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Become free (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"became free" |"become free" |"becomes free" |"becoming free"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Introduction to Gitopanisad (Earliest Recording of Srila Prabhupada in the Bhaktivedanta Archives):

Mukti or liberation means to become free from material consciousness. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata also the definition of liberation is said, muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). Svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. Mukti means liberation from the contaminated consciousness of this material world and to become situated in pure consciousness. And the whole instruction, instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, is targeted to awaken that pure consciousness.

Lecture on BG 1.10 -- London, July 12, 1973:

So this is... Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means: try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Simply if you try to understand... You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa fully. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. But to our limited knowledge, whatever is possible, that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. As far as we can understand about Kṛṣṇa, if we simply understand Kṛṣṇa, His transcendental nature, His transcendental activities, divyam... Janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Divyam means transcendental. It is not ordinary. Tattvataḥ, in truth, in fact. Then you become free from this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Very easy thing.

Therefore try to understand Kṛṣṇa. How you will understand Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is so great. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by these blunt material senses. That is not possible. You have to purify it. You have to purify it. Tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, all your senses will be purified. This is the process. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. And you can begin service with your tongue.

Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:

This material body is foreign. I am spiritual. I am spiritual, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But because I wanted to lord it over the material nature, Kṛṣṇa has given me this body. Daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). He is giving you body. He is giving the body of Brahmā, He is giving you the body of ant. As you desire. As you desire. If you want the body of a tiger, Kṛṣṇa will give you. If you want the body of a hog, He will give you. If you want the body of Brahmā, He will give you. If you want the body of a demigod, He will give you. If you want the body of American, He will give you. Englishman, He will give you. Indian, He will give you. That is Kṛṣṇa. He is so kind. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Just like a son disobedient to the father, but he wants to enjoy something. Still, father giving him, "All right, you take money, and enjoy." Father is so kind. "You become free. Whatever you like, you can do. You take some money." This is our concession.

Lecture on BG 1.37-39 -- London, July 27, 1973:

So a devotee, a sannyāsī, they have got very, very great responsibility. People will very easily criticize them. So Arjuna is considering all these points. Kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum (BG 1.38). They may indulge in these sinful activities, how we can indulge? What people will say? Kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ prapaśyadbhir janārdana. "He Janārdana, You are maintainer of the people. So if the people become sinful, so it is very difficult to maintain them." These things are being considered. Kula-kṣaya. So we cannot destroy family. But on one condition we can become free from all this obligation. What is that? Gataḥ śarabyaṁ parihṛtya kartum (SB 11.5.41). Śaraṇyam. Mukunda-caraṇam. One who has dedicated his life simply to serve Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda. Muk means mukti, liberation. And ānanda. Kṛṣṇa gives liberation, His name is Govinda, Mukunda. Hundreds and thousands of names Kṛṣṇa has got. So if one has taken, fully surrendering unto the lotus feet of Mukunda, he has no more any obligation, either these pitṛ, devarṣi, deva, devatā, demigod, ṛṣi, bhūta. He is immune because he is transcendental.

Lecture on BG 1.37-39 -- London, July 27, 1973:

Now, simply by chanting harer nāma, the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, you become again situated in the original position. Everything is adjusted because it is transcendental. So there is no other way. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so merciful that from the śāstras he has selected this process of saṅkīrtana movement: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam (CC Antya 20.12). The human life is meant for extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. But we are not in regulative principles. We have lost everything, our sanātana-kula-dharma, everything. Under the circumstances, Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives us the greatest facility according to śāstra. That is the boon of this age: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, everyone becomes free from all contamination of this age, mukta-saṅgaḥ, paraṁ vrajet. And he becomes so purified that he becomes fit to go back to home, back to Godhead. So this opportunity, chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we should not miss. We should... We must. Where is the difficulty, Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting? Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. This is the only savior for the human society of this age.

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

Viṣṇujana: Do the liberated souls also seek after this Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Those who have become free...

Prabhupāda: They become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Liberated soul means... We are just trying to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. We are not actually in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are... Just like a diseased person is trying to recover. So one who is recovered, there is no question of his healthy life. We are trying to be healthy, our present position. So we are trying to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. So one who is liberated is nothing but Kṛṣṇa conscious. You follow? Yes. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the perfection of life. So we are trying to reach that platform of perfection by regulative principle. But when we are actually on the platform, there is nothing but Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the perfection of life. That is our actual, liberated stage. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That is our svarūpa. Svarūpa means actual constitutional position. And mukti, liberation, means to come to that real position. Just like healthy life means to come to the normal life from the diseased stage. That is healthy life and normal life. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is our normal consciousness. This normal consciousness is now polluted. We have got so many other consciousness. So this is an attempt to get out of all, I mean to say, infected consciousness, come to the real stage of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One question.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973:

This material world, so-called love, society, friendship and love—everything is depending on that sense gratification, maithunādi, beginning from sex. Yan maithunādi gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. So when one becomes free from this maithunādi-sukham, he is liberated, he is liberated, svāmī, gosvāmī. So long one is attached to this maithunādi, sex impulse, he is neither svāmī nor gosvāmī. Svāmī means when one becomes master of the senses. As Kṛṣṇa is the master of senses, so when one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he becomes master of the senses. It is not that senses should be stopped. No. It should be controlled. "When I require, I shall use it; otherwise not." That is master of senses. "I shall not act impelled by the senses. Senses should act under my direction." That is svāmī.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

Mukti means liberation. Mukti means... Now we are in egoistic condition in this material body. Now, mukti means when we shall be liberated from the material existence and we shall get our spiritual life, proper. That is called mukti. Just like a person is suffering from disease, fever. Now, when he, he's out of feverish attack, he's called mukta. Rogya-mukta. Rogya-mukta means he's free from the disease. Similarly, mukti means because we are now encumbered with this material body, as soon as we become free from this material conception of life, that is called mukti. That is called brahma-bhūta. Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Generally, Dr. Mishra is teaching this, that you, what you think of your, what I am, I am not this body. That is the whole process of his teaching. So we have already discussed. This is same point is being discussed nicely in Bhagavad-gītā, that we are not this body. Our material identification is wrong. So we have come to that point, come to that stage, you see, that I am not this body. And because I am not this body, therefore I have no connection with this world—because my connection with this world is due to my body, is due to my body. I consider one woman my wife because I have got bodily connection. I, I consider somebody my son because bodily connection. I consider this town, this country my country because my body has grown up from this land. So in this way, as soon as one become free from the conception of identification of this body, he becomes a liberated soul.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, November 17, 1972:

Similarly, this body, this material body, has been explained as dress. So if I change my dress... Now, suppose I am now human being, and I change my dress to become a demigod, or I change my dress to become a dog. It does not mean that I am finished. I have simply changed my dress, according to my karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). By your karma, you'll have a dress. After death, as it is explained in this verse, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), the living soul is not destroyed after the destruction of this body. Therefore he remains, and his finer dress, subtle dress, is there—mind, intelligence, and ego. So according to the composition of his mind, he develops another gross dress. This is the process. So you, spirit soul, you are always the same, although you are changing dress. Our problem is that we are perpetually changing dress, but our desire is to have a permanent life. That is spiritual education. You can have a permanent life, permanent dress, permanent knowledge, if you become free from this dress-changing problem. That is called mukti. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to stop this business of dress changing.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Mexico, February 12, 1975:

If a man comes, follows the regulative principle even for some time and again he falls down, so so long he has followed, that asset is permanent. Anything, spiritual asset, that is never lost. So little, little, little, when it is complete, cent percent, then you become liberated. Spiritual asset is never lost. So even a person comes to the temple and follows the regulative principle for some time—again he falls down—he's not loser; he's gainer. Others who do not take this lesson and outside they may perform his so-called duties very perfectly, he's loser. So at least for some time let every one of you come here and follow the restriction. And if you become perfect, is all right, but even if you go away, whatever you have done, that is your permanent asset. That is stated in the Bhagavad... Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. And even that little asset can help you to become free from the greatest danger. There are many examples. They are stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore, in this human form of life, at least we shall try to get some spiritual asset. So, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, even such person falls down, he is given chance next life to take birth in very rich, aristocratic family or in a very pious brāhmaṇa family. So, little spiritual asset in this human form of life will at least guarantee your next life in a very nice family. But without spiritual life there is no guarantee whether you are going to become human being or cat or dog. That's all right. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:

I know you have got mind, you know I have got my mind. But I cannot see your mind, you cannot see my mind. So there is intelligence also. I know you have got intelligence, you know I have got intelligence. But you cannot see my intelligence unless it is acted. I cannot see your intelligence unless it is acted. So the soul is covered by two kinds of dresses. Just like we are covered by the shirt and coat. Similarly, the covering of the shirt, or mind, intelligence and ego, this is one covering. And upon this there is a gross covering: earth, water, air, fire, like that. In this way we have got two covers. So our business is, because we are eternal, we should not remain in these temporary coverings. That temporary cov... So long we are bound up or encaged in these coverings, that is called conditioned life. So we are trying to become free from this conditioned life. Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet. The desire is there. But because the life is conditioned, he cannot go. Just like I am a foreigner. I have come to your country. I am conditioned by immigration law. There are so many conditions. One of the conditions is that I cannot live here forever unless it is sanctioned by the government.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:

So the Prahlāda Mahārāja advising that "You give up all this nonsense conceptions" Vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). Just vanaṁ gataḥ, means just become free from this conception, gṛham andha-kūpam conception of life. Take the broader life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you'll be happy. Hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). Harim āśrayeta. The real business is harim āśrayeta. Vanaṁ gataḥ. Vanaṁ gataḥ means go to the forest. Formerly, after gṛhastha life, vānaprastha life, sannyāsa life, they used to live in the forest. But going to the forest is not the main purpose of life. Because in the forest there are many animals. Does it mean they are advanced in spiritual life? That is called markaṭa-vairāgya. Markaṭa-vairāgya means "monkey renunciation." Monkey is naked. Nāga-bābā. Naked. And eats fruit, monkey, and lives underneath a tree or on the tree. But he has got at least three dozen wives.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- London, August 21, 1973:

So, but we do not know. We want to become powerful here by so-called science, so-called yoga, kuṇḍalinī and what other nonsense they are think... They are trying to be immortal, powerful. No, sir, that is not possible. It is not possible. Therefore, people do not know. Na te viduḥ. They do not know. Svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. Our aim should be how to approach Viṣṇu. How to go back to home, back to Godhead. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). They're hoping, very durāśayā, means very badly, wrongly, that they want to be happy by adjustment of this material world. The yogic process is also another material gymnastic. We have not heard any yogi has become successful to get immortality. No, that is not possible. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Those who are trying to adjust this material world by science or yoga, without caring for Viṣṇu, what they are? Andha. They are blind. Andha. And their leaders? They are also blind. Andhā yathā upanīyamānāḥ andhena. One blind man is trying to lead another blind man. So what is the wrong there? Te 'pīśa-tantryāṁ baddhāḥ: They are bound up by the laws of nature, hand and legs tight. How they can become free and happy by such endeavor? That is not possible. So, so simply by taking Kṛṣṇa consciousness it will be nice? Yes.

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

As soon as he comes to that state, he has no more lamentation. Here, as American or Indian or Russian, we have got two things: lamentation and hankering. Everyone is hankering, what he does not possess: "I must have this." And what he possesses, if it is lost, he's lamenting: "Oh, I have lost." So these two business are going on. So long you come, do not come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, your, these two business will go on, lamenting and hankering. And as soon as you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you become joyful. There is no reason of lamenting. There is no reason of hankering. Everything is complete. Kṛṣṇa is complete. So he becomes free. That is brahma-bhūtaḥ state. So this can be awakened by hearing. Therefore the Vedic mantra is called śruti. One has to receive this awakening through the ear. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). Always one has to hear and chant about Viṣṇu. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Then ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), everything will be cleansed, and he'll come to understand that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

Viṣṇujana: "But as soon as he agrees to accept the other bird as the supreme spiritual master as Arjuna has agreed to do, by voluntary surrender unto Kṛṣṇa for instruction, the subordinate bird immediately becomes free from all lamentation."

Prabhupāda: Yes. As Arjuna has accepted. Arjuna was talking with Kṛṣṇa as friend, but he has accepted. Although he is friend, he has accepted Him as spiritual master. The significance is that as soon as you accept somebody as spiritual master, you cannot argue. You have to accept. You have to accept. Therefore the selection of spiritual (master) must be very scrutinizing. You cannot accept anyone as spiritual master. You must be very much satisfied that here is a person who can solve the problems of my life. Just like Arjuna thought. He plainly said that "The problem which is before me, I know, beyond You, besides You, nobody can make solution." That is the way of accepting spiritual master. When one is fully convinced that "Here is a person who can actually solve the problems of my life," then one should accept spiritual master. In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa there is such process that one should accept a spiritual master after associating with him for some time. Similarly, the spiritual master also shall accept somebody as disciple after associating with him for some time, whether he is eligible or not. This is the process.

Lecture on BG 2.21-22 -- London, August 26, 1973:

So here in the Vedic literatures we find that both the Lord and the living entity, they are situated in the heart. The living entity, jīva, is desiring, and the master is sanctioning, and the prakṛti or the material nature is giving the body. "Here is the body, ready, sir. Come here." Therefore the original cause of our entanglement or liberation is our desire. As we are desiring. If you want, if you desire to become free from this implication of birth, death, old age, and disease, it is ready. And if you want to continue this implication, change of body, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni... Because you cannot enjoy spiritual life in this material body. You can enjoy this material world with this material body. And if you want to enjoy spiritual life, then you have to enjoy in spiritual body. But as we have no information of the spiritual life, spiritual enjoyment, we are simply desiring to enjoy this world. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed.

Lecture on BG 2.21-22 -- London, August 26, 1973:

So, many lusty people stand there and see. Seeing means they are willing, "If I could enjoy in the street like this." And sometimes they do. This is going on. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30).

Yan maithunādi gṛhamedhi sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). So this materialistic life means sex life. Very, very abominable, tuccham. If anyone has understood this, then he's liberated. But if, when one is still attracted, then it is to be understood that there is still delay in liberation. And one who has understood and has left it, even in this body he's liberated. He's called jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate.

īhā yasya harer dāsye
karmaṇā manasā girā
nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu
jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

So how we can become free from this desire? Īhā yasya harer dāsye, If you simply desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, then you can get out. Otherwise, not. That is not possible. If you desire anything else except the service of the Lord, then māyā will give you inducement, "Why not enjoy this?

Lecture on BG 2.23 -- Hyderabad, November 27, 1972:

So actually, the ultimate, the last word of the Absolute Truth is person. But, but unfortunately, those who are mūḍhas, or less intelligent, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11), "Oh, Kṛṣṇa? He may be God, but He has become a person, taking the help of māyā." This is Māyāvāda philosophy. They are studying māyā; they put God also within māyā. This is Māyāvāda philosophy. But God is not māyā. God is never covered by māyā. Kṛṣṇa says that mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: (BG 7.14) "Anyone who surrenders unto Me, he becomes free from the clutches of māyā." How Kṛṣṇa can be within māyā? That is not very good philosophy. Simply by surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa, you become free from māyā. How the person, the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, can be within māyā? Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ (BG 9.11). They do not know how much potential the Lord is, how much powerful He is. They are comparing the power of the Supreme Lord with his own power. A frog philosophy. The Dr. Frog. Frog is considering, "Atlantic Ocean may be a little bigger than the well."

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

So long we are not on the platform of sanātana, all our life is simply sinful life. Either you think that you are very pious... Real piety means to come to the platform of sanātana-dharma. So if we do not come to the platform of sanātana-dharma from the platform of asanātana-dharma, we are simply committing sins, nothing but. (break) ...come to the platform of Sanātana, then apāpa-viddham. Then there is no more... No papa can touch. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot be free from the contamination of this material world. Then how? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). You can simply become free from all contamination, sinful life, when you are a surrendered soul. Mām eva ye prapadyante. Kṛṣṇa therefore comes to teach us this. He's teaching. He's so much compassionate with our suffering that He's coming personally. Otherwise, what is the purpose of His coming? He's always being worshiped by lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29).

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

So Vyāsadeva, by his meditation, saw the Supreme Person and māyā also. Māyā is on the backside. Māyā cannot come in the front side. So Kṛṣṇa is never covered by māyā. It is our eyes which covered by māyā. So we, the fragments of Kṛṣṇa, mamaivāṁśaḥ, we are covered by māyā, not Kṛṣṇa. The theory that Kṛṣṇa becomes covered, that is nonsense. How Kṛṣṇa can be covered? Kṛṣṇa cannot be covered. He is the controller of the māyā. And we are controlled by the māyā. That is the difference. Kṛṣṇa, māyādhīśa, and we are māyādhīna. Adhīna. We can become free. Exactly the same example that when our eyes are covered by the cloud, we cannot see the sun, although the sun is there. So if some way or other... We have got very good experience nowadays by flying in the airship. As soon as the airship goes above the cloud, you have got immense sunlight. Immense sunlight. And practically, the jet planes, they go seven miles above the surface and there is no cloud. The cloud is down. Similarly, you can go also above māyā. You can transcend māyā and see Kṛṣṇa always. That is possible. How? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). You simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa will arrange that you are no more under māyā. Simple process.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

Simple process. You just become, as Kṛṣṇa demands, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is sanātana-dharma. Because we are, after all, servant of Kṛṣṇa, but artificially we are trying to become master of this material..., of this world. We are therefore sent here. Just like those who are revolutionary, do not care for the state laws, they are sometimes killed or sometimes put into the prison house. That means those who are not voluntarily surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, they are put into the prison house. They are forced to surrender. Forced to surrender. They'll be forced. Just like you cannot become... You are not free, either outside the prison house or inside the prison house. But when you think that you have become free... Vimukta-māninaḥ. Vimukta-māninaḥ, falsely thinking that "I have now become liberated." Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). But the intelligence is not very clear. This is last snare of māyā. When one thinks that "I am God. I have become God," that is the last snare of māyā. That is also māyā. How you can become God? What capacity you have got? God has created so many things. What you have created? God has shown so many things. What you have done? But still, falsely they are thinking, "I am God." This is māyā, last snare of māyā. Because the real disease as we have already explained, is to lord it over the material nature. Everyone is trying: "I am the lord of all I survey. I want to become lord of this universe. I want to become minister. I want to become president. I want to become business magnitude." And everything fails. Then he wants to become God. That is also māyā. That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

He becomes indebted immediately to the different demigods, sun, moon, Indra, Candra, so many. Because we are receiving light from the sun, from the moon, so we are indebted. People do not care for it because they have no knowledge. Therefore in the Vedas, the sacrifice is recommended, to perform respective duties to become discharged from the indebtedness. So you are indebted to the demigods, indebted to the sages. Just like Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva, he has given us so many Vedic literatures. So we are taking advantage. So deva, ṛṣi, bhūta, ordinary living entities, even cats and dogs. But we, instead of being indebted, we do something else. Just like we are drinking milk. So we are indebted to the cows. So instead of repaying the indebtedness, we are killing them. So in this way we are complicated in so many ways. Devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇām (SB 11.5.41). Pitṟṇām means in the family in which you are born. You are indebted because you are inheriting property, you are inheriting the mother's affection, father's affection. So you are indebted. People should consider. That is civilization. So... But anyone who has taken shelter of Mukunda—Mukunda is Kṛṣṇa—he has no more any indebtedness. He becomes free. All indebtedness, charge is taken by Kṛṣṇa, and He will square up the account. There is no doubt about it. He says that, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Yes. All right. So any question? Yes?

Lecture on BG 2.55-56 -- New York, April 19, 1966:

Now, simply to become free from the bodily conception of life is not... But that consciousness should be made purified, purified. Just like to, just to stop the symptoms of fever or decreasing the degree of fever is not all. Suppose a man is suffering from fever. Doctor gives him medicine. Now the fever decreases and he comes to normal temperature. That is not all. That diseased man must get up from that bed and engage himself in the healthy activities. Then that is the real cure of disease. Simply, therefore, to understand that "I am not this consciousness, I am not this body; I am pure consciousness," that will not cure. You must have to engage your consciousness in pure activities. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa is the name of the Supreme Lord. Hṛṣīka means the senses, this. And īśa means the Lord. So hṛṣīkeśa, combined together, this is called sandhi, combination. So Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means the Supreme Lord. We should understand that our senses, these senses which we are using, this hand, this leg, this eye, the ear, this is all rented just as you have a rented car. This, this senses actually belongs to the Supreme Lord. Because He sees, therefore we can see.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

Now, the stage of sannyāsa, just like we have adopted, this is a practical example how much one has been able to become free from bodily affection. This is a chance. This is a chance given. Just like at home I have my wife, I have my children, I have my grandchildren, everyone, I have my daughters and everyone, but somehow or other, I have thought that "What is this relation?" Therefore I have been able to live aloof from these bodily rela..., relatives. And actually, in this old age, one should desire to live within the family with wife, with children and there are so many comforts. But no. This should be... The development of one's consciousness is that he should voluntarily, voluntarily try to, I mean to say, become free from this affection. Why? This affection is not bad, but this affection will lead me again to have another body. My whole process is that how to get out of this bodily relation, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). The whole human activities should be concentrated to get rid of this bodily, material bodily connection. Then I shall be happy really. Real happiness, real freedom. That is real freedom. For want of this spiritual knowledge, we do not know how much free we are.

Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:

The prescription is for the gṛhasthas, for the householder, as exemplified by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī that his income was divided into four parts. Fifty percent for Kṛṣṇa, twenty-five percent for the family and twenty-five percent for his personal reserve fund. That he showed us example how a gṛhastha should live. Not that out of hundred dollars, ninety-nine percent for my wife, and one percent for Kṛṣṇa. No. Not like that. One should sacrifice at least fifty percent. If he cannot sacrifice this... Brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs, they have sacrificed their everything, cent percent. The gṛhastha, they cannot do that. Because they have got wife, children. Therefore fifty percent.

So these are the prescribed rules and regulations for executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anyway, if one cannot sacrifice cent percent, let him sacrifice at least one percent, two percent. The more he does, that is, more he becomes free from bondage. And the more he uses his earning for sense gratification, the more he becomes bound up by the laws of material nature. Yes.

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

So we are in so many ways indebted. Our obligations are there. But sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundam, na ṛṇī na kiṅkaraḥ. The Bhāgavata says, "If somebody fully surrenders unto the Supreme, Mukunda..." Mukunda means one who can offer you liberation from this material bondage. He is Mukunda. So if one surrenders fully unto Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa is Mukunda—then he is no longer any more indebted to all these obligations. He is immune. At one stroke he becomes liquidated from all obligation. And in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find this statement confirmed in the last portion of Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord says that ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "If you surrender unto Me..." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). The Lord says that "You have not do. You have to do nothing. You simply surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "You have got so many obligations; it is right. But it is impossible for you." Of course, there are systems how to liquidate your obligation. But especially in this age, oh, who is going to satisfy the demigods? Who is going to satisfy the forefathers? Who is going to satisfy the so many obligation with ordinary living being? Nobody is going. But if you don't satisfy your indebtedness, then there will be reaction. But if you surrender unto the Supreme Lord, you will be protected from all reaction. Therefore it is very easy. By one installment we become free from all obligation. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyaḥ (BG 18.66).

