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Do not understand (Lectures, SB cantos 1 - 2)

Expressions researched:
"did not understand" |"didn't understand" |"do not understand" |"does not understand" |"doesn't understand" |"don't understand"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- Caracas, February 20, 1975:

So in this Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa Himself explains Himself, analytical study, and Vyāsadeva presents Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, "Here is God, Kṛṣṇa." Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Now it is up to you to take it or reject it. That is your business, but things are ready for acceptance. So everyone is searching after what is God. Somebody says, "There is no God." Somebody says, "God is dead." Somebody, "Something, something," but no. God is neither dead nor the action, action that "There is no God"—both of them foolishness. God is not dead; neither we are dead. Because we are part and parcel of God. So if God is alive, then part and parcel are alive. Just like if my body is alive, the finger is alive, because finger is part and parcel of my body, similarly, if God is alive, we are alive. And because we are now in material condition of life, therefore we do not understand what is God and what is our aim. Therefore it is called ajñāna, ignorance. Therefore one who dissipates this ignorance, he is called guru.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

If you want actual peace, ātmā, suprasīdati, then you have to accept paro dharma. Para means supreme or superior. There are two kinds of dharmas, parā and aparā. Aparā means this material world. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). There are two natures, one spiritual nature and one material nature. People do not understand what is spiritual nature. But Kṛṣṇa explains very nicely, and one can understand very easily what is spiritual nature and what is material nature. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the matter, five elements, earth, water, air, fire, sky, mind, intelligence, ego, these are material nature. Prakṛti me bhinnā aṣṭadhā. Apareyam. Then Kṛṣṇa says this is aparā. Aparā means inferior.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 26, 1971:

These prayers, although it is in Sanskrit language, simply by hearing, the effect is made by the vibration. They're symbolical representation of the Supreme Spirit. Just like you are acquainted with the oṁkāra, om, that is also an alphabetical representation. But the sound, oṁkāra, has a specific significance. So, even sometimes you do not understand the meaning, by hearing the vibration you will be benefited.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

Real dharma is you try to understand what is your relationship with God and then act accordingly. Your life is perfect. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). You have to understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, in truth. Then as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa in truth... That is the real criterion. If you do not understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, simply superficially, then that is not perfection. That is not perfect knowledge. (break) ...paramparā. Then your life is perfect. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). That is perfection, if you, if after giving up this body, no more accepting material body. You go back to home, back to God, in your spiritual body. You have got your spiritual body. That is within this body. Just like within this garment or within your coat, your real body is within the coat, so this body is just like coat, and the subtle body is just like shirt.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, April 18, 1974:

Otherwise how these Europeans and Americans... They never heard what is Kṛṣṇa, but why they have left everything? They are young boys, young girls. They could enjoy life in their county very nicely. But the name is so powerful. I started this movement simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Still we are going that. So this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is so powerful. You understand or do not understand; if you go on chanting regularly, one day you will come to the platform—you will clearly understand what is the meaning of God. This is Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So our request is therefore that if you want to be situated on the superior platform of understanding the meaning of religion, then this is the only way at the present moment, in this age. Because other processes are very difficult. They cannot... Either you follow Hindu religion or this religion, that religion, everywhere the process is so difficult that people cannot follow it nicely.

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

Puruṣa means enjoyer. Śāśvata means eternally. Not that "You are now enjoyer and formerly You were something else." No. Śāśvataṁ puruṣam ādyam, original. So this is the appreciation of Kṛṣṇa. After reading Bhagavad-gītā, if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, if you try to banish Kṛṣṇa, then what kind of reading of Bhagavad-gītā? This is all nonsense. If actually one understands Bhagavad-gītā, if he has actually studied, then... Just like Arjuna, he'll admit, "Oh, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12)." That is Arjuna's experience after hearing Bhagavad-gītā. And he said that "You are accepted by great personalities, Asita, Nārada, Vyāsa, Devala, big, big personalities." So svayaṁ ca, "You are also speaking Yourself. We have heard from śāstras and authorities, and You are speaking personally; therefore I accept You that You are Para-brahman." This is the study of Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:

There is no other profit. But the śāstra says, na sādhu, na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). The people do not understand that this material body means suffering. They do not understand. They think very nice body. The cats and dogs may think like that. Just like hog. Hog is thinking, "I am very happy," and he is getting fatty. You will find. They think, "I am very happy." What is that happiness? "Now, I am eating stool." "Oh, that's very good. Then where you are living?" "Now, in the most unsanitary condition." But he is also thinking that "I am happy."

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

And arthārthī, one who is poor, he also goes to pray to God to give him some money. He is in distressed condition. These two classes, and another two classes, jijñāsu, one who is inquisitive to understand what is God, and jñānī... Jñānī means one who understands his constitutional position. He is jñānī. Most people, they do not understand what he is and what is the goal of life. They are called ajñānī, in ignorance. Just like animal. Animal does not know what is the aim of life. Similarly, if a human being does not know what is the aim of life, he is also animal. So catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna, arthārthī jñānī, jijñāsur jñānī ca bharatarṣabha (BG 7.16).

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

They have got a body now. This will be changed. When they will be young, a different body... And the young man, when he will be old, a different body. Similarly, the old man, when he will finish this body, he will get a different body. This is called dehāntara-prāptiḥ, accepting another body. So we are changing, but we are so fool that we do not understand what is the real problem of life. We are simply busy in some temporary problems. Real problem is that a living being is eternal, and by the laws of nature, by his karma, he has to change his body. That is real problem. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. And we can see, if we have got eyes, that there are many varieties of life, 8,400,000 varieties of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. So Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. According to your karma, you will get another body.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. If we understand this philosophy, that "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa..." That is the fact. And if you do not understand that, that is māyā. Māyā means not fact, mā-yā.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is educating people in this way, that Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer. You have seen Kṛṣṇa's picture. He is always enjoying. He is not working. That is Kṛṣṇa. God... In the Vedas the definition of God is given, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "God has nothing to do." He is enjoyer. Where He will do? He will not work. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tasya sama adhikaś ca dṛśyat: "Nobody is found equal to Him or greater than Him."

Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:

You are reading Bhagavad-gītā three hundred years but don't believe that "I have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa," then what is the use of reading Bhagavad-gītā? All these rascals, they are reading Bhagavad-gītā but they have no concern with Kṛṣṇa, forget Kṛṣṇa. This is reading of Bhagavad-gītā useless waste of time. Useless waste of time. If you do not understand the meaning of Bhagavad-gītā, why you are...? Śrama eva hi kevalam. That has been explained in the previous verse.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:

If you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, if you do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then you are simply wasting your time. There is no meaning of writing big, big comments on Bhagavad-gītā, uselessly waste you time and waste others' time. This is the real point, śraddhā. Kṛṣṇa said, by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa everything will be done. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. So if one has no śraddhā, faith, on this instruction of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī (BG 18.65), then there is no use, simply waste of time.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:

Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). So Bhagavad-gītā is real Vedānta. And if one understands Bhagavad-gītā as it is, he is really Vedantist. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the last word. So last word of knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). If one does not understand Kṛṣṇa and does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, he is simply uselessly wasting his time. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata it is said, kāmasya nendriya-prītiḥ. Kāmasya nendriya-prītir lābho jīveta yāvatā (SB 1.2.10). Simply take so much as you will need, not for sense gratification. That is the process. Don't take more, don't take less. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya. Śāstra does not advise you that you starve, unnecessarily you starve. No.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973:

So tattva-jijñāsā. This life is meant for tattva-jijñāsā. Not a single moment should be wasted if we actually want to save ourself. But we do not know what is saving. We do not know, even we do not understand the very first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā: tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). A sane person should be inquisitive: "Now I was a child; I got a baby's body. Now, from baby's body, youth's body. From youth's body, now I've got this old, old age body. Then what is next? What is next?" This is the natural inquiry. And the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā in the beginning, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. You'll have to accept another body. The nāstika, they say that "There is no, no more life." Just like Professor Kotovsky, when I was in Moscow, he said, "Swamiji, after the annihilation of the body, there is nothing. Everything finished." Just see.

Lecture on SB 1.2.11 -- Tirupati, April 26, 1974:

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). The same thing, tattvataḥ. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). Kṛṣṇa says that "My appearance," ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā, "how I appear, how I disappear, if anyone understands in truth..." Because we do not understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, therefore we consider Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Mūḍhāḥ means asses or rascals. They consider Kṛṣṇa as something of this material world. But He is not that. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. If anyone understands Kṛṣṇa as Absolute Truth, then immediately his mission of life is complete. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Therefore this is tattva-jñāna. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). This is tattva-jñāna. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa, what He is.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Delhi, November 18, 1973:

Because veda anta. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the last word. The last word is bhagavān. That is Vedānta. Here it is said, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). If you understand by studying Vedānta simply Brahman realization, that is not perfect. If you understand Paramātmā realization by studying Vedānta, that is also not perfect. When you come to understand Bhagavān, that is perfect. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). By studying Vedānta or all Vedic literatures, if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, then śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8).

