Do not know how (Lectures, Other)

Expressions researched:
"did not know how" |"do not know how" |"does not know how" |"doesn't know how" |"don't know how"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "did not know how" or "do not know how" or "doesn't know how" or "don't know how" or "does not know how" not "did not know how to" not "do not know how to" not "don't know how to" not "does not know how to"

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 4, 1973:

Prabhupāda: His representative is also friend for everyone. As Kṛṣṇa comes, descends to reclaim all fallen souls back to home, back to Godhead, similarly His representative, devotee, he also approaches everyone, tries to get him back to home, back to Godhead. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Even to the animals... Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered a dog. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's party was going to Jagannātha Purī. A dog was follow, following. So that dog was delivered because he followed the devotees. There are many instances like that. What is this? Read it.

Pradyumna: "At the present moment, the human society teaches one how to love his country or family or his personal self..."

Prabhupāda: Yes. We have got a propensity to love, but we do not know, do not know how our love can be perfect. That we do not know. That perfection is possible when you love Kṛṣṇa. Acyutejyā. Sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā.

yathā tarormūla-niṣecanena

tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ

prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇāṁ

tatha(iva) sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā

They're, this secret, they do not know. But factually that is the fact. Just like we are in this old age, we are wandering all over the world to see that "Let everyone become happy by Kṛṣṇa consciousness." It is not that we love only our countrymen, only Hindus, or Bengalis, or Madrasis, or... No. We love everyone, even the animals. But because human beings can understand the Kṛṣṇa philosophy, therefore we hold meetings of the human beings. But still, whenever we get opportunity, we give protection to the animals. We give them prasādam.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

Yes. And America, just the contrary. You can purchase any amount of milk, any amount of wheat, any amount of rice—whatever you want. Everything, everything is complete. So many stores, so many stock. And still, their production is so great that government restricts, "Don't produce crops. Don't produce crops." They bribe the farmer that "Don't produce." And I think the land, America, not even one fourth of the land is utilized. If they utilized the whole land, I do not know how much they can produce. I think they can feed the whole world if they utilize. Similarly, I have seen in Australia. Similarly, I have seen in Africa-enough land is lying without cultivation. So God has given us the capacity to cultivate, to produce food. We can produce food, enough quantity. There is no question of scarcity. The scarcity is due to our godlessness. Otherwise, by God's arrangement, pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). It is pūrṇam. Everything is complete. Just like nature, nature's produces. Sometimes in some season we see there is ample productions of mangoes, and sometimes there is no mango. So after all, it is in the hand of nature, prakṛti. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Prakṛti is producing, producing; prakṛti is reducing; and behind the prakṛti there is Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). So just become devotee of Kṛṣṇa and do your duty. Svanuṣṭhitaḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṇ-manobhiḥ. Then everything will be complete. There will be no scarcity. This philosophy, they do not know. They want to... Like Kaṁsa, they want to make minus Kṛṣṇa. Like Rāvaṇa, they want to make minus Rāma, and the result is that with their all family, all their wealth and everything, material advance—vanquished, finished. That is prakṛti. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972:

Arjuna was engaged in the platform of sakhyam. So they were also working very hard. The Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, it was not a place of sitting down very easily and silently. When he was fighting, he was fighting just like a soldier. He took all the duties of a soldier. But it was being fought for Kṛṣṇa. That is the attraction. That is pure devotional service. Kṛṣṇa also gave him certificate: bhakto 'si priyo 'si (BG 4.3). "My dear Arjuna, you are My dear friend and devotee." So by any action, if it is dovetailed for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is devotional service, and one can attract Kṛṣṇa, attention of Kṛṣṇa. Attention of Kṛṣṇa can be attracted by pure devotional service, without any personal motive. If it is... And that motive, that order, is received through the disciplic succession of the spiritual master, how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. In the present condition, we do not know how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased, but we know from the śāstras... We can know also from the direction of the spiritual master how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. So Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says you have to follow the direction of the spiritual master. He's guiding as a leader. And if he's pleased, that means Kṛṣṇa is pleased. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **.

So devotional service is the only way. Karmī, karmī means they are working very hard for their personal benefit. Not for Kṛṣṇa's benefit. Similarly, jñānīs, they are also trying for personal benefit, mukti. He wants mukti, liberation, nirbheda-brahmānu-sandhana. And similarly, yogis also, they want personal benefit, some material power, aṣṭa-siddhi-yoga, aṇimā-laghimā-siddhi. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. Caitanya-caritāmṛta Kaja says except pure devotee, who only wants to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, everyone is working for his personal benefit, karmī, jñānī, yogi. But Kṛṣṇa says, "Pure devotional service..." Not... Rūpa Gosvāmī says, "Pure devotional service is the only means to attract Kṛṣṇa." Now... But ignorance is no excuse. Go on reading. Next. "Generally, one commits sinful activities..."

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 31, 1973:

"There is a similar prayer by the nāga-patnī (wives of the Kāliya serpent), in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixteenth Chapter, verse 33. The nāga-patnī say there, 'My dear Lord, the dust of Your lotus feet is very wonderful. Any person who is fortunate enough to achieve this dust does not care for heavenly planets, lordship over all the planetary systems, the mystic perfections of yoga or even liberation from the material existence. In other words, anyone who adores the dust of Your lotus feet does not care a fig for all other perfectional stages.' "

Prabhupāda: This was spoken by the nāga-patnī when Kāliya was being punished by Lord Kṛṣṇa, kicking over his head. So this prayer was offered, that "For Your dust of Your lotus feet, so many great sages are hankering after, and they do not care for even liberation, simply to get Your, that dust of the lotus feet. We do not know how much this fortunate snake is, that he's automatically getting the dust. You are kicking on his head. We do not know what did he do in his previous life that he's so fortunate."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1974:

That is..., you will be forced. Suppose you are very in exalted position, you are minister or king or some..., but you'll not be allowed to stay. But these foolish persons, they do not know. They do not try to understand that "What is my next position?" Therefore they are called mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vi... Madman doing, he does not know what is the ultimate goal because they do not know that there is life after death. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). They do not know that. Therefore they are mad after this sense gratification.

Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says that na sādhu manye. He was instructing His sons, "My dear boys, this kind of life, irresponsible life, to do anything and everything for sense gratification, is not very good." Why? "Now, because you are creating another body." You have already got experience of this body. It is full of miseries, adhyātmikā, adhi (?), adhibhautika, three kinds of miserable condition of life. Beyond that, there is ultimate miseries. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). But they are so rascals, they do not know how death taking place, what is after death, what is mṛtyu, what is death, what is birth, what is disease, whether they can be cured, when one can be free from all these troubles. They do not bother.

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

Who was speaking? Yes, yes, Nikhilananda. He has discussed in that Vivekananda's speech that man is God. But somebody asks, "Why he has become dog?" "Oh," he says, "I do not know." So God says, "I do not know." He's such a God. And that is clearly written. Have you got that book? God, God, God... The followers of Śaṅkarācārya say that "I am God. There is no other God. Every one of us God." Then why you have become dog? "Oh, that I do not know." Is that God's, I mean to say, answer? If I ask if you are God, if I answer you, "Why you are dog?" you say, "I do not know," so are you God? God does not know? Well, God description is there in Parāśara-sūtra that He is full of all knowledge. That is God. And God says, "I do not know"? How he is...? What kind of God he is? That is clearly stated here. Why you have become dog? "I do not know. But I am God." He knows, "I am God," but he does not know why he has become dog. That is his knowledge. You'll find so many fallacies like this. How do you know that you are God? "That also I do not know." What is this? Is this any argument?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.149-50 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:

So here the Absolute Truth, when He is realized as the Supreme Person, as Brahmā is realizing, yan-mitram... He is realizing that Kṛṣṇa, who is playing as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana, and He has become the most intimate friend of the residents of Vṛndāvana, headed by Nanda Mahārāja... Nanda Mahārāja was the zamindar rāja. He was vaiśya. He had 900,000's of cows, and he was the head of Vṛndāvana. All other cowherds men were his tenants or friends or family members. So Kṛṣṇa automatically became their very, very dear friend. That is the significance of the residents of Vṛndāvana. They... Their love for Kṛṣṇa was so ecstatic that they did not know anything except Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Brahmā says, aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyam: "How fortunate these residents of Vṛndāvana are that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has become their friend." And Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-brahma sanātanam, not that He has assumed a body like a human being and He is imperson. No. Just like Māyāvādī philosophers, they take it, they concoct like that, that "Ultimately the Absolute Truth is impersonal, but when He descends..." I do not know how the impersonal can be "He." So that theory is refuted hereby because it is the statement of Brahmā, and he says that Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-brahma sanātanam.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.100-108 -- New York, November 22, 1966:

A sādhu, a sage or a devotee, although he knows everything, still, he always places himself as he does not know anything. He never says that "I know everything." But actually, it is not possible to know everything. That is not possible. But one... Just like Sir Isaac Newton, he agrees that people say, "I am very much learned, but I do not know how much I have learned. I am simply collecting some pebbles on the sea shore." So that is the position. If a man who is actually learned, he'll never say that "I am learned." He'll simply say, "I am the fool number one. I do not know."

