prabhupāda: No. He does not find because he is blind, but we find. We take vision from superior person. So our vision is not blind.
Śyāmasundara: He says that we are trying to find the state of escaping contingency, or we are trying to reach an absolute state where we are not conditioned by anything. This is what we are striving for. But we will never be able to find that state.
Prabhupāda: If we are not conditioned, then how are we trying to reach the absolute state?
Śyāmasundara: He says that we are conditioned, but we are trying to be unconditioned. But we can never reach that state.
Prabhupāda: No. That is his hopelessness. That is not our (indistinct). We are giving up something paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. We are giving something for getting higher position, that's all.
Philosophy Discussion on Plato:
Hayagrīva: Concerning education, he says, "We must conclude that education is not what it is said to be by some who profess to put knowledge into a soul which does not possess it, as if they can put sight into blind eyes. On the contrary, our own account signifies that the soul of every man does possess the power of learning the truth and the organ to see it with, and that just as one might have to turn the whole body around in order that the eye should see light instead of darkness, so the entire soul must be turned away from this changing world until its eye can bear to contemplate reality and that supreme splendor which we have called good. Hence there may well be an art whose aim would be to effect this very thing, the conversion of the soul, in the readiest way, not to put the power of sight into the soul's eye, which already has it, but to insure that instead of looking in the wrong direction, it is turned the way it ought to be.
Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Hayagrīva: That.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hayagrīva: Yes. It's that art, he says.
Prabhupāda: It is an art, that our aim of life by these sensually affected senses... At the present moment we are sensually affected. I want to eat something which is very palatable, I eat it. I do not care whether this palatable eating will mislead me or lead me to the proper way. Therefore we are making this propaganda. So your eating process is not stopped. You eat, but don't eat meat, you eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam. So if we agree to this process, then gradually we become purified by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our aim, objective, is attained. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't stop eating. No sensual activities are stopped. The eyes, in the material way, the eyes want to see very beautiful objective. We say, "Yes, you see the beautiful Kṛṣṇa. You taste Kṛṣṇa prasādam." Everything is there; simply we purify. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If this process is accepted, then when he sees real beauty, real food, real, then he becomes satisfied. That is wanted.
Philosophy Discussion on Origen:
Hayagrīva: Just as man's free will brought about his fall, man's free will can also bring about his salvation. By becoming detached from matter, man can return to God, but this detachment from matter is brought about by the assistance of the Christ.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our conception also, that the fallen soul is rotating within this material world, within this universe, up and down in different forms of life, and in his developed condition of understanding he is enlightened by God as it is instructed in the Bhagavad-gītā, and the spiritual master gives him full enlightenment. Then what he says, the perfection?
Hayagrīva: His detachment from matter...
Prabhupāda: Yes. When he understands his pleasing, as situation with God, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate... (BG 2.59). When he understands the transcendental pleasing situation of his life, he automatically gives up this material bodily attachment. That is his freedom. And when he actually, in his spiritual identity, engaged in the service of the Lord, that is his normal position. (break)
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Press Interview -- December 30, 1968, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: I ask all my disciples to get married. I don't allow these boys living with boyfriend, girlfriend. No. You must get yourself married, life like gentlemen, treat your wife as assistant, treat your husband as your provider. In this way, I am teaching them. This boy was married just four days before. He is professor. So I have got so many of my disciples married, and they are living very happily. This girl is married. Formerly, they were living with girlfriend, boyfriend. I don't allow that. I don't allow that.
Journalist: Well, let's... Let me get a little more basic. How about when someone is fourteen, fifteen, sixteen years old?
Prabhupāda: The same thing. Of course, another thing is that we teach our boys to become brahmacārī. Brahmacārī. Brahmacārī means how to lead the life of celibacy.
Journalist: Hm?
Prabhupāda: Just Howard explain brahmacārī life.
Journalist: Yes, I understand.
Hayagrīva: Well, it's control of the senses, and he teaches us how to control the senses. Generally, marriage doesn't take place until a boy is about 22, 23, 25.
Journalist: You mean in his culture.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We select girl, say, about 16, 17 years old, and boys not more than 24 years old. I get them married. You see? And because their attention is diverted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they have very little interest simply for sex life. You see? They have got better engagement. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You see? We give substitute. We simply don't say that "You don't do it," but we give something better. You see? Then automatically the "don't" automatically comes. You see?
Journalist: At the right time.
Prabhupāda: Immediately. We give something better engagement.
Journalist: What is this?
Prabhupāda: Just like our boys and girls, they are all engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness business, in temple work, in painting, in typing, in recording, so many things. And they are happy. They are not going to cinema, they are not going to club, they are not drinking, they are not smoking. So practically I am training them how to control. And there is possibility because these boys and girls, they are all Americans. They are not imported from India. Why they have taken to this? The system is so nice that they have liked it. So if you spread this system, everything will be solved.
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with Dr. Weir of the Mensa Society -- September 5, 1971, London:
Śyāmasundara: Rationally, I was thought to be intelligent. I went to college, got so many degrees, but I could not in the least control my senses and control my mind, even though I tried. I studied philosophy so hard. But, by simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and coming to the platform of service for God, all my activities became dovetailed in one direction so that the other things were automatically brought under control as a result.
Prabhupāda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). The exact word is there that if one gets good engagement, he can gives up bad engagement. But he cannot make it inactive. That is not possible because soul is active. It is living. How he can make it inactive? That is not possible. Nirvāṇa means stop nonsense, but take to spiritual life. That is next athāto brahma jijñāsā. Nirvāṇa does not mean to stop activities; to stop nonsense activities. Come to the real activity.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- February 12, 1972, Madras:
Guest: If you wish to live without detachment, attach yourself to God.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest: That will be the...
Prabhupāda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).
Guest: Yes.
Prabhupāda: After getting good attachment, one gives up the inferior attachment.
Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:
Bob: Does a devotee lose some of his individuality in that...
Prabhupāda: No, he has got full individuality, but he sacrifices individuality for pleasing Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, "You surrender unto Me." So he voluntarily surrenders. Not that he has lost his individuality. He keeps his individuality fully. But because Kṛṣṇa desires that he should surrender, he never minds. He's individual. Just like Arjuna, in the beginning he was declining to fight on account of his individuality. But when he accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master, he became śiṣya. Then whatever He ordered, "Yes." That doesn't mean he lost his individuality. He voluntarily accepted, "Whatever Kṛṣṇa says, I shall do it." Just as all my disciples, they have not lost their individuality, but they have surrendered their individuality. That is required. Just like if a man does not use sex, does that mean he has become impotent? If he likes he can have, thousand times sex life, but he has voluntarily avoided it. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Sometimes we fast, that does mean we are diseased. We voluntarily fast. It does not mean that I am not hungry, I cannot eat. But we voluntarily fast.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- April 26, 1973, Los Angeles:
Devotee: How does one practice to keep the mind from being restless?
Prabhupāda: To have good association.
Devotee: Pardon me.
Prabhupāda: If you keep yourself with the rascals, then you'll think like rascals. And if you keep yourself with sane men, then you'll think like sane men. Association. That is required. That is the only way.
Devotee: And then, and then for detachment, it's just constant austeri...
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Devotee: For detachment, it's just austerities?
Prabhupāda: Detachment, when you'll understand that this is good, this is bad, naturally you'll have detachment for the bad. Unless you know this is good, this is bad, how there can be detachment? When you are offered two kinds of foodstuff, and if you know: "This is good, this is bad," then naturally you have detachment for the bad and pick up the good. First of all you have to know what is good and bad. Then, when you are convinced, naturally you know: "Oh, this should not be taken." Detached, automatically. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Therefore knowledge is first required for detachment. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā (SB 1.2.12). Jñāna, first of all knowledge, then detachment. unless you have knowledge, artificial detachment will not work. (pause)
Room Conversation with Two Buddhist Monks -- July 12, 1973, London:
Buddhist Monk (1): Yes. The substitute is, according to us... We point out the difference between the sensual, fleeting pleasures, which is not quite a proper word... It's no pleasure, in that (it) brings pain and suffering. In the renunciation of greed is prīti, delight. And when a man enjoys delight, that's incomparably better and lasting, more...
Prabhupāda: According to Vedānta philosophy, every living entity is searching after delight. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature, a living entity is delightful, but he has been covered by this temporary material covering, and therefore his delightness is perverted. So our philosophy, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy, is that paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you give him better delight, then he can give up this inferior delight of material enjoyment. Otherwise, simply by instructing that "You give up this," it is difficult.
