Devil

Expressions researched:
"devil" |"devil's" |"devilish" |"devils"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.13.3-4, Purport:

A demon of the name Jaṭāsura kidnapped her, but her second husband, Bhīmasena, killed the demon and saved her. She saved the Pāṇḍavas from the curse of Maharṣi Durvāsā by the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa. When the Pāṇḍavas lived incognito in the palace of Virāṭa, Kīcaka was attracted by her exquisite beauty, and by arrangement with Bhīma the devil was killed and she was saved.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.2.7, Purport:

No one can remain vacant of thought. It is said that an idle brain is a devil's workshop because a person who cannot think in the right way must think of something which may bring about disaster.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.14.27, Translation:

Although no one in the material world is equal to or greater than Lord Śiva, and although his unimpeachable character is followed by great souls to dismantle the mass of nescience, he nevertheless remains as if a devil to give salvation to all devotees of the Lord.

SB 3.14.27, Purport:

Lord Śiva's uncivilized, devilish characteristics are never abominable because he teaches the sincere devotees of the Lord how to practice detachment from material enjoyment. He is called Mahādeva, or the greatest of all demigods, and no one is equal to or greater than him in the material world.

SB 3.14.27, Purport:

Although he (Lord Śiva) always associates with Māyā, Durgā, he is above the reactionary stage of the three modes of material nature, and although he is in charge of devilish characters in the mode of ignorance, he is not affected by such association.

SB 3.14.29, Translation:

Demigods like Brahmā also follow the religious rites observed by him. He is the controller of the material energy, which causes the creation of the material world. He is great, and therefore his devilish characteristics are simply imitation.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.2.28, Purport:

Besides that, among the worshipers of Lord Śiva there is a section who live a devilish life.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.1.40, Purport:

They do not know that without God consciousness one is forced to continue transmigrating from one body to another. Because of their devilish brains, they will next be forced to accept an abominable life and practically never be able to liberate themselves from the conditional life of material existence.

SB 10.1.44, Purport:

One should give up the company of devils, demons and nondevotees and should always associate with devotees and saintly persons.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.28-29 -- London, July 22, 1973:

The king's business is to see that everyone in the country, they are properly employed and engaged in his own business. That is king's business. There was no question of unemployment. This is government's first business. Because if a person is unemployed, then the devil's workshop. Devil's, work... If he hasn't got to do anything... That is being done now. Rich man's son, he hasn't got to do anything, so his brain is devil's workshop.

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

A brāhmaṇa is employed, a kṣatriya is employed, a vaiśya is employed. Otherwise, if they are unemployed, idle brain, then idle brain will be devil's workshop. That is happening.

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

Karma means work. One should not think that "Because I am not this body, so I shall cease to work." No. You cannot cease to work. If you cease to work, then idle brain will be a devil's workshop. No. We have to work.

Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:

Everyone is employed. It is the duty of the government to see that everyone is engaged. Otherwise, idle brain will manufacture devil's brain. They will manufacture so many things, and there will be chaos.

Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:

Just like in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, we are simply after the people, whether he is engaged or not. There must be engagement. If one remains idle, then it will be devil's workshop. Immediately māyā will dictate, "Do this, do this nonsense, do that nonsense, do that nonsense."

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

And it is the duty of the government to see that nobody is unemployed. Then it will be devil's workshop. There will be so much movement, Communist movement, this movement, that movement, because everyone is not employed. The unemployment, devil's workshop, that is breeding so many isms and that... Otherwise, if anyone is engaged into work, his brain will not be a devil's workshop. He will work something.

Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:

Just like a child... Child is playing all day and doing mischief in the house, and... So he cannot be stopped mischief-doing. He must be given some engagement. If he's given some engagement, some playthings, and if his attention is diverted there, then he'll stop mischief-making in the house. Otherwise, idle brain, devil's workshop. He will go on, go on. So therefore we must have spiritual engagement. Simple understanding that "I am spirit soul" will not help me.

