Cannot live without

Expressions researched:
"can not live without" |"cannot even live without" |"cannot live without"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 6.4, Translation and Purport:

A person is said to be elevated in yoga when, having renounced all material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in fruitive activities.

When a person is fully engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he is pleased in himself, and thus he is no longer engaged in sense gratification or in fruitive activities. Otherwise, one must be engaged in sense gratification, since one cannot live without engagement. Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one must be always seeking self-centered or extended selfish activities. But a Kṛṣṇa conscious person can do everything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa and thereby be perfectly detached from sense gratification. One who has no such realization must mechanically try to escape material desires before being elevated to the top rung of the yoga ladder.

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 10.9, Purport:

This plant of devotional service is fully described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā, Chapter Nineteen). It is explained there that when the complete plant takes shelter under the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, one becomes fully absorbed in love of God; then he cannot live even for a moment without being in contact with the Supreme Lord, just as a fish cannot live without water. In such a state, the devotee actually attains the transcendental qualities in contact with the Supreme Lord.

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also full of such narrations about the relationship between the Supreme Lord and His devotees; therefore the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very dear to the devotees, as stated in the Bhāgavatam itself (12.13.18).

SB Canto 3

SB 3.1.40, Purport:

A faithful wife cannot live without her lord, the husband, and therefore all widows used to voluntarily embrace the burning fire which consumed the dead husband. This system was very common in India because all the wives were chaste and faithful to their husbands. Later on, with the advent of the age of Kali, the wives gradually began to be less adherent to their husbands, and the voluntary embrace of the fire by the widows became a thing of the past. Very recently the system was abolished, since the voluntary system had become a forcible social custom.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 13.138, Purport:

Only when the mind is free from designations can one desire the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The mind must have some occupation. If a person is to be free of material things, his mind cannot be vacant; there must be subject matters for thinking, feeling and willing. Unless one's mind is filled with thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, feelings for Kṛṣṇa and a desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, the mind will be filled with material activities. Those who have given up all material activities and have ceased thinking of them should always retain the ambition to think of Kṛṣṇa. Without Kṛṣṇa, one cannot live, just as a person cannot live without some enjoyment for his mind.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:

Nowadays they are educated, but they must have a good service. That means he's a śūdra. Without finding a master, his education has no value. So therefore in the śāstra it is said, kalau śūdrā sambhavāḥ. Kalau, "In this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is śūdra." Because he cannot even live without having a master. He must have a master to provide him. But the Vedic culture is that brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they will not accept any service. No. They will die of starvation. Especially brāhmaṇa. That is enjoined in the śāstras, that a brāhmaṇa, if he is in bad position some way or other, economically, he may accept the position of a kṣatriya or a vaiśya, but he should not accept the position of a śūdra. That is doggish. This is so injunction.

Therefore formerly a brāhmaṇa, when he accepts a service from anywhere, he was rejected from the brāhmaṇa society.

Lecture on BG 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973:

When you live with family because you cannot renounce, so that is allowed. But you live with family with Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is there, but he is thinking in terms of material role, that "If my kinsmen are dead, I kill them, then where is my good? It is no good. What shall I do with the victory and happiness? Where is happiness? I cannot live without them." This is the conception. Ataḥ gṛha... Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam (SB 5.5.8). This is illusion. Everyone is trying to become happy with society, friendship and love, children, wife, friends, money and house and land. This is the conception of material.... So Arjuna is thinking in material concept of life. He is not thinking that "My ultimate good is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa." This is the Bhagavad-gītā's purport. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One has to change to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, not to satisfy himself or the family or the society or the nation, no. Whether Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, that is the criterion.

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

"I am not your servant. I am servant of these $25." So there is no question of service. So similarly, the master also, he thinks, "I am giving you $25 because I am exacting some service from you." So here there is no question of... The service is there, but it is perverted, perverted, in a different way. That is not real service. Service is there. Because I cannot live without service. That is my nature. Just exactly the same way: the water is always liquid, either it is designated black, or designated white. That doesn't matter. But water is there.

What is this? (sound of footsteps walking away) Is that clear? (laughs) Thank you very much. Thank you.

Lecture on BG 6.2-5 -- Los Angeles, February 14, 1969:

Devotee: Purport: "When a person is fully engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he is pleased in himself and thus he is no longer engaged in sense gratification or in fruitive activities. Otherwise, one must be engaged in sense gratification since one cannot live without engagement."

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the point. We must have engagement. We cannot stop, the same example. You cannot stop a child working. Or in activities. By nature we are living entities, we must act. It is not possible to stop activities. So just like it is said, "An idle brain is a devil's workshop." So if we have no good engagement, then you will have to engage yourself in something nonsense. Just like child, if he's not engaged in education, he becomes a spoiled child. Similarly, our two business: either material sense gratification or Kṛṣṇa consciousness or bhakti-yoga or yoga. So if I am not in yoga system, then I must be in sense gratification.

Lecture on BG 9.18-19 -- New York, December 4, 1966:

"And you are living in Me. You are not independent." You are living. Where you are living? I am living on the earth, underneath the sky. And what is the sky, and what is this earth? This is energy, energy of the Supreme Lord. So nivāsaḥ śaraṇam. "You are trying to live. Every moment you are flattering somebody who is greater than you, but why don't you come to Me? You cannot live without flattering your boss. That is your position."

Śaraṇam. Śaraṇam means to take shelter of somebody. Especially in these days, however educated I may be, with an application I take shelter of a big man: "Please give me some employment." However great I may be... I may be very intelligent man to become the ruler of this country. Oh, I will have to, I mean to say, place flatters on the street: "Please vote for me. Please vote for me.

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

Just like, not your country, in our country, there is prohibition. In some cities there is strictly prohibition. No wine can be available. But still, there are wine shops, under government license. So this wine shop does not mean to encourage citizens to come and drink wine. No. The idea is to restrict, to restrict. Those who cannot live without liquor, for them, there is some concession. Because one must live after all. Similarly, one who cannot avoid meat-eating, for him, that demigod, goddess Kālī... But unfortunately, some foolish persons, they have advertised by goddess Kālī worshiping, he has become God. These are all foolishness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1976:

They do not want, but it is increasing. Similarly, unwanted necessities. This is called anartha. Simple thing. Just like we require some food. That is essential. We cannot live without taking food. That is not possible. So Kṛṣṇa is giving very simple formula, that annād bhavanti bhūtāni. If there is sufficient quantity of anna, or eatables, then people become very nice, well-satisfied, either animal or man. If he can eat sufficiently, he's satisfied. So annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Bhavanti means flourish. He becomes healthy, he becomes strong, and he can think nicely, he can work nicely. So anna is required. But simple method is given how anna is produced. That is also given, annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. If there is sufficient rain, then you can easily produce food grain.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Mayapura, October 24, 1974:

If we take it... Just like the jaundiced patient. If he takes sugar candy, then gradually he becomes free from the diseased condition, and at that time, the same sugar candy which he tasted in the beginning as bitter, it appears to be very, very sweet. Then he cannot live without. This is the process.

So we are in material disease at the present moment. We have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, and struggling for existence, we are trying to be happy by manufacturing so many plans. But this will not help us. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu approved this process. What is that?

Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973:

They do not know that.

How are we becoming contaminated? There are three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa; goodness, passion and ignorance. And we are, according to the association... Just like here we can see, somebody cannot live without smoking. It is practical. But none of our devotees smoke. So it is possible. Because a devotee is associating with the devotees, therefore he is acquiring the quality by association, contamination. This is a fact. If you go to a contaminated, diseased person, you are infected. We should be very careful.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1 -- Los Angeles, May 19, 1972:

"Ehh, get some work, get some few dollars daily. Eat and sleep." That is śūdra. They cannot do anything independent.

A brāhmaṇa will not accept anyone's service. That is especially forbidden, that a brāhmaṇa. . . Brāhmaṇa, even if he is in difficulty, he should not accept anyone's service like a dog. Especially this word is used. A dog cannot live without master. A dog, if he hasn't got a good master is a street dog. He may be killed at any time. He has no protection. Therefore this very word is used. Śūdra means dog. He must have a master, otherwise he cannot live. So there are classes of men, śūdras. No, they must have a protection. Women must have protection, because they cannot do anything independently. To give them independence means to create some trouble. In the Manu-saṁhitā it is clearly said, na strī svātantryam arhati.

Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Los Angeles, June 13, 1972:

Therefore, after education you'll have to write application, "My dear sir, I am such and such qualified dog. (laughter) If you'll kindly give me some service." And the tail is like this. (laughter) You see? Just imagine. If by education he becomes independent ... Just like Vedic culture. The brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriya, the vaiśyas, they are independent. The śūdras are compared with the dogs because they cannot live without a master. Brāhmaṇa, he will not accept anyone's service. That is real brāhmaṇa. A kṣatriya will never accept anyone's service. Why the battle of Kurukṣetra was there? The Kurus, they took away the whole kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas. But they were kṣatriyas. How they will live? Therefore the fight was necessity. The kṣatriyas must be, must have some land to collect taxes. That is the kṣatriya's source of income. The brāhmaṇa's source of income, paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana ... They must be learned scholar, they must teach others, they must be devotee and teach others how to become devotee.

Lecture on SB 3.22.21 -- Tehran, August 10, 1976:

That you cannot escape. But still, we have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

So things are to be adjusted as it is prescribed by great authorities. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta you'll find the regulative principles. That is called Vaiṣṇava-smṛti. So here we cannot live without working, and still we have to become always Kṛṣṇa conscious. This art, to understand and to practice, is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then in spite of my being engaged in so many so-called material things Because a devotee has nothing to do with material things. Even if he works for maintenance of the body, that is not material. Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, who was magistrate. But it is not for a magistrate to write so many books—siddhānta-pūrṇam. So he was in a different transcendental platform.

Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:

In this way, there will be āsakti and bhāva. Then you attain the perfectional stage. That is called ecstatic stage of love of Godhead. And then you cannot remain with Kṛṣṇa. And then that bhāva increases. Just like mahābhāva. That mahābhāva is not possible in the ordinary human being, but it is possible for the gopīs, for Rādhārāṇī. They cannot live without Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest stage of perfection or liberation.

Lecture on SB 3.26.40 -- Bombay, January 15, 1975:

What is the basic principle? The basic principle is love. So similarly, our full surrender, full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can be achieved when we develop our love for Kṛṣṇa little by little, little by little, and then come to the perfection. When we come to the perfection, then we cannot live without Kṛṣṇa. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us. In the last stage of His life He exhibited such manifestation of love that He was dying without Kṛṣṇa. Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. Śūnyāyitam. Śūnyāyitam, everything is vacant. Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. "Without Govinda, I see everything vacant." Sometimes we have got experience. If we lose a friend, a son, at that time, everything becomes vacant without my son, without my lover. That is practical. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was exhibiting that type of love for Kṛṣṇa, that He was feeling that "Without Kṛṣṇa, everything is void." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:

Naturally, there is affection and love of the father towards children. Don't you find it, how He is providing? Even, although we are disobedient, still, He is supplying all the necessities of our life. He's supplying light, He's supplying water, He's supplying air—the essential necessities of your life. Without sunlight you cannot live. Without water you cannot live. So by grace of God, you are getting; still, you are so ungrateful that we do not remember God or offer our gratitude. That is the cause. This godless civilization is the cause of disturbing peace. Bhoktāraṁ sarva..., yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaraṁ suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29).