Morning Walk -- December 19, 1973, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: And what is the benefit of seeing that light? He has to work, he has to search out for food. So what is the benefit by seeing the light? By seeing the light, has he become freed from all this botheration? Then what is the use of that light he has seen?
Hṛdayānanda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).
Prabhupāda: Nivartate.
Prajāpati: They say the benefit of the light is that light is God. So when they see that light, that is God. So that is the benefit.
Prabhupāda: No. When you see light, you must know there is a source of light. Just like you are seeing the light and the light is there. Therefore there must be a source of the light. Unless you see Him, it is not perfect. Besides that, whether you have seen actually the light? What is the result of seeing that light? Do they explain? Suppose he has seen. I have not seen. So what is the difference between him and me?
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- May 27, 1974, Rome:
Yogeśvara: But we can predict that the cities will go on for quite some time.
Prabhupāda: Yes, it will go on, but when they will see that your ideal community is better than city life, people will take to it. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). When one gets a better standard of life, naturally he will give up the lower standard of life.
Room Conversation -- August 5, 1974, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: So one has to become dhīra. Then he'll be satisfied. Then he'll be satisfied. Then... That is the prayojana-siddhi, to finish this business, material business, and completely prepare for going back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very strict. He therefore advised, niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Bhagavad-bhajan, devotional service of the Lord means paraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya. Going to the other side of this material ocean. So one who is serious about going to the other side of this ocean, for him, two things are very dangerous. Viṣayināṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitām ca hā hanta hā hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu (CC Madhya 11.8). It is dangerous, it is most heinous activities than drinking poison. What are these? Viṣayināṁ sandarśanam, to mix with the... Or... Mix very intimately with the materialistic person and to have association with woman with sense purpose. Yoṣitām. To see woman is not bad, but as soon as one sees woman with a sensual purpose, that is very condemned. That is condemned. So unless one becomes dhīra, he cannot do that. So we have to finish this business of material sensuous engagement and become dhīra. Then we are fit candidate for going back to home, back to Godhead.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: That, that dhīra cannot be attained artificially. (?)
Prabhupāda: No, that is not possible. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Unless you find something better than the sex life, you cannot be dhīra. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Madana-Mohana. Madana means Cupid. Cupid is enchanting everyone. Everyone is enchanted by Cupid. Madana-dahan(?). And Kṛṣṇa is Madana-Mohana, He enchants Cupid. And Rādhārāṇī is Madana-mohana-mohinī, (S)he enchants Kṛṣṇa. Madana-Mohana-mohinī.
Brahmānanda: One is Madan-madan?
Prabhupāda: One is Madana, and Kṛṣṇa enchants Madana. Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful that Madana becomes enchanted by Kṛṣṇa. And Rādhārāṇī is so beautiful that Kṛṣṇa becomes enchanted. That is spiritual sex. That is not ordinary. Therefore the attraction of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary thing. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir, this is the spiritual energy, display of spiritual energy. But the sahajiyās, they take as material attractions. As we are attracted, men and women, similarly, they take the Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa attraction... (end)
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:
Prabhupāda: So as a student is serious, he gets promotion to next higher class, higher class, higher class, higher class, gradually to the M.A. class. That is natural. But if in the beginning he is not serious, no enthusiasm, then what is the reason that he will be promoted to the higher section? That is not possible.
Indian man: No, enthusiasm is there, but there are breaks.
Prabhupāda: Breaks means he is not serious.
Indian man: No, but there may be so many other things over which he has no control.
Prabhupāda: Other things, that is anartha. If you are really enthusiastic, these anarthas will be vanquished automatically. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). They are all Europeans, Americans, they are from the childhood accustomed to meat-eating. How they have given up? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: they have got better things to eat, therefore they have given up meat-eating. So the rules and regulation are there; if we follow them strictly, then everything one after another will come, the stages.
Room Conversation with Alcohol and Drug Hospital People -- May 16, 1975, Perth:
Paramahaṁsa: He says, "Do they suffer withdrawal symptoms?" Sometimes when a patient is giving up alcohol or drugs, he goes through various symptoms which are painful.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. That should be... But unless... Find out this, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).
Devotee (2): "The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness."
Prabhupāda: Purport.
Devotee (2): Purport?
Room Conversation with Mr. & Mrs. Wax, Writer and Editing Manager of Playboy Magazine -- July 5, 1975, Chicago:
Nitāi:
- śrī-bhagavān uvāca
- mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
- yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
- asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
- yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
- (BG 7.1)
"Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, Arjuna, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full..."
Prabhupāda: "With mind attached to Me." This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to keep the mind attached to Kṛṣṇa. That is success. That yoga we are practicing, how to keep the mind attached to Kṛṣṇa. Then it is successful. Our mind is attached to something. Without attachment, mind cannot be free even for a moment. So the bhakti-yoga means how to transfer the attachment of mind to Kṛṣṇa, that's all. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You are working, you are rendering your service without any charges, without any profit—why? Because your mind has been attached to Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise what business you have got to work for Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement without any remuneration? You are all American boys. You are qualified. You can earn thousands of dollars. But why you have given up? Because you are attached to Kṛṣṇa. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You have found better attachment; therefore you given up. So that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are attached to so many nonsense things. When we wind up all these attachments and concentrate on Kṛṣṇa, then life is perfect. That is wanted. We are not going to sacrifice attachment. But we are trying to transfer the attachment from matter to Kṛṣṇa. Then our life is successful. But that attachment is very rare.
Morning Walk -- November 14, 1975, Bombay:
Yaśomatīnandana: (break) ...people, they are nice pious people, and they have accepted some of these gymnastic people as their guru. So they say, "Oh, our guruji is here. We have to go see our guruji," this, that. So how should we speak to them or how should we preach to them?
Prabhupāda: That you cannot do immediately unless he understands your philosophy. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Unless they understand that this philosophy is better than that, how he can give it up?
Yaśomatīnandana: Sometimes they even say that "You have your guru and I have my guru. It's all the same thing."
Prabhupāda: Yes, and a thief has also a guru. Then that guru is also the same thing. (Hindi) Here guru means tasmād gurum prapadyeta jijñāsur śreya uttaman (SB 11.3.21). (Hindi) Nāpnuvanti mahātmānam saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ.
Morning Walk -- November 14, 1975, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: (break) Eternal companion of Kṛṣṇa. ananda-cinmaya-rasa pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāva. The gopīs are expansion of Kṛṣṇa's ananda-cinmāyā-rasa pleasure potency. Rūpa Gosvāmī, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. (Hindi) Tucchavat. But the engagement was gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).
Dr. Patel: Yes, that is right sir. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Because the little part of it is remaining there and that never goes away from anyone with God.
Prabhupāda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭi, sādhu... (Hindi)
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- January 7, 1976, Nellore:
Prabhupāda: ...no taste, no vitamin, and still they eat.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They can everything. They have canned food, canned fruits, canned...
Prabhupāda: Yes. No, I have seen. Eating and remnants, it is kept in...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes, put in the refrigerator. And then you cook it up again with fresh foods, mixing together.
Harikeśa: Is it all right if he keeps it in there and then he puts some on the plate when taking? He puts on the plate when taking?
Prabhupāda: I do not know whether it is all right, but it is not all right that you eat and keep it. This is not all right.
Harikeśa: He takes it from there and puts it on the plate before you eat?
Yaśodā-nandana: He keeps the salt in a separate bowl. When you require it he will give you only as much as you require.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is nice.
Hariśauri: That's why the bowl is there. That's what I intended to do, but I have to keep it away from the table.
Prabhupāda: The principle should be that you should not leave remnants of food. As soon as it is used, it should not be used more. Otherwise it is not possible to give up. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). I am eating something not very superior, but if I get the chance of eating something superior, then I give up this inferior. So there is no question of making it vacant or void. To fill up the place with better thing.... So when you think of Kṛṣṇa, then you forget māyā. Otherwise you are entrapped with māyā. Why Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto? Mām eva ye prapadyante. This is wanted. As soon as you become anyābhilāṣī, then it becomes difficult. Where is that knife? Give me one amroot(?). Cut into pieces and get...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think these are from the local..., growing here.
Prabhupāda: That we should be very careful, that we should think of Kṛṣṇa only, not of māyā, in everything. No more strength. Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14).