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu appreciated his humbleness, because actually he was a very learned and very man of position in the society, so as a matter of reciprocation, exchange of, I mean to say, etiquette, he also accepted, "No, you are not fallen. You don't be discouraged. Simply it is the duty of any learned man to place himself like that. But you are not fool." Kṛṣṇa śakti dhara tumi: (CC Madhya 20.105) "Because you are already devotee." Before retirement, and before coming to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, these Gosvāmīs, as I told you, they're very learned Sanskrit scholar. They used to read Bhāgavata. When he gave false report to the Nawab Shah, that "I am not well. I cannot attend office," then Nawab Shah went to his house one day personally, that "This gentleman is not attending office and simply submitting sick report. What is that?" So when he approached and Nawab Shah saw that he's engaged with learned paṇḍitas reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then he understood, "Oh, this is your disease. You are now taken to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." So actually he was very learned, but out of his humble behavior he is submitting himself to Lord Caitanya in this gentle way.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.146-151 -- New York, December 3, 1966:

What is that? Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. So the Bhagavad-gītā, the speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā, establishing Himself that "I am person," and the student of the Bhagavad-gītā, I mean to say, Arjuna, he is accepting, "Yes. You are person. I accept it." I do not know why these fools explain, from Bhagavad-gītā, impersonalism. Where is the chance of explaining impersonal about conception of God from Bhagavad-gītā? Now, how they can surpass the speaker and the student? The student is Arjuna. He is accepting that "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead." And the speaker, Kṛṣṇa, He is also establishing Himself that "I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Now, wherefrom these fools take impersonal idea, I do not know. How they can? There is no chance. But still, they will poke their nose in that way. It is very sorry plight. You see? They are simply misleading persons.

So God is person. God, so far Vedic literature is concerned, God is person and accepted by the ācāryas. We have to follow the ācāryas; otherwise we cannot... Our own interpretation, our own tiny brain, cannot conceive. We have to follow. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). Śrī Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna, and from Arjuna there are paramparā. There are disciplic succession. We have to follow that way. Now, here Lord Caitanya, although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, still, He is in that paramparā, in that disciplic succession. He says that "In order to understand Kṛṣṇa, you have to study His energies. He is person. His energies are impersonal."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.152-154 -- New York, December 5, 1966:

He is addressing Sanātana Gosvāmī. You'll remember that this chapter, "Instruction to Sanātana Gosvāmī," was begun when Sanātana Gosvāmī, after his retirement, approached the Lord at Benares and surrendered himself and asked Him, "What I am?" So under that question, He is describing his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa. The jīvātmā, the living entity, is eternally servitor of Kṛṣṇa, and one should understand the nature of his master so that his service attitude, his affection, may be more intimate. Suppose I am serving at a place. I am engaged in a service to a master, but I do not know how big is my master. But when I understand the influence and opulence and greatness of my master, I become more devoted: "Oh, my master is so great." So therefore simply knowing, "God is great, and I have got some relationship with God," that is not sufficient. You must know how much great He is. Of course, you cannot calculate, but as far as possible, you should know how great He is.

So that greatness of Lord Kṛṣṇa is being described here by Lord Caitanya to His disciple, Sanātana Gosvāmī. Advaya-jñāna-tattva, vraje vrajendra-nandana. Advaya-jñāna-tattva. Advaya-jñāna-tattva means He is Absolute. He is not relative. Here everything is relative, but God means He is Absolute. He has nothing to be dependent. Here everything, we are all dependent. To understand something, to understand light, we have to understand darkness. To understand good, we have to understand what is bad. So here it is everything duality. So Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. That is the first understanding, that there is no duality. Kṛṣṇa, His name, His fame, His pastimes, His quality, His association, associates—everything is one. One plus one equal to one, always remember. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name. That is Absolute.

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

So in the spiritual sky, in that spiritual light, in that spiritual planets, there are innumerable liberated living entities, and each, each and every planet, there is expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. They are named by different names. (break) Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa yāṅra goloka-nitya-dhāma. So origin. He is the origin. His planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, is the original planet, and from that planet, that brahmajyoti, light, is coming. And in that light, everything is resting. And in an insignificant portion of that light, this material world is situated. 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.

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

We are seeing that a flower is being produced automatically, so nicely scented, so nicely colored. But because we are fools, therefore we think it is being produced automatically. No. It is produced by the kriyā-śakti, by the active potency of God, kriyā-śakti. Jñāna-śakti: and there is such perfect knowledge that nobody can see any defect. You see a butterfly, how it is nicely painted. You just see duplicate in both the wings. Just like an artist paint nicely, it is painted. So we think it is coming out of nothing. This is our foolishness. Here is, that it is coming out of the jñāna-śakti. But His jñāna is so wide that simply by His desire, simply by His will, it can be executed. These are the things to be studied. Because we cannot see something before our eyes, that does not mean there is no existence. There is existence, but we do not know how one is working, how one is working. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā.

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 20.385-394 -- New York, January 1, 1967:

Then you multiply it into 30. That means in one month. Then you multiply it by 12. Then it comes to one year. Such 125. So you can calculate. At least you can imagine who many universes are there—by that calculation of second, and if you go further detail.

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.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.13-49 -- New York, January 4, 1967:

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This was recited by Brahmā. The purpose of this verse is... Brahmā says that "Although I am Brahmā, and before me all the great sages, everyone, has tried to know the Supreme Lord in complete, but nobody could understand where is the end of the unlimited potencies of the Supreme Lord."

seho rahu-sarvajña-śiromaṇi śrī-kṛṣṇa

nija-guṇera anta nā pāñā hayena satṛṣṇa

Even Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, He does not know how unlimited is His potency. Lord Caitanya says that. He also does not know.

seha rahu-vraje yabe kṛṣṇa avatāra

tāṅra caritra vicārite mana nā pāya pāra

prākṛtāprākṛta sṛṣṭi kaila eka-kṣaṇe

aśeṣa-vaikuṇṭhājāṇḍa svasvanātha-sane

In this way, the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, by His plenary expansions, He is doing unlimited activities, transcendental.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.6 -- New York, January 8, 1967:

They do not know that this universal form is only an offshoot of Kṛṣṇa. They do not know. Less intelligent class of men, they think impersonal form or the universal form or even the four-handed Viṣṇu form... They consider that they are greater. But in the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā you will find that Kṛṣṇa, by the request of Arjuna, assumed His universal form, viśvarūpa. Now, after seeing the viśvarūpa Arjuna was afraid. He was in friendly relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and when he saw His viśvarūpa, he became too much perturbed in his mind: "Oh, what mistake I have done. I took Kṛṣṇa as my friend, and I do not know how much offenses I have committed. Friendly relation, there are sometimes very slackened languages and used sometimes calling, 'You, Kṛṣṇa,' sometimes..., so many things. Friendly relations are very relaxation relation." So he thought that "I have committed so much offenses to Kṛṣṇa," and he begged pardon. "Out of my impudence, out of my ignorance, I have done so many things. Please excuse just like a father excuses his son, just like a friend excuses his friend, just like husband excuses wife or the wife excuses." These things are there.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 35 -- New York, July 31, 1971:

This is illusion. Illusion. He does not know what is real happiness for a second. The illusory material world happiness means sex life, that's all. How long does it stay? Say for minutes. But they're working so hard. This is called illusion. Actually he is being killed, but he thinks that "I am enjoying." This is illusion. Opposite.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was very much sympathetic that "I am simply anxious for these rascals who have created a humbug civilization for temporary happiness," māyā-sukhāya. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). They have created ugra karma. This is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, ugra karma. Huge factory, day and night melting iron, and they are working, working. The special technologies, getting some money, they're happy. They do not know how they're wasting their valuable life. This is called māyā. Why so much work? Why you are working so hard? Do you think if you'll get hundred dollars per day you can eat more capātīs than myself? (laughter). Rascal does not know that he will eat the same number of capātīs, four or five or six, but he'll work so hard. So we are the best intelligent class. We don't work, but we get our capātīs. (laughter) Let the rascal work, but we get our capātīs. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhan (SB 7.9.43).

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

Prabhupāda: You will find, if you analyze, you'll find so many. They're, at least, they smoke gañjā. There are so many yogis, I have seen, they smoke gañjā. You have not seen? Gañjā-smoker yogis?

Indian reporter: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Indian man (2): Number of them.

Prabhupāda: Number of them. I do not know, how you have studied. So many rascals, smoking gañjā and talking of yoga.

Devotee: Drinking tea.

Prabhupāda: Taking tea. Taking tea, that is common affair. Big, big jug, tea.

Indian man: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: So see practically. Simply talking will not help. Practically see how this system is perfect. Thousands and thousands, not only one, two. If you travel all over the world and see our temples, you'll find in each and every temple, two hundred, hundred and fifty, fifty—all devotees. All these boys and girls, nice. They, their countrymen, astonished. They ask them, "Are you American?" They ask them. How this transformation has come into existence?

Festival Lectures

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

If anyone wants to know God, or Kṛṣṇa, in truth, not superficially, then he has to undertake the process of devotional service. Bhaktyā. In another place Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). "Any person who gives Me a little fruit, little flower, little water, but with devotion, bhaktyā..." That is the only qualification. So Kṛṣṇa says, tayā bhaktyā upāhṛtam aṣnāmi. "Because he brings it with devotion and faith and love, I eat." Kṛṣṇa eats. We are offering in the temple prasādam. So He eats because He says "I eat." How you can say that He does not eat? Some gentleman asked me that "Swamijī, you offer prasādam in the temple, but do you think Kṛṣṇa or God eats?" I answered, "Yes, why not? He says, 'I eat.' How you can say He does not eat? But you do not know how He eats." Due to poor fund of knowledge, you think that God does not eat. But eat..., His eating process is different. That is answered in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Brahma-saṁhitā, it is said aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti (Bs. 5.32). God's senses, Kṛṣṇa's senses are as powerful as other senses. Just like I can see with my eyes, but Kṛṣṇa can eat also with His eyes. That is... Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. Just like...

There is many examples. Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, the first creation is that Garbhośāyī (Garbhodakaśāyī) Viṣṇu lying on the ocean and Brahmā was created from His navel. There was a lotus stem grown from the abdomen of the Lord, and Brahmā was born. Now Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, was just sitting. But as we understand that if we beget child, we require the cooperation of wife, but here we see that wife was sitting, but He begot Brahmā from the navel. This is called sarva-śaktimān. He does not require anyone's help. He can beget child. Not exactly as we beget child. Therefore janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). He is within your heart, He is everywhere, so He can appear from everywhere. Just like sun rises from the eastern side. It does not mean that eastern side is the mother of sun. We simply see that sun is rising from the eastern side. In this way, if we try to understand in truth, then we can understand what is God. Superficially, if we try to understand by our experimental knowledge, then it is not possible to understand God.

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

Today Govardhanadhārī, Giridhārī, Lord Kṛṣṇa, today lifted the mountain. According to Vedic literature there are different demigods. Sometimes you will find in Greek mythology the gods of the water, gods of the thunderbolt. These are not imagination. Actually they are facts. But due to our insufficient knowledge we do not know how the material nature is being controlled. So when Kṛṣṇa was on this planet and He was playing the part of a cowherd boy, and it was known to all over the universe that "God has come, taken incarnation, and He is on the earth planet, and He is at Vṛndāvana playing the part of a cowherd boy..." So as if somebody, if there is incarnation of God, somebody believes and somebody does not believe, when Kṛṣṇa was actually present on this earth, it is not that everybody understood that Kṛṣṇa was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not even up to date. Only few persons, the five brothers of the Pāṇḍavas and the damsels of Vṛndāvana, only in the fingers' count, say, out of the whole population, say, hundred or two hundred men knew Him that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise everyone thought that "He is an ordinary man just like one of us, but most powerful. That's all." Similarly, the demigods in other planets, they also thought, "Oh, he's a foolish person. They are thinking of a cowherd boy as God," sophisticated, like that. And especially Indra, the heavenly kingdom..., king of heaven. He was... He's very powerful, so he thought, "What god he has come? My God, He cannot come." This was some speculation. Even Brahmā also speculated. But Kṛṣṇa wanted to show Indra that "Yes, actually I have come." So that incidence is today,

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1968:

Who knew that you American boys will come to me? These are all Kṛṣṇa's arrangement. We cannot understand how things are taking place. In 1936... Today is ninth December, 1938(68). That means thirty-two years ago. In Bombay, I was then doing some business. All of a sudden, perhaps on this date, sometimes between 9 or 10 December. At that time, Guru Mahārāja was indisposed little, and he was staying at Jagannātha Purī, on the seashore. So I wrote him letter, "My dear master, your other disciples, brahmacārī, sannyāsī, they are rendering you direct service. And I am a householder. I cannot live with you, I cannot serve you nicely. So I do not know. How can I serve you?" Simply an idea, I was thinking of serving him, "How can I serve him seriously?" So the reply was dated 13th December, 1936. In that letter he wrote, "My dear such and such, I am very glad to receive your letter. I think you should try to push our movement in English." That was his writing. "And that will do good to you and to the people who will help you." That was his instruction. And then in 1936, on the 31st December—that means just after writing this letter a fortnight before his departure—he passed away. But I took that order of my spiritual master very seriously, but I did not think that I'll have to do such and such thing. I was at that time a householder. But this is the arrangement of Kṛṣṇa. If we strictly try to serve the spiritual master, his order, then Kṛṣṇa will give us all facilities. That is the secret. Although there was no possibility, I never thought, but I took it little seriously by studying a commentary by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura on the Bhagavad-gītā. In the Bhagavad-gītā the verse vyavasāyātmikā-buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (BG 2.41), in connection with that verse, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives his commentary that we should take up the words from the spiritual master as our life and soul.

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

And in 1933 I was officially initiated, and my only qualification was when I was introduced to my Guru Mahārāja for initiation, so Guru Mahārāja immediately said, "Yes, I shall initiate this boy. He is very nice. He hears me very patiently. He does not go away." So that was my qualification. The high standard of philosophy which he was speaking at that time, practically I could not follow what was, he was speaking, but still, I liked to hear him. That was my hobby. Whenever... I was asking that "When Guru Mahārāja will speak?" So he took it very seriously.

And then, in 1936-it's a long history-during this Vyāsa-pūjā day, this Vyāsa-pūjā day, whatever I studied about our relationship with my Guru Mahārāja, I expressed in this poetry, and since that day my Godbrothers used to call me "poet." And Guru Mahārāja also very much appreciated this poetry. Now somehow or other you have found it. (laughs) I thought the poetry is lost, but I do not know how it was found out by some of our disciples. I think it was found out in London museum or somewhere else by Guru dāsa. They had a stock of Harmonist, and from the Harmonist, my Guru Mahārāja's paper, this poetry was found. Otherwise I thought it was lost. So anyway, this poetry is "Adore, adore ye all the happy day, blessed than heaven, sweeter than May." So I heard that the month of May is very pleasing in the Western countries, so I compared the happiness of this day with the May Day. They call May Day?

Six Gosvamis Lecture, Sri Sri Sad-govamy-astaka -- Los Angeles, November 18, 1968:

That is also confirmed by the Vedas. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Iso Invocation). The Absolute Truth is so perfect that if perfectly taken from the perfect, everything is taken, still He's there. Just like this is a watch. If you take its hands, if you take its glass, if you take its machine, then what remains there? Nothing. It becomes zero. But Kṛṣṇa is so full and complete, if you take millions of Kṛṣṇa from Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa is still there. That is Kṛṣṇa's omnipotency. God is omnipotent. They do not understand what is this omnipotency. They say some words, "almighty," "omnipotent," but they do not understand what is this omnipotence. Just like even from material example we can see that the sun planet diffusing... I do not know how much temperature, what is the degree of that temperature, diffusing for millions and millions of years. Still, the temperature is the same. If it is possible to a material thing which is an insignificant creation of God, if the sun is so much omnipotent... Not omnipotent. The sun's light or the sunshine is from, derived from Kṛṣṇa's spiritual potency. But we can see that it is so much potent that diffusing sunshine for millions of years. There is no decrease of temperature. So vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19) means Vāsudeva expands Himself in so many universes, so many planets, so many paraphernalia, still, He is in Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātmā bhuto (Bs. 5.37). He is enjoying in His planet Goloka Vṛndāvana, and still, He is all-pervasive. mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam jagat avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4).

Initiation Lectures

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

So this is our program. So invite anyone to join this movement, and you'll be benefited. And you will see practically. It is pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that this process of self-realization is directly perceivable. Directly perceivable. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. Just like when you eat, you can understand that you are eating, you can understand that your hunger is being satisfied, you can understand that you are getting strength. So you haven't got to take certificate. You can yourself understand it is so nice thing. Pratyakṣāvagamam. Pratyakṣa means directly, avagamam. You understand it directly. If you meditate, so-called meditation, you do not know how far you are making progress. You see. You are in oblivion. You do not know. But here, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you'll directly feel, directly feel. I have got so many students, so many letters, how they are feeling directly. It is so nice. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). And very nice to perform. Chant and dance and eat. What do you want more? (laughter) Simply chanting, dancing, and eating nice sweetballs, kachori. So su-sukham and kartum avyayam. While performing, while practicing this process, it is very pleasurable, and avyayam. Avyayam means whatever you do, even if you execute one percent of this movement, that is your permanent asset. Permanent asset. If you do two percent, three percent, four percent... But don't wait for next life. Finish, cent percent. It is not very easy to execute; therefore finish. Don't wait, that "Let me finish in this life a certain percentage of self-realization, and next life I shall do." And what is the test of realization, finishing full percentage? The test is how much you have learned to love God, Kṛṣṇa, that's all. You have got your love, you love somebody, but if you divide your love, that "I shall love this country and my society, my girlfriend and this and that, or boyfriend, and I shall try to love Kṛṣṇa also..." No.

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

Tea is also intoxication, in slight degree. Tea, coffee, cigarettes—everything should be avoided. In India they chew pan. So these things are to be give up, intoxication group, and meat-eating group. Then you make very quickly progress, and by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). After leaving this body, one hasn't got to take another material body and suffer. So long we have got this material body, we have to suffer the material pangs. There cannot be any adjustment. So if anyone is serious for ending all troubles... Everyone wants to live peacefully and happily. That is natural, because spirit soul is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), by nature joyful. He wants to keep himself joyful, but he does not know how eternal joyful life can be attained. That is spiritual life. You cannot become joyful by material adjustment. No. You may be joyful for the time being by drinking or by intoxication, but how long? So long the intoxication influence is there, you may feel something. That is artificially. But that is not actually the state of joyfulness. Real state of joyfulness is to be situated in spiritual life, and when you (are) actually in the spiritual kingdom, then you become sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), eternal life, joyful life, blissful life, with full knowledge.

Initiation Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

"One has to give up the association of asat." Sat, I have told you, sat means devotee, and asat means nondevotee. Asat-saṅga... Simply to give up the association of nondevotees. That is vaiṣṇava-ācāra. How a Vaiṣṇava should behave, how he should maintain his standard, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says in one word: asat-saṅga-tyāgī avaiṣṇava-ācāra. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, satāṁ prasaṅga mama vīrya-saṁvido. One can develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness in association with devotee. The same thing Caitanya Mahāprabhu said in a different way, asat-saṅga-tyāgī, not to associate with nondevotees. That is vaiṣṇava-ācāra. So in future we shall be very careful, all the devotees, not to talk with rascals, nondevotees. It will be impure, it will have poisonous effect, and that will kill Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I do not know how this man was allowed to stay here for so many months. Nobody could detect that here is a serpent?

So you should be very careful in future. That is very easy to understand, who is a serpent. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, because one may inquire, "Who is asat? How can I understand?" asat eka strī-saṅgī kṛṣṇābhakta. Asat means who is attached to, very much attached to woman. You see that man, he was posing himself as yogi, and he is living with one woman. It was God's grace that he came with that woman so that he disclosed himself. By Kṛṣṇa's grace. Asat eka strī-saṅgī kṛṣṇābhakta. Strī-saṅgī. One should not be attached to any woman except his wife. Then he becomes asat. Asat eka strī-saṅgī kṛṣṇābhakta. So we should be very careful, asat, who is asat. It doesn't matter if one is very highly educated; still he should not be associated. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has given instruction that vidhayalam krto 'pi san (?) tyaja durjana-saṁsargam.

Initiation Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

So we should be very careful, asat, who is asat. It doesn't matter if one is very highly educated; still he should not be associated. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has given instruction that vidhayalam krto 'pi san (?) tyaja durjana-saṁsargam. Durjana-saṁsargam, association of rascals, nondevotees; tyaja, give up. "Oh, he is very learned scholar in Sanskrit, but vidhalayaṁ kṛto 'pi san, in spite of his being very learned scholar, you should kick him out." Vidhalayaṁ kṛto 'pi san. How is that? Yes, he is giving example, maṇinā bhūṣitaḥ sarpaḥ kim asau na bhayaṅkaraḥ. A serpent, you know some serpent has got jewels on the head. Does it mean a serpent with jewel on hood is not ferocious because he has got jewel? He's as ferocious as ordinary serpent. That these things we should know. So I do not know how this man was given shelter in our temple. Nobody could understand that "Here is a serpent," and he was accepted as Sanskrit scholar. So you should be very much careful about this thing in future.

Thank you. (break—followed by lecture excerpt)

You are spirit soul. Woods and stone will not give you any pleasure. That is not possible. You are not wood and stone. You are spirit soul. You must have spiritual food. Therefore, in America especially, despite all material opulences, they..., you are becoming confused and frustrated and disappointed. Because wood and stone will not satisfy you. You must have spiritual food. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

General Lectures

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

Although your capacity of bicycle is only ten miles speed, you also run at hundred miles speed. So unless we dovetail our activities with the supreme consciousness, or God consciousness, there cannot be equality, fraternity, or universality as we are hankering after. It is not possible. You can go on crying in the wilderness for universal fraternity, friendship, equality, but if you keep your individuality, individual consciousness, selfish consciousness, there is no possibility of peace or tranquillity in the world. Therefore people are very much anxious at the present moment for peace and tranquillity over the world, but they do not know how that peace can be attained. Peace can be attained. The formula is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). You can attain peace only when you understand that God is the proprietor of everything.

Actually, God is proprietor of everything. Now, take for example this house. This house is made of wood, stone, clay, sand, and everything, materials. But who is the proprietor of this wood, sand, clay? God is the proprietor. You cannot produce wood. You cannot produce sand. You cannot produce clay. You can simply work as a laborer to bring the clay, to bring the wood, to bring the stone and collect them and stand, make, construct a very big skyscraper house. But actually, the proprietor is God. 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.

Lecture Excerpt -- Montreal, July 20, 1968:

We may do that. But in comparison to the God's creation and my creation, there is no comparison. It is very insignificant. If you go high up on the sky, you will see this globe is just like a point. And there are millions and trillions of globes and planets like this. They are full of all opulences as you find here. 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 -- Seattle, October 2, 1968:

Why not? I am individual... Although I am small, but I am individual. I have got all the power of thinking, feeling, willing. We are doing that. We are individual. You have come here by your individual will. Nobody has forced you. If you like, you can go. Somebody comes here, somebody never comes, somebody comes daily. Why? Even you are small, you have got individuality. Even in this conditioned state, you are so free, so much free. And when you are unconditioned, purely spirit, you do not know how much freedom you have got. It doesn't matter you are small, but you are a spiritual spark. Don't you see that a small spiritual spark which no physician, no medical science has still discovered, where is the soul, but the soul is there. That is a fact. As soon as the soul is gone from this body, it is useless. Find out what is that important particle. That is not possible, because it is so small that your, with these material eyes or microscope or any scope you cannot find out. Therefore they say there is no soul. But they cannot explain what is gone. Even that small particle of spiritual soul is so powerful that as long as it is within this body, it keeps it fresh, nice, beautiful. And as soon as it is gone, immediately it becomes to decompose. Just see. Just like a drug, injection. A little, one grain, it keeps fit. It is something like that, it is so powerful. You do not know what is the power of that soul. That you have to learn. Then that is self-realization. This meditation process, sitting in a silent place, is recommended in the grossest stage of bodily concept of life. Let one thing, meditate, "Am I this body?" then make analysis. You'll see, "No. I am not this body. I am different from this body."

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

There was no necessity. Their memory was so sharp that once heard from the spiritual master, they remembered. But in this age, in this Kali-yuga, memory, duration of life, mercifulness, stature of the body, and so many things, they are reducing. They are reducing. We are not advancing. That is wrong idea. For example, in your country the stature is also reducing. Formerly in our childhood, I saw Europeans and Americans, they were very tall. But not only in your country, every country the stature is reducing. The memory is reducing. The duration of life... Your grandfather or great-grandfather, perhaps he lived for hundred years. I saw. My grandmother lived for ninety-five years. My father lived for eighty-four years. So I do not know how long I shall live. Still I am living. So in this way the age, duration of life, will reduce in this age. And it is also said that at the ultimate stage, at the end of this age, if a man lives for twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a grand old man. So because our human assets are reducing... Practically there is no mercifulness now, dayā. Formerly a man was very charitable, but here, at the present moment, where is the question of charity? He cannot maintain oneself. So these things are reducing. Therefore Vyāsadeva thought it wise to give the Vedic knowledge in writings so that we can read, we can hear, and we can utilize, we can take benefit out of it. So Vyāsadeva gave us this Vedic literature. His father, Parāśara Muni, gave us the definition, the understanding of God, what we mean by God. So he gave us this definition, that "God is He who is full with six kinds of opulences, of which there is nobody greater or nobody is equal. Then he is God." You try to understand the six kinds of, I mean to say, opulences, and you try to find out a person who has no competitor, neither greater than him. Then you accept him as God. Otherwise reject. Don't accept.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

That will be one fourth. This material world is only one fourth of the whole creation, and the three-fourth part is spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is similarly innumerable planets, innumerable living entities. Just like, as I have already explained, that this material world is the just like prison house of the criminals. So our criminal department in the state, say, jail or prison house, that is not the countrywise, as big as the country. That is a fractional part only. Maybe a few hundred people or few thousand people living there, but the state is very big. Similarly, the Lord's state is so big, though the criminal living entities are living in a corner only. This material world is in a corner. So what information we can get about God? "God is great," we simply theoretically say, but we do not know how great it is, He is, and how His greatness is working. That we do not know. But Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, because they are getting knowledge from Kṛṣṇa directly, they have got all this knowledge. Therefore their knowledge is perfect.

(reading:) "If one were to begin to study ISKCON techniques, what would he have to give up?" Give up... Give up means... First give up is that "I am this material body." The nonsense idea that "I am this body," that is the root of all misunderstanding. So he has to give up this bodily consciousness. That is naturally. That is the beginning of teachings of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Bhagavad-gītā teaches Arjuna. Arjuna was overwhelmed of family affection, that "How can I fight with my members of the family? They are my brothers..." So this conception, bodily conception, was first of all eradicated in the Bhagavad-gītā. He lectured... Arjuna was talking, arguing with Kṛṣṇa, that "If I kill my family, male members, the female members will be without husband, and they will be polluted, and there will be unwanted children and this on...," so many, as far as one can, materialistic person can think. So he was talking like that as very man of wisdom.

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

"You are My devotee, and you are very dear to Me. Therefore I am explaining to you." So if you want to know the perfect yoga system, then you will know it from Bhagavad-gītā perfectly. It is very easy. And you have to accept it... Because it was spoken to Arjuna very confidentially, bhakto 'si, so as Arjuna understood it... That is also explained in the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, how Arjuna accepted Bhagavad-gītā. In that process, if you try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then you can practice yoga system at home without any difficulty, and your life will be successful.

So yoga system is described in the Bhagavad-gītā in the Sixth Chapter. Of course, I do not know how much time you can spare. I could explain. How much time? It is now 8:15. Anyway, I shall try to explain some of the verses. The haṭha-yoga system, as mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, that is also prescribed, the haṭha-yoga system, that... (break) Now, He is prescribing the preliminary process of practicing yoga. What is that?

Lecture at Engagement -- Columbus, may 19, 1969:

This age is called, according to Vedic understanding, it is called Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and disagreement, this age. So, besides that, there are many other symptoms of this age. They are described in the Vedic literatures, and they are coming exactly true. That is scripture.

So the summary of this age is described that, in this age, the duration of life is very small. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. Everyone, we are decreasing our duration of life. You know, every one of you, your forefathers, your grandfather lived for hundreds, at least one hundred years. I have seen my grandmother, she died at the age of ninety-six years. My father died at the age of eighty-four years. So, I do not know how long I shall live—I am now seventy-three—maybe a few years more; but actually the duration of life gradually decreases. This is the symptom of this age, practically. And it is said that at the end of this millennium, that if somebody lives from twenty to thirty years, he will be considered as very old man. So, memory is decreasing also. People's sentiment for doing good to others, or to become merciful, that is also decreasing. Strength is decreasing, stature is decreasing. So this is one side. Another side, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā (SB 1.1.10). One side they're decreasing so many nice things, another side they're very slow for self-realization. Practically, they have no interest. This human form of life is meant for self-realization. This life is not meant for working hard like cats and dogs and hogs for sense gratification. No. This life is not meant for that purpose. We have got developed consciousness, intelligence. We should ask, "What is this life?" The Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. We are ignorant, we are born ignorant, and we are doing so many things, activities, we are engaged. But we should see whether we are gaining or losing, whether we are conquering or being defeated. That should be our business to see.

Lecture at Engagement -- Columbus, may 19, 1969:

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to preach the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā as it is, not to interpret it any nonsensical way and mislead the people. We don't try to mislead the people. We give without any changes and without any cost, any loss on your part. But, give a try, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, simple thing, just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, these sixteen words: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. You practice it, you chant anywhere you like, either in your home or anywhere. There is no restriction, there is no hard and fast rules and regulation for chanting, and anyone can chant. You see all our..., you also chanted just a few minutes ago. You chanted. So it is not difficult. Give it a try. That is our request. We request you, most humbly, that you take these sixteen words, you chant, and your heart will be cleansed of all dirty things. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Every dirty things. Our, we do not know how long we are changing births—900,000 species of births in the water, and two million species of life as plants and leaves and trees, and so many lives as reptiles, and cats and dogs and so many... Now we have come to this, by evolutionary process, this civilized form of life, human form of life, very beautiful form of life. Why you should waste this life, again go to that cycle of changing birth after birth, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)? The intelligent man should understand, try to understand, how much miserable it is to undergo birth and death and disease and old age. Don't be carried away by whims. You are intelligent boys and girls, born in rich family and rich nation. Just try to utilize, then it will be finishing touch to your country. Your country is advanced in so many ways. You have no poverty. You are advanced in so many ways. Take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Your country will be perfect, actual leader of the whole world. I have come to your country with this purpose, that if American boys and girls should accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it will be good for them and good for the world. So try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is very easy—it is not difficult—but it is sublime. It is the most sublime movement. It can solve all the problems of the world. That we are sure.

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

"Anyone who has taken his birth in India as human being, he should learn all the śāstras, make his life successful, and distribute this." That is the responsibility of India. This is the injunction of Lord Caitanya. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). So Bhāratabhūmi is not... To take birth in India is not ordinary thing. You must know. But you should utilize the opportunity. That utilization you should read, study, understand volumes of Vedic literature, and you should distribute the knowledge to the rest of the world. Rest of the world, they know God is great, but they do not know how great is God. That you will find in the Vedic literature. And that is our duty. That is kīrtana, hari-kīrtana. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam, to glorify. So I shall specially request our Indian nationals to join this movement and distribute the knowledge. I am doing it now alone. And if you join, it will be great help to this movement. Try to understand.

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

Prabhupāda: All the place. In the season in millions of trees, immediately the same flower is coming out.

Indian man (1): What will bloom in summer...

Prabhupāda: So many things, there is no explanation. They cannot simply say... Bogus humbug things they can present, but there is no clear explanation. Even in our body. Now, these hairs are coming out, and what is the explanation of these rascals? These hairs are coming. You're cutting, and coming. Your energy. You do not know your energy, even, what is that energy by which the hair is coming. It is from your body. That means it is your energy. The energy is within you. You do not know how many hairs are there, although it is put in by your...

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.

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

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.

Mahārāja. (Hindi) Jaya. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (Hindi) (break) ...gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te. Your Highness, Her Highness, and Ladies and Gentlemen, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has a very intimate relationship with the kṣatriya family. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Long, long years ago He was speaking in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra that about many, many thousands of millions of years ago He spoke the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to Vivasvān, the predominating deity of the sun globe. And from Vivasvān the sūrya-vaṁśa kṣatriyas are coming. From Vivasvān, Vaivasvata Manu, because Manu is the son of Vivasvān the sun-god. And from Manu, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku descended, and he is the original king in the Raghu-vaṁśa dynasty, wherein Lord Rāmacandra took His birth. Similarly, in the Candra-vaṁśa Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared. So from historical reference we see that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears on this earth, in this universe, He takes pleasure to appear in some kṣatriya family. And both Rāmacandra and Bhagavān Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in kṣatriya families, and they acted as kṣatriya. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Kṣatriya king has got two functions.

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

It is actually changed. But because... Just like in the spool of your film, there are many pictures. But because you see under certain condition, you see one picture. It is very easy to understand. Actually, the pictures are changing, different pictures, and we are seeing one picture. We are seeing the picture is moving in one picture. Similarly, this body is continuously, every moment, there is different body, different body, different body, every moment, but we are seeing one body. This is our ignorance. But we are changing body. Every moment we are changing body. The spool is going on. The exact example is that, like that, the film. Every second, changing one picture, one picture, one picture, one picture. And it appears that it is only one picture. One who does not know how the machine, cinematographic machine is working—the foolish persons—they say, they think that the picture is one and it is moving. No. It is changing. Similarly, the body is also changing. The exact example is changing of dress. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. That is the exact word used in the Bhagavad-gītā. So even for an ordinary living being, we cannot see how the body is changing, how the living entity is changing from body to another. It is so swiftly, every moment, every second, it is taking place. How you can see? So there is no death; it is simply changing.

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

Prabhupāda: So many things happening in your body; are you aware of all these things?

Devotee (1): No.

Prabhupāda: Then, similarly, it is happening. Why do you ask such question? So many things are happening in your body. You do not know how it is happening. Therefore it is called prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). The nature is doing. You are completely in the hands of the nature. How, after shaving, how your hairs are growing, do you know?

Devotee (1): No.

Prabhupāda: 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 -- Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971:

Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, "Those who are intelligent, they should always place before them four principles of miserable condition." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We should not be illusioned. We should know that there is, I mean to say, distresses when we take birth. We have forgotten. We do not know how much suffering we had to undergo when we were within the belly of our mother. It is very miserable condition. We had to remain there in packed-up condition like this in a bag, and it is suffocating. And because we are... At that time, the skin is very tender. There are many worms and germs within the belly, mixed up with stool and urine; they bite. We have forgotten that, the actual position. Anyone who knows how a child remains within the womb of his mother... The medical profession, they also know how much it is suffocating. Suppose you are packed up in a bag... It is simply by the mercy of God, Kṛṣṇa, that we can remain in that condition. If you are put again into that condition, you will immediately die. So we have forgotten what is the distress to remain in the womb of mother. And that also, sometimes a child is killed. At the present moment, advanced civilization, pregnancy is killed sometimes. So we cannot see even light. We die within the womb of a mother and again enter another womb. And it may be we die again. So just try to understand what is the miserable condition of birth. But because we forget, we think we are very happy. And again, not only that, as soon as we take birth, again a new chapter of life begins. Again you... Even after coming out of the womb, when we are little child we cry. There may be mosquito biting or bugs biting or something in the belly, troubling, crying. Mother is trying to pacify, but we are crying, crying.

Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Bombay, March 17, 1971:

And you have to distribute. Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that these ignorant people who are being defeated repeatedly, such persons, they are being entangled in this materialistic way of life, in this material world. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva. He said, kṛṣṇa bhuli' sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha (CC Madhya 20.117). Anyone who has forgotten Kṛṣṇa, he is anādi bahir mukha. He is enamored by this external energy, material world. Just like in Bombay city everyone is working hard, very hard. Their mission is, "How I shall be able to construct a skyscraper building." That's all. Why they are working so hard? Their mission is that I must have a skyscraper house and good apartment and nice wife, nice children and bank balance, then happy. (chuckles) But he does not know how long these things will continue. Ten years, twenty years, fifty years, hundred years, then finished. Your skyscraper building, your nice wife, your apartment, your friends, everything that you have made(?), you do not know where you are going. That you do not know. There is risk. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty (BG 8.6), at the time of death everything will be examined. What are you going to be next? You have to accept another body. So that body will be created in this life. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi and that bodily structure will be formed at the time of your death. Just like if you leave this apartment, you'll have to go another apartment. So you have to select another apartment, good or bad. That will depend on your capacity, how much rent you are able to pay. Then you leave this apartment. Similarly, at the time of death by the superior arrangement, another apartment will be given to you, and immediately that is settled up, you leave this body and enter into that body.

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

He is sometimes called God or the Paramātmā or Kṛṣṇa, whatever He..., according to different language. So that God is also knower; you are also knower. So far knowing capacity is concerned, you are one with God. Because Kṛṣṇa or God is cognizant, you are also cognizant. But you are cognizant with very limited sphere, and He is cognizant unlimitedly everywhere. That is the difference. So try to understand Paramātmā and jīvātmā. Jivātmā is a small, and Paramātmā, or God, is great. That you know, every one of you. You say, "God is great," but how He is great, that we do not know. That we have to know. That is called God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone says, "God is great. God is omnipotent. God is all-powerful," but we do not know how God is great, how God is all-powerful, how God is omnipotent. That we should know. And that is the prerogative, a special power for the human being. The animals, they cannot know what is God, how God is great, how God is all-powerful. But a human being, if he tries, if he consults books of knowledge just like Bible or Bhagavad-gītā or similar other scriptures, he can know what is God, how great He is, how omnipotent He is, and what is our relationship with God.

We should know also our relationship with God. And that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Our relationship with God is that we are all part and parcel of God. Just like your father has got many children—you are part of the father's body—similarly, God, the supreme father, He has also many children, and you are one of them; therefore you are part and parcel of God. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

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

Kṛṣṇa says that "All these living entities, they are all My parts and parcels, but being influenced by mental concoction, he is very much struggling hard within this material world." Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. This struggle for existence of the human being is due to his lack of knowledge of God. He does not know how God is great. There is no educational institution all over the world to discuss this subject matter, how God is great, how He is omnipotent, how I am servant of God. These things are not discussed. But when we forget our relationship with God we become subjected to the threefold miseries of material existence. Take for example... Just like an Australian citizen. He is under the laws of the state of Australia. But if he says, "I don't care for the government," he becomes lawless, and sometimes he becomes criminal, and he is put into the prison life. In the prison also, he has to abide by the laws of the government, and outside the prison also, one has to abide by the laws of the government. But outside the prison the citizens abide by the laws of the government voluntarily, and inside the prison house, the criminals, they defy the laws of government, and therefore they are put into the prisonhouse. So when we defy the laws of God, we are put into threefold miseries of life. That is called material existence. And when we abide by the laws of God, then we are happy. We should know this fact. And religion means to abide by the laws of God. In the Sanskrit language it is said, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma, or religion, means the codes of God. Code. Just like laws cannot be manufactured by some individual man, laws are enacted by the government, similarly, religious principles, they are made by God. Godless man does not care for religion, but those who are sober, devotee, godly, they abide by the laws of God, and they are happy. Just like in your Bible there are commandments.

Lecture Excerpt -- London, August 13, 1971:

Similarly, we are so imperfect that we may have little knowledge even of our own body. We are eating, but how the eatables are being transformed into secretion, how they are becoming blood, how they are being passed through the heart, and it becomes red, and again diffuse all over the veins, and in this way the body is maintained, we know something, but how the work is going on, how this factory is going on, how the factory, machine, is working, we have very little knowledge. So indirectly we know that "This is my body." "Indirectly" means we have heard, but we have no direct knowledge. But Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, the original of everything, He knows everything. Anvaya-vyatirekābhyām, indirectly and directly. Kṛṣṇa knows. I do not know how my body is working, but Kṛṣṇa knows. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Kṣetra-jña... He is real, Supersoul. There is a Supersoul who is in knowledge of everything. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanam. Full knowledge. I have no full knowledge of my body, but He has got full knowledge. I forget. What I did in the morning, early in the morning at four o'clock, if you ask me, I'll have to remember, "Yes, what I was doing?" We are so forgetful. Similarly, how we can remember of our past life? We are so forgetful. But Kṛṣṇa... (end)

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 13, 1971:

We are getting this information from Lord Brahmā, the creator of this particular universe, very authoritative statement by his realization. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the beginning, the description of the Lord is given, janmādy asya yataḥ, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). So, first of all He gave instruction, the Lord, janmādy asya yataḥ, from whom everything is emanating. Lord Brahmā is also emanating from Him. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. So how Lord Brahmā got Vedic instruction? That is answered, hṛdā. Hṛdā means through the heart. So the Lord is situated in everyone's heart—in the heart of the Brahmā or in the heart of the ant. Not only in the heart but also within the atom. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. Paramāṇu means atom. So we do not know how many paramāṇus, atoms, are there. That is impossible to count. Even if you are able to count how many paramāṇus or atoms are there, still you cannot know what is the limit of God's expansions and qualities. So that God, Kṛṣṇa, is Vāsudeva, all-expansive. So He is sitting in everyone's heart and He is giving opportunity, everyone, whatever he wants to do. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He is situated there, and He is so kind that the living entity, whatever he is wanting, the Lord is giving him. So this body is also given by God. It is made by the material nature, but it is given by God. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni. Just like we take a vehicle and travel. Similarly, we are wanting to do something, it doesn't matter what, and Kṛṣṇa as Supersoul, who is sitting within my heart, He is asking this material nature that "You give him such-and-such body so that he can enjoy whatever he likes." So therefore we are getting different types of body, and there are 8,400,000 species of life.

Lecture at Auckland University -- Auckland, April 17, 1972:

I am seventy-six years. That means I have also died up to the amount of seventy-six years. So the age is increasing, that is a false idea. The age is decreasing. Somebody says that "You are seventy-six years old. Oh, you have so much increased." I am not increased. Practically I have decreased the duration of life.

The duration of life is limited. It is already destined. According to our past activities, we have got a body whose duration of life is already fixed up. The standard of happiness and distress, that is also fixed up. You cannot change it. Suppose one has got one hundred years age to live. Nowadays nobody lives for one hundred years. Utmost, eighty years or ninety years very rarely. My grandmother lived for ninety-six years. My father lived for eighty-four years. I do not know how long I shall live, but still I am living. But duration of life in this age is gradually decreasing. You are all students of the university, but there is no science how you can increase the duration of life or how you can stop death. That is not possible. Death... Birth, death, old age and disease—these are the four problems of our life. Nobody wants to die, but death is sure. We must die. Nobody wants to take birth, but there is birth. Now there are so many contraceptive methods for checking birth. But still, the population of the whole world is increasing. So birth, death, old age. Nobody wants to become old, everyone wants to remain young and fresh, but old age overcomes. Similarly, disease. There are scientific advancement of knowledge, you have got very effective medicines, but there is no science to stop disease or to stop death. These are the actual problems. But the problems, these problems, are pertaining to the body. The soul is different from this body. This is our misunderstanding. I am soul; you are soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But somehow or other, I have been entrapped in these bodily, material bodily changes. Changes, you can understand, that you had a body like a baby; you had a body like a child; you had a body like a boy. Now you have got youthful body. Some days after, you will get a body like me. So the body is changing, and I am the same. I can remember my childhood body, my babyhood body or my boyhood body.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

I mean to say, realizer, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as localized Paramātmā, and somebody is realizing Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, most beautiful, lovable object. So the Bhāgavata Purāṇa says, vadanti tat tattva vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). There is no difference between Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. It is only the different features of realization. If you want to realize the Absolute Truth by your imperfect senses... We should always know that our senses are always imperfect. Just like we are very much proud of seeing with my own eyes. We say sometimes, challenge, "Can you show me God? Can you show me this or that?" But we do not know how much imperfect are our eyes. We are seeing every day the sun, but we are seeing it just like a disk. But actually the sun is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet. We cannot see. If there is (indistinct), immediately there is darkness, we cannot see. Unless there is light, sunlight or electric light or moonlight, we cannot see. We cannot see our eyeballs. We cannot see the eyelid, nearest. Longest, longest we cannot see; nearest we cannot see. Therefore we should not be very much proud of our seeing directly, direct perception. So direct... Anyone who is trying to understand the Absolute Truth by direct perception, he can rise up to the impersonal Brahman understanding, not more than that. And those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth within his heart, just like yogis... Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). The yogi, by meditation, being in samādhi, they are seeing the Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, within the heart. Dhyānāvasthita. And those who are devotees, they are seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Arjuna is seeing, personally, face to face: Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of everything.

Hare Krishna Festival Address -- San Diego, July 1, 1972, At Balboa Park Bowl:

So we are indebted to the demigods. Just like the sun-god, the moon-god, the Indra. Indra is supplying us water. Of course, in your country, there is no such conception. But the Vedic knowledge gives us full information how water is being supplied, how light is being supplied, how air is being supplied by the arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Don't take it irresponsibly. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has arranged so many things. Just like in your city there is department of water supply, there is department of light supply, there is depart..., different departments, similarly, in the kingdom of God there are departments. But because we are foolish, we do not know how the departments are being conducted. So we are not paying any bills. The bills are paid, according to the Vedic injunction, by performing sacrifices. So in this way, our point is sex life, that, the, a gṛhastha, a householder, he has got debts towards his parents, towards his father, towards his mother, towards his wife, towards his children. The society should be human society, not the cats' and dogs' society. That is Vedic conception. So in the Vedic conception of life the sex life is there, but you become indebted. You must repay the debts. If you simply beget children like cats and dogs and go away, then you become responsible for the sinful activities. You must take responsible. So this man was suggesting, he wants sex life at least once in a month. Yes, that is allowed. That is allowed in the Vedic civilization. When the wife is in menstrual period, after five days of the menstrual period, the wife and husband can have sex life for begetting rightful children. And before be getting a child, one must go... If he is in the higher orders of society, one must accept the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra means that child born out of the sex life of the father and mother must come out a very nice child, not like the cat and dog.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa says, "I know everything, past, present and future." That is knowledge. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is also stated, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Abhijñaḥ: He knows everything. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said also: kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. Kṣetrajñaḥ. Kṣetrajña means the proprietor of the body, the owner of the body. Just like you are a spirit soul, owner of your body. I am also a spirit soul. I am owner of the body. I know to some extent the pains and pleasure of my body. You know, to some extent, the... I say "to some extent" because we are not... Although I am the proprietor of this body, still... I do not know how the body is acting, functioning, why there is pain, why there is pleasure. So many things, we do not know—partially we know—although I am the proprietor. If there is some defect in the bodily function, I cannot detect it. I go to another person, a physician. So although I am proprietor of this body, I do not know exactly what is functioning, how it is becoming in happy condition or in morose condition. So... But supposing that I know everything, but still, I do not know what is happening in your body. That is not possible. Therefore it is concluded that we are individuals. We are individuals. I have got my individual pains and pleasures; you have got your individual pains and pleasures. So you are individual person; I am individual person. And the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is also individual person. Nityo nityānām. This is Vedic information. We are plural number, nityānām. Cetanaś cetanānām. He's the supreme living force amongst all other living forces.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Śyāmasundara: You know the theory, not theory but practical proof, that the genes can be mutated by bombarding with cosmic rays.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. That they prove by so-called... That's why the cancer... The example of that mutation is the cancer cell. They try to find out how cancer is caused in the body. They say that somehow the cell has been changed, and they say that it has been done by mutation, so they try to prove it in the laboratory by changing the structure of the cell, and that is called mutation. So they say why the cancer is formed because cancer is an abnormal cell, this is a normal cell. In answering why these elements are formed from these basic four chemicals-carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen—they try, they say that somehow this nitrogen and hydrogen, they combine forming ammonia. That is called ammonia, from nitrogen and hydrogen. They say somehow this has formed, and somehow, by combination of hydrogen and oxygen, water is formed. And somehow by combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, these so-called carbohydrates, or these are formed. But they say somehow these are formed, but they do not know how it is formed.

Śyāmasundara: But all that Darwin is interested in is in the evolution of species: how one type of body evolves to the other type due to the changing conditions, and that because he has evolved a certain body he is best adapted to survive in that condition so that his species survives. So the scientists have shown that by bombarding the cosmic radiation or radioactive elements, that a gene or cell can change, mutate, so a different kind of animal comes out. From one kind of mother a different kind of animal comes out.

Prabhupāda: But we say that different kind of animal is not beyond these 8,400,000 species.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: My charge is that you cannot give history of human society more than three thousand years; how you speak of millions of years? That is my charge.

Śyāmasundara: Written history...

Prabhupāda: No. Suppose a child says that "Millions of years ago it happened like this," but I will say (to) the child, "You were born three years ago. How you speak of millions of years?" That is my charge.

Śyāmasundara: I don't know how geologists date earth layers...

Prabhupāda: They bluff everything.

Śyāmasundara: But even if, let's say the deepest layer is only five hundred years old, but still the ones on top are newer. So in the lowest layer, there are no chariots, cities...

Prabhupāda: We can rather believe the Bhagavad-gītā, who gives a description of one, twelve hours duration of life, millions of years. So we can believe such authority. You can actually gain...

Śyāmasundara: Just like when you are dreaming, you may think it's millions of years, and it's only five minutes. You wake up and you've only been asleep five minutes. even though it seems like millions of years.

Prabhupāda: And actually, according to modern scientists, the law of relativity, so everyone speaks with his relative knowledge. It is not perfect. Everyone speaks to his relative knowledge, that's all. Therefore we should accept knowledge from a person who is not within this relativity.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The age of the rocks, by determining by scientific techniques, find how old the rock (indistinct) is, and how correct it is. So I asked (indistinct) of this department, Professor Roland, and he told me that (indistinct) such and such, I mean the rocks coming from the moon, brought by astronauts. They calculate that by this (indistinct) technique, they find that they are about three to fourteen million years old, these rocks from the moon, the moon samples. But that does not give the real age of the rocks. He told me that what you call the age means how long that crystal... For example they tried to find out the crystals like iridium and strontium crystals, that the method that they use is strontium iridium technique and so he told me that the age, this age, about three times three billion years old, that means that crystal containing that iridium model has crystallized for that long year, that gives the age. They do not know how long it has been there

Śyāmasundara: The rock is at least three billion years; maybe it's older.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, maybe older, but it does not give the exact age. We do not know.

Śyāmasundara: But the point is that they have determined that there are rock structures in the earth very, very, very, very old and that these contain no evidence of any complex forms of life. So that if there is a statement that there were higher forms of life millions of years ago existing on this planet, there has been no evidence ever found of that.

Prabhupāda: So why they're trying to find out evidence from the rocks, not from any other source?

Śyāmasundara: Well as civilizations come and go, they leave remains, evidence behind of their...

Prabhupāda: "Civilization goes" means? Where goes?

Śyāmasundara: Well, if people come and they...

Prabhupāda: Do they come, and they are still living? They are still there? Just like my great-grand..., great-grandfather was living. So I am his descendant.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: That is no reason. Suppose...

Karandhara: Actually they have. There are a number of archaeologists who have made findings like, particularly one, I can't remember his name, but he did an elaborate investigation on the Egyptian culture. And his thesis was that their culture was far more advanced than ours. They had mathematical techniques, they had...

Prabhupāda: Ajanta Caves. Ajanta Caves. Why that is? So artistic. He's unfortunate, he's simply excavated caves...

Śyāmasundara: I read about the paint in that cave. They don't know how it's still preserved. There's no chemical that they have today that will preserve paint so long.

Prabhupāda: So he's unfortunate. He could not find out Ajanta Cave; he found out some monkey's cave, that's all.

Karandhara: The Egyptians had geometric techniques that they're even..., they don't understand. They discount them...

Śyāmasundara: Prabhupāda said that they took that from the Indians, geometry.

Karandhara: But this one archaeologist wrote a book saying that this community in Egypt three thousand years ago was far superior, and no one accepted. No one believed him.

Śyāmasundara: Even in Mexico there are so many highly advanced...

Prabhupāda: Mexico is Indian civilization. They were showing to (indistinct). The Rāvaṇa had subway to Brazil. It can be seen from here where you can make subway...

Śyāmasundara: Yes, straight through.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: That is another foolishness. Combination means God. He is combining. Combination does not take automatically. Suppose I am cooking. There are so many ingredients for cooking—they are not combined together. I am the cooker; I am cooking, first of all oil, and the spices, then the rice, then the dahl, then the water. In this way nice foodstuff is coming out. So this combination means God. Otherwise where is the instant the combination is taking place? I place all the ingredients in the kitchen room, and after one hour if I go, "Oh, where is my food?" (laughing) You nonsense, who is cooking your food? You starve. Just take help of a living being, then he'll cook and then you can eat. This is our experience. So why does he say combination? Wherefrom the combination comes? He is such a fool he does not know how combination takes place.

Śyāmasundara: There are several theories in that book of yours. Where is that book about the origin of life? There are several theories how everything began. They are quite interesting.

Prabhupāda: That is theory, but we see practically that material things, material elements, ingredients, they cannot be combined automatically. There must be a living entity who will combine them.

Śyāmasundara: One of the theories is that everything comes out of energy.

Prabhupāda: Energy means somebody's energy. I am sitting here, I am pushing one button, the energy is immediately created, and it goes. Just like this telex machine. So somebody is pushing the button.

Karandhara: The energetic.

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Prabhupāda: Everything is good! That is our philosophy. When the God kills the demons, immediately flowers are showered upon Him from the sky. You have not read in...? He is good. He is always good. He has no idea of God, and still he poses himself as philosopher. God is good. Kṛṣṇa chanted, danced with others' wives at dead of night. Any man who does it, he is immediately a debauch, licentious. But still we worship that rasa-līlā. We worship that rasa-līlā. We keep the picture of God's dancing with others' wives. That is God. In all circumstances, God is good. That is worshipable. That is idea of God. Not that I put Him under my judgment: "Oh, yes, you are good, but not so good." Then I am a fool. I create my own God. "I am better than God. I can create God." No. God creates you. You cannot create God.

Śyāmasundara: He says that because there is evil present in the world, that this shows...

Prabhupāda: But he does not know what is evil, what is good. He should know what is created by God is good, even if it appears to be evil to us. That is conception of God. I may think it is evil, but it is good. I do not know how it is good—that is my fault. That is my fault. But it is good. If I put God under my discrimination, under my judgment, that He is not good. He is not God; He is dog. God cannot be under my judgment. God is good always.

Śyāmasundara: So that's all for John Stuart Mill. (end)

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Prabhupāda: No, religion we have repeatedly explained. Religion means to accept the laws of God. That is religion.

Hayagrīva: He re..., excuse me, he refers to historical religion.

Prabhupāda: Historical... It is historical. The whole cosmic manifestation has a date of creation; therefore it is historical. Anything material which has a beginning, that, that is history, it has got a history. So people do not know how long before this material world or cosmic manifestation was created. It is beyond their conception. Even the mathematical count, millions and trillions and millions, will not do, when he began, but it has got a history-beyond the calculation of so-called scientist and mathematician, but there is history. According to Vedic description there is history. There is history of Manu, there is history of, of Brahmā. So in this way there is a regular history. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā a small instance of history is being given: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17), that the Brahmā's daytime, just like we have got solar calculation, twelve hours' daytime, so that twelve hours of Brahmā is calculated sahara-yuga-paryantam. One yuga means forty-three hundred thousands of years. Similarly, thousand times, that is Brahmā's twelve hours. So everything is relative. We are tiny people. We have got history of this world, some thousands of years, but Brahmā is greater than the human being. His history is different. Here everything is relative. My history is different from an ant's history. Similarly a man's history is different from Brahmā's history. So historical does not mean whatever you have calculated, that is history. History is relative according to the person. So these people, they have no information of the greater personalities than us, but we have got information from Vedic literature. In the higher planetary system, there the duration of life, standard of life is different from here.

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Śyāmasundara: They say that at this level of existence that we can't say where it is coming from. We simply find...

Prabhupāda: Then you can't say, then you learn. Then you are not in the perfect stage.

Śyāmasundara: No. This is only the middle stage, he calls.

Prabhupāda: So the middle stage, so then you have to learn. You are not perfect, so you do not know. So one who does not know, his speculation, what is the value? Just like a child, if he does not know how the machine is working, how, then his speculation on this machine, what is the value of it? Without perfect knowledge, simply speculation, that is going on. The modern civilization, they prefer simply speculation without any basic truth. That is the defect. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās (SB 7.5.31). And they have become leaders, philosophers, scientists. Bhāgavata condemns them: andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās. They are blind themselves and they are trying to lead other blind men. So their leading, their science, their philosophy are practically useless. They cannot give any benefit to the human society. Childish.

Śyāmasundara: So if...

Prabhupāda: If you do not know, then why do you take the post of teacher? This is our proposition. If you do not know, sit down. It is better not to talk foolish. There is an English proverb: "It is better not to talk than to talk foolish." If you do not know, then don't talk. That is nice. What is the use of philosophically foolishly talking this and that and "maybe," "perhaps," like that, like that? What is the use of such knowledge?

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Prabhupāda: What is the decision? Why people become moral—to feed the poor, like that, humanitarian? What is the decision, ultimate decision?

Śyāmasundara: He says that it's not so much the fact of the decision but how the decision is made: if it's made with integrity and self-confidence.

Prabhupāda: How the decision... Why, how the decision is made, that I still don't know. How? Why? Why they make such decision? One man is running on a slaughterhouse. He's killing only. Another man is after humanitarian work, giving food, giving them chance to live. So what is the ultimate decision?

Śyāmasundara: The decision is...

Prabhupāda: There are two sides. There are two kinds of people are going. The same man, he is giving charity for feeding poor man or giving relief to the distressed man, but at the same time he's encouraging animal-killing. So what is the ethics? What is the ethical law in these two contradictory activities? One side... Just like our Vivekananda. He is advocating daridra-nārāyaṇa sevā, "Feed the poor," but feed the poor with mother Kālī's prasāda, where poor goats are killed. Just like, another, one side feeding the poor, another side killing the poor goat. So what is the ethic? What is the ethical law in this connection? Just like people open hospitals, and the doctor prescribes, "Give this man," what it is called," (Hindi), ox blood, or chicken juice." So what is this ethic? And they're supporting that "Here is chicken juice." Just because animal has no soul, so they can be killed. This is another theory. So why the animal has no soul? So imperfect knowledge. So on the basis of imperfect knowledge this ethic or this humanitarian, what is the value? We do not give any value to all this understanding. Where is the ethics? If you protect the human life by giving him something by killing—there are so many medicines, but the killing is very prominent—then next point should be that if you say that the human life is important, so nonimportant animal-killing can be supported to save the important. Then the question will be, "Why it is important? Why consider the human life is important and the animal life is not important?" These are the questions of ethical law. Where are these discussions on the ethical laws?

Philosophy Discussion on Ludwig Wittgenstein:

Śyāmasundara: He says that philosophers present old facts in new light, but philosophers do not discover any new facts.

Prabhupāda: Because they're all rascals and fools, what they can discover? (laughter) They simply theorize on their rascaldom, that's all. That is their business. (indistinct) There is no fact. And those who are rascals, they believe them. That's all. So we are not such rascals, because our knowledge is received from the greatest scientist, Kṛṣṇa. I personally may be rascal, but because I follow the greatest scientist, therefore my proposition is scientific. I do not know how this dictaphone is working, but somebody has said "This is dictaphone," I accept. And it is working. That is my scientific knowledge. I may not be the mechanic, but I am working.

Śyāmasundara: He says that philosophy is a process which attempts to clarify God, not that itself it has factual content.

Prabhupāda: This is clarification. Mostly the people are under illusion, identifying the body with the self. But we are clarifying that "You are not this body, you are spirit soul." Therefore it is a scientific proposition.

Śyāmasundara: So we are clarifying a scientific proposition with our philosophy.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is it. Philosophy means the science of sciences. Another definition of philosophy is "the science of sciences." All sciences are derived from philosophy. So philosophy's actual position is on the higher level than the sciences.

Śyāmasundara: Another definition he has is that "Philosophy is the pursuit of meaning." Pursuit of meaning.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: When you have more sex, then you have no power to beget a male child. When the man is less powerful, a girl is born. When the man is powerful, a boy is born. That is Vedic system. In our country, in (indistinct), there are fewer woman because there the men are very stout and strong. When there is discharge, if the man's discharge is larger, then there is a male child; if the woman's discharge is larger, then there is a female child. So when women will be very easily available, the men will be weak. So what will he beget? He will beget female child, because he has lost his power. Sometimes he becomes impotent. So many desertions. If you don't restrict sex life, there will be so many desertions. And that is happening-impotency, no marriage, woman population more. But they did not know how things are happening, how human psychology can be controlled. The perfect system is the Vedic system.

Śyāmasundara: He says that all pleasures, all bodily pleasures have a sexual origin.

Prabhupāda: That we have already discussed, maithunādi. Ādi means in the beginning, sex impulse. That is already there.

Śyāmasundara: Even he says satisfaction of the eating and sucking tendency.

Prabhupāda: That is maithunādi. The central point is sex. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45).

Śyāmasundara: He says that after a period of childhood indulgence in these sexual appetites, he begins to learn that by giving up satisfaction he can please and influence others so as to gain more adult favors, just like (indistinct) and (indistinct) you were talking about. So the pleasure principle becomes replaced by the reality principle.

Philosophy Discussion on Bertrand Russell:

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.

Śyāmasundara: Well, he seeks to reduce philosophy to the smallest particle, where each individual fact is to be examined.

Prabhupāda: That is not possible. Here is a scientist. He says that atom is divided into protons, (indistinct). That bigger, they do not know how (indistinct) and where it is ended.

Dr. Rao: Not only that, but they have developed their idea of anti-matter, that there is anti-matter, you know, something against matter. So for every particle there is something relative. So his idea is very complicated.

Śyāmasundara: So for each fact there is..., it's also composed of several other facts...

Prabhupāda: Actually, as we say, that anti-matter are fixed up in (indistinct). I say anti-matter is spirit. That spirit soul is very small, keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya: (CC Madhya 19.140) the tip of the hair divided into ten thousand parts. So it is unimaginable by the modern scientist. Therefore the ultimate smallest part is the spirit soul, spark, part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit. Therefore we have to take the knowledge from Vedas. That is the perfect (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: He says there are two types of logical atoms—the sense data and universals. And this problem, he saw, of the difference between the crude data of the senses and the things as understood by physical sciences. So he divided these into two types of knowledge. The knowledge of sense data is the immediate knowledge by acquaintance with something, and the knowledge of physical science is that knowledge derived from things, or inferred, by description from things. And he says the example of the first type of knowledge...

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

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, I met him. He came with another gentleman.

Hayagrīva: That's right. His, his theory of, of death, he says, "When I die I shall cease to exist in every sense of the word. As a personal figure I shall be as unidentifiable as my ashes." No belief in immortality at all.

Prabhupāda: So why he is anxious to philosophize? If everyone is going to be finished, then why he is philosophizing? What did he..., why he is taking so much trouble? That is the difficulty—this class of men accepted as philosopher.

Hayagrīva: Oh, he became very popular through this book. I don't know how.

Prabhupāda: Oh, if you prescribe such nonsense book, everyone will like it. (laughs) (break)

Hayagrīva: This is the conclusion of B. F. Skinner. He felt that the goal is to improve the world and then man. He believes that "Now, as never before, man can lift himself up by his own bootstraps, and achieving control of the world of which he is a part, he may learn at last to control himself."

Prabhupāda: That man attempted first of all to control the world?

Hayagrīva: First control the world...

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Hayagrīva: ...and then you can control yourself. That's his theory.

Prabhupāda: If he..., if one cannot control himself, how he will control the world? How it is possible?

Devotee: Backwards.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Bhajahu Re Mana -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1969:

Don't care for scorching heat. Don't care for torrents of rain. Don't care for keeping night, night duty. Whole day and night you are working. And what is the result? Simply for that flickering momentous enjoyment. Are you not ashamed of this?" So śīta ātapa, bāta bariṣaṇa, ei dina jāminī jāgi re. Dina means day, and jāminī means night. So "Day and night, you are working so hard. Why?" Capala sukha-laba lāgi' re. "Simply for that flickering happiness." Then he says, ei dhana yauvana, putra parijana, ithe ki āche paratīti re. "There is no happiness actually, eternal happiness, transcendental happiness, in enjoying this life, or this youthful age, or family, society. There is no happiness, no transcendental happiness."

Therefore kamala-dala-jala, jīvana ṭalamala. "And you do not know how long you shall enjoy this life. Because it is tottering. You are on the tottering platform. Just like there is water on the lily leaf. It is tilting. At any moment it will fall down. So our life is tilting. At any moment it may collapse. We may meet, by chance, any danger, and finished. So don't waste life in that way." Bhajahū hari-pada nīti re. "Be always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the success of your life." And how to discharge this Kṛṣṇa consciousness? He advises, śravaṇa kīrtana, smaraṇa vandana, pāda-sevana dāsya re. You can adopt out of the nine ways of devotional service any one. If you can adopt all of them, that's very nice. If not, you can adopt eight of them. You can adopt seven of them, six of them, five of them, four of them. But even if you adopt only one of them, your life will be successful. What are those nine methods? Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Hearing from authoritative sources. And chanting. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Smaraṇam. Memorizing. Vandanam, prayers. Śravaṇa kīrtanaṁ, smaraṇaṁ vandana, pāda-sevanam. Offering service to His lotus feet as eternal servant. Pūjana sakhī-jana. Or just try to love Kṛṣṇa as your friend. Ātma-nivedana. Or give up everything for Kṛṣṇa. That is the way of devotional service, and Govinda dāsa is aspiring after that Kṛṣṇa consciousness business. (end)