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972:

We are reading Vedas, but it is given by Vyāsadeva, so we are indebted to him. Similarly, many other śāstras we read. So we are indebted. Devarṣi, ṛṣi, devatā, the demigods. We are taking sunshine. We are obliged to sun-god. We are taking moonshine. We are obliged to moonshine, uh, moon-god, the air-god, Varuṇa. Everyone, they are helping us. We cannot do without this. You cannot live without water. You cannot live without light. You cannot live without heat. So who is supplying? Of course, Kṛṣṇa is supplying, but we cannot see Kṛṣṇa directly. They are being supplied by different demigods. Therefore deva-yajña is recommended. Deva-yajña means, ultimately, to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So these are the processes. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he has no more obligation to all these devatās. Devaṛsi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇām (SB 11.5.41). We have got so many obligations, but if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everyone will be pleased, and you haven't got to oblige them by your service to them.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 28, 1973:

A dog, without having a master, he cannot live very nicely. Street dog is very wretched, but a dog under the care of a good master is very healthy and very happy. Similarly a śūdra cannot live without having a master. That has been described as the dog's business. So similarly a brāhmaṇa will never accept any service. He'll starve, but he'll never accept any service. That is against brāhmaṇa principles. Therefore ṣaṭ-karma-nipu... He can accept charity if somebody gives willfully. Dana pratigraha. But pratigraha dāna. He'll take, pratigraha, accept charity, but whatever he requires, he'll spend, and the balance he'll immediately distribute. Dāna. In Bengal it is said, lakteke baundiki (?). The... Why? A brāhmaṇa gets one lakh of rupees; next day, he's again beggar. Why? He'll not keep anything.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.14 -- Mayapur, April 7, 1975:

This conditioned life means we accept one type of body, we suffer sufficiently. It is simply suffering. There is no enjoyment. Where is enjoyment? To remain in the womb of the mother for ten months, is that enjoyment? Packed up in airtight bag? Just imagine, if you were put in airtight bag at the present moment, within three seconds you will die. You cannot live without air, even for three seconds. This is our position. And by māyā's arrangement, we have to remain at least for ten months within the airtight bag, embryo, within the abdomen of our mother. So if we cannot live for even three seconds without air, how it was possible to remain in that airtight bag for ten months? That is also Kṛṣṇa's mercy, to allow us to develop the body, so that coming out of the mother's womb we can live independently. To make us strong in the body. But the māyā is so strong that even within that position, the mother is also killing the child. This is Kali-yuga.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.5 -- Mayapur, March 7, 1974:

It is not our version, but it is stated in the Vedic literature, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "By severe penance and austerities, these Māyāvādīs, they go up to the Brahman effulgence, but from there they fall down, fall down." Because for want of varieties. You cannot live without varieties. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: "The Absolute Truth is ānandamayo by nature," abhyāsāt. There are the interpretation of the Māyāvādīs of this Vedānta-sūtra, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). But we see that the Supreme Absolute Person is ānandamāyā. Kṛṣṇa, you'll never see without ānanda. He is, I mean to say, taking care of the cows, He's dancing with the gopīs, He's playing with His cowherd boys. Ānandamāyā. These are ānanda māyā. These are the varieties.

Festival Lectures

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:

He is also in the temple. But in the temple I worship directly, and what is the utility? Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. I am not so advanced that I can see everywhere Kṛṣṇa. Who can see Kṛṣṇa everywhere? That is very advanced stage. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). If you become so advanced that you cannot live without Kṛṣṇa for a moment, then Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Where is that training? Where is that advancement? Even if I advise, try to meditate, I meditate upon my wife, upon my children, on my business. This is not the stage of seeing Kṛṣṇa everywhere. That requires training. That requires advanced knowledge. Prema. Kṛṣṇa is so kind, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). If a devotee cannot live for a moment without seeing Kṛṣṇa, he is visible... A devotee... Not for the neophyte devotee. So there are different stages.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, October 9, 1968:

The meaning of this verse is that "I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Govinda, asya ajñayā, by whose order this sun, which is considered to be the king of all planets..." Sun is the king of all planets. That is a known fact. Without sun, all these planets, they cannot live. Without sunshine, their life will be extinct. Therefore sun is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā, rājā samasta-grahāṇām, of all the planets. And aśeṣa-tejāḥ. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ means unlimited heat, fire. Unlimited fire. Nobody knows what is the source of this fire, but there is unlimited fire. Some ninety-three millions miles away from this planet, still, the heat is sometimes unbearable. Just see what is the fire. And it is so many times, fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet, earthly planet.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

He introduced this movement, saṅkīrtana movement. Not that He manufactured some religious system. Just like nowadays there are..., so many religious system have been manufactured. Actually, religion cannot be manufactured. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: (SB 6.3.19) "Religion means the codes of God, the laws of God." That's all. Just like you cannot live without obeying the state laws, similarly, you cannot live without obeying the laws of God. And in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati: (BG 4.7) "Whenever there is discrepancies in the process of religious, prosecution of religious activities," yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, abhyutthānam adharmasya, "and there is predominance of irreligious activities,"

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 13, 1971:

Kṛṣṇa is teaching how you can develop your attachment for Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. We have to take it. We have to understand it. So as soon as we develop this attachment, teṣāṁ satata-yuk... Attachment means just like you have got a lover or something lovable object; you cannot live without it. You are always searching, "Where is my lovable object? Where is my..." That is called attachment. That attachment as taught by Lord Caitanya, He says, śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. This is the final stage of attachment. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching us that "I am feeling everything vacant." Why? "Being separated from Govinda." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. This is the highest stage of attachment. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching people how to become attached to Kṛṣṇa instead of māyā. We are attached to māyā.

Lecture at Indo-American Society 'East and West' -- Calcutta, January 31, 1973:

Any scientist come to me. I can convince him that it is a scientific movement. I asked similarly to Professor Kotovsky in Moscow that "My dear Professor, what is the difference between your movement, communist movement, and my movement? You, you have selected Lenin as God. I have selected Kṛṣṇa as God. Where is the difference of principle? You cannot live without a leader or God. I cannot live without a leader or God. That's a fact. Then where is the difference? Now it is to be judged whether Lenin is good or Kṛṣṇa is good. That is another thing. But your position is that you have to accept one leader, either Lenin or Jawaharlal Nehru or Hitler or this or Lord (?) Churchill. You have to accept. You cannot work independently. Therefore you have got so many parties. So here is also one party, Kṛṣṇa party. So where is the difference in philosophy? There is no difference in philosophy. Now let us study whether Kṛṣṇa party is good or Lenin party is good. Then whole solution is there."

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: So that is the Vedic injunction, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is also eternal, He is also living being; we are also eternal, we are also living being. But He is the chief. How He is chief? Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That single number eternal living being, He is maintaining all these plural number living beings. Therefore you will find either in this material world or in the spiritual world there is so much arrangement. The sky is there, the air is there, the fire is there, the water is there, the land is there. He has made, even in this conditioned state, God has given us so much things, made for our maintenance. We require water—we find; we require air, so many things, and God has given us ample opportunity. So He is maintaining. Without air we cannot breathe; without water we cannot live; without fire we cannot live. So He has given; therefore He is maintaining, He is maintainer. So one, the chief eternal living being is God, and the subordinate eternal living being are the jīvas, or the conditioned soul.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Darsana -- June 28, 1971, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: We shall not eat more, we shall not sleep more, we shall not mate more. Those who are gṛhasthas, they can have sex life only for producing children, that's all, no more. And those who are sannyāsī, brahmacārī, they have no sex life, there is no question of sex life. Sex life is prohibited. But it is a concession for them who cannot live without sex life. That is married life. Otherwise, sex life is not very important thing. Just like there are brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs, they have no sex life. Therefore, this sannyāsa, to go out of home by force, that means to avoid sex life, sannyāsa. You see? I think those who have got children, they should take sannyāsa now and preach. That is my idea. Not (indistinct) idea, because all the great sages, they waited if they are married. Just like Kapila Muni..., Kardama, Kardama Muni. Kardama Muni, he was a great yogi. So he was thinking of marrying, so Kṛṣṇa sent him good wife, Devahūti, a king's daughter.

Interview with Reporters -- November 10, 1971, New Delhi:

Reporter: That is bhāva. That is at last...

Prabhupāda: Yes, not last. Last but one. The last stage is you can not live without Kṛṣṇa.

Reporter: What do you call in Sanskrit, sir?

Prabhupāda: That is called, first of all bhāvaḥ, then prema, prema, kṛṣṇa prema. That is our high perfection. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu is speaking that "I am seeing everything vacant without Kṛṣṇa." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. That is the last stage of perfection. You become mad about, after Kṛṣṇa. So that will take time. This is the process. But faith is the beginning. Yes. And that faith is also explained by the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta: śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya. Faith means such faith that firm faith, sudṛḍha, niścaya, certain.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- June 29, 1972, San Diego:

Prabhupāda: These people must stop this cow killing, the greatest sin. They should divert their tendency for happiness differently than by killing and drinking.

Devotee (1): They are thinking they cannot live without eating cows.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee (1): They think they cannot live without eating cows.

Prabhupāda: They do not know. We can teach them how to get better vitaminous foodstuff from cow's milk. Yes. Let the cow live, and she supplies her blood in the form of milk, and you take vitaminous foodstuff from milk. That is civilization. Milk is also cow's blood. But take this blood in a humanely way, not by killing. Milk is nothing but blood of cow. Suppose if you kill one cow, you get blood how much, how many pounds?

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So one is dependent on the other? Or the spirit is independent of matter?

Prabhupāda: The spirit is independent. Just like I am existing. That is life. And there are other limbs of the body. I can live even without limbs of my body, but I cannot live without life. If I have no hands, no legs, still I live. So therefore I am not dependent on hands and legs. My hands and legs are dependent on me. (pause) Is it not better to walk little, then sit down, compact room?

Karandhara: Oh yes, it's necessary to walk a little.

Conversation with Mr. Wadell -- July 10, 1973, London:

Mr. Wadell: Yes, you cannot live without... You do not, as we say, live by bread alone. And in that sense—it may be the sense in which you wish me to take—the sense, what you are saying, that God supplies bread, because bread could be both bread for the spirit or soul...

Prabhupāda: No, bread is material. Bread is material. To maintain your material body, you require material bread. But spiritual body does not depend on material bread.

Room Conversation with Educationists -- July 11, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: He's in knowledge. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). Next intelligent, less, is the kṣatriyas. Next, the vaiśyas. And the śūdras, they are like, almost like animals. They have no independence. Just like animal has no independence. A dog, without a master, he cannot live. His life is very precarious. So at the present moment, however one qualified may be, unless he gets a good job, he's just like a dog, a street dog. He may be very highly qualified, technologically, but if he does not get a job, then he's useless. He'll go. "Sir, can you give me any job?" "No vacancies." A dog like. Just like dog goes, moves the tail, "Can you give me some food." Somebody gives him, "Eh! Hut!" This is the position. Therefore in this age kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. In Kali-yuga, there is no brāhmaṇa, no kṣatriya. There are some vaiśyas. And all śūdras. Because they cannot live without being engaged by somebody else. And the whole civilization is going on, big, big factories, big, big... What is that? Śūdras. They are creating śūdras. "People should be dependent."

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 24, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, no. No. Everybody or somebody. "Everyone's servant is nobody's servant." That is an English proverb. Anyway, this service is required. You cannot live without serving. That is not possible. Anyone of us, serving somebody. But the result is, this material service... I have given several times the example that Mahatma Gandhi, he gave so much service. But result was he was killed. He was killed. Nobody thought... That person did not think that, "Oh, this gentleman, old man, he has given so much service to us. Suppose I do not agree with him. Oh, how can I kill?" So people are so much ingrateful. You see? That whatever service you may render, they'll never be satisfied.

Morning Walk at Marina del Rey -- July 14, 1974, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, yes, but temporarily, I cannot live without them.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I cannot live in my body without them.

Prabhupāda: Without them... You cannot live with this material body without so many conditions. And that is also one of the conditions. You cannot live. Any condition, little disturbed... You become diseased; you become disturbed. So therefore it is called conditional life. You simply live here on condition. And spiritual life means no condition. If the condition is favorable, then your senses will act. Otherwise you have got useless senses. If there is light, then you can see. You can become proud of your eyes. "Can you show me God?" And what you can see, rascal? If God gives you light, then you can see. You see under condition. And still, he's very proud of his eyes. "Can you show me God?" This is going on. Rascal, what you can see?

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- November 1, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: That we have explained many times. You create your ignorance. Just like you cannot live without serving Kṛṣṇa, but you create: "Why not independently?" That is your ignorance. By law, by nature's law, you cannot live without being subordinate to Kṛṣṇa. But why you are thinking, "Why shall I be subordinate to Kṛṣṇa?" Kṛṣṇa is asking you, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). Why you are not doing that? Why you are not doing that? Kṛṣṇa is personally asking, "You do this. I shall save you." Why you are not doing this? So you violate the laws of Kṛṣṇa. You suffer. That's all.

Cyavana: But if that energy is perfect, how can it violate?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 28, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Anartha. (break) ...they stop here. No more this material necessities. But he does not know that he cannot live without necessities. That they do not know. They simply beget these false necessities. Just like disease. I do not want disease, but that does not mean I do not want health. (everyone laughs) So these rascals, they are thinking that "We do not want anymore this material world, brahma satyaṁ jagat..." But Vaiṣṇava says "No, you must have the real thing, then you can cease from this unreal necessities. Otherwise after living for some time in brahma satya, then you'll come, "Oh, this is useless. I don't enjoy. Let me go again to open hospital, school, engage in something politics, no work..." But you cannot do. Āruhya kṛccheṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ. We are living entities.

Morning Walk -- June 11, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is.... That is the disease.

Kīrtanānanda: They have put faith. Everyone has faith. You cannot live without having faith in somebody. So they put their faith in the scientists, and we are saying it is wrong.

Hari-śauri: Nobody could possibly believe that the scientists would cheat them. They think they are very intelligent, honest men.

Prabhupāda: No, we have got our faith—in Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, they have got their faith—in scientists.

Room Conversation With French Commander -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: There is some strength in the body, and as soon as he gets a little taste of sex life, "Oh, spend it, spend it," whole energy spent. The brain becomes vacant. This is recklessness. Beginning from twelfth year, by the thirty year, everything finished. Then he's impotent. In our childhood—in our childhood means, say, eighty years ago, or say, a hundred years ago—there was no motorcar. And now, wherever you go, in any country, you see thousands and millions of car. This is recklessness. Hundreds years ago they could do without motorcar, and now they cannot live without a car. In this way, unnecessarily, they're increasing bodily or material necessities of life. This is recklessness. And the leaders will say, "Stop this nonsense, come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness," nobody will care. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). This is called blind leader leading blind followers.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: We don't support it. Our business does not support. You can live without car, but you cannot live without rainfall. Why don't you take the important business? Make machine that the water from the sea can be drawn and saltless and distributed. Why don't you do that?

Satsvarūpa: They've put aside the big problems and doing little things.

Prabhupāda: That's all. Childish. Every day the consumer's goods are increasing in price. So many poor men, they cannot purchase. Your motorcar machine, that is not meant for the poor man. Poor man requires food grains. There is no water. What you are doing for that? They require bread, food grains. Supply them sufficiently. They'll be happy. Without motorcar they can live. You can live also. But without food grains you cannot live and they cannot live.

Room Conversation -- October 22, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: If you move me from here, I will immediately die. I cannot live.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: I cannot live without your company.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And we cannot live without your company, Śrīla Prabhupāda. So you stay here, and we'll stay with you.

Prabhupāda: Do that.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We'll stay forever, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Do that. Take this, this allopathic treatment, failure.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, it's a failure, allopathic treatment.