Morning Walk -- April 9, 1976, Vrndavana:
Devotee (1): Yesterday, Śrīla Prabhupāda, four or five people stopped me while I was in a bus during the day, and they would stop me and look at me with tilaka and etcetera, and say, "Why have you given up your Western life and taken to this life?" (Prabhupāda laughs) They were amazed. And then I had a Bhāgavatam, and I'd show them your picture, and I'd show them the Bhāgavatam and say, "Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), a higher taste." And then they would appreciate. They would.... They were so impressed by your Bhāgavatam. They looked at your picture, and they'd go, "Yes, yes, you are right."
Prabhupāda: Yes, in my Preface I have written that: "What is the necessity of the human society?" This is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is required. It is a mistake to understand that we are trying to push on Hindu culture. Where is the Hindu culture? To become a gentleman is Hindu culture? It is for everyone.
Morning Walk -- April 15, 1976, Bombay:
Dr. Patel: Indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ.
Prabhupāda: Yes, if your indriyas are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's activities, they are no more pramāthīni; they are controlled. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). When your indriyas are purified, then it will be only engaged in hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. That is bhakti.
Dr. Patel: Rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59).
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Dr. Patel: Unless you have complete, I mean, God consciousness, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā, till then, the rasa does not go, the very sting of your indriyas. So it becomes sort of a vicious circle, sir, and it becomes very difficult to vacate from that.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170).
Room Conversation with Ambarisa and Catholic Priest -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:
Stansky: Now I have a question. I would like to keep a log of my daily activities and start preparing an outline of a book. Now the book very basically won't.... I won't be starting on the book for at least a year, but I would like to start keeping a log.
Prabhupāda: You can keep record.
Stansky: Yes. Now the reason I would like to keep a log and prepare an outline and start a book, say a year from now, it would show a transition from Roman priesthood to Hare Kṛṣṇa devotee. I think this would open up the door to all of the colleges and universities across the country.
Prabhupāda: Very good idea, yes. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). The nature is if we get better engagement, we give up inferior engagement. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. So this will be an example. You are a Roman priest. You are educated, learned scholar also. So when you come to this movement, you do not come here by sentiment or by whims. You consider, then you have come.
Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana:
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: "It is clearly declared here by the Supreme Lord that in devotional service there is no distinction between the lower or higher clases of people. In the material conception of life there are such divisions, but for a person engaged in transcendental devotional service to the Lord there are not. Everyone is eligible for the supreme destination. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that even the lowest, who are called caṇḍālas, dog-eaters, can be elevated by association with a pure devotee. Therefore devotional service and guidance of a pure devotee are so strong that there's no discrimination between the lower and higher classes of men. Anyone can take to it. The most simple man, taking center of the pure devotee, can be purified by proper guidance."
Prabhupāda: Yes. The guidance means how to take him to Kṛṣṇa's shelter. Then he will be all right. The guidance is wrong, no question of Kṛṣṇa, and he, simply by rubberstamping, "Here is a harijana," how it will be effective? Therefore it is failure. He remains the same drunkard, same meat-eater, and he becomes harijana. How it is possible? The guidance required. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). He must be guided.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You started this explanation by saying, "But who will take it?" So is this to say that this religion that you're speaking of is not trying to be made acceptable to the masses, or is it only for those who will take it?
Prabhupāda: No, no. Unless you take it, where is question of religion? So that requires guidance. Just like to make a child educated, there is teacher required.