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

Now, either you adopt this yajña or that yajña, according to your capacity, but you must have to perform yajña. Without yajña, you cannot be happy.

yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo
mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā
ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt
(BG 3.13)

Now, pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt means cooking. The cooking is the most important business of our life. Cooking... Nobody... A human being... We are not cats and dogs, and every human being has to cook things for eating. Now, this eating process... The Lord says that one who takes the eatables after the sacrifice, then he becomes free from all kinds of sinful reactions. And one who cooks for himself, for enjoyment, then he eats all kinds of sins, all kinds of sins. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santaḥ. Santa. Santa means saints and sages. They do not take anything without offering yajña. At least, whenever you take something, if you offer the same thing to the Lord—"My Lord, it is by Your grace I have got this eatable. You kindly accept it and I shall take the remnants"—this is yajña. This is also yajña.

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

This is the simplest process of performing yajña. Because we require food, so this was done here in this loft as a matter of example. But you can do it in your home also because you are cooking for your children, for yourself, for your wife, for family members. Now, if you cook nicely things which are to be offered to the Lord... Of course, we must be careful to prepare foodstuff, because we are going to offer to the Lord, and we must offer things which is acceptable by the Lord, at least. Of course, Lord can accept anything and everything. He is quite competent because He's all-powerful, almighty. But still, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said—the Lord says—patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: (BG 9.26) "Anyone who gives Me these four things: patraṁ, puṣpaṁ, phalaṁ, toyam... That means grains, vegetables, and flowers, fruits, all these things. Anyone who offers Me, I take that, offers with, tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam, with devotion." Not that God is hungry, and therefore He is hankering after your offering of foodstuff. Not that. He is quite competent. He has got many things to eat. It is practically His things we are eating. So, but still, if we prepare foodstuff in that way and offer to the Supreme Lord, then, after offering, if we take, then we become free from all sinful reactions.

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

Now, the thing is... Now, it is very easy, work. You are going to the store. Just like yesterday, or day before yesterday, Mr. Carl and Mr. Paul went to some store: "Oh, tomorrow it will be yajña." So the things were purchased with the purpose of performing. The same thing, we are purchasing from the store, but we are thinking, "I shall eat." That... If you transfer that epithet only, that "This is... We are purchasing things for God's eating," so there is no loss on your part, but you perform yajña. You perform yajña. This practice has to be done. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. If you practice this simple thing, then you become free from all sinful reaction. And if you don't do this, then what happens? Now, bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpāḥ. One who does not do this, he eats only sinful reaction, and he has to pay for that. He has to suffer for that. Pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt. He has no relation with the Yajña or Viṣṇu, but he thinks that "I shall eat."

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

Then you become free from all sinful... After all, whatever we are doing, we are committing some sort of, even unknowingly, even unknowingly.

There are recommendation in these Vedas, pañca-yajña. Pañca-yajña means that unknowingly we are killing many living entities. Suppose we are... When we are walking on the street there are many ants who are being killed on the pressure of our shoes. So that is also counted as sin. In God's kingdom, in God's, I mean to say, state. Just like here you have to pay by your life if you kill one man. If you commit a murder, you have to repay this murdering sin by your own life. That is, of course, imperfect law, man-made law. Similarly, in God's law also, if you kill any living entity, you have to suffer for that, because in the God's eye there is no question of man or animal or ant or fly or something like that. Every living entity is the son of God. Now, suppose your father has got five sons. One of them is worthless, is doing nothing. And if the other son says, "My dear father, this son, your youngest son, or this son, is worthless. He is doing nothing. Let us kill him," will your father agree? Because he is worthless, will your father agree? No, he will say, "No, no, no. You have nothing to do. He is not harming you. He is eating my, my subsistence. I am paying for his subsistence.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

So yajña is not difficult. Now, if by doing that yajña, if we become free from all reactions, then why should we not do it? Why should we not do it? There is no difficulty. There is no question of difficulty. Rather, it is a thing of pleasure, ānanda. The whole thing is ānanda. Ānanda means pleasure. Enjoyment. Spiritual life does not mean that void of enjoyment, no. It is full of enjoyment. We are seeking after enjoyment, but that enjoyment is hampered by our material existence. We do not know. We are trying to squeezing out the senses and trying to have material pleasure. This is nonsense because we do not know what is spiritual life. Spiritual life means unlimited, unlimited pleasure.

Lecture on BG 3.14 -- Sanand, December 27, 1975:
Kṛṣṇa therefore says to every one of us,
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
(BG 18.66)

It is not possible that we can give up sinful activities by our own endeavor because in this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is addicted to some sort of sinful activities. But if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa as He is instructing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), fully, without any reservation, He will help us to become free from the sinful reactions. (end)

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

Now, what is this meaning of this ātma-rati? The meaning of ātma-rati is that one has to be situated in full spiritual consciousness and aloof from material engagement. That is the sum and substance. So the same thing can be practiced by us also. Of course, we may find difficulty, we may think, "How it is possible to become like Śukadeva Gosvāmī?" No, it is not possible. The real fact which Kṛṣṇa is explaining here, that don't be attached to your result of the activities. Just become free.

Now, for maintenance of your body you have to do something. That's all right. But you don't be attached to that work. You are simply to... Because you have got this body, you have to maintain it so that the body and soul can be maintained and you have to perform this spiritual realization just to keep the body nicely, not neglecting the body. But become detached from the bodily attachment. You just try to... Yuktāhāra. Yuktāhāra means to take food is not forbidden, but you have to take food only just to maintain your body, not for, I mean to say, taste of your palate or tongue. That should be practiced. You should live... You should eat to live. You should not live to eat. That should be your life principle.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

So if you want to be free of anxieties... Nobody can say that "I am already free of anxiety" unless he is a madman. A madman will say, "I have no anxiety." But no sane man will say that "I am free of anxiety." This is material life. So if you want to become free of anxieties, then you come to the spiritual life. That is the only remedy. Harim āśrayeta. Accept the lotus feet of God. That is the mission of God. God comes Himself. God sends His son or devotee or servant. The same thing. That religion may be different. That is not very important.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

Because Ṛṣabhadeva says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). That is the aim. Śuddhyet sattvam. Sattva, our existence, is now polluted, infected. Therefore we have to accept birth, death, old age and disease. The cats and dogs, they cannot get this opportunity how to purify the existence, how to become free from these four principles of material unhappiness. They cannot understand; they cannot study Vedic literatures; they cannot take instruction of Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So if we do not take advantage of our Vedic knowledge which is found in India, then we are spoiling our life.

Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung a very nice song, hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu: "My Lord Hari, Kṛṣṇa, I have simply wasted my time." Why? Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa na bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu: "I got this human form of life, but I did not take the advantage offered in this life to understand Kṛṣṇa; therefore I have taken poison knowingly. I have taken poison knowingly."

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

And now it is practical. Now we are... According to śāstra, we have prescribed, "No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication." Four no's. Then you become free from sinful activities. And then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Your life is successful. It is not very difficult, provided you are serious to take it. So that is our request. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Even if you cannot give up the four principles of sinful life immediately, but you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Then you gradually get strength.

Just like these European, American boys. From their childhood they are trained up for this sinful life but they have given up completely. Young men. Still, they have given up. So the method is very simple. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). If we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then the mirror of the core of heart will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. And then bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We're reading from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, in the chapter entitled Karma-Yoga, page 104, verse thirty-one. "One who executes his duty according to My injunction and who follows this teaching faithfully becomes free from the bondage of fruitive actions (BG 3.31). Purport: This injunction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all Vedic wisdom."

Prabhupāda: Yes. What is Vedic wisdom? Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Knowledge. Veda means knowledge. What is perfect knowledge? Perfect knowledge is that "My constitutional position is to serve." Bring any man in this world. Who can say that "I am not servant"? Is there any man or woman within this world, within this universe, who is not a servant? Can anyone of you say that you are not servant? Is there anyone? Everyone is servant. Somebody is servant of the society, somebody is servant of the country, somebody is servant of his wife or family, or some cats and dogs, ultimately. One must be a servant.

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

There is no escape, that one cannot..., one is master. Nobody is master. Everyone is servant. "Therefore one who executes his duties according to My injunction," God's injunctions, "and who follows the teachings faithfully becomes free from bondage." As soon as you become servant to somebody besides God, then you are in bondage. You are in obligation. Obligation there is, but that is not bondage. To become servant of God is not bondage. But servant of dog is a bondage.

So the intelligent person is he who knows that "I am servant, so why not become servant of the greatest?" Just like somebody wants to be worker in government service. Why? Because government is very big establishment, great establishment. He has got many facilities. That is not bondage. Similarly, why not become the servant of the supreme government? That is perfection of knowledge. So long we are not servant of God, that means we are deficient in knowledge. And perfect knowledge is to become servant of God. Because you cannot escape by not being a servant. Everyone has to become a servant, this side or that side. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:

If somebody surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, He becomes free from the touch of māyā. Simply by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, if one becomes liberated from the clutches of māyā, how Kṛṣṇa can be under the clutches of māyā? This is foolishness. Those who say that "Kṛṣṇa also accepts this material body," that, that is not the fact.

And another thing is, either the material energy or the spiritual energy, both are Kṛṣṇa's energies. So even He appears like that, He has accepted the material body, that material body does not act as material body. He can change matter into spirit and spirit into matter. Because He is the controller, īśvaraḥ. Bhūtānām īśvaraḥ. He can change that.

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:

So in everything, if you analyze, you'll find some particular quality. That is his religion. That is his religion. So we are living entities. Forget yourself. Forget yourself that you are Christian, "I am Hindu," or Muslim, or Mussalman, or Buddhist. Forget yourself! "I am living entity." When we come to this point, that is called liberation. That is called liberation. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we become free from all these designations, that is called liberation. Liberation means nothing more, the conception of getting free from these designations which we have acquired from the association of material nature.

That is called designation. Because I have got a particular body, therefore I have got so many designations. I call myself a man, or animal, or I have got some name, given by my parents. Or because I am born in some particular country I designate myself to belong to that country, and because I accept some particular faith, so I designate myself to that faith. In so many ways we are now designated. This designation should be given up. When designations are given up, then we are free, pure soul. In that pure soul the religion is to serve the Supreme.

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:

Now, our whole thing is to serve the Supreme. Then that's... Now, our designated service... We are now in designated service. That means we, because due to these material bodies, we have manufactured so many service. Service, we cannot... Just like the water cannot be more than a liquid thing, similarly, we cannot be more than a servant, but because we have got so many designation, our service is being rendered in designation. That is the difference. Now, when we become free from the designation and we come to our senses and render service to the Lord, that is our position of freedom, real position. Real position.

So here Lord says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati means that whenever there is some discrepancy in the modes of rendering service of the living entity... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati. Dharmasya means... I have explained to you. Dharmasya means my real nature. Dharma means my real nature.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974:

This is bhakti definition. When one becomes freed from all designation. "I am American." This is designation. "I am Indian." This is designation. "I am brāhmaṇa." This is designation. "I am kṣatriya." This is designation. So one has to become free from all designation. This designation is bodily. I am not this body. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. I am spirit soul. Therefore when one understands that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, I am part and parcel of the Supreme," that is self-realization.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
(BG 18.54)

This is Brahman realization, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that "I am not this body." So long one is under the conception of this body he is no better than the animals. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Go means cows and kharaḥ means ass.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

The service attitude or the engagement is there. Every one of us is a servant. Nobody is a master. He must be serving somebody. This point we have discussed. Even President Johnson, he is the chief man of your state; still, he's a servant of the state. So nobody's master here. To think of oneself that "I am the master, I am the master of all I survey," this is called māyā, illusion. I am not ser... I am not master. I am servant. So my service is now being misused under different designations. So as soon as we become free from the designations, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam... (CC Antya 20.12). That means when we can see exactly the position on the mirror of our mind after dusting over, that "My position, my constitutional position is that I am eternal servant."

But we should not think that my service in the material world, and my service in the spiritual atmosphere is the same. No. It is not the same. We, we are shuddered, "Oh, after liberation, we have to become a servant. Oh." We shudder because we have no idea that what sort of servant is in the transcendental world. In the transcendental world, there is no distinction between the servant and the master. Here is distinction between the servant and the master, but in the transcendental world, in the absolute world, everything is one. Therefore there is no distinction between servant and master.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

Now, here Kṛṣṇa says that one who knows the Kṛṣṇa's transcendental birth and activities in truth, he gets free from this entanglement. He at once gets free from this entanglement. Now, here the word tattvataḥ is very important. This tattvataḥ is the science of Kṛṣṇa. Tattvataḥ, "in truth." Simply by knowing by historical facts that Kṛṣṇa is born in such and such date in such and such place in such and such family... He did such and such activities. No. One has to learn them in tattvataḥ, in truth. Then he becomes free from this bodily entanglement. (door slams) How it is closed?

Now, how that tattvataḥ, in truth, the Kṛṣṇa science, how one can understand? Kṛṣṇa science, that is explained in the Eighteenth Chapter, how Kṛṣṇa science can be understood. Kṛṣṇa science can be understood by this devotional service. You'll find this verse, that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. The truth of Kṛṣṇa science can be understood by become, by becoming a devotee, or a person of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he can simply understand what is this science of Kṛṣṇa; others cannot. Now, it is very clearly stated, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. Bhaktyā means Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: "One can understand Me very clearly by the process of that devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

Just like people are trying for so many years to go to the moon planet. The Russian and the American scientists are competing. But they are so bound up, they go some, say, thousands and thousands of miles up, again come back. Just see how they are bound up. You cannot go. So this is the nearest planet, and there are so many other planets also. So you cannot go by your whims or by your will. This is called bondage.

But if you become free—when you are in spiritual understanding, then you are free—then you can travel anywhere. The perfect yogi, he can travel in any planet. That is freedom. That is little freedom. We have no idea what is the freedom of the spirit soul. That we have forgotten because for, from time immemorial we have been bound up under the laws of material nature, so we do not know what is freedom. But there are information of the freedom, how a spirit soul can become free.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:

One has to become purified by freeing himself from all designations. This is the first step. We are now under different designations. Every one of us is thinking that "I am this body, and because I am this body and this body is produced under certain condition, in a certain family, by certain father and mother, in a certain society, certain country, certain land, therefore I have got, you have got so many designations." But we have to become first of all free from the designations. That is the first qualification for understanding the science of God. We have to become free from all designations.

And how one can become free? This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I am neither Indian, I am neither American, I am neither white, I am neither black, I am neither Christian, I am neither Hindu, Muhammadan. Caitanya Mahāprabhu described Himself like that. He said, "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya, I am not a śūdra, I am not a brahmacārī, I am not a householder, I am not a vānaprastha, or I am not a renounced order sannyāsī." Then what You are? Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa." This should be my real identification. This is very good identification. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness we address our contemporaries as "prabhu." Prabhu means master. And the real idea is that "You are my master, I am your servant." Just the opposite number. Here, in the material world, everyone wants to place himself as the master. "I am your master, you are my servant." That is the mentality of material existence. And the spiritual existence means "I am the servant, you are the master." Just see. Just the opposite number.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:

Therefore we have to practice tapasya, penance. Simple thing: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. This is tapasya, voluntarily accepting... Those who are practiced to all these bad habits... So they will feel some pain, but you accept that pain. Then this pain will be over, this material pain. Just like sometimes for curing some disease the doctor says that injection or surgical operation. That is painful, but to cure the disease we should accept that thing. Similarly, if you want to become free from this material body, then you should accept, accept this pain. This is not pain. It is simply imagination. Actually, it is pleasure.

So... Because we have no knowledge, therefore jñāna-tapasā. And if there is knowledge and if there is tapasya, penance, then pūtā, purified. You become purified. Therefore it is said, bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ. Then you come back to home, back to Godhead. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for teaching how one can be detached from this material existence and voluntarily accepting some so-called, I mean to say, sufferings. We should be steady. But actually, there is no suffering. It is simply imagination.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Bombay, March 31, 1974:

In the previous verse it has been stated, vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). If you are attached to these material varieties, then you cannot enter into the spiritual varieties, or in the spiritual world. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. If you have got a pinch of desire to enjoy this material world, then you'll have to remain here as, either as Lord Brahmā or as a small ant, according to your karma. But when you completely become free from material attachment, then the spiritual world is... So when the Buddha philosophy says śūnyavāda, nirvāṇa, nirvāṇa, it means the same thing, vīta-rāga, you have to become detached. You have to make this material enjoyment zero.

Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

Just like in the modern materialistic world they are trying to improve material comforts but they do not know when does it end. One after another, one after another, one after another. Therefore they are called sarva-kāma, unlimitedly desiring. There is no end of desiring. Such persons, akāma. And akāma means one who has no desire. Just like those who are devotees, Kṛṣṇa conscious, they have no desire. They don't like any material comforts, any material improvements. They want simply Kṛṣṇa. Akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā and mokṣa-kāma (SB 2.3.10). Mokṣa-kāma means one who is disgusted with these material desires and aspires after something void, impersonal, or freedom from all these desires, mokṣa-kāma.

So Bhāgavata says that either you are a person desiring unlimitedly or you have become free from all desires, or you are desiring liberation from this material conditional life, you please try to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Your desires, whatever desires you may have, that will be fulfilled. That will be fulfilled. So this is referred. Akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā (SB 2.3.10). So whatever desires you may have, if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious then you, that desire will be fulfilled. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:

So accept Kṛṣṇa as son, and He'll be most obedient son just like He was playing the part before Yaśodā. Similarly, accept Kṛṣṇa as husband or lover. You'll never be frustrated. That is the whole philosophy. Anything, whatever desire you have got, you can establish a relationship with Kṛṣṇa in that desire and you'll be happy, perfectly happy, never to be cheated. So na māṁ karmā... iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti. Anyone who understands this philosophy, this transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, then what is the result? Karmabhir na sa badhyate. Because every act... We are bound up by the reaction of our past deeds. So as soon as we understand the transcendental activities of Kṛṣṇa, at once we become free from all reactions.

Because I cannot understand Kṛṣṇa's transcendental activities unless I am actually dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa. Why I shall be interested with your activities unless I have got some specific purpose? So similarly, let us develop this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and gradually we shall have... Now, that is called svarūpa-siddhi. Now, every living entity has got an eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa because we are part and...

Just like my parts and part of the body, it has got a specific relationship with my body. Just like this hand is the part and parcel of my body. It has got a specific position in the body. My ear is the part and parcel of my body. It has got a specific position in this.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Bombay, April 3, 1974:

And this conditioned means karmāṇi. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). As we are doing work, fruitive activities, under the influence of a particular type of modes of nature, we are getting different types of bodies, and there are 8,400,000 forms of bodies, and we are rotating. Because we do not know, we have forgotten how to become free from this cycle of birth and death and transmigration of the soul. This is called karma. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9).

Therefore in the human form of life we must perform yajña. Yajña means to satisfy the Supreme Lord. Yajñārthe, for the sake of the Supreme Lord, for satisfying Him, that is our business.

So to do that business in the previous verse it has been prescribed that the human society should be divided into four classes of men. There are, but they should be systematically divided. Just like in any office there are departments. Without departmental work, nothing can be successful. Anywhere you go, either in the law court or in the office or anywhere, there must be departments. Similarly, the human society must be divided into four divisions. Not four division, eight divisions, varṇāśrama.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:

Because by chanting Kṛṣṇa's name one becomes purified, how Kṛṣṇa can be polluted? If, by chanting... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam... paraṁ vijayate kṛṣṇa, śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12). And in another place, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, one becomes freed from all sinful activities. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. Especially. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ. He becomes free from all contamination.

In material world we are simply becoming contaminated. Therefore karmāṇi limpanti. In the... We are becoming entangled by the reaction of our karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). By karma, the jantu, means living entity, is getting different types of body one after another, one after another. In this way he's wandering 8,400,000 forms of bodies. This is karma. Therefore to the living entities, as we are... We are bound up by the laws of karma. But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti.

This is to be understood. Unless we understand Kṛṣṇa, that He is not bound up by the material laws, then we do not understand Kṛṣṇa. And if anyone understands it perfectly, then what is the result? The result: iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate (BG 4.14). If one understands clearly that Kṛṣṇa is not under any material laws, then he also becomes not bound up by any material laws. Simply by knowing it. Karmāṇi nirdahati ca bhakti-bhājām.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

So so long we are... These bodies are made according to the different status of our work we have done in our past life. And next body is being prepared according to the work which we are doing now. But here Kṛṣṇa says that as soon as one can understand the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa's activities, he becomes free from the reaction of activities.

Now, here is the question, that because we are now preparing ourself to have our spiritual body or spiritual life developed, and being freed from this material existence, therefore our duty should be such so that we may not be entangled again into this material body. That can be made possible if we are Kṛṣṇa conscious. If we study Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, what are His transcendental activities, how His energies are acting in this material world or spiritual world, all this... It is a great science.

Kṛṣṇa is a great science. So if we study Kṛṣṇa science with great attention, then the result will be that we shall be free from the reaction of our activities. This is clearly said here, na mam karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). The Lord has nothing to do. He is full. He has nothing to do. But why He does? Just to set example. Set example. He's not bound up by the works which He is doing in the material world. This science has to be learned. Na me karma-phale spṛhā. And anyone who understands this transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, he is also becoming free from the reaction of karma.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

Now, there are, Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa is advising Arjuna that "If you act and follow in the footprints of the previous ācāryas and previous great devotees and kings who have done in their lives karma-yoga, acting for Kṛṣṇa, if you follow that principle, then you shall also become free from the reaction of activities." Because Arjuna was very much afraid for being entangled in the reaction of his fighting, Kṛṣṇa therefore assures that "You shall not be... If you follow, if you act, if you fight for My sake, then you will not be entangled by the reaction of karma." Kiṁ karma kim akarmeti,

kiṁ karma kim akarmeti
kavayo 'py atra mohitāḥ
tat te karma pravakṣyāmi
yaj jñātvā mokṣyase 'śubhāt

Now, people are misled what is karma, what is actually work, and what is not work, akarma. Kiṁ karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'pi. Kavayaḥ means great sages, great saintly persons, great philosophers. They are also sometimes bewildered to understand what class of activities are genuine and what class of activities are nongenuine. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "I shall teach you what are genuine activities and what are nongenuine activities." Tat te karma pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣyase aśubhāt. Yaj jñātvā: "If you understand the principle of working, then you shall get free from the bondage, material bondage."

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

So this psychology's there, lusty desire. That is the basic principle of material life. So when one becomes free from this lusty desire, kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ, that is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. Very simple thing. The material life means the basic principle is lusty desire. Everyone is working so hard because the basic principle is lusty desire. "I shall enjoy like this. My wife shall enjoy. My children shall enjoy. My grandchildren shall enjoy. My countrymen will enjoy. My society will enjoy." This is the basic principle of whole modern civilization—expanding the selfish interest. Selfish interest means "my sense gratification." And expand more, "My family's sense gratification." Expand it more: "My society's, my nation's..." This way.

But this is material life. When one becomes this kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ, that is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. Therefore it is described here: yasya sarve samārambhāḥ. The samā... Any attempt.

Lecture on BG 4.19-22 -- New York, August 8, 1966:

So if one has got sufficient means, he should supply Kṛṣṇa to his best capacity. But when Kṛṣṇa wants that "You give Me..." He says... This is the lowest common factor. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). Anyone, any poor man in any part of the country, they can supply Kṛṣṇa and take the prasādam. So that by taking that prasādam, you become free from the, I mean to say, responsibility of being sinful. That is the point. That you will find in Bhagavad-gītā, that yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: "If you take the remnants after offering Kṛṣṇa, that foodstuff makes you free from all kinds of sin."

So anyone—it doesn't matter what he is—he can prepare foodstuff either family-wise or... Just like I am here, Hindu. I am cooking my foodstuff, and I am offering to Kṛṣṇa, and I am taking, and as far as possible, some of the remnants is distributed to the devotees. So this process we can adopt, everyone, because we have to maintain this body. So if we do not take kṛṣṇa-prasāda, then I become responsible for all kinds of sins. But if we take, accept, kṛṣṇa-prasāda, then I have no responsibility because Kṛṣṇa is taking.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

Just like a child. When there is something fearful the child, it is nature, closes the eyes. I have practical experience. When I was young man I went to the zoo with my little son and as soon as there was a tiger cage, oh, the child closed the eyes. Yes. He could not bear the vicious sight. This is natural.

Similarly, these impersonalists they are closing their eyes. That's all. Just like voidists, they are also doing that. "Now I have become free by smoking or by gāñjā eating, drinking, or smoking." You see? These things are simply false imagination. Therefore they are less intelligent. They are not intelligent. Bhāgavata says ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. They are self-complacent that "I have become free, liberated," this and that. But actually their intelligence is very contaminated.

Lecture on BG 4.20-24 -- New York, August 9, 1966:

Now, today's subject matter is varieties of sacrifices, how we can perform different kinds of sacrifices. And what is the sacrifice? Sacrifice means yajñārthe karma. Just at the present moment our conception is that I am the proprietor of everything. Actually, I am not the proprietor. The Īśopaniṣad says that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "The Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead, or Kṛṣṇa, He is the proprietor." But deluded by the illusory energy of the material existence, we are thinking that "I am the proprietor." Therefore in the scriptures, in Vedic scriptures, sacrifice is recommended. Sacrifice means you give voluntarily. You give voluntarily. Because we have been so much attached to this material proprietorship, that... And without that attachment, there is no possibility of our becoming free from this material entanglement. But that attachment is very difficult to give up. Therefore sacrifice has been recommended, that "You sacrifice."

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:

Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa. So Hṛṣīkeśa, when.... Hṛṣīka means senses. When we engage our senses in the service of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. And as soon as we engage our senses with upādhi, sarvopādhi... We have got so many upādhis. "I am this," "I am that," "I am human being," "I am cat," "I am dog," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am śūdra," "I am American," "I am Indian." These are all upādhis. So sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). When one becomes free from all these upādhis. So sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). When one becomes free from all these upādhis, he understands that "I am spirit soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi; "Therefore my business is to reciprocate transaction with the Supreme Brahman, Para-brahman."

Lecture on BG 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974:

Even very good man, goodness, brāhmaṇa, that is also conditioned life. To become brāhmaṇa, satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjava, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42), very perfect way of life, but that is also risky. Not that.... Everything is risky because at any moment we can be associated with another quality. And kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). It is very difficult position, mixture.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises that "You become freed from association of any of the modes of material nature, any one of them." Gata-saṅgasya. Muktasya. As soon as you become free from the association of the modes of material nature, then you are mukta. Muktasya. Gata-saṅgasya muktasya. And how mukti can be achieved? Muktasya. How this position can. Now, jñānāvasthita-cetasaḥ. If you are actually situated in knowledge, then you can be mukta.

Lecture on BG 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974:

Just like here. We are performing yajña, the saṅkīrtana-yajña. We are preparing food for Kṛṣṇa. That is yajña. And when we eat the remnants of foodstuff, that is also yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ, remnants of foodstuff. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santaḥ. Aśina. Aśina means eating. After offering in the yajña, if you eat, yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santaḥ, you become a santaḥ, saintly person. And yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ, mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. He becomes free from all sinful reaction.

And bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). And who is cooking for himself very palatable dishes, he is bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā. He is simply eating sins, and he has to suffer. Therefore we have to eat, we have to work, we have to do everything only for yajñāya, not for any other purpose. Then we are entangled. As soon as we do anything for my sense gratification, then we are entangled immediately, goodness or badness, goodness, passion, or ignorance. So there are very complicated laws, but we do not know. That is ignorance. So we have to know what are these complicated laws. That is called jñānāvasthita-cetasaḥ. Ignorant person, they suffer from disease, they suffer from legal action, because ignorant.

Lecture on BG 4.26 -- Bombay, April 15, 1974:

So this artificial type of saṁyamāgniṣu juhvati, it may help you for the time being to stop the activities for the indriya, but that will not be permanently done. Therefore this process, that sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam... (CC Madhya 19.170). When you become free from all designation... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said—I was going to explain—that "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a śūdra, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya, I am not..." This is negation. Then what you are? Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). There is activities. As soon as we accept dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ, there must be activities. A dāsa has got activities. So dāsa, when these activities are there, then hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170), that is called bhakti. If you adopt this means, to engage the senses in the service of the master of the senses... We possess some senses, but we are not master. Suppose I have got this touch sense, hand, I am working with, but actually I am not master. If the hand is paralyzed, you cannot work.

Lecture on BG 4.34-38 -- New York, August 17, 1966:

So by culture of Kṛṣṇa science, when we understand the Kṛṣṇa science, then we become free from this ignorance. And Lord Kṛṣṇa recommends that "By this knowledge, you can very easily cross over the ocean of nescience, ocean of ignorance." The whole thing is: we are suffering due to... Just like ignorance is no excuse in the law court. Suppose you have done something wrong and if you say to the judge, "So I, I did not know, sir, this law," oh, that is no excuse. You'll be punished. You'll be punished. Now, in the śāstra, in the Vedic literature, it is said that "Everything belongs to God. Everything is manufactured by God. So everyone has right, not only human being, even the animals, everyone has got the right to live and use things as much as he requires. But if he stocks more, if he acquires more, he becomes the thief, and he is punishable." Now, suppose if I say, "Oh, I do not know this law. Therefore I have accumulated so much things in my control," oh, that does not mean that you'll not be punished. You'll be punished. You'll be punishable. This knowledge we require to know. And people at the modern age, they are lacking this knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

Prabhupāda: Yes. One who is doubtful, he has neither happiness in this world, and what to speak of the next?

Revatīnandana: "Therefore, one who has renounced the fruits of his actions, whose doubts are destroyed by transcendental knowledge, and who is situated firmly in the self is not bound by works, O conqueror of riches." Purport: "One who follows the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā as it is imparted by the Lord, the Personality of Godhead Himself, becomes free from all doubts by grace of transcendental knowledge."

Prabhupāda: Because everything is threadbare explained. You can have answer of all questions from this Bhagavad-gītā, chapter by chapter. Everything is completely understood. Yes.

Revatīnandana: "He, as a part and parcel of the Lord in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is already fully conversant in self-knowledge. As such, he is undoubtedly above the reactions to whatever activities he may carry out." Verse forty-two: "Therefore, the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bhārata, stand and fight."

Prabhupāda: The doubt was there in the mind of Arjuna in the battlefield, and there was necessity for preaching Bhagavad-gītā. Go on.

Lecture on BG 5.7-13 -- New York, August 27, 1966:

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the antiseptic measure. Suppose there is some epidemic in the city, and one has taken the antiseptic vaccine of measure. He's not affected. Similarly this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the antiseptic method to become free from the contamination of this material world. So lipyate na sa pāpena. He's not affected by the counteraction or contamination of this material world.

kāyena manasā buddhyā
kevalair indriyair api
yoginaḥ karma kurvanti
saṅgaṁ tyaktvātma-śuddhaye
(BG 5.11)

Ātma-śuddhaye yoginaḥ. Those who are yogis. Yogi means those who are in connection with the Supreme. They are called yogis. So kāyena. Kāyena means by body. Manasā. Manasā means by mind. Buddhyā. Buddhyā means by intelligence. Kevalair indriyair api. And with the senses. Yoginaḥ karma kurvanti. They work. It appears just like they are doing like ordinary man, but saṅgaṁ tyaktvā ātma-śuddhaye. Saṅgaṁ tyaktvātma... He has no connection. He has no connection. Just like a bank cashier. He is sitting on the cash counter, and millions of dollars are coming to him, but he has no connection with it. Ātma-śuddhaye. Because he is yoga-yukta. He knows that "I am different from this money." He's all right. So by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one who is a yogi, yogi... Yoginaḥ karma kurvanti saṅgaṁ tyaktvātma-śuddhaye. Ātma-śuddhaye. Karma. They work for ātma-śuddhi.

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

As soon as he became to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa, then he is freed from his own kāma, own lust. There is no more his own lust. His own lust was that he was desiring not to fight. But as soon as he agreed to the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, he gave up his own lust; he becomes free from kāma-krodha. So kāma-krodha, kāma-krodha, this anger and this lust, that can be... Actually we can be free from the anger and lust when we are actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kāma-krodha-vimuktānāṁ yatīnāṁ yata-cetasām. Yatīnām. Therefore great sages, one who is able to give up this kāma, the lust and anger, they are called great sages. Kṣamā-rūpa-tapasvīnām. Tapasvī, one who is, who are sages, their duty is they always forgive any enemy. Just like you have got very nice example, Lord Jesus Christ. He was being crucified, but he forgave all the persons who were engaged in crucifying him. He prayed Lord, "O my Lord, these people do not know what they are doing." So this is, I mean to say, the signs of great sages. They are not, I mean to say angry. Kāma-krodha.

Lecture on BG 5.26-29 -- Los Angeles, February 12, 1969:

Devotee: Verses 27 and 28. "Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils—thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, the transcendentalist becomes free from desire, fear and anger. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated (Bg. 5.27-28)."

Prabhupāda: Now here is a hint of the yoga practice, shutting out the external sense objects. This is another process. But the bhakti-yoga process is automatically yoga process. Here it is said, "shutting out all external sense objects." Sense object, what is that sense object? Just like I want to see some beautiful woman or beautiful man. I want to smell some nice flower or scent. The flower is the sense object, woman is the sense object. There are so many sense objects. We have got five senses and there are five objects also. Otherwise what is the use of sense? Now this yoga practice is to withdraw the senses from the sense object. But the bhakti-yoga process is that if I do not like to see artificially the beauty of woman or man, if I try to see the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, naturally my, this propensity of seeing beautiful man or woman becomes extinguished. You do not require to shut your eyes. There are so many beautiful girls sitting. I do not require to shut my eyes. If my mind is concentrated on the beauty of Kṛṣṇa I can see these beautiful girls as Kṛṣṇa's gopīs. That is another vision. So artificially if I close my eyes and if some beautiful girl is in my imagination even after closing my eyes here, what is the use of closing your eyes?

Lecture on BG 6.21-27 -- New York, September 9, 1966:

Just like in a railway carriage. You are being transported from one place. Suppose it is crowded. So instead of adjusting the crowd, better tolerate for few hours and get down and go to your destination. Similarly, we may have many dangerous spots in this material life, but if we are preparing ourselves for going back to Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then these things will be not cared for. Let them happen. Āgamāpāyinaḥ anityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. They come and go. Let them happen. The bombing was not for all the days. All right, let them take place for few hours or few days. We have to adjust like that. But it is very difficult to adjust. But one who is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is not disturbed. He is not disturbed. That is the technique of not being disturbed. The more we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we become free from this material entanglement.

Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969:

Our students, they do not smoke even, they do not take tea even, coffee. So what to speak of other things, so they are pure. No gambling and no animal food. That's all. If you simply follow these four principles, then you become immediately uncontaminated. Immediately. Without any further endeavor. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that as soon as you join you become immediately uncontaminated. But do not contaminate again. Therefore these restrictions. Because our contamination begins from these four kinds of bad habits. But if we check, then there is no question of contamination. As soon as I take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness I become free. Now if I become cautious not to accept these four principles, then I am free, I am continuing uncontaminated. This is the process. But if you think that because Kṛṣṇa consciousness makes me free, so let me indulge in all these four principles and I will get free after chanting. That is cheating. That will not be allowed. Once you are free, but don't do it again. But if you think "I shall do it and make myself free."

Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969:

So defend, Kṛṣṇa also advised Arjuna to defend. So defend is also not prohibited provided it is for right cause. So in this way if we can come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately we become free from all contamination. And if we take precaution of these four principles, then our life is pure. And if we can continue this pure life till the time of death you are sure to be transferred to the kingdom of God. Go on. That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā you have already read: tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). By giving up this body, that person who is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not come back again to take part in this material world. This yogi who is coming to a good family, to a righteous family or rich aristocratic family, they are coming back. But if you are perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness you are no more coming back. You are situated in the Goloka Vṛndāvana in the spiritual sky. So we should try not to come back again. Because if I come back again, suppose I have got very nice chance. I have got birth in a very good family, in rich family. But if I cannot utilize it properly, then again I degrade myself to other sort of life. So why should we take this risk. Better complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this life. It is very simple. It is not very difficult. Simply to keep yourself in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. It is very simple thing. Then you are assured to your next birth in the spiritual sky in the kingdom of God or in the Goloka Vṛndāvana. Yes. (end)

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Auckland, April 15, 1972:

These things are there in the Bhagavad-gītā. One who is completely free from the resultant action of sinful activities, they can be engaged fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So these students are being trained how to become free from sinful activities. They are forbidden not to have illicit sex. These are four pillars of sinful activities: illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā. These are exactly to the injunction of the Vedas. So if we purify ourself... In the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna appreciates Kṛṣṇa, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). How you can approach the pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān without being pavitra? So there is a process to appreciate whether Kṛṣṇa or God has form. Unless we adopt the form, superficially it is not possible. I see otherwise there are... Why so many process of bhajana-sādhana if it is so cheap that we can immediately understand what is God? No. And the Veda says, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That was our system. First of all, they used to become brahmacārīs, to become most obedient servant of the spiritual master before becoming gṛhastha. Celibacy, brahmacārī, then gṛhastha. So these things are all lost now.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:

The most pious activity is to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Pure. Then these are the different stages. Adau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅgo tato bhajana-kriyā atha anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Anartha means things we do not want. Artificially we are practiced to things. Just like meat-eating. Meat-eating, we do not practice it from the beginning of our birth. Just after birth the child, the baby, requires little honey or little milk, not the meat. But afterwards, the parents or the guardians are teaching how to eat meat. This is not our human business. Human teeth is meant for eating fruits and grains. That is scientific. Our teeth is made in that way. So anyway, meat-eating, intoxication, illicit sex, as soon as one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, these four pillars of sinful life is immediately broken.

adau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-
saṅgo tato bhajana-kriyā
tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt
tato niṣṭhā (tato rucis)
(Cc. Madhya 23.14-15)

As soon as one becomes free from all sinful activities, he becomes firmly convinced of God consciousness. That is called niṣṭhā. Tato niṣṭhā tato rucis. Then you taste, "Oh, it is so nice, Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That tato niṣṭhā.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

So our healthy condition is no more birth, no more death, no more old age, no more disease. That is healthy condition. So who is trying for that? Nobody is seriously educated on this point, and because one is not educated, he does not know that there is possibility, such possibility, that no more death, no more birth, no more disease. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu: (BG 7.3) "Out of many, many millions of persons." Just like our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to teach this perfection of life—how to become free from these four kinds of miserable conditions: birth, death, old age and disease. But how many are joining with us? Some of them are thinking these are fictitious. No, it is fact. It is scientific. It is scientific. But people have no interest in these things. They are simply interested in sense gratification. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). This is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They have become mad, simply mad, to gratify senses. But they are forgetting that this human life is meant for making a solution for all the problems of life. They are not interested in that. They are thinking, "By increasing the volumes of sense gratification, that is perfection." That is not perfection.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very difficult to understand, but by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, it has been made very easy. Easy. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. It was explained by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He described the faults of the Kali-yuga, but he encouraged by one verse. "My dear king, there is one very nice opportunity in this Kali-yuga." Kaler doṣa-nidhe. Doṣa-nidhi: "It is the ocean of faults, but there is one very nice gain in this Kali-yuga." What is that? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet: (SB 12.3.51) "Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one can become free from all the troubles of this yuga, Kali-yuga," and mukta-saṅga, "and he becomes liberated, and he goes back to home, back to Godhead." So take it very seriously and make your life perfect.

Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:

Oh, you cannot do it by mental speculation. You cannot get rid of this entanglement of three qualities. It is not possible. It is very strong. Don't you think how we are in the grip of the material nature? It is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā. Guṇa. Guṇa means this quality, and another meaning of guṇa is rope. Just like we have seen rope, one rope, two rope, three ropes. When three ropes are, I mean to say, bound up, twisted in one, oh, that becomes very strong. Guṇa means rope also. So we are tied up hands and feet with that rope of these qualities, three. You see? It is very difficult to get out of it. Then? Hopelessness? No. No hopelessness. How can I get rid out of it? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: (BG 7.14) "Anyone who surrenders unto Me, he is at once free." Anyone who becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious by this way or that way, he becomes free.

Lecture on BG 7.11-13 -- Bombay, April 5, 1971:

If we take kṛṣṇa-prasādam, then we become freed from all kinds of sinful reaction. Because the material world is so made that willingly or unwillingly... If you are not willing, unwillingly you have to commit so many sinful actions. Just like to kill an animal is sinful action, but you don't want to kill. Still, when you are passing on the street, you are killing so many ants. While drinking water, besides the..., all around the water jug there are so many animals. When you crush, I mean to say, spices, we kill so many animals. So we are responsible for that. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā you know, bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). If you simply cook for your sense gratification, then you have to take responsibility of all the killing business. But if you offer to Kṛṣṇa and take the prasādam, you become free from the contamination. Similarly, we require to eat, we require to sleep, we require to mate, and we require to defend. If these things are done on account of Kṛṣṇa or as enjoined in the śāstra... Śāstra means, as I have already told you, the orders of Kṛṣṇa or orders of God. Sādhu-śāstra-guru. They are the same thing. There is no difference. A sādhu follows the orders of the scriptures. A guru follows the order of the scriptures. And śāstra is description of the Supreme Lord. Just like we are reading Bhagavad-gītā. These are the injunction of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is śāstra. Or anyone who writes in terms of the śāstra, that is right direction. If we speak Bhagavad-gītā as Kṛṣṇa desires, then it is nice. And if we describe Bhagavad-gītā to fulfill our ulterior motives for some purpose, then it is useless. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa said, dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha.

Lecture on BG 7.11-13 -- Bombay, April 5, 1971:

Now, the next question is, if... Everyone is trying to become freed from the contamination of material nature, mukti. That is called mukti. Great sages, great saintly persons, simply to get out of the clutches of this material nature, they undertake severe penances and austerity. Then, if it is so simple that simply by surrendering unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa one becomes immediately liberated from the clutches of māyā, why, then, people do not take to this process? This question may be raised. They do not believe. They say, "Oh, this is too much. Simply by..." They say, "Sophistry." Simply by surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa one becomes a liberated soul. They do not believe. And who does not believe? That is also stated by Kṛṣṇa Himself. He says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Kṛṣṇa says... Once, in a previous verse, He said, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: (BG 7.14) "Anyone who surrenders unto Me, immediately he becomes free from the clutches of māyā." The next paragraph He says, "Unfortunately, those who are miscreants, they do not do it." Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ.

Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:

So yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. Pāpam means sin. "One who has been completely freed from the reactions of sinful acts," anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām, "of those persons who are simply engaged in activities of piety," te, "those people," dvandva-moha-nirmuktāḥ, "they can become free from this duality of interest." That means one who becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he has no distinction between one person to another. He has no distinction, "Oh, this is Indian," "This is American," "This is Chinese," "This is Russian." No. He transcends this. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness we can transcend this material consciousness of different interests. We have no other interest except realization of our self. But because, due to our ignorance, we have created our different interests and we are committing sins and breaking the laws of nature; and therefore we are gradually, by and by, becoming more and more entangled in this material nature. So the Lord says that "One who has surpassed this material nature and ignorance," te, "they can become free from this conception of duality," bhajante mām, "and becomes a perfect devotee of Myself." That means, in other words, one who becomes perfectly Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he becomes liberated from this conception of duality or illusion of duality. He becomes a perfect man—jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya.

Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:

Now, one can question why this perfection is required. What is the necessity of perfection? Because there are still... There are... People are mostly under the spell of the modes of nature of ignorance. Therefore they do not know the value of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They can inquire that "What is the use of becoming Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa conscious, and become free from this conception of duality? What is the use?" So Lord Kṛṣṇa replies that question. Why?

jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya
mām āśritya yatanti ye
te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam
adhyātmaṁ karma cākhilam

This is necessary for you to become this Kṛṣṇa conscious, to adopt this life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why? Because jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya: "In order to get out of the miseries of jarā." Jarā means old age, invalidity. And jarā-maraṇa. Maraṇa means death. Due to ignorance, we forget the miseries of death, the miseries of invalidity, or old age. We think, "Now we are young, young man, young woman. Oh, we don't care for what is old age or what is death. Let us enjoy." We forget. But a man who is not in ignorance, he has always in his view that this material life is full of miseries because there is birth, there is death, there is old age and there is disease.

Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:

Now, there are two classes of transcendentalists. One class of transcendentalists, just like the impersonalists, they want to stop activities. They think like that, that when one becomes one with the Transcendence, then their activities stop. But actually, from the Bhagavad-gītā we find that te kṛtsnam adhyātmaṁ karma cākhilam. Their activities are not stopped, but the quality of the activity is changed. Brahman. The quality of activities becomes transcendental. Karma cākhilam. Akhila. Whatever he does in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever he does, that becomes Brahman, or transcendental. That means free from the contamination of the three modes of material nature. Therefore, as he becomes free from the contamination of the three modes of material nature, therefore he's not going to have next body of this material nature. Next body he's not going to have material... The same example: just the, if you put iron rod into the fire, it becomes gradually the fire. The nature of fire the iron rod attains. So when it is red-hot, there is no possibility of its being the iron, but it is fire.

Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:

So by our activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we become free from the contamination of these three modes of material nature, and thus, at the end, we become purely, purely spiritual, transcendental. Here it is stated:

sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ
sādhiyajñaṁ ca ye viduḥ
prayāṇa-kāle 'pi ca māṁ
te vidur yukta-cetasaḥ

"One who understands this science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness," sa-adhibhūtam adhidaivam, "so even at the time of his death, he remains steady in that Kṛṣṇa consciousness." And therefore his next birth is not in this material world, but in the spiritual world.

Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:

So Kṛṣṇa is the higher authority. Kṛṣṇa is the higher authority. If we accept Him and follow this instruction, and if we believe Him, then we get perfection. There is no doubt about it. Of course, these philosophical questions are difficult. It may not be very interesting. But it is..., they are to be understood. Actually, if we want to get out of ignorance, these books are meant for driving our ignorance. And as we become out of the ignorance, so we become free from this material entanglement. But at the present age people are not so intelligent that they can follow. Therefore this saṅkīrtana movement is the best. Everyone can take part. And when Hare Kṛṣṇa is chanting there, undoubtedly... We discuss this Bhagavad-gītā only for understanding that we are not blindly following a principle. It is a science. It is based on philosophy and science. But we have made the process easy, that's all, by following great stalwart personalities. But it is not that it is a blind following. It is based on philosophy and science, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 8.1 -- Geneva, June 7, 1974:

Mukti means no more material body. That is called mukti. We are now conditioned by this material body. In the material world, we are changing one body after another, but there is no mukti. There is no liberation. Mukti is... Simply by changing body, we are not mukta. Mukta means we change this body not to accept any more material body, but we remain in our own spiritual body. Just like if you are diseased, you are suffering from fever, so when there is no more fever, but you remain in your original healthy body, that is called mukti. It is not that mukti means to become formless. No. The same example: You are suffering from fever. To become free from fever does not mean that you become formless. Why I shall become formless? My form is there, but my form is no more disturbed by the fever, feverish condition. That is called mukti. Roga-mukta, free from disease. Therefore it is called muktvā kalevaram. Just like the snake. They sometimes give up the outer covering of the body. Have you seen?

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Vrndavana, April 17, 1975:

And yaj jñātvā. If you learn this science, yaj jñātvā mokṣyase aśubhāt, the result is you become liberated from this aśubha, inauspicious condition of life, aśubha. What is that inauspicious condition of life? This materialistic life. If you want to get out of this materialistic way... This is aśubha. There is no śubha. People are thinking, "We shall make it śubha." Śubha means auspicious by material adjustment. By having nice car, nice road, skyscraper building and so many machine and bodily comforts which is known as material advancement. But the śāstra says it is all inauspicious, all inauspicious. If you want to become free from this inauspicious kind of life, then you should learn the science which Kṛṣṇa is teaching, jñānaṁ vijñāna, not this vijñāna, the so-called materialistic science. You should learn the real science, sa-vijñāna. That is how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, how to become not envious to Kṛṣṇa. This is a great science. We have to learn. And that is spoken in this chapter, Ninth Chapter, the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you become expert in that science, then you become free from this inauspicious science, this material science. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

This is surrender. Mānasa deha geha. We have got our, this mind. Mind is the center of creative force. Therefore we have to surrender, first of all, our mind to Kṛṣṇa, just like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja did. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). He set example that he, first of all, he surrendered his mind unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor, and vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane, and he engaged his talkings simply on the matter of describing Vaikuṇṭha. Kṛṣṇa's another name in Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, from that moment you become free from all anxieties; therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Vaikuṇṭha. Just like, take for example, these Americans and European boys and girls, they were raised very, in a highly comforts of life, not like Indians. Their standard of living is better than Indians'. Everyone knows. When Europeans were in Calcutta, you have..., we have seen how their standard of living. If one has not gone to the Western countries, they could not remember. But I have traveled.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). This verse we have been discussing last... (break) ...similarly, bhakti-yoga—direct connection with Kṛṣṇa—it is not open for everyone, neither everyone can take it. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yeṣām anta-gatam pāpaṁ: one who is completely free from all sinful activities, pāpam. Anyone who is engaged in sinful activities, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is not possible. And these are the four principles of sinful activities: illicit sex-life, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful activities. Why at the present moment people have become so godless? Even big, big swamis and yogis, all godless. Why? Because they are engaged in sinful activities. Kṛṣṇa, God, cannot be understood by sinful men. That is not possible. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind, if one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, immediately he becomes free from all sinful activities. Sins are there. A person in sinful activities cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. But if anyone voluntarily surrenders himself to Kṛṣṇa, he immediately become free from all reaction of sinful activity. Now it is up to me to make my choice.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

So anyway, one has to become freed from the sinful activities. Then one can understand. But the easiest method of becoming free from sinful activity is to accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Easiest way. Voluntarily give up. It is not very difficult. If the Europeans, Americans can give up, who are trained up in these activities from their birth, if they can give up, what about Indians? So it is not difficult. Everyone can give up illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. That's all. This is the restriction of sinful activity. And chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. If these European, American boys can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra day and night while walking in the street, while going in the car, while in the temple, everywhere, where going to sell books, what is the difficulty for the Indians? There is no difficulty. But they will not do it. That is the difference.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Melbourne, April 20, 1976:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that this knowledge is rāja-vidyā. We have got different departments of knowledge, university and institutes. But nowhere this subject matter is discussed, or there is any department. There are... Suppose medical department. What is the medical department? To give us relief from diseased condition. But there is no department which discusses how to become free from all diseases. That is not found. There is no such department. There is department how to give you relief from disease, there is department how to manufacture very effective medicines, but there is no department where knowledge is given that no more disease. Is there any department? Therefore this knowledge which is given by Kṛṣṇa, it is called rāja-vidyā. Rāja-vidyā means the king of knowledge. If you learn this knowledge, then you become completely freed from the conditioned stage of this material world. Therefore it is called rāja. Rāja means king, and vidyā means knowledge.

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:

So there are two ways, as I have already explained, that if you like you can become free from this bondage of material body. If you like. And if you don't like you can continue your material way of life, changing different material bodies. Changing different material body is described here: mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Mṛtyu. Because with any body, material body, either cat's body, a dog's body or human being's body or demigod's body or even Brahmā's body, you have to die. There is no escape. Therefore it is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. And the, another path is, aprāpya mām, this mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani means you don't get Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says aprāpya, not getting mām, Me. Two alternatives. Either you get Kṛṣṇa and go back to home, back to Godhead, this is one path. And the other path that you remain in this material world and repeatedly get a body and die again, get again another body. This is going on. Repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. So Kṛṣṇa is, because He is our supreme father, supreme friend... suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām.

Lecture on BG 9.15 -- New York, December 1, 1966:

And what about, hearing? Hearing, we are... Every, every day and night we are hearing something. There is television. There is radio. There is newspaper. There is so many things, hearing. Not that hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). Viṣṇu means the Supreme Lord. You should devote your time in hearing and chanting about Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-kīrtanam. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). If you simply do this, śravaṇam and kīrtanam, then you shall become free from this material attachment, and you shall be elevated to the supreme place, the kingdom of God. Mukta-saṅga... This is the remedy suggested in this age. You cannot practice anything. You cannot practice sacrifice. You cannot practice speculation. You cannot practice yoga, nothing. You can simply practice this: submissively hear from authoritative sources, try to assimilate it, and become perfect. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 9.20-22 -- New York, December 6, 1966:

So here it is mentioned, trai-vidyā soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpāḥ. They, after preparing themselves to be transferred in other planets, they become free from all sinful reaction. The higher planet, as you go, you have to become free from sinful action. The lower grade life and higher grade life in this material world means those who are proportionately less sinful, they are promoted in higher planets. You cannot be free from sinful reaction in this material world. There will be some portion, some percentage. So the higher grade life and lower grade life means those who are proportionately greater sinful, they have got lower grade life, and those who have got greater pious life, they get higher grade life in higher planets, in Brahmaloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka. Tapoloka means those who have performed here severe penances, and they are transferred there in Tapoloka. In Tapoloka, when there is destruction, annihilation of this material world, in the Tapoloka there is no destruction. They get information, "Now annihilation has begun." There is a great fire, and they still feel that heat, and at that time they transfer themselves to the spiritual sky. That mention we have got. So yajñair iṣṭvā svargatiṁ prārthayante.

Lecture on BG 9.27-29 -- New York, December 19, 1966:

That is called transcendental reaction, that you will gradually become elevated into Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So dadāsi yat. Therefore everything should be done for Kṛṣṇa. And if you do like that, then you will neutralize the actions and reactions. Śubhāśubha-phalair evaṁ mokṣyase. You become liberated. Sannyāsa-yoga-yuktātmā vimukto mām upaiṣyasi. And this sannyāsa, renunciation, means to become free from the actions and reactions. That is called sannyāsa.

Sannyāsa does not mean that simply taking this orange colored cloth. Sannyāsa means to become free from the actions and reactions. Because in the material activities we are always creating actions and reactions, so at a certain stage of your life it is recommended, according to the Vedic standard of, I mean to say, order of society, one has to accept the sannyāsa order so that he may be free from the actions and reactions. And how one can become free from reactions and reactions? Simply by acting for Kṛṣṇa. Even externally it appears that you are doing some bad work, still, it will have no reaction. It does not mean that we shall entail our activities with some impious motive. No. Of course, a devotee cannot do that. But even supposing that you have done something which is impious, which you ought not to have done, still, it will have no reaction, because the assurance is there: ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66).

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 30, 1966:

Therefore He says that yo mām ajam anādiṁ ca vetti loka-maheśvaram. "Anyone who can understand Me as the origin of everything and loka-maheśvaram, and the, I mean to, the proprietor or the master of everything, yo mām ajam anādiṁ ca vetti loka-maheśvaram." Loka-maheśvaram is the Supreme Proprietor or master of all planets or all, everything, asammūḍhaḥ, without any doubt, asammūḍhaḥ sa martyeṣu, even in this material world, sa martyeṣu sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate, he becomes free from all sinful reactions, simply by knowing, understanding that God is great, He's the proprietor of everything, He is the friend of everyone, and He's the origin of everything, these things. If one can understand, asammūḍhaḥ... Asammūḍhaḥ means... Not that because Bhagavad-gītā's speaking like that, not that because a swami is speaking like that, but you should understand yourself asammūḍhaḥ, without any doubt. When you understand doubtlessly that God is the proprietor of everything, then you'll be liberated and freed from all, I mean to say, anxieties and miseries.

So it is our interest to know God. We are always full of anxieties. Nobody is free from anxieties. Nobody's free from miseries of this material world. And here is the process. And Bhāgavata confirms it: na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). We are making progress, but we do not know what is the ultimate goal of progress. That we do not know. Na te viduḥ.

Lecture on BG 10.3 -- New York, January 2, 1967:

Suppose I am proprietor of New York State, but still, I am different from New York State. These things are to be carefully analyzed. Those who are monists, they say, "everything one." How you can say one? How you can say one? In every step different. In every step different. This is dvaita-vāda, duality. So this philosophy of Lord Caitanya, that simultaneously one and different, that is the perfect philosophy. Nobody can say that we are completely different from God, and nobody can say we are completely one with God. We are both, one and different. These things are to be understood analytically like this, as it is explained here. This is understanding of Kṛṣṇa. If you try to understand Kṛṣṇa and your position in such nice analytical way from authoritative sources, then at once you become free from all sinful activities. This process.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness process—Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare—will help you to understand. It will cleanse your dirty things from the mind, and therefore, then you shall be able to catch up anything. To understand anything to do, one requires to be little qualified.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Bombay, September 27, 1973:

We don't bother whether one is converted or not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our duty is to flatter, That's all. "My dear sir, please come here, see Kṛṣṇa's Deity, offer namaskāra, take prasāda, and go home." But people are not agreeing. Because why? Now, this business cannot be taken up by persons who are full of sinful activities.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpām. One who has completely finished his sinful activities, yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpāṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. Who can become free from sinful activities? One who is engaged always in pious activities. If you are engaged in pious activities always, where is the chance of committing sinful activities? Therefore the most pious activity is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. If you are engaged always, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, if your mind is always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then there is no accommodation for other things to come to your mind. This is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa, māyā is there, immediately captured.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975:

That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). You have to understand that "I am not this body. I am neither Indian, nor American, nor Russian. I am part and parcel of God. Therefore my business is to serve God." This is called bhakti. When you are self-realized... That is definition of bhakti. Sarva upādhi-vinirmuktam. You have to get yourself cleansed from all these designations, that "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am American," "I am this," "I am cat," "I am dog." These are all designations because I am pure soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. And these conceptions are designation. So you have to be educated how to become free from the designation. That is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170), that when we become free from the designation...