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

By nature we are living entities, we must act. It is not possible to stop activities. So just like it is said, "An idle brain is a devil's workshop." So if we have no good engagement, then you will have to engage yourself in something nonsense.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Bombay, February 19, 1974:

But this cheating propensity is there. One is a nonsense number one, but he speaks. "Devils cite scripture." That we do not accept. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement does not accept the scripture cited by the Devil. Therefore we have accepted Kṛṣṇa, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the only challenge to this devilish life of the human society. So I request everyone to study this philosophy very carefully and take advantage of it.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa says that "You must be engaged in some work. You cannot sit idle. That is not good." "Idle brain is a devil's workshop." Kṛṣṇa never said that "My dear Arjuna, you are My first-class devotee. Now you sit down and I'll do everything for you." No. Kṛṣṇa never said.

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

Not a single man should remain unemployed. He must be engaged in some employment as a brāhmaṇa, as a kṣatriya, as a śūdra or as a vaiśya. Otherwise, idle brain will be devil's workshop. Therefore, in spite of so much educational propaganda in the Western countries, the young men are coming to become hippies. Because there is no proper training.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:

But you cannot stop working. That is not possible. Then your idle brain will be devil's workshop. Yes. Then you will fall down, "How to go to that woman? How to go to that man?" If you stop working, then you have to work again to sense gratification. That's all.

Lecture on SB 2.3.20-21 -- Los Angeles, June 17, 1972:

There is a story that a, a group of thieves, they plundered some booty, some property, somewhere, and then, out of the town, they were dividing. So one of the thieves was speaking, "Please divide the property morally." Now, the property's stolen property, and they are speaking of "morally." Devil recites scripture. Similarly, you Americans, you have come from Europe, you have stolen this property. Now you are speaking of morality.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:

A saintly person, mahānta, will not speak anything which is not mentioned in the śāstra. If somebody manufactures, he's a devil.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Chicago, July 6, 1975:

This was the ruler's business to see. And to see that nobody is unemployed, nobody is a devil's workshop. Because if you have no business, no occupation, then your brain will plan something.

Lecture on SB 6.1.44 -- Los Angeles, July 25, 1975:

So if you are not engaged in good work, then you must act badly. That is natural. You have to work. Therefore idle brain is devil's workshop. If you are sitting idly, then brain also will work, mind also will work. The bodily function will go. So if you don't engage yourself in good work, then you must be engaged in bad work.

Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- New Orleans Farm, August 1, 1975:

We require material necessities as much as it is required, no artificial life. That is spiritual life. Simply increasing artificial life, even for shaving, a big machine is required. What is this? Simply wasting time. Devil's workshop. Make life very simple. And simple living, high thinking, and always conscious to go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa. That is life.

Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:

Guest (1): What about his soul? Did God welcome it to paradise or soul are always in the air and makes people think that he is a devil's man too?

Devotee: If a man does not understand God in this lifetime, is he still accepted by God? What he is hearing does not come...

Prabhupāda: God is everywhere, and God is with you also. God knows you, and He is trying to guide you. But you do not know Him.

Lecture on SB 7.9.2 -- Mayapur, February 12, 1977:

Pāṣaṇḍi means devil, or nondevotee. Abhaktā hīna cara. Be careful not to mix with nondevotee who imagines about God. They do not believe in God actually. This pāṣaṇḍi means who do not believe in God.

Lecture on SB 7.12.4 -- Bombay, April 15, 1976:

Our consciousness is developed. But because in this age, material world, we have no spiritual idea, so whatever power we have got in thinking, we are trying to increase artificially material way of life. "The idle brain is a devil's workshop."

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Mao Tse Tung:

Śyāmasundara: Some Christians say that in the mind there is a struggle between God and the devil, and this conflict is always continually going on.

Prabhupāda: No, no. That is wrong thing. God does not come down to your mind, God and devil. That is mind's action. Sometimes he accepts, sometimes he rejects. So either you can say God and devil or whatever. That is mind's business. But that is not final conclusion. When you apply your intelligence with reference to the sādhu and śāstra and make a conclusion, that is right.

Philosophy Discussion on Mao Tse Tung:

Revatīnandana: They will say "That cannot be done."

Prabhupāda: Why it cannot be done? Search out the cause. You don't want to die, but you are being forced to die. First of all, answer this problem. Otherwise, "Devils cite scripture." You first of all become perfect. Why you remain a devil? How you can cite scripture?