Room Conversation -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):
Yogeśvara: Can the older boys be trained in a particular kind of devotional service? For example, press work?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, everything is devotional. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23), there are varieties. We are not Māyāvādī, impersonalists, finished, all business. It is not like that. So whatever business is going on in our movement, everything should be taught according to the capacity, boys or girls, it doesn't matter. Some department is suitable for the boys, some department are suitable for the girls. In this way, they should be trained up. But everyone should be trained up to give service. That is Gurukula. And brahmacārī, this sex impulse should be controlled. That ruins the whole character. Our big, big sannyāsīs are becoming victimized. So that is the danger. Woman is good, man is good; when they combine together, bad. This is the material world. Both of them are good, but when they combine together, they are bad. This is material world. In the spiritual world, there is no such combination of sense gratification. Therefore it is always good. Everyone is part and parcel of God. So they are good. In the spiritual world, they combine together, it becomes bad, in the material world. In the spiritual world there is no such combination of sense gratification. Therefore they are always good. So you have to train like that. In the spiritual world there are very, very beautiful women, thousand, thousands times. Here, in the heavenly planets, they are calculated the best perfectional body of the woman. But in the spiritual world, still further. But there is no attraction of sex. They are working together, serving together, everything. But the sex attraction, there is no. They are elevated so much in the service of the Lord.... Sex attraction is a kind of pleasure. So there are different types of pleasure. Here, if somebody, good foodstuff is there, and.... That is also another sense pleasure, and by the time one beautiful woman is canvassing, "Now, come and let us enjoy," he will give up this good food. He'll go for sex. Because he will think this is better than that. So one pleasure is rejected if one is engaged in better pleasure. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). So in the spiritual world the service of the Lord is so pleasing, that they can neglect this sex pleasure. That is spiritual world. They have no attachment for sex pleasure. Yadāvadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmānudyata bata nārī-saṅgame bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭu. When one spits on the sex pleasure, that means he is elevated in spiritual life. So in the material world that is not possible. But by training, by knowledge, one can be elevated. That is Gurukula. So these are the general principles. Now arrange.
Room Conversation -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):
Jyotirmāyī: I was thinking about that, that because the girls are trained like brahmacārīnis also in the Gurukula, they should be also kept very, very simple, just like the little boys, brahmacārīs.
Prabhupāda: No, our life is simple. We don't want luxury. We don't want luxury, but as we are accustomed in so many ways, as far as possible. But life should be very simple. To increase unnecessary things unnecessarily, that is material life.
Jyotirmāyī: I was thinking in that way, simple clothes, no jewels, just like the boys, simple...
Prabhupāda: Don't say "no." But give a taste for the good, then it will be automatically "no." And if you say "no" then he'll, they will rebel. The four "no's," that is very difficult. Still they are breaking. No illicit sex, they are breaking. But if they develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this will be automatically "no." So don't bring many "no's," but give them positive life. Then it will be automatically "no." And if you say "no," that will be a struggle. This is the psychology. Positive engagement is devotional service. So if they are attracted by devotional service, other things will be automatically "no." Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Just like Ekādaśī day. Ekādaśī day, we observe fasting. And there are many patients in the hospital, they are also fasting. But they'll "No, no." They'll, within heart, "If I get, I shall eat, I shall eat." But those who are devotee, they voluntarily "no." The same fasting is going on for the devotees and the hospital patient. And that "no" and this "no," there is difference. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). It is not meant for the mass of people, but at least if we keep a section of people ideal to the human society, they will be guided. At the present moment, there is no ideal section. Everyone is rascal, demons, rogues, everything. There is no ideal character. All politicians, scientists, leaders, they are all drunkards and woman-hunters. So what they can lead? There is no ideal man in the society. The politicians are giving big, big speech in the United Nations. They'll go to the same hotel where another debauchee is dancing and drinking. That's all. That is his character. Is it not? So what he will do? We can give a very big speech, that's all. What is his character? There is no ideal character in the present human society. Do they appreciate our, these restrictions?
Bhagavān: Our restrictions? Yes, they are impressed. They sometimes write about the Gurukula that we are treating roughly the children by making them so austere. But every time they show the picture, the children are always happy.
Room Conversation -- November 15, 1976, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: We have published the small book and big book, eighty-four.
Mr. Saxena: Eighty-four. In that film I saw, that how those foreigners, they are working in the press and preparing all those books and sending abroad, I have seen that film. The only request is this that you once make us away from this saṁśaya. Saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. There should be no saṁśaya...
Prabhupāda: If you increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then it will automatically. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). There is a verse of Rūpa Gosvāmī that one gopī is warning another gopī that
- smerāṁ bhaṅgī traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭiṁ
- vaṁśīnyastādhara-kiśalayāmujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa
- govindākhyāṁ haritanumitaḥ keśitīrtho 'pakaṇṭhe
- mā prekṣiṣṭhāstava yadi sakhe bandhu-saṅge 'sti raṅgaḥ
There is govindākhyāṁ haritanum, standing in keśitīrtho 'pakaṇṭhe, with flute and smiling and with the moonshine it has become, He has become very, very bright. So, but don't see, don't see. Why? Provided you have the desire no more your association with so-called society, friends. If you have got desire to enjoy society, friendship and love of this world, then don't see. The purport is that anyone who sees Kṛṣṇa actually, he loses interest in this. So therefore, we must increase our interest in Kṛṣṇa, then automatically...
Room Conversation -- December 12, 1976, Hyderabad:
Prabhupāda: Spiritually if you enlighten them, then they'll be attached. They'll voluntarily say they are accepting here. The chanting, chanting, then... This is the beginning, that "You chant and take prasādam." Then ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Gradually the heart will be cleansed, and gradually they will be elevated to the platform of āsakti. Then they will not want money, they will not want... Then they will live here, work, just you are doing. That stage, that requires little advancement. Therefore I say this kīrtana program must be continued. Then ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. As you make the heart cleansed, they become more and more advanced. And then this stage of āsakti, that "This is... We shall live here." Just like we have given up our hearth and home and wife and children. We have given up that attachment. This attachment, practical... That is... You cannot expect immediately. That is not possible. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). When one gets better attachment, then they can give up this nasty attachment. Therefore we have to continue this saṅkīrtana. This is the psychology. But there is very great prospect to develop this place, and you have got experience. If you can develop, it will be very nice example. Once successful here, we can introduce this program. And India will be easier because they are by nature inclined to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It will be easier. The kīrtana must be there. Otherwise why we have to take so much responsibility?
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Conversation with Yogi Amrit Desai of Kripalu Ashram (PA USA) -- January 2, 1977, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: Silence means we shall not talk nonsense. We shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is silence. Instead of wasting time, talking on this material thing, let us chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is positive. And the silence is negative. Stop nonsense; speak sense.
Yogi Amrit Desai: Right! That is right.
Prabhupāda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. If one ceases his nonsense, then param, the Supreme... Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. When you have got better things, then you give up naturally the rubbish. So anything material, that is rubbish. Karma, jñāna, yoga, they're all material. Karma, jñāna, yoga. Even up to so-called yogas, they're all material.
Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:
Dr. Patel: (Hindu) But even you get the same thing by (Hindi). So Vaiṣṇava cult is easier than getting the mind blank and then getting all in the... Because here your mind is engaged to Lord Himself. It is... We call as samādhi.
Prabhupāda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Just like a man is observing Ekādaśī, fasting. Another, in the hospital, he's also fasting. So these two fastings, they are different.
Dr. Patel: Here fasting of all the senses and applying to God.
Prabhupāda: For satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. And there compulsory fasting, but he has got desire. So paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. When you get better taste, when you stop this nonsense for better taste, that is positive. Artificially, if you do, it will not benefit.
Room Conversation -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:
Indian (1): They should see the Almighty. They should repeat it. They should recite the name. Physically, they should be strong and stout and be the brothers of everyone. There should be a brotherhood. Gopāla Prabhu has got some grasping capacity. He can understand something. We know the principles in the life according to Bhagavad-gītā, Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa, Bhāgavata.
Prabhupāda: Saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ.
Indian (1): Sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ. Sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ. That means everyone must be firm.
Prabhupāda: Tam abhyarcya. Not only simply dṛḍhatva, but karmaṇā tam abhyarcya. Otherwise it is zero. Karmaṇā mānavaḥ tam abhyarcya. If you give up that tam abhyarcya, then it is useless. So where is that abhyarcya?
Indian (1): It is devotion. To forget ourselves.
Prabhupāda: No, forget ourself not... If you forget yourself, then how you'll work? You must know what is your position.
Indian (1): No, no, forget ourself, that means we have to forget the passions and selfishness.
Prabhupāda: Passion, that is base principle. I mean to say actually you have to remember yourself, what is your position, not forget yourself. Your position, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśo (BG 15.7)—"I am the part and parcel of God." You cannot forget this. If you forget this, then everything is...
Indian (1): No, no. That is... Not to forget that, only to forget the bad things...
Prabhupāda: That you cannot forget bad things unless you are engaged in good things.
Indian (1): Good things. Correct, correct. Correct.
Prabhupāda: Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you do not get good engagement, you cannot give up bad engagement. So similarly, if you do not forget your constitutional position, then the bad things cannot be forgotten. So our position is that we are part and parcel of God.
Room Conversation -- January 15, 1977, Allahabad:
Rāmeśvara: What about buying books? There are so many books with nonsense ideas. That will have to be controlled also.
Prabhupāda: Yes. If the government is Kṛṣṇa conscious, they can control everything.
Rāmeśvara: That means the government will have direct controls over all different fields of business.
Prabhupāda: It has already. It has already.
Rāmeśvara: But in America the government cannot tell the publishing house, "You can only have Kṛṣṇa conscious books." They are tolerating books about sex, books about crime...
Prabhupāda: No, if you educate public that these are nasty things, in the school, colleges, where government has control, then automatically sale will be stopped.
Gurudāsa: Naturally.
Prabhupāda: If you educate people, "Don't waste your time," then they will stop. They are controlling in Russia, publication.
Rāmeśvara: Yes, and China also.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: But that's why I said... That is not possible, it seems, in a democracy. They have to have dictatorship.
Prabhupāda: No, democracy means people elected. If public wants that the election should be amongst the Kṛṣṇa conscious person, then it will be done. One man's ruling will not be possible unless there is dictatorship.
Gurudāsa: Consciousness must change.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (train sounds) So this is the train.
Rāmeśvara: Yes. Still, in some people there will always be some greed how to make money by sinful means.
Prabhupāda: No, everyone is greedy. Therefore education required, spiritual. They should be greedy for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). When they will see this is better position, so their greediness will be for Kṛṣṇa and other thing will be left away.
Rāmeśvara: And the state will not tolerate...
Prabhupāda: Four classes of sinful activities should be stopped by the state.
Room Conversation about Grhasthas -- July 17, 1977, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: ...gṛhastha life. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura independently... Or I was also gṛhastha. Our aim was different. But this neophyte, if they remain aloof from temple connection without attending the function, gradually they will be lost.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That was the reason that I suggested to Abhirāma Prabhu that he should make his business in Bombay. Actually the gṛhasthas have no desire to live independent of the temples. Just like Mādhavānanda, he's got an apartment now just near the temple so that he can attend maṅgala-ārati and the other functions.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Unless these things are continued, the karmīs' poison will spoil them. He can do independent business; there is no harm. But must be connected with the devotional service.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah.
Prabhupāda: Just like Abhirāma constructed that house. That's all right. He is within the campus. There is no harm. And now if he goes away after so much training, advancement, if they are lost, then that's a great loss for the Society. With such... With great difficulty we make one Vaiṣṇava. And again, if he goes like Śyāmasundara, then it is great loss. The whole idea is to give up attachment for material world and increase attachment for Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. Now, according to one's position, gradually... But this is the aim. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Nivṛtti.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't think Abhirāma has any intention of going away.
Prabhupāda: No, he has no intention, but he lives apart from temple connection...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Then he will go away automatically.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Correspondence
1976 Correspondence
Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Vrindaban 30 October, 1976:
They are now feeling the weight of this movement. Formerly they thought these people come and go, but now they see we are staying. Now we have set fire. It will go on, it cannot be stopped. You can bring big, big fire brigades but the fire will act. The brainwash books are already there. Even if they stop externally, internally it will go on. Our first class campaign is book distribution. Go house to house. The real fighting is now. Krsna will give you all protection. So, chant Hare Krsna and fight. One movie expert has opined there are so many ideas in our movement. Try to get our ideas into movies.
Get some Indian professor's opinions. Get a list of standing orders from Indian Universities. Take this opportunity for being well advertised. They are afraid. So many young men are being affected. They have rightly said that it is an epidemic. Let all the Indians say that this is bona fide. Have profuse testimony. Collect testimony in London and Toronto. Ask SubhaVilasa to collect opinions that this is bona fide Indian culture. This same attack came in Germany. By propaganda you cannot suppress the truth. You cannot suppress fire by propaganda. Now we have to become strong to defend. The fighting has become acute, but if you stick to the regulative principles, Krsna will give all strength. Whatever is done is by Krsna's mercy. They are afraid that a different culture is conquering over their culture. param drstva nivartate (BG 2.59). That is natural. If someone finds something better he'll give up the old, how can he stop? It is a fight, do not be afraid.
| Page Title: | BG 02.59 visaya vinivartante... cited |
| Compiler: | MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 21 of Feb, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=3, SB=22, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=75, Con=28, Let=1 |
| No. of Quotes: | 129 |