It does not mean because I become free from the designation, therefore I become zero. No, I remain because I am spirit soul, eternal. I may become sometimes American, sometimes Indian, sometimes cat, sometime dog, but that is change of designation or body. But as spirit soul, I am eternal. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). These things are all clearly stated.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975:

So our request is that all over the world they should take advantage of this knowledge. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a bluffing movement. It is scientific movement for the benefit of the whole world. They are suffering. So that is our request, that let us wash ourself from the designation. Then how it will be possible? It will be possible. What is that?

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
(SB 1.2.17)

Hṛdy an... This I am thinking, "American, Indian, Hindu, Muslim," this is all dirty things in my heart. You cleanse your heart. Hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ abhadrāṇi. The dirty things are within my heart, so if we cleanse our heart, then we become free from this designation. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu. These dirty things will be cleansed if we regularly hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 13.16 -- Bombay, October 10, 1973:

So therefore in this age, if we want to save ourselves from this onslaught of this age, the proposition is kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was informed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "My dear King, I have described about the faulty nature of this age." Kaler doṣa-nidhi. Doṣa-nidhi means an ocean of faults. "But there is one good opportunity." Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. "There is one good quality." What is that? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one can become free from all this contamination and he can go back to home, back to Godhead." This is another advantage of Kali-yuga. In other yuga one has to undergo so much severe austerity, penances. Then one can realize. But in this age the things have been made easy. That is also mercy of Kṛṣṇa because these people are so much, disturbed and fallen, downtrodden, they cannot undergo very severe austerity. Simply chant.

Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:

So the enjoyable is this matter, this material world, and the living entities, they are trying to enjoy. They are not actually enjoyer. They are suffering. They are becoming entangled because by this enjoying spirit we are developing different types of mentality, and at the time of death, according to that mentality, I get the next body. That means by this enjoying spirit I am getting entangled. I am not becoming free. If at the time of, if I live like dogs, dog mentality, then naturally at the time of death my mentality will be like a dog and naturally I get a dog's body. Then I enjoy. The dog is also enjoying. They forget. The animals... The ant is also enjoying, and Lord Brahmā is also enjoying. So this puruṣa spirit is material life.

So that puruṣa... Puruṣa means the living entity. Kṛṣṇa says here that prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhy anādī. Anādī, eternal. It is not temporary; it is eternal. There are five things: the living entities, the prakṛti, God, and the work... There are... Prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhy anādī. Anādī means eternal. It is not created. It is there but it becomes manifested. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

Lecture on BG 1322 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976:

So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a humble attempt to awaken the whole human society to this spiritual knowledge and act according to the instruction of spiritual life and be happy and be prepared for the next life. The perfection of next life is to become free from the laws of material nature. That is the highest perfection. Saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ. That can be possible when you go back home back to Godhead. That is not very difficult at the same time. Janma karma ca divyaṁ me jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Very simple thing. You simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Why Kṛṣṇa comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). What is dharmasya glāniḥ? What is dharma? Why does He come? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Who is sādhu, who is duṣkṛta? These things are to be studied.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

Duality. Our position in this dual world is we are always doubtful. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), but we are doubtful. That is material influence. "How it is that simply by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa I become free from all material contamination or sinful activities results?" Doubt. But actually, you should not be doubtful. You should accept because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You should accept His word as it is. And because we are doubtful, we are presenting Kṛṣṇa in a different way. And there are so many commentators, so many swamis, they put Kṛṣṇa in a different way. But Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. Law of identity. You cannot comment on the Kṛṣṇa's personality. He says that "I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." We accept that. Then we can understand Bhagavad-gītā and take advantage of it; otherwise (it is) not possible. And that requires daivī sampat, godly characteristics.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Hawaii, January 31, 1975:

First of all abhayam. Abhayam means we are always afraid. We are always agitated, anxiety, because I am thinking, "I am this body." But if you are completely realized that you are not this body, you are something else, spirit soul, then I am immediately free from anxieties. That is called abhayam, no more fear, no more anxiety. Because everyone is ultimately afraid of being killed. But if he understands fully that he is not this body, then killed or not killed, he is not any attached to this body. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, therefore, deha smṛti nāhi jār, saṁsāra bandhan kaha tār:(?) "If one becomes free from the bodily concept of life, then where is material miseries?" Material miseries does not affect him. He know that... Just like I am putting on this shirt. If it is torn, so am I affected? I am not affected. I am within this shirt. Similarly, if I am fully convinced that I am not this body, then if there is some injury or some disease or some mishap in the body, I am not concerned because I know that I am not this body. That is self-realization.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Sanand, December 26, 1975:

So therefore, when we stop our desires for material enjoyment... Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). Karma means to desire to be elevated in the higher planetary system, Svargaloka. (break) ...jñāna. The jñānīs, they are trying to elevate themselves to the impersonal Brahman. So these are not pure devotional service. (break) Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (CC Madhya 19.167), no desire for material conception of life. So jñāna is also another desire, negative desire, to become free from this material world. That is desire. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said,

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta
kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva śānta
(CC Madhya 19.149)

He said that bhukti-kāmī, the material persons who are desiring improvement in this world, in this life, and going to the heavenly planet next life... That is called bhukti. And mukti... Desiring liberation, that is called mukti, and... Or become one with the Supreme Brahman, that is mukti. And siddhi, yogis, they are trying to achieve some success in aṣṭa-siddhi, aṇimā, laghimā. So everyone is desiring. So therefore Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma: "A devotee of Kṛṣṇa is not desirous of anything, either bhukti, mukti, or siddhi." The purport is, so long you desire something, you'll never get peace of mind. And a bhakta does not desire anything. He is satisfied with any position, whatever is offered to him by Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hawaii, February 4, 1975:

Therefore a devotee knows how to do things. He knows not automatically, but he learns from the spiritual master, the representative of God. Then he becomes perfect. Otherwise asura. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ (BG 16.7). The asuras, they do not know what is cleanliness, what is proper behavior. That is asuric quality. So we have explained. By asuric quality we remain conditioned with this material world. But daivī qual..., by divine quality, we can become free from this material bondage and go back to home, back to Godhead. So these things are very elaborately explained in this chapter, Sixteenth Chapter. So let us know who is demon and who is divine. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hyderabad, December 16, 1976:

So the cultivation of knowledge how one can go back to that sanātana-dhāma and associate with the supreme sanātana and remain yourself sanātana, that is called sanātana-dharma. So we have to cultivate that sanātana-dharma, means we have to purify ourself from the material qualification or material designation. Here we have got material designation: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am this and that." So one has to become free. That is purification, when we understand that, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced Himself, that "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a śūdra, I am not a sannyāsī, I am not a brahmacārī, but I am servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa (CC Madhya 13.80)." Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. If we come to this understanding, that is our purification.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hyderabad, December 16, 1976:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an endeavor to make everyone a pure Vaiṣṇava. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Then he will be nirmala. In that nirmala stage, when he engages himself in the service of the Lord, that is called bhakti. Bhakti is not the activities of this material world. Bhakti is activity, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). To become identified with Brahman, that is not sufficient. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. That is not sufficient. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). When you become free from this material designation, brahma-bhūtaḥ stage, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that is a stage, neutral stage. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. Means you become free from the material anxieties. Material life means śocati, kāṅkṣati. Always people want something, and whatever he has got, if he has lost, he laments for something. This is our material life. But when you come to the Brahman platform, na śocati na... This is the first qualification—no more lamentation, no more hankering. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Then sarveṣu bhūteṣu, every living entity, he can... He knows that every living entity is the son of Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4), Kṛṣṇa says. So why shall I distinguish between this person to that person? Everyone is Vaiṣṇava. That is mahā-bhāgavata. Mahā-bhāgavata does not see any distinction.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:

But unfortunately, instead of taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa, we have taken shelter of lusty desire. This is demonic. Therefore it is said, kāmam āśritya duṣpūram. Duṣpūram... Duḥ. Duḥ means very difficult, and pūram means satisfaction. Duṣpūram. We have taken shelter of lusty desires which will never be satisfied. This is our position. Kāmam āśritya duṣpūram. These materialistic person, demon, their desires are never fulfilled-increasing, increasing, increasing, more, more more. So that means, increasing means, we are becoming implicated more and more. The business of human life is how to become free from this material encagement, but the asuras or the demons, instead of becoming free from material entanglement, they become more and more involved.

Lecture on BG 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

So because he saw a saintly person, he got his sense. He asked him that "How I can get rid of this sinful life?" So Nārada Muni suggested, that "I shall give you the way how you can become free from this sinful life." So he made him a disciple and asked him to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and sit down on the bank of the Ganges, and the hunter said, "Sir where shall I get my food?" Nārada Muni said, "I'll send you, don't bother. I'll send you food." So the village people, when they understood that the hunter has become a saintly person, so everyone used to come and see him. Somebody was bringing some rice, somebody wheat, somebody some sweets, some fruits, some flower. So huge quantity of foodstuff was coming. So in this way, he became a perfect saintly Vaiṣṇava.

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

Parā-bhakti. Na aparā. Aparā means material, and parā means transcendental. Parā-bhakti. Without coming to the stage of parā-bhakti, one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. So that parā-bhakti means one must be freed from all sinful activities. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. Not ordinary man. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānām, janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. Those who are always engaged in pious activities, they cannot be engaged in sinful activities. By pious activities, constantly being engaged in pious activities... Then what is that pious activities? Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Simply if you hear and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, you become pious. Even you, you do not understand, if you simply engage. So the method is very simple. You can become pious and you can become free from all sinful activities.

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

So one should be free from all material desires. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Jñāna, nirbheda-brahmānusandhanaḥ(?). This is generally understood as jñāna. And karma means to be elevated to the higher planetary systems, heavenly planets. So anāvṛtam. We should not be touched with jñāna and karma. Neither we have any material desires. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Simply cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness ānukūlyena, favorably. Bhaktir uttamā. That is the highest platform of devotional service.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
(CC Madhya 19.170)

When we become free from all designations... We have so many designations: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am this," "I am that." These are our upādhi. I am pure soul. And as pure soul, I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. My only business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā (CC Madhya 19.167). Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīka, the senses, when the senses are engaged in the service of the proprietor of the sense, Hṛṣīkeśa, that is called bhakti. So nistraiguṇya means to be situated on the platform where these three guṇas cannot affect. That is nistraiguṇya.

Lecture on BG Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 25, 1966:

...because we are now encumbered with this material body, and as soon as we become free from this material conception of life, that is called mukti. That is called brahma-bhūta. Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Generally, Dr. Mishra is teaching this, that you, what you think of you, what I am, I am not this body. That is the whole process of his teaching. So we have already discussed. The same point is being described nicely in Bhagavad-gītā, that we are not this body. Our material identification is wrong... (break) (end)

Page Title:Become free (Lectures, BG)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:24 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=111, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:111