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Delhi, November 18, 1973:

One who does not understand the bhakti philosophy through śruti, through Veda, smṛti... Just like Bhagavad-gītā is smṛti. Śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi (Brs. 1.2.101), and Nārada Pañcarātra. Without reference to these books of knowledge, if one becomes a so-called devotee, that is not accepted by Rūpa Gosvāmī. Here also it is said, bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā. Śruta-gṛhītayā, knowledge, full knowledge, through Vedas, bhaktyā, with devotion. Dry Vedic knowledge makes you impersonalist, only a partial realization. Therefore bhakti must be there. Bhakti means without any result or karma and jñāna.

Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972:

So we are teaching our people to become the first-class yogi. People are very much attached to the yoga system, mystic yoga system. But the goal of yoga system is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Yogeśvara. By practicing yoga, if you don't find Kṛṣṇa, then śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), then simply you have wasted your time for nothing. For nothing. Yes. That is the version. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. Tapasya, austerity, means to understand Kṛṣṇa. So if we understand Kṛṣṇa, then there is no need of any more tapasya. Tapasya business is finished. But if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, simply undergoing tapasya, it is simply waste of time.

Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972:

Just like one man is given the chance of become some minister or magistrate. If he does very nice, he is promoted; otherwise degraded. Similarly, this human form of life is meant for understanding God. That is the only business. If we don't understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa and our relationship with Him, then we are missing the point. Then we become entangled, entangled. This entanglement is karma-granthi-nibandhanam, by our karma. By different kind of karma, we are becoming entangled. So to unknot this, I mean to say, binding of entanglement, (it) is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yajñārthe karma, "You work simply for Yajña, for satisfaction of Yajña." Yajña-pati, Viṣṇu, or God, or Kṛṣṇa. Yajñārthe karma, anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. "If you do not act for Kṛṣṇa, do not act for Viṣṇu, for Yajña, then karma-bandhana." Yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972:

So here the same thing is explained, that yad-anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ. Simply by chanting or hearing or meditating upon Kṛṣṇa, yad-anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ karma-granthi-nibandhanam. This asinā... Just like we require a knife to cut the knot, similarly, if we want to cut the knot of this material existence...

Unfortunately, people do not understand that what is the wrong in the material existence. They haven't got even the simple knowledge. They think it is all right. They are ignorant so much ignorant that dehātma-buddhi, they consider... The bodily concept of life: the body is finished and everything is finished. This is the philosophy going on, all over the world. Big, big professors, philosophers, scientists, they are on this platform of thinking. I met one big professor in Moscow. He is Professor Kotovsky. He said, "Swamiji, after finishing this body, everything is finished." Just see. He is a professor.

Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

"My dear Kṛṣṇa, whatever You are saying, I accept them in toto, word for word." This is required. Not that I give up this portion, I give up that portion, whatever is to my purpose... Just like sometimes the politicians, scholars, they also try to understand Bhagavad-gītā. Because Bhagavad-gītā is very authoritative book, they want to exploit. They do not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise they would have preached Kṛṣṇa. Because what is Bhagavad-gītā? Bhagavad-gītā is Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme. That is to be taught. That is to be understood. That is Bhagavad-gītā. Not that keeping Bhagavad-gītā in front, a scapegoat, I become great politician and great scholar and give my own opinion: "In my opinion, it is like this." This is nonsense.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:

And the whole thing begins just what we have begun now, now, this chanting and hearing. I wanted to point out that this chanting and hearing is as good as actual association of Kṛṣṇa. That is stated in the Bhāgavata, that śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). This, this process is called kīrtana. Even one does not understand the language, still, by hearing only, he acquires some piety. His, his assets become pious life, even he does not understand. It is such powerful. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ... kṛṣṇa-kathā means topics in, in the matter of Kṛṣṇa. The topics in the matter of Kṛṣṇa, there are two, two kinds of topics. One topic is this, Bhagavad-gītā. It is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. It is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. And another kṛṣṇa-kathā, I mean to..., topics about Kṛṣṇa, is this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is spoken about Kṛṣṇa. So there are two types of kṛṣṇa-kathā, and both of them are equally potent because it is connected with Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- Los Angeles, August 20, 1972:

We don't require any qualification, any education, any Ph.D., M.S.T, this, that. No. Simply Kṛṣṇa has given you the ears. So you can hear. What is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa is so kind, If you simply become a little inclined to hear about Him... If you hear and do not understand what Kṛṣṇa is speaking and what is spoken about Kṛṣṇa, you do not understand... Suppose you have no education, you do not understand Sanskrit or even English translation. Still, simply by hearing, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (SB 1.2.17), by simply hearing, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Puṇya means pious. We are all sinful. Life after life, we have committed sins, and this body is the evidence that we are sinful, this material body. It may be degrees different, but anyone who has got a material body, he is sinful. So every one of us is sinful, but simply by hearing...

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- Los Angeles, August 20, 1972:

Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). The whole world is full of sinful life. So we are creating the atmosphere, puṇya-śravaṇa. Chanting and hearing. Simply by these two processes. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Puṇya, pious. So anyone who is coming here, even he does not understand a single word which we are speaking, if he simply hears, he becomes pious. Simply by hearing. Even a child, he becomes pious. And unless we are free from our sinful life, we cannot understand about God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1972:

There is a English proverb that "God helps him who tries to help himself." That is a English proverb. So to become Kṛṣṇa conscious is not very difficult thing. People have no taste. They do not understand the importance of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. But this is the only way by which one can become perfect and happy.

It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā that just to become happy and peaceful one has to learn three things.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1972:

They want to enjoy another type of sense gratification. Anyway, we do not wish to discuss. But actually, if we want to get rid of all dirty things from our heart, we must hear scrutinizingly about Kṛṣṇa. This is the prescription given here. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If you do not understand, it doesn't matter. You simply give vibration, hear the vibration. Just like we are doing. What, in European countries and American countries, they'll understand? But we are sending in every important street. In New York we are sending in the Fifth Avenue, the most important street in the world. Fifth Avenue, New York, we are chanting. We have seen pictures in our Back to Godhead. They are chanting. In London, the most important street, Oxford Street, we send our men. In Melbourne, they're, they're now arresting.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Los Angeles, August 21, 1972:

"Of all methods of worship, Viṣṇu worship is the best, and better than Viṣṇu worship is to worship His devotee or things in relationship with Him."

Tadīyānām, that is bhāgavata. Here it is also said, tadīyānām, bhāgavata-sevayā. This book bhāgavata, spoken by the devotee bhāgavata, this should be taken very seriously daily. Otherwise you..., we do not understand what is Bhagavān. Therefore it is recommended here: nityam, daily, or constantly, twenty-four hours. We have to mold our life in such a way that twenty-four hours, not a single moment leaving aside, we should be engaged in bhāgavata-sevayā, in the service of Lord's relations. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, the spiritual master, tulasī-devī, the temple, the preaching, the books—these are all bhāgavata. So nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu. If we engage ourself in this bhāgavata-sevayā... Just like we are doing daily, trying to read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, discussing amongst ourselves.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:

Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu. Abhadra. We have discussed yesterday, abhadrāṇi: all dirty things. This material life means dirty life. People do not understand it. They think by nice dress and nice apartment and nicely washed body, that is civilization. They do not know what is the dirty things which has attacked him. What is the contamination, that he does not know. Lokasya ajānataḥ. It is said that the fools, rascals, they do not know it.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Calcutta, September 26, 1974:

What is Veda? There are four Vedas and 108 Upaniṣads, then Vedānta-sūtra, then so, so many books. All of them are Vedas. And what is the purpose? Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). You read all the Vedas, all the Purāṇas, Brahma-sūtra, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata. What is the purpose? To understand Kṛṣṇa. If you don't understand Kṛṣṇa, then it is useless. Your so-called study of Vedas are useless. Śrama eva hi kevalam. That is the confirmation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972:

And advancement of spiritual knowledge means more and more liberation. But our problem is how to liberate ourselves from this material bondage. We are bound up. Just like I am a spirit soul, you are spirit soul, but we are put into this material bondage. Because we are in material bondage, therefore we have no freedom. People do not understand this. Just like spirit soul is described as sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means the spirit soul can go anywhere he likes. But due to this material bondage, because we have this material body, we are checked. Even we cannot go to the other planet. But we have got instances... Just like Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni is traveling all over the universes, not only within the material world, but in the spiritual world, because he has got spiritual body. There is no material bondage.

Lecture on SB 1.2.24 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972:

Yes. Everyone is attracted to that. So therefore it is said: śrotra-ramo 'bhirāmāt. It is pleasing to everyone. But unless one becomes a devotee—it may be pleasing—he cannot derive the effect. He cannot derive the effect. As we practically see, generally, the Bhāgavata reciters, they read these chapters and they hear also, but they do not improve. They do not improve; simply sentiment. They do not understand Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.24 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972:

They do not understand Kṛṣṇa in truth. Therefore they become sahajiyās. Therefore the system is given by Lokasya ajānataḥ vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. Adhokṣaje, the transcendence, when one is engaged in His devotional service, the anarthas will be vanquished. Anartha upaśamam. But when we see that anarthas are not decreasing, they're increasing, that means they're not entering. Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. Anarthas, unwanted things, unwanted things, the so many things we have described. Sometimes we see that they cannot give up even smoking. That anartha is not being diminished. It is increasing.

Lecture on SB 1.2.26 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:

That is called liberation. But they have no idea whose liberation, what is liberation, after liberation, where to go. All this knowledge, practically blocked. So it is very difficult to understand the statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam like this verse: mumukṣavo ghora-rūpān hitvā bhūta-patīn atha. They do not understand. People are so misguided, ill-educated, that they do not understand it. Otherwise, the land of Bhāratavarṣa is meant for liberation. In other land they take birth. They have no information of liberation. Here, in this land, Bhāratavarṣa, there is the idea of liberation, mukti. Mukti. So we should be interested in that liberation. Mumukṣava. Mumukṣa icchavaḥ, "those who are desiring." Those who want to remain within this bondage, material bondage of transmigrating from one body... Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.2.31 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

The Darwin's theory, development, process of evolution, they are childish. They are concentrating on the matter: matter is evolving. Matter does not evolve; matter is dead. It is due to the presence of the spirit soul it evolves. That they do not understand, although actually we are seeing. Just like a child born. If the child is born dead, it is simply dead matter. It does not grow. It is our practical experience. But if the child is living, or the spirit soul is within that body, then it develops. Similarly, the whole cosmic manifestation, this big universe, unless there is, in the center, the Supreme Spirit, how it develops? It cannot develop. Either you take this body or take this universal body—without the spirit being entered within it, there cannot be development. The modern scientists, they have no knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.3.8 -- Los Angeles, September 14, 1972:

There must be some adjustment, there must be light under so many conditions you can see. Then what is the value of your eyes?

Vedic knowledge is therefore not seen; it is heard. Therefore it is called śruti. Just like actually we do not understand what is the position of different planets by seeing. But when you hear from authorities, from astrologists, from astronomers, then you can understand, "The sun is so great, bigger." That means hearing is perfect knowledge, not seeing. Therefore Vedic knowledge is received through the ear. To hear from the authorized persons, that is knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.3.17 -- Los Angeles, September 22, 1972:

Nobody grudges if a child does something which not to be done. Just like most children, they are chewing their thumb, but if you do that, that cannot be allowed. Because your body is different, and his body is different.

So these rascals, they do not understand the simple truth, that this body is different from my..., from the body of a youth or boy. They are different bodies. They are thinking the body is growing. The body's not growing. Body is changing. Just like in cinema, photograph, you see some body is moving, but that is not moving. That is different body changing, the photographs. But because it is shown so swiftly, we see that one body. As soon as the machine is stopped, the body is stopped. Immediately. We have experience. So these bodies are different bodies.

Lecture on SB 1.3.24 -- Los Angeles, September 29, 1972:

After some years you kick out: "Please get out of this apartment." "No, I have got my television and this and..." "That's all right. You get out." Aśāśvatam. You cannot make even compromise, that "All right, it is miserable place. I will live here." But you will not be allowed to live here. But these foolish rascals, they do not understand. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

Therefore Lord Buddha appeared. These rascals... Sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24). Sura-dviṣām means rascals, atheists. "There is no God." In Buddha religion they don't believe in God. "Yes. There is no soul. There is no God." That is Buddhist theory. Śūnyavādi. "Everything void. Make void."

Lecture on SB 1.3.25 -- Los Angeles, September 30, 1972:

Because you are being trained up.

Similarly, God consciousness is there, dormant in every living entity. But the perception varies according to the development of body. Just like child. You say something serious, say, about sex life, they do not understand. But the same child will understand sex life when the consciousness is developed. Similarly, in this material world, our consciousness is covered, God consciousness. So there are different species of life. Just like the aquatics in the ocean. There are so many living entities. But if you preach there Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not possible Their number is far greater than human being. Still, they have no capacity. Next development, plants and trees, there also, no sensation.

Lecture on SB 1.3.30 -- Los Angeles, October 5, 1972:

So here it is explained that people are very much fond of this universal form. They cannot imagine that a person—Kṛṣṇa is a person—He can work so wonderfully. Because he cannot do it. How he can do? He is very small. They do not understand that a small fire and big fire. Just like spark. Spark is also fire, so spark can also burn, but it can burn very small portion. Suppose a spark falls on your cloth. It will burn immediately. It will make immediately black. But it is very small. Similarly, the difference between Kṛṣṇa and me is that He is great, God is great, and I am small. Although qualitatively we are one. The same: big fire and small fire. Similarly, we have got also the same qualities, approximately, but very small quantity. We can play very wonderful by discovering some machine, say, the machine, what is called, which goes to the moon planet? Capsule.

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

It is smaller than even a mustard grain, but in that seed there is potency of a big tree, so high, hundred stories high. In your country I see so many big trees very high. There are many other big trees in other planets. So..., but that big tree means that seed. Within that seed, there is so much potency. That we do not understand. Actually, the materialist scientists, they cannot produce such seed. That if you want the tree, you have to sow one seed. If you have to produce a child, you have to sow. The man has to sow the seed in the womb of the woman. This is a practical.

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

So the seed is eternal. That we get information from Vedic literatures. Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ (Bg 7.10). Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That bīja, that seed, does not, I mean to say, annihilate because the body is annihilated. This is the basic principle of understanding for making progress in spiritual life. One who does not understand this basic principle, that the spirit soul, the seed, is eternal, and it is transmigrating different bodies... And factually we know that "My father gave the seed in the womb of my mother, that seed. And from that seed developed this body. But I am... When my body was just like, as small, just like a pea, I was there. And I have become so big. I am there. So many bodily changes have taken place, but I am there." Similarly, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Similarly, when we change this body finally and take another body, so one who knows the fact or the science of birth and death, he is not disturbed. He is not disturbed.

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

So, śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ para, yasya praśna syapi śravāṇādau paramaḥ puruṣarthaḥ. Now, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that "The question put by you and the answers which I shall give to you, even the general persons who are assembled here, they do not understand it rightly, but simply hearing that mantra, or the answers, will give him the highest quality benefit." In another place it is stated, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Now, this the classes which we hold here We invite everyone, but those who are fortunate, they come here. But even those who are coming here, they do not understand the philosophy, but simply by hearing the vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa or the sound vibration, just like I am speaking to you, they will be benefited, even without understanding. It is such a nice thing. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

So due to this misconception of our life, we have accumulated many dirty and dusty things within our heart. So if we hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā, even if we do not understand it, the action will be there. The action will be there. Just like if you touch fire, either you understand it or not understand it, that fire is fire. It will burn your finger. Just like if a child, he does not understand what is fire, but if he touches fire, his fingers or hand will be burned immediately. There is no mercy: "Oh, here is an innocent child. He does not know." No. the law of nature will act. Similarly, kṛṣṇa-kathā, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtana, it is so pious and it is so spiritual that anyone who will hear it, either by understanding or without understanding, the action will be there like fire. So varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ (SB 2.1.1).

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

So it is now quarter past, ten past eight. Now, we shall discuss this meeting of Parīkṣit Mahārāja and Śukadeva Gosvāmī continually, so you please come, even if you do not understand. You can understand because we invite questions and answers. So any human being can understand. But even if you do not understand, the action of hearing will be there. (break) ...philosophy, they hey are purified or attracted simply by this sound vibration. It is so nice. So if we simply give our aural reception to this transcendental sound, then there is immense profit, immense profit. So we invite everyone to come here and take this advantage. Thank you very much. Any question.

Lecture on SB 1.5.4 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1968:

We cannot see things rightly. Although we have got very lightening arrangement, artificial electricity, still, we do not see things as they are. Suppose you go up to your roof, and if you want to see, find out some friend's house, you cannot see. This is darkness. Darkness means you do not understand things as it is. But in the sunlight you can see everything.

Lecture on SB 1.5.9-11 -- New Vrindaban, June 6, 1969:

I am thinking, "I am God," "I am Kṛṣṇa," "I am this, I am that." Nothing. This will simply put me under the clutches of māyā.

Therefore ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet means to put oneself in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then your ātmā, your self, is protected. Ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet. Tato dharma. Tato dharma. After you understand. People do not understand what is his business. He thinks that my business is to eat, sleep, mate, and die. That's all. This is animalism. Simply they are misled by animalistic civilization—eating, sleeping. That's all. Have good house for sleeping. Why? Now, these boys and girls, they are sleeping on the floor, sleeping on the open air. Where is the difficulty? The animals also can sleep. It is a practice only. We don't require any gorgeous arrangement for sleeping or living. We should simply try to elevate our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other things, all subordinate. That is ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet.

Lecture on SB 1.5.9-11 -- New Vrindaban, June 6, 1969:

So tato dharmaṁ tato dhanam ātmany vikṛte sati kuto dharmaḥ kuto dhanam.(?) But if you do not understand yourself, what you are, then what is the meaning of your religion and your economic development? You do not know what you are. First of all you must know what you are and what is your business, what is your destination, what is your aim of life. Then begin work, begin religious, become economic developer and so on, so on, so many things. But if you are in darkness to understand yourself, then what is the meaning of this accumulation of wealth or so-called religion, and so-called economic devel... No.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

The higher authorities will give you chance. If you prepare yourself nicely, you get good chance; you get birth in higher planet. Or if you prepare himself, yourself nicely, then you go to Kṛṣṇa even. Now it is your choice. It is your choice. But we must know that "What is my condition." If I am in darkness, I do not understand what is, in what condition I am living, this is conditional life. That's... Everyone can understand. That Sanātana Gosvāmī understood. And we should follow the footprints of Sanātana Gosvāmī.

So he understood that "Although I am minister, although I am very educated..." Educated, what do you mean by educated? He said, grāmya-vyavahāre kahe paṇḍita: "Some, my neighbors, they call me very learned man, my neighbors." Grāmya-vyavahāre kahe paṇḍita. Because he was minister, and he was Sanskrit scholar, Urdu scholar, actually, from scholastic point of view, very educated...

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

He's engaged. And chanting in his way, Hare Kṛṣṇa. We must have engagement. But if the same child was not engaged in this way, he would be naughty. He would be doing something mischief, this way and that way. We must have engagement. Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not understand it. They want to make stop. Of course, that stop, for the time being, may be. Just like if this child is very naughty, I can stop him: "Don't do this. Sit down here, silent." But how long he'll sit silently? He wants some engagement. Similarly, this meditation process is like that. They... In order to stop him for doing some nonsense activities, better let him sit down, like this. But how long he'll sit down like this? As soon as he is free from that so-called meditation, he will immediately engage himself in all nonsense activities.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

The wonderful actor is Kṛṣṇa, Urukrama. So Nārada Muni says, "Although you have mentioned in other purāṇas or in itihāsa, Mahābhārata, about Kṛṣṇa, some of the activities of Kṛṣṇa..." Just like this same thing, as I told you. So many people are reading Bhagavad-gītā, but all nonsense. They do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, because they are disturbed. They are not situated in Kṛṣṇa. Nārada Muni says that "Be situated in Kṛṣṇa. You write something, simply Kṛṣṇa's activities." Akhila "Then you'll be liberated, and those who will stick to this principle, they'll be liberated."

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

Akhila-bandha-muktaye... Vipakṣe doṣam anta, that "If you do not do this..." Śrīdhara Svāmī comments, vipakṣe. Vipakṣe means if you do not understand this philosophy, that simply Kṛṣṇa consciousness can save the human race, then you are faulty. If you do not understand... If you understand it nicely, it is very good. But if you do not understand it, if you direct your activities in a, in a different way, then it is faulty. You'll never be happy. Because the whole thing has begun-Vyāsadeva was unhappy. Even after producing a literature like Vedānta-sūtra, he was not happy, and Nārada is giving him instruction how to become happy. Here is the answer, that "If you do not accept this proposition, that you have simply to be in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then vipakṣe, it is just against your welfare."

Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:

It is mostly in this country. Some of the disciples, some of the students, they are coming, not that one has understood this philosophy very nicely and he is convinced. Some of them are coming by sentiment: "All right, let me join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement." So in that case what happens? Suppose one does not understand the philosophy, but he comes to join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, then what is the effect?

Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:

And ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ: "And if anyone does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, simply engages in his, mean, prescribed duties as a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or a śūdra, and he's very strict moralist, he may get, he may not get also." There is... Because this life, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yes, Vedas, Upaniṣad, kṣurasya dhara iti duratyayā.(?) The people do not understand that how we are stationed. Any little difference, we may fall down. As there is chance of falldown from Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is chance of falldown from any position. This human life, human form of life, should be very carefully and cautiously utilized. This verse I was explaining yesterday, labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29).

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

Not foolish person. Foolish person cannot understand. But even jñānavān, who is wise, perfectly wise, learned scholar, such person, even after many, many births struggling to understand Kṛṣṇa... So that is mahātmā, one who has understood Kṛṣṇa. He is mahātmā. One who does not understand Kṛṣṇa or verifies himself as Kṛṣṇa, he's durātmā. He's not mahātmā. He's a rascal. Mahātmā is that person who has understood Kṛṣṇa, that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: (BG 7.19) "Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, is the cause of all causes." Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). One who has understood this perfectly, that the Supreme Controller, Īśvara... Īśvara means controller. And not only controller, but Supreme Controller. Controller, we are; every one of us are controller. Just like I am also controlling a few of my disciples—or hundred or thousand. But Kṛṣṇa is controller of millions, millions upon millions and millions upon... All universes. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29).

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

So you don't want to..., if you don't want to become a rascal, if you want to become a mahātmā, then you accept what Kṛṣṇa says and preach that. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." You say that. You say, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). "Here is... Kṛṣṇa is the cause." You understand or don't understand, if you simply pick up the words of Kṛṣṇa and talk like that, then you become mahātmā. There is no difficulty to become mahātmā. But these durātmās, the rascals, they talk differently from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are not mahātmās. They are all durātmā. Therefore the process is that if you want to make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you have to find out a guru who is mahātmā. Ādau gurvāśrayam. That is the first business. Ādau, in the beginning, gurvāśrayam, to take shelter of a bona fide mahātmā guru.

Lecture on SB 1.5.32 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:

So when one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious by the grace of the Supreme Personality, guru-kṛṣṇa, by the grace of guru and Kṛṣṇa, then he understands that this place, this material world, is full of miseries. Then brahma-jijñāsā. But foolishly people do not understand that it is a miserable condition. Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was minister. By contact with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu he could understand that "Although I am minister, although I am holding very high, exalted position, I am learned scholar in Sanskrit, Urdu, Parsi, but I am not happy." Therefore he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa... He understands that "I am in the suffering." Suffering, everyone can understand. Why you are moving the fan? I am in suffering.

Lecture on SB 1.5.32 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:

When they fail to identify with all this nonsense, then "I am God. I am Nārāyaṇa." This will not help. When one will understand that "I am servant, eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa..." This question was put by Sanātana Gosvāmī: ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya.

But foolish people, they do not understand what is tāpa-traya, although we are suffering, everyone. This is tāpa-traya. Just like we are feeling very warm. This is one of the traya. It is called adhidaivika. You cannot check it. Similarly, when you will feel severe cold, you will wrap, you'll go to the fireplace. That is another suffering. So either in warmth or in, I mean to say, winter, you are suffering. Everyone is suffering. Suffering is there.

Lecture on SB 1.5.35 -- Vrndavana, August 16, 1974:

Generally, people understand, big, big factories nowadays, or agriculture or anything, there are laukikī. Laukikī means for maintenance of the body. So Nārada Muni recommends that yad atra, anything you are doing, kriyate. Atra means in this material world, atra. Yad atra kriyate karma bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam. It doesn't matter that you do not understand these Vedic rituals, but you want to develop the economic position of your country by industrial enterprises. Yes, that is also good. That is also good. How? Bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam. If it is conducted for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, then it is good.

Lecture on SB 1.5.36 -- Vrndavana, August 17, 1974:

Anāvṛṣṭi durbhikṣa. And other side, taxation, heavy taxation. So we should be very alert in the matter of preparing ourself back to home, back to Godhead. Otherwise, if we take birth again and again, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), then we have to suffer some.

This material body means suffering. We have repeatedly said. People do not understand it. And there are different kinds of suffering, different types of body. But if we follow this process as it is stated, kṛṣṇasya anusmaranti. Kṛṣṇa. While acting, doing something, at the same time, we can remember Kṛṣṇa. Anusmaranti. Anusmaranti. Anu means follow. You cannot remember, memorize Kṛṣṇa, by your whims. No. Therefore this word is used, anusmaranti.

Lecture on SB 1.7.5 -- Vrndavana, September 4, 1976:

Tri-guṇa. Sattva, rajas, tamo-guṇa. Somebody is thinking, "I am very good man. I am very honest man. I am very qualified man." That is also false identification. And somebody is thinking, "I can do this. I can do that. I am so powerful. Who is equal to me?" Passion. That is also māyā's dictation. And somebody is lazy, sleeping, does not understand anything—tamo-guṇa. That is also tri-guṇātmakam, within this tri-dhāma. So within this material world, either the good man or the passionate man or the ignorant man, there may be some differences, guṇogata(?), but actually every one of them is entangled by māyā.

So to come to the spiritual platform, as it is said in the next verse, anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6), then you have to take bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means directly contact the Supreme Lord, adhokṣaja.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa said, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā: (BG 4.6) "I am not external energy. I come in My own energy." And the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not understand. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Therefore they have been described as mūḍhāḥ, asses, fools, rascals. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: (BG 9.11) "Because I have come here in the form of a human being, they take it for acceptance that 'Kṛṣṇa is another human being.' " But that is not fact. Here, if one sees Kṛṣṇa through bhakti-yoga as Vyāsadeva saw, bhakti-yogena manasi... (SB 1.7.4). Mind must be saturated with bhakti-yoga. Then you can see the Supreme Person pūrṇam, not affected by māyā. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. And so far māyā is concerned, although māyā is very influential, that's all right...

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 23, 1975:

Unnecessarily we have accepted this material body. Because our position is not this body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We are losing every time a particular type of body. But I am eternal. But people are so foolish, so rascal, they do not understand that "If I am eternal, why I have to change my body?" This is intelligence.

So that intelligence is there. Here it is said, lokasya ajānataḥ. The rascals, the fools, ajānataḥ, foolish... Ajānataḥ is another meaning of foolish. Ajānataḥ, ajñāna, without any knowledge how we can stop this perpetual... Not perpetual, but at least for the time being, why we are subjected to these anartha? This is the enquiry. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. But they do not know it.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 23, 1975:

Īśvara means the Supreme Person. In the English dictionary also it is said "God means the Supreme Person." God means the Supreme Person. So that Supreme Person is Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." But people do not understand, because ajānataḥ. Ajānataḥ means without any knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 23, 1975:

So we have to take knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇe parama-pūruṣe bhaktir utpadyate. If you hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... Of course, if you do not understand what is the basic principle of Kṛṣṇa or basic principle of perfection... That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the beginning. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). Here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the so-called manufactured religious system is kicked out. It is meant for the paramahaṁsa. Nirmatsarāṇām. Nirmatsara means one who does not become envious. So our enviousness, our envy has begun from Kṛṣṇa. We don't accept Kṛṣṇa. Mostly they will say, "Why Kṛṣṇa should be only the Supreme Person? There are many others." That is envy. So our enviousness has begun from Kṛṣṇa, and therefore it has expanded in so many ways.

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

Therefore we call them agnostic. They do not... Because why we do not accept them authority? Because if you do not accept the authority of the Vedas, then you become godless immediately. Because Kṛṣṇa said vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). If you do not understand Vedic knowledge, if you do not understand Vedānta, if you do not understand Upaniṣad—without understanding this Vedic knowledge, understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is vague.

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

This is the statement, that remain in your place, but hear from the authorities about Kṛṣṇa, then everything will be clear. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Even if you do not understand a word, but if you hear from the realized soul about Kṛṣṇa, then, hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām. Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). If we become sincere to hear about Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will help us. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, dadāmi buddhi-yogam (BG 10.10). He'll give intelligence. This is the process. Teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ nāśayāmi (BG 10.11). These things are there.

Lecture on SB 1.7.7 -- Vrndavana, April 24, 1975:

Yasyāṁ vai śrūyamāṇāyām (SB 1.7.7). Simply by hearing. You don't require to understand even; the hearing is so powerful. That is stated in other place, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Kṛṣṇa-kathā is puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. If you simply hear and talk about Kṛṣṇa, you become pious, pious. Even if you don't understand the Sanskrit or English, simply if we become eager to hear about Kṛṣṇa, then you become pious. It is so powerful. Therefore it is recommended, yasyāṁ vai śrūyamāṇāyām. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). This should be our practice. We are giving this Bhāgavata translation all over the world. And you will be surprised that we are selling more than thirty, forty lakhs of rupees per month. This movement is helping the whole human civilization. So yasyāṁ vai... If one purchases... That is our propaganda. Some or other, we are giving one book.

Lecture on SB 1.7.25 -- Vrndavana, September 22, 1976:

There is another verse in the Brahma-saṁhitā, that vedeṣu durlabhaḥ. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by studying Vedas, although Vedas means knowledge. And the ultimate knowledge—to understand Kṛṣṇa. So-called Vedanti..., you'll find so many Vedantists loitering on the street, but they do not understand Kṛṣṇa. This is their qualification. They interpret "Kṛṣṇa means this. Kṛṣ means this, ṇa means this," like that. When Vallabha Ācārya said to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "I have described Kṛṣṇa's meaning," Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately refused: "I do not know any meaning of Kṛṣṇa. I know Kṛṣṇa, Gopījana-vallabha, that's all. Gopījana-vallabha." What is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa? No interpretation, no imagination. Kṛṣṇa is Vṛndāvana-candra or Gopījana-vallabha, Giri-vara-dhārī, that's all. So we have to understand by sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Then we can see sākṣāt Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.7.26 -- Vrndavana, September 2, 1976:

Pradyumna:

kim idaṁ svit kuto veti
deva-deva na vedmy aham
sarvato mukham āyāti
tejaḥ parama-dāruṇam
(SB 1.7.26)

"O Lord of lords, how is it that this dangerous effulgence is spreading all around? Where does it come from? I do not understand it."

Prabhupāda:

kim idaṁ svit kuto veti
deva-deva na vedmy aham
sarvato mukham āyāti
tejaḥ parama-dāruṇam
(SB 1.7.26)

So Aśvatthāmā's brahmāstra... We have discussed about brahmāstra. It is almost similar to the modern nuclear weapon or bomb. But it is made with chemicals, but this brahmāstra is made of mantra. That is the subtle way. Modern science has not reached to that point of subtle existence. Therefore they cannot understand how transmigration of the soul takes place.

Lecture on SB 1.7.26 -- Vrndavana, September 2, 1976:

The jñānīs, they are trying for liberation and undergoing very severe type of austerity and penances. Kṛcchreṇa. Kṛcchreṇa means very severe type of austerities they undergo. But still they fall down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). One who does not understand Kṛṣṇa, then his knowledge, his so-called jñāna... Maybe to some extent it is perfect, but it is not completely perfect. Completely perfect will be possible when you understand Kṛṣṇa.

So if you go on the ordinary way, from the karma platform to jñāna platform, from jñāna platform to yoga platform, but ultimately you have to come to the bhakti platform. If you do not come to the bhakti platform, then there is no question of liberation. That is not possible. You can get better position by karma, jñāna, yoga. Suppose a yogi, he can achieve many wonderful things.

Lecture on SB 1.7.32-33 -- Vrndavana, September 27, 1976:

Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Here is truth. Nothing can be mithyā; everything is truth. We have to find out the truth.

So what is that truth? The truth is that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1), everything is God's creation. And Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, God says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor, but we do not understand that, that truth, that He is the proprietor. We are creating our proprietorship. That is untruth. That is untruth. That is mithyā. Jagan mithyā. Jagat is not mithyā, but our behavior with the jagat, or the world, is mithyā. Jagat is not mithyā. How it can be mithyā? Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). It is coming, emanating from the Absolute Truth. It is truth.

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

Just like we apply sometimes ointment and cūrṇa... What is called in English, cūrṇa? Powder, something? Anyway... So when our eyes are cleansed we thinks clearly; similarly, if we apply the ointment of love of God on the eyes, then we can see God. Just like Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa. Kuntī is seeing. Others, they do not understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Pāṇḍavas, and the Pāṇḍavas' mother, they know that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Alakṣyam. Just like Kṛṣṇa was exhibiting His virāḍ-rūpa in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Only Arjuna was seeing, nobody else.

So God reveals Himself to the devotee. Although... Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja was seeing that Nṛsiṁha-deva has come, and his father, atheist father, he was challenging, "Where is your God?" So God is everywhere, but He is not visible to the nondevotee. But one who is devotee, he can see Him.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Mayapura, September 28, 1974:

We, we talk according to śāstra, that the democracy means assembly of rogues and plunderers. That is the statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. The government men will be all dasyu. Dasyu means plunderer. Not pickpocket. Pickpocket, somehow or other, if you do not understand, takes something from your pocket, and the plunderer, or the dasyu, he catches you and by force, "If you don't spare your money, I shall kill you." They are called dasyu.

So the, in the present age of Kali, the government men will be dasyu. This is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. You can, we can see practically. You cannot keep your money. You earn with hard labor, but you cannot keep gold, you cannot keep jewelry, you cannot keep money. And... They will take it away by laws. So they make law that... Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was just quite opposite. He wanted to see that every citizen is so happy that they are not troubled even by excessive heat and excessive cold. Ati-vyādhi.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Mayapura, September 28, 1974:

Even this material nature, wonderful things are going on, that is being controlled by Kṛṣṇa. This is to be understood. So we are reading Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literature. What is the purpose? The purpose is vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). The purpose is to understand Kṛṣṇa. If you don't understand Kṛṣṇa, then your reading of so-called Vedas and Vedāntas and Upaniṣads, they are useless waste of time. So here Kuntī is directly saying that "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are ādyaṁ puruṣam, the original person. And īśvaram. You are not ordinary person. You are the supreme controller." That is understanding of Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Everyone is controller, but the supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Chicago, July 4, 1974 :

We fight, "This is my land, this is your land," but fighting, we die, and the land is there. The land does not go with the fighters. They fight amongst themselves, "This is my land," "This is my land," but the land remains, and the persons fighting, they go away. This is the position. But still we do not understand that the land does not belong to either you or to me. It belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So anyway, just to establish, to remind us, Kṛṣṇa comes, so that "Any land does not belong to you." Bhoktāram, "I am the enjoyer," sarva-loka-maheśvaram, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." That's a fact.

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :

As soon as I or you leave this body, it is dull, no more, no movement. It is very easy to understand. Similarly, how the movement of the cosmic manifestation is going on, the so-called scientist, philosopher, rascals, they do not understand, because Kṛṣṇa has entered. It is very easy to understand. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, very minute part. Still, because I have entered this body, therefore the body moves, the activities of the body going on. Is it very difficult to understand? So, anyone can understand that this lump of matter, big cosmic manifestation, until a thing like me, soul, is there, how it is going on nicely—how the sun is rising in due time, the moon is rising in due time, the oceans are flowing in due order. Everything i in order.

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Mayapura, September 29, 1974:

The most important process is śravaṇam. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If we don't hear about Kṛṣṇa, then how we'll make advance? We have to hear. My Guru Mahārāja was very kind upon me because I was very much interested to hear him. That you know. I hear him. I did not understand him, actually. In the beginning I could not understand him. He was speaking in so high philosophical way that it was not... Still, I wanted to hear him. That was my only qualification.

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

Therefore Deity worship, temple worship, essential for the common general people. Simply by their coming, visiting and doing something, they'll be pious. So... And other pious activities—to hear about Kṛṣṇa. The sound vibration. Even one does not understand what is spoken here, but Kṛṣṇa... Just like I am speaking in English. Those who cannot understand English, they do not understand what I am speaking. But in the middle I am talking of Kṛṣṇa. So that Kṛṣṇa hearing is sufficient: "Kṛṣṇa." My Guru Mahārāja, when some article was presented to see whether he approved for publication, he would simply say, or see, how many times he has uttered "Kṛṣṇa" and "Caitanya Mahāprabhu." That's all. If he has uttered in his writing "Kṛṣṇa," "Caitanya," like that, so if he hears that many times he has written—"That's all right. That's all right." It is so nice.

Lecture on SB 1.8.22 -- Los Angeles, April 14, 1973:

This is our program. We have come here not to exploit your country, but to give you something substantial. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So read Bhāgavatam, pronounce the verses very nicely. Therefore we're repeating. You hear the records and try to repeat. Simply by chanting the mantra, you'll be purified. Simply by chant... Even you do not understand a single word of it, simply if you chant, this vibration has got such power. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If you simply chant and vibrate this verse, these verses, these ślokas, it is puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. There is, there is no question of understanding.

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Mayapura, October 13, 1974:

Now they have left everything and they are mad after God. How it is po... How it is?" Because we have adopted the process enunciated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; therefore it has become easier. Otherwise, to understand Kṛṣṇa only, it will take millions of years, simply to understand Kṛṣṇa. And what to speak of becoming lover of Kṛṣṇa? If I do not understand you, I cannot become your lover. You... We cannot love an unknown person. Is it possible? You must know him. You must behave with him. You must study him. He will study you. Then there is question of love. But Kṛṣṇa-caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us such a nice process: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, immediately...

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Mayapura, October 13, 1974:

That is a concession to the devotee." Therefore, Kuntīdevī says, apare: "Others say like that." Somebody says like this; somebody says like that; somebody says like this. This is going on. But actually, Kṛṣṇa remains aja always. Because if we do not understand that Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, then we'll misunderstand Him, that "He is also born. He is also born, so how He can become?" The Māyāvādīs say that "Kṛṣṇa is also having a body of the material body, māyā. Therefore real spiritual identity (is) impersonal. As soon as He assumes the body, it is material." That is called Māyāvāda. "Māyā. The Kṛṣṇa's body is māyā. The ultimate Absolute is no body, impersonal." That is their theory. Therefore we call them Māyāvādī.

But they do not actually know that ultimately the Absolute Truth is a person, the Supreme Person, Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.

Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Los Angeles, April 28, 1973:

He sat down tight before Śukadeva Gosvāmī and went on hearing, hearing, hearing for seven days. And then his life is finished. So anyone or all of them. If you simply hear, without doing anything. Simply sit down in the temple and whenever there is talk of Bhagavad-gītā, Bhaga..., you go on hearing. Bas. Even if you do not understand, please hear. That's all. That vibration, that mantra vibration will help you. Understanding is not very important thing. There may be so many fools and rascals, they do not know grammar, do not know Sanskrit. No, there is no need of...

Apratihatā. Bhakti is apratiha... Nothing can check the progress of bhakti. So simply you have to adopt the process. The process is hearing.

Lecture on SB 1.8.38 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1973:

So these eight material elements, they are energies, separated energies. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. And, because the energetic is there behind this energy... Just like electric power. We are using electric power, but behind this electric power there is the powerhouse and there is the engineer who is producing the power. The rascals, they do not understand this. They simply see the power. But behind the power there is the power-maker, the source of power. They do not understand it. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes and says that "I am the power-maker. I am behind this power." Kṛṣṇa personally comes, because we have no eyes to see Kṛṣṇa, neither we can understand Kṛṣṇa. He therefore comes. What kind...? God, we are simply contemplating God. What is the form of God? God must be very old man. Because He has created millions and millions of years ago, therefore He must be very old man.

Lecture on SB 1.8.38 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1973:

The Pāṇḍavas are famous and the Yadu dynasty is also famous. Ke vayam. "What we are? What is our value?" Ke vayaṁ nāma-rūpābhyām: (SB 1.8.38) "Simply a so-called name and so-called form. Otherwise without You, it is all useless. It has no value." Ke vayam.

So people do not understand this. He's very proud of having a nice body and nice name. "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this," "I am German." So what is this, German, American, Indian? A bogus name and bogus form, that's all. It has no value. Just make Kṛṣṇa minus, everything is zero, finished. This is fact. But people are so rascal, they do not understand this fact. Who can deny it? If the body, the American body or Indian body, or good name and big name, it has no consciousness, then what is the value? No value.

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

Therefore I am requesting you all: just make a plan to face these rascals and defeat them. They are misleading the whole human society. Now the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should take this turn. They may not think that these boys and girls, so-called Kṛṣṇas, they are sentimentalists, chanting and dancing. That is, of course, the ultimate goal. But they do not understand. They think that we are simply sentimental. We are the greatest scientist. We are the greatest philosopher. We are the greatest humanitarian. They should know that. (aside:) Who is standing there? Hmmm.

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

So a devotee should know what is Kṛṣṇa. They picture simply Kṛṣṇa as if simply embracing Rādhārāṇī. That's all. That is also very, in a obnoxious way. These rascals, they take it, the dealings of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa as ordinary boys and girls dealing. They don't understand. Such pictures should be avoided. Kṛṣṇa is the controller. Let there be one picture how Kṛṣṇa is controlling the whole universe. That picture wanted, not these cheap pictures, imitating our rubbish behavior with boys and girls. These pictures we do not want. We want picture how Kṛṣṇa is controller, how He is controlling the universal affairs. Viśveśa. Viśveśa viśvātman. Ātman, the living force. The living force must be there.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

So many we are; we are occupied. So why you should become big man? What is the purpose? The purpose is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Intelligent. So whatever talent you have got, it doesn't matter. Whatever you may be. You may be engineer. But if you are intelligent actually, through engineering, you'll describe Kṛṣṇa, how Kṛṣṇa is the greatest engineer so that He's keeping all the planets floating in the air. That is engineer. You cannot do it. He is keeping... Gām āviśya (BG 15.13). He has said. Aham ojasā dhārayāmi, Kṛṣṇa says. So we have to understand Kṛṣṇa like that. Kṛṣṇa says like that, "I am keeping all these planets floating." Now, if you are a physicist, then you try to understand how Kṛṣṇa is keeping them floating. That is your perfection. That is your perfection. If you remain a physicist or chemist and don't understand Kṛṣṇa, it is a waste of time. It is waste of time.

Lecture on SB 1.8.52 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1973:

This is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, cleansing the heart. And all these purificatory methods, they are based on cleansing the heart. If I think myself that "I am something of this material product..." The scientists, they say that "I am these material things." They do not understand what is spiritual identity. And I do, I act, according to that material conception, that is impurity of my consciousness. First thing is to understand that "I am not this material body."

Lecture on SB 1.9.40 -- New York, May 22, 1973:

This is the wonder of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement. We are the only institution throughout the whole world that we are teaching people that "My dear sir, you are not this body. You are different from the body, and after death you get another body." Tathā dehantara-prāptir. Simple education in the Bhagavad-gītā. They do not understand. There are big, big scholars, rascals, all rascals. Our difficulty is these rascals are going on as scholar, dehātma-buddhiḥ. Their life is bodily concept of life and they are passing as scientists, scholars, leaders, politicians and they are leading us andhā yathāndhair. They are blind and they are leading us, so we have, we are also put into difficulty. So only this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement can save the human civilization and get him raised to the platform of the gopīs. We have got such nice thing, these gopīs' unalloyed Kṛṣṇa love. That is wanted.

Lecture on SB 1.10.11-12 -- Mayapura, June 25, 1973:

It will be according to your work. We can become an insect, or we can become the demigod. We can become tree; we can become animal—anything, according to our karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1).

So this rascal civilization, they do not understand what is bhava-sāgara, what is bhava. Nothing. They are so rascal. And they're passing on as civilized men. No knowledge. So when one is intelligent, actually, then he considers that "If I am eternal, why should I accept repetition of birth and death?" That is intelligence. But they have given (in) to birth and death—"Never mind." Even university students, they say, "If next life, if I become animal, what is the wrong?"

Lecture on SB 1.10.11-12 -- Mayapura, June 25, 1973:

Still they are going on as human being. They're like animals. Even big, big professors in Europe, they say, "Swamiji, after death, everything is finished." You see. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Even these plain words, the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, they do not understand. Not only they. Here, also. So many politicians, so many rascals, they take Bhagavad-gītā, but they do not understand. They're busy with politics.

Lecture on SB 1.10.11-12 -- Mayapura, June 25, 1973:

So if you dispossess, if you throw it away, then what is the gain. Whatever you had, gone. But if you throw the copper coin, or the silver coin, and if you accept a gold coin, then you are profited. Then it is profit. So niṣkiñcana, to simply become niṣkiñcana, renounced of everything... Just like Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. They do... Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Yes. But brahma satyam, they do not understand what is the actual satya-vastu. That satya-vastu is Bhagavān. They do not search after Bhagavān; simply the light, effulgence of Bhagavān, brahma-jyotir. They are satisfied. (yelling in background) (aside:) What is that, trouble? Stop them.

Lecture on SB 1.10.20 -- London, May 24, 1973:

The rākṣasa, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ... Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ means one who does not accept the supremacy of God. "What is God? I am God. I am God." Such... These rascals are called māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ. Na māṁ prapadyante. They do not surrender to God, or Kṛṣṇa. They pose themselves as God. So as soon as we find anyone does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, does not understand Kṛṣṇa, he is rascal. Anyone. It doesn't matter. That is the first test. Then you come to the details. As soon as you find someone, somebody, that he does not understand what is God, or his relationship with God, or, and what is the ultimate object of life, he's a rascal. And as soon as you find somebody, that he has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19).

Lecture on SB 1.13.10 -- Geneva, June 1, 1974:

Otherwise, this one-sided civilization, material comforts, that will not help them. Because however you may create your city, home, very nice, clean, materially comfortable, you will not be allowed to stay. That defect, they do not understand. And after you leave this body, there is no certainty what kind of body you are going to have. There is certainty according to the material laws. There is certainty, but they do not know it. That body will be manufactured according to the association of the material modes of nature.

Lecture on SB 1.14.43 -- New York, April 7, 1973 :

You are transferred to the spiritual world. This is the purpose of human life. But these rascals they do not know. They think that we are advancing civilization , because the cats and dogs they are lying on..., on the floor and sleep, we have got 104-stories building and we lie down there. This is their advancement. But they do not understand that the sleeping, the enjoyment by sleeping, it is the same to the dog and to the man who is lying on the 104th planet, story. Similarly, sex life to the dog and to the man or to the demigod, the pleasure is the same. There is no difference. If you drink milk on a golden pot or an iron pot, the taste is the same. You cannot change the taste of the milk, or anything, putting into the golden pot.

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

Similarly, that spiritual spark, or spirit soul, is the petrol of this body.

So without knowledge of this, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13), just like cats and dogs, they cannot understand how he is moving. That he does not know. If a human being also does not understand that how this body is moving, neither they can discover what it is, then what is this? It may be very so-called decoration of the body. A decoration of the dead body, what is the profit thereof? If you do not know what is the real living force within this body, then if you simply decorate the body, dead body, loka-rañjanam, you may get some applause from ordinary men, but it has no value. It has no value.

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

"I am the death, and I take away everything at the time of death." Either you take as a philosopher, scientist or rich man, capitalist, as soon as there is death... Just like you see, Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was very powerful, and as soon as Nṛsiṁha-deva appeared, everything finished. Now he is dying. You see? So people do not understand it, that without Kṛṣṇa, without God, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply we are wasting our time, that's all, after false things. Everything will be useless. Today or tomorrow or day after. It will be useless, all useless. Real spirit soul-na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20)—that we do not take care. After finishing this false body, which will exist, the spirit soul, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), which is never vanquished even after the annihilation of this body, we are not taking care of that, wherefrom it has come. People are ignorant, so foolish. They do not know.

Lecture on SB 1.15.27 -- New York, March 6, 1975:

Sometimes they take the spiritual shelter, so-called, for getting some benefit out of it so that his political movement may be increased or enhanced. So we do not wish to discuss, but Bhagavad-gītā, even if you read without any actual knowledge of the Bhagavad-gītā, still, you will feel relief. Still you will feel relief. Just like if you go to the fire, you will feel some warmth. That's a fact. Even you do not know how to enjoy fire, still, because you are near the fire, you will get some warmth. So Bhagavad-gītā is like that. Even if you do not understand, by simply hearing the words of Kṛṣṇa... Simply we chant this, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), and gradually you do that...

Lecture on SB Excerpt -- New York, March 7, 1975:

Prabhupāda: No. Bengal Vaiṣṇava is not foolishism. You have... First of all you have to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then go to understand what is Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā. You do not understand Kṛṣṇa. Why you jump over His activities?

Indian woman: Well, I was given that work to do for research.

Prabhupāda: So some foolish man has given you like that. (laughter) Yes. You should ask him that "You, Mr. Rascal, (laughter) why you have given, 'jump over to here?' Why not other?" That Kṛṣṇa, to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Bhāgavata begins, athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ... (SB 1.1.1). You know Sanskrit, I think.

Lecture on SB 1.15.29 -- Los Angeles, December 7, 1973:

That's all. And what is the effect of poison? You will die. Not only this life, life after life, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). He will accept this life, again he'll give up, again another body, again another. And that you do not know. There is no guarantee what kind of body you are going to get. But they are so rascals, they do not understand that "I am going to get another body." And there are so many varieties of body. If I get the body of a tree, now standed up for seven thousand years... How much risk we are taking. But all this risk can be avoided in this human form of life simply by thinking of Vāsudeva, simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Why people are reluctant? This is their misfortune.

Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:

We have seen there is a big crack and we are studying that." That is our advancement. In this way foolish people are exploiting innocent public. Yes.

This is our charge against this so-called advancement of life. And they are forgetting real thing. They do not understand what is soul. They do not understand. They do not understand that the soul is transmigrating from one body to another. Soul is immortal. Soul is eternal. These things are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the beginning, this is the beginning lesson: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāram (BG 2.13). This is the beginning of spiritual understanding. But they do not understand this beginning lesson, and still they are advanced. This is going on. Simply cheating.

Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:

As you are changing constantly our body, this fact. Similarly, if when this body is no more useful, then you're transferred to another body. That's very simple to understand. Suppose you are living in a room, if it is not good then we change another body. But that does not mean "I'm finished." But these foolish people, the so-called scientists, so-called advanced philosopher, they do not understand this simple. And still they are very much proud of their education. This simple thing they do not understand and they are very proud of edu...

Go on.

Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:

Then what is the trouble? But that thing they will not accept. This is foolishness. This is māyā. Actually it is the property of God. We come here as guests, fifty years or sixty years or hundred years, then we are kicked out: "Get out!" That we do not understand. Because we are allowed to live here for a certain number of years we think it is my property. This is ignorance.

So brahma-sampattyā. So actually if you want to be happy, then you have to acquire this brahma-sampattyā viśokaḥ, then there will be no more lamentation. Everyone is... Know that it is our Father's property, Kṛṣṇa's property. So there is (indistinct) supply. Why you are fighting?

Lecture on SB 1.15.32 -- Los Angeles, December 10, 1973:

That is their life and soul. They do not know. They have no information. There is better pleasure, eternal pleasure. That they do not know.

Therefore there is need of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to understand that... What is that? Niśamya bhagavan-mārgam, The way of God. The rascals do not understand what is God, they do not know what is the feature of God, and still, they will not accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are giving, "Here is God. Here is the form of God. He is so nice. He is so beautiful. His address is this. You can go there by this process." "No. We don't want." "Then what you want?" "I want to become a pig. (laughter) That's all." "All right, you become pig. What can be done? And what shall you eat?" "I will eat stool. That's all." "All right. Not prasādam?" "No."

Lecture on SB 1.15.41 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1973:

That is helped by Kṛṣṇa Himself, as He says in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ. As soon as Kṛṣṇa sees that you are eager to hear about Him... Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). By the first hearing you may not understand about Kṛṣṇa, but if you simply hear with little attention, although you do not understand, still, you will be pious. Because the dirty things means covered with impious activities. So if you hear about Kṛṣṇa, then gradually you will become pious, simply by hearing. Simply... Just like if there is injection, anti-some disease, vaccine. You understand or not understand, it will act. Suppose if you take poison, if you do not understand what is poison, it will act. Similarly, kṛṣṇa-kathā is so powerful that if you simply hear, even if you do not understand, then you will become pious. And by becoming pious...

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

And if I have worked as a god, then through the semina of the father, I am put into the womb of a mother. So in this way, my conservation of energy worked there, the supply is there, and I form the body. This body is formed... This is creation. So as my body is formed, similarly, this whole universal body is formed. That is creation. They do not understand. They are so rascal that they do not understand that creation is a fact, and the original creator is God. So in the scriptures, "God created this world," that is fact, but unfortunately, they do not know how it is created. Lack of knowledge. So that is explained here, tritve hutvā ca pañcatvam, how things are developing. From the spirit soul there is total material energy. Energy is coming. The conservation of energy is the spirit soul. Where is the difficulty to understand? That is permanent, avyaya.

Lecture on SB 1.15.46 -- Los Angeles, December 24, 1973:

They are also eating, sleeping, mating and dying. And if I also, like the cats and dogs, eat, sleep and have sex life and die, then where is the difference? The difference is religion. The dog society, cat society, there cannot be any religion, but in the human society, there is necessity of religion. Otherwise it is cats' and dogs' society. So they do not understand it. They are avoiding religion. Nowadays the so-called advanced civilization, they are avoiding religion. That means they are coming to the platform of cats and dogs. And actually, they have come. Especially in this age, Kali-yuga...

Lecture on SB 1.15.46 -- Los Angeles, December 24, 1973:

So people will consider, "Now I have got sacred thread. I have become brāhmaṇa. I may act like the caṇḍāla. It doesn't matter." That is going on. We introduced this brahminical culture, but things are deteriorated. I am very sorry, that taking brahminical initiation, he is acting as a caṇḍāla, angry caṇḍāla. You see? So this is Kali-yuga. He does not understand that as brāhmaṇa he has got so responsibility. But because he has got the two-cent-worth sacred thread, he thinks now he has become brāhmaṇa. Vipratve. And strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir eva hi. And husband and wife, they will remain together because it was liking. And as soon as there will be sex difficulty, there will be disliking immediately.

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

In this way, every step, Svayaṁ Bhagavān is personally..., Kṛṣṇa is instructing us, and we are so fool, we cannot understand. We cannot understand. Big, big politicians, they read Bhagavad-gītā, in our country. But by their action it is seen they did not understand even a word of Bhagavad-gītā. Even a word of Bhagavad-gītā. Big, big politician. They became very big, big mahātmās or great men, but they tried for this body, which is to be finished. Antavanta ime dehāḥ. Nobody tried for that thing which will never be finished, that is eternal. You find from their life, they never instructed about the soul. They dealt with politics very nicely, to give bluff that "Within one year I shall give you liberation and this and that," about the... What is the value of this liberation?

Lecture on SB 1.16.8 -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1974:

This is asat. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. "This world is false. Therefore Brahman realization means that something opposite must be there. In the māyā, everything is variety. So Brahman must be without variety." This is also material conception, because he is thinking like that. But my thinking, if I am in māyā, so whatever I am thinking, that is also māyā. But these rascals they do not understand that. They do not understand that. I am thinking that "Brahman must be opposite of this variety. Therefore Brahman must be impersonal." But what is their conclusion? The conclusion... He is thinking. He is thinking like that. But real Brahman, Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa, is not impersonal. He does not say that "I am impersonal." But these rascals say that "God is impersonal."

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

This requires little brain. Because at any moment we may be kicked out of the situation. There is no guarantee. At any moment. Suppose with hard labor you create something for living. Everyone wants at old age to live very peacefully, comfortably. There must be some good bank balance, a very nice house. But where is that guarantee? That they do not understand. Therefore they are called abodha-jātaḥ. If after creating so many things for material enjoyment, if you are kicked out... But therefore they do not accept the next birth. Because it is very horrible. Because if they understand that "I have done all these things by sinful activities, these material..., and I'll have to suffer in my next life...," they'll, they'll not do.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

He gives His word. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who understands Me in truth," tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), "he doesn't accept any more material body; he comes to Me." That's it. The guarantee is there. So you try to understand Kṛṣṇa. If you do not understand anything more, if you simply accept it without any hypocrisy, that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He'll protect me. Let me serve His lotus feet as far as possible," this much qualification is sufficient. But if you have got still doubt about Kṛṣṇa, then you try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Be without any doubt that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then your everything is guaranteed. Tattvataḥ. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Where is Bhagavad-gītā? Here? Eh? You should keep all these books ready for reference.

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

Dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. But ultimate goal is how to get out of this material existence. This is four principles: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. And mokṣa, by the impersonalists, their mokṣa and real mokṣa... Real mokṣa... Mokṣa means liberation. Liberation means to get out of this material existence.

People do not understand what is mokṣa, what is economic development, what is religious principle. There is no education. So unless there is sufficient education on these principles—dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90)—you cannot have peaceful life in human society. That is not... That is animal society. Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. If there is no principles of life, that is animal society. Unfortunately, at the present moment, the education is simply for sense gratification. That is animalistic education. Therefore, in spite of advancement of so many things, people are not happy. People are not happy.

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

Everyone wants to become happy. That is the highest principle. Ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. The whole struggle is going on to minimize our miseries and to increase our happiness. That is our attempt. Everyone is working for that. Ātyantika-duḥkha, nivṛtti. Duḥkha means unhappiness, and ātyantika means ultimate. So people do not understand that what is that ultimate happiness. Ultimate happiness is there. No, there is no duḥkha, there is no unhappiness. That is ultimate happiness. If you study whatever happiness we are trying to establish, there is unhappiness also. It is not unmixed. It is mixed. The economic development... Just like modern age, if you, if any man wants to become rich man, he has to first of all accept unhappiness, to work very hard, day and night. Then he can get some money.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-2 -- New York, April 19, 1973:

So varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa: (SB 2.1.1) "My dear king, this question is all-auspicious for all the people of the world." If you simply enquire about Kṛṣṇa or hear about Kṛṣṇa, even though we do not understand, but that vibration of Kṛṣṇa... Just like we are chanting "Hare Kṛṣṇa," we may not understand what is meaning of Hare Kṛṣṇa, but still, because it is transcendental sound, it is auspicious. Wherever you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they may hear or they may not hear, it is auspicious for them. So we are sending our men for street saṅkīrtana. It doesn't matter whether people are eager to hear it or not, but it is auspicious. It will create an atmosphere which is very, very congenial to the human society. That should be our principle. Not that because we are chanting, nobody is taking care, we shall not be disappointed.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Paris, June 11, 1974:

Therefore, bahir-artha-māninaḥ: they are accepting this external feature. Just like we have got external feature. We can understand very easily that this body, this body is external feature. Real "I" am within. As soon as I go away from this body, this external feature, as good as the garbage in the street. That they do not understand. They are busy piling garbage. "Bring more garbage, more garbage." And this is the working capacity. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They think, "This garbage will save me." Very important question. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). The ātma-tattvam means "I am now within this garbage for the present. And after leaving this, in this garbage, I pile up so many other garbages. And in this way, working uselessly the whole life, then I transmigrate from this body to another garbage body." That I do not know. This is called apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Apaśyatām means "not seeing." A means "not," and paśyatām means "seeing, one who sees." He's seeing, "This garbage is everything." He does not see ātma-tattvam.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Delhi, November 6, 1973:

Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, in this body, there is the proprietor of the body, the soul. But if we want to see... Some rascal said, "Show me where is soul." He cannot see because he has no eyes to see. These modern materialistic persons, they want to see everything, but he does not understand that his seeing power is very limited. If the light is off, immediately he cannot see. So what is the value of your eyes? Why you are so much proud to see everything? "Can you show me God? Can you show me the soul?" You cannot see. You have no eyes to see. And what you cannot see, you can hear. Just like a blind man, he is sitting. He cannot see. Somebody comes. He inquires, "Who has come here?" Now, if somebody says, "It is such and such person," by hearing only he can understand, "Oh, such and such person has come." So seeing is not extremely perfect experience. There are other senses.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Delhi, November 6, 1973:

In this way we have to mold our life if we are actually interested to become free from this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), if we actually want to get free from the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is our real problem. People do not understand that this is our real problem. They are simply engaged in some temporary problem. The real problem is that "Why I am dying? In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) 'The soul does not die even after the destruction of this body.' So why my body should be destroyed?" This is real inquiry. "Why... Can I not get a permanent body which will never be destroyed?" Yes. You'll get. You will get. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says, "You will get a permanent body. After giving up this body," tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), "you do not get again material body." "Then where shall I go?" Mām eti: "You come to Me."

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Delhi, November 6, 1973:

"About Kṛṣṇa, if you hear and speak, it is automatically puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ." As it is said, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). So this śravaṇam Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, means puṇya, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Even if you do not understand anything, if you simply sit down silently and give aural reception to the sound vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, you become purified. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Simply by hearing, you become pious. Because we are all impious. Unless we are impious, we don't accept this material body. There may be difference of degrees. That does not make... Anyone who has come to this material world, he is to be considered as impious.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Paris, June 12, 1974:

Nobody can come here." A madman. We have seen in India, a madman lies down on the street. That is not in your country? But he thinks that he's safe. He's not safe. Similarly, we are, because we are mad, by the influence of māyā, we are not safe. We are unsafe because at any moment, we have to die, and we have to accept a body. That also we do not understand, the modern civilization. That is the first beginning of spiritual understanding, that "I am not this body, I am the soul. Within the body, I am living, and after giving up this body, I'll have to accept another body." This is the beginning of knowledge. One who does not understand these plain, primary principles of knowledge, he's animal. He's animal. It is not my manufactured word. It is stated in the śāstra that yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

That is our request. Ante nārāyaṇa smṛtiḥ (SB 2.1.6). Bhagavad-gītā also confirms this version: yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante, at the end of life, kalevaram Kalevaram means this body, within this body. This is another problem. Generally people, they do not understand that after giving up this body we enter another body. But this is the first instruction of self-realization in the Bhagavad-gītā. And that is actually we are experiencing. We are changing our body every moment. So similarly, at the ultimate end of this body, when this body is no more useful Because, after all, it is machine. Just like your car, your car or any other machine, if it goes for long time it becomes useless. That is the nature of anything material. In the beginning it is very nice. It is new.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

We don't want it." This is human life. When this inquiry will come to a human being, then he is human being. Why? So long this "Why?" question does not come, he is animal. The animal does not question that "Why I am put into the slaughterhouse? Why I have brought, I have been brought here to be slaughtered?" Animal. Similarly, if a human being does not understand that "I have been put into this material world for being slaughtered by the laws of material nature. Never mind I am Napoleