Claim (Lectures, Other)

Expressions researched:
"claim" |"claimant" |"claimants" |"claimed" |"claiming" |"claims"

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:

So many varieties of living entities. 8,400,000 species of life, forms. 8,400,000.

jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi

sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati

kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ

pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam

In this way, there are 8,400,000 species of life and Kṛṣṇa claims: sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ (BG 14.4). "All these forms, in different species of life, their mother is this material nature and I am the seed-giving father." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. So Kṛṣṇa... (Aside:) What you are doing with this...? This fly is disturbing me, and what you are doing? (break)

...claims everyone His son. Kṛṣṇa says, does not say that "The Indians are My son, or the Hindus are My son." No, Kṛṣṇa does not say. So Kṛṣṇa cannot be a sectarian God. God is one. God is for Hindus. God is for Muslims, God is for any other religious sect. And the definition of religion is that the law given by God. That's all. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Just like law means the code or the order given by the state. You cannot manufacture law at home. When the state gives something to the citizens, that "You must follow this," that is law. It may be very insignificant thing, but it is law. Just like when we go on the street, the law is, in, in this country, the law is "Keep to the left." In other countries the law is "Keep to the right." Yes. Germa... In America it is "Keep to the right."

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

Yes. Every Vaiṣṇava, that is Vaiṣṇava's sadācāra (?), humble. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. Although Vaiṣṇava knows everything, still he presents himself very humble, lower that the straw, humbler than the tree. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā, amāninā, they don't..., the devotee does not claim any so-called popular respect, false respect. They go on with their Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā, amāninā, if anyone wants some honor, he gives everyone honor. For him, he does not want any honor. What honor he'll take? This material honor. Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was offered benediction by Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva, "You take any kind of benediction." So Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, "My dear Lord, I am born of a father, passionate, and I am always greedy about material opulence, naturally, because my father was like that.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972:

Therefore our business is to point that "Kṛṣṇa is your friend." Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). "He's the proprietor. Don't claim your proprietorship. You are not proprietor. You are falsely claiming; because what you are claiming as your property, it will be taken away by Kṛṣṇa at the time of your death. Everything will be finished." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham, Kṛṣṇa says. Mṛtyu... Kṛṣṇa says, "I am death when I take away everything from the person—his life, property, body and everything." Actually, we claim, "This is my property." This is moha. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Lokasya janasya moho 'yam. This is friendship, to educate people that "You are not proprietor. Kṛṣṇa is proprietor. You are not enjoyer. Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer. You are seeking out friends to give you protection. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme friend who will give you protection." If we spread this message all over the world, then I am friend of Kṛṣṇa, I am friend of the persons.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1972:

One should not indulge in such a way. Jagāi-Mādhāi was accepted by Lord Caitanya only on the promise that they would not commit any more any sinful activities. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy is there for everyone. He can accept everyone. One who is sinful, that is not disqualification. Because in this age, Kali-yuga, more or less, everyone is sinful. Then nobody can be claimed to be liberated by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra will give you, give you relief from all sinful activities, provided you don't commit it again. Otherwise, it will be like hasti-snāna, the example of the elephant, and it will be a great offense. If on the strength of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra we continue to commit sinful activities, that is great offense. We should not do that. The idea is by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we become free from the reaction of sinful life, but that does not mean we shall again indulge in sinful life and counteract it by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. No. Not like that. Once you take to Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you should make rapid progress, without committing any sinful activity, and retard the progress. Don't do that. Go on.

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

Brazil. There is too much gold stocked there. And every nation is hankering, how to take it. That will be the effect. What is the struggle in this world? Struggle is the gold is there, the gold mine is there, and everyone is trying to exploit it, "How I can take or my nation can take." Nationality means expanded selfishness. They are very much fond of nationality, but that nationality is also selfishness—by combined effort. Our, in our country, Mahatma Gandhi is supposed to be the father of nationality. Not only in our country, in many other countries. But what is that nationality? Mahatma Gandhi wanted that "The Britishers must go away. My countrymen shall enjoy." So this is extended selfishness. In the beginning, I want to enjoy. Then if I, I extend my enjoyment, family-wise, community-wise or nation-wise, that does not change the quality of selfishness. People are going on in the name of nationality, big leaders, but from our point of view, that neither as nation or community or person you are the proprietor of things. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of... So if you expand your selfishness in the name of nationality—"I possess this land"—we do not approve. We say, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Why you are claiming yourself, as nation or individual or community? That's not proper. Just like pickpocket and a gang, gangsters, organized rogues, thieves. It does not change the quality.

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

So every... Stenayor sa ucyate. Everyone in this material world, one who has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's a thief, he's a rogue, he's a robber. Everyone. Just like the Americans. They occupied the land of America by killing the Red Indians, and now they are claiming proprietor, and there is immigration department: "Nobody can come here. It is our land." This is going on. The first thing is stolen property, everyone. There is another story. A group of thieves stolen some things, and when they were dividing, one of them: "Kindly, morally divide. Morally divide. Honestly divide." The thing is taken dishonestly, and they are dividing honestly. This is going on, whole world. Everything is taken dishonestly, and when there is question of division, the United Nations honestly divides it. The association of the honest men, United Nations. All plunderers, rogues, thieves, and they have made an association, United Nations. You see. Basically they're all rogues and thieves. As soon as there is opportunity, they'll commit all criminal activities. And they're doing. So this is not philosophy. So here happiness by material possession is the happiness of the rogues and the thieves. One who is happy by possessing some material things, he is no better than rogue and thief. And one who is renouncing, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, he is a fool. Because how, what you are renouncing? When did you possess it? If you possess something, then you can say, "I renounce it." But if you do not possess, then where is the question of renouncement? So both of them are wrong.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.8 -- Mayapur, April 1, 1975:

Now, the question was who is to be elected in the..., or accepted as the ideal king. Our Pañcadraviḍa Mahārāja was asking this question. That is very simple thing. The kṣatriyas... There are two kṣatriya families, and still they claim, one from the sun-god, and one from the moon-god. Candra-vaṁśa, sūrya-vaṁśa. In this material world, there are two kṣatriya families. Kṣatriyas are meant for ruling over. So everything is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. So you have to select ruler from these two dynasties. Actually. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). You have seen the picture drawn by our artists, that Kṛṣṇa is instructing the sun-god. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). So Vaikuṇṭha-loka is there. There is no problem. But you can make this māyā-loka also Vaikuṇṭha-loka by spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same quality. Just like iron is iron, but you can make it fire. How? Simply putting it into the fire. Gradually, warm, warmer, then it becomes red hot. At that time, the iron is no longer iron; it is fire. Similarly, if you can propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness constantly, then, by spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, you can make the whole world Kṛṣṇa conscious, and then it will be Vaikuṇṭha. The same example. You put the iron rod with the fire, and it becomes hot, hotter and then red-hot. When it is red-hot then it is no more iron rod. It is fire. Anywhere you touch, it will burn.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975:

So spiritual life does not mean that one is improved in material, conditioned life. Spiritual life means spiritual advancement. But people take it that "Take to religion means to give impetus to our material life." Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). And when they are disgusted, they want mokṣa. Mokṣa means to become one with the Lord. So these things are going on. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to save all these fallen souls. Hīnārtha. Hīnārthādhika-sādhakam. The more one is fallen, he is the better candidate for accepting the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, patita-pāvana-hetu, tava avatāra: "My Lord, You have incarnated to reclaim the fallen." Patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra, mo sama patita prabhu, nā pāibe āra: "If that is Your mission, then I am the most fallen. So my claim is first to receive Your favor because Your mission is to show favor to the fallen. So I am the most fallen. So kindly accept me." In this way he has sung. And that is stated here, hīnārthādhika-sādhakaṁ śrī-caitanyam.

So (reading:) "A person in the conditional stage of material existence is in an atmosphere of helplessness.

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

Never said. 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?

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.49-65 -- San Francisco, February 3, 1967:

Prakāśānanda-nāme eka sannyāsī-pradhāna: "The chief of the sannyāsīs who were sitting there, his name was Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī." Sarasvatī. The sannyāsīs, they have got different titles. According to Śaṅkara sampradāya, there are ten titles. And, according to Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, there are 108 titles. So the ten titles which the Śaṅkara sampradāya claim, that is also included in the Vaiṣṇava sampradāya. They are called Sarasvatī, Bhāratī, I mean to say Vana, Araṇya—in this way, there are ten names. My Guru Mahārāja, my spiritual master, he was sannyāsī, and his title was Sarasvatī. Sarasvatī. So Sarasvatī, Bhāratī, Tīrtha, Vana, Araṇya, Parvata, just like so many titles. So there was a sannyāsī who was the chief amongst other sannyāsīs. His name was Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. He was great scholar.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.118-121 -- San Francisco, February 24, 1967:

So who is ignorant? Ignorant is the living entities, not all living entities, but there is, I mean to say, tendency of becoming ignorant. Ignorant or forgetfulness. Ignorant, we are not, but sometimes we forget, just like under some diseased condition we forget. Or forgetfulness is the diseased condition. Just like a madman. He forgets his identity. He forgets the identity of his family. Either you take this forgetfulness is madness or due to madness, he's forgetful, whatever you say. Similarly, the, this forgetfulness is also energy, another energy. Then whose energy? Avidya. This is living entity's energy. The Māyāvāda philosophers, they cannot answer. They claim that "We are God," but when they are asked, "Why you have become dog?" they say, "We do not know." But here is the answer. They hide the reason. They know, and because they have to establish the Māyāvāda philosophy that "There is no God. We are all God," therefore they pretend that "We do not know."

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.118-121 -- San Francisco, February 24, 1967:

So this avidyā, this ignorance, this forgetfulness, is another energy, another energy. So just like a cloud... This is also another energy of the sunshine. It is not different. When the sunshine warms the sea water, it evaporates and becomes cloud. So therefore cloud is also another energy. So similarly, this material energy is also energy of God, but it cannot cover God. That is the difference. God is never covered by ignorance. This is nonsense. Those fools and rascals say that "God... We are God. We are now covered." It is the most rascaldom. How? If we are God, how we can be covered by ignorance? Then what is your value of your becoming God? You are not God. You are... This is very nicely explained here. Try to understand. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "Living entities, they are energy of God. They are never God." The Śaṅkarācārya's theory is nullified by evidences from Vedic scripture, just like Bhagavad-gītā, Viṣṇu Purāṇa. So never claim that "We are God." That is most darkest part of your ignorance, when you say that "I am God." There is neither voidness; neither you are God. You are eternal, perpetual blissful, but your blissful is now covered by this māyā. You get out of it, be one with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your life is successful. This is this theory.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.119 -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

So we are one of the energies of the Lord, marginal energy. Marginal energy means if I desire... Because I have got little independence... Because Kṛṣṇa is fully independent, sva-rāṭ. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Vedānta says, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu avijñaḥ sva-rāṭ. Kṛṣṇa is sva-rāṭ, means "fully independent." But we are Kṛṣṇa's minute part and parcels; therefore we have got the independence quality, but not full independence. We are controlled. Just like you claim to be independent, Indian nation. But that does not mean that you are fully independent, each of you. You are dependent on the government. These things are very easy to understand. Similarly, a living entity has got independence, but not full independence. He cannot do anything without the sanction of God. That is his dependence. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭa. "I am sitting there." The living entity and the Supreme Person as Paramātmā, both of them are sitting in this body.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

This bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ buddhir mano... These eight separated energies, that is the material energy. And apareyam, they are inferior because they are material energies; therefore, inferior energy. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām: "Beyond this, there is another, superior energy." Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. "There is another, superior energy." What is that superior energy? Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). These jīvas. So jīvas are energies. How jīvas can claim that they are God? They are energy of God. There is the mistake of Māyāvāda philosophy. Energy and the energetic, although nondifferent, still, energy is not the energetic. Just like this light is emanating from the bulb. So the illumination is there both in the bulb and the light distributed. But you cannot say that this illumination is the bulb. So Kṛṣṇa says that "These are My bhinnā-prakṛti, material energy." The earth, water, air, fire, mind, intelligence, ego—the whole material material creation is out of these eight energies. And the living entity, jīva-bhūta, that is parā prakṛti, spiritual energy.

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

Yes. And what is that dhārayet? What is your position? You are servant. You cannot give up your servitude. All of you, you have assembled here. Can you say you are master? You are all servant. Is anyone that you are the master, supreme master? Who is a master? You are all servants, but you are servant of māyā. That's all. You are servant of your senses. Your senses dictate something, and you are obliged to abide by that. So you have to give up this service attitude of māyā and you have to take the real servitude of Kṛṣṇa. That is your salvation. Constitutionally, you are servant, nothing but servant. Artificially, you are claiming that "I am master." Nobody's master. You are servant. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That is the real identity of jīva. He's eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. So as soon as you accept that position, you are liberated. That is your natural position. You are constitutionally a servant. Artificially, you are thinking, "I am master." That is māyā.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.254 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1968:

Five thousand years before, Kṛṣṇa spoke this Bhagavad-gītā; still going strong. It's so famous. And Kṛṣṇa claims that sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). Most of you must have read Bhagavad-gītā, and in the Fourteenth Chapter you'll find that Kṛṣṇa says, "My dear Arjuna, in all species of life there may be as many varieties of forms." We are all living entities. Here even, even in human society, we have got different types of forms. Nobody will be exactly like the form of another gentleman. There is difference. So this is the beauty of creation. If you go to a tree, there are millions and billions of leaves, and you won't find one leaf exactly like the other. So there are varieties of living entities. Out of the varieties of the living entities, the human kind living entities are very small.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.254 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1968:

So my request to you (is) that don't accept Kṛṣṇa as something Indian god or Hindu god. No. Kṛṣṇa is the original father of all living entities. He claims. If you don't accept... If the father says, "You are my son," and the son says, "No, I am not your son," oh, that is son's prerogative. He may deny it if he doesn't believe his mother. Now what is the proof that one man is my father? The mother is the proof. There is no other source of understanding who is my father. If a boy wants to understand, "Who is my father?" the only authority is the mother. Mother will say, "My dear boy, my dear child, here is your father." You have to accept. If you say, "I don't accept. I must have proof that he is my father." How it is possible? It is not possible. Similarly, the Vedic literature is to be considered the mother and Vedic literature says, janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "The Supreme Absolute Truth is that who is the source of all generation, all emanations.

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

This is the signs. And one who is free from all sinful activities, mahātmā, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). This is the signs. If one is not accepting Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa means God—as the Supreme, he's placing himself as the Supreme. Just like so many rascals: "I am God." So such persons are called duṣkṛtina, sinful. Mūḍha. If one is claiming "I am God," how much foolish he is just you can consider. He is under the clutches of māyā, being kicked up by the material energy in so many ways, and he's thinking he is God. So they are duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ narādhamāḥ. That has been explained. So this simple language is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. There is no difficulty.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.100 -- Washington, D.C., July 5, 1976:

Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). These are the Vedic evidences. So actually nobody can be master; everyone is servant. Either we are servant of God or we are servant of dog. That's all. Nobody can be master. If anyone has no master, then he keeps a pet dog to become his servant. That is nature, we can see. One is servant of his wife, one is servant of his pet or government service or this service. Nobody can claim that "I am the master." That is not possible. That is also temporary. So actually this is the position of all living entities. Everyone is servant. But in the material sense, he is servant of māyā, servant of senses. Servant of māyā means servant of senses. And spiritual life means instead of becoming servant of māyā or servant of senses, we become the servant of Kṛṣṇa or God. That is the position. Servant we shall remain. We have to change the position. And if we become servant of God, then we become happy, and if we remain servant of dog or māyā, then we remain unhappy. This is the position.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.100-108 -- Bombay, November 9, 1975:

This is the great philosophy. Acintya-bhedābheda. Just like... I have already explained now. So 'ham, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is bhedābheda-prakāśa, I am the same quality of Kṛṣṇa, I am the same Brahman also, but I am not the Para-brahman. Para-brahman is Kṛṣṇa. When Arjuna... He is Brahman. When he realized Kṛṣṇa, he addressed Him, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). He never claimed equal with Kṛṣṇa. That is not knowledge. That is ignorance. So in this way, Sanātana Gosvāmī will understand his position, relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and Sanātana Gosvāmī, we shall understand. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu is describing in this Caitanya-caritāmṛta; therefore we shall discuss later on further.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975:

So we change body; otherwise we are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is the information we get, that after this destruction of this material body, the eternal soul is never destroyed. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We get another body. The same example: the child gets the body of a boy, boy gets the... Therefore we are eternal. And what is God? He is also eternal. So nityo nityanānām. We are eternal, we are many, and God is also eternal, but He is one. He is singular number. Not that all of us, we are God. That is nonsense. We are part and parcel of God, but we are not as powerful as God. Anyone can understand it very easily. They are claiming to become God. So does he think that he is equal in power with God? No. That is foolishness. Mūḍha. God is one, but we are... We are also eternal, God is also eternal, but we are many.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975:

So what is the difference between the plural number nityas and singular number? Now, eka. Eka-vacana, singular number leader, God... Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is the difference, that we are living entity and Kṛṣṇa, or God, is living entity, but Kṛṣṇa maintains all other living entities; we cannot maintain even ourself. And we find difficulty especially nowadays to maintain even a family. That is the difference. And still, as a rascal, I claim that "I am God. I am God." Nobody can claim unnecessarily that one is God. First of all prove that you can maintain all the living entities. You cannot maintain yourself even. You beg from door to door, and how you become God? Very simple question. Because in the Vedas (it is) said that eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān: "That one, singular number leader, He maintains all other living entities." That we have got practical experience. He is maintaining within the sand so many crabs. He is maintaining so many ants in the hole of your room. He is maintaining millions of elephants in the African jungle. So out of 8,400,000's of forms of life, mostly 8,300,000 species of life are being maintained by that one maintainer. And some of us so-called civilized, we are trying to maintain ourself. Therefore nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is also consciousness. He is conscious. He is not acetana. Acetana means there is no consciousness. He is conscious, and we are also conscious.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975:

So here we are talking about Caitanya's instruction to Sanātana Gosvāmī. This Sanātana Gosvāmī was one of the important ministers in the government of the then Pathan Nawab Hussein Shah. He is very important person. He was very great scholar in Persian language, in Arabian language, and Sanskrit. And because he joined the Muslim government, he accepted the service of a Muslim government, he was rejected by the brāhmaṇa community. He was born in brāhmaṇa community, Sārasvata brāhmaṇa. There are many Sārasvata-brāhmaṇas in Bombay. So he belonged to that community. And because the brāhmaṇa community exterminated him, then he became almost like Muslim. Their name was also changed, Dabira Khāsa and Sākara Mallika, two brothers. Later on, by the association of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, these half-converted Muslim brāhmaṇas were again claimed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu to become the first-class brāhmaṇa, gosvāmī. They were Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī. So this Sanātana Gosvāmī retired. First of all Rūpa Gosvāmī retired from the government service, and then Sanātana Gosvāmī also retired. With great difficulty he got rid of the responsibility of government.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.104 -- New York, July 10, 1976:

So we are not this kapha pitta vāyu. We are not this skin, bone, blood or whatever it may be. You analyze it. I am not this. But life is not there. They are claiming that life is chemical composition, but try each and every part of this body and chemical composition. First of all take this breathing. What is this breathing? Breathing is air. So air, that is also chemical composition: hydrogen, oxygen, ether. (?) So that is chemical composition, or air. So there is no question of chemical combining. Air you can sufficiently have. You are making airtight so many things. So just put some air within the body and by artificial way let it be blowing like the bellows. The bellow also breathes like that. And will life come? No. It is not possible. Similarly, take every one item, take the breathing, take the muscles, take the blood, take the urine, take the stool, take the bone, and analyze it very carefully, part to part, and combine them all together. You have got scientist: bring life. No. That is not possible. That is not possible.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.108-109 -- New York, July 15, 1976:

He is talking on the position; He is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is asking, demanding, "You rascal, give up everything. Just surrender to Me. Then you'll be happy." This is the last instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the same Kṛṣṇa but acting as devotee of Kṛṣṇa; therefore He is speaking the same thing. Kṛṣṇa said, "You surrender," and Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "Every living entity is the servant of Kṛṣṇa." That means he must surrender. Servant's business is to surrender, not to argue with the master or to claim that "I am equal with you." These are all fanatic, mad proposal.

piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya

māyā-grasta jīvera se dāsa upajaya

A servant cannot become master. That is not possible. But as soon as... As long as we shall persist on this wrong conception of life, that "I am not master; I am servant," er, "I am not servant; I am master," then he will suffer. The māyā will give him suffering. Daivī hy eṣā. Just like outlaws, rogues and thieves, they defy government order: "I don't care for government." But that means he voluntarily accepts suffering. He has to take care of government law. If he does not ordinarily take care, outlaw, then he'll be put into the prison house and by force, by beating, by punishment, he has to accept: "Yes, yes, I accept."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.112 -- Bombay, November 24, 1975:

So He has got potency. He is not niḥ śakti. He has got śakti. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna... (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Everything is happening on account of His potency. Just like in your body so many things are happening on account of potency, similarly, the gigantic universal form of the Lord—His potencies are working. Everything is happening. The tree is coming out, the fruit is coming out, the flower is coming, the color is painted—everything. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Na tasya kāryam karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He hasn't got to do anything personally, but His potencies are acting. Na tasya kāryam karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Na tat-samas cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. Nobody can be equal to Him or greater than Him. Sama. Asama urdhva. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is explained that Kṛṣṇa is asama urdhva. Nobody is greater than Him, and nobody is equal to Him. So anyone who is claiming equal to Him, they are less intelligent. They have no intelligence. Asama urdhva. Na tasya samaḥ. Nobody is equal to Him, neither urdhva. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "Nobody is greater than Me." Therefore God is great. If somebody is equal to Him or greater than Him, then he is not God. God is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.154-157 -- New York, December 7, 1966:

So we are seeking after peace, but we do not know that where we are living. We are claiming proprietorship for the time being. We come here under different shapes, in different body, and claim proprietorship for the land where we are born. But we do not know by freaks of nature, any second, we can be driven away from this land and put another land. So where is my proprietorship? If I am staying for some time here, some time there... Bhojanaṁ yatra yatra śayanaṁ haṭṭa-mandire: "I eat wherever eatables are available, and I sleep on the marketplace." Then where is my home? Where is my home? So this is our position. We are circumambulating under, in the cycle of birth and death. Sometimes I am claiming, "America is my land," sometimes claiming, "India is my land," sometimes claiming, "China is my land," sometimes claiming, "Moon planet is my land." No land belongs to you. Everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). He is the proprietor. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). That misunderstanding... We are falsely encroaching upon and falsely claiming proprietorship. Therefore there is no peace. You are searching after peace. How can there be peace? You are falsely claiming something which does not belong to you. So here it is said, sarvaiśvarya-pūrṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.154-157 -- New York, December 7, 1966:

In that place there are innumerable universes as we are seeing one. And one of these universes, there are millions and billions of planets, of which this earth is only a insignificant fragment. And in that earth, the land of America, United States, is still insignificant. And in that state, New York is still insignificant. And in that New York City, this 26 Second Avenue insignificant. And we are sitting here. So just see how much insignificant we are. And we are claiming "God." Do not know... Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa. This is called ignorance. We do not know how much insignificant we are in the creation of God, and we are claiming, "God." This is called poor fund of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge.

Now Lord Caitanya says that... He's giving evidence from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated,

ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ

kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam

indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ

mṛḍayanti yuge yuge

(SB 1.3.28)

Now, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, perhaps in the Third Chapter in the First Canto, you'll find there is description of different incarnations, principal incarnations—not all the incarnations, principal, in different yugas. So in that list of incarnations you'll find Lord Kṛṣṇa's name also, Lord Rāma's name also, Lord Buddha's name also.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.154-157 -- New York, December 7, 1966:

So that is going on. There are innumerable universes, which you cannot estimate, and each of the universes, the Lord is incarnating Himself by one of His plenary portions. Kṛṣṇa is present in some of the universes even now. We do not know where is that universe because we cannot see. What is information we have got? We do not know anything about this universe. We see so many stars in the night, so many sun, moon, but what do we know about them? Still, we are claiming that "We are very powerful. We are very advanced in knowledge." This is our poor fund of knowledge. Anyone who is claiming that "I am God" or "I am everything," he is a fool number one. Take it for... Immediately take as fool. What does he know? So indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokam (SB 1.3.28). There are many universes and many planets. So in either of them or each of them, some sort of incarnation is present there. Just like in government, in every department, there is a government representative. Just like in your city, your mayor, mayor is there. Or any responsible post, there is some director, there is... Similarly, indrāri-vyākulaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge. Yuge yuge means different yugas. The same example. Just like the sun. The sun is present everywhere. Just at this moment it is now eight, eight o'clock in New York. In India it is night. There is no sun. But here it is, sun present. Similarly, in your country also, if you go more farther eastern, western side, somewhere the sun is already there somewhere, somewhere the sun is not there. So similarly, the sun is there, but it is the particular time and place where people can see and cannot see. So Kṛṣṇa is there always, everywhere, but it is the power of seeing where Kṛṣṇa is or Kṛṣṇa is not.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.164-173 -- New York, December 13, 1966:

So it is a very complicated idea, which of them is vaibhava, which of them is prābhava, which of them is vilāsa, which of them is tad-ekātmā, āveśa... There are different divisions of Kṛṣṇa's expansions. But we can note down if we like from original Kṛṣṇa how many, I mean to say, expansions, innumerable expansions Kṛṣṇa has got. But some of them were shown when He was present before us just to prove that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because in future so many fools will imitate to become Kṛṣṇa as the incarnation of God or God, but Kṛṣṇa has in His life so many uncommon features, nobody can show that. Just like Govardhana. You have seen that picture. At seven years old, He lifted the hill. And when He was young He married sixteen thousand wives, and sixteen thousand features... So... And when He was in Battle of Kurukṣetra, He showed the universal form. So before claiming oneself as "I am God," they should be prepared to show these uncommon features. Otherwise, no sane man will accept any fool as God.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.245-255 -- New York, December 16, 1966:

Just like you see the anatomical condition of your body. Now, how this body is produced, how nicely, that every mechanical arrangement, the eyes (piece?), and the...? Just like a big factory and big office. The brain is the office, and stomach is the factory, and it is creating energy, it is coming to the heart and another place... Just like soap factory. Sometimes, in some place, it is being, some part of the manufacture is finished, another... In this way it is going on. But it is coming out a small pea. And how it is developing. In everything you can see. You take a seed, how it develops, a great tree. How much potency is there. So svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Everything is being done. I do not know. I claim, "It is my body," but I do not know how even a hair is growing. I do not know how it is replaced. I cut in the morning, and the next day, I see again there is. So these things are going on. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. We have to study God's activity in this way, so many things, nature's study. So those who are intelligent, they can see that these things are working. What is that? Icchā-śakti, kriyā-śakti, jñāna-śakti, these three potencies of God, Kṛṣṇa, is working.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.255-281 -- New York, December 17, 1966:

So from this version of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that the living entities as seeds they are coming from the spiritual world... They are not product of the matter. Therefore it is not possible to produce living entity with material chemicals and material elements. It is not possible. As some of the modern scientists, they claim that "We shall now give life," or they advertise in that way, so from this verse we can understand that it is not possible, because these living entities, they are just like seeds, and they are coming from the spiritual world, from the body of the Supreme. Those spiritual living entities are desirous of enjoying sense gratification, they are allowed to this material world, and others, they are in the spiritual world.

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

So Bhīṣma understood that "My father wants to marry that girl, but the only impediment is that the father of the girl is making a condition that her son should be king, and my father is declining because I am present. I should be king." Oh, he at once approached the father of the girl: "What is your condition, sir?" "This is my condition." "All right, I shall not accept kingdom of my father. Your daughter's son will be king. I agree to this." "Oh, no. You may agree, but your son will again claim, because you are the proprietor, you are the prince." "Oh, you think so? Then I shall not marry. I shall not marry. Is that all right?" So then, he was so... He promised that "I shall never marry in my life. That's all right? Then marry your daughter to my father." He was so pious and so strict. This Bhīṣma was brahmacārī from the very beginning. And Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira performed Rājasūya-yajña. Rājasūya-yajña means one who performs that sacrifice in that assembly, all the princes of the world are invited, and they select him as the emperor of the world.

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

So God's creation is wonderful. Nobody can... Everything is unlimited. He's unlimited. His creation is unlimited. His pastimes are unlimited. His forms are unlimited. Everything unlimited. Everything. His incarnations are unlimited. Everything. Just like see, even in your own body, can you count how many hairs are on your body and head? They are unlimited. I am claiming "This is my body," but I do not know how many hairs are there. But you ask Kṛṣṇa, He'll tell you. Especially Howard cannot say how many hairs are there... (laugh) Who can say? Howard cannot say. So this is Kṛṣṇa's creative energy. You see. And He is aloof. All things, all these wonderful things are going on, but He's aloof. He's aloof. Nāhaṁ teṣu avasthitaḥ.

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ

jagad avyakta-mūrtinā

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni

nāhaṁ teṣu avasthitaḥ

(BG 9.4)

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.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.19-31 -- San Francisco, January 20, 1967:

There is the important point of Māyāvādī philosophers. Every one of them, they say that "I am God," but actually he thinks within himself that "What kind of God I am?" That is the position. But for argument's sake they will play so many things in support of their views, but actually, any sane man will think that "What kind of God I am? I cannot defend myself from the slightest attack of this material nature, and still I claim..." But they cannot admit frankly. They think like that. That is being admitted here by the chief disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, that "Although we say, 'Yes, this is...,' but it does not appeal to our mind." He is frankly saying.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-vākya dṛḍha satya māni

kali-kāle sannyāse 'saṁsāra' nāhi jini

Now he says that "What Lord Caitanya, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, has said, that is very nice. And we simply accept this sannyāsa order. Oh, that will not help us. Simply by accepting, changing the garment, colored garment, and without understanding anything properly or dealing properly, that is not the way for salvation." Because according to Śaṅkarācārya, anyone who accepts sannyāsa, he becomes immediately Nārāyaṇa, God. He immediately becomes God. So that is being refuted by one of the disciples, that "This is nonsense, that simply by accepting and changing the garment I become God. This is not..." Actually, one has to understand things as they are. So therefore, the explanation as given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that is right.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad Invocation Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1970:

So small... Just like a big machine, and there is a small screw. So the complete facility, completeness of that small screw, is to become fitted in the particular place. Then it has got value. And if it is out of touch of the machine, falls down, it has no value. So complete facility is there. Just yourself dovetail into that hole and the screw is placed there, oh, it has value. When a screw is lost, you have to purchase from the store at the cost of two dollars. And when it is fallen down, it is not even worth one cent. The same screw. (break) So we are complete units so long we are attached to Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise useless.

ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād

ātma-prabhavam īśvaram

na bhajanty (avajānanti)

sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ

Why India is fallen down? Because the so-called rascals, they are claiming that "I am brāhmaṇa." But what is our occupation, sir? "Oh, I am serving as a coolie." Is that brāhmaṇa's business? Actually I have seen, India, a person, telawalaji (?), born of a brāhmaṇa family, and he's pulling hand cart with great labor. And some foolish person also offering respect, and he is offering blessings while drawing the cart. (laughter) I have seen it. You see? These things are going on. He does not know that "Now I am fallen. Why should I claim as brāhmaṇa? I am cheating."

Sri Isopanisad Invocation Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1970:

So here it is stated, "There is complete facility for the small complete units, namely the living being, to realize the complete." To realize the complete, what is my relationship with the complete. "And all forms of incompleteness are experienced only on account of incomplete knowledge of the complete." We are thinking that "I am equal to God. I am God." This is incomplete knowledge. But if you know that "I am part and parcel of God," that is complete knowledge. The Māyāvādī philosophers, the atheists, they are claiming that "Who is God? I am God." That is incomplete knowledge. "The human form of life is a complete manifestation of the consciousness." Now, this complete consciousness you can revive in this human form of life. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand. So if you don't take the facility, then you are ātma-hanaḥ janāḥ. You are killing yourself, committing suicide. As it is said, ātmā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ tāṁs te pretyābhigacchanti ye ke cātma-hano janāḥ. After death, pretyābhi... Pretya means after death. So don't be ātma-hano janāḥ. Utilize your life in complete facility. That is our business.

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, October 30, 1968:

So unless we come to the standard of pure goodness, without any tinge of passion and ignorance, it is not possible, God realization. Therefore bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167), jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). Jñāna is the platform of goodness, and karma is the platform of passion and ignorance. So bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ (CC Madhya 19.167), without any material desires, devoid of, freed from all kinds of material desire and uncovered by ignorance, passion and goodness. Goodness also. To become very good man in this world, that does not mean that he is freed from this material contamination. He's contaminated by the goodness quality. Just like Arjuna. He wanted to be very good man. Kṛṣṇa said, "Now fight." He said, "Oh, how can I fight? Oh, they are my brothers, they are my grandfathers. No, no, no. Better I shall beg. I don't want this kingdom." So this is material goodness. People appreciate very much: "Oh, just see. Arjuna is giving up claim on the kingdom." But what Kṛṣṇa replied? Kṛṣṇa said, "Wherefrom you got this foolish idea?" Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam, anārya-juṣṭam: "This is for non-Aryans, not for Aryans." So this so-called goodness, so-called gentlemanliness, has no value in the spiritual world. Spiritual world—complete love of God, without any attachment for this... So Arjuna, this goodness, means attachment for his family. That's all.

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 6 -- Los Angeles, May 8, 1970:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose, that people should be taught that "You are eternal servant of God. Don't falsely claim that you are God. You don't care for God. You have to care." Just like this Hiraṇyakaśipu. He didn't care for God, but God came and, at the time of his last moment. You see? Similarly, God is visible to atheist as death and to the theist as lover. That is the difference. Everyone sees God. Nobody can say, "I do not see God." Everyone sees God. But one sees as death, and one sees as lover. That is the difference.

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 11 -- Los Angeles, May 16, 1970:

They are not experimental knowledge. They are not knowledge established by the research work of contaminated, conditioned soul. Contaminated, conditioned soul, their senses are imperfect. They cannot see things as they are. Simply they theorize, "It may be like that." So much they can say. So "It may be like that," that is no knowledge. Knowledge definite. There is no mistake. Conditioned souls, they commit mistake, they are illusioned, they cheat... Cheating means one who does not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā but he is writing commentary on Bhagavad-gītā. This is cheating, cheating the public. Somebody has got some name, a scholar, and he takes advantage of the popularity of Bhagavad-gītā, and he writes some comment. And they claim that anyone can give his own opinion. But that is not the process. You cannot give any opinion. Suppose I am a preacher of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. How I can give opinion on medical science? That is ludicrous. I can give opinion in my jurisdiction—that's all right—but if somebody asks me opinion about some medical treatment or some legal implication, so what can I do? Similarly, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12).

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

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

Suppose you have got millions of dollars. Don't keep it. So long it is within your jurisdiction, spend it for Kṛṣṇa. Yes. That is the proper utilization. Because actually the money is not yours, because you cannot carry this money with your death. As soon as you quit this body, or death, so your money and everything, what you collected with this body, with the finishing of this body, everything is finished. But you go. You are spirit soul. You transmigrate to another body. So your money which you earned previously, in your previous body, that you do not know where it is kept, or how it is being spent up. During your lifetime, you may make very nice deed, how the money should be spent by your sons or by your heirs, but now, suppose you left in your last life ten thousand millions of dollars somewhere, but you have nothing, no claim for that money. Therefore so long it is in your hand, spend it. Tyāgena, tyāgena. Spend for good purpose, not for... This money, if you spend for bad purposes, then you become entangled. If you spend for good purposes, then you get good return. That's a fact.

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

You cannot touch others' body, others' property. You cannot touch. That is Vedic life. So in all scriptures it is stated that man should live on fruits and vegetables. Their teeth are made in that way. They can eat very easily and digest. Although jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: one has to live by eating another living entity. Jīvo jīvasya... That is nature's law. So the vegetarian also eating another living entity. And the meat-eater, they're also eating another... But there is discretion. Discretion means that these things are made for human being. Just like fruits, flowers, vegetables, rice, grains, milk—the animals do not come to claim that "I shall eat this." No. It is meant for man. Just like milk. Milk is an animal product. It is the blood of the cow changed only. But the milk is not drunk by the cow. She is delivering the milk, but she's not taking, because it is not allotted for it. By nature's way. So you have to take. Milk is made for man, so you take the milk. Let her live and supply you milk continually. Why should you kill? Follow nature's law. Then you'll be happy. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1). Whatever is allotted to you, take. You live comfortably.

Festival Lectures

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

So this material energy is created by Kṛṣṇa because there are some living entities who are not to satisfy Kṛṣṇa but satisfy their senses. For them, it is there. "All right. Your field of activities, here." So it is not Kṛṣṇa's desire. It is fulfill your desire. Because in the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa is supreme, but if you cannot tolerate Kṛṣṇa sup... Even here there are so many: "Why there should be God? I am God. I am God." Are you God? But you have got this mentality, that "I am God." You cannot qualify yourself. You do not know what is God, what is the meaning of God. You are claiming God. Because you do not want to serve God, that is your mentality. So for these last, lowest class of men, there is external energy. (break) ...class of men, they will not abide by the laws of the state. They'll repeatedly break it. Therefore, "All right, you go there and do whatever you like." That is not government's intention, that people go there and indulge in unrestricted gambling and there... That Mr. Bhaṭṭācārya told me that sometimes some rich man goes there with all his wealth and stake it, and when he's lost, he fires himself, and the gambling managers puts him down and throws him in the... There is no law for such killing or such homicide or anything. Do whatever you like. You see? So there is a class of men. Just like a liquor shop. Liquor shop is licensed by the government. Does it mean the government is encouraging, that "You become drunkard"? But government is giving this license because there is a class of men who must drink, and they will violate all... Say, "All right. Let them have it."

Sri Rama-Navami, Lord Ramacandra's Appearance Day -- Hawaii, March 27, 1969:

How one becomes God? God is not manufactured by vote. There are definition who is God. God must be the proprietor of all the riches. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya. Samāgra means all. Nobody can compete with Him. Here, in this world, material world, I am rich man, and there is another rich man who can compete with me. There is another rich man who can compete with him. But nobody can compete with God in richness. That is one qualification of God. Nobody can say that "I am richer than God." You can say "I am richer than Ford or Rockefeller" or this or that. You can say. But nobody can say that "I am richer than God." Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat asti kiñcid dhanañjaya. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Dhanañjaya is a name of Arjuna, and Kṛṣṇa said that, "My dear Arjuna, there is nobody greater than Me." So if anyone claims that he is God, he must prove by practical example that nobody is richer than him. That is the first. But unfortunately, we are accepting so many Gods. A rascal in the street, he also claims that "I am God."

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, July 5, 1970:

So my request to you, those who are feeling frustration, confused, this is a good qualification. Good qualification in this sense: that those who are feeling frustration and confused, they are disgusted with this materialistic way of life. That is a good qualification for spiritual advancement. But if you are not properly guided, then that will be another frustration. That will be another frustration. To save you from that frustration, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has come to your country, Lord Caitanya's movement. A great devotee, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he sings, patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra: "My dear Lord, Your incarnation is to reclaim all kinds of fallen souls." Mo sama patita prabhu nā paibe āra. "But I am the most fallen. Therefore, my claim is first. Because You have advented Yourself to claim all fallen souls, I am the most fallen; therefore You take care of me first."

Ratha-yatra -- New York, July 18, 1976:

So this science was taught five thousand years ago by God Himself. He advented in India. That does not mean He advented for India's benefit. He claims... Actually that is God's claim, that He is the father of all living entities.

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yaḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir

aham bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

God is father, supreme father of everyone. If we simply study this verse from the Bhagavad-gītā, that the mother nature is the mother of all living entities and God is the supreme father of everyone... We can study these two lines very carefully. On the earth we can see so many living entities are coming out, beginning from the grass, then so many insects, reptiles, big trees, then animals, birds, beasts, then human beings. They are all coming from the earth, and they are living at the expense of earth. The earth is supplying food to everyone.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973:

When you forget this, then we come into this material world and struggle for existence, fight with one another. This is material life. So you cannot get... The politicians, diplomats, philosophers, they have tried so much, but actually nothing has become fruitful. Just like the United Nations. It was organized after the second great war, and they wanted that peacefully we shall settle everything. But there is no such thing. The fighting is going on between Pakistan and India, between Vietnam and America, and this and that. It is not the process. The process is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone has to understand this fact, that we are not proprietor. Proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. That's a fact. Just like America. Say two hundred years ago the Americans, the European migrators, they were not proprietor—somebody was proprietor. Before them, somebody was proprietor or it was vacant land. The actual proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. But artificially you are claiming that "It is my property." Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This is called māyā.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973:

So, at least in India, all the great personalities, saintly persons, sages and ācāryas, they have cultivated this spiritual knowledge so nicely and fully, and we are not taking advantage of it. It is not that those śāstras and directions are meant for the Indians or for the Hindus or for brāhmaṇas. No. It is meant for everyone. Because Kṛṣṇa claims

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yaḥ

tāsāṁ mahad brahma yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Kṛṣṇa claims that "I am everyone's father." Therefore, He is very much anxious to make us peaceful, happy. Just like the father wants to see his son is well situated and happy; similarly, Kṛṣṇa also wants to see every one of us happy and well-situated. Therefore He comes sometimes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). This is the purpose of Kṛṣṇa's advent. So those who are servants of Kṛṣṇa, devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they should take the mission of Kṛṣṇa. They should take up the mission of Kṛṣṇa. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's version.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 7.5 Lecture -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974:

In the Manu-saṁhitā it is said that prakṛti, or strī, never deserve to be independent. Na strī svātantryam arhati. So as soon as the living entity is accepted as prakṛti, then it is to be understood that she is under the control of the supreme puruṣa, Puruṣottama. Kṛṣṇa is Puruṣottama. And Kṛṣṇa has been accepted as the puruṣa by Arjuna. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān, puruṣaṁ śāśvatam (BG 10.12). It is not that Kṛṣṇa has become puruṣa now, and before that He was impersonal. No. Kṛṣṇa is puruṣaṁ śāśvatam, eternally He is puruṣa, eternally He is enjoyer. He's never enjoyed. You cannot enjoy Kṛṣṇa, or God, for your sense gratification. That is not possible. He can use you for His sense gratification. That is bhakti-mārga. The bhaktas, they never claim to be puruṣa. They are always subordinate. Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). This is bhakti-yoga.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 7.5 Lecture -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974:

So out of that independence we have come to this material world, to enjoy freely. So Kṛṣṇa has given us freedom, "You can enjoy freely." And we are trying to do that. But the result is that we are becoming entangled. We are given the freedom to work in this material world. Everyone is trying to become the master of the material world. Nobody is trying to become the servant. Only we, the Vaiṣṇavas, we are trying to become servant. The karmīs and jñānīs, they do not like to become servant. They criticize us that "You Vaiṣṇavas, you have got slave mentality." Yes, we have got the slave menta... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). That is our position. What is the use of claiming artificially, "I am master"? If I had been master, then why the fan is required? I am servant of this influence of summer season. Similarly, I shall be servant in the winter season, too much cold.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 7.5 Lecture -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974:

The Māyāvādīs, they think that they have become one with God. That is not education. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. They are thinking that they have become liberated, but actually, aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32), their intelligence is not purified. Therefore falsely claiming. If one is God, then how he has become dog? This much common sense there is not. God is God; dog is dog. This Dvaitavāda philosophy is perfect. Acintya-bhedābheda, simultaneously one and different. We have got... Because we are spiritual energy, therefore... Kṛṣṇa is Supreme Spirit. Therefore we are in one in quality, but Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. Aṇor aṇīyān mahataḥ. He's mahato mahīyān, and we are aṇor aṇīyān. We are smaller than the smallest. This relationship with Kṛṣṇa is perfect. If we had been actually God, then why we are fallen? This is not possible. God is God. He's never... God's name is Acyuta. He never falls down. But jīva-bhūta, jīva, living entities, they are cyuta. They falls down from the spiritual platform to the material platform.

Govardhana Puja Lecture -- New York, November 4, 1966:

So Kṛṣṇa did not recommend that you should do something under superstition. No. You must do it for practical result. This dogmatism, fanaticism—"Oh, why I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa? I am Christian. I am Jews"—this is fanaticism. If you find actually ecstasy by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, why should you not? Why should you not? "No. I am Jew." "I am Christian." "I am Muhammadan." Well, it is transcendental vibration from the spiritual platform. Your Muhammadism, Christianism, Hinduisim, Buddhism, this is skin disease. This is... Because you have got some particular body at particular circumstances, therefore you claim like that. But actually we are all spirit soul, and this sound vibration is from the spirit soul. It will appeal to everyone. See the effect. Then don't be fanaticist. Don't be, I mean to say, sectarian. So Kṛṣṇa wants that, that simply by custom, one should not follow the rituals. One should see the effect.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976:

So these people they have made the United Nation, unnecessarily fighting like dogs. So this will not solve the problems. The problem will be solved if they pass a resolution that the whole world, not only this world... Kṛṣṇa says, sarvaloka maheśvaram. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor, so why not accept? Actually He is the proprietor. Who has created this planet? We have created or father created? No. Kṛṣṇa has created, but we are claiming, "This portion is American, this portion is Indian, this portion is Pakistani." Unnecessary. What is the value of this claim? We may claim it for fifty or sixty or a hundred years, and after that, one kick: "Get out." Where is your claim? But they do not understand this philosophy. They are fighting. That's all, that "This is mine. This is my land. This is my land." They do not know. Kṛṣṇa said tathā dehāntara prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). "You are American today. So tomorrow, even within America if you become an American cow or American animal, nobody will care for you. Nobody will care for your politics." But this art they do not know. This science they do not know. They are under illusion. They are thinking that "I shall continue to remain American, so let waste my time for American interest," so-called interest. There cannot be any interest.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Evening -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971:

Similarly, we come here empty-handed; we leave here, say, fifty years or hundred years. When I become proprietor? This is another māyā, renouncement. As enjoyment is another māyā, similarly, renouncement. So we have to give up this renouncement or enjoyment. We have to take the real position, that "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, or God. We have simply to serve Kṛṣṇa." That is bhakti-yoga. That will give you actual peace. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer. You simply supply ingredients of His enjoyment; then you'll be happy. Because He is enjoyer. And bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). And He is the proprietor. So this attitude... Of course, they may criticize that "The bhaktas, the Vaiṣṇavas, they have got slave mentality." Some so-called philosopher remarked like that. But that is not slave mentality. That is the actual position. That we get information from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). We are eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. And mukti means svarūpenāvasthitiḥ. When you are situated as servant of Kṛṣṇa, that is mukti. And so long you are falsely claiming that "I am enjoyer, I am proprietor," that is māyā. That is our philosophy. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for that.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- San Francisco, July 15, 1975:

If you learn these three things, that God is the proprietor, God is the enjoyer, and He is the real friend... Actually, He is the real friend. And our godlessness means we are claiming that we are proprietor: "This is my land. I am American. American is mine," or "India is mine." Or anything, say. Actually, the proprietor is God, but we are falsely claiming that "It is my property" or "our property." Therefore there is no śānti. Try to understand. Actually, God is proprietor, but we, out of our foolishness, we are claiming "our property" or "my property." Therefore there is no śānti. Similarly, God is the supreme enjoyer of everything. Yajña-tapasām. By performing yajña, by executing tapasya, one is elevated, gets some profit, material body, material profit. If you perform yajña, then you can go to the heavenly planet. Similarly, if you perform austerity, then you can be promoted to spiritual life. So... But what you will do by spiritual life? "By spiritual life" means if you become servant of God, then you will live and you will have peace. But if you want to become yourself God or master, then you will feel inconvenience, because that is not the fact. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheś..., suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). And God is the friend of everyone. Why not? He claims that "Everyone, every living entity—never mind in which form he is existing—he is My son." So is not the father the best friend of the son? But no. We are claiming, "I shall become your friend. I shall become your leader. I shall lead you to prosperity." No. That is false. The political leaders or the so-called religious leaders or other many leaders there are. They are taking the position of God, that "I shall become your friend. I shall lead you so that you will become happy." That is wrong. You cannot become friend.

Arrival Lecture -- San Francisco, July 15, 1975:

So therefore God is actually the friend of everybody. That is a fact. But we rascals, we are claiming, "I shall be your friend. I shall be your leader." Therefore the leader, so-called leader, is not in peace. How it can be? All leaders are trying to keep his position some way or other, and that is very difficult job, no peace. That is not possible. You know. Your president, Mr. Nixon, wanted to keep himself in the position. How much restless he was. These are to be studied, that don't claim yourself as friend of somebody or the people or the nation. No. Teach them that "God is your friend. I am God's servant. I am bringing this message to you. And I can teach you how God can become your friend and you derive friendship result from God." That is guru. A guru does not say, "I am God." That is not guru. Guru will never say. The Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura's prayer says,

sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair

uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ

kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya... **

A guru is worshiped... Just like my disciples. They are offering respect exactly like God. That is their duty. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ: "All the śāstra recommends that guru should be respected as good as God." But that does not mean guru is foolishly thinking, "I am God." Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ **. Uktaḥ means "said," "it is recommended." Tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ: "Those who are exalted, advanced, they accept this truth, that guru should be respected as good as God."

Initiation Lectures

Brahmana Initiation Lecture -- New Vrindaban, May 25, 1969:

So you are going to be brāhmaṇa, qualified brāhmaṇa, this sacred thread ceremony; therefore you should follow all these principles, satyam, śaucam, cleanliness... Although in this age, not only in your country—you are completely out of Vedic culture—even in India, they are so-called. Nobody follows. But still, they claim, "I am brāhmaṇa. We are brāhmaṇas." So this is parapidam (?), simply a social standard without any qualification, without any... So you are going to take the responsibility of brahmanism. This system is introduced according to pāñcarātrikī system. Pāñcarātrikī system means formerly in the Vedic system, without being born by a brāhmaṇa, nobody was given this sacred thread ceremony. "Without being born by a brāhmaṇa" does not mean hereditary, but actually, one who is brāhmaṇa... Just like you are not being created as brāhmaṇa. So if your son is born, he has the first claim to become a brāhmaṇa because by the birth he gets the brahminical culture, sees the father, mother. Just like this boy. Automatically he is getting Vaiṣṇava culture, he is associating with the Vaiṣṇavas.

Initiation Lecture and Bhagavan dasa's Marriage Ceremony -- New Vrindaban, June 4, 1969:

You sacrifice your body in the Vietnam," oh, you have to do that. So in this way, if you analytically study, you'll see the body does not belong to you. Then why should you be so much dexterous to satisfy? Just try to understand. I am not interested to satisfy the senses of your body; I am interested to satisfy the senses of my body. But if this body does not belong to me, then why should we be so much expert in satisfying the senses? Therefore they are called pramattaḥ, intensely intoxicated. It is philosophical vision that "This body does not belong to me." Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Hṛṣīkeśa. I am claiming this hand "my hand," but as soon as it is paralyzed it is no more my hand; it is physician's hand or Kṛṣṇa's hand or somebody's hand. So in this way we have to study. This is called philosophical vision. So Bhāgavata says they are mad after sense gratification, as a result of which he's getting different types of body. Because body does not belong to him. Just like if you pay different types of rent, you get different types of apartment. If you pay nicely, you get very good apartment in New York, in Fifth Avenue or something like that. Or if you cannot pay, then... Similarly, we are getting this apartment, body, under different condition. So we should understand that we have to get such a nice body that no more we'll have to change. That should be the destination of one's progress. That they do not know.

Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969:

Self-realization, liberation, the sign is that he becomes joyful, prasannātmā, immediately. If you have actually realized yourself, simply by bluffing that "I am God, I am this, I am..." No. There are signs. If you are God, then you must be as joyful as God, as Kṛṣṇa. If you are suffering still and you are claiming that you are God, that is nonsense. You needn't become God. You, simply if you become in the light of God, you become joyful. Just like from the darkness of night, if you simply come to the sunshine, immediately your position is changed. It does not require that you have to become the sun. Simply by coming to the sunlight your purpose is fulfilled. So the sunlight and the sun is not different; they are one unit. But sunlight is not sun. That is knowledge. If we, if simply by coming you can come into the sunlight, if I think that I have become identical with the sun, that is nonsense. Sun, you cannot become identical with the sun. It is so powerful, the temperature is so high and great, that you cannot approach even sun. The scientists say even from so many millions of miles away, if a planet or somebody goes near the sun, immediately he will be burned into ashes. So this is false claim that brahma-bhūtaḥ means one becomes God. No. That means that you come to the light of God. That is also nice, to come to the light of God.

Gayatri Mantra Initiation -- Boston, May 9, 1968:

This is extraordinary so that... In the other, other feature of this sacred ceremony, is that one may not commit offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava by thinking him, "Oh, he's a mleccha, he's a yavana, or he's lower class, he's higher class," like that. Therefore this is offered. No, he's brāhmaṇa. He's brāhmaṇa. Otherwise, still in India, a person born in a brāhmaṇa family, the most wretched condition and most abominable habits, and he claims to be a brāhmaṇa. And a person who is highly elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's not accepted. So in order to save one from the injustice, this ceremony is required that it is bona fide. He's a bona fide brāhmaṇa. As it is prescribed and ordered in the Nārada Pañcarātra or Vaiṣṇava smṛti. So my Guru Mahārāja, His Holiness Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, he introduced this, and we are following. So there is no question. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Follow the principles of a spiritual master who has come down in disciplic succession. That is very nice thing. If you have got a bona fide spiritual master and if you simply follow the instruction, the perfection is guaranteed. Just like a perfect engineer and a neophyte working under his instruction, however foolish he may be, all his work is perfect. Because following the instruction of the qualified man.

Sannyasa Initiation -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1970:

All previous sages used to accept such order of life, and later ācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, adopted this order of life and specifically stressed on this procedure in order to achieve firm conviction in the matter of devotional service. Those who are unalloyed devotees, they add one more staff along with the original three. This extra one is representation of the living entity. There is another sect who are known as ekaṇḍa sect. They misunderstand the purpose of tridaṇḍa and by such deviation, Śivaswami sannyāsīs, who claim to belong to the Viṣṇu Svāmī sect, turn to be impersonalists and follow the footsteps of Śaṅkarācārya, accepting only the ekaṇḍa. Instead of naming themselves out of the 108 names of Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs, this Śivaswami sect accepts ten names of the sannyāsī, following Śaṅkarācārya. Lord Caitanya, although in terms of the then practice accepted ekaṇḍi (sic) sannyāsa order, but His acceptance of tridaṇḍi sannyāsa is understood. This mantra was first chanted by a learned brāhmaṇa of Avantīpura after being very much disgusted in this materialistic way of life. This happened long, long years ago because it is mentioned in the Bhāgavatam which was composed by Vyāsadeva at least five thousand years ago. So it is to be concluded therefore that this tridaṇḍi sannyāsī order is coming down since a long time.

Initiation Lecture -- London, August 22, 1971:

We are manufacturing our next body. This is our position. So this initiation means to enter into transcendental life. Why? Now, to make a solution, complete solution of this material existence. This is called illusion. Ādau gurvāśrayaṁ sad-dharma-prcchāt sādhu-mārganugamanam. You will read all these things in our book, the Nectar of Devotion, and Bhagavad-gītā also. You should read all these books and appear in the next year examination. Just like this year, so many boys have appeared. They're going to get the title Bhakti-śāstri. So utilize you life. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not for a particular place. Kṛṣṇa is not Indian. Kṛṣṇa says, "Everyone, in all special of life, are My sons." He's claiming to be the father of everyone. You don't reject Him, that "Kṛṣṇa is Indian," "Kṛṣṇa is Hindu," "Kṛṣṇa is something." No. He's for everyone. So if Kṛṣṇa says, "I am everyone's father," why should you reject Him? That is intelligence. That is intelligence. Father claiming, "You are my son," and if the son says, "No, you are not my father," then what can be done? That is another thing.

Initiations -- San Diego, June 30, 1972:

When we were children, we were babies, we were depending on milk, either mother's breast milk or cow's milk. Therefore cow is also our mother. Just like we drink breast milk from my mother, similarly, we drink milk from mother cow. Therefore meat-eating is prohibited. You cannot kill your mother. That is a great sin. You cannot. But people have become so sinful that they have no consideration that "I am going to kill my mother. I am so ungrateful that the mother who supplied her blood to feed me, to keep me living, now I am grown-up, I am going to kill my mother." This is my advancement of education, that "I have learned how to kill my mother." Therefore, in every religion the killing is prohibited or very much restricted. So in your Christian religion, the first item is, "Thou shalt not kill." But everyone is violating this first commandment. Then where is your claim to become a Christian? If you violate the injunction given by Lord Jesus Christ, then where, how you become a Christian? That is our question. Either Christian or this or that, killing is most sinful. This should be avoided.

General Lectures

Lecture at a School -- Montreal, June 11, 1968:

This land, this land, America, it was lying before you came from Europe, before you colonized. And it may be, some days after, it will be lying here, and you shall have to go. Therefore who is the proprietor of this land? God is the proprietor. In this way, if we study that "Everything belongs to God. I also belong to God, my self, my body, my mind, my activity, my energy, everything..." Just take for example. I am claiming that "This is my hand," but if God withdraws the energy of the hand, your claim for "my hand" at once goes. So we have to develop that God consciousness and Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When we speak of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is God consciousness. People have become degenerated, forgetting God consciousness. Therefore in the present world there is no peace. Materially, they are very much advanced. They are advanced in so-called education, but they do not know what is "I." The everything, they are claiming, "my and mine," but they do not know what is "I."

Lecture -- Montreal, June 26, 1968:

So in this material world, one who has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one who is not using things in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Everyone is using Kṛṣṇa's... Nobody has got any property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is the version in Īśopaniṣad. Now, in this American land, now divided into Canada, North America, South America, but originally, to whom this land belongs? It belongs to Kṛṣṇa. You have come here and have divided Kṛṣṇa's property and you have named "This is Canada, this is North America, this is South America," and you are claiming proprietorship. But if you are asked, "Are you really proprietor?" No. You have come here, encroached upon others' property. So originally, you are thief. Actually this is the position, that anyone who is unlawfully claiming something, "It is mine," that is illusion. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This ahaṁ mameti, "It is mine, and it is I. This body, I. And in bodily relation, everything mine," these two things are illusion. Ahaṁ mameti. Aham means "I." What "I"? This body. And what "mine"? This, "My wife is mine, my children, my home, my country." Why? Because the bodily relationship is there.

Lecture Excerpt -- Montreal, July 18, 1968:

Just like the same example, the sunshining, sun and the sun-god, they are one and the same. But when you are in the sunshine, you cannot say that you are seeing the sun-god. That will be mistake. But one who is in association with the sun-god, he's already in the sun planet, he is in front of the sun-god, and he is in sunshine. Is that clear? Yes. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. Advaya-jñāna. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). Advayam, that light, is everywhere. Either sunshine or sun planet or sun-god, there is light. There is no darkness. Similarly, either you remain in the impersonal Brahman or absorbed in Paramātmā or in association with the Supreme Personality, it is all spiritual stage. But when you compare, then a person who is in direct touch with sun-god, he's far superior than the person who is in the sunlight. He cannot claim equal status. Sunlight may be possible within your room. That does not mean that you are associating with the sun-god.

Lecture Excerpt -- Montreal, July 20, 1968:

So here is an opportunity to get directly that post of great soul by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So it is very scientific. We can present this formula to any person who wants to understand this movement scientifically, philosophically, logically. There is no dearth of all these things in this movement. We are not sentimental at all. Of course, there must be sentiment. Without sentiment, nobody can come to the stage of ecstasy. But that sentiment is transcendental sentiment. This is not ordinary sentiment. Sentiment, when religion or any faith is devoid of philosophy and logic, then it is material sentiment. And philosophy and logic without understanding of God is simply waste of time, mental... (break) So both should be combined, religion plus philosophy. One should understand the principles of religion with philosophy and logic. We are claiming college students, university students, because we are presenting religion on the basis of philosophy and logic. We are not blindly following. We have not dogmatism. We have got reason, philosophy, and everything, science. If you want to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness on the basis of philosophy, logic and science, we are prepared to present to you. But the ultimate goal is to surrender unto the Supreme.

Lecture Excerpt -- Montreal, July 20, 1968:

So that is God's creation. In comparison to that creation, suppose if you have created a city or a skyscraper building. What is there? That is called living entity, minute; and the Lord: greatest. God is great; you are minute. Understanding of God, understanding of the living entities. Then try to understand this material nature. What is this material nature? The material nature is exactly like your body. This body is working so nicely because you, the soul, is present within this body. That is a fact. You do not know how your hairs are growing, how your nails are growing. You are claiming, "It is my hair; it is my nail," but can you explain how it is growing? No. Similarly, the nature's work is going on wonderfully. Just like my... That is... So many things are going on wonderfully due to the presence of the spirit soul. Similarly, all this nature's work is going on so wonderfully due to the presence of God, the Supersoul. This is understanding of the material nature. Then God, living entity, material nature, and then time. Time is eternal. There is no past, present, and future. It is my calculation, according to... That is relativity. That is the modern scientific proposition by Professor Einstein. Your time and my time, he has also stated that the time factor in the higher planets are different. In the higher planet the time factor—our six months makes their one day. Just like our so many yugas makes twelve hours of Brahmā. So time is according to the different object. But time is eternal.

Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Seattle, September 25, 1968:

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Any question? (pause) No question? Yes?

Jaya-gopāla: Prabhupāda? These days there are so many men who claim to have found the Absolute, who claim to be spiritual masters in their own way. How does one tell who is a bona fide spiritual master?

Prabhupāda: Yes. What is your idea of bona fide spiritual master?

Jaya-gopāla: One who can teach the Absolute.

Prabhupāda: So a spiritual master... Just like Kṛṣṇa is spiritual master, and Lord Caitanya is spiritual master. We are talking about Lord Caitanya's teaching to Sanātana Gosvāmī. That means Lord Caitanya is the spiritual master. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gītā we find Arjuna is taught by Kṛṣṇa Bhagavad-gītā. So there is no difficulty to understand who is spiritual master. Is there any difficulty? Because we see that Lord Caitanya is teaching Sanātana Gosvāmī and Kṛṣṇa is teaching Arjuna. So both Lord Caitanya and Kṛṣṇa are spiritual master. Is there any difficulty to understand? So anyone who represents Lord Caitanya and Kṛṣṇa, he is spiritual master. That's all.

Lecture -- Seattle, September 27, 1968:

Viṣṇujana: How do you make everything that you say so simple to understand?

Prabhupāda: Because the whole philosophy is so simple. God is great; you are not great. Don't claim that you are God. Don't claim that there is no God. There is God, and He is great, and you are small. Then what is your position? You have to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is simple truth. So that rebellious attitude is called māyā. Anyone who is declaring that "There is no God. God is dead. I am God, you are God," they're all under the spell of māyā. Piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya. Just like when a man is ghost-haunted, he speaks all kinds of nonsense. So all these persons are haunted by māyā, and therefore they are saying, "God is dead. I am God. Why you are searching God everywhere? There are so many Gods loitering in the street." They're all ghost-haunted, deranged. So we have to cure them by this transcendental vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the curing process only. Simply let them hear and they'll gradually be cured. Just a man who is sleeping very sound, you cry by the side of his ear and he awakes. So this is the mantra to awake the sleeping human society. Uttiṣṭha uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata. The Vedas says, "O human race, please get up. Don't sleep any more. You have got this opportunity of human body. Utilize it. Get yourself out of the clutches of māyā." This is the declaration of Vedas. So you are doing that job. Hare Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and they'll be cured (?).

Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:

So individuality cannot be cancelled. That is not possible. The only difference is, my individuality or Kṛṣṇa's individuality, is that my individuality is limited, but Kṛṣṇa's individuality is unlimited. That is the... Just like you select one person leader because his intelligence is greater than you, something greater than you. Therefore you select somebody as your leader. So in the Vedic literature the definition of God is also there, who is God. Now everyone is claiming, "I am God," but they do not know what is God. They are falsely claiming. But if you find out Parasara-sūtra, there is definition of God. What is that? Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. God is the owner of all wealth, vīryasya, all strength, yaśasaḥ, all fame, all intelligence, all beauty, and all renunciation. These six items in full strength, cent percent possession, that makes the God. So our position is always subordinate according to Vedic literature or any literature. If you reject God, then you will have to select somebody else you will have to worship as God. Take for example Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha's philosophy that there is no question of God, but we are suffering due to this material encagement and combination of matter, this body is combination of matter, and when the matter is dismantled, which is called nirvāṇa, then there is no question of feeling pains and pleasure. That is Buddha philosophy. But there is no question of God there. But fortunately or unfortunately, they are worshiping Lord Buddha. Try to understand that personality cannot be imagined at any circumstance. Somebody has to be found out. So the Vedas gives us the information that you accept the leadership of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then everything, all questions, all problems will be solved.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 13, 1968:

So anyway, Vrajendra-nandana, the idea of accepting the Lord as son... Mahārāja Nanda accepted Kṛṣṇa as his son, similarly Śacīdevī accepted Lord Caitanya as his (her) son. So both of Them are the one. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, "The same Vrajendra-nandana, Kṛṣṇa, has now appeared as Lord Caitanya, as the son of Śacī. And the same Balarāma has become Nitāi." And what is Their business? The business is pāpī-tāpī jata chilo: "They are claiming all kinds of sinful conditioned souls." Their only business is... Because in this age, Kali-yuga, you cannot find any perfectly pious man or saintly person. Everyone is addicted to so many sinful activities. So pāpī-tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo. Simply by distributing this chanting, He claimed everyone, however fallen he may be. "Come on, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and become delivered." So nice thing. Pāpī-tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārila. What is the evidence that He has? Ta 'ra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. Jagāi-Mādhāi, they were two brothers, debauch number one. You see. They were all kinds of sinful affairs. They were drunkards, they were woman hunters, meat-eaters, so many things. And, of course, they were born in a very high brāhmaṇa family, but bad association, they became like that. Similarly, at the present age, this human society, although they are coming from the Aryan family, very nice family, but due to association the only environment is there's woman and intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. That's all.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968:

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There are four classes of men created by God: cātur-varṇyaṁ. How they are divided? How the classification is made? Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: by classification of quality and work. Not by birth. In India, of course, this classification of guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ was originally planned from the Vedic age. But later on, a class of men, without any qualification, without any practical work, they claimed that "I belong to such and such class." Therefore India's falldown was inevitable. So Bhagavad-gītā says, "Not like that." Bhagavad-gītā says that these classes of men, cātur-varṇyaṁ—the brahminical class, the kṣatriya class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class—is everywhere. Not only in India, but also throughout the whole universe, in every country, in every nation, in every society, there must be some people who have brahminical tendency. Just like from your country, we have picked up some boys and girls who are inclined to adopt this way of life. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply picking up where there are brahminical class of boys, girls, men. Not that we are taking account, "Oh, who is your father? Is your father a brāhmaṇa?" No. We don't take account. His father may be anything; it doesn't matter. But if he has got tendency to accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we immediately welcome: "Come on."

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

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.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

So they have got some duty. The father wants to see how the children are comfortably raised, and the children also seeing the interest of the father and mother. Just like in family life we have got a certain kind of consciousness, "He's my father. He's my child." Similarly, if we develop our original consciousness, that "God is our father; we are all children," then the whole trouble ceases. If God is the proprietor of everything and every children has got right to enjoy the God's property, then where is the trouble? For want of this consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everyone is claiming, "This is my property. This is my state. This is my country." Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Aham means "I," and mama means "mine." This is nonsense. Nothing belongs to you. Everything belongs to God. Everyone has got right to live on God's property. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If everyone is taught this God consciousness, there is no need of this artificial United Nations. We are united by nature. God is the center. Why artificial spending so much money? We are united not only in the human society, but we are united in all living societies, all living entities. Why we should treat the animals as different? Because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

Then he becomes eligible to be a devotee of the Lord. To become devotee of the Lord is not so easy. These are the conditions. The beginning is joyfulness. The second stage: no want, no lamentation. "My father is Kṛṣṇa, so I'll be fully sup..." Just like a child. He knows, "My father is there. I have no want." Everything is there. Prasannātmā. "Why shall I hanker him? My father..." (break) ...is now diseased. He's now lunatic. Similarly, tiger is my brother, but not that because originally he's my brother, I shall go and embrace. No. I shall be careful. But not that I shall kill. Why shall I kill? He's not coming to encroach upon my property. He's living in the jungle. Why shall I go and kill a tiger? This is all nonsense, lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He has not done any harm to you. He is living in his own jurisdiction. He is uncivilized. He is ferocious. God has given him direction: "Oh, you live here. You don't go there." That's all right. And why should you go to kill a tiger? He's not coming to encroach him. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why should I kill unnecessarily an animal? We have got so many nice foodstuff. Kṛṣṇa has given me grains, fruits, milk. The cows, they are supplying tons of milk, but they are not claiming, "It is my milk. I shall drink." No. It is giving to you, as mother gives. And we are killing cows, killing mothers. This is lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

So what is the secrecy and what is the mystical? We don't teach that you press your nose, you put your head, you go up and down. Nothing required. Simply to know that "God is my father; I am His eternal son. My duty is to love Him," that's all. There is no secrecy. There is no so-called bluff or mystical, this or that. It is simple truth. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). God is teaching that "You simply surrender unto Me, My dear son. Why you are independently...?" Just like here is one of my students. His father is a very big doctor. But he said, "My dear son, you come home." He's very moneyed man. He can give him some few hundred thousands of dollars. "But you don't go to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is his view. Similarly, as the father is claiming from the son, "My dear son, you just surrender unto me. I shall give you my wealth, my everything," similarly, God is also canvassing us, "My dear sons, why you are unnecessarily traveling here and making plans to be happy here, nonsense place? You just surrender unto Me. I shall give you all protection." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ: (BG 18.66) "I shall give you all protection." Father is always ready to give son all protection. That is natural. So we are all sons of God. We simply surrender to Him and the business finished. Then where is the mystical and this or that? There is nothing secret. So simply one has to agree. But if the rascal son does not agree: "Oh, why shall I surrender unto Him? I shall remain independent," all right, you remain independent. You remain and suffer. So there is no mystical. Everything is clear.

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.

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

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for giving chance... (break) ...everyone, hearing about God, Kṛṣṇa. This Kṛṣṇa kīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, is the beginning. And in that Hare Kṛṣṇa, hearing is everything. Then we speak something from Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Upaniṣad—many hundred and thousands of books we have got. Even he, our Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one cannot finish reading in one life. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so great. Our project is for sixty volumes. So these sixty volumes, it will be very difficult for any person to read it carefully throughout the whole life. So there is so much information about God that... But it is possible to understand Him if you associate with pure devotee of the Lord. Then svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Then God will reveal Himself. He is sitting within everyone's heart, and as soon as He sees that one is very sincere and "He's trying to understand Me," then He will teach you from within and you'll understand. Even without reading book, by His grace you will understand. But anything we should not claim falsely. We should be very sincere and serious to understand God. Then God will help us. God is within everyone's heart. There is no difficulty. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So I'm very glad that you are all coming to our, this center. And these boys are trying to convince you in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please try to cooperate with us so that we may be encouraged also.

Lecture Engagement and Prasada Distribution -- Boston, April 26, 1969:

So if you think that "Why we shall chant 'Kṛṣṇa'? Kṛṣṇa was Indian, and it is Hindu god's name," but that is not a fact. Kṛṣṇa never claimed that He is Hindu or Indian or black or white. He doesn't claim anything. He said... Most of you have read Bhagavad-gītā. He said, He claims,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ

tāsāṁ mahad-yonir brahma

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Sarva-yoniṣu: "In all species of life, in all forms of life..." There are 8,400,000 forms of life. So Kṛṣṇa claims that "All form of life, not only human being—the beast, the birds, the aquatics, the, I mean to say, reptiles—everywhere, wherever there is life, therefore, their mother is this material nature, and I am the seed-giving father." So Kṛṣṇa claims everyone's father. So He is neither Indian nor Hindu. He is—we accept Him according to Bhagavad-gītā—He is God Himself. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). If we take authorities of Vedic literature, it is stated in all Vedic literature, in Ṛg Veda, in Atharva Veda, in Brahma-saṁhitā, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and what to speak of Bhagavad-gītā... Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. He says, mattaḥ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7).

Lecture Engagement and Prasada Distribution -- Boston, April 26, 1969:

So He claims that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He exhibited, He manifested Himself, as the supreme independent Personality of Godhead. If we read His activities from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then we can see.

So there is a definition of God also in the Vedic literature. A great sage, the father of Vyāsadeva, Parāśara Muni, he has very nicely defined what is meant by God, and all the symptoms were visible in the person of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And according to our Indian, Vedic culture, all the great ācāryas, just like Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka, even Śaṅkarācārya... Śaṅkarācārya is considered to be impersonalist, that He believes in impersonal Brahman. So impersonal Brahman is mentioned in all Vedic literature. We also know that. But beyond impersonal Brahman there is Supersoul realization, and beyond Supersoul realization there is the personal realization, the Supreme Personality of God. Bhāgavata says that vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam: (SB 1.2.11) "The Absolute knowledge, the Absolute Truth, is nondual." How it is nondual? Now, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. Either you realize the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā, Supersoul, or as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, they are one and the same. How one and the same? That is also explained.

Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969:

It is said there that "When one comes on the platform of spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, at that time he becomes completely joyful." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. Prasanna means joyful; ātmā means soul. And the symptom is na śocati na kāṅkṣati. He does not lament, neither hanker. In the material existence we have got two diseases: hankering for things which we do not possess, and lamenting for things which we have lost. But actually we don't possess anything; everything belongs to God. That is the Vedic injunction. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Whatever we see, that is the property of the Supreme Lord. And this claiming that "This is my property. This is my body. This is my country. This is my home. This is my..., this is my...," this is called illusion. Actually we do not possess anything. So when you actually come on the spiritual consciousness, you understand that nothing belongs to you. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). Kāṅkṣati means hankering, and socati means lament.

Conway Hall Lecture -- London, September 15, 1969:

Well, same goal, you just try to understand. Same goal... Suppose you have to go to the forty-second or one hundredth story. Now, you are stepping one after another. The goal is there, the forty-second story, but you cannot claim, after going a few steps, you say that "I have come to the forty-second story." The path is one. That's all right. But you have to reach the ultimate goal. You do not know what is the ultimate goal. You simply say all paths reach to this goal, but you do not know what is goal.

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

So this is the simplest method, and Lord Caitanya therefore recommended, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. In this, in this age... This age is called Kali. Kali means the age of disagreement. Nobody agrees. Nobody agrees. I don't agree with you; you don't agree with me. I quarrel with you; you quarrel with me. Everyone thinks that he is independent, he is God or he is everything. But he is dependent in every step. But still, he's proud of becoming God. So these nonsense things are going on. Of course, this is a process of spiritual understanding, ekatvena bahudhā pṛthaktvena bahudhā viśvato-mukham, that "I am God," whether "I" means this body or "I" means this mind, or there is something "I" else than this body and mind. Therefore meditation required. Accepting that you are God, now find out "I." Now what is that "I"? Is that "I" this body or this, that "I" the mind, or is that "I" the intelligence? So meditation means to find out that "I" who's claiming that "I am God."

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

So if you identify yourself with this body, then there is no need of meditation because body, you are actually seeing—this is body. No meditation means that you have to transcend the bodily platform, the mental platform, the intellectual platform. Then you find out what is the "I." That is meditation. But fortunately we get information directly. Instead of searching out what you are, what is your position, what is this "I," you get direct information from Kṛṣṇa. What is that? Kṛṣṇa says that "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel." So as part and parcel, you may claim as God. How is that? Just like this whole body. Now, the finger, which is the part and parcel of this body, can be said also "body." But the finger is not the whole body. A finger, if it claims that "I am the whole body," then it is wrong conception. But if the finger claims that "I am body," there is no wrong. Finger is... Because it is part and parcel of bo..., this body, whole body, therefore it is also body. Just like part and parcel of gold is also gold—it is not different from gold—similarly, I, individual I, I am the part and parcel of the Supreme "I," Kṛṣṇa. That is the real philosophy. And as soon as you understand that you are part and parcel of the Supreme, then your function is also immediately fixed up. What is that? Now, this part and parcel of this body is the finger, or anything you take.

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

So, so we are thinking at the present moment that "I am God. I am independent." That is māyā. Māyā means which is not actual fact. Plain philosophy. If you are God, then you must know what is God. God is never dependent. That is the definition given in Vedānta-sūtra: svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means fully independent. That is one of the quality of God. Janmādyasya yataḥ 'nvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means fully independent and fully conscious. So your consciousness is not full. Your independence is not full. That you cannot have. Now you belong to a independent country, but you are not fully independent. As soon as the state laws want you for some particular purpose, in spite of your unwillingness, you have to act. That means you are not fully independent, even in the state relationship. And how you are fully independent in God's relationship? So your claim that "I am God" is not fullfilled there, because God is independent. You are not independent. How you can claim that you are God? Can you answer this question? Because in your school it is taught that "I am God." I say God is fully independent. Are you fully independent? Then how can you claim you are God? Can anyone answer this? Because this philosophy is going on. Everyone is thinking, "I am God." So if you are not fully independent, you are, if you are not fully conscious, everything, you are simply a minute part. Minute part means because you are part and parcel of the Supreme. So everything is there in you in minute parts but not in full.

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

So these are explained in the Vedic literature. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate: "He has nothing to do and nobody is equal or greater than Him." Therefore God is great. Nobody can be equal. You cannot claim that you are God. Then you claim "God," I claim "God," he, she claims "God," he claims "God." Then what is the meaning of "God"? Nobody... God is great. Nobody can be greater than Him. Then how you can claim that you are God, I am God? Then either you do not know what is the definition of God or you are foolishly claiming that you are God. You must... If you claim, if you come here and introduce yourself, "I am President Johnson," oh, you must present your credential that you are President Johnson. Otherwise, we shall say you are crazy. So if you cannot present yourself even like ordinary president—you are claiming that you're God—how much nonsense you are. Don't claim in that way. There is no equal to God. Oh, there are so many equals to you, so many greater than you, lower than you. So you are not absolute. God is absolute. In the Bhagavad-gītā the same thing is described, that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "My dear Dhanajaya, Arjuna, nobody's greater than Me." Anyat. Anyat means anyone. So this is the one of the symptoms of God, that nobody is greater than Him. So you have to prove that nobody's greater than you. If you simply think falsely that "Nobody's greater than me. Nobody's...I am moving this sun. I am moving this moon. I am...," so you have to prove it. Otherwise, it is nonsense.

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

So don't falsely claim that you are God. You are everything. You are moving this world. Why? Actually are you doing that? Then why do you falsely claim like that? What is your answer? If I... You meditate that "I am moving the sun. I am moving the moon. I am moving everything." Are you dong that? You do..., cannot move yourself. You are so much dependent on the laws of nature. Why you are falsely claiming like that? What is your answer? Give me your answer, those who are thinking that "I am God." Do you think thinking, by thinking one will be God? Where is your power? Yes? You want to ask? No? So actually it is not the position. I am God in that sense, I have already analyzed, that I have got the, in minute quantity... As I am minute quantity, fragmental portion of God, so similarly, I have got all the qualities of God in fragment. For example, this consciousness take. That is practical. We are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now, it is not that Kṛṣṇa has got consciousness and you haven't got consciousness. You have got also consciousness. That's a practical experience. Every one of us are conscious as God is conscious. So you are also conscious. Now, what is the difference between God's consciousness and your consciousness? That you have to find out. Can you say me? You should know all these things.

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

So similarly, in any capacity you analyze, so far the definition of God—wealth... Now, He's the proprietor of all wealth. Now, nobody can claim... Even the, I mean, the biggest rich man of your country, the Rockefeller or the Ford company or..., nobody can claim that he's the only richest man. No. There are many others. So nobody can claim that "I am the richest." No. Nobody can claim that "I am the most famous." No. Nobody can claim that "I am the most beautiful." Nobody can claim that "I am the absolute knower." In this way, you apply the definition in yourself, you'll find that you partly and partially represent all the qualities of God. That you can claim, that you are partial God, or part and parcel of... That is the exact word, part and... Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūta (BG 15.7). These living entities, jīva-bhūta... There are two definitions of the living entities. One definition is jīva-bhūta, and another definition is Brahmā bhūta (SB 4.30.20). What is the jīva-bhūta? So long the living entity has got the misconception of his existence, that "I am this body," he's called jīva-bhūta. And when he is completely in knowledge that "I am not this body," that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. The same "I," one is false identification, and another is real identification.

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

So you have got the facility. By God's mercy you have got this facility to chant the holy name of God. If you think that Kṛṣṇa is Indian God's name, actually it is not Indian God's name. Kṛṣṇa never claims that He's Indian or Hindu. Most of you have read Bhagavad-gītā. He claims everyone as His son. Not only human society—the animal society, bird society, the beast society, the plant society, the aquatic society, all. Sarva-yoniṣu. Sarva means all. Yoni, yoni means species of life. Everyone, all living entities, Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa must be... If He is God, He must claim that, that "The material nature is their mother and I am their father." So Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. Not that... Don't think that Kṛṣṇa is for the Indian or for the Hindus. No. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. This Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. For the human being, for the animals—everyone. So if you think that Kṛṣṇa is belonging to some particular country or religion, then you can chant your own way. If in your religion, in your scripture, there is any God's name, you can chant that also. Our only propaganda is that you increase your love of God. And the simple process is to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. There is no charge for it. There is no loss on your part. There is no inconvenience on your part. At any moment, at any place. There is no restriction. So why don't you take advantage of this great boon to the human society?

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

He is claiming that "I am the father of all forms of life." Sarva-yoniṣu, "all species of life." "The material nature is the mother, and I am the seed-giving father." Just like without father and mother nobody can appear, similarly, in this material world, whoever has come, every one of us, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant, everyone, the mother is the material nature. The mother supplies this body. So our, this body is material; therefore it is the gift of the material mother, material nature. But I, the spirit soul, that I am part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel." So if you try to wide your feelings of internationality, please try to understand Bhagavad-gītā. You'll be getting enlightenment, you'll understand what is international feeling. Sarva-yoniṣu. Sarva-yoniṣu means then you will feel international even for the cats and dogs and animals and reptiles. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... These people are manufacturing communism, but in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Seventh Canto, we'll find a statement given by Nārada Muni that if in your house there is a snake even, you should give him something to eat. Just see how the feeling. Even there is a snake, what to speak of other animals.

Lecture (Day after Lord Rama's Appearance Day) -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1970:

If you cannot solve these problems, then your problems of life remain the same. The solution of the problems... Just like our bodily demands, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca samānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām. The problems of eating, problems of sleeping, problems of defending and problems of mating, or sex life, these problems are there in the animal life or amongst the living entities lower than the human beings. But those problems are solved automatically by laws of nature. The birds, beasts, they are also eating. They have no economic problem. They are also sleeping, and they are having their mates and sex life. And they are also defending in their own way. Human form of life, the most developed consciousness, intelligence, if we are also busy in solving these problems of life, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating, then we are not very much advanced than the animals, because they have got these problems and they are trying to solve them. So what advancement we have made, we human beings? We claim to be superior, to possess superior consciousness, and how we are utilizing our consciousness and superior intelligence? Simply just like animals. That requires meditation. That requires meditation, what is actually the problem.

Speech to Maharaja and Maharani and Conversations Before and After -- Indore, December 11, 1970:

Indian man (1): The thing was made... That is nature.

Prabhupāda: Then the nature is more intelligent than you. So then there are many intelligent works of nature. You do not know.

Indian man (1): What is in the stars(?) is also nature.

Prabhupāda: So you have no full knowledge of nature. That's it. Then you cannot claim that you are perfect, your knowledge is perfect.

Indian man (1): This example is very interesting, coconut tree.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There are so many things. So many things. But there is explanation in the Vedas, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The energy of Kṛṣṇa is working so wonderfully that it appears that exactly it is done by expert person. Now, take a flower, this flower. How nicely it is painted.

Indian man (1): Comes out of a green thing, red.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just see. And how perfectly it is made, coloring. The most beautiful. Nobody can suggest that further coloring this way would have been better. No. This is parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī. Automatically it is done. Automatically.

Speech to Maharaja and Maharani and Conversations Before and After -- Indore, December 11, 1970:

Indian man (1): Thousands, thousands of... (laughter)

Prabhupāda: This is... Abodha-jāta. Therefore a living entity is called abodha-jāta, "born ignorant, born rascal, born foolish." Abodha-jāta.

Indian man (1): Abodha-jāta.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Abodha means no knowledge, and jāta means born. By birth he is fool, and he is claiming, "I am God." By birth he's a fool, and he's claiming, "I am God." Just see. This is illusion. This is the māyā. He cannot... He does not know how the hairs are growing, and he is God. Just see. "I am God." This has become a fashion, dangerous fashion. And these Māyāvādī philosophers, daridra-nārāyaṇa, this Nārāyaṇa, that Nārāyaṇa... Because Nārāyaṇa is there, therefore he's Nārāyaṇa. Because you are within your coat, therefore you are coat. This is their argument. Because I am in the room, I am room. Is that very sound argument? Because Nārāyaṇa is there, therefore he is Nārāyaṇa. Aiye.

Lecture at Krsna Niketan -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

Then? It is completely under the hands of the nature. Similarly, everything is. As you cannot explain, cannot know how the hairs are growing, similarly, you cannot know how you are changing. It is, by nature, it is being done so nicely. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala... (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). It is taking place. A flower is fructified. Can you explain how it is fructified? It is taking place. The foolish persons, they say "Automatically." No. The machine is so expert that it is taking... The machine is working. The nature is working, but we are not so expert to understand. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. We are thinking it is taking automatically. No. It is not. It is taking very perfectly, and we are so ignorant that we cannot understand. We should always know our position, how much we are ignorant. I am claiming I am the... "It is my body." How your nails are growing, can you explain? Why there is no sensation in the nail? So many things you are unaware, even of your body. So how you can be aware that how your body is changing? You have to learn, therefore, from authorities, "It is being done." Just like Kṛṣṇa says, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāra... (BG 2.13). That is the process of knowledge. You have to know from the authorities how things are there. The person who is actually enacting, you have to know from Him. Otherwise, there is no possibility of knowledge.

Lecture at Boys' School -- Sydney, May 12, 1971:

All right. Bhagavad-gītā, in the Thirteenth Chapter, you will find, it is described: the body and the knower of the body. Just like you think over your body, you think over your finger. You will understand that it is your finger. When I think of this finger, I know this is my finger. When I think of this leg, I think that "This is my leg." But I don't think your finger as my finger. This knower is individual, and he knows not everything but something of his body. I do not know everything of my body. Suppose I am eating, I am eating something. How this eatable substance transforms into vitamin secretion and how it is being distributed all over the body and is supplying the energy? Or take, for example, I have got my hairs, but I do not know how many hairs I have got. Is not that a fact? Can you count your hairs, how many hairs you have got? So, so many things we do not know even of our body, although I am claiming that "This is my body."

Lecture -- Los Angeles, July 11, 1971 :

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is dormant in every person; otherwise why you are taking so much interest? You are all American boys and girls. I don't think in this meeting there is any Indians. Somebody may say that "Kṛṣṇa is Indian, Kṛṣṇa is Hindu. It is Hindu God." No. Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. If Kṛṣṇa would not have been for everyone, how could you, especially, take up this movement so serious? Kṛṣṇa also said that He does not belong to any particular sect. He said that all living entities in different types of forms, 8,400,000's of forms, and Kṛṣṇa claims that He is the seed-giving father of all of them.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:

The Absolute Truth is realized in three features—Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Bhagavān understanding is the last word in the understanding of the Absolute Truth, because bhaga means opulence. There are six kinds of opulences—wealth, strength, reputation, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation. If somebody is very rich, he is attractive. Everyone goes to this man. Sometimes we also go to rich man, "Sir, give us some money," because a rich man is attractive. But in this material world, nobody can claim that he has got all the riches. Nobody can claim. But Kṛṣṇa can claim. Kṛṣṇa says,

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

(BG 5.29)

Now, He is the enjoyer of all sacrifices. Now, try to understand that in this material world, there are millions and trillions of universes, and each universe there are millions and trillions of planets. And each planet, there are millions and trillions of living entities. Now if not all, some of them are offering sacrifices, at least the sober section, in all the universes, and Kṛṣṇa is enjoying. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ. Just imagine how much He is eating. And similarly, He is the proprietor.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:

He says that sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29), "I am the proprietor of all the planets," sarva-loka. Not only in this universe, but also there are millions and trillions of universes. If we have to accept the verdict of the śāstra, the Brahma-saṁhitā says yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). In each universe, there are ananta, unlimited number of planets. So Kṛṣṇa claims that sarva-loka-maheśvaram, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." Then who can compare his riches with Kṛṣṇa? You can find out some rich man in this world, but they might have a several hundreds of factories or several hundreds of houses, but nobody can claim that "I am the proprietor of all the houses and all the factories on all the planets." That is not possible. That is being claimed by Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. And suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. We are establishing many humanitarian activities. Just like the other day our chief guest, Dr. Atmaram, was speaking that by scientific advancement we are trying to give food to the needy and cloth to the naked. That's all right. But Kṛṣṇa is feeding unlimited number of living entities, beginning from the elephant down to the ant. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. He is friend of everyone. As friend, He is sitting in the heart of all living entities. He is sitting in your heart, He is sitting in my heart, He is sitting in the ant's heart. The ant has also heart and the elephant has got also heart.

Lecture at Caitanya Matha -- Visakhapatnam, February 19, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa says that kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Just like I am present in my body. I know the pains and pleasure of my body, but Kṛṣṇa, because He is present in everyone's body, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61), He knows the pains and pleasure of all bodies. That is difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourselves, or God and ourselves. This is the test. Somebody is claiming that "I am God." How you can be God? You cannot know the pains and pleasures of others, but Kṛṣṇa knows. That is the difference between God and living entity. (break) So far consciousness is concerned, God is also conscious, we are also conscious, but our consciousness is limited and God's consciousness is unlimited. That is the difference.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam. There are eighteen Purāṇas, and out of them, six Purāṇas are meant for persons who are in sattva-guṇa. There are three qualities of the material nature. Some of us are in the modes of goodness, some of them are in the modes of passion, and some of them are in the modes of ignorance. So our Vedic literature... Sri Vyāsadeva claims everyone. Not that simply persons who are in sattva-guṇa, or in the modes of goodness, they are eligible for going back to Godhead, back to home. We should remember this fact, that this human form of life is meant for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate goal of life. This human form of life is not meant for working very hard like the animals. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke, kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām ye (SB 5.5.1). Nāyaṁ deha, this body, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke. Every one of the living entities, they have taken this material form, and there are 8,400,000 species of forms.

Lecture -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:

So Vaiṣṇava is the patitānāṁ pāvana... Fallen. Fallen means when one falls down from his actual position. That is called fallen. So every conditioned soul is fallen because he has fallen down from his actual position. What is his actual position? The position is that he is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is the constitutional position of living entity. But he has fallen means he has given up the service of Kṛṣṇa and he has taken the service of māyā, means so many things. Somebody is serving country, society, friendship, love, and so many things. They have created service. At last dog service, cat service. But because they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa's service, therefore they are called fallen. These fallen conditioned soul are claimed by the Vaiṣṇavas. Patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ. That is Vaiṣṇava's duty.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

People are hankering after śānti, peace, but they do not know the way. The way is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. What is that? Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ: "I am the supreme enjoyer of everything." Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka maheśvaram: "I am the proprietor of everything." Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "God is the proprietor of all planets." But we are claiming that "I am proprietor. We are proprietor, nationally." That is our mistake. Actually, everything belongs to God. Now, the Japanese claiming that "Japan is our country." Indians are claiming, "India is our country." But nothing belongs either to the Japanese or to the Indians or to the Americans. Everything belongs to God. This consciousness is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If we understand three things only, that God is the only proprietor, Kṛṣṇa is the only proprietor, He is the only enjoyer, and we are simply servant to help Him in His enjoyment... The highest perfection is found in Vṛndāvana. Everyone is trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is real life. That is real mukti. In the Bhāgavata it is said, mukti means hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). Mukti means you have to give up your artificial ways of life and you have to situate yourself in your normal constitutional position. That is called mukti.

Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, June 7, 1972:

So everyone is ... Just like you have seen the horse is controlled by the driver, similarly, all of us are being controlled. So we should remain controlled. That is life. We should not declare that "No. I don't want to be controlled." Then you'll fall down immediately. If you remain in your position, being controlled, being predominated... Don't try to be predominator. Oh, then immediately fall down, because you are not predominator. It is a false claim that "I want to predominate. I am God. I am predominator. I am this. I am that." These are all rascaldom. Simply you remain yourself predominated. Agree to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa, and your life is successful.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972:

Prabhupāda: So have you produced any life?

Indian man (4): Pardon?

Prabhupāda: Have you produced any life?

Indian man (4): A protein can be made...

Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all say...

Indian man (4): Yes.

Prabhupāda: ...have you produced any life?

Indian man (4): They claim that a protein...

Prabhupāda: They claim. They claim.

Indian man (4): No, my question is...

Prabhupāda: My challenge is you cannot produce life. My challenge, you cannot produce life. That is false. You first of all produce life. Then come to me. (end)

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 'The Present Need of Human Society':

So that, these are the symptoms. Strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir vipratve sūtram eva hi. So man and woman should be united in marriage relationship simply on sex urge, not on the religious principle. That we have seen. And sūtram, vipratve sūtram eva hi. And if anyone, somehow or other, gathers a sacred thread—not sacred, even not sacred; thread—he becomes a vipra. Liṅgam eva āśrama-khyātāv anyonya āpatti-kāraṇam, avṛttyā nyāya-daurbhalyam. If you go to the court, court of justice, if you have no money, then you cannot get. Suppose you have to claim from somebody, say, some few thousands of rupees, first of all you have to deposit the stamp fee, five percent, and the pleader's fee. So you have to push good money after bad money. So these are the symptoms. There are many symptoms. In this way, the conclusion is... This is the description given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. There are many other symptoms. Our time is short. The king, the government, that is also stated. Government will be simply taxing. And people, being harassed in famine and taxation, they'll give up their hearth and home, will go to the forest and hills. And gradually, time will come when the ages will be reduced so much that a person twenty to thirty years old will be considered as great, grand old man. These are the symptoms of Kali-yuga.

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

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

So he simply said that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Caitanya, if You hear my comment on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, You'll find it is far better than Śrīdhara Svāmī's." Śrīdhara Svāmī is the very old commentator. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately rejected: "Oh, you are claiming that you have written something better than Śrīdhara Svāmī?" He chastised him. Svāmī means another... He sarcastically remarked, the word svāmī, Śrīdhara Swami, svāmī, another svāmī means "husband." So He said, svāmī jīva nahi mane besa bali guni(?): "I think one who does not recognize svāmī, he's a prostitute." He immediately said. "You do not recognize Śrīdhara Svāmī, then you are a prostitute. How can I hear from a prostitute?" He refused. Only word, that "I have written better than Svāmī." So this is the process of guru. You cannot disobey the previous ācārya or guru. No. You have to repeat the same thing. Not research. Sometimes rascals come, that "You are speaking the same thing. Why don't you speak something new by research work?" We say that we have no intelligence, we cannot make any research. We are... Guru more mūrkha dekhi koriyā vicāra (CC Adi 7.71). Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "My Guru Mahārāja saw Me a great fool number one." So one who remains a great fool number one before his guru, he is guru. And one who says that "I'm advanced so much that I can speak better than my guru," then he's rascal. This is the process.

Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973:

Now, where to jijñāsā? That is called Vedic injunction. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Tad-vijñānārtham. In order to understand that transcendental science, one must have to go to the bona fide guru. And who is guru? Guru is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. And anyone who represents that Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is guru. Guru means representative of God. Therefore according to Vedic śāstra, guru is worshiped like God. This is... Just like my disciples, they have given this seat and..., almost equally with God's seat. That is the injunction. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Guru should be worshiped as God, but guru will never claim that he is God. That is not guru. Guru will always claim that he is servant of God. Because the śiṣyas worship him as... Śiṣya... Guru does not say that "You simply worship me." He directs that "You worship God." But because one gets God's connection through guru, therefore guru is worshiped as God. Just like in our country there was viceroy. He was given the same respect as the king because he is representative of..., the royal representative.

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa, or God, claims that He is the seed-giving father of all these living entities. So as the father makes provision for maintenance of the sons and children, so God is not incapable. He has made provision for all these living entities. But when we mismanage, we become varṇa-saṅkara, there is calamity. So far I have studied—I am touring all over the world—there are enough place uncultivated. Especially I have seen in Australia and Africa, there is enough place that is not being utilized. In India also, there are enough places still. That is not being utilized. And Bhagavad-gītā says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). The maintenance of the living entities—bhūtāni means living entities—can be done by production of food grains. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Then parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And then it is said, parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ, yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavam (BG 3.14). This formula is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, that living entities, it doesn't matter whether animal or men, they are flourished, they are raised very nicely, provided there is anna. Anna means food grain.

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

So to whom it belonged? Similarly, everything... This is the statement of the Vedas: īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). If we accept this, if the United Nations makes this resolution, that "From this date, let us dissolve this so-called nationality, accept this whole planet belonging to us, all the human beings, all the animals, all the birds, beasts, trees, as they are on this planet," if we accept this philosophy, there is no question of chaotic condition of the society. Actually, that is the fact. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that whatever there is, property, on the land, on the sky, or on the water, anywhere, everything belongs to God. This is, some way or other, communistic idea, but it is spiritual communistic idea. The Communists, they are making their center as the state. The Bhāgavata makes the center as God. Everything belongs to God. The Communist says that everything belongs to the state, and the Bhāgavata says everything belongs to God. So from the idea, this is very nice idea. Now we are... Kṛṣṇa claims in the Bhagavad-gītā that "All the species of life, they are My sons. I am the seed-giving father." So the property is belonging to God, the supreme father, and we are the sons of God. Not only human being. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu: "All species of life." Therefore God has provided for everyone's sufficient necessities of life. For example, just like we are human beings, only 400,000's of species. But other species, they're eight million. Eighty hundred thousand species. In Africa, there are millions of elephants. They eat, at a time, fifty kilograms. Kg. What is that Kg?

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

The solution is that... As soon as there is problem and you want solution... Suppose there is some problem in legal affairs. So you go to lawyer. When there is problems of your health, you go to the physician. Similarly, our Vedic instruction is for solution of this all chaotic condition, one should... Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigaccet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). You have to approach persons who can make the solution. So that is, that is the injunction, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigaccet. Who is guru? Guru means śrotriyam, who knows all the Vedic literature, the information. Śrotriyam. And brahma-niṣṭham. Brahma-niṣṭham means completely God conscious. These are two qualifications. Those who are claiming that "I am God," cheating people, they are not gurus. Guru means he's always... Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya **. That is the definition of guru. Guru is accepted as good as God, sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ, in all Vedic literature, tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ, and those who are learned, advanced, they accept it. But what is the position of guru? Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya: "Guru is the most confidential servant of God." That is his position. So people do not come to us, but we are going, canvassing. This is the position. Solution is there, but they do not come to us for solution. We are going door to door, all over the world, that "Here is the solution, sir. Here is the solution." But if they do not take, what can I do? This is our position. The solution is there. And we are canvassing that "Please take this solution." But they'll not take it. They'll not hear us. They'll hold big, big conference and talk all nonsense, and that's all. This is their business. And make the things more complicated. That's all.

Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974:

So to make sex for begetting such children, it is also God. But if we beget children like cats and dogs, then it is material. Because there is no God consciousness. So everything can be turned. Hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ: without any attachment. Just like these boys, they are collecting money, but not a single farthing they are spending for themselves, not a single farthing. Everything collected is being utilized for God's book publication, for propaganda, for distribution. They are not earning less. We collect some day one thousand dollars, and we are collecting all over the world about thirty thousand dollars. Yes. But not a single paisa for personal use. Everything is utilized for propagating God consciousness. So in this way everything can be utilized. After all, it is God's property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Sarvam, whatever you see, that property belongs to God. We are falsely claiming, "It is my property." And that is māyā, illusion. Just like some portion of land, I am saying, "That is India," you are saying, "This is Australia," and they are saying, "It is England," but it is neither England nor Australia. It is all property of God. We have created man-made designation. So we have to give up this idea. The United Nations is there for the last twenty or thirty years. Before that, there was League of Nation. To unite. But how unity? "This portion is, sir, mine. This portion is mine." Why do they not agree that every part of this universe or this planet belongs to God? What is the difficulty? Actually it belongs to God, but they will not agree. They will fight, 'No, it is mine."

Lecture on Science of Krsna -- Hyderabad, April 14, 1975:

And if we study philosophy intelligently, then we can understand that living being, jīva, how he can become one with the Supreme? Then why he has become jīva? Jīva is eternally. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loka sanātana (BG 15.7). Sanātana. Sanātana means eternally. He is fragmental parts of the Supreme. Not that by māyā he is thinking fragmental parts, but actually he is one. That is Māyāvāda philosophy. But Kṛṣṇa does not say that. Kṛṣṇa says, sanātana. He is fragmental parts, sanātana, eternally. Besides that, it is clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that the spirit cannot be cut into pieces, acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam, so how it becomes a small fragment? Acchedyo 'yam, you cannot cut into pieces, spirit. And it is further explained that these fragmental parts eternally, from the very beginning. Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "My dear Arjuna, you, Me and all these soldiers and kings who have assembled there, they existed like this in the past, they're existing in the same way, and they'll continue to exist like that." There is no question of becoming one. Past, present, future, always we are distinct. So how they can be one sanātana? We are part and parcel sanātana, eternally. But in quality we are one. In quality we are one. Kṛṣṇa is eternal. We are eternal. Kṛṣṇa is spirit. We are spirit. Kṛṣṇa is also person. We are also person. In this way, we are one but He is the great, and we are servants. This is actual position. And if we claim that after being freed from māyā, we shall become one with the Supreme, that is called Māyāvāda. We eternally, we are separate. Dvaitavāda. That is Madhvācārya's philosophy, dvaitavāda. So if you consider very cool-headed, then Vaiṣṇava philosophy is the best, not this Māyāvāda philosophy.

Lecture Engagement at Birla House -- Bombay, December 17, 1975:

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is little difficult for ordinary persons who are interested with the material gross and subtle elements. For them it is little difficult. But Kṛṣṇa says apareyam, "This is inferior, these energies." They are energies, prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā. Prakṛti means energy, just like prakṛti means woman, naturally a woman is under the control of the man. That is our Vedic system, and natural system also. However, the woman may claim equal rights, they are under the control of the man. That is natural. So similarly prakṛti means which is under the control of the Supreme Lord. That is prakṛti. In another place, Bhagavad-gītā it is said,

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ

sūyate sa-carācaram

hetunānena kaunteya

jagad viparivarate

(BG 9.10)

Kṛṣṇa says mayādhyakṣeṇa: "Under My control the material nature is working." Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ. In another place in Brahma-saṁhitā it is said how prakṛti is under the control of the Supreme Lord: sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā is the material nature. It is very powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti, creation, maintenance and annihilation, is going on under her control, Durgā-devī. We have seen the picture of Durgā, ten hands with ten kinds of weapons. So she is very powerful, but still she is under the control of Govinda.

Tenth Anniversary Address -- Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:

So that law is being instructed by the God Himself. That is Bhagavad-gītā. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. So Kṛṣṇa did not come to establish some sectarian religious system. That is not God's system. God is for everyone. God is not for the Hindus, for the Muslims, for the Christians, or anyone. God is for everyone. He is for animals, trees, plants, aquatics, insects, everyone. Because He claims, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Kṛṣṇa is claiming. Actually, that is the fact. If you study only this verse, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ. There are so many forms of life, beginning from grass. That is also life. The grass is coming from the earth, the trees are coming from the earth, the animals, four-legged animals, they are eating grass, they are forming semina, they are discharging the semina, and the animal species of life are coming. We are eating, either eating the animal or the vegetable, we are also begetting children. The origin is from the earth.

Morning Lecture -- Allahabad, January 15, 1977:

If you don't serve Kṛṣṇa, then you have to serve māyā. And those who are serving māyā in the name of Kṛṣṇa, they are called Māyāvādī. Actually, they are serving māyā, but they say that they have become liberated. Vimukta-māninaḥ. They are described as vimukta-māninaḥ. Māninaḥ means one who is not actually the thing, but falsely one is thinking that "I am liberated. I have become equal with Nārāyaṇa." They are called vimukta-māninaḥ. Actually that is not the fact. So we shall be very careful to avoid this kind of mahātmās who are thinking themselves as Nārāyaṇa, equal to Nārāyaṇa, or sometimes they claim greater than Nārāyaṇa. So we shall be very careful. This Melā, there are so many so-called mahātmās. But the symptom of mahātmā is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhajanty ananya-manaso. That is the qualification. And to become devotee of Kṛṣṇa, it is not at all difficulty. There is no difficulty. Anyone can become. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Even lowborn, they can also take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of... Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā (BG 9.33). If actually qualified brāhmaṇas, they take shelter, what to speak of... Their progress is very quick. Punyā. Without puṇyā background, sukṛti, nobody can take birth in the family or society of brāhmaṇas.

General Lecture -- (location & date unknown):

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has instructed in Caitanya-caritāmṛta that just like when you seed some plants, there are..., some other plants also grow. So the gardener takes out the unnecessary plants in order to give impetus to the real plant to grow. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā, following the principle that dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19), that dharma means, religion means, the law enacted by the Lord... This is the law, that "You surrender unto Me." Kṛṣṇa says. Now, if you say that Kṛṣṇa is Indian God or Hindu God, oh, Kṛṣṇa, of course, does not say like that. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ: (BG 14.4) "In any form of life, all the living entities..." It doesn't matter, even a human being or in the animal kingdom or lower than human beings, lower than animals, birds, beast, reptiles, aquatics. There are 8,400,000 species of life. Kṛṣṇa claims, sarva-yonisu: "All species of life, they are My sons." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: "I am their father, supreme father."

General Lecture -- (location & date unknown):

Is that exact translation? If it is not, you can correct me. Abhadra, the Sanskrit word... Those who are Indians, they know this word, bhadra and abhadra. Bhadra, means noble and abhadra means ignoble. So hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi. These words of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, each word is so valuable that if you scrutinizingly abhadrāṇi, ignoble. What is that ignoble within our heart? That ignoble thing is claiming proprietorship on the property of God. That is the instruction in the Īśopaniṣad. Every one of us claiming, unceremoniously, proprietorship on other's property This is the business of the whole material world.

This nationality which is claimed so much valuable in the modern age, difference based on nationality, to test on this point, abhadrāṇi, this is most ignoble. We are eulogizing nationality so much, but actually, if you study these principles of nationality, it is most ignoble. Why? Because Īśopaniṣad says, Veda, that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "Everything belongs to God." How you are claiming that "It is our" or "It is mine"? Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This is illusion. What is not yours, you are claiming, "It is mine." Just like this body. This is also not mine. The nature has given me this body according to my karma. Just like the landlord has given me this house to live, but it is not my house. This is a fact. So if I live in this house and later on claim, "Oh, this is my house," the whole trouble begins. Similarly, everything which we are utilizing for our comforts, for our livelihood, everything is given by God. This body is given by God, the maintenance also given by God. You are maintaining this body by eating fruits, flowers, grains, or even meat. But who is supplying? You cannot create all these things in your machine-made factories. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He is supplying. This is God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

General Lecture -- (location & date unknown):

So because we are in different consciousness, therefore everything is ignoble in our heart. So śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi (SB 1.2.17). These abhadra, these ignoble thoughts, claiming something which does not belong to me, is the most ignoble. But if you gradually give your attention in the matter of hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā, then Kṛṣṇa will help you how to wash off these ignoble things within your heart. Hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ. He is within your heart. When you are serious, then He will wash off all these ignoble things from your heart. Hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi. In this way, how Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can help the human society in all respect to become purified and thus live in peace and prosperity, we can have all this information from this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. And we shall request you that you come and join with us and discuss with us. If there is any doubt, just clear it up and take up this movement seriously to make the human society happy and prosperous. Thank you very much.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: That doesn't mean... That means you limit your study in one planet. That is not full knowledge.

Śyāmasundara: I just want to find out for the time being about...

Prabhupāda: Why time being? If you are not perfect in your knowledge, then why should I accept your theory? That is my point.

Śyāmasundara: Well, if you make claims that millions of years ago there were complex forms of life on this planet...

Prabhupāda: Why you are... I never said on this planet. By nature's way everything is existing.

Śyāmasundara: So on this planet there were not complex forms of life millions of years ago...

Prabhupāda: So maybe; may not be. That is not of the point. The point is that everything is existing in the nature's way. The species, as we say from Vedic language, 8,400,000, fixed-up. So maybe in your neighborhood, in my neighborhood, it is, they have got..., they are fixed up. But you simply, if you study your neighborhood, that is not perfect knowledge.

Śyāmasundara: I accept that. But I want to understand that the theory of evolution is that...

Prabhupāda: Theory of evolution we accept.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Śyāmasundara: Well, on seven continents I have excavated...

Prabhupāda: But that seven continents is not the whole world. That is our charge. That you are claiming that you have excavated all. We say no, not even an insignificant portion. So your knowledge is limited. (indistinct) they say the same (indistinct), Dr. Frog. Dr. Frog is limited within the three-feet well. If he says "I have seen everything," that is not acceptable.

Śyāmasundara: But at least in thousands of places they have bored into the earth or dug into the earth, and they've found...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Thousands of places is not this finishing, the whole planet.

Karandhara: They're always coming up with something new. They're having to revise their theory. Just like that pamphlet. They had to revise the whole theory about Carbon 14 because they found a new factor in the deterioration in the element which they never before considered...

Prabhupāda: This experimental knowledge is always imperfect. Because they are experimenting with imperfect senses, therefore they must be imperfect. Our source of knowledge is different. We do not depend on experimental knowledge.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Hayagrīva: The government, the American government, arrested, yes. The Tennessee legislature arrested him. He was arrested and defended by Clarence Darrow, famous trial lawyer, and the prosecutor was William Jennings Bryan, who was a thrice defeated Presidential candidate. So they discussed evolution and religion and how they could co-exist, and Scopes, who was teaching Darwinian evolution, claimed, "All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship almighty God according to the dictates of his own conscience. No human authority can in any case whatever control or interfere with the rights of conscience, and that no preference should ever be given by law to any religious establishment or mode of worship."

Prabhupāda: This is, this worship and the concept of worship, if actually one believes or knows, so the real worship is that which pleases God. If you manufacture... Just like I want a glass of water, and if my servant gives me a glass of hot milk, is that worship? Worship means what I want, if you give me, then I am satisfied. But if I want a cold glass of water, you give me..., if you think, "No. Milk is better than water," so that, will that satisfy me? So these concocted ideas of worshiping will actually satisfy God, that is wrong theory, that one can worship God according to his own dictation. That means his God is fictitious. He has no idea of God. And he can concoct ideas. But actually if there is God, one should worship according to the dictation of God. But if he does not know what is God, what is the dictation of God, then he is a rascal. What is the use of his so-called worship? It may be to some extent a sentiment, but that is not worship. If you want to worship God, you must worship God according to His dictation. That is real worship. How he can manufacture the way of worship?

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Kṛṣṇa Kanti: The scientists say they haven't created something. They have..., we've discovered something.

Prabhupāda: That's it. That I also said the other day. We can say we have discovered. We cannot invent. America was discovered, not invented. The land was already there.

Bhavānanda: We want to claim credit.

Prabhupāda: Anyone does something new, he takes credit. (break) ...so sun is taking away life. Why you were not present when we were discussing this verse?

Śyāmasundara: The sun is taking our life?

Devānanda: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. I came in about halfway through.

Prabhupāda: Why? You should have come.

Śyāmasundara: I was typing. I should have come.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Unless you hear, how you will be able to preach? Hearing is very important.

Devotee: Do the rays of the sun actually take away our life?

Prabhupāda: Rays... Actually, don't you find you're dying daily? Then? That is real.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Śyāmasundara: So it's asocial but not antisocial. Our morality is above social.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Social is subordinate to this world.

Śyāmasundara: But it is not antisocial.

Prabhupāda: No. It is social. It is sublime social. It is not only social but sublime social.

Śyāmasundara: He says that rights are also social, just like if I claim a right, a certain social right, that I must also accept my responsibility. Just for instance free speech. If I accept free speech as my social right, that I must also accept others' right to free speech.

Prabhupāda: But that is lacking in the present society, because these rascals, they are proud of their nationals but they are denying this same national life to the animals. They are being sent to the slaughterhouse. Therefore they are rascals. Why the animals should be denied their national right? They are born in the same country. They have a right to live at the cost of God. Why we are interfering with their independence, given right? Therefore they are rascals. Their so-called social, moral, philosophical, political, they are all rascaldom. Therefore our decision is, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā: (SB 5.18.12) anyone who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he has no good qualities. In the other direction, we will find so many defects with his so-called moral and social position.

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Prabhupāda: Then why not say not Christian? Modern Christianity... Christianity is Christianity. You cannot make it "modern" and "past." You cannot say "God modern" and "God past." That is not good philosophy. You say there is Christianity or no Christianity. So our system is that if we do not follow the tenets of some religious principle, then how you can claim you belong to that religion? That is applicable everywhere. Just like the so-called Hindus, they did not believe anything, and they are passing on as Hindus, as brāhmaṇas, as (indistinct). That is just passing.

Śyāmasundara: At the time he was writing... (break) At the time he was philosophizing, Europe was in a very sad state of affairs, and everyone was trying to commit suicide. It was the..., in vogue. So he said that because Christianity is sinning, they are sinning despite their knowledge of what is right, then they come to the point of despair, and they are trying to kill themselves even though they know that Christianity says that we are immortal, that you cannot kill yourself. So he says that suicide is no answer to...

Prabhupāda: Christianity believes in the immortality of the soul?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. So for Christians, suicide is no answer to escape their sinning or their despair. So he says...

Prabhupāda: You have committed so many sinful activities, and simply by killing you are trying to escape. In that way you are committing another sin. You are committing another sin. Therefore these persons who commit suicide, they become ghosts.

Philosophy Discussion on Martin Heidegger:

Śyāmasundara: He says that the understanding of my existence, of my being here, is truth. So when this, when all the details of why I am here and what I am here for become revealed, that is truth.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because I am true, therefore why I am here, that is truth. The basic principle is "I am truth." Therefore "Why I am here?" This is intelligent question. So that... These questions was asked by Sanātana Gosvāmī to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The first question: "Actually what I am? I don't want miserable condition of life, but this world is full of miserable condition of life. So why this is?" This is actually human understanding, when one comes to this enquiry that "I do not want any miserable condition of life, but why this miserable condition of life is forced upon me?" Nobody wanted the Pakistan war, but somehow or other it was enforced. Similarly, there are so many difficulties. Śītoṣṇa sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, āgamāpāyino, they come and go, but they come and go, or they come, that's a fact. So we have to tolerate. But the question is why these miserable conditions come? Why I should tolerate? But even if I tolerate, that is not finished. So why this is the position? This "Why?" position is actually human life. That is called in the Vedānta-sūtra, brahma-jijñāsā. After trying (indistinct), when one is unable to make any solution, then the question comes "Why?" That is the beginning of human life. That is the beginning. Otherwise animal life. So animal life, this is animal is being slaughtered, but it cannot question, "Why I am being slaughtered?" That's all. "Why you are slaughtering me? I am also a living entity." It has no such (indistinct). That is animal's life. And when there is question "Why?" that is human life. "Why?" Kenopaniṣad.

Śyāmasundara: He claims that the consciousness of death makes a difference in the choices that an individual makes during his life. He says that the consciousness that this body will end, this consciousness guides him to choose in a certain way.

Prabhupāda: So what is that way? The atheists, they think that "I shall die. That will finish. So let me enjoy to the best capacity. There is no question of pāpa and puṇya." That is atheist philosophy. "I have got this opportunity of sense enjoyment. Let me enjoy, to the best capacity, my senses." Because he has no next life. Void. Because after death everything is zero. So "Why should I care for 'This is pāpa, and this is puṇya.' Whatever is palatable for me, I shall do that." But he has got also consciousness of death. Another, we have also got consciousness of death. So our philosophy is that before death, let us inquire in such a way that we may go back to home, back to Godhead. Both of them have got the death consciousness. The one whose spiritual is zero, he is doing all nonsense. And one who knows that spiritual is not zero—there is real substance—so "Let me prepare for death." (break) (end)

Philosophy Discussion on Ludwig Wittgenstein:

Śyāmasundara: This morning we are discussing a philosopher called Ludwig Wittgenstein, a contemporary German philosopher. One of his major so-called contributions is what is called a verification principle, which reads, "To understand a proposition means to know what is the case if it is true." That means anyone who wishes to understand a proposition must first know the conditions under which that proposition is true, that is, what information is required by way of evidence of its truth.

Prabhupāda: So the modern world's proposition is that "I am this body." So that is untruth. What does he say about this?

Śyāmasundara: Well, if I claim that I am this body, that means I have to know all of the conditions which make it true that I am this body. Then if all these conditions are true...

Prabhupāda: First of all we must discuss what I am. Then we have to see whether I am this body or not. And what do you mean by "I am"? You are individual, I am individual. How I exact my individuality, and how you exact your individuality? What is the symptom? What is the meaning of "I am"? First of all you have to understand, what do you mean by "I am"? "I am" means my activities, "I am." That is "I am."

Śyāmasundara: My activities.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So try to understand, "I am" means my activities. So how my activities are going on? Presently we can see my activities are going on by the movements of my senses, of the limbs of the body. Therefore we come to the point that the moving force is "I am."

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Śyāmasundara: He would say also that every human being may draw a circle to represent something which is whole and complete.

Prabhupāda: That is religion. These four principles are similar to every living entity. But when you come to the human platform, there is religion. That is not in the animal. That is the distinctive function of the human being. So if human being (is) without any religious principles, he is similar to animal. Dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. Therefore in every group of civilized human society, there is some sort of religion. It may be Hindu religion, Christian religion, Buddhist religion, but tendency is to accept some religion. And religion means understanding of God and our relationship with Him. So the modern civilization, according to Darwin's theory, they are advancing to become animal. That's it. Therefore they are claiming their forefathers are coming from monkeys. That somebody said on the other day, Vivekananda was asked that "Why your Indian forefathers did not come, long years ago?" He answered, "Because your forefathers were jumping in the tree." (laughter) It is very nice answer. "Our forefathers did not come because your forefathers were jumping in the tree."

Śyāmasundara: So this investigation by Jung opened up a new kind of universality in philosophy because it was seen that the same symbols are common to all men, of all religions.

Prabhupāda: As soon as you come to the platform of human being, there is one similarity: religion. It may be under different name. Even in the aborigines, there is religion. Just like Red Indian, they have a religion.

Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:

Śyāmasundara: His idea is that once I understand that whatever I choose, I have to be responsible for that, then I become full of anxiety because I am always thinking I have to choose right in order to enjoy something. If I choose wrongly, I must suffer. I am responsible both ways. So he says this feeling of responsibility makes me always dreading and anxious about the future.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The responsibility is there, certainly, but why you do not take the responsibility of transferring yourself in a safety place where you will have no anxiety? It may be you do not know where is a safety place. But why don't you ask somebody who knows it? Why you are becoming disappointed? As you say that we have got responsibility, why, as a responsible man, so search out somebody who can say you about the safety place where there is no anxiety. We can give. That is called Vaikuṇṭha: no anxiety. Vaikuṇṭha means no anxiety. There is a place.

Śyāmasundara: His claim is that we are tossed into the world and we are abandoned by God; that God is dead.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Abandoned by God does not mean God is dead. You are condemned, that we have admitted, so your condemnation does not mean God is also condemned. God is always, who has condemned you, He is always safe. So He cannot be dead.

Philosophy Discussion on Bertrand Russell:

Dr. Rao: Mental concoction.

Prabhupāda: That's all. May be thoughtful, but mental concoction. There is no basic truth.

Acyutānanda: When science comes to something which is inconceivable, like gravity, they say it's an inconceivable energy which is pulling everything down. But they don't know what that inconceivable energy is. They just put a fancy word on it, they say it is gravity. And then they claim to have discovered it.

Śyāmasundara: So sometimes Bertrand Russell's philosophy is called atomistic logic, because he sought to base all logic at the, in the smallest particle.

Prabhupāda: That is not new. It was discussed in India, paramāṇuvāda, paramāṇuvāda.

Śyāmasundara: What is that?

Prabhupāda: That is atomistic. Atom, paramāṇu. And in the Brahmā-saṁhitā the paramāṇu logic is there, atomic theory. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham. So it is not a new discovery. The paramāṇuvāda, atomic theory, is there already.

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:

Devotee: He more or less admits that he is not a perfect personality.

Prabhupāda: So who he accepts as perfect?

Devotee: He says "I am not happy."

Prabhupāda: Nobody is happy. How you can be happy? No one in this material world can be happy. How you can be, you are also one of them. Why you are claiming a better position? Nobody can be happy. We say nobody can be happy. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Anyone who is living in this material world cannot be happy.

Śyāmasundara: It seems that Skinner should be very ripe(?), or he is very ripe, because he wants it to be a society where it is controlled and it is...

Prabhupāda: So let him come and study the society. He is a philosopher and intelligent. Invite him.

Śyāmasundara: What about this statement? He says that "I can take any person at young age, any person with me, any person, and I can, at random, and I can train him to be any kind of specialist I might select-doctor, lawyer, even beggarman or thief, regardless of his talents or his nature, his tendencies or abilities."

Prabhupāda: So that means training should be given from childhood. That is the whole idea.

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:

Prabhupāda: That is not (indistinct). A new way we cannot. If you want perfection, you must take to Vedic culture, because it is not with the four defects of human beings. Anything introduced for... Just like we are pushing on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and some of the students are falling back. How (indistinct)? That is not the defect of the institution. That is some other power. So people might have fallen from the standard of Vedic culture, but they cannot invent any new one. That is it.

Devotee: That is the same thing we say about the scientific process. The scientific process isn't imperfect, it is just the masters who are imperfect. They claim that the empiric process is perfect. We have not developed it to perfection.

Devotee (2): For instance, they would say if our students are falling back, that is because of the environment.

Prabhupāda: They are not falling back. Some of them (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: Some of them...

Prabhupāda: That is (indistinct) anyway.

Śyāmasundara: So he says that ideally, if our environment was conditioned in such a way that they were rewarded for doing good things and punished for doing bad things, that they would not go away.

Prabhupāda: They would be punished, but they don't care for punishment. Just like it says in the lawbook that if you steal, you'll be arrested, but they don't care for your lawbook, the thief. What can you do? That independence is already there. The lawbook says that if you commit theft you will be punished, and he is actually punished. But if he doesn't care for punishment, then what can you do? Punishment is already there.

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Śyāmasundara: These evolutionists, they consider... They don't think there is a soul. They think that the cow is an organism, and we are just more advanced organisms. So we have the right to slaughter the cow because we are more advanced.

Prabhupāda: Now, tiger is more advanced. He has the right to kill you. Why you say you are advanced? Why you ere claiming that you are advanced? When a tiger is there, he kills you and eats you. He is more advanced.

Śyāmasundara: He is more fit to survive.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Why do they not say like that?

Śyāmasundara: But we have developed high powered rifles to kill tigers.

Prabhupāda: Well, that is defense. So the tiger has also defense: claws and nails. So defense will be... When there is fight between man to man, does it mean because man is highly developed and he will not be killed? When there is fight between man to man there is chance of one being killed. So similarly, when there is fight between tiger and you, one being killed, what is your superiority? Simply nonsensical. Simply nonsensical. Therefore our conclusion, "Simply rascal," is perfect. Anyone who has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is simply rascal. That's all.

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Śyāmasundara: But the urge to improve oneself, to attain the next stage...

Prabhupāda: This is the urge for improvement. Kṛṣṇa says, God says, that "All living entities are My part and parcels." This instruction can be accepted only by human beings, not the cats and dogs. Although He claims that "Every living entity is My part and parcel," the cats and dogs, they have no capacity to understand these, I mean to say, utterances of the Personality of Godhead. Even he has got an ear. You are hearing, a dog may hear. But you can capture; the dog cannot capture. Due to his lower grade of body, he cannot. So in this higher grade of body, the Vedic instructions are there. Now you can make your choice. Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). As Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna that "Whatever you like you can do." So now it depends upon you. If you don't accept the real progressive life, understand Kṛṣṇa and surrender unto Him, then you will go back.

Philosophy Discussion on Plotinus:

Hayagrīva: Plotinus conceives of the soul as having basically two parts: a lower part, directed toward the body, and a higher part, directed toward the spiritual.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is, he is prone to fall down because he is very minute quantity, he is small, so there is tendency of falldown. The same example: the small spark of the fire, because it is very small, sometimes it falls down from the fire. So we become, being very small, minute particle of God, we become entangled by this material, external energy. Just like the example: a less intelligent person, in ignorance, commits criminal activities and he goes to jail. He is not supposed to go to the jail, but on account of his little intelligence or ignorance, he commits something which is criminal. This criminality is done by less intelligent class of men. Similarly, persons who are coming into this material world, they are less intelligent. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. They think that they will be able to enjoy life independently, without Kṛṣṇa. This is less intelligence. Just like a very rich man's son, if he thinks that "If I live independently, without being dependent on father," that is his foolishness. How he can become happy independently, living aside from the father? The supreme father is all-opulent, full of everything, and I am minute only. So if I live under the care of the father, naturally I will live very comfortably, like rich man's son. But if I prefer that I shall live independently, that is my foolishness. So only the fools and rascals they try to remain independent of Kṛṣṇa, and they suffer. That is the consequence. And those who are intelligent, even in the, this material life, by association of devotee and spiritual opportunities, when he comes to this understanding, that "I am son of Kṛṣṇa. He claims, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4), 'I am the father,' so I am the son of Kṛṣṇa, and why I am rotting in this way? Let me go back to my father," that is back to home, back to Godhead—that is intelligence. But so long a living entity remains fools and rascal he suffers in this material world. And as soon as he is intelligent enough... That is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, kṛṣṇa ye bhaje sevā (indistinct): anyone who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is the first-class intelligent man. Without being first-class intelligent man, nobody can come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this training, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, means those who are fortunate, they have come to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This movement is training them how to know perfectly well that he is..., he will be or he is always very, very happy in Kṛṣṇa, not without Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. When practically we see anyone who has given up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they are not happy. I don't find anyone. That's fact. They are not happy. They are rotting in degradation. That is their misfortune, less intelligent.

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas:

Prabhupāda: Yes. As in the material world any form-man or beast or anyone—in the outward, external covering is matter, but within the matter there is the soul. The soul has form and God has form. That is real form. And the material form is simply shirting and coating over the spiritual body.

Hayagrīva: Aquinas gives five arguments for God's existence. The first is that there must be a first cause, a first cause of everything. The second is similar in saying the material world cannot create itself but requires something external or spiritual to bring it into existence. And the third argument claims that because the world exists, there must be a creator capable of bringing it into existence. The fourth states that since there is relative perfection in the world, there must be absolute perfection underlying this relative perfection. And the fifth is the argument from design: because the creation has design and purpose there must be a designer and planner. So at this time they were very concerned with arguments for the existence of God, and Aquinas gave these five.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We also forward these kinds of arguments. Just like we say that there is the mother and the children. The mother is the material world, and there are so many forms of children. So when the mother is existing and the children are existing, then the father must exist. Without father, how there can be children? This is your strongest argument, that these foolish philosophers contemplate without God, or "God is dead," or so many godlessness in different way, but our philosophy is strong on the fact that there must be creator of this family, mother and sons. The father must be there. What are the other arguments?

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas:

Hayagrīva: Concerning law and government, Aquinas believed in the Divine Law, which consisted of the commandments of God given in the Bible. Aquinas felt that human laws also have some moral bearing, and that they also emanate indirectly from God, for he felt that all earthly powers exist by God's permission. Ideally, the Church is God's emissary on earth, and Aquinas considered it proper that the Church control earthly secular power as well. That is, he felt the secular rulers should remain subservient to the Church, and he felt that the Church could excommunicate, that means throw out, a monarch or ruler, in which case the ruler could no longer claim his throne. In other words, that the church has not only spiritual power but secular power on earth. Should have.

Prabhupāda: Yes, because the world activities must be regulated to the ultimate goal, understanding of God. Human civilization is meant for understanding God. So although the Church or the brāhmaṇas may not directly handle administrative activities, but it must be done under their supervision, or under their instruction. That is Vedic system. The brāhmaṇa is the Church, and the kṣatriya, the administrator. So the administrator used to take instruction from the brāhmaṇas, or one who can deliver a spiritual message. This is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, that Kṛṣṇa, millions of years ago, He instructed the message of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god. Sun-god is the origin of administrators, kṣatriya. So therefore the king, or the kṣatriya who administrators the business of the state, if he follows the instruction of veda through the brāhmaṇa or the Church, then he is called rājarṣi-king, and at the same time saintly person. Although he is king, he is following the instruction of saintly person or the Church. So in this way if the brāhmaṇas or the Church are in order, their instruction is in order, and the administrators, kṣatriya, they follow that instruction, he is in order. So the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. Vaiśya, if he follows the instruction of the kṣatriya, he is in order, and śūdras, they have no intelligence; therefore they follow the instruction of the three superior orders. This is the division of the society.

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Hobbes:

Hayagrīva: He says, "Some men have pretended for their disobedience to their sovereign a new covenant or a new agreement with God, made not with men but with God. This also is unjust, for there is no covenant or agreement with God but by mediation of somebody that represents God's person, which none does but God's lieutenant, who has this sovereignty under God." Could a monarch use this argument, which is the argument of divine right, in order to discourage his subjects' rebelling under the pretense that they are communing directly with God? What guidelines are there to assure against this? There was... Wasn't there one king, King Vena, King...?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Vena. So everything depends on the king's accepting the absolute instruction of God. So king, in Vedic civilization, the king was absolutely following the regulation given by God, and it was confirmed by saintly persons, sages. Then it was executed; not whimsically. There was advisory board of the monarchy always. They were not politician, diplomat, but they were all saintly person, knew very well the Vedas, and they used to guide the monarch. Therefore the monarch is absolute governing body. The ministers were helping, but the king was educated by God's direct instruction, as Kṛṣṇa said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān. Vivasvān, the sun-god, there are tradition two kṣatriya family—one from the sun-god and one from the moon-god. Sūrya-vaṁśa and candra-vaṁśa. The kṣatriyas in India, they claim. And that is a fact, because we see that Sūrya, sun-god, is the original kṣatriya. From him came Manu, Vaivasvata Manu. This is the age of Vaivasvata Manu, and from him came his son, Ikṣvāku. So by the paramparā system, if we take Kṛṣṇa's instruction... Kṛṣṇa's instruction is already there. If the governments all over the world take Kṛṣṇa's instruction, then every government will be perfect and there will be no disturbance of peace and happiness. That will be perfect world. Kṛṣṇa has given instruction in all fields of activities. Simply we have to take it practically. But the people are so foolish that instead of taking the standard way of living, they are manufacturing on account of their demonic tendency. They, the head of the state, they are degraded, either individually or collectively, so how there can be good government? If they become perfect according to the instruction of God, then everything will be perfect.

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Prabhupāda: But gold, they say, if he says gold is there, whose gold it is?

Hayagrīva: He says the first-comer...

Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all you go and say... First of all you become proprietor. But who is the actual proprietor of the gold, when you did not go? You may go first and claim proprietorship, but the gold was there. So whose property it is? Gold was there. Who made that gold? Who kept that gold? This question must be there.

Hayagrīva: He says it's mine because I put my will into it.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. It is mine, you have first gone there, accept it. But who kept the gold there? Who made the gold there? And if somebody else made the gold and kept the gold, you go first and capture it, then you are a thief. Is it not? I have kept something there, and somebody comes by says, "It is mine," then he is a thief, because the gold is already there, it's kept by somebody. You did not take his permission; you simply claimed, "Because I have come first, I am the proprietor." You are not proprietor. But if the gold was kept there for taking part of it to enjoy it by everyone, and you take it by might—"I have come here first"—then you are a thief; you are not a philosopher. You have no sense who kept that gold, who manufactured that gold—you do not take his permission. Because you have come first, therefore you become proprietor—then you are not a philosopher; you are thief, ordinary thief. "Might is right," "I have come" philosophy. "Therefore I am proprietor."

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Hayagrīva: Because I will it to be mine... He says because I come first and will it to be mine, it is mine.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. By force you can do that, you are doing that.

Hayagrīva: And I can relinquish it because I can will to relinquish it.

Prabhupāda: But first thing is that if you have got will, but reasonable will, first of all you have to think, "Who has kept this gold here? I am claiming proprietorship simply by coming here, but who has kept this gold here?" Why don't you think like that? What kind of human being you are?

Hayagrīva: A final point: he believed that man should have the freedom to choose his occupation. He writes, "In the Platonic state, subjective freedom was of no account. Since the..."

Prabhupāda: That means there are already different occupations, and you have freedom to select one of them. But the occupation is already there, created by somebody else. You have the freedom to make a choice. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam: (BG 4.13) "I have created these four principles of occupational duties." Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Now, if according to your qualification you can make a selection, "I, I like this occupation." But the occupation is already there. Just like a shopkeeper, he has got varieties of goods. The customer goes, he can say, "I like this." "All right, you can take it. This is the price." Similarly, the occupational duties are already there. The (indistinct) are already there. That is created by God. Now you can select one of them according to the price you can pay.

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Hayagrīva: But Kṛṣṇa is present nonetheless.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is always present, but if when you hold a ceremony, garbhādhāna ceremony, that "I am going to have sex with my wife for begetting a Kṛṣṇa conscious child," then you remember Kṛṣṇa. And at the time of sex, the mentality of the father and mother, that is acquired by the child. There is rules and regulation for garbhādhāna ceremony, and in the Bhāgavata you will find that as soon as a..., the..., one gives up the garbhādhāna ceremony, he is a śūdra. So who is observing this garbhādhāna ceremony at the present moment? Therefore everyone is śūdra. Kalau śūdra-sambhavāḥ. Everyone is born as śūdra. The father and mother gave birth as śūdra. So this birthright of brāhmaṇa is no longer in this day. Even they falsely claim, "Because I am born of a brāhmaṇa father I am brāhmaṇa," that śāstra will not support. Whether garbhādhāna ceremony was performed? And nowadays, especially, who knows that he is son of a brāhmaṇa? The woman is intermingling with everyone, and who has given birth of the child? Whether he is actually a brāhmaṇa's son, a śūdra's son, who knows it? So how he can claim, by birthright, a brāhmaṇa? That is not possible. Therefore everyone is śūdra. But he can be trained as a brāhmaṇa. That is pāñcarātrikī-vidhi. We are following this pāñcarātrikī-vidhi, not Vedic vidhi. Vedic vidhi is different. Pāñcarātrikī. By training. He has got little tendency, little fire, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. All right, fan it, make the fire bigger than this. But if he gives up the firing process, he remains fire, but he will go unfinished. (Sanskrit), that a small seed, you sow it and regularly pour water... Just like Govinda dāsī introduced this Tulasī. She is responsible for introducing Tulasī in the Western countries.

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: The very word is this kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. One who has amassed the resultant action of pious activities for many millions of births, that he can have this position.

Hayagrīva: Six pages later, Alexander writes, "The community is one of cooperation. The individual is sustained by trusting God, but he wants and claims the help of God as the child his father's, and in turn God reciprocates the worship man pays Him and the confidence he reposes in Him."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: Yes. He says that six pages after he says God does not reciprocate. "There is no such reciprocation from God."

Prabhupāda: But here he says reciprocate.

Hayagrīva: He says there's reciprocation. That's what's confusing. But he goes on further to say, "There's always the double relationship of need. If man wants God and depends upon Him, God wants man and is so far dependent."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone is dependent. There is no question about it.

Hayagrīva: But how is God dependent on man?

Prabhupāda: Not. God is not dependent, but...

Hayagrīva: No, but that, he seemed to be saying that.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Hayagrīva: He says, "If man wants God and depends upon Him, God wants man and is so far dependent."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That, that is acceptable in this sense, that God is independent thoroughly, but sometimes He wants to become dependent. That is His pleasure. And He accepts some of His devotee so that He can depend upon. Just like Mother Yaśodā, that God became dependent on Mother Yaśodā. Unless Mother Yaśodā allows God to suck her breast, God will die. God is thinking like that, and He is crying. That is God's pleasure, that everyone is dependent on Him, and He is not dependent on anyone, so in order to derive this pleasure how a dependent child enjoys the care of mother, He accept to become a son of a devotee.

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner and Henry David Thoreau:

Hayagrīva: His most famous book was Walden II, which was... Thoreau lived in Walden, Henry Thoreau. He lived alone. It was a solitary experiment of plain living and high thinking. He writes, "We practice the Thoreauvian principle of avoiding unnecessary possessions." Thoreau pointed out that the average Concord laborer worked ten or fifteen hours of his..., fifteen years of his life just to have a roof over his head. We could say ten weeks and be on the safe side. Food is plentiful and healthful but not expensive." So he goes on to say that "We strike for economic freedom, we do not believe in unnecessary consumption, we consume less than the average American." So it's an attempt to construct a society somewhat similar to New Vrindaban, with the exception of no spiritual basis as such.

Prabhupāda: That is primitive life, jungle life. Monkey civilization. Of course they claim to be descendant of monkey, that they will go on like that. But that is not human civilization, to keep the monkey in the jungle. We want life, very peaceful life without any unnecessary, what is called, necessities. That is all right. But the aim should be spiritual perfection. Therefore the first thing is what is the aim of life, that should be ascertained. Without aim, if you lounge on this ocean, where you are going? That is useless attempt. We must first of all know what is the aim of life. These people, they do not know what is the aim of life. Simply, superficially they are trying to adjust, "This will be done, this will be done." No. These are all mental speculation. First of all you must know what is the aim of life, and to this, to that direction, we have to adjust things. That is perfection.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Gauranga Bolite Habe -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

Kṛṣṇa consciousness under the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself and He is teaching people how to become Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Kṛṣṇa, He personally spoke about Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā, but people who are not very intelligent, who are described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍha... Mūḍha means rascal. And duṣkṛtina, miscreant, and narādhama. Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. Such persons cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. But still, Kṛṣṇa was so merciful that in order to claim all these people, means the lowest of mankind, miscreant, and fools, and rascals, rejected, so He came in the form of Lord Caitanya to reclaim them. So God is so merciful that even some persons cannot understand Him... First thing is people cannot understand actually what is God, but God comes Himself to explain Himself. Still, they commit mistake. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes as a devotee to teach us about Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Purport to Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu -- Los Angeles, January 11, 1969:

But here, in this incarnation, Lord Caitanya, although He's Kṛṣṇa Himself, He makes no condition. He simply distributes, "Take love of Kṛṣṇa." Therefore Lord Caitanya is approved as the most munificent incarnation, and Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that "Please be merciful upon me. You are so magnanimous because You have seen the fallen souls of this age, and You are very much compassionate upon them. But you should know also that I am the most fallen. Nobody is a greater fallen than me." Patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra. "Your incarnation is just to reclaim the conditioned souls, fallen souls. But I assure You that You will not find a greater fallen than me. Therefore my claim is first."

Purport to Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu -- Los Angeles, January 11, 1969:

So "My dear Advaita Prabhu, the husband of Sītā, please You also be kind upon me because if You become kind upon me, then naturally Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda also will be kind upon me." The reason is that actually, Advaita Prabhu invited Lord Caitanya to come down. When Advaita Prabhu saw the fallen souls, they are all engaged simply in sense gratificatory processes without understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness, He felt very much compassionate upon the fallen souls, and He felt Himself as incapable of claiming all these fallen souls. He therefore prayed to Lord Kṛṣṇa that "You come Yourself. Without Your personal presence, it is not possible to deliver these fallen souls." So by His invitation Lord Caitanya appeared. "Naturally..." Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays Advaita Prabhu that "If You be kind upon me, naturally Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda also will be kind upon me."