Cheap (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"cheap" |"cheapen" |"cheaper" |"cheapest" |"cheaply"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

There is no difficulty. Simply one must be sincere, not sinful. But a sinful man cannot understand Him. The sinful man, he will say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is also man. I am also man. Why I am not God? He is simply God? No, I am also. I am God. You are God, you are God, every God." Just like Vivekananda said, "Why you are searching after God? Don't you see so many gods are loitering in the street?" You see. This is his God realization. This is his God realization. And he became a big man: "Oh, he is seeing everyone God."

This foolishness, this rascaldom, is going on all over the world. One does not know what is God, what is power of God, what is meant by God. They are accepting some rascal as God. As nowadays, that is going on. Another rascal has come. He is also declaring himself God. So it has become very cheap thing. But they have no brain to think that "I am claiming God; what power I have got?"

So this is the mystery. This is the mystery. Without becoming devotee, the mystery of understanding God is not possible. And Kṛṣṇa has said in the Bhagavad-gītā how one can know Him. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Only by devotion, simply. He could have said, "By high, topmost knowledge" or "By yogic process" or "By acting, becoming a very great karmī, worker, one can understand Me." No, he has never said, never said. So the karmīs, jñānīs, yogis, they are all rascals. They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. All rascals. Karmīs are third-class rascals, the jñānīs are second-class rascal, and the yogis are first-class rascal. That's all.

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

Not that "Can you show me God?" What qualification you have got? You want to see God. Another rascal will say "Yes, I will show you God. Come to me. I shall show you God." This is going on. One rascal inquires, "Can you show me God?" and the big rascal says, "Yes, come to me alone. I shall show you God." This business is going on. God's seeing is so cheap thing that any rascal comes, "Can you show me God," and another rascal says, "Yes, come to me. In the evening I shall show you." That means if he is a foolish rascal, then he will show him something magic, and he will understand, "Oh I have seen God." That's all, finished. God-seeing business is finished. And he comes... After God-seeing, he is the same, the same rascal. What improvement you have... You have seen God. What improvement you have made? God seeing is so cheap thing.

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:

Bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca. Vyavasāyātmikā-buddhiḥ, niścayātmikā-buddhiḥ. If one has got unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa and guru, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya... (CC Madhya 19.151). We have to receive mercy both from the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa. We cannot jump over to Kṛṣṇa. That is another nonsense. We must approach Kṛṣṇa through guru. That is paramparā system. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap thing that you can jump over. Somebody says, "Oh, why shall I accept guru? I can approach Kṛṣṇa directly." No. Kṛṣṇa does not accept such... Mad-bhaktaḥ pūjābhyadhikaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says that "First of all you become devotee of My devotee." Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ: "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa (CC Madhya 13.80)." This is called paramparā system. You have to learn how to become servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. The more you become in the lower position—servant, servant, servant, servant, servant, hundreds times servant, servant—then more you are advanced. Here in this material world everyone is trying to be master of the master. Just opposite. And the spiritual world, the endeavor is to become servant's servant. This is the secret.

Lecture on BG 2.7 -- London, August 7, 1973:

Guru will act according to my decision." Not like that. Guru means one who can give you Kṛṣṇa. That is guru. Kṛṣṇa sei tomāra. Because Kṛṣṇa is guru. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Vedeṣu durlabhaṁ adurlabhaṁ ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Vedeṣu durlabhaṁ. If you want to search out... Although Vedas means knowledge, and the ultimate knowledge is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). This is the instruction. So if you independently wants to study Vedas, just, there is, there are some rascals... They say: "We understand only Vedas." What do you understand Veda? How you'll understand Veda? So Vedas says, tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). You'll understand Vedas by taking one, purchasing one Vedas book, or taking it, you'll understand Vedas? Vedānta is not so cheap thing. Without becoming a brāhmaṇa, nobody can understand a Veda, what is Veda. Therefore, it is restricted. Without becoming brāhmaṇa, nobody is allowed to study Vedas. It's all nonsense. What you'll understand about the Vedas? Therefore Vyāsadeva, after compiling the four Vedas, dividing the four Vedas, he made Mahābhārata. Because the Vedas, subject matter of Vedas is so difficult. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarāḥ (SB 1.4.25). For women, for śūdras, and for the dvija bandhu. They cannot understand what is Vedas.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

Now that īśvara, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, how He appears sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha? Those who are present, of course, they saw the sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, but because not all of them were devotees, they could not understand Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because He appeared just like a human being, so mūḍhas... Mūḍhas means less intelligent, or, in plain word, asses. Mūḍha means ass. So this class of men could not understand Kṛṣṇa, that He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the defect of the mūḍhas. They may be very great scholars, academic scholar, but in the matter of understanding God, they're mūḍhas, asses. Why? Māyayā apahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ (BG 7.15). At the present moment, people are mostly āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Āsuri, āsuri bhāva means to defy God: "There is no God. God is dead. I am God. You are God. So many Gods are loitering in the street. Why you are finding out God?" These are so many statements. So God has become so cheap. There are so many incarnations of God, especially in India. It is a breeding ground of Gods, so many. So that is, means they do not know what is God. Mūḍha. They think God is so cheap thing.

Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:

General principle is that if you can engage anyone in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is good. That is good. That is also said in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta. Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet. If your aim is to engage him in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you do something which is not very straight, that is allowed. (laughter) Because you are doing very good to him. Suppose a man is drunkard. So suppose if you say, "Oh, all right. I'll give you a very nice bottle of whiskey at cheap price. Give me fifteen dollars." And if you take fifteen dollars and engage it (in) Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that cheating is allowed. (laughter) Because that fifteen dollars he'll take and drink. So you have by some way taken away that fifteen dollars and engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So that you have done good to him. So therefore it requires little intelligence and discretion. But that does not mean you shall cheat fifteen dollars from everywhere. But there is no cheating because anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is a drunkard. He is drunkard, he is illusioned under material spell. You see? You see? The greatest drunkard, everyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious. Therefore any way, if you can induce him to spend something of his hard earned money in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is very good to him. Yes. This is called ajñāta-sukṛti. He does not know, but he is advanced one step to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anybody who is contributing even a farthing to you, he is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is so nice thing. Yes.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

So anything you practice, you'll be successful. So if by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you can go back to home, back to Godhead, why should you neglect it? That will solve your all problems. The real problem is birth, death, old age and disease, and if you can solve this problem simply by practicing some regulative principles, why don't you do it? So that is our request. We are opening hundreds of centers to give training to the people to practice this and go back to home, back to Godhead. But you cannot go back to home, back to Godhead, so cheaply. You have to practice certain regulative principle; then you will be fit. That is not very difficult, and if you practice, that will be very easy, and the beginning should be chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra so that you'll be fit for practicing also. So therefore, take full advantage of this movement. Now it is one... We have got center in your city. I request you to take full advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and be successful in your life. But rest assured. Do not be misled that (sic:) after finishing this body, every one of us will have to accept another body. If we neglecting the rules and regulation, if we have to accept the body of a dog, just imagine how much displeasing it will be. We have to take to this principle, as Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām: (BG 9.25) "Anyone who is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he comes to Me." So practice this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead. Now any question? No question? Everything all right?

Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973:

There is an instance how a brāhmaṇa is recognized. Satyakam yavala(?). Upaniṣads. This satyakam went to Gautama Muni. "Sir, please make me your disciple." So according to Vedic principle, without becoming a brāhmaṇa he cannot be accepted as disciple. Without becoming brāhmaṇa. In our Society also, we do not accept a disciple unless he's brahminically qualified: no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication. These are brahminical. Unless one is free from the sinful activities, how he can become a brāhmaṇa? Brāhmaṇa means śuci. And the others, they are called kṛpaṇa, or muci. Śuci means always cleansed. Internally... Bāhyābhyantara-śuciḥ. Inside and outside. Outside by taking bath, washing with soda, soap, or if soda, soap is not available, with earth or oil. That is external cleanliness. Similarly, internal cleanliness, one must rise early in the morning, evacuate, then after taking bath must chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, see the maṅgala-ārātrika. In this way one has to purify himself internally and externally. God consciousness is not so cheap thing. Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. One who is completely free from all contamination of material modes, anta-gataṁ pāpam, sinful activities, they can te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante mām (BG 7.28), they can stick to the principle of devotional service. Otherwise, if he's not free from the contamination of sinful life, he may show, make a show of devotion, but that is not actual devotion. Bhaktyābhāsa. That is called bhaktyābhāsa.

Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:

The quality of goodness will (be) automatically there. Any person who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his quality of goodness, namely, he does not indulge in illicit sex life, he does not smoke even or take tea or coffee even, he does not eat any forbidden foodstuff, neither he takes part in unnecessary gambling. So good character is immediately there. That is the test. How one is spiritually advanced will be tested how he has acquired all the good qualities. Not that a yogi talking with a cigarette in hand. There is a picture. (laughs) In our Back to Godhead somebody was talking with our representative. He cannot give up smoking even for a moment, chain smoker, and claiming, "I am God, I am spiritually advanced," (laughs) and so many nonsense thing. You see. He's being kicked up by material energy in so many ways, and still he's claiming, "Oh, everyone is God, I am God." God is so cheap thing, you see. And they are satisfied. "I am God." That's all. So this bluffing, these cheating things are going on. And because we are unable to cheat and bluff, nobody cooperates with us. They want to be cheated and bluffed. That is the business. Yes. Go on.

Lecture on BG 2.51-55 -- New York, April 12, 1966:

So the idea is that imitation God, there may be so many. Nowadays it has become a fashion. Not in your country; at least in India, it has become a fashion, that everyone is coming out and he declares himself, "I am God. I am God." As if the God has become a very cheap thing, and it can be had in the market, wherever you go. You see? That is not the thing. God is not so cheap thing. God is not so cheap thing. The description of God is, in the Brahma-saṁhitā is given,

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.48)

The God... This material creation... We have got this information from authoritative scripture. This material creation, how it is being done? It is being done that the Supreme Lord in His form of Mahā-Viṣṇu, He's lying on the Causal Ocean and in a sleeping mood, and with the breathing of His nostrils, so many universes are being born as seed. And when He's taking the breathing, inhaling, the whole thing is going into Him. So such is the position of God, that by His breathings, all the universes are coming, and by His breathing... So the existence of the universe means within His breathing period, within the breathing period of the Mahā-Viṣṇu. So that Mahā-Viṣṇu is described, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣaḥ (Bs. 5.48). That Mahā-Viṣṇu is also plenary portion of Kṛṣṇa, Govinda. That Mahā-Viṣṇu is also not the original. The original Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 2.51-55 -- New York, April 12, 1966:

So this is a great science, what Kṛṣṇa is—Kṛṣṇa science. It is simply a synopsis; Bhagavad-gītā is only a synopsis of the science of God, and it is more explicitly given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. But after all, it is a great science. If we study it very seriously, then we can understand... We should not take so cheaply that "Here is a God, here is a God, here is a God." No, no. God is not so cheap. God is one, and He is great. "God is great," as in your English language it is said, and nobody can be greater than Him or equal to Him. That is the position of God. Now here, Arjuna, he accepts Kṛṣṇa and he says that "You are Paraṁ Brahman." Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12). Dhāma means in which everything rests. We are resting, everything is resting. Just like... This is scientific and practical, you know, that the innumerable planets that the, that you can see at night as, I mean to say, luminaries, stars in the sky, each and every one of them, more or less, they are all different kinds of planets. But do you know how they are floating in the space? They are floating on the sunshine, on the sun rays. They are floating. That you can see.

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

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

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

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

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "But without being trained in the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness it is not advisable to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in a secluded place where one may acquire only cheap adoration from the innocent public. Arjuna thought of Kṛṣṇa consciousness or buddhi-yoga, intelligence in spiritual advancement of knowledge, as something like retirement from active life and the practice of penance and austerity at a secluded place. In other words..."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Arjuna is asking that "You say that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very good. Why You are engaging me in this fight?" That is his question. So Kṛṣṇa will answer this question. General people understand that retiring from ordinary duties, one becomes spiritually advanced. That is being taught here. It is not like that. Kṛṣṇa taught to the whole world that Arjuna was a soldier, he was a fighter, and in his fighting also he can be Kṛṣṇa conscious. It is not that he has to cease from fighting and then become Kṛṣṇa conscious. No. There is no such question. There is no rejection of anything, but dovetailing everything. That is the process. Do everything, but in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you are a fighter, fight, but for Kṛṣṇa. If you are a businessman, all right. Do business for Kṛṣṇa. If you are something else, do that, but for Kṛṣṇa. This is wanted. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. To dovetail everything with Kṛṣṇa.

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

Cornmeal, yes. And he was very stout and strong. He was deriving all the vitamins. Because he was poor man, he could not eat any butter or milk or any other things, meat also no, nothing of the sort. He was simply eating... He was drawing, at that time, only twenty-two rupees from me. Twenty-two rupees means... According to your American exchange, it comes to five dollars, five dollars a month, his income. And what he could spend? So he was taking the cheap food. But he was very strong and stout. So whole idea is that these grains, these grains are meant for human being. Coarse grain or fine grain, there are so many varieties of grain, varieties of rice, varieties of dāl, according... Now, the fine rice, the basmati rice... The laborer class... In India, of course, we have got this distinction. They are not satisfied for, with this white rice. They want coarse grain for satisfaction. While gentleman class, they cannot eat coarse grain. They want finer grain. So all these varieties of grains and vegetables and everything is there by nature's arrangement, by God's arrangement.

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

So a Kṛṣṇa conscious person should not be disturbed whether his preaching work is being accepted by the people or not. It doesn't matter. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that... If somebody said that "We went to preach in such and such place. Only there were three or four, attendance." So my Guru Mahārāja used to encourage them and it is factual—that "Why, two, three men were there was sufficient. If there were none, you could speak and the walls would hear you." You see. "Why you are disappointed?" So even the walls, they hear, then our kīrtana is sufficient. You don't mind. Because only fortunate persons... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). So to become God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, is not very cheap thing. It requires a great amount of austerity, penance to come to this stage. So never be disappointed that because people are not responding. You see?

There are many good examples. When Lord Jesus Christ also preached God consciousness, only a few followers were there, and still, he had to sacrifice his life. But he was never disappointed. That should be attitude of the preacher. People may accept it or not accept it, we should go on. Because if Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, if Kṛṣṇa sees, "Oh, these boys are doing very nice. They are trying their best to preach," that is your reward. That's all. People may accept or not accept, it doesn't matter.

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

This morning, the press representative, he was astonished that "Swamiji, so many people are coming, they are declaring that 'I am God.' What is this?" So these rascals are like that. Therefore there are so many incarnations of God without the powers of. So people, why they should be cheated? If somebody comes and says that "I am God," why don't you test? For testing this... When Kṛṣṇa assumed the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Of course, Arjuna was convinced. He accepted, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12), but for future guidance, he requested Kṛṣṇa, "Please show me Your universal form." Otherwise, without showing universal (form), they're still claiming that "I am God." God is not so cheap thing. They're imitating, trying to imitate. This is very dangerous.

And those who are accepting such rascals, they are also not intelligent. They should know. Just like I asked the press representative, "Suppose if I come and say that I am President Johnson, will you accept me?" So similarly, people should know what is God, what is the definition of God. How can I accept a rascal as God? They have no sense also. Somebody comes, "I am God," and he accepts, "Yes, he's God." What is this nonsense? Go on.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

Not that one becomes God by doing something. Nowadays it has been practiced to say that "I have meditated so many years, I have undergone so much penance. Then I have become now God." Oh, God is not manufactured in that way. God cannot be manufactured. Now, Kṛṣṇa, when He was in the lap of His mother, He was God at that time also, not that He had to grow up and undergo some penance and austerity and vows and go to the jungle or Himalaya or accept some very great spiritual master and so on, so on; then He became God, as it has been now the practice, that anyone who... He's a little advanced in spiritual life, and if he can display some wonders, oh, he at once becomes God. So God is not so cheap thing. Simply by playing some wonders...

Just like the other day I narrated the story of Durvāsā Muni. Durvāsā Muni was a great yogi. The yogis can display many wonders, many wonders. In my childhood I had got one tutor. So he was telling about his spiritual master. He was a yogi. That... He said that when he visited his spiritual master who was a yogi, his spiritual master asked him, "What do you want to eat?" And because my teacher knew that his spiritual master was a great yogi, he wanted to have a taste of pomegranate of Kabul.

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

The third imperfection is that cheating. Everyone thinks himself very clever and he can cheat others. Everyone thinks, "Oh, I am so clever. Oh, I shall do it. Oh, I shall cheat him." In every, our dealing, it is going on. The customer and the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper thinks that "I am giving him nonsense things and making profit," and the customer is thinking, "Oh, I am getting it very cheap." So this is going on, even in ordinary dealing. So this is called cheating process. Now, even in animal you'll find that they are searching after some food, and it is thinking, "Oh, I'm cheating my master and taking this food." That means in the conditional life this cheating propensity is there.

And the fourth imperfection is that our senses are blunt. We acquire knowledge by our senses. Just like we acquire knowledge by seeing. Everyone will say, "Can you show me God?" But the answer is "Can you see God?" How you can see God? You have no eyes to see God. Even I show you God, you cannot see. Our senses are so imperfect. Just like take for example the eyes. The eyes, it is seeing under certain condition. As soon as you put off this light, you cannot see. So what is the use of having this eyes? So therefore, we have got our imperfect senses.

Lecture on BG 4.1-2 -- Columbus, May 9, 1969:

Kṛṣṇa said that "Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them." Many, many. Thousands and thousands of times Kṛṣṇa appeared on this world, but He remembers everything. And I cannot remember about my childhood. So how can I become one with Kṛṣṇa? These Māyāvādī philosophers, they are declaring that "I am God." How you can? What is your qualification that you become God? God is not so cheap thing. People have taken it that "Everyone can become God. Every one of us God." This is another illusion, another māyā, because we do not know what is God. Here is God. He says that "Many, many millions of years ago I spoke to sun-god. I remember it." This is God. Simple truth. This is the proof that He is God. Read the explanation, purport. "In the Brahma-saṁhitā..." Read it.

Pradyumna: Oh. "In the Brahma-saṁhitā we have information of many, many incarnations of the Lord. It is stated there, 'I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, who is the original person, absolute, infallible, without beginning, although expanded into unlimited forms, still the same, original, the oldest, and the person always appearing as a fresh youth."

Lecture on BG 4.1-2 -- Columbus, May 9, 1969:

That is God, not that, simply by claiming, "I am God. I am the same God." And how you claim God? Can you tell what I was thinking? Can you tell what he is thinking? No. Then how... What kind of God you are? Don't accept a cheap God. These are the symptoms of God. Adv aitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). He has got ananta, unlimited... There are unlimited living entities. In the Vedas it is stated, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13): "There are unlimited living entities, unlimited eternals. But there is one, another, one supreme eternal, supreme entity."

What is the difference between this, the unlimited number, or plural number, and one singular number? That is also answered. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān: "That singular number one entity is supplying the, all the necessities of all the plural number living entities." We are plural number entities. The living entities, we are plural number. Nityo nityānām. This nityānām is plural number, possessive case, in Sanskrit. And He is nitya. He is one, singular number. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān: "That one is supplying the necessities of all living entities."

Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

If I ask you just exactly at this time what you were doing last evening, you will have to remember. You have forgotten. And what to speak of one week ago or one year ago? That is our nature, forgetfulness.

So here Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, although they are on the level of friendship, one is God and another is ordinary living entity. God does not forget; living entity forgets. That is the distinction. How you can say that you are God? You are so forgetful that you cannot say what you were doing a few hours before, and you claiming that you are God? They have made God as very cheap thing. Everyone is claiming, "I am God." They do not know what is God.

Now, here try to understand what is the difference between God and dog. A dog forgets. A dog comes to your place to eat something. You give it a slap. He goes away, again comes. He forgets that slapping. You see? That is the dog's nature. And God's nature is different.

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:

So God seeing is not very difficult, provided you are purified, you are pure. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a purificatory process. Purificatory process. The first condition... We do not accept any rascal who is addicted to these four principles. We do not make cheap disciples. Our condition is first of all you must give up these things: illicit sex and meat-eating and intoxication, up to the drinking of tea and cigarette. You have to give up. And gambling. So these nice boys, they have given up. They were addicted to all these habits in their previous lives. But they have given up. Therefore they are making progress. Santa, they have become santa, saintly persons. So Kṛṣṇa is paraṁ pavitram. Arjuna, when addressed by Kṛṣṇa after hearing Bhagavad-gītā ... Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). He understood. Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: "You are the most pure." You cannot approach the most pure if you are impure. You must be pure. Therefore this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is a purificatory process. The more you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you become purified.

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

Pradyumna: "If someone is asked what he did exactly at the same time one day earlier, it would be very difficult for a common man to answer immediately. He would surely have to dredge his memory to recall what he was doing exactly at the same time one day before. And yet, men often dare claim to be God, or Kṛṣṇa. One should not be misled by such meaningless claims."

Prabhupāda: Yes. These, considering these verses from the Bhagavad-gītā, we should not foolishly accept these so-called cheaters as God. That is not very nice thing. These are the symptoms of God, how He takes His birth. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). We should try to understand what is God. We should not take so cheaply that "Here is God incarnation. Here is..." No. That is misleading. Then?

Pradyumna: "And then again the Lord explains His prakṛti, or His form. Prakṛti means nature as well as svarūpa, or one's own form. The Lord says that He appears in His own body. He does not change His body as the common living entity changes from one body to another. The conditioned soul may have one kind of body in the present birth, but he has a different body in the next birth."

Prabhupāda: Here, our body, now we have got human body. So next, next life it may be a demigod's body, or it may be cat's body, dog's body. The body changes. Kṛṣṇa does not... Avyayātmā. That is the difference. Go on.

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

Just like in our Bengal there is proverb, ghuriye nag nag naki.(?) Now, now, you are asking me... Just like sometimes we ask small child, "Where is your nose?" He says, "It is nose." "Where is your eye?" "It is eye." So that is a simple thing. But one child... Not child. One man is asked, "Where is your nose?" He says, "Oh, here is my nose." (laughter) "Here is my nose," this is simple thing. But one should show, "Oh, here is my nose." So Bhagavad-gītā is interpreted like that, "Here is my nose." Nobody shows that "Here is my nose." You see? So that is the difficulty. They have created difficult, create a situation of this Bhagavad-gītā under, I mean to say, catastrophe. So if you, any sincere student who will take Bhagavad-gītā as it is, this self-realization is as cheap as anything.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:

So we have to study. If we are serious student of Kṛṣṇa, then in the śāstras everything is there. So when we understand the greatness of Kṛṣṇa, then we become more attached. More attached. The greatness attracts. Suppose a man is very exalted position. He attracts the attention. Similarly, if we know the greatness of... One who does not know the greatness of Kṛṣṇa, he thinks Kṛṣṇa, "Yes,... That kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya, Doctor Frog: "Maybe little greater than me. That's all." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Such person thinks Kṛṣṇa as one of them, and therefore it has become a very fashionable thing to become Kṛṣṇa's avatāra, very cheaply. No. They do not know actually what is Kṛṣṇa's position.

Kṛṣṇa's position, if one understands, then he is liberated person. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). He's liberated person. Even in this body. Simply by knowing how great Kṛṣṇa is. Simply by knowing this fact, how Kṛṣṇa... Then one understands that mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. Iti matvā bhajante mām... Then our bhajana for Kṛṣṇa's service will become very much fixed-up and determined. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ (BG 10.8). This is bhāva. Bhāva means... One can understand very easily.

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

So one who is serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all these wonderful things, they do not captivate. You see? For them, two cents worth. Two cents. Suppose you can fly in the air. What is that? A rich man pay something to the aeroplane and, say, hundred dollars. He can fly from one place to another. Modern science, modern, has made everything cheap. So don't be after this perfection, material perfection. Any kind of material perfection will not solve our real problem. Our real problem is how to get rid of this material entanglement, the threefold miseries, birth after birth, I am going, repeating transmigration of, repetition of, getting one birth after... These are the problems.

So Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "After leaving this body, no more birth in this miserable world. He comes unto Me." We should stick to that point. And that will make us successful in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anything, any more questions? (break) ...very ideal prayer to follow. What to ask from Kṛṣṇa? That is the goal of every living being.

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

But they have now taken it very cheaply. All rascals and fools and rogues, they are claiming that "I am Kṛṣṇa, I am." They have taken because India has fallen. Because there is no brahminical culture, they cannot understand these rascals, that the fools and rascals, they are claiming to be Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so cheap? No. That is our misfortune, that instead of Kṛṣṇa, we are accepting some imitation, rogue Kṛṣṇa. This is our misfortune.

But we should not do that. There is Kṛṣṇa. Here is Kṛṣṇa, in His words. Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. He is not different from Kṛṣṇa. The words of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference. When you read Bhagavad-gītā, if you feel like that, that "Here Kṛṣṇa is speaking before me," then your life is successful. Kṛṣṇa is speaking. Actually, it is a fact. It is a fact. It is not that "Kṛṣṇa is no longer here. Five thousand years He spoke.

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

Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is said that vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni: "This body is just like our dress." Suppose a very learned man has come in a shabby dress. Do you think that he should be dishonored? If he's known, of course. Just like our this sannyāsī dress. It is not very costly dress. It is a loin cloth. It is very cheap, but sometimes people misunderstand that "Here is a beggar." And sometimes we are respected. So simply by dress we should not see any living entity. Whether, either he's a dog, or he's a, in the estimation of the society, a lower class man, or a very high class man, or a cow, but we shall see that "Here is a spirit soul." Anyone who can understand the spiritual vision of life, he is paṇḍita. He is paṇḍita.

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

Suppose if you go to a professor and if you say, "Oh, if you are a professor, can you make me immediately M.A.?" and if he says, "Yes, why not?" then are you not a fool? He is also fool. The so-called spiritual master is also rascal, and the man who has gone to him, he is also rascal. God is so cheap thing that immediately you go to a rascal and he shows you God immediately? Is it magic? But these things are going on. "Oh, such and such swamiji had a spiritual master who immediately showed him God." Huh? Dhruva Mahārāja went to the forest, and he had practiced so much penance and austerities. Then he saw God. And I can see God immediately without being trained, without undergoing training? No. It is not possible.

These are absurd thing. Suppose if you are not qualified, how you can see things? Suppose if you have never seen what is ten dollar note, then, if you ask somebody, "Can you give me ten dollar note?" and if he gives you one piece of paper, "Yes, it is $10 note," then are you not cheated? You must know what is $10 note. Otherwise you'll be satisfied with a paper, piece of paper. That's all. If you do not know God, then how you can see God?

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

Somebody says, "Oh, everyone is God." Oh, he becomes puffed-up: "I am also God." But what you know about God? You are thinking, "My spiritual master has said that I am God." But you should not inquire that "How I become God?" We learn from scripture, God has created this material universe. Oh, what I have created? And still I am puffed-up—"I am God"? So this cheating business is going on. So these are absurd. Absurd inquiries are condemned herewith. Yes. One must approach to the real spiritual master in submission. Inquire from him by rendering service. Then, gradually, you learn the science.

Here we are teaching our students—not abruptly say that "You have learned." We are teaching them Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, so many books. And we are discussing about God practically whole day and night. We are publishing paper. So in this way one has to learn.

It is not a cheap thing that immediately you learn God. But if you are submissive, if you are really inquisitive, then God reveals unto you. Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). When you are actually in service spirit, then He reveals. That is God-realization.

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

The whole process is, yoga system is, for purifying ātmā. Purifying ātmā... You always remember that ātmā means this body, ātmā means the mind, ātmā means the soul. So purifying these things. So yoga system is made not that cheaply I want some power. Sometimes the yogis they achieve very wonderful power. Aṣṭa-siddhi-yoga. Aṣṭa-siddhi, eight kinds of perfect, material perfection, they can attain. Not for that purpose yoga sys... Although they attain that power, real yogis, they do not exhibit it. They do not exhibit it. They have got the powers, so many wonderful powers, but he doesn't... His only aim is ātma-viśuddhaye: "I am now contaminated by this material atmosphere; so I have to purify myself." So that purification process we shall discuss next day. But I may say in this connection that so much difficult process for purifying the ātmā is very easily done, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Because the sound, this transcendental sound vibration, is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. His name is not different from Him. So when you chant His name with devotion, that means Kṛṣṇa is with you. And Kṛṣṇa, when Kṛṣṇa is with you, how you can remain impure? You become pure. The purest. That is the whole system. Now, if there is any questions, you can ask. (end)

Lecture on BG 6.13-15 -- Los Angeles, February 16, 1969:

So any process take Vedic process. Either you take yoga process or bhakti process or jñāna process, in no process sex indulgence is allowed, no. Sex indulgence is only allowed, family life, just to beget very nice children. That's all. Sex life is not for sense enjoyment. Although there is enjoyment by nature. Unless there is enjoyment, why one should take responsibility for family life. That is the secret of nature's gift. But we should not take advantage of it. These are the secrets of life. These are the secrets of life. So yoga practice, such a nice thing. If you indulge in sex life, this is simply nonsense. Simply nonsense. And if anyone says that you go on with your sex life as much as you like, at the same time you become a yogi, simply pay my fees. I give you some mantra. These are all nonsense. All nonsense. But we want to be cheated. We want to be cheated. We want something sublime very cheap. That means we want to be cheated. If you want very nice thing you must pay for it. "No. I shall go to a store, Sir, I can pay you ten cents, you give me the best thing for it." How can you expect for ten cent? If you want to purchase some valuable, if you want to purchase gold, then you have to pay for it. Similarly if you want perfection in yoga practice, then you have to pay for it like this. Don't make it childish affair. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. If you make it childish affair then you'll be cheated. And so many cheaters are waiting to cheat you and take your money and go away. That's all. Here is the statement, authoritative statement. Free from sex life. One should meditate upon Me. And ultimately, where is the meditation. Not in void. Just on Viṣṇu, this Viṣṇu form. That is sāṅkhya-yoga.

Lecture on BG 6.25-29 -- Los Angeles, February 18, 1969:

So everything depends on training. That is yoga system. Yoga means the whole yoga system means training. Our senses, our mind, our, this, that so many things. Then we are fixed up in the self. Do you think that simply by fifteen minutes meditation we realize. And do all nonsense all the day? No. It requires training. You are going to solve the problems of life and you want to do it very cheap? No, then you'll be cheated. You have to pay for it. If you want the nicest thing then you have to pay for it. But by the grace of Lord Caitanya, the payment has been made very easy. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Everything becomes very easy. All this controlling system, perfection of yoga system, becomes very easy. That is the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Ih ā haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomāra. Lord Caitanya has blessed that if you follow this principle, chanting, then you'll get all the perfection of self-realization. That is a fact.

Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:

Māṁ mūḍhāḥ. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, this word is used, avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ. Similarly the same word is used in Bhagavad-gītā: avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Mūḍhāḥ means rascals. Only rascals, they think that...do not care for Me. Rascals. He does not know that he will suffer but he dares to say like that, "I don't care for..." that is avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ (BG 9.11). Without knowing the supreme position of the Lord. Cheaply, cheaply they select God. God has become so cheap. "I am God, you are God." What is the meaning of God? Do you know? If I am God, you are God, then what is the meaning of God? So, avajānanti, this word is very appropriate. Avajānanti means neglectful, don't care. But they are mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍha means senseless, without any knowledge. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Go on.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

All right. Chant. (pause) The disease is that... Material disease is just like the tail of the dog. You see. The dog's tail is like this. And however oil it and try to make it straight, it comes like this. (laughter) You see. So these people, they want material enjoyment. "If Swamiji can offer us material enjoyment cheaply by some mantra," they'll come. You see. "When Swamiji says 'This is all rascaldom; come to Kṛṣṇa,' this is not good. This is not good." Because he wants to keep the tail like this. However apply ointment, it comes like this. (laughter) This is the disease. They want material things. That's all. "If by mantra, if by some tricks, we can enhance our material enjoyment, oh, it is very nice. Let us take some drug and become in the fools' paradise and think, 'Oh, I am in the spiritual world.' " They want like this. They want to remain in fools' paradise. But when we offer real paradise, they reject.

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

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 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

Full opulent: complete wealth, complete strength, complete beauty, complete knowledge, complete renunciation. One who possesses all these six things completely, he is Bhagavān. Bhagavān is not so cheap thing that it can be found in the lanes and streets and road. So that is also another misunderstanding. Therefore, Vyāsadeva says, "śrī-bhagavān uvāca..." He is complete in everything. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. Īśvara means controller. Parama means supreme, no more better than that. That is also enunciated by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior element than Me." So, if we study Bhagavad-gītā, if we understand what is the nature of Bhagavān, then our life is successful. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). So Kṛṣṇa is describing Himself. You try to understand from the statement of Kṛṣṇa with your logic, argument, science and everything. You will find complete answer.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a concoction of mind. It is scientific. It is based on the Vedic knowledge. It is primarily on the background of the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. If we take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then our human life, its mission, will be successful. That is our request to you all.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- London, March 9, 1975:

Aiśvarya means wealth, riches. One who is the greatest rich man. Every one of us... There are so many rich men, we are present here. But nobody can say, "I am the richest in the world." That is not possible. So one who can say and prove that he is the richest in the world, he can be accepted as Bhagavān, not these rascals, cheap Bhagavān. Cheap Bhagavān we don't accept. We accept Bhagavān Rāmacandra, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, because They did something which is impossible to be done by any human being. We are not going to accept cheap Bhagavān.

So Bhagavān means who is the richest, who is the most famous, who is the most..., who is the strongest, who is the most beautiful, who is the most wise, and who is most renounced. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says that bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor of all the lokas. Lokas means where the people or living entities live. So there are so many planets. Everywhere there are living entities. Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyam. There are Bhūrloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Satyaloka, Brahmaloka. Seven, fourteen planetary system.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

There are six kinds of opulences. Which one possesses in full, He is called Bhagavān. There is meaning. So we have several times explained: aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47). The Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He is the proprietor of all wealth, sarva-loka-maheśvaram, He is the proprietor of all the planets, all the universes, so who can be fortunate than Him? Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). If you have got one lakh shillings or ten lakh shillings we think we have become very rich. But Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-loka-maheśvaram: "I am the proprietor of all the planets." So who can become richer than Him? Therefore He is Bhagavān. The highest rich man, the richest person is called Bhagavān. Nobody can claim that he is the richest. That is not possible. So one who claims that "I am the richest. Nobody is equal to Me, and nobody is greater than Me," He is Bhagavān. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "Nobody is greater than Me." That is Bhagavān. Bhagavān cannot be so cheap that anyone can claim that "I am God. I am Bhagavān." That is cheating. He must prove first of all that he is the richest of everyone. Not only richest, aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya, in strength also. Vīryasya. Vīryasya yaśasaḥ, also reputation.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

That we have explained, what is God. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). You have to become God conscious. Then you will understand what is God. It is not a so trifle thing you ask me and, one minute, you understand God. That is foolishness. You have to study the science of God. God is not so cheap.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

Out of many thousands of men, one wants to become perfect, and out of many millions of perfect men, one can understand God. So God is not so cheap thing. Therefore Kṛṣṇa recommends,

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha

yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ

asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ

yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu

(BG 7.1)

If you want to know God without any doubt, completely, then you have to adopt this yoga. So first of all come to the yoga. Then speak of God understanding. It is not so cheap thing.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, August 22, 1976:

That is Bhagavān. Not that millions or trillions of dollars, but all the wealth. Aiśvaryasya samagra. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the enjoyer and proprietor of all the planets." That is Bhagavān. Aiśvaryasya samagra. Vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ. He's the master of all strength; He's all-famous. Kṛṣṇa five thousand years ago appeared on this planet, but still He's famous. His worship is going on still. In India there are hundreds and thousands of temples like this. Not only in India, now outside India there are least hundreds of temples like this. He's so famous. That is Bhagavān. He's not a cheap Bhagavān: "I have become Bhagavān by meditation." No. He's real Bhagavān. Bhagavān is Bhagavān. He doesn't require to meditate. Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He was three months old, He's Bhagavān. Pūtanā came to kill Him, but Pūtanā was killed by Him. That is Bhagavān. At the age of three months what meditation He could do? So this meditation Bhagavān and this Bhagavān is different. Bhagavān is always Bhagavān. Either He's three months old or 125 years old. When He was in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra His age was 125 or little less. He was a great-grandfather. So his Bhagavān is not this Bhagavān. Bhagavān cannot be manufactured by meditation factory. No. Therefore it is said bhagavān uvāca.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:

I have become now..." Vimukta-māninaḥ. They have been called as rascals, wrongly thinking that they are vimukta. Vimukta-mānī. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. There are so many rascals, they are thinking that they have become mukta, liberated Nārāyaṇas. They're thinking like that. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. So why they are...? Now, if they have become liberated, so advanced, and feeling that they have become Nārāyaṇa, so what is the objection? The objection is ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvāt (SB 10.2.32). They do not know what is Nārāyaṇa, these rascals. Śaṅkarācārya admits, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṇa is not a being within this material world." That is Nārāyaṇa. And they have become Nārāyaṇa, namo nārāyaṇāya. Nārāyaṇa is so cheap thing? Therefore śāstra says, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. These rascals, they are thinking they have become Nārāyaṇa, but they do not know what is Nārāyaṇa. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Why they do not under...? Tvayy asta-bhāvāt. They never tried to understand what is really God. They thought, "God is very cheap thing. Everyone can become God." So therefore they have become vimukta-māninaḥ.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, February 18, 1974:

This very thing again, tattvataḥ. His activities, His coming down, His work, they're all transcendental, divyam, not ordinary. So, He's divyam, He's transcendental. If anyone knows in truth, then what happens to him? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by knowing as He is, one becomes immediately liberated. Immediately. So therefore it is said, manuṣyāṇām. Because if one would know Kṛṣṇa as He is, he'll immediately liberated. So liberation is not so cheap thing. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says,

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

So you can understand Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa said in the beginning of this chapter that jñānaṁ me. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). It is a great science. It is not a speculative; it is not imagination. Just like sometimes they create imagined God. The impersonalists, they think there is no God. "God is not personal, but is impersonal. So you can imagine any form." That is rascaldom. That is not Kṛṣṇa; that is not God. How, with your limited senses, imperfect senses, you can imagine God? Whatever you imagine, that is rascaldom, that is not Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975:

Anyone who does not know what is Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa, he is a rascal. He is not a prophet. He's a rascal. Nobody can become prophet without full knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. Not that everyone will become and be a prophet, no. That is stated in the Bhagavad... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Anyone who has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he is a narādhama. How he becomes a prophet? (laughter) Just see. Don't bring so-called prophets. They are all narādhamas, lowest of the mankind—and he is prophet. No. Prophet is not so cheap. Don't be misguided by these rascals. Kṛṣṇa says—it is not our manufacture—the sign, that anyone who does not know about Kṛṣṇa and he has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he is narādhama.

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

So this is the simple process. Anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram, yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti (BG 8.5), "He goes." Na asti atra saṁśayaḥ: "You do not doubt it." If you have taken Kṛṣṇa as the supreme authority, and Kṛṣṇa says there is no doubt about it, then why shall I become doubtful? Why shall I disbelieve Kṛṣṇa? This is the process. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Always remember Kṛṣṇa. And death may take place at any time. There is no guarantee that after so much time you'll die. At any moment, you can die. Death, there is no guarantee. But it is a guarantee that you must die. That is guaranteed. But when you will die, that is not guaranteed. Therefore we must be prepared for death at any moment. Therefore a devotee is not afraid of death. He knows that death may come at any moment. We are... Nowadays, it has, the death is very cheap. Because we are using this motorcar, these aeroplanes, so many things, ships and other things for transportation, and there is, every moment there is danger of accident, collapse, everything. So death is now very cheap. So we must be prepared for death at any moment. There is no guarantee, that "I am not yet old enough. I am not yet eighty years, ninety years. Why shall I die?" No. You may be twenty years, twenty-five years or younger than that. Death is assured, and it can take place at any moment.

Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966:

So this is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ yo māṁ smarati. Smarati means remember. Nityaśaḥ, continually. Tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha. "Oh, I am very cheap for them." Kṛṣṇa becomes very cheap commodity. The highest valuable thing becomes very cheap for him who takes this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ: (BG 8.14) "Because he's continually engaged in such process of yoga, bhakti-yoga, oh, I am very cheap. I am easily available. I am easily available." Now, Kṛṣṇa declares Himself that He becomes easily available by this process. Why should I try for any, I mean to say, very hard job? Why shall I take to that? We chant Kṛṣṇa: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and twenty-four hours you can chant. There is no rules and regulation. Either in the street or in the subway, or at your home, or in your office, oh, there is no tax, no expenses. Why don't you do it? Always chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Thank you very much. Any questions? (end)

Lecture on BG 8.14-15 -- New York, November 16, 1966:

Therefore the Lord says, Kṛṣṇa, ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ: "A person without any deviation..." Ananya-cetāḥ. Without any consideration of jñāna, yoga, or any other process... Simply devotional process, simply surrendered process... "My Lord, I am Your eternal servant. Please give me Your service. Let me engage. Let me be engaged in Your service." This is called ananya-cetāḥ. Ananya-cetāḥ satatam. Satatam means always, twenty-four hours, cent percent, without any deviation. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If anyone is engaged in such Kṛṣṇa consciousness, twenty-four hours and cent percent, then yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ, always remembering... Suppose if you are engaged in some work, naturally you'll be thinking of that particular work. When you go to your office and work, oh, you have to think always of the office business. That is quite natural. Similarly, if you engage yourself in the business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, naturally you'll be always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is said, yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ: "Always remembering Me." Tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha: (BG 8.14) "My dear Pārtha, Arjuna, for him I am very cheap." Sulabhaḥ means very easily available.

Lecture on BG 8.14-15 -- New York, November 16, 1966:

But here is the definite information. Just in the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that ananya-cetāḥ, ananya-cetāḥ, without any deviation from this path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without any deviation from the devotional service in submission, if anyone thinks always of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says, tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ. Sulabha means "I am very easily available for him." Tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha. "Why? Why You are so...? Why You become so cheap to this person?" Because nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ. "Oh, he is constantly... Twenty-four hours, he's engaged in My service. I cannot forget him." This is... This is the process. Just become submissive and attract the attention of God. Then you'll be successful. Just try to... My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Don't try to see God. You work in such a way that God will see you. God will take care of you. Don't try to see God." This is the process. "I want to see God. Oh, God please come and stand before me," oh, just like He's my servant. God is no one's servant. You have to oblige Him by your love, by your service. That is the process. Here it is..., tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha. Anyone who is engaged in that way, in that submissive way, always, constantly, without any deviation, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, oh, for him, God is very cheap, although He's not..., He is unconquerable.

Lecture on BG 8.14-15 -- New York, November 16, 1966:

"My dear Lord Caitanya, You are the most munificent personality, most charitable, the highest charitable person." Why? "You are delivering Kṛṣṇa very cheaply. You are delivering Kṛṣṇa very cheaply. Therefore nobody is comparable with Your charity." We want Kṛṣṇa. The whole... We are hankering after Kṛṣṇa, the most attractive, the most beautiful, the most opulent, the most powerful, the most learned and the most beautiful. That is our hankering. We are hankering after the beauty, the powerful, the learned. So raso vai. Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of everything. You just turn your attention to Kṛṣṇa. You'll get everything, everything, whatever your want. Whatever you heart's desire, it will be fulfilled by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness was given by Lord Caitanya. Therefore He's, I mean to say, recommended... He's called that namo mahā-vadānyāya: "Oh, You are the most powerful, charitable personality. Nobody has given such a thing—Kṛṣṇa." Because we are all in want of Kṛṣṇa. So that is the process given by Kṛṣṇa Himself. And here Kṛṣṇa says that "I am..." Tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha: "I am... I become very cheap to him." Whom? "One who is constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." And if you remain twenty-four hours in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then—just like the impersonalists, the yogis, the jñānīs, they transfer themselves to the spiritual world in the..., and merge into the impersonal effulgence—you enter into the planet where Kṛṣṇa is. Then what is the benefit? You can ask, "Well, suppose I do this and enter into the Kṛṣṇa planet, then what is the benefit?"

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

If you have doubt that "This man may be or may not be able to answer my question," then don't put question because you are not prepared to take his answer. Therefore here it is said, bhagavān uvāca. You cannot put any question. That is the way.

Because Bhagavān means... Every word has got meaning. Bhaga means opulence. So one of the opulence is nobody is wiser than Him. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47). Bhagavān means one who possesses six kinds of opulences, richness, aiśvaryasya samagrasya, total richness. You are rich, I am rich, he is rich, but nobody can claim that "I am the only rich," or "Nobody is richer than me." That is not possible. But if you find somebody who is the richest—nobody is richer than him—then he is God. Then he's God. God is not so cheap thing that in every street, every village, there is incarnation of God. Don't accept that. You must know what is meaning of God. At least we followers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we do not accept such cheap God. The God's description is there in the śāstra.

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

So that is meaning of God. And this God, Mahā-Viṣṇu, is partial representation of Govinda. Viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajā... So sometimes cheap gods in the Western country. They cheat you. But God is not so cheap. This is one of the description of God, that within the breathing period of God, Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is not directly God—He is an expansion of God, Mahā-Viṣṇu—the total material energy is being created an annihilated. That is God. So that aiśvaryasya samagra. This is one opulence. If we possess one house, we become very opulent. If another possesses two house or three house... Now, here, in the breathing period of God, there are innumerable universes. You cannot calculate what is the opulence. One universe you cannot calculate. The one universe you are daily experiencing. What is the position of the sun? What is the position of the moon? What is the position of other planets? You cannot calculate. And there are innumerable universes. And that is depending on the breathing period of God. So we say, "God is great." We should try to understand how great He is, not that the Dr. Frog's greatness, no. That is not greatness, no, my calculation, "God may be like this. God may be like that." You have to understand about God from the authorized person who knows things as they are. Then you can also know.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 22, 1976:

You are going to back to home, back to Godhead, or again you are going back to the cycle of birth and death, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani? Vartmani means path. That you have to decide in this human form of life because you are not animal. Animal, they have no intelligence. Their first duty is where to get money, or not money, food. Money is required for purchasing food, but the animals, they do not know that food can be purchased. They are searching after food. But we are civilized; we are searching after money. Money is required for purchasing food. Why don't you produce food directly? That is intelligence. You are getting money, very good. What is that money? A paper. You are being cheated. It is written there, "hundred dollars." But what is that hundred dollars? It is cheap of..., piece of paper only. But because we are so fool, we are accepting a piece of paper, hundred dollars, and the struggle for existence for a piece of paper. Why don't you be intelligent—"Why shall I take the piece of paper? Give me food"? But that intelligence you have lost. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say the present human society is combination of cheaters and cheated, that's all. No intelligent person. Formerly money was gold and silver coins. It had some value. But what is the present currency? Simply piece of paper. Bunch of papers. During the last war the government failed in Germany, and these bunch of papers were thrown in the street. Nobody was caring. Nobody was caring.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 23, 1976:

In this way God is situated. Antar bahiḥ. He is situated outside, He is situated inside also. Kṛṣṇa says... This is quite reasonable, otherwise how He is God? Just like I am here, you are here, but you are not in your apartment. You are absent from your apartment. But God, God means He is in his apartment and He is everywhere. That is God. The rascals, they claim that "I am God." What kind of God you are? Are you everywhere spread? So you should not accept such cheap God. God's description is there in the śāstra. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭim (Bs. 5.35). One part, one portion is Paramātmā, the Supersoul. In His Supersoul feature He is present in innumerable universes. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means the universe. It is just like an egg. They are aṇḍa. Aṇḍa means egg. The form is like egg. So there are millions. So to maintain the millions and millions of universes by His one portion, Paramātmā, He is spread. He is called Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. It is a great science. God expands Himself in so many ways, and for the material world He is expanded as puruṣāvatāra: Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He's expanding like that. Causal Ocean.

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

So far Kṛṣṇa is concerned, He proved that He is God. How? In this Bhagavad-gītā. Now we are reading Ninth Chapter. In the Eleventh Chapter Arjuna requested, "O Kṛṣṇa, that will You kindly show me Your universal form?" So Kṛṣṇa showed him, "Yes." So that... This was Arjuna's teaching to world that in future so many fools will represent himself as God. So don't be befooled by them. Just ask him, "Show me your universal form." Then accept him as God. Don't very cheaply accept any fool as God. So this is the highest imperfection, that he is in the stringent laws of the material nature. If there is simply a toothache, he becomes overwhelmed, and he himself preaches as God. So this sort of thing can be accepted by similar foolish-natured people. God is supreme. Nobody can God. Nobody can be equal with God. God is called in the Vedic literature, asamaurdhva. Asama means nobody's equal to Him. And nobody is higher than Him. Ūrdhva means higher. Nobody can be higher than God, and nobody can be equal to God. Everyone is lower than God, however great he may be. And there is a nice verse, śiva-viriñci-nutam (SB 11.5.33). Śiva-viriñci. Śiva means the Lord Śiva, and viriñci means Lord Brahmā. They are considered to be the topmost demigods in this material world. So they also offer their respectful obeisances to Viṣṇu, or God.

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

So therefore our duty is to engage ourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There are, at the preliminary, rules and regulation. And if we follow, if you follow those principles, it is not very difficult thing to see God or to become acquainted with God intimately. God is very cheap if we adopt the means. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Adurlabha. Adurlabha, very cheap. To whom? To the pure devotee. But to others, those who are, I mean to say, mongering in philosophical speculation and manufacturing something, some hallucination, it is not possible to have a relationship with God. But adurlabham ātma-bhaktau: He is very cheap to the pure devotee. So our duty is to become pure devotee by practice of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and this is not at all difficult. This chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare, if you chant, you will realize how you are making progress, and gradually... Kṛṣṇa is within you; God is within you. He will give you intelligence that "You do this way. You do that way." Everything will be clear, and the result will be tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "After leaving this body you will come to Me." Then your human life is perfected. Follow this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Bombay, September 28, 1973:

Ṛṣibhiḥ, not ordinary persons, rsi, great... Just like Vyāsadeva. Mahārṣi, devarṣi, rājarṣi, ṛṣi. Formerly the brāhmaṇas, they were ṛṣis, and the kṣatriyas also, they were also just like ṛṣis. Therefore they are called rājarṣi. The spiritual science is not understandable by ordinary men. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the fourth chapter, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ: "This science was understood by the great rajarsis." Just like Mahārāja Yudhisthira, rājarṣi, Lord Rāmacandra, rājarṣi, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, rājarṣi, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku, rājarṣi. There are many. They were rājarṣis. The monarchy was not a cheap thing. The king was as good as a ṛṣi. Therefore they are called rājarṣi. The king used to rule over the citizens on the permission of the great, great sages. Just like Nārada, the Devarsi. He used to visit Mahārāja Yudhisthira. Similarly, other kings.

Lecture on BG 16.1-3 -- Hawaii, January 29, 1975:

Then they had ten children again. This is Yadu family. This is Yadu... This is family, Kṛṣṇa's family. So many, one person. And that is called Bhagavān. Show something, Bhagavān. They simply cheap Bhagavān, and rascal present as cheap Bhagavān, and rascal accepts them as Bhagavān. This is not good. Try to find out the actual Bhagavān. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is...

He showed by practical example. He is accepted by great, great sages like Nārada, Vyāsadeva, Devala, Asita. That is also stated when Arjuna accept Him that "You are the Supreme Lord. So You are the Supreme Lord how? Because people may say I am Your friend; therefore I am accepting. No. All the authorities says that You are the Supreme Lord. And I have understood by Your personal explanation and I accept You." Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava: (BG 10.14) "Whatever You have said, I accept it because You are Bhagavān." This is Bhagavān.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- Hawaii, February 2, 1975:

Just like here is Bhagavad-gītā. You follow the direction. You will understand what is God, what you are, what is this world, what is our relation between ourself, what is our condition, how we can get out of this miserable condition. Everything you will find. In the beginning a small child cannot understand what is mathematic, but if he studies mathematic science, he one day becomes a very big mathematician, the same child. Similarly, this spiritual science, every one of you can become spiritually advanced provided you study the science. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not a bluff sentiment. It is a great science. Those who are actually studious, they can understand the science perfectly if they study all our books. We have got twenty volumes books like this already published. And we propose to publish seventy-two volumes, how to understand God. So God is not so cheap thing, that "I have become God; you have become God." It is a great science. So those who want to understand God scientifically, philosophically, let them read these books. That is our presentation, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

Therefore somebody comes, "Yes, I am God." "Oh, sir, you are God? Yes. That's all right." Because he wanted to be cheated, so somebody comes and declares himself that "I am God," and he is cheated. We cannot accept such God. We shall say, "Oh, you are God? All right, you lift this hill first of all with your finger. Then I shall accept you God." We don't accept such so cheap God. The rascals may accept some cheap God. No, we don't accept. We accept Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Brahmā said, "God is here, Kṛṣṇa." Brahmā is the original person who distributes knowledge, Vedic knowledge. So we accept Kṛṣṇa. The Brahmā has said. And we see, "Yes. He is God. He is lifting hill. He is killing Pūtanā at the age of three months old only. A seven years old boy is lifting hill." So God must execute uncommon acts; otherwise, how shall I accept God if He's like me? Kṛṣṇa devoured the whole forest fire. His friends appealed, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, there is fire." The cows were crying. Kṛṣṇa said, "Don't worry." Boy of six years old. So that is God. We accept Rāmacandra as God. He brought big, big stones and floated over the ocean. Does a stone float over the ocean? Yes, it floats under the order of God. He can do it. The law of gravitation will not act there. He can change. You can see. Million tons heavy, this earth, so many hills, and Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean. It is floating in the air just like a swab of cotton. You are explaining "weightlessness," but that's all right. But you float such thing. You can say so many things.

Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- London, August 10, 1971:

So na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Human life is meant for understanding what is God, what is my relationship with Him. And when he understands the relationship is there, "God is great, I am very small..." No. The rascal says, "No, I am God." And what, in which way you become God? God is great. Are you great? If I give you any slap, you immediately cry, and you're claiming God? You see. But these rascals are doing nicely, and fools are following, "Here is a God, incarnation of God." You see? So God is not so cheap. God..., our conception of God... Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so powerful. It is stated in the Vedic literature: Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Simply by the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu, innumerable... Just like we exhale and inhale and so many small microbes, germs, are coming out and going. This is a fact, medical science. Similarly, as microbes are coming and going, similarly, with the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu so many universes are coming and going. That is God. God, who can create unlimited number of universes simply by breathing. That is God. (aside:) Don't sleep. You can... So here, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15).

Lecture on SB 1.2.3 -- Rome, May 27, 1974:

Śruti means Veda. Śruti is learned by hearing, not by reading. You can understand Vedic principle even though you are illiterate, provided you hear them, aural reception. God has given you the ear. And if you try to hear submissively, to receive something, then it will be fruitful. Submissive. Śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-mano..., jñāne prayāsam. This is the Brahmā's realization when he met Kṛṣṇa. So he said this verse, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva, namanta eva, san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. People who are endeavoring to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of his puffed-up knowledge, they will never be able to. They will never be able. Jñāne prayāsam. One has to give up this illegitimate attempt to understand the Absolute Truth by his personal knowledge. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap thing that by exercising your brain you can manufacture a way to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ: (BG 7.25) "I am not exposed to everyone. I am covered by yogamāyā. People will not be able to understand Me." "So many jñānīs, yogis, karmīs, they cannot understand?" No. Then? Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: (BG 18.55) "Only through devotional service." Devotional service means submission, surrender. First of all surrender. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You cannot understand Me by your so-called karma, jñāna, or yoga, dhyāna. No, it is not possible." Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Bhaktyā means to surrender.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Vrndavana, October 16, 1972:

So when you become actually preacher of God consciousness, you cannot make any compromise. You must call the spade a spade. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the mahājanas. Out of the twelve mahājanas, he's one of them. Because he was very bold. He was not afraid of his demonic father. He chastised him in so many ways. But he was never afraid. So just like our people are being persecuted in Australia. You know? They have been put into jail because they are preaching Hare Kṛṣṇa. So this is not very easy thing, easy-going. My Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, he did not like that his disciples would be easy-going, cheap Vaiṣṇava. Cheap Vaiṣṇava. Duṣṭa mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava. He sang a song, "My dear mind, oh, you are going to be a Vaiṣṇava. And what kind of Vaiṣṇava you are?" Duṣṭa mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava, pratiṣṭhāra tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava. "You are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura or Rūpa Gosvāmī, in a solitary place... Not solitary place. You are thinking of woman and money. That's all. Mind is filled with dirty things. So this kind of bhajana is simply cheating, cheating." He was after preaching. First of all, go door to door. Just like Nityānanda Prabhu did it at the risk of life. He was hurt by Jagāi-Mādhāi. Blood came out of His head. Lord Caitanya became very much angry. He wanted to kill immediately Jagāi Mādhāi. Lord Nityānanda said, "My dear Sir, You promised that this incarnation You'll not take any weapon, Please be kind upon them."

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Vrndavana, October 16, 1972:

As I have repeatedly told you, that... Especially I have seen practically in America, in Africa, in Australia, there are so much immense scope for producing food that ten times of the whole population of the world could be fed simply by utilizing the open land still available. So there is no question of scarcity. We have simply mismanaged. Due to lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we have mismanaged things. Kṛṣṇa says,

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

(BG 5.29)

If you want peace, then you try to understand these three principles of life. What is that? That Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer. No one else. All servants. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Everyone is servant. Not that "Oh, everyone is equal to Kṛṣṇa." That has become a cheap business. So many kṛṣṇa-avatāras and so many demigods, they are counted as good as Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7), "There is no more superior authority than Me."

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

So progress means to make progress in religious concept of life. That is progress. Not, that is not progress, material comforts, that is not progress. Material comforts according to the body, that is already settled up, deha-yogena dehinām. As we have got body, a particular type of body given by nature, the machine... Just like your comfort of driving car is estimated according to the car you have got. If you have got a very nice costly car, then it drives very comfortably, but if you have got a less costly, cheap car, then you are not so comfortable. Similarly our comforts and discomforts are already settled as soon as you have got a particular type of body. There is no necessity to improve it. We cannot improve it. For example, just like a hog, he has got a particular type of body, he can eat stool. You cannot improve his eating process by giving him halavā, that is not possible. Therefore śāstra says, deha-yogena dehinām. Our material comforts, standard of material comforts, are already settled up by the body which you have got. Therefore our business is: if you are not in the bodily concept of life, then our business is how to make spiritually advanced. Bodily comforts of life, we cannot improve. That is not possible. We can improve our spiritual advancement of life. That is given to us.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Delhi, November 13, 1973:

So uttama means... This word we have..., uttama. The uttama means transcendental, beyond this material world. So there is śreya, ultimate benefit of life, beyond this material world. So one who is interested the śreya, or ultimate benefit of life beyond this material world, for him there is need of accepting a guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Uttamam, not for this... Generally, people go to accept a guru for some material benefit, for cheap āśīrvāda, so that he can become more opulent in this material world. But that is not śreya. These things will be finished. These things will be finished with your body, and body is sure to be finished. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I am the death, and I take away everything at the death, at the time of your... " Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham. You make all asset. You make good bank balance, skyscraper building, good family, everything, but everything will be taken away at the time of death. Then another chapter. Then you do not know what chapter begins. That will depend on your karma. The same thing, contamination. As you have made your mental condition, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6), you will get..., nature will give a similar body. This is going on.

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Los Angeles, August 22, 1972:

This is the process, but if we follow the rules and regulations given by spiritual master, śāstra, then gradually, gradually... Therefore we should be very careful. We should be very cautious that māyā may not attack us. Because she is always ready to attack. Rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). Even in goodness also, māyā, there is māyā. Therefore in the material platform, even goodness is not pure. Therefore there is another stage, which is called śuddha-sattva. Goodness is sattva, sattva-guṇa. There is another stage, transcendental stage, which is called śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vāsudeva-śabditam. That is called vāsudeva stage, and in the vāsudeva stage, Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, appears. You can see Kṛṣṇa. Not that a rascal inviting everyone, "Come on. I shall show you God, I shall show you God," and some rascals are going there to see God. God is not so cheap. One has to qualify himself to see God. These are the processes.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972:

This is the sign. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). Then you can understand what is God. God is not so cheap: "Come on, I shall show you God. You haven't got to follow any rules and regulations." People want to be cheated. Therefore there are so many cheaters. They take advantage of it. Because they want everything very cheap. That is not possible. This is the stage, prasanna-manasa. Then you can understand what is God. Bhagavat-tattva-vi... Because it is a science. If somebody says, "Come on, I shall teach you the science of chemistry within a second. Give me some money," is it possible? If somebody says, "I shall teach you mathematics. Come on, give me some money.," So why these rascals are misled? If... It is a science; it is not sentiment. It is science. There was... Understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without reference to these scientific books, Vedic literature, it is simply a disturbance, simply rascaldom. Simp... Because they are creating disturbance, always, cheating some people. They are cheated. They do not get anything. Create some disturbance. That is the instruction of Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972:

So this vijñānam, this science, can be understood by mukta-saṅga, who is freed from the lower modes of material nature, especially tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. So do not be befooled by so many rascals that bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam, the science of God, understanding is so cheap that anyone can give you by simply one day's association with some rascal. You see. This is not so possible. Yes, it has to be studied, it has to be practiced. It has to be realized. So this vijñānam is being stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore in the beginning, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). All rascaldom going on under the name of religion, cheating religion, they're completely kicked out from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Simply on scientific understanding we are presenting what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not for sentimentalists.

Lecture on SB 1.2.34 -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1972:

So only the rascals will follow such rascals. A man is known by his company. God has become so cheap. God, they, there are incarnation, there are hundreds and thousands of incarnation, but to accept that incarnation, we have to follow the direction of the śāstra. The śāstra, in every incarnation is described there, His symptoms are described there. When Rāmacandra is described, He is... What did He do, that is also given there. Even Lord Buddha's activities are there in the śāstra—He's accepted an incarnation. Kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati. Lord Kṛṣṇa's, Lord Balarāma. Everything is described there—Lord Caitanya. So we have to accept one incarnation with reference to the description given in the śāstra. Not that any rascal comes and he becomes incarnation and we accept. No. There are incarnations. That is a fact. As it is said: deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu, hundreds and thousands of incarnations.

Lecture on SB 1.2.34 -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1972:

So therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is becoming successful. They were looking after such cultural movement, but taking advantage, there are, so many rascals are going and posing himself as incarnation of God. People can be misled. Even in India, there are so many men misled with the incarnation of God. But incarnation of God is not so cheap. Don't make, don't accept cheap incarnation of God. Try to understand with reference to the śāstras, with reference to the authority. Then it will be all right. Otherwise, it will be misleading. Don't be misled. That is our request.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972:

Similarly, all this cosmic manifestation came into existence simply by the will of God. Not that... Just like in season, there are hundreds and thousands and millions of fruits. You haven't got to create each fruit. When the season is there, the fruits are all ready, immediately. Similarly, when God says, "Let there be creation," millions of planets, immediately created. That is God. Not that cheap God, "I am God." In your country they come, and you become cheated. We don't accept such cheap God. We want this God. Simply by His will, millions of universes are created.

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kāla-viśeṣo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.48)

We are not seeking after a cheap God. Real God. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **.

So we are not so fool that... Why we shall make research? Everything is there. So we are confident. We know what is going to happen. It is not astrology. It is... Everything is there in the Vedic knowledge. Veda means knowledge, full knowledge. You take advantage of it and become learned.

Thank you. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.3.14 -- Los Angeles, September 19, 1972:

So sinful civilization. Therefore our first restriction is no meat-eating. It is a most sinful act. Meat-eating, or intoxication, drinking, gambling, and illicit sex. These are the four pillars of sinful life. So unless you stop, you break these four pillars, how you can think of God? God is not so cheap. The rascal says, "You can do whatever you like. I give you... I push your eyes and you see God. You push your nose, you see God." You see? These nonsense things are going on. But God is not so cheap. He is cheap, very cheap. He is very kind. But we want to remain sinful. Therefore we cannot see God. Arjuna addressed Kṛṣṇa, paraṁ dhāma paraṁ brahma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. "You are the most pure." So how you can approach God with sinful life? That is not possible. That is simply bogus thing, that you keep your sinful life, at the same time you want to see God, you want to talk with God. That is not possible.

So this point is that if the population of the world becomes sinful, demonic, then nature will not supply you sufficient food. She will diminish. We have got experience. In India we have seen, some years there is overproduction of mango. People... Very cheap. Everyone can purchase. And sometimes there is no supply, some year. Similarly, foodgrains also. Some year there is oversupply of foodgrain and sometimes there is scanty supply. Now, this supply of foodgrains, fruits, and everything, even milk... In our New Vrindaban, because the cows feel very safe, they give us sufficient milk. That is our experience.

Lecture on SB 1.3.18 -- Los Angeles, September 23, 1972:

"Anyone who takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord," the Lord also says, "suppose if you do not do your duty in relationship to your country, to your family, so many we have got obligations. There may be sinful activities." But Kṛṣṇa says, "If you surrender, I will give you protection from the resultant reaction of all sinful activities." The same thing is confirmed in the Bhāgavata. "If anyone gives up all these occupational duties and simply takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is no more servant or debtor or obliged to anyone." For a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, his only duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Of course, "Kṛṣṇa" means so many things—Kṛṣṇa is not alone—at least Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's devotees. The nondevotees are also included, but directly the devotees are included. So when you serve Kṛṣṇa, then we must take consideration of Kṛṣṇa's devotees also. If we neglect Kṛṣṇa's devotees and simply try to go directly to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap. Kṛṣṇa wants to see, just like there is a common word, "If you love me, love my dog." Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja requested, "Kindly engage me in the service of Your servant."

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.3.19 -- Los Angeles, September 24, 1972:

Real religious principle. Real religious principle means to abide by the laws of the Supreme Lord, God. But they do not believe in God. "Everyone is God. I am God, you are God, he is God, everyone is God. So whatever law you give yourself, that becomes your religion." This is going on. So God is not so cheap that you become God, I become God, he becomes God. The śāstra says, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). God is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, the original God. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda (Bs. 5.1). God, Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no superior authority than Me." The Vedānta-sūtra also says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The original source of everything. Who is that original source? God. Who is that God? Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). "I am the origin of everything." Iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. "Those who are budha..." Budha means one who knows, one who is in the knowledge. Bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Bhāva-samanvitāḥ, knowing everything in ecstasy, "Oh, here is God." Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.3.22 -- Los Angeles, September 27, 1972:

Pradyumna: "He wanted a staircase to be built up directly reaching the heavenly planet so that people might not be required to undergo the routine of pious work necessary to enter that planet. He also wanted to perform other acts against the established rule of the Lord. He even challenged the authority of Śrī Rāma, the Personality of Godhead, and kidnapped His wife, Sītā. Of course, Lord Rāma came to chastise the atheists, answering the prayer and desire of the demigods. He therefore took up the challenge of Rāvaṇa, and the complete activity is the subject matter of the Rāmāyaṇa. Because Lord Rāmacandra was the Personality of Godhead, He exhibited superhuman activities which no human being, including the materially advanced Rāvaṇa, could perform. Lord Rāmacandra prepared a royal road on the Indian ocean with stones that floated on the water. The modern scientists have done research in the area of weightlessness, but it is not possible to bring in weightlessness anywhere and everywhere. But because weightlessness is the creation of the Lord by which He can make the gigantic planets fly and float in the air, He made the stones even within this earth to be weightless, and prepared a stone bridge on the sea without any supporting pillar. That is the display of the power of God."

Prabhupāda: So incarnation, in the śāstras... Here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, some of the incarnations are described. But all incarnations are described in the śāstra. We should not be blind to accept any rascal and rogue as incarnation of God. Incarnation of God is not so cheap. That we should understand.

Thank you. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-4 -- New Vrindaban, May 22, 1969:

So this is material world means everyone is trying to become God. I am trying to become God, you are trying to become God. So there is competition between Gods. He has forgotten that he is dog, but he's trying to become God. Especially in these days, especially in our (chuckling) India, Bengal, there (are) so many Gods incarnation, rascal. You see? So many. As if God is so cheap thing that anyone can become God. So God has given us the chance, "All right. You try to become God." He's trying to become God, and more and more... This is asuric. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. As soon as his little child would say "Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa," he would immediately become angry: "Oh, who is this Nārāyaṇa?" "Oh, He is God." Just like this child is doing. "I am God. Who is God? You are trying to respect some other God?"

So this philosophy is there always, and now it is very prominent that everyone wants to become God. So many swamis, they come to your country and they, "Oh, you are God, I am God, this God, that God." So this is going on. And in the lower stage they are grossly under the impression that "I am this body," "I am this mind," or "I am this intelligence." And later on, "I am God," and so many things. So this Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, explains that Supreme from where everything is emanating. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). From the very beginning. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ. Very nicely. You have read our explanation, English explanation in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. What is that Supreme? That Supreme, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), that Supreme is abhijñaḥ. He knows everything. But the so-called cheap Gods, do they know everything? He does not know even what is going to happen in next moment. Just like I heard there was a "God," Meher Baba. He had came. And he did not know that he is going to meet with some motor accident, and still he claimed that he's God. You see?

Lecture on SB 1.5.29 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

So when one understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly, he becomes mahātmā. Just try to understand. Not a politician. Not by changing dress, saffron-color cloth. No, that is not mahātmā. One who understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly well, he is mahātmā. Therefore here it is said, munibhir mahātmabhiḥ. The instruction was received from persons, munibhiḥ, great philosophers. Not only philosophers, but mahātmā. Because one who has understood Kṛṣṇa perfectly... This is the qualification of guru. So that qualification, to attain, is not very difficult. But because we are rascals, we do not try to take the qualification. That qualification is very simple. One... Who can understand Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap thing. He has said already that yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). So it not very easy. But it is very easy if you take the process, easiest process. What is that easiest process? That easiest process: you don't talk nonsense; you simply talk what Kṛṣṇa has said. That's all. And many times they give me very great credit that I have done wonderful. Yes, I have done wonderful. But what is the reason? Because I am not a rascal. I speak what Kṛṣṇa has spoken. That's all. Very easy. Everyone can do that. Not only I. Any of you, you can do this. Simply speak what is..., what Kṛṣṇa has said. That's all. Don't make addition, alteration. Then you become rascal. Immediately you become rascal.

Lecture on SB 1.7.19 -- Vrndavana, September 16, 1976:

Pure devotion means to pray to the Lord, begging some service. "My Lord, kindly engage me in Your service." That is the perfection of life, when one is engaged in the service of the Lord in love. You can become a very great saint and live in a secluded place and become puffed-up that you have become very great personality, and people may come to see him, that "He's not to be seen, he's engaged in chanting." My Guru Mahārāja has condemned this. He said, mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava. "My dear mind, your mental concoction, you are thinking that you have become a very big Vaiṣṇava. You do not do anything and sit down in a secluded place and imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura, chanting. So you are a nonsense." Mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava. Why? Nirjanera ghare, pratiṣṭhāra tare. To get some cheap adoration as a great chanter. Because if one is actually chanting, why he should be attracted by woman and biḍi? If he is actually in such position like Haridāsa Ṭhākura then why he should be attracted by material things? That is a false show only. That is not possible for ordinary person.

Lecture on SB 1.7.19 -- Vrndavana, September 16, 1976:

So mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava. He says, "What kind of Vaiṣṇava, rascal, you are." Nirjanera ghare pratiṣṭhāra tare. "Simply for cheap adoration you are living in a secluded place." Tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava. Your chanting of so-called Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is simply cheating. He has said that. One must be ready very vigorously. And that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's also order. Caitanya Mahāprabhu never said that "You chant." He has given certainly the chanting, but so far His mission is concerned, He said that "Everyone of you become guru." Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). And deliver, preach, that people understand what is Kṛṣṇa.

yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa

āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa

(CC Madhya 7.128)

Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi. That is His mission. It is not that "Become a big Vaiṣṇava and sit down and imitate." This is all rascaldom. So don't follow this thing. So at least we cannot advise you in that way. We have learned from our Guru Mahārāja that preaching is very, very important thing, and when one is actually an experienced preacher, then he is able to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offense. Before that, this so-called chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you may practice without any offenses... And giving up all other business to make a show of a big Vaiṣṇava, that is not required. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

So these three classes of men are there. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to bring persons from the wretched, low qualities, ignorance and passion, to bring him to the platform of goodness. And that goodness also has to be purified. In the material world the goodness is also attacked by the other, lower qualities. Big, big men, very good men, but there are so many defects. Because unless... First of all you have to come to the platform of goodness, brahminical position. Then you have to purify that goodness, sattvaṁ viśuddham, viśuddha-sattva, vasudeva-sattva, vasudeva platform. Then you will be able to understand what is God. It is not so cheap thing that one can understand God so easily while he is in the modes of material nature, especially the lower grade modes.

So at the present moment, most people, they are in the lower grades of the material qualities, ignorance and passion. Therefore you see all over the world, rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobha (SB 1.2.19). Every man is greedy and lusty. Every man. So in this position, it is very difficult. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). So unless you change this quality... This quality can be changed. It is not that it is stereotyped. How these European, American boys and girls, they are coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? How? They have changed their quality. By the process, we have got this process. In this process we can change the quality.

Lecture on SB 1.8.20 -- Mayapura, September 30, 1974:

So vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, this is not main business. For killing the demons, one cyclone wind is sufficient. If Kṛṣṇa orders Varuṇa that "You make a heavy cyclone in this quarter," hundreds and thousands of demons will be killed within a second. So this is not the purpose, for... He does not come for killing. But because killing business is another business, when He comes to protect the devotees, so He automatically, there are some demons: "Kill them also." Just like you go somewhere. Now, your not business to purchase something, but when you see, "Oh, it is nice. It is cheap price. All right, purchase it." So you did not go to a friend's place to make some business, but when you see, sometimes you do that. Similarly, it is not Kṛṣṇa's business. That, Kṛṣṇa has got many, many agents. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44).

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa is available so cheaply for the people, especially kalau, in this age of Kali. Still, we are reluctant to chant the holy name. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu regrets, etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi: "Although You are so liberal and kind upon this fallen soul, still, unfortunate as I am, I am not inclined to chant this holy name." This is our position, obstinacy, dog's obstinacy. But if we do it, then we become purified. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's recommendation is to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam either yourself, being purified, or without being purified, you can read, chant. This is our Vaiṣṇava regulation, duty. As much as possible, we should read Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And any such literature-Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Brahma-saṁhitā. Any one of them or all of them, it doesn't matter. And chant twenty-four hours Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is our business.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Mayapura, October 20, 1974:

So Śukadeva Gosvāmī criticizes, "What is the use of keeping waterpot? You have your palms. You can take water from the river and drink." Cirāṇi kiṁ san..., pathi na santi. And old cloth, thrown away... Formerly, gṛhasthas, in different ceremonies, after taking bath, they would throw away their garments, their..., so that poor people, they can take it and use it. And new. Every religious function... In our childhood also we have seen. As soon as there was a new function or pūjā, there was new cloth. Even household pūjā... That takes place practically every month. Lakṣmī-pūjā, Kārttika-pūjā... Bara mase tara upara bhan.(?) The... Actually there are twelve months, but the festivals are thirteen. It was very difficult to adjust where the another festival, in which month it should be observed. So we have got experience—in Lakṣmī-pūjā, all new cloth. The children, at least, at least the children and the housewife will have new cloth for every function. And what was the price of cloth? Very cheap. One rupee, four annas; one rupee, six annas, per pair. So we have seen it.

Lecture on SB 1.8.41 -- Los Angeles, May 3, 1973:

So a devotee should know what is Kṛṣṇa. They picture simply Kṛṣṇa as if simply embracing Rādhārāṇī. That's all. That is also very, in a obnoxious way. These rascals, they take it, the dealings of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa as ordinary boys and girls dealing. They don't understand. Such pictures should be avoided. Kṛṣṇa is the controller. Let there be one picture how Kṛṣṇa is controlling the whole universe. That picture wanted, not these cheap pictures, imitating our rubbish behavior with boys and girls. These pictures we do not want. We want picture how Kṛṣṇa is controller, how He is controlling the universal affairs. Viśveśa. Viśveśa viśvātman. Ātman, the living force. The living force must be there. Unless there is living force within this body, as this body cannot move, cannot work nicely, similarly, within this universe, cosmic manifestation, there is the living force, Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, or Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Therefore He's viśvātman. We should know that, how this world is moving, how this universe is acting. But these rascals do not know. They should learn from this Bhāgavata. Viśvātman viśveśa, viśva-mūrte. And His manifestation, universal form. Just like Kṛṣṇa exhibited before Arjuna. Arjuna wanted to see His universal form, and Kṛṣṇa immediately showed him.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Los Angeles, May 6, 1973:

So here Kuntīdevī says, Sūta Gosvāmī says, that pṛthayā itthaṁ kala-padaiḥ. Pṛthayā, Kuntī's another name is Pṛthā. His, her father's name is Mahārāja Pṛthu; therefore she is called Pṛthā, daughter of Pṛthu. So when Kuntī offered prayers to Kṛṣṇa in very chosen nice words, all the words... Therefore Kṛṣṇa is known, His another name is Uttama-śloka. Uttama-śloka. Because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme, He should be offered prayer with supreme words and feelings. Supreme words and feelings. The language should not be cheap, or the idea should not be cheap. Just like when we offer prayer to Kṛṣṇa, we follow the path by Lord Brahmā. Brahmā offered this prayer in the Brahma-saṁhitā:

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-

lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam

lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.29)

Each word is full of meaning. Cintāmaṇi, prakara, sadmasu, kalpa-vṛkṣa. So Kṛṣṇa should be offered by chosen words. Uttama-śloka, very nicely arranged.

Lecture on SB 1.9.3 -- Los Angeles, May 17, 1973:

So that is the test of knowledge, Kṛṣṇa's knowledge. Therefore Bhagavān. Just try to understand Bhagavān. Bhagavān is not so cheap that any rascal comes and he says that "I am Bhagavān. You worship me," and another rascal comes and... Not like that. Don't take it cheaply. Bhagavān is not ordinary thing. He must be complete in everything. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is mentioned here, bhagavān api. Api. Why api? In Sanskrit composition each word has meaning. Api means "Although He is Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, still, He was going to see Bhīṣmadeva." So just consider the position of Bhīṣmadeva. He was lying on deathbed with all these... Of course, the Pāṇḍavas, they were their grandson. It is their duty. But why Kṛṣṇa should go there? Therefore it is said bhagavān api: "In spite of His being the Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of God..." He was also going to show respect. How much great He was, just imagine. And all the brāhmaṇas, all the sages. That will be mentioned. There will be list of great personalities who were present.

Lecture on SB 1.10.2 -- Mayapura, June 17, 1973:

So as soon as we forget our duty or we want to imitate... Just like these Māyāvādīs, they want to imitate Kṛṣṇa. They want to become Kṛṣṇa. Nobody can become Kṛṣṇa. These rascals, they think that by mystic yoga process one can become God. Simply rascaldom. Nobody can become God. God is never made. God does not become. God is always God, not that one is not God, and he becomes God by some mystic yogic power. This theory is going on amongst the Māyāvādīs, that by the mystic yoga practice, one can become God. So we don't want such cheap God. They may become God, so-called God, but we are concerned with the real God, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, when He was three months old, He was God. He did not practice any mystic yoga to kill Pūtanā. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. God's intelligence, power, is natural. Although Kṛṣṇa was on the lap of Mother Yaśodā like a little baby, but the full potency of God was there. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā. How to kill Pūtanā, how to kill Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Kṛṣṇa knows perfectly. All the Kṛṣṇa's friends, they were entering within the mouth of Aghāsura. Kṛṣṇa is observing, "Now My all friends have entered the mouth of the Aghāsura, and how to kill this demon?" The last, He entered. And at the end of the throat, He began to expand Himself. Just see how He knows to do His business. Svābhāvikī.

Lecture on SB 1.15.35 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1973:

So why Kṛṣṇa will come to you, take your foodstuff? Because Kṛṣṇa wants that you surrender. That is required. That is required. Therefore we should serve Kṛṣṇa, because without bhakti, many times Kṛṣṇa has said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: (BG 18.55) "simply through bhakti." You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by your so-called scholarship, scientific knowledge and speculation. These are all useless, nonsense things. You cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa clearly said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Bhaktyā. Simply by devotional service one can understand. Bhakti means serving, service. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). When you become in service attitude, just to serve Kṛṣṇa with humble attitude, with devotion, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal. Otherwise you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. If you think that "I am very rich man, I can offer Kṛṣṇa so many things, nice dress, nice foodstuff. Kṛṣṇa now is within my grip." No. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap. There also it is said that vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa because you are very learned scholar in Vedic knowledge. No. Vedeṣu durlabham, it is very difficult. But adurlabham, He is very cheap unto His devotees. He is very cheap. Like Vidura. Vidura invited Him, and Kṛṣṇa did not to go Arjuna's house..., I mean to say, Duryodhana's house, very palatial building. Vidura, a cottage, so He went there. And Vidura being in ecstasy was offering Him some banana. So he was so overpowered by ecstasy that instead of giving the fruit banana, he was giving the skin, and Kṛṣṇa was eating. So when he came to his senses he saw that "I have given only the skin, and Kṛṣṇa is eating." So this is bhakti. This is bhakti. Kṛṣṇa wants that. Kṛṣṇa can eat anything, either you give the pulp or skin, He can eat anything because He is all powerful and everything is equal to Him.

Lecture on SB 1.16.3 -- Los Angeles, December 31, 1973:

Now, people say that "Why we do not see the demigods?" So the answer should be, "Where is your sacrifice, horse sacrifice?" The demigods, they are not so cheap. Just like the king or the president. Does he come anywhere, who is a cheap common man? No. Where the kings or the demigods or a great sage like Nārada Muni will come, that place also must be worth coming there.

So there were interplanetary system. Just like Arjuna went to the heavenly planet, similarly, in such sacrifices, if it was arranged by great kings like Mahārāja Parīkṣit and others, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, then the demigods, invited, they would come. Not only they would come, but all common men could see. Therefore it is said here, yatrākṣi-gocarāḥ, devā yatrākṣi-gocarāḥ. We are much proud of seeing everything, but we should wait for being qualified to see. Not that whimsically I want to see, "O God, please come before me. I want to see." God... God is there just suitable for your seeing power. God is very kind. Here He is present in the temple. And you go on seeing. Then you will realize that He is God.

Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:

Sudāmā: ... questions. (microphone makes noises)

Prabhupāda: (commenting on mike) Purchase something better. Instead of diverting your attention always, pay little more. In Bengali it is said, sastarthin abastra:(?) "If you purchase something cheap, it will always give you trouble." Better spend once, costly things, nice things. That is...

Sudāmā: Any questions?

Prabhupāda: Yes?

Devotee (1): Was Lord Jesus in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: These are old questions, always asked. What is that, huh? What is that question?

Satsvarūpa: Was Lord Jesus in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Yes. He also taught about God. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means God consciousness. So why Jesus? Anyone speaks... But one must know. There are degrees. Just like a person... Somebody knows to some extent, other knows to some extent, other knows to some extent, other knows to some extent. Or somebody understands to some extent. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means complete understanding of Kṛṣṇa. Just like there are steps; if you want to go to the 104th floor, there are so many steps. So everyone is going, aiming, to that 104th, but one has covered ten steps, one has covered twenty, another hundred, like that. The aim is the same, but you cannot say that one who has already covered one hundred steps, he is as good as one who has covered two steps. There is that difference.

Lecture on SB 2.3.24 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1972:

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has very critically discussed all these bhāva displays in connection with some unscrupulous neophyte's imitating the above symptoms for cheap appreciation. Not only Viśvanātha Cakravartī but also Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī treated them very critically. Sometimes all the above eight symptoms of ecstasy are imitated by the mundane devotees (prākṛta-sahajiyās), but the pseudo symptoms are at once detected when one sees the pseudodevotee addicted to so many forbidden things. Even though decorated with the signs of a devotee, a person addicted to smoking, drinking or illegitimate sex with women cannot have all the above-mentioned ecstatic symptoms. But it is seen that sometimes these symptoms are willfully imitated, and for this reason Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī accuses the imitators of being stonehearted men. They are sometimes even affected by the reflection of such transcendental symptoms, yet if they still do not give up the forbidden habits, then they are hopeless cases for transcendental realization.

Lecture on SB 2.9.4 -- Japan, April 22, 1972:

Bhakti-yoga therefore requires little tapasya, not playthings, tapasya, that "We are addicted to so many sinful activities. We must give it up." That is tapasya. "We must observe fasting on ekādaśī day, on Lord's birthday." These are tapasya. If we do not... "We must chant sixteen rounds. We must observe the rules and regulations." This is tapasya. Don't make God very cheap thing: "Oh, it is very cheap thing." No. It has been made very easy for the Kali-yuga people because they cannot undergo any kind of tapasya. There is simple tapasya—"Chant sixteen rounds. Don't take this. Don't do this, four items. Take prasādam. Don't take anything." So nothing is stopped. A little regulated, that this much, if we do not do, then how we can expect to see God and understand God? Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). If simply we remain like hogs and cats and dogs, then how it is possible to realize God? Paraṁ pavitram. If I do not become pavitra myself, pure, how I can see the supreme pure? It is impossible. Tapasya must be there. But for this age the tapasya has been minimized. Brahmā is the most important person within this universe. He underwent tapasya for a hundred years. Then he could see God and realize God. You cannot go such tapasya, undergo such tapasya. That is not possible in this age.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11-15 -- Tokyo, April 28, 1972:

Yes. It will take forty thousands of years with the speed of 18,000 miles per hour. No, or... Some estimation. Anyway, forty thousands of years. So who is going to live for forty thousand years to see and go and see and come back? They cannot go even to the moon planet, theorizing. How they can go? But this is fact. If you have got power, you go and see. But they cannot go a few miles, and they are proud that "We have known everything. We know everything." This is their foolishness. Our knowledge is so imperfect; still, we are proud of our knowledge: "Oh, I have known everything. I know everything. I am God. I am God." So, and foolish like that... Just like a foolish child, he is declaring himself, "I am God," and there are so many followers: "Oh, he is God, he is God." That's it. They do not know what is God. At least we know what is God in this sense, that our God, when... Actually He is God. Therefore, at the age of seven years, He lifted a big mountain on the finger. So we accept this God. When He was young man He married sixteen thousand wives. These are the unique instances. And why shall I accept a cheap God who cannot provide even one wife? We are not... Because he cannot provide it, he does not marry. So this kind of God we don't accept.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

So kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā bhagavān. Kapila is Bhagavān. Nowadays Bhagavān is so cheap. They misuses of the word. But here you will find that Bhagavān is not an ordinary man. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Because Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa appeared as human being, so the mūḍhas, rascals and fools, they think of Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being, mūḍha. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam, tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ, mohitam (BG 7.13). So still there are devotees who can understand. Just like Arjuna understood that "Kṛṣṇa, although He's my friend, playing the part of my friend, but He is Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna for our benefit... Arjuna is in perfect knowledge, but aiming at Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction for all human society, and he admitted. After knowing Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the Paraṁbrahma." Paraṁbrahman. Every one of us, Brahman. Brahman means spirit soul. We are not this body. Bhāgavata... This is realization, self-realization. That is Vedic culture. One must understand what he is. We should not keep ourself in ignorance like cats and dogs, thinking that "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," or so many designations. That is bodily designation. So when one comes to the spiritual understanding, that is called Brahman realization.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

Now here, these boys, these girls, they are worshiping Kṛṣṇa, and they are becoming devotee. What is the sign of devotee? The sign of devotee is that the devotees are no more interested with material enjoyment. That is devotee. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). So these young boys and girls, they do not go to cinema. They do not smoke. They do not go any restaurant or club. Why? Virakti! Don't want this! What to speak of here, poor country, but in the European, American countries, everything is available very cheap. But they are not interested. They are interested to sit down on the floor without any chair and follow me, whatever I say. They have no sufficient eating even. I cannot give them to their standard. Still... Why? Because they don't want this material happiness. That is the test. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). When one will become detestful to material enjoyment, you will know, or he'll know. Personally one can understand how much he is advanced in spiritual life. Spiritual life does not mean that a sannyāsī is smoking and drinking tea, one gallon of tea. That is not spiritual life. He must be detestful. So this dharma, or spiritual life, means to have no more interest in material activities but only in the understanding of God, the Supreme, and His service. That is spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 3.25.4 -- Bombay, November 4, 1974:

So this is the process of getting knowledge, to approach the proper person, guru, and submissively hear from him about transcendental knowledge. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Don't try to receive spiritual knowledge or transcendental knowledge very cheaply. Although it is very easy, there is no difficulty, but the process must be known. Just like any machine—we have got experience—just like sometimes our typewriter machine or this dictaphone does not work. So if we go to the proper person, who knows the work, he immediately tightens one screw or changes something; it works. The process we must know. So if I go to a pān-wala for repairing my machine, that will be not good. He does not know the process. He may know to..., how to make pān, biḍi; but doesn't matter, he does not know how to repair a machine.

Lecture on SB 3.25.20 -- Bombay, November 20, 1974:

So our intelligence is like... Even Mother Yaśodā. She was trying to bind Kṛṣṇa, and at the end, at the time of knotting, there was two fingers small, I mean to say, there was scarcity. So our intelligence is like that. However I may be intelligent, however I may to cheat Kṛṣṇa, at least, little difference. Little difference. The little difference, that he never thought that "I'll be killed by the nails, not by any atomic bomb." He thought simply atom bomb can kill. He never thought that Kṛṣṇa can kill even by nails. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti (Bs. 5.32). He can do everything. But he wanted to be cheap God, to surpass... But it could not be done. This is the asura. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. And the asuras... Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15). They may think themselves as very advanced in knowledge, but they are rascal number one because their so-called knowledge, the effect of knowledge, is taken away by māyā. They are called Māyāvādīs. They are very much proud of their knowledge. But Kṛṣṇa says, "These rascals, these atheist class demons, their actual knowledge is taken away." Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He devised means that "Indirectly I shall be immortal. I shall not die in daytime. I shall not die in night. I shall not die in water. I shall not die in land. I shall not die in the sky. No animal can kill me. No demigod can kill me.

Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974:

So don't think that this material energy is working independently. She is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. So a devotee knows this. Just like a policeman is working. A sane man knows that he is working not independently, but under the government order. This knowledge required, not that that because policeman has got some power, he becomes God. No. God is not so cheap. You can accept... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). God has got multi-energies. One of the energies is Durgā, not that she is all in all, no. There are many millions of Durgās, many millions of Śivas, because there are many millions of universes. Just like many millions of police force, similarly, these demigods, there are many, many millions. But God is one. God is not million. Of course, He can expand in million forms; that is different thing. Svāṁśa, vibhinnāṁśa.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

This is accepted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Brahma-saṁhitā was not available by Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was touring in South India, so He collected one Brahma-saṁhitā, handwritten in the palm leaves, and He copied it. Formerly there was no press. These important śāstras, Vedic literature, were kept in handwriting. I copy from your book; my other friend copies from my book... In this way, those who were interested... The literatures were not so cheap. Only highly qualified brāhmaṇas, they used to keep handwritten... And it was worshiped in the temple as Deity, śāstra, not that it is available everywhere. It has become... Now press has made it very cheaper. But we should always understand that granthas, or the scriptures, should be worshiped as God. That is sound incarnation of God. It should not be neglected. Don't neglect Bhagavad-gītā or Bhāgavata as ordinary books. You must be very careful. As you take care of the Deities, you should take care of the books also.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

So therefore a devotee is not aspiring of any so-called material opulence, even aṣṭāṅga-siddhi. Here it is said, aiśvaryam aṣṭāṅgam anupravṛttam. Aṣṭāṅga-siddhi. The yogis, those who are actually yogi, they get aṣṭāṅga-siddhi, not these cheap yogis, gymnastic. No. The āsana, gymnastic, that is all right. That is the process only to go to the yogic platform. But when one is actually on the yogic platform, he gets siddhis. Siddhis means perfection: aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā, like that. He can become smaller than the smallest. That is aṇimā-siddhi. Some of the yogis, they can... You keep him within the room, locked up, and he'll come out. Because as soon as there is little let out, he'll come out. That is called aṇimā-siddhi. Laghimā-siddhi. You can walk... By achieving this la..., you can walk on the water. You become... You can fly in the air. You can go from one planet to another by flying. You can go to the moon planet or sun planet by capturing the beams. That is called mahimā-siddhi. There are so many siddhis.

Lecture on SB 3.26.1 -- Bombay, December 13, 1974:

So you cannot claim to become Bhagavān so cheaply. Bhagavān is different thing. One who is devotee of Bhagavān, he knows something about Bhagavān. And the other rascals, they claim Bhagavān—simply ludicrous. Only the rascals can accept another rascal as Bhagavān. It is not so easy.

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.48)

So that Bhagavān is speaking. Kapiladeva is that Bhagavān. Therefore He says that atha te sampravakṣyāmi. Sam means samyak. Samyak means complete. Unless one has got complete knowledge, how he can say things complete? It is not the so-called scientist: "Perhaps," "It may be." No, not that kind of knowledge, simply theorizing, "It may be like that." No. There is no question of "maybe." Exact knowledge. Exact knowledge. That is called Vedic knowledge. Just like in the Padma Purāṇa we can understand the calculation of the species of life. It is said, jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. There are aquatic living entities nine lakhs of. How many you have seen? Neither it is possible for you to go within the water and see how many different forms of fishes and aquatics are there. But in the śāstra it is said, jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. It doesn't says "about nava-lakṣāṇi," "about nine lakhs," more or less. No. Exactly. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Sthāvarāḥ means those plants and trees which cannot move, two millions, lakṣa-viṁśati, or twenty lakhs.

Lecture on SB 3.26.1 -- Bombay, December 13, 1974:

So that is Vedic knowledge. You get the exact knowledge. Therefore Vedic knowledge is called apauruṣeya. It is not spoken by ordinary human being by speculation: "It may be," "Perhaps." No. It is not like that. That is Bhagavān. Whatever He'll say exact, that is Vedic knowledge. Therefore it is safer to take knowledge from Bhagavān, especially the knowledge of Bhagavān. Bhagavān is not so cheap thing. If you want to know Bhagavān... If you do not be so fool to accept another fool as Bhagavān, then you have to hear about Bhagavān about Bhagavān. That is the process. Therefore the Vedic instruction is, to get perfect knowledge, you have to approach a person who is guru. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). And who's guru? Guru means representative of Bhagavān. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ **. Guru... Because the real guru, he's representative of Kṛṣṇa, sākṣāt-hari.

Lecture on SB 3.26.26 -- Bombay, January 3, 1975:

So unless you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, unless you become a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then our life is unsuccessful. It has begun since we have come to this material world. Under different influence, we have come to this condition of śānta, ghora, mūḍha. But we have to become above this condition—even above this śānta condition. This conception that "I have become now brahminically qualified. I have got knowledge. I can see things," jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam, that is not sufficient. You have to stop your birth and death. This process you have to stop. Then your life is successful.

And that can be easily done if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Bhaja vāsudevam. You have to become devotee of Vāsudeva. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7). You have to take the shelter of bhakti-yoga, Vāsudeva. Then your life will be successful. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā (BG 7.19). You have to become sudurlabhaḥ mahātmā, not cheap mahātmā. A cheap mahātmā will not help you. You have to become real mahātmā. What is real mahātmā? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ (BG 9.13). That is mahātmā.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who is preaching this confidential cult..." Mad-bhakteṣu abhidhāsyati. Bhakteṣu means "amongst the devotee." Who will understand Kṛṣṇa? And who will surrender to Kṛṣṇa unless he is bhakta? Therefore, guru's business is first of all to make him bhakta. Then he will be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa and surrender to Him. He has got very double business. Kṛṣṇa says, mad-bhakteṣu abhidhāsyati. "This cult, who preaches, anyone who preaches this cult of bhakti-yoga amongst My devotees..." He is selecting, "devotees." He never says the jñānīs, yogis. The jñānīs, yogis, will not be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. From the very beginning they think they have become Kṛṣṇa. Vimukta-māninaḥ. They think like that. Actually it is not. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap thing that one can become Kṛṣṇa. One can become Kṛṣṇa's most confidential servant—that is possible. But one cannot become Kṛṣṇa. That is another illusion, māyā.

Lecture on SB 3.26.42 -- Bombay, January 17, 1975:

That is God, that by breathing, unlimited number of universes are coming out and going in. And the duration of existence of each and every universe is the duration of life of Brahmā. That we cannot calculate. Even we cannot calculate his twelve hours. So that is God. We accept such kind of God, not a little magician. No. That is not possible. We cannot accept such cheap gods. We accept Kṛṣṇa, the sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1), and we want to be eternal servant. That is our actual position. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). By His unlimited potency, energy, unlimited universes are coming out with unlimited number of varieties of planet, and each planet is differently situated, different atmosphere, different temperature. So in this way varieties. That is ānanda. Kṛṣṇa has created these varieties because He is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānandamaya.

Lecture on SB 3.28.20 -- Nairobi, October 30, 1975:

So this is the way, not whimsically accept any rascal as avatāra. No. That is not the process. Or any rascal as God. This rascaldom has killed the whole human society to become atheist. You should be very, very careful of these rascals. As soon as somebody says that "I am God," you shall immediately take him as dog, not God. So God is not so cheap. In the Brahma-saṁhitā the description of God, Kṛṣṇa, is given, and it is said there,

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

jīvanti loma-bilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.48)

Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, His plenary representation is Mahā-Viṣṇu. And what is the description of Mahā-Viṣṇu? Yasya eka niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya. From one exhaling of the breath, then... Yasyaika niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48), all these innumerable universes. We are seeing... We are in one universe. There are many millions of universes. That we cannot see. We are within this universe compact. We can see it is packed up, just like a ball. But there are many such. So all these different universes controlled by one Lord Brahma, they are coming during the exhaling period of Mahā-Viṣṇu's breathing. That is God. Who can imagine Him? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48).

Lecture on SB 3.28.20 -- Nairobi, October 30, 1975:

Pores. Pores of the body. From breathing in this way. Then just imagine how many pores are there in the Mahā-Viṣṇu's body and how many universes are coming. And this is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā:

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam

ekāṁśena sthito jagat

(BG 10.42)

"This material manifestation is one fourth-part of My energy, so many innumerable universes." And this is the plenary portion of God, Govinda—not full, but plenary, one part only. And do you think God is so cheap, anyone can become God? You don't take so cheaply that "Here is a God, incarnation. Here is a God." All bogus. Immediately reject them. Sādhu śāstra guru vākya.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:

Very good result. He is lamenting, that He doesn't want this good result that everyone will become Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Eh? There is a story in this connection, that there was a haṭṭa, a fair or market. So many people came there, and one old lady began to cry. "Where shall I give them place? So many people have come here." She began to cry. Then her son said, "My mother, see in the evening. You don't worry about giving them place." So in the evening she saw everyone has gone. Similarly, in due course of nature's activities, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27), everything will go nicely. You haven't got to be worried. You better be worried how to develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other things will go on. And what is the harm there? If all people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and go back to home, back to Godhead, what is the harm there? Do you mean to say, to remain here in this material existence and suffer three-fold miseries, is that very good business? That will not happen. Don't be worried. Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is not so cheap. Only a few fortunate people will take it. Others will remain. Don't worry. (laughter)

Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1976:

So our education at the present moment is given just dull like stone and trees. Trees standing, cutting. No inquiry, no... "Why you are cutting?" He cannot. So dull. But this inquisitiveness should be enthused. People should be enthused to inquire: ādau gurvāśrayaṁ sad-dharma pṛcchāt. Sad-dharma pṛcchāt. That inquisitive must Guru means To accept guru means the disciple should be very very eager to know. Sad-dharma pṛcchāt. Ādau gurvāśrayam. Why you accept a guru? "It is a fashion." Fashion. Nowadays they accept a guru fashion. "Everyone has guru. Everyone has a dog. Well, let me keep a dog." Like that. A pet dog. So similarly, to keep a pet guru, that is not One should be very inquisitive: sad-dharma pṛcchāt. And everywhere the same thing. Paripraśna. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). But don't make inquiries cheap: "Here is my guru, and he's meant for answering all my questions. Let me go on questioning, questioning, questioning." No. Sevayā. You must serve. You must be ready to serve him. Then you have got right to make question. Otherwise not. Two things. First of all, you must find out a person where you can fully surrender, praṇipātena. And then you can inquire, and the inquiry should be compensated by seva. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasāda. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). The more you are inclined to render seva, the more the truth becomes revealed.

Lecture on SB 5.5.9 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1976:

Just like first of all, Mahārāja Mansingh, he carried out the order of Rūpa Gosvāmī. He spent so much, in those days, lakhs and crores of rupees. You have seen the Govindajī's temple, broken. It is not possible to construct such a temple at the present moment. But is was done by the order of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. It is the system, if you want to see a saintly person, you must go there to serve him. Not that simply asking, "Give me your blessing." And, "Why, are you worthy for blessing?" Cheap blessing. And blessing also, they do not know what is blessing. Blessing, they think that "I have got some disease, if the saintly person gives me some blessing, I will be relieved from this disease." Now why don't you go to the doctor? But you go to saintly person for curing your disease. This is anyābhilāṣitā, that they do not know even how to approach a saintly person. So Mansingh was very important man, he was the commander-in-chief of Akbar, and he approached Rūpa Gosvāmī, "What can I do for you." So, Rūpa Gosvāmī, he did not require that temple, but he wanted to engage this rich man to the service of the Lord and he asked him that, "You construct a temple like this." Rūpa Gosvāmī was living very humbly, you know at the Rādhā-Dāmodara temple, his bhajanāśrama. He did not require a temple. But we are making members. Why? The idea is they'll spend the money for nothing in sense gratification. Take some money from them and engage in constructing temple.

Lecture on SB 5.5.23 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1976:

So this is the way, brāhmaṇa. That brāhmaṇa, the India, the brāhmaṇas, their sons later on, later ages, taking advantage of the facility offered to the brāhmaṇas, so without qualification of brāhmaṇa, they wanted the facility for nothing, very cheap. Therefore the brahminical culture is failure now. They are... They should be real brāhmaṇas, śsamo damo. But nobody is prepared to practice śamo damo titikṣa, but he wants the respect of a brāhmaṇa. This is the cause of India's culture being failure at the present moment. They... "First deserve, then desire." So without deserving, they desired. Therefore whole thing is..., it became false. So that is not the purpose. Even somebody says that "Without culture one can remain a brāhmaṇa," but śāstra does not say that. Śāstra says culture is the first consideration.

Lecture on SB 5.6.1 -- Vrndavana, November 23, 1976:

Unless we become ātmārāma, there is no possibility of happiness. Just like these Gosvāmīs. They were very opulent ministers, but they were not happy. They resigned from the post. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. Because there was no happiness. And what they adopted? They adopted the life of a mendicant. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. For doing good to the others they accepted kaupīna-kanthāśritau. So it is not a business of imitation, that "I am following the principles of Rūpa Gosvāmī." That is not so easy to become a Rūpa Gosvāmī, ātmārāma. They were busy, very busy in transcendental activities. Simply to give up the family life or big post and come to Vṛndāvana and live cheaply by begging some capati and become Rūpa Gosvāmī, that is not ideal. You should follow Rūpa Gosvāmī, their footprints. Tyaktvā tūrṇam-aśeṣa-maṇḍala. First of all, Rūpa Gosvāmī, their giving up family life was meaningful. But if somebody, out of poverty, he comes to Vṛndāvana to solve the capati problem, (laughter) that is not Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

Initiation is the third stage. First stage is that... Just like you have come. This is called śraddhā, faith, little faith, not full faith. Then you have to increase this faith by association of devotee. That is required. And when the faith is increased, then the question of initiation. Initiation should not be immediately offered. That will be misused. Therefore when we initiate, we inquire from the head of the temple, "How long he is coming? What is his behavior?" If he certifies that "Yes, he is doing nice," then we initiate. Our initiation is not so cheap, "You come and be initiated." No, we do not do that. We must test you first of all. Then we initiate.

Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:

So almost about the same year, same circulation. Just like the sun appears after so many hours. It is like that. And the sun does not disappear. Sun is already there in the sky. It may not be in Australia's vision, but it may be in other country's vision. The sun is not dead. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa appears by rotation in this universe after so many years, eight billion and billion years. So next He goes to another universe. Just like the sun, after disappearance from Australia, it goes to another country. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, after finishing His business in this universe, He goes to another universe. In this way the rotation takes eight million, nine billion years. Just imagine how many universes are there. He stays in one universe for 125 years. Everything is there, calculation, in the śāstra. Now we can imagine how many universes are there. That is, altogether, material world. That is stated in the...

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam

ekāṁśena sthito jagat

(BG 10.42)

This material creation is one-fourth creation of the whole God's property. And the three-fourth part is in the spiritual world. That is God. Not that cheap God, "I am God," in this God. We don't accept such cheap God.

Lecture on SB 6.1.14 -- Bombay, November 10, 1970:

Yamunā: Guru Mahārāja, what chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (indistinct)?

Prabhupāda: This is Sixth Canto, First Chapter. This is also one part of tapasya, to come early in the morning. So they want everything very cheap. That is the falldown of India's position. So Mr. Pandiya?

Pandiya: Yes, sir.

Prabhupāda: What is your question, you can ask now.

Pandiya: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: God, you know the common definition is "God is all-powerful." Mr. Marwar? God is all-powerful.

Guest: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: That all-powerful. Now let us come to our own concept of all-powerfulness. We consider a rich man powerful, influential man powerful. Then a strong man powerful, a man of knowledge powerful. A man that is very beautiful, he is also powerful, or a woman is beautiful, she is powerful—she attracts so many. In this way, when all the six opulences are together in fullness, he is God. Is it clear?

Pandiya: Oh, yes.

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

This is also yoga. This is called bhakti-yoga. Everything yoga. Jñāna-yoga, karma-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, haṭha-yoga. Generally, they practice haṭha-yoga, and they're satisfied only by getting into practice the system of āsana. That's all. But there are many other steps: yama, niyama, āsana, praṇāyāma, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, pratyāhāra, samādhi. Say, generally, the so-called yogi class, they simply practice some āsana. And no yama, niyama, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, pratyāhāra. So to practice yoga, it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, first of all, you have to select a secluded place. And that must be very sacred. And you have to sit there alone. Who is going to do that? It is not possible to practice yoga in a fashionable city. It is not possible. Therefore India, those who are actually yogis, they go to the Himalaya, Hardwar, in a secluded place, in a sacred place they sit down tight and practice yoga. That is yoga. Not that in a yoga class you practice some gymnastic and you become a yogi. Yoga system is very difficult system, haṭha-yoga system. But we do not know that. We want everything very cheap. Oh, that is not possible. Because it is not possible, therefore in this age the śāstra recommends, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and you will achieve... And see the result. We have thousands of students. They have been called by the newspaper reporter "bright faces." Compare with these students and any yoga class student: how much they know, how do they know? So this haṭha-yoga system is a recommended system. That's all right. But it is not possible in this age. It is very difficult. This practice is very easy. Even a child can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and he becomes purified. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). So if your business is how to become purified and realize yourself or realize God, then this is the system in this age. You have to take to it, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you take to other system, you are at liberty. But so far śāstra is concerned, that will not be successful.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- New York, August 1, 1971:

So infinitesimal, our magnitude is, I've several times explained, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. So you cannot even imagine with your material senses. Therefore aṇor aṇīyān, smaller than the atom. The same thing—we are also spirit, and Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, is also spirit. Qualitatively we are one. But we are the smallest and He is the greatest. So we accept it immediately from the Vedic information. Therefore our position is safe. We do not falsely declare that "I am God." Just give proof that you are God. Then claim. But some rascal claims that he's God, and other rascals, they accept that he's God. God is not so cheap. God, as we get description from Brahma-saṁhitā: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Many millions of universes are coming out from the exhaling of God, and again they are disappearing by inhaling of God. That is God. By simply breathing, millions of universes are being created and millions of universes are being dissolved simply by inhaling. This is going on. So how we can claim? So our, this unnecessary, puffed-up claim is not there. Therefore we are already liberated. We don't have to seek for liberation. Liberation means to become liberated from these nonsense, false ideas. That is liberation. As soon as we think that "I am this body," I'm not liberated. And as soon as I know perfectly well that "I am not this body," I am liberated. This knowledge gives liberation. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam. To develop your knowledge, that will give you relief.

Lecture on SB 6.1.16 -- Honolulu, May 16, 1976:

So here it is said that aghavān. Aghavān means sinful. Agha means sin and vān means... Just like Bhagavān. Bhagavān means one who has bhaga, or opulence, or fortune. That is called bhagavat. And just the opposite is called aghavat. This is Sanskrit language. Bhagavān means the most opulent, topmost place, Bhagavān. And aghavān means lowest place. So here it is said that one has to become aghavān to the stage of Bhagavān. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness: not to remain aghavān, but to become Bhagavān. Bhagavān, of course, means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But those who are very, very advanced, recognized by Bhagavān, they are also sometimes called Bhagavān. Just like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahma, Nārada Muni, on their status, sometimes they are called Bhagavān. Nowadays it has become a fashion to become Bhagavān. So Bhagavān is not so cheap. Everyone is aghavān. But if he wants to become Bhagavān or in the higher status, higher level, then it is recommended, "Let him take to the devotional service." Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yoga-prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu vairāgyam. To become Bhagavān, not Bhagavān but on the level, means highest stage, two things required. One thing is jñāna and one thing is vairāgya. Jñāna and vairāgya. Because we are in this material world, miserable condition, but we have no knowledge that we are in a very miserable condition.

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

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that yei kṛṣṇa tattva-vettā sei guru haya: (CC Madhya 8.128) "If anyone is representing as guru, he must know Kṛṣṇa." He must know. Kṛṣṇa cannot be known, but at least... Just like Kṛṣṇa says, yo jānāti tattvataḥ, that... One must know Kṛṣṇa in fact, tattvataḥ, in truth. He can become guru. Otherwise, guru is not a, so cheap post that everyone can become guru. Similarly, here is the challenge, that "If you are representative of Dharmarāja, you must explain what is dharma and what is adharma." That should be the criterion of test. Not that everyone should be accepted as religious, everyone should be accepted as guru. This ignorance of the population has created so many nonsense as representing as guru and dharma-jñā. No. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). The Vedic injunction says, tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam, śābde pare ca niṣnātam. One is advised... First of all, who will accept a guru? Guru is not a plaything, that "I must have a guru, and I will never care to obey his orders, but because it is a fashion to keep a guru, I shall keep a guru." That kind of guru is useless, and that kind of disciple is also useless. One must seek after a guru—when? When he is inquisitive to understand the transcendental knowledge. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. It is not a fashion. It should be very serious.

Lecture on SB 6.1.38 -- Los Angeles, June 4, 1976:

Can you show like that? That is also not original God. That is plenary expansion of God. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣa (Bs. 5.48). This transaction is going on in the body of Maha-Viṣṇu. The material world is being created and annihilated. When there is exhaling, the universes are coming into existence; when there is inhaling, it is all finished. This material world is like that. It is not permanent. Everyone got such experience. Your body, it has a beginning at a certain date from your father and mother. It stays for some time, it develops, it gives some by-products, then it becomes old and you finish. This is material body. Everybody knows it. Similarly, the whole cosmic manifestation, what you are seeing, so big things—it may be very big thing, but the process is the same. Either you take the body of an ant or you take the body of Brahmājī or... The process, the same rules and regulations. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). There is no change. So that is God. God is producing by His exhaling, inhaling, so many universes. Why should you take such a cheap God? As soon as the God has got some toothache, he goes to the dentist. And he's God! Don't take such cheap Gods. We don't take them. At least, we Kṛṣṇa conscious persons.

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

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

Lecture on SB 6.2.1 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1975:

So what is his duty? Janma sārthaka kari. First of all awaken your own Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you understand Kṛṣṇa, and then go out, kara para upakāra. Because people are in darkness. People are in darkness. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness meant, not that "I have understood Kṛṣṇa. Now pack it up in the box and see sometimes: 'Oh, I have become Kṛṣṇa conscious.' " My Guru Mahārāja condemned this. He said, mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava: "My dear mind, you are thinking that you have become a very good Vaiṣṇava and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and smoking bidi." This imitation has no value. My Guru Mahārāja condemned it. He said, mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava: "What a rascal you are. You are thinking that you are Vaiṣṇava." Nirjanera ghare... What is that? I forget now. Tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava. Pratiṣṭhāra tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava: "My dear mind, you are very much proud of becoming Vaiṣṇava. In a solitary place you are imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura." Nirjanera ghare, pratiṣṭhāra tare: "Your this solitary chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa means that you want cheap popularity—'Oh, he is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.' " That is not possible. You cannot imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. So by imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura, keeping connection with woman and doing all nonsense, you cannot imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. You must work. You must go out for chanting, for preaching. This is the real chanting. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa' upadeśa. This is wanted, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has never said that "You may imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and in a solitary place, 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa... Bidi, bidi, bidi.' " Not like that. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Go out."

Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:

Therefore my Guru Mahārāja condemned this policy. Mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava: "What kind of Vaiṣṇava you are?" Pratiṣṭhāra tare nirjanera ghare: "And simply for cheap popularity, 'Oh, he is a Vaiṣṇava. He is chanting. All right.' " Pratiṣṭhāra tare nirjanera ghare tava hari..., nirjanera ghare. No botheration, because if there is no preaching, there is no botheration. You can sit down and show people, "I have now become a very liberated soul," and chant and meditate. That means sleeping. This sort of business is condemned by my Guru Mahārāja. Pratiṣṭhāra tare nirjanera ghare tava hari-nāma kevala. This is simply cheating. He did not approve this kind of business. He did not approve. He wanted to see that everyone is engaged in preaching work, some sort of preaching work, either indoor or outdoor. When you are indoor you have to be busy writing articles for a magazine and proofread and so many things indoors. And outdoors you have to go door to door, make them members, make them interested in this movement, collect money for expenses, outdoor. Preaching, you have to meet opposing elements. So many will criticize, so many will attack. Nityānanda Prabhu was hurt personally, but still, outdoor. This is missionary work, not that "Whenever I find some opportunity, go to some solitary place and sleep." This is not missionary life.

Lecture on SB 6.3.20-23 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

In whatever activities you are engaged... My Guru Mahārāja condemns the... Mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava, pratiṣṭhāra tare nirjanera ghare, tara hari-nāma kevala kaitava, He says that in a corner, in a secluded place, you are chanting in a cheating process for cheap adoration. Why? Because he knows that those who are neophytes, if they imitate the chanting, they simply waste their time. Therefore, he should be engaged in other activities because he has got the power at the present moment, karma... Karma means activities. This whole world is full of activities. Therefore this karma should be changed into bhakti, in devotional service. He..., one must be engaged in that... It appears like karma, but it is not karma. It is bhakti. Here also... Just like Kṛṣṇa is doing something. That is not karma. That is transcendental. Similarly, a devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for service of Kṛṣṇa, if he is engaged which looks superficially as karma, that is not karma. That is bhakti.

Lecture on SB 7.5.22-30 -- London, September 8, 1971:

Prahlāda Mahārāja at the age of five years only he was a great devotee. Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the mahājanas, great authorities of this line, devotional line. (aside:) You can take your seats. To understand God and to understand our relationship with God, it is not to be done by mental speculation. It is not possible. God is not so cheap thing that one can understand by mental speculation. In the present age people are very much fond of mental speculation. In the śāstra it is said, tarko apratiṣṭhaḥ: (CC Madhya 17.186) "Simply by arguing you cannot come to the right conclusion." You may be very good arguer, but another arguer may defeat you by his argument. So in this way, simply by dry arguments it is not possible to come to the conclusion. Tarko 'pratiṣṭha śrutayo vibhinnāḥ. Scripture. There are different scriptures. If you simply... Scripture means Vedic, Vedas. There are four Vedas and many other also, corollaries. So by studying at home these books, that is also not possible to understand. And nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. And if you follow philosophers, so one philosopher is differing from another philosopher. Just like our Śyāmasundara has brought one book, Ideas of Philosophers, different philosophers talking differently. So how you can take the conclusion? Even Aristotle, he is talking so many things nonsense. So mental speculators, philosophers. In this way you cannot.

Lecture on SB 7.5.23-24 -- Vrndavana, March 31, 1976:

Therefore you are advanced, and people are very much praising that "How these Europeans, Americans have become nice devotee." They do not know that they are no longer Americans or Europeans. They are devotees, Kṛṣṇa's servant. This is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). So long we shall think that "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am African," there is no possibility of advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This teaching we have got from the greatest authority, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said that "I am not a brāhmaṇa; I am not a kṣatriya; I am not a vaiśya; I am not a śūdra; neither I am a brahmacārī or gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. I am simply servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa (CC Madhya 13.80)." Gopī-bhartur pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. So the more we advance in the matter of becoming designationless, no designation... Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). So long we have got upādhis, designations, there are many desires, material desires. But we have to become zero about these material desires. Karma, jñāna, yoga, they are all material desires. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī-sakali 'aśānta'. Because they are in the material world. The karmīs, they are in the material world. The jñānīs, they are simply trying to get out of the material world, but their attempt will be failure because they do not catch up the real spiritual work. Real spiritual work is Kṛṣṇa. And yogis, they are after demonstrating magic and get cheap popularity. So they are also in the material world—karmīs, jñānīs, and yogis. Only pure devotees, they are in the spiritual world. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170).

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 3, 1967:

So everything should be understood very distinctly, what do we mean by God, not that a third-class man comes and he proclaims himself, "I am God." This is our foolishness. Why shall I accept a third-class man as God? At the present moment everyone is very much anxious to become God and cheat you. There are so many so-called swamis. They are coming, and they are preaching that "You are God. I am God." Then who is God? Everyone is God? No. Therefore you will find in the Vedic literature definition of God. Here is definition of... Just apply this definition. If you find somebody, that he is corroborating with this definition of God, then he is God. Otherwise he is a nonsense. God is not so cheap thing. You find out a person that nobody can be found richer than him, nobody can be found stronger than him, nobody can be found more famous than him, or beautiful than him, or wiser than him, or renouncer than him.

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

So fifty years out of one hundred years, fifty years wasted by sleeping. And then balance fifty years, twenty years in childhood and youthhood, sporting, playing; another twenty years in old age... Jarayā grasta. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). These are inevitable. As birth is inevitable, death is inevitable, similarly, old age is inevitable. So in this way our time is wasted because we do not know how valuable this human form of life is. There is no such education. They think human life is as cheap as dog's life, but factually it is not. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). One gets this human form of life, 8,400,000 species of life, especially advanced life, the Aryan civilization... Aryan means advanced, advanced in spiritual knowledge. The materialists, they claim Aryan only from the bodily conception, but that is not the fact. Anyone who is advanced in spiritual life, they are called Aryans. Anārya-juṣṭam. Arjuna was chastised by Kṛṣṇa that "You are talking like non-Aryan." Anārya-juṣṭam.

Lecture on SB 7.9.22 -- Mayapur, February 29, 1976:

Here it is said that God is He who... Kālo vaśī-kṛta-visṛjya-visarga-śaktiḥ: "He keeps control over the time factor and the creative energy." That is God. God is not so cheap that you'll find here and there. God is everywhere. That's a fact. But that is partial manifestation of His material energy. This is... Ekāṁśena sthito jagat.

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

vistabhya aham...

ekāṁśena sthito jagat

(BG 10.42)

He's there. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. He is within the atom. So when the same God, sa tvam, He comes, the foolish persons, they think that "Kṛṣṇa is like one of us." No. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā. One who thinks like that, that "Kṛṣṇa is one of us. He is like a human being, like me or you," he is mūḍha. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto (BG 9.11). He does not know what are the activities of God, what He can do, what He can undo.

Lecture on SB 7.9.28 -- Mayapur, March 6, 1976:

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has warned that "Don't mix it with Vaiṣṇava who is not well trained up, well behaved." You can offer him respect. A Vaiṣṇava offers respect even to the ant. That is another thing. But he has warned, "Don't mix with them, these professional, so-called Vaiṣṇava, sahajiyās." This is warned. Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūta-hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam: "You should not hear." "Eh? Huh? What is the wrong there? The Kṛṣṇa-kathā is there." No, Kṛṣṇa-kathā is there just like milk is there, but if it is touched by the lips of a serpent, it is no more to be taken. It has become poison. Unless one is situated as pure Vaiṣṇava in his dealing, in his behavior, inside and outside, he should not become a preacher because it will not be effective, neither one should hear from such person. But people in general, they can not understand, but those who are preaching, they must be very sincere, the same way. Rūpa-raghunātha pade, haibe ākuti. They should read the literatures, the instruction, just like Upadeśāmṛta, The Nectar of Instruction. We should follow, strictly follow. Then pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt. Then you'll be able to preach and make disciples all over the world. This is the injunction. That is called gosvāmī. Don't be cheap preacher, cheap guru. No, no. That is not good. It is not possible.

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

So if it is possible materially that one ordinary man, he can manage hundreds of factories and offices without going there, simply by his order, so how much powerful is Kṛṣṇa, we have to imagine. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. Still, even a man or even a demigod... Just like demigod Indra: he's managing the affairs of rains, how to collect the clouds, how to disperse them, how... And there are management, so many managements. But all these managements are going on on the supreme management, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He says in the Bhagavad-gītā that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). This is to be understood. That one Supreme Person, He is managing everything. The material and spiritual world, everything is being managed by Him. That is God. God is not so cheap. This is God.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja, Vaiṣṇava, he understands that "You are the only origin of everything." Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Ekas tvam eva jagat. The cosmic manifestation is changing, but the real cause is ekas tvam eva: "My Lord, You are the..." Ekas tvam eva jagad etat amuṣya yat tvam: "The cause and effect both You are, the cause and effect." There is no different cause. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

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

Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, practical example, He is showing how to become anxious, mad: "Where is God? Where is Kṛṣṇa?" Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣa prāvi... This is the ultimate hankering how to..., yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa. One should be mad after Kṛṣṇa. Then he'll see Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes they say, "Can you show me God?" Have you become mad after God? Then you can see. Otherwise God is not so cheap thing. You become mad after God and you'll see immediately. Premāñ... Who can become mad after somebody unless there is love? To love somebody, if you cannot see, you become mad, "How can I see? How can I see?" This madness, sometimes we can see example. Suppose a man's son has died, so he becomes mad. So that anxiety is required, as... We are now... At the present moment we are hankering after material sense enjoyment, "Where is sense enjoyment? Where is sense enjoyment?"

So similarly, the example is given by Rūpa Gosvāmī, the hankering. He has given very nice example. Just like a young man is hankering after young woman. Natural. That is not artificial. Or a young woman is hankering after a young man. This hankering... Therefore, according to Vedic system, before the hankering becomes madly and one becomes spoiled by sex indulgence, he should be married. This is the psychology. At a certain age, twelve, thirteen years, woman, and fifteen, sixteen years, man, they become very, very much sexually hankering. Therefore the system is that at that time, psychological moment, the young girl and young boy should be married so that unity will endure. It will never break. There will be no more divorce. But when the hankering is exploited, then the whole life is spoiled.

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

So by the dress one can understand that who is who. That is the system. So that dress is offered by the spiritual master after qualified. Just like if a girl is married, then his (her) dress is offered during the marriage ceremony. One of the symptoms of married girl is some red powder between the two divisions of the hair. So one can understand that "This girl is not..." So similarly, there are different dresses according to qualification, according to the situation. But in the Kali-yuga, that, anyone can take any dress without any regulation, without any formality. Simply by dress. Suppose... Just like sannyāsī. Because a sannyāsī has to dress himself in these saffron-color garments, so sannyāsī has the privilege, if he goes to a householder's house, he is very respectfully received, and if he wants something, the householder gives him. That is the system. Now, if somebody sees that "It is a very cheap process of earning money, so let me dress in this saffron color and beg from door to door. What is the use of laboring so hard...?" So that will go on. Misuse of dress. Misuse of dress. Liṅgam eva āśrama-khyātāu. Āśrama, a gṛhastha. Āśrama means... There are four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsī. They have got different dresses. But they have got different duties also. But in the Kali-yuga, simply by dress one should be known that either he is a sannyāsī or a brahmacārī or gṛhastha.

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

If you have no money, then there is no justice. Therefore he says, avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyam. Nyāya means justice, and daurbalyam means weakness. Avṛttyā means without money. Without money you cannot get justice. And pāṇḍitye cāpalaṁ vacaḥ. Paṇḍita means a learned scholar. If he can speak something, without any reference of the scripture, if he can simply, what is called Exact English language I don't find. False propaganda. False propaganda. Simply if he can satisfy the mass people by false propaganda, then he will be accepted that "You are very learned." Nobody will inquire whether he is learned according to the standard books, because nobody has got knowledge of the standard book. I may speak something without any reference to the standard book, but if I can convince you, if I can flatter you, then you will accept me. Just like so many propaganda is going on that "You can become a great yogi, at the same time you can indulge your senses. There is no restriction." People like, they like it. So people are following that. But actually, if we refer to the standard books of yoga, it is very difficult. But that will not be spoken because they will not like it. So everyone can manufacture in his own way some cheap thing, and people will like it. So pāṇḍitye cāpalaṁ vacaḥ.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 8, 1973:

That is our prayer. Śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭam, Lord Caitanya's desire. What was His desire? His desire was,

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma

sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma

(CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

That is His desire. Not to sit down in a secluded place, and to get cheap popularity as a petty meditator. Even if he's meditator, but that is for himself, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that, "Go, everyone, in every village, in every town, and preach this gospel,

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grama

sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma

This is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mano-'bhīṣṭam, that is His desire. So śrī-caitanya mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale. Rūpa Gosvāmī, they established śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭam. Rūpa Gosvāmī was instructed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally, ten days in Allahabad. Similarly, it was instructed regularly for two months to Sanātana Gosvāmī in Benares, because He wanted Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī to preach His mission, mano-'bhīṣṭam.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

"My dear Lord, by your mercy one who has got a little, fragmental portion of your mercy," prasāda leśa. Prasāda means mercy, and leśa means very small portion. "Anyone who has got a little portion of your mercy, he can know you." Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvam, he can understand. Na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan. Others, they can go on speculating on their philosophy for millions of years, still they will not be able to understand. They will not be able to understand, simply futile, simply futile, they cannot. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "Surrender unto Me. If you don't surrender unto Me, you do not become my devotee, I'll not be exposed to you, I am not so cheap." Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap, but He's cheap to the devotees. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Vedeṣu durlabham. If you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa by the strength of your Vedic study, so-called Vedic study, because that is foolish study. He does not know. That is the test. If he, one does not understand Kṛṣṇa, his Vedic study is simply waste of time. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. The test will be whether he has understood Kṛṣṇa. If one has studies Vedas, the test will be whether he understands Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). If he is missing Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is unknown, then all his study is useless waste of time. Useless waste of time. This is the verdict of the śāstra. So those, one who does not understand Kṛṣṇa, he, his knowledge is not at all advanced, what to speak of perfection. There is no question of perfection. Perfection of knowledge is surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 29, 1973:

This kind of conception, that "I shall become God," or "I shall declare myself God," this is also material conception. This is not spiritual conception. Spiritually, nobody can become God except God. But he has no knowledge of God. He's thinking that he's God. Vimukta-māninaḥ. Tvayy asta-bhāvād. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Māninaḥ means taking for granted that "I've become liberated. I have become God." And I advertise, and some foolish people, they adore me: "Oh, here is God. Here is Bala-yogi incarnation, God." So such cheap God, we don't accept. We want to see that Kṛṣṇa, at seven years old, He lifted Govardhana Hill. So if you are actually God, then show me that you can lift a hill, you can kill a Pūtanā. Then I can accept. What sort of God you are? We don't accept such cheap God. Go on.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973:

So through Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we can be, I mean to say, able, we may be able some day to understand what is Rādhā Kṛṣṇa. Anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇāyāvatīrṇaḥ kalau samarpayitum unnata ujjvala rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam, hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti... What is that verse? I forget now. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we should try to understand, we should try to understand Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa through Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Nectar of Devotion, through the Gosvāmīs. Don't try to... The sahajiyā... Then you'll be sahajiyā—smoking bidi and doing all nonsense and singing Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā on the street and here, there. Going through hell. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā is not so cheap. Therefore they are called sahajiyā. They have made it cheap. If they want to read Bhāgavatam—immediately rasa-līlā. If they want to hear something about Kṛṣṇa—immediately rasa-līlā. Because it appears similar, just like young boy, young girls. But it is not that. It is ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37), Rādhārāṇī's expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. And the gopīs are expansion of Rādhārāṇī's body. They are not ordinary things.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.2 -- Mayapur, March 2, 1974:

Rather, when He was (in) Vṛndāvana, some of the devotees eulogized Him that "You are Kṛṣṇa," He immediately blocked His ear: "No, no. Don't say like that." That is the indication that to claim to become God or Kṛṣṇa is the highest type of rascaldom. That is rascaldom. Those who are these Māyāvādīs who are claiming that "Everyone is God. I am God, you are God," they are all rascals. Therefore I have said in connection, with reference to that boy-god..., you know, I do not wish to repeat. We do not accept such cheap God. No. We accept Kṛṣṇa. And we accept Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as God because śāstra says, the ācārya says; therefore we follow the footsteps of the ācāryas. Rūpa Gosvāmī says, kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne: "Sir, You have now come... You are Kṛṣṇa. You have come under the name of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. You are so magnanimous that You are distributing..." Be... Without becoming Kṛṣṇa, how one can distribute Kṛṣṇa? Without one becoming millionaires, how he can distribute millions of dollars?

So it is the business of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu... He's so magnanimous that He is distributing Kṛṣṇa. So take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have come from distant place, you have spent much money, thousands of money to come here. Take advantage of this journey and chant śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Then you'll get Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll get, surely. This land, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's birthsite. So anyone who takes shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he is dhanya, he is glorified.

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

There are ten kinds of offenses, you know. But in chanting śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, there is no aparādha. You chant in any way; you'll get the result. This is the difference, taste. This is variety. Although there is no difference by chanting śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda and Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, mahā-mantra, but still by chanting this Pañca-tattva, you'll get immediately, quickly, result. Therefore our process is to chant the holy names of the Pañca-tattva and then we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. That is perfect. And neither mixing. The mixing taste is called rasābhāsa. Rasābhāsa. And we don't manufacture anything. Just follow. We disagree with the persons who chant that bhaja nitāi-gaura rādhe-śyāma. No. We must follow strictly. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We cannot manufacture simply for some worldly cheap reputation and prestige. If we manufacture something, that will not help us. We must follow. Mahājano yena. Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. We must follow the mahājanas. So you'll find in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the Kavirāja Gosvāmī, in every chapter he begins, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, jaya advaita..., gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. This is the process.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.91-2 -- Vrndavana, March 13, 1974:

You must find out always some opportunity how to give, render service to Kṛṣṇa. That is the qualification. It doesn't matter what you are. You may be this or that. It doesn't matter. But this eagerness for service can be acquired by anyone simply by sincerity. That is the price. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Rūpa Gosvāmī says, tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam. "So that I, I have got too much eagerness." But no. Immediately Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī warns, na janma-koṭibhiḥ sukṛtibhir labhyate. This eagerness to achieve Kṛṣṇa's mercy, to approach the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa in this life, determination, "I shall do anything. I shall sacrifice anything," this kind of determination is not very easily obtained. Na janma-koṭibhiḥ sukṛtibhiḥ. Sukṛti means pious activities. Without being pious, nobody can approach Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap. You may show yourself that you have become a great sannyāsī or Vaiṣṇava or whatever it may be, but so long you'll be engaged in sinful activities, there is no question of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That sinful activities means illicit sex and intoxication, gambling, and meat-eating. These are the pillars of sinful activities. So one must be purified. Janma-koṭibhiḥ. These... To purify oneself from the resultant action of sinful activities, it takes many, many births. Janma-koṭibhiḥ sukṛti. By counteracting the sinful activities, to engage oneself only in pious activities. So pious activities means brahmacarya... Śamo damo titikṣa. The brahminical qualifications.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.107-109 -- San Francisco, February 15, 1967:

That is the responsibility. Now there are four divisions of social order—brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. The brahmacārī does not, I mean to say, earn anything. They depend on the society. Sannyāsī—depend on the society. Vānaprastha—depend on the society. Only the householder who is living with wife and children, he has got the whole responsibility to provide these brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. You see. In India still, if a brahmacārī, if a sannyāsī goes to a householder, immediately offers something. So they do not want more, but they want little for their maintenance of this body and soul together. It is the duty of the householder. So unless one becomes responsible householder, how he'll execute his responsibility? If he thinks, "Oh, what is the use of keeping a cow when the milk is available in the market? Oh, sex life is so cheap. Why shall I take the responsibility of marrying?" This is going on. This is going on. Just like cats and dogs. So the cats and dogs cannot understand Vedānta philosophy. First condition. It is not meant for the cats and dogs. It is meant for human beings. So we should be human being first of all. Then we shall try to understand... Our life is so wretched that it is less than cats and dogs, and we try to understand Vedānta philosophy. It is not possible.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.154 -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

So in this age, how it is possible to become siddha? Mukta api siddhānāṁ koṭiṣv api mahā..., nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa is not very easy job. Muktānām api siddhānāṁ koṭiṣv api mahā-mune. But this is the special mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that He is compassionate. Seeing the fallen souls of this age, He is distributing kṛṣṇa-prema so cheaply. What is that? "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," that's all. Simply by chanting. Ihā haite sarva siddhi haibe tomāra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is blessing everyone that "Be blessed. Take this benediction of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and be blessed." So why should we give up this opportunity? That is our propaganda. Just like Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he is imploring, dānte nidhāya tṛṇakam. You know, in India, when one becomes very humble, submissive, he takes a straw in his mouth. Perhaps you know. Even in the village, still it is going on, that "I have become very humble, submissive to you." Dānte nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipātya. "And falling down on your feet," kṛtvā ca kāku-śatam, "and flattering you in hundred times," ahaṁ bravīmi, "I am just submitting before you one request." What is that? He sādhavaḥ: "You are very great, you are very nice, and you are all sādhus. But my request is," sakalam eva vihāya dūrād, "whatever you have learned, please set aside for the time being. Please set aside." Sakalam eva vihāya dūrād. "Throw it away!" Then what to do? Sakalam eva vihāya dūrād caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam: "Please submit yourself on the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all answer this. Suppose there is a big meeting going on, and some big man is present. Suppose the President is there. Can you talk with him? Why? Why you cannot talk? For talking we think you require some qualification. It is not that He's so cheap that you talk with Kṛṣṇa immediately.

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmād

na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau

svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

(CC Madhya 17.136)

So if you accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, then you have to qualify yourself to talk with Him.

Guest: By His grace, Kṛṣṇa will show Himself to you.

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you read Kṛṣṇa book and if you believe, then you see Kṛṣṇa. He's not different from the book.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.120 -- Bombay, November 12, 1975:

We are maintained, and Kṛṣṇa is maintainer. We are predominated, and Kṛṣṇa is predominator. This is our relation. How(?) Caitanya Mahāprabhu describing the constitutional position of the living entity, svarūpa. Svarūpa means original position, and mukti means svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). Mukti means hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. This is the Vedic injunction. Mukti means hitvā anyathā rūpa. Now we are acting differently. Actually our position is servant of Kṛṣṇa. Now, at the present moment, every one of us, we are trying to become master. If not master of Kṛṣṇa, at least we are trying to become equal with Kṛṣṇa. This is our position. That is called māyā, "which is not possible." God is not so cheap that you can become equal with God or greater than God. You must always remain subordinate to God. That is your position. Actually we are subordinate. We have no meeting with God. We have no knowledge of God. But practically we see that we are subordinate to the material nature. That's a fact. Everyone knows. Who can overcome the laws of material nature? No. Nobody can do. By nature you have to die. You cannot avoid it. You are subordinate. By nature you have to become old man. You cannot avoid it. So we know that we are subordinate to material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). All these living entities—man or not man, animal or trees or plants, everyone—everyone is under the laws of material nature. They are, of course, dumb, the other animals or living entities. But human being has got advanced senses. He can think advancedly.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.353-354 -- New York, December 26, 1966:

So there is a very famous prayer made by Śaṅkara... Śaṅkarācārya has made many prayers about Kṛṣṇa, especially about His Vṛndāvana līlā, he has made. He has worshiped Kṛṣṇa in many ways. And last, this is his last composition of poetry. Bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ mūḍha mate: "You fools, you mūḍha mate..." Muḍḥa mate means "you fools." He was addressing the whole world, "you fools." Bhaja govindam: "Just become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Just become Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Prāpte sannihite kāle maraṇe na hi na hi rakṣati ḍukṛñ-karaṇe: "You are philosophizing. You are talking on grammar and this way and that way." Because these people, they want to establish impersonalism from Bhagavad-gītā by strength of grammar. Such a nonsense they are. They want to understand God by..., through grammar. God is so cheap that He can be understood through grammar. Therefore especially he specified, prāpte sannihite kāle maraṇe: "When death will catch you, your grammar, ḍukṛñ, prata, this will not save you. You fools. You please become Kṛṣṇa conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious." That was the instruction of Śaṅkarācārya. And he has especially mentioned Bhagavad-gītā and Ganges water. He especially mentions. "A little quantity of Ganges water and a little study of Bhagavad-gītā will save you from many dangerous positions."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.385-394 -- New York, January 1, 1967:

These are inconceivable energies. And foolish rascals, they claim that "I am God." You see. God is not so cheap. One must know the science of God, how great is God. We cannot calculate. Those who cheaply take God, "God might be like me, you," just frog philosophy. The same frog philosophy. The frog is calculating the length and breadth of Atlantic Ocean, keeping itself in the well. You see. So similarly, these rascals, they are frogs in the well, and they are calculating the estimation of the length and breadth of Atlantic Ocean and claiming themselves as God.

janma, bālya, paugaṇḍa, kaiśora prakāśa

pūtanā-vadhādi kari' mauṣalānta vilāsa

kona brahmāṇḍe kona līlāra haya avasthāna

tāte līlā 'nitya' kahe āgama-purāṇa

So Lord Caitanya says, "Just like the time calculation of the sun is always present in the orbit of this earthly planet, similarly, in the orbit of Kṛṣṇa-līlā, everything is happening in some universe." That is called nitya-līlā. Because it is happening eternally and continually, in either of innumerable planets, which we cannot calculate, therefore His pastimes, appearance and disappearance are all eternal. We are not worshiper of a dead thing. Just like if a foolish person says at night, "Oh, sun is finished." How? "I cannot see. Because I don't see in the sky, it is finished." Similarly, the foolish person thinks, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is..., I cannot see; therefore He's finished." This is foolish calculation.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.395 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976:

So here it is called kona brahmāṇḍa. This is one of the brahmāṇḍa, universe. And there are so many universes that is just like this one seed of mustard. One grain of mustard seed, and there is a bag of mustard seeds. That is kona brahmāṇḍe. So in each brahmāṇḍa Kṛṣṇa's līlā is going on. Now you count. This is Kṛṣṇa. They become very cheaply God, Kṛṣṇa, but they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they take it so cheaply, that "Anyone can become God. Anyone can become Kṛṣṇa." Mūḍha. Māyayā-apahṛta-jñānāḥ. These rascals they say like that. But they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścid vetti mām...

(BG 7.3)

They do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). And they're coming out... Just like within our breathing there are so many things, particles, or germs are coming, similarly, with the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, so many universes are coming. This is Bhagavān. By breathing period innumerable universes are created. Not that they create something jugglery and become Bhagavān. Our conception of Bhagavān from the śāstra is different.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1970:

Or anywhere within this universe who is not controlled? Can anyone say that "I am not controlled"? Nobody can say. So if you are controlled, then why you are going to declare yourself that "I am uncontrolled. I am independent. I am God"? Why this nonsense? If you are controlled... Is God, does it mean that He is controlled? They are claiming that "I am God." Is there any meaning? If I am controlled, then how I can become God? This is commonsense affair. Therefore this Māyāvādī philosophy that "Everyone is God. I am God; you are God...," Just like the other, who was speaking, that Meher Baba's... Yes. That he was speaking, "I am God, you are God." So God is never controlled. If somebody is controlled, immediately he is not God. This is simple definition, that God is not controlled. If somebody claims that he is God, then first of all question "Whether you are controlled or not controlled?" Common sense. Nobody can say that he's not controlled. I have seen a rascal, he has got a society and he is preaching this, that "I am God." But one day I saw him, he had some toothache, and he was doing, "ohhh." (laughter) So I questioned him that "You claim that you are God, and now you are simply under the control of toothache. So what kind of God you are?" (laughter) You see. So these societies, those who are claiming that "I am God. You are God. Everyone God"—God has become so cheap that everyone is God—you immediately should know he's a rascal number one. Immediately. As soon as he says, "I am God," you must know that "Here is a rascal number one."

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1970:

So we do not teach such cheap things. That is our program. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not to present something nonsense and present something cheap. If you want to see God just face to face, not fiction, then you must follow the rules and regulation, you must chant, you must purify yourself. Then gradually, svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. You must wait. The time will come. When you are purified, you'll see God. Not that immediately, in your present position. But God is so kind, Kṛṣṇa is so kind, even in your present position He is present, arcā-vigraha. He's open to be seen by everyone, whether he knows and whether he does not know what is God. This arcā-vigraha is not idol; it is not imagination. They are... The knowledge is received from the superior ācāryas. Brahma-saṁhitā: veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam (Bs. 5.30). The description is there. So God realization, if you follow that... Immediately, by your blunt senses, either God, His form, His name, His quality, His paraphernalia cannot be perceived. The present senses are blunt. Therefore in the present situation or the civilization they have become godless, because naturally they have no power to understand God, neither they are guided by some persons who can make them understand what is God.

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1970:

So God realization, if you follow that... Immediately, by your blunt senses, either God, His form, His name, His quality, His paraphernalia cannot be perceived. The present senses are blunt. Therefore in the present situation or the civilization they have become godless, because naturally they have no power to understand God, neither they are guided by some persons who can make them understand what is God. Therefore people are becoming godless, atheist. But if you read all these Vedic literatures under superior guidance, if you follow the rules and regulation, then svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. God will be revealed unto you. You cannot see God or understand God by your own endeavor. You have to surrender to the process by which God can be known. Then He will be revealed. Otherwise not. He is supreme controller. You are being controlled. So how you can control God? "Oh, God, please come here. I will see You." No, no. God is not so cheap thing that by your order God will come and become seen by you. No. That is not possible. You must always know that "He's the supreme controller and I am also controlled. So if I can please God by my service, then He'll reveal to me." That is the process of knowing God.

Thank you very much. (end)

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 -- New York, July 26, 1971:

I'm just trying to explain what is the body of the Supreme Lord. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna was shown the virāṭ-rūpa, the universal form of the Lord. Now why Arjuna wanted to see the universal form of Kṛṣṇa? The reason is that Arjuna knew it very well... Because in the Tenth chapter Arjuna accepts Kṛṣṇa that paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "You are the Supreme Lord, paraṁ brahma, and pavitra, the purest." So Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, and still, in the Eleventh Chapter he requested Kṛṣṇa that "If You'll kindly show me Your universal form." Try to understand. Arjuna knew it very well that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. Why he wanted to examine Kṛṣṇa? Not for himself, but for others. Because Arjuna knew it very well that in future so many false Gods would appear: "I am God." So before accepting anyone as God, imitating Kṛṣṇa, one should inquire from him "Whether you can lift a hill? Whether you can show the universal form? Whether you can kill such and such demons? Then I shall accept." That is intelligence. Don't accept a foolish man, declaring himself as God, and you accept also God. God is not so cheap. You should know what is God. These descriptions are there. No more, no man, no living entity is greater than God. Therefore God is said: "God is great." Great means nobody can be greater than Him, nobody can be equal to Him. That is greatness. Six opulences. That is analytical study what is God.

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

He cannot become God, but this very endeavor, to become God, to become a competitor of God, is not very much liked. That person is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā as dviṣataḥ, envious. Tān aham dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram andhā yoniṣu (BG 16.19). Such persons, envious persons, are put into the hellish condition of life. They are envious of God's position. They want to occupy high position in this material world, and when they are frustrated, they think "Now I shall occupy the position of God." But that will be also frustrated. Nobody can become God. God is God, and living entity's living entity. He's supreme, He's infinite; we are infinitesimal. Our position is to serve God. That is our perfect position. That will make us happy. Not otherwise. Not by imitating how to become God. That is impossible. How you can become God? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). There are innumerable universes, and within the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu so many universes are coming out by exhaling. And when He inhales, so many universes are dissolved within His body. So how we can become God? God is not so cheap.

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- Bombay, January 3, 1973:

They think that by interpreting Bhagavad-gītā by their so-called rascaldom knowledge, they can reveal Bhagavad-gītā. That is not possible. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is not exposed to these foolish and rascals. Kṛṣṇa is never exposed. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya (BG 7.25). He's not so cheap thing that He'll be understood by these fools and rascals. It is not possible. Kṛṣṇa says, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samā... (BG 7.25).

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

So if we want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then we have to follow. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Kṛṣṇa says. And Kṛṣṇa says, bhakto 'si priyo 'si rahasyam etad uttamam (BG 4.3). Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, "This science of God, Bhagavad-gītā, kṛṣṇa-tattva..." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: yei kṛṣṇa-tattva vetta sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). Guru does not become. Guru is not so cheap thing. One must know what is kṛṣṇa-tattva. One must know what is Kṛṣṇa.

Festival Lectures

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Pradyumna? So Hans, you can speak.

Haṁsadūta: There are so many religions. There's Hindu, there's Christian, there's Jewish, Muhammadan, so many things. And people are professing, "Oh, I'm Christian. I'm Hindu. I'm Jewish." So many things. But this religion is not so cheap. This religion is not simply something I can take up, take it, "Oh, now I think I should be Christian. That's very nice. Or maybe I'll become Hindu." No. You see these boys and girls, they're not Hindus, they're not Christians, they're not Jews. What are they? You see the spiritual master. He's not Hindu. You may be thinking, "Oh, he's from India. And these American or these Canadian boys and girls, they've taken some fad. They like these Indian things." No, it's not like that at all. This is not religion. According to Sanskrit definition, religion means that quality of the living entity which after everything is removed... Oh, you can lose all your money, you can lose your family, you can lose your nationality, but when everything is removed, that religion remains. So what is that? What is that quality that's common to every living entity? What is that? Just like fire. What is... (break) (end)

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- London, August 29, 1971:

So the Gosvāmīns are praying, in their mature stage, when they were living at Vṛndāvana, they were praying in this way, he rādhe! vraja-devike! ca lalite! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ: "Where, Rādhārāṇī, where You are? Where are Your associates? Where You are, Nanda-suno, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa? Where you are, all?" They were searching after. They never said, "I have seen Kṛṣṇa dancing with the gopīs. Last night I saw." (laughter) This is sahajiyā. This is not mature devotee. This is called... They are called sahajiyā. They take everything very cheap—Kṛṣṇa very cheap, Rādhārāṇī very cheap—as if they can see every night. No. The Gosvāmīs do not teach us like that. They're searching after. He rādhe! vraja-devike! ca lalite! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ, śrī-govardhana-pādapa-tale kālindī-vanye kutaḥ: "Are you there under the Govardhana Hill or on the banks of the Yamunā?" Kālindī-vanye kutaḥ. Ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahā-vihvalau. Their business was crying like this, "Where You are? Where You are, Rādhārāṇī? Where you are, Lalitā, Viśākha, the associates of Rādhārāṇī? Where You are, Kṛṣṇa? Are You near Govardhana Hill or on the bank of the Yamunā?" Ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure. So throughout the whole tract of Vṛndāvana they were crying and searching after Them, khedair mahā-vihvalau, as if madman. Khedair mahā-vihvalau. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973:

So śāstra says that ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "So these people, although they are thinking of themself as liberated, they have become liberated..." The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs address amongst themselves: namo nārāyaṇa. "Namo nārāyaṇa" means every one of them has become a Nārāyaṇa. This is their philosophy. And from this namo nārāyaṇa principle, Vivekananda Swami has manufactured the word "daridra-nārāyaṇa." So Nārāyaṇa has become very cheap thing for them. Everyone has become Nārāyaṇa; everyone has become God. Just like the rascal God is now in the hospital. God is under operation. (laughter) A "guruji" God. So they have no shame even that "If I am God, I cannot cure my bodily pains, what kind of God I am?" But these rascals will proclaim that they are God, and there is set of rascals, they will accept, "Oh, here is God." Vivekananda also said that "Why you are finding out God? Don't you see, so many gods are loitering in the street?" So God has become a funny thing for them. No. We do not accept such God. Our God is different.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Mayapur, February 8, 1977:

Formerly people used to know that "If I take a mala and sit down in a secluded place..." Of course, that is good; that is not bad. But the real business of Vaiṣṇava is not for himself, but for others. Just like the example given by Rūpa Gosvāmī: nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. Lokānāṁ-hita-kāriṇau, not personal hita-kāriṇau. Personal hita-kāriṇau is not high-class Vaiṣṇava. "I shall become liberated. Let me give up everything and sit down." Sometimes that is also good, but sometimes we take it to get cheap adoration from innocent public that "Here is a Vaiṣṇava. He sits down." No. My Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was not that type of Vaiṣṇava. That is his special gift. He wanted every one of his disciples to go and preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted. Here we are in the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's country, birthplace. We should remember. Caitanya Mahāprabhu of course asked every Indian to take His mission. At least Bengalis should take Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.

Initiation Lectures

Lecture & Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968:

So even if we have got short life, we are not very serious. Mandāḥ, very slow. Just like here, we are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Nobody is serious about to learn or to understand what is this movement. And if somebody is interested, they want to be cheated. They want something cheap or cheap something for self-realization. They have got money, they want to pay somebody some fees, and if he says that "I'll give you some mantra and you will, fifteen minutes meditation, within six months you'll become God," these things they want. Mandāḥ manda-matayo. Manda-matayo means very foolish conclusion. They do not think that "Solution of the problems of life can be purchased only by paying thirty-five dollars?" They have become so foolish. Because if we say that to make a solution of your problems of life you have to follow these principles, "Oh, this is very difficult. Let me pay thirty-five dollars and solve it, make a solution." You see? So they want to be cheated. They are called manda-matayo. And cheaters come and cheat them. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā (SB 1.1.10). Manda-bhāgyā means they are unfortunate also. Even God comes and canvasses Himself, "Please come to Me," oh, they don't care for it. You see? Therefore unfortunate.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, October 4, 1968:

So these are the definition of intelligent person. So if we want to be intelligent, we can adopt the process how to become intelligent. But on the other hand, if we are actually intelligent, why not take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately and become intelligent? Without, without going to the process, you take... It is offered to you by the most magnanimous incarnation, Lord Caitanya. He's offering you, kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). He's giving you love of Kṛṣṇa. Rūpa Gosvāmī offered his obeisances to Lord Caitanya, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: "O my dear Lord Caitanya, You are the most charitable, magnanimous of all incarnations. Why? Because You are directly giving love of Kṛṣṇa. The love of Kṛṣṇa which cannot be achieved after many, many births, You are delivering cheaply, 'Take it immediately.' " Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya. They could understand that "You are Kṛṣṇa"; otherwise it was not possible by anyone to offer Kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, so cheaply. "You are Kṛṣṇa, You have got that power." And actually He is so. Kṛṣṇa failed to give Kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, when He came personally and taught Bhagavad-gītā. He simply said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). But people misunderstood Him. Therefore Kṛṣṇa came as a devotee and offered Kṛṣṇa-prema to the people in general. So our request to everyone that you take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and you will feel that "I don't want any more, anything more. I am satisfied, fully satisfied."

Lecture -- Seattle, October 9, 1968:

Prabhupāda: He's famous amongst the fools. He's not famous for me. (laughter)

Young man (5): Is he famous in India?

Prabhupāda: No. He cheated some fools because they wanted to be cheated. That's all. And he finished his business. After befooling, then he retired. That's all. Because you want to be cheated, some cheap method of become God immediately.

Young woman: Is it better to inquire directly a question to the spiritual master directly, or is it better... Is it better to wait for the answer to come in an indirect, or in a less direct way? Is it better to...

Prabhupāda: No. You should find out a spiritual master. Everyone should find out. That is the injunction of the Vedas. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva... (MU 1.2.12). (break) If you are interested to understand the spiritual science, then you must find out. That is your business. All right. It is past ten, uh, nine. No? Yes. Now chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (kīrtana) Come here. I'm asking you, come here. Come here. (end)

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969:

So there are six kinds of opulences: richness, reputation, strength, influence, beauty, and wisdom. So asamaurdhva, that equality and greatness... When you'll find a certain man is in such a position that nobody is richer than him and nobody is famous, more famous, than him, nobody is more stronger than him, nobody is more influential than him, nobody is more beautiful than him, and nobody is wiser than him—if you find somebody full in six opulences... These are the definition given in Vedic literature.

aiśvaryasya samagrasya

vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva

ṣaṇṇāṁ iti bhagaṅ ganā

(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

Bhaga, these opulences... So you have to find out. You do not accept any cheap God. You just try to find out whether this man claiming as God has no greater than him and no equal to him. Then he is God. This simple test. Don't accept any bogus, so-called God. Just try to put him to the test whether he is actually God. This is the test, that nobody should be greater than him; nobody shall be equal to him. Then he is God.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969:

So our request is that you take full advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Your life will be happy. You'll find a new phase of existence, happiness, fullness. That is sure. And the method is very simple. We don't ask you... Just like as soon as I enter, all of you join in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is very easy thing. Even a child can join. And simply by chanting, you'll be purified, simply by chanting. You haven't got to make any exercise, keeping your head down or this or that. No. Simple method: chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So this is our propaganda. We don't charge anything. We don't say that "I sell one mantra. You take it and give me some dollars." No. It is freely distributed. Freely. In the street they are being distributed. But don't neglect it. Because we are distributing this, the most valuable asset of the world so cheaply, don't neglect it. Take it. Don't minimize the value because we are distributing free. It is the most valuable thing of your life, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And you'll practically find the result. It is not bluff. So many American boys and girls, they are chanting. They are not imported from India, but they have taken it very seriously, not only here. We have got seventeen branches all over your country, and they are very happy. And there is no loss. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, what is your loss? But the gain is very great. You can chant. Simply while walking in the street you can chant. While working, you can chant. While at home, you chant. When at office, you chant. There is no license, no expenditure, no loss, but the gain is very great. That is our request.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

So if we take this crucial test of learning, we shall find hardly a learned man in this world, hardly one man, because everyone is absorbed in this bodily conception of life. All their ideas—this nationality, humanity, this duty, that duty, all—everything on this. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). They are accepting this bag of skin and bones as self. You see? This is a bag made of skin and bone, and this... Is spirit soul so cheap thing that it is a bag of skin and bone and some stools and urine, combination? That is nonsense. So hardly you'll find any sane man or any learned man in this world. You see? So first teaching is that "You are not this body." That is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa's teaching.

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntaraṁ prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

"My dear Arjuna, you are posing yourself as very learned man, but a learned man is not disturbed by this change of body." Just He says very nice example. Just like a child. A child is growing. Growing means he is changing body. A child is born so small; a few years, he becomes big. Now where is that small body? That body is gone. You tell whatever you think, but that body is gone—another body. Then the same child becomes youth, young man. That body is gone. The same man becomes old man.

Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969:

People are after becoming religious person or economically very well situated person or desiring all facilities for sense gratification. And when one is frustrated in all these attempts, he wants to become God. You see? By meditation, he wants to become God. You see? God is not so cheap thing that simply by meditation one can become God. People do not know what is God; therefore they accept. Just in Los Angeles airport, one boy was asking, some person in your country is declaring himself as God, Meher Baba. So he asked him..., asked me, "Whether you accept Meher Baba as incarnation?" So I asked him, "What do you mean by incarnation?" So he replied that because Kṛṣṇa or God is everyone's heart, therefore everyone is incarnation. Then he... I said, "Then what is difficulty? Then we are all incarnation. What is the specific quality of Meher Baba?" Because īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). The Lord is situated in everyone's heart. The Lord is situated in the heart of cats and dogs also. Sarva-bhūtānām. Sarva-bhūtānām means all living entities. It is not that God is not situated in the cat's heart or dog's heart. He is there. Therefore he is also incarnation.

Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969:

So in reputation nobody can compete, in wealth nobody can compete, in strength nobody can compete, in wisdom... Take Bhagavad-gītā. Such a book of wisdom, knowledge. There is no comparison in the world. Take it philosophically or religiously or any way, there is no comparison. And renunciation. When Kṛṣṇa was present, His Yadu dynasty consisted of many hundreds of thousands members. And before His departure He finished them and went away. Renunciation. So my request to you all, that don't accept God very cheaply. If you don't like God, that's nice. That's not... Nobody is blaming you. But don't accept a false God. That will be great blunder. Don't do that. Try to understand actually what is God. And the man who is claiming, "I am God," whether he has got such qualification. That can be tested by only three, six things. Try—whether he's richest than all the people of his contemporary life. Is he the richest than all? Or is he the strongest man than all? Or is he the most reputed person than all? Or is he most beautiful? Or most wise? You have to test like that. Don't accept cheaply if some rascal comes, "I am God," and "Yes." Don't do it. You test like this. Test in six symptoms: wealth, strength, reputation, wisdom, beauty, and renunciation. If he excels... (break) ...in all these qualification all other contemporary persons, then he's God. Very simple description. If he is God, then who can be richer than him? And who can be stronger than him? These six things, six opulences.

Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969:

Bhagavān. Bhagavān means... Bhaga means fortune. So Bhagavān. Vān means possessing fortune. So these are the symptoms of becoming fortunate: wealthy, strong, wise, beautiful, reputed, and at the same time, renouncer, without any attachment. These things are to be tested. So don't accept cheap God, or don't try to imitate God, "I am God." This is a great, what is called, standard of ignorance. Anyone falsely claiming that "I am God," that is the last snare of māyā, that one is falsely claiming God.

So our students in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, wherever it is possible, try to preach this principle. God is not so cheap that any rascal can come and claim that "I am God," or anyone can claim as God. This is most foolish claim. Our Vedic literature gives hundreds and thousands of description how God is to be understood. In the Upaniṣad it is stated, eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is the chief amongst the living entities. He is the chief amongst the eternals. How He is chief? He is one. God is one. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He is one living entity, supreme living entity, and He is supplying the necessities of all other living entities. That is God—whether He is supplying necessities of all other living entities. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Similarly, there are many descriptions about God. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ. In each universe there is a chief man, just like Lord Brahmā. Just like in your country the chief man is the president, Mr. Nixon, similarly, in this universe the chief man is Lord Brahmā.

Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969:

So that God, that Mahā-Viṣṇu, is stated (He) is one portion of the portion of Kṛṣṇa. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṇur mahān (Bs. 5.48). He is called Mahā-Viṣṇu. Viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo. This Mahā-Viṣṇu is portion of the portion of Kṛṣṇa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. In this way, there are different description of God, how great He is. That greatness cannot be had by any nonsense rascal. You see. So don't be misled in that way. Even you don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, don't be misled by cheap Gods. That is our request. God is great, and try to understand how great He is. That description you'll get in Vedic literature sufficiently, how great He is. Don't be satisfied simply by understanding that God is great. That's nice, but as far as possible try to understand how great He is. Then you will not accept any cheap God. Otherwise you'll simply speculate on frog philosophy. You know that frog philosophy? He's calculating the length and breadth of Atlantic Ocean from the small well. Somebody's saying there is Atlantic Ocean, very great, and the frog has never seen the Atlantic Ocean. He is always in the well. He says, "How great? It is three feet? It may be ten feet?" "No, sir, it is very great." "All right. Hundred feet." "No, it is very great." "All right. Thousand feet." So go on. Where is the comparison of Atlantic Ocean within the well? (chuckling) So these rascals are calculating, speculating about God, how great He is by three feet, six feet, or ten feet, or hundred feet, thousand feet, like that. But He is greater than all your calculation, all your measurement.

Brandeis University Lecture -- Boston, April 29, 1969:

Sometimes we had been a hog or a dog or something like that. Now we have come to this stage of life, this life should not be spoiled like the cats, dogs and hogs. But we should have some restraint and realize ourself. This possibility is there simply by chanting these sixteen words: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is possible. This is practical. Since I came to your country in 1965... Of course, for one year I was traveling here and there, but in 1966 I established first my class in New York at 26 Second Avenue. Then there were many branches now. We have got about sixteen branches all over the country. And these students, they are chanting, and they have taken to the austerity. I don't accept any cheap student or cheap disciple. My first condition is that there is no illicit sex life, there is no intoxication, there is no gambling, and there is no meat-eating. These four principles are there, but all my students in these twenty, about sixteen centers—one in London, one in Germany—but you will be surprised that all these boys and girls, they have taken to this austerity very seriously. They're not drinking even tea or smoking a cigarette.

Lecture -- London, September 14, 1969:

So vimanyavaḥ means that devotee does not generally become angry. But that does not mean that he has lost his power of becoming angry. No. He can become angry at any time, when it is required. And he should be angry? He is angry, krodha bhakta-dveṣi janam. He'll be angry when there is somebody who's against God and God's devotee. He'll be angry. As soon as one says, blasphemes, that "I am God. There is no God," immediately he should be very angry because he is preaching false things. He's blaspheming against the Supreme Lord, that he is making God as very cheap. He should be angry. Bhakta-dveṣi. Just like our student Govinda dāsī in Hawaii. In a meeting she became very angry when the so-called incarnation of God and God... Perhaps you know this incident. And the people did not say, of course, Govinda dāsī, but they heard her husband, Gaurasundara. But she became very angry, that "These rascals," and so many things she spoke. (chuckles) So she did right, like a heroine. I very much liked it. So we should be very much angry. When? When there is anything against God and God's devotee. But generally, for my personal interest, I should not be angry. "All right, if you like to call me by ill names, I don't mind. You go on with your business." I do not become angry. So just like Hanumānjī, Vajrāṅgajī. Vajrāṅgajī, he set fire in the kingdom of Rāvaṇa. A very beautiful kingdom, almost made of gold, but he set fire in that capital of Laṅka. He became very angry. But why he became angry? Not for his personal interest. But he was angry for the interest of Lord Rāma. Sītā, the Lakṣmī, wife of Lord Rāma, was kidnapped by this man Rāvaṇa, and he was very angry that "He has kidnapped my Lord's spiritual energy, Sītā. I shall set fire in his very valuable capital." So this anger, this demonstration of anger and setting fire was accepted as service.

Lecture to International Student Society -- Boston, December 28, 1969:

In the Bhāgavata there is a verse. It is said there, labdhvā su-durlabham idam. Idam. Idam means "this." This body, labdhvā, you have got it. Labdhvā su-durlabham idam. Su-durlabham means it is very rare. This is not very cheap. The body of cats and dogs or animals, they are cheap, but this is not very cheap. Su-durlabhaḥ. Bahūnāṁ janman... Labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambha-vānte. After many, many births, at least, 8,000,000 births of different species of life, we get this human form of life. It is stated in the Bhāgavata, and similarly, all Vedic literatures, they corroborate one another. It is... The person who can understand, he doesn't find any contradiction. The same statement is there in the Bhagavad-gītā: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). So this human form of life is obtained after many, many births of lower animal or other than human form of life. But even in this human form of life also, if one is cultivating that knowledge to find out the central point, what is the central point, then that also requires he gets many, many births in human form of life also. But he has to find out that central point. That central point is there, Kṛṣṇa is saying, that bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān (BG 7.19). Jñānavan means who has actually acquired knowledge. Jñānavān. Jñāna means knowledge, and vān means one who possesses.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 10, 1971:

Sometimes we accept somebody as God because he says that "I am the same Kṛṣṇa. I am the same Rāma," believing on his word. All right, accept that he may be the same Rāma and same Kṛṣṇa. But when Kṛṣṇa is there, why should we accept an imitation Kṛṣṇa? Why? Suppose if you go to purchase some medicine in a drug shop and the shopkeeper says, "Here is a medicine, sir, which is equally good, but the price is very cheap. You can take it," and if you are sane man, you will say, "No, no. I don't want it. Give me that original. Why shall I take this? Let it be cheaper, but I don't want it." Similarly, why should we accept so-called incarnation of Kṛṣṇa? We should accept Kṛṣṇa, original Kṛṣṇa. Original Kṛṣṇa is there. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's words are identical. When you read Bhagavad-gītā, you are exactly in front of Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna was in front of Kṛṣṇa while Kṛṣṇa was personally speaking. That is transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa. Why He has left this instruction? Because if we accept the teachings of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā, immediately we are in presence of Kṛṣṇa. Just like the other day I cited the example of the illiterate brāhmaṇa. So that is transcendental way of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Take this formula. Kṛṣṇa says here that everything that is working in this material or spiritual world, they are different energies of Kṛṣṇa. He is the original source of creation, He is the original source of maintenance, and He is the original source of annihilation. Therefore nobody is greater than Him. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). Na anyat: "There is no other greater elevated." Kiñcid asti: "Not even one." You cannot say, "Here is something which is greater than Kṛṣṇa." That is not possible. Na anyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya, mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva. Just like in your necklace, pearl necklace, all the pearls are situated in the thread, similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the thread and everything existing... This will be explained more explicitly in the Thirteenth Chapter.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, July 20, 1971:

So our process of knowledge very easy. Kṛṣṇa's book, Bhagavad-gītā, is the knowledge, book of knowledge which is given by the perfect person, Kṛṣṇa. You may argue that "You have accepted Him as a perfect person, but we do not." You may not. But He is perfect person on the evidence of many authorities. It is not by my whims I accept Kṛṣṇa as the perfect person. No. There are many authorities, Vedic authorities. Formerly... Just like Vyāsadeva. He's the author of all Vedic literature, the treasure-house of knowledge, Vedas. He accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His spiritual master, Nārada, he accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His spiritual master, Brahmā, he accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Person. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1), Brahmā says. "The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa." Īśvara. Īśvara means controller. We are controller, everyone. Nobody can say that "I am without controller." No, that is not possible. Everyone has got a controller. However big officer you may be, you have a controller over your head. But Kṛṣṇa has no controller; therefore He is God. He is controller of everyone, but He has no controller; therefore He's God. So there are many so-called Gods nowadays. Very... God has become very cheap, especially they are imported from India. They are not manufactured in here. You are fortunate. But India, they're coming out, "God," practically every day. They are... The other day, Karandhara was telling me that some God was coming to Los Angeles, and they were requested to receive him. So Kṛṣṇa is not that kind of God. I mentioned in my introduction to Kṛṣṇa book that Kṛṣṇa is not that type of God, manufactured in mystic factory. No. He is God. He was not made God, but He is God.

Pandal Lecture -- November 14, 1971, Delhi:

That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult. He says, marma-hatāṁ karotu vā adarśanān: "You just break My heart by not being visible." The Vaiṣṇava devotees, they are not very much anxious to see God. They know, "Why God shall come to me? He is so busy, He has got so many business. Let me do my duty." The Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana... Caitanya Mahāprabhu also said, as I repeated the śloka, govinda-viraheṇa me. He was simply feeling separation. He never said that "I have seen God." He never said. Similarly, Gosvāmīs, the ṣaḍ-gosvāmīs, they are also following the cult of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ. Simply searching out, "Where Rādhārāṇī? Where You are? Where the Lalitā, Viśakha, where you are? Where is Nanda-sūna, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, Kṛṣṇa? Where You are all?" Śrī-govardhana-(kalpa)-pādapa-tale kālindī-vane kutaḥ. "Are you near Govardhana Hill or on the bank of Yamunā?" But they never said, "I have seen Kṛṣṇa." They never said. Not that, "Oh, last night I saw, Kṛṣṇa was dancing." Not cheap devotee. Be great, follow.

Lecture at Art Gallery -- Auckland, April 16, 1972:

So everyone is controller. In that sense everyone is god. But everyone is not supreme God, supreme controller. Suppose I am controlling some of my students. But I am being controlled by somebody else. Similarly, he is also controlled by somebody else. That is our practical experience. But the supreme controller means who is not controlled by anyone, but He is controller of everyone. That is God. Nowadays it has become a cheap business, to see so many Gods. But you test this, whether he is controlled by anyone. If he is controlled by somebody, then he is not God. If He is simply controller, then you can accept Him as God. That is the definition of God, a very simple definition.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

(Bs. 5.1)

So sac-cid-ānanda... There is... In the Vedānta-sūtra there is another aphorism, that ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) "By nature the Supreme Absolute Person is ānandamaya." The artistic sense... You are engaged in artistic work just to have a pleasure, ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. That pleasure, rasa, a mellow... By painting one picture, you enjoy some rasa or mellow; otherwise why you are working so hard? There is a pleasure.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972:

So these are the potencies of God. Not that I can show some magic and immediately I become God. Just see the magic, real magic of God. Don't accept cheap God. God must show godly magic. Just like we are showing little magic, floating some airplane or sputnik or jet in the sky. We are taking so much credit, so much credit that scientists are declaring, "There is no God. I am God, because I have made this airplane." And what is your airplane in comparison to these planets? So intelligent person, they will give more credit to God than to these scientists or philosophers. Because he can see the potencies, how much potency is there. So He has many potencies. In the Vedic literature we can understand, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). In the Vedas, Upaniṣad: na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. God has nothing to do personally. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Na tat-samas cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. Nobody is found equal to him or greater than Him. Nobody. That is God.

Lecture What is a Guru? -- London, August 22, 1973:

We can convince him that he is not guru, because he is speaking differently. We can challenge any rascal. Just like somebody came here, he said that he's God, every one of us God. (aside:) Stop this. So I asked that "Just find out in the dictionary what is meaning of God. Let us see whether he is God." The dictionary, as soon as dictionary was consulted, the meaning of God is "the supreme being," meaning of God. So I asked him, "Are you supreme? If you cannot understand, then find out the meaning of supreme." Then when he consulted dictionary, the supreme, it is said "the greatest authority." So I asked him, "Are you the greatest authority?" The rascal could not answer. He does not know even the dictionary meaning, and he's claiming that he's God. This rascaldom is going on, whole world. Big, big rascal swamis, they say, "Why you are finding out God anywhere? You do not see so many rascal gods are loitering in the street?" This is going on. If you simply consult dictionary, you can understand what is the meaning of God. God is so cheap thing, huh? Supreme being. Are you supreme being? Supreme means the highest authority. Highest authority means nobody is equal to him, nobody is greater than him. That is supreme. So these rascals who are claiming to become God, is it a fact that nobody is equal to him, nobody is greater than him? There are so many.

Lecture on Gurvastakam at Upsala University -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:

That blazing fire means anxieties, always. Everyone has got anxieties. Even the small bird, he has got anxiety. You give the small bird some grains to eat, he'll eat it. But he's not very peacefully eating. He'll see this way, that way, "If somebody's coming to kill me?" Yes. This is material existence. Everyone... Even President Nixon, he's also full of anxieties, what to speak of others. Even Gandhi, in our country, he was full of anxieties. All politicians, they're full of anxiety; although they hold very exalted post, still the material disease, anxiety, is there. So if you want to be anxiety-less, without any anxiety, then you must take shelter of the guru, or the spiritual master, and the test is that by the instruction of guru, by following the instruction of guru, you will be anxiety-less. This is the test.

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-

trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam

prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **

Don't make a cheap guru or a fashion guru, just like you keep sometimes a dog as a fashion. Similarly, if you want to keep a dog, or if you want to keep a guru as a fashion—"I have got a guru"—that will not help. You must accept a guru who can extinguish the blazing fire of anxiety within your heart. That is the first test of a guru.

Lecture -- Bombay, April 1, 1977:

So mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). One who has taken to this divya-jñāna process, he is mahātmā. Mahātmā is not made by stamping for receiving knowledge how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex. That is not the definition in the śāstras. Sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ.

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante

jñānavān māṁ prapadyante

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā...

(BG 7.19)

One who has got this divya-jñāna, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā, that is mahātmā. But that is very, very rare. Otherwise, mahātmā like me, they are loitering in the street. That is. So you should always remember this word, divya-jñāna hṛde prakāśito. And because the spiritual master enlightens the divya-jñāna, one feels obliged to him. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya prasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi **. So this guru-pūjā essential. As the Deity worship essential... It is not cheap adoration. It is the process of enlightening the divya-jñāna.

Thank you very much. (end)

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Śyāmasundara: Today we are discussing the philosopher and psychologist Sigmund Freud. His thesis was that certain unconscious states must be repressed by a special mental mechanism which serves as a defense for the ego against painful or fragmental memories, emotions and desires.

Prabhupāda: That is our brahmācārya system. The psychology is that everyone has a sex appetite, everyone has a tendency for intoxication, and everyone had a tendency for meat-eating. Vyavāya āmiṣa madya sevā. These tendencies are already there. There is injunction in the śāstras that one can have sexual intercourse by marriage, legal sex. We are prohibiting illicit sex, but we are not prohibiting legal sex. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, dharmāviruddho' bhūteṣu kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha, sex indulgence which is not against religious principles. That is (indistinct). So religious principle means regulated sex life. People have a tendency... Just like those who are not regulated by the Vedic injunctions are also having sex. So what is the meaning of this legal sex? Legal sex means it is restricted, that is all. Where there is no set injunction. Just like in Western countries, they are having sex without any restrictions. But according to the Vedic system, there are restrictions. Just like eating meat, that is also restricted. You cannot eat meat from the slaughterhouse, but the injunction is that you can take a goat and in the presence of goddess Kali you can offer it, and then you can eat it. In the śāstras this is called (indistinct). Amisa means meat which is not sacrificed. There are so many rules and regulations. Similarly, there is also injunction for drinking. By worshiping (sandamani) you can drink. So when the śāstras deal with meat-eating, drinking and sex, which is already there... Psychologically everyone has this tendency. Then why is it mentioned in the śāstras in this way? The whole thing is to restrict. Just like ordinarily in the state drinking liquor is also controlled by the excise department of the government. The government opens drinking shops, but the price is enhanced. I know because I was dealing in rectified spirits, so because we are preparing medicine we are getting opium, rectified spirits, gañja, very cheaply. One smuggler came to me and said that "You give me your license, you take one thousand rupees. I will manage." So I told him that when I would be arrested, because after I would be arrested, then the government would ask me that "We have given you the license as a respectable gentleman, and you are doing this," then what shall I reply? So this restriction is that liquor... Wine is made from rectified spirits, brandy, whiskey, everything; I know all the formulas, how to make them.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Śyāmasundara: This sexual energy, or the libido energy, he sees as not only sexual intercourse but is associated with a wide variety of pleasurable sensations relating to bodily activities, such as pleasure of the mouth, of the different organs. He says it's all sexual energy-eating, sucking.

Prabhupāda: That is already stated, that the only happiness in this material world, maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukham. Ādi means the basic principle is maithuna, sexual intercourse. And now there are some maithuna-ādi. Or you can take it that one is very happy—just like one gentleman proposed to (indistinct), "Give me a son." But that is also maithuna-ādi, by sexual intercourse. He is thinking that "I will have a son and I will get him married; he will also begin maithuna-ādi—and a grandson." So the whole system, this materialistic way of life, just like Bhāgavata is saying, yan maithuna gṛhamedhi sukham. This is happiness. (indistinct). Suta means son and āpta means friend. (indistinct) wife, mother, sister, they are enjoying this life. (indistinct), that's in the desert, one drop of water. The desert requires an ocean of water, but in the whole desert if there is one drop of water, you can say, "Here is water." But what is the value of water? What is the value of this water? You can say, "Here is water." Similarly, this sexual pleasure society, there is some pleasure, but what is the value of that pleasure? That is compared with one drop in the desert. You are seeking after unlimited pleasure. (indistinct) You are seeking that pleasure. What this will pacify you? Therefore nobody is satisfied. He is having sex in different ways, placing the woman in different ways. Now these young girls are almost naked. They are attractive. But this is not (indistinct) how society is degrading. Now the woman population is greater everywhere. So how to solve? As soon as there is woman population, they say, "Where is a man?" The (indistinct) desire (is) that every woman, every girl is trying to attract a man. But where is the man? And the man will take advantage, that "Milk is available on the market. What is the use of keeping a cow?" So they will decline to keep a cow, because milk is so cheap. So this is social desertion. And the more the man will become attached to woman, the woman population will increase. It is psychological. The whole world is increasing woman population.