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 14, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ (BG 7.28). One who has finished sinful activities, he can be engaged in God consciousness. One who is engaged in sinful activities, he cannot. Devil citing scripture. A devīl cannot cite scripture. Angel can cite scripture. And according to our ācāryas, Sanātana Gosvāmī, he says that "Don't hear scriptures from the devīl." Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtaṁ śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam." If a devīl's preaching about God, don't hear." If you say, "God is pure, so let me hear about God. It doesn't matter whether he is devīl or angel. It doesn't matter." No. The argument is sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payo yathā. Just like milk is very nourishing food, but if it is touched by the lips, by the tongue of a serpent, it becomes poison. Sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payo yathā. You cannot bring the milk which is touched by the serpent's tongue. So we should receive knowledge of God, message of God, from a person who is not a devīl. Then it will be effective.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation Including Discussion on SB 4.13.48 to SB 4.14.11 -- January 18, 1972, Jaipur:

Prabhupāda: But naturally when one man becomes idle, idle brain is the devil's workshop. So if he can get... Just like rich man's son, they become. Everyone has got experience in every country. When he has no difficulty to get money, then what he will do? He will simply drink or invent some means of intoxication, naked dance.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 26, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Idle brain is a devil's workshop. If they're not directed, then think like devil. We are thinking rightly because we are taking direction from Kṛṣṇa, the most perfect.

Morning Walk -- April 30, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Idle brain is a devils' workshop. Because they have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their brain is a workshop of the devil. That's all.

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Paramahaṁsa: In Newsweek Magazine-it's the largest magazine in the United States—there was an article about the degradation of Christianity, and they summarized it with a cartoon, a picture of the devil, you know māyā. This is their image of māyā. And he was causing earthquakes. There was a very large earthquake in South America. It killed many thousands of people. So they attribute this to māyā. And right next to them was a picture of Richard Nixon, because he is a very famous, you know... He presents himself as a follower of Christ. And he's bombing Southeast Asia.

Prabhupāda: "Thou shalt not kill."

Paramahaṁsa: Yeah. And the devil turned to Richard Nixon and said, "It's hell keeping up with Christians."

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes, people will criticize like that. People are becoming advanced.

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Paramahaṁsa: The one who wrote Paradise Lost, Milton, he also wrote a poem which said that, "A working man is nothing but a devil's slave."

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's it.

Room Conversation with Reporter from Researchers Magazine -- July 24, 1973, London:

Reporter: And therefore it is no more hiṁsā. But when the devilish...

Prabhupāda: And actually it is not hiṁsā.

Reporter: Actually it is not hiṁsā, exactly, but...

Prabhupāda: Just like father gives a slap.

Reporter: Yeah, it is not hiṁsā.

Prabhupāda: It is not hiṁsā.

Room Conversation with Reporter from Researchers Magazine -- July 24, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: This is going on. If you want to speak your own word, why you take Bhagavad-gītā? How much, aḥ, devilish mentality. You want to speak your own philosophy-speak. Why you take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā? But that is going on. They take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā and speak their all nonsense things.

Room Conversation with Indian Ambassador -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm:

Ambassador: That's what Shakespeare said, sir, "The devil can quote the scripture for his purpose."

Prabhupāda: That's it. Yes. That's a fact. Yes, why you should try to introduce your philosophy... Now, say, for Gandhi's non-violence. Where is non-violence in Bhagavad-gītā.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 12, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Then... The first thing is that we should see that everyone is engaged. How he should be engaged, that requires leadership. But the first business is to engage everyone. Nobody should be without engagement. Then it will be idle worse, works... What do you call? Idle brain is devil's workshop. And the devil is kāminī-kāñcana, woman and money. This is devil. So if you remain idle, then you shall think of devil. So we should see that everyone is engaged properly.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Yes. By spinning thread, then you make cloth. Without any price. You grow your cotton and have your cloth. So by machine, they have created so many idle brain, and therefore hippies are coming out, problem. This is the result of this. Because they have created this machine, not everyone is employed, so he must become a hippie. Idle brain is a devil's workshop.

Morning Walk -- May 29, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Means idle brain, devil's workshop. They are thinking, "In this way we shall be happy." Then they will plan another thing, another thing, and everything will be broken. It is same childish play like that.

Room Conversation with Scientists -- July 2, 1974, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: There is immense land. So there will be no question of unemployment. And the machine, it works hundreds of men's labor and hundreds of men become unemployed. So unemployed means devil's workshop.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (break) Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra, janma sārthaka kari (CC Adi 9.41). "First of all, you become perfect." If you are a devil, you cannot do it. The devil and divine. Divine means spiritually advanced, and devil means materially advanced. And because we are manufacturing divine, the devils are afraid of it. The devils do not like this movement. (Someone drives by:) Jaya. So just see, automatically they are offering respect. That means we are infecting them.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes, they are offering respects. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So we have to create divine because the world is full of devils.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But we have to be divine ourselves.

Prabhupāda: Unless you become divine, how you can convert others to divine? If you are devil, you will convert others to become devil, that's all. (break) ...most beautiful.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Don't go outside the fire. Then you keep yourself warm. And temperature increase exactly like fire. That is required. That is the motto of our Back to Godhead: "Godhead is light, nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience." That is the beginning of our movement. Keep Kṛṣṇa always. Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14). Then you remain Kṛṣṇized. And as soon as you give it up, then think of devils. This is going on.

Room Conversation with Dr. John Mize -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Dr. John Mize: The question that bothers me in part is then why would the soul... Because I understand your conception that the soul is part of the spiritual sky originally or part of God, and it somehow falls out of this blissful condition due to pride, much like the Christian thesis that the devil fell out of heaven due to pride. And it seems puzzling why the soul would be so silly, so foolish, so insane, as to do such a thing.

Prabhupāda: That is his independence.

Room Conversations -- July 26, 1975, Laguna Beach:

Prabhupāda: They have got easy income, and they are not working. And because there is no proper work, they are becoming hippies. They are manufacturing independence. "Idle brain is a devil's workshop." This human psychology is the same everywhere. In India many rich men's son, until he has spoiled his father's whole money, he is restless. And when he is turned to a beggar, then he is satisfied.

Room Conversation -- July 31, 1975, New Orleans:

Prabhupāda: When Kṛṣṇa has made so many varieties there is some purpose. That one should understand. That is intelligence. You can organize these farms very nicely. Then this devil's workshop will stop.

Nityānanda: What will stop?

Prabhupāda: The devil's workshop, without proper engagement there is devil's workshop.

Morning Walk -- October 3, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: They do not go to the church, but they come to us for arguing with Bible. Just see. What is the meaning? Their churches have closed, nobody goes, and they come to argue with us with Bible. That means "The Devil cites scripture." They are devils, and they are quoting from Bible.

Morning Walk -- October 21, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: And to kill, that is very human. Rascal. Kick them upon their face. You rascal, you are talking of morality, rascal, you go to hell. Your place is hell. "Devil citing scripture." You are not... You are so shameless that you do not be ashamed to speak like that.

Morning Walk -- October 21, 1975, Johannesburg:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: This idea of the "devil citing scripture," Prabhupāda, is very common.

Prabhupāda: Devils, all devils.

Morning Walk -- October 21, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: How they are religious?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They cite scripture.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) The scripture is also devilish. What is these marks?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- May 1, 1976, Fiji:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That's a fact. You've said in the past, "Devil citing scripture."

Prabhupāda: Yes. They're eating meat. They have no even human sense. What is that religion? They have no even sense that "I am cutting throat of one poor animal under my protection.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: The animals should be slaughtered. Do the father like that if this son is useless, it cannot do any service, so another big son says, "I'll finish him"? The father will like that? So where is that communism? All selfish motive. That's all. Rascal. And devils citing scripture, philosophy. Rascal citing philosophy. He's a rascal. Let him accept that God is... First of all his business is "No God." His only business is "No God." First of all, mother, father is not needed, that's all.

Room Conversation (Bullock Cart SKP) -- September 12, 1976, Vrndavana:

Lokanātha: They're chanting and they're so happy and they're going back to village.

Prabhupāda: Very good life. Very good life. The village life. Provided he has got proper engagement. Otherwise his mind will be disturbed, and he'll seek after wine, after women, after this, after that. Devil's workshop.

Preparation for Gita Pratisthana -- December 9, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Similarly, whenever there is scarcity of supply or scarcity of food, it is not due to overpopulation. It is due to overcriminality or over-sinful activities, due to over-sinful activities, not overpopulation. It is a bogus theory. That is stated, tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān (BG 16.19). Those who are devils, who are demons...

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 28, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Otherwise, idle brain, devil's workshop. You should not remain idle. Either chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or read books. Have class. This is not good.

Room Conversation -- February 4, 1977, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: And Christ said, "To the humble and meek, God is available." It is not begging. You do not know what is this culture. You have your own culture, devil's culture, to kill even one's own child. How you'll understand what is this culture?

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: (chuckling) "Idle brain, devil's workshop." Then?

Room Conversation -- April 19, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So what is this yoga? (laughs) Sanjay Gandhi's yoga, just see. A rogue, devil, he is practicing yoga. His mother was practicing also yoga, the same.

Conversation: 'How to Secure Brahmacaris' -- June 24, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Why unemployment? This is disastrous, unemployment. As soon as there is unemployment, there are so many devils. They'll plan. And the first plan will come-wine and woman. So we want to save the society from this downfall.

Room Conversation Varnasrama -- July 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Timothy Leary.

Prabhupāda: Ha, ha. What is his position now?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I haven't heard about him in the last few years. He's in and out of jail, I think. I saw one time he was just getting out of jail. It just shows... I think he was a big professor at Harvard. So the idle mind, devil's workshop. So he used his big brain for making this LSD. That's the value of this Ph.D. degree.

Prabhupāda: He was Ph.D.?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yeah. Big personality.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Gandhi Memorial Fund -- Calcutta 5 July, 1949:

A part of this movement is the harijana movement. The harijana means the God's man or the godly man as distinguished from the satanic devils. How a man of satanic principles can be turned in to a God's man is enunciated in the Bhagavad-gita.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Kirtanananda, Hayagriva -- Montreal 23 August, 1968:

I am so glad to learn that you are feeling too much engagement in New Vrindaban, and this a spiritual inspiration. Our society should never be a devil's workshop, but it should be certainly the most magnificent platform for spiritual activities.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Jagadisa -- Bombay 17 November, 1970:

A Krsna Conscious person is only interested in serving the Lord faithfully and he has got no other extraneous thought. His intelligence is always engaged in finding out the best way to execute loving transcendental service to Krsna and therefore he has no time for idleness. An idle mind is the devil's workshop—is a true remark. We should always remember that Maya and Krsna are side by side, just like light and darkness stand side by side. If one is not in the sunshine or light, then he is ipso facto in darkness.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Syamasundara -- Bombay 1 April, 1974:

The meat eater class may not be encouraged but if they are stubbornly attached they can eat hogs and dogs or goats or lambs under certain conditions only, but not by maintaining slaughterhouses. Then human society will be very peaceful and everyone engaged in employment without producing any idle brains which only are devils workshops. If England and America as well as France and Germany can understand this philosophy there will be great theistic revolution which will counteract the atheistic philosophy of Marxism.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Patita Uddharana -- Bombay 10 January, 1975:

Impure atmosphere can be counteracted by having kirtanas twice and thrice daily with dancing. So, keep the atmosphere very peacefully. Go on chanting and hold classes in Bhagavatam, etc. Don't allow anyone to engage in eating and sleeping alone or the devil's workshop will develop.

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Nityananda -- Bombay 12 April, 1977:

Yes, if our householders cannot distribute books, then let them live in the farm communities. They can produce thread for cloth, spinning, and other such activities. But they must do something, not sit idly, for an idle brain is the devil's workshop.

Letter to Nalinikanta -- Bombay 18 April, 1977:

Unless the books are written by a PhD we do not want it. We are not going to be able to print the books you have suggested. There is no need for such books. Instead of writing simply read my books. That will be better for you. Whatever free time you have engage in reading my books. Otherwise, an idle mind is a devil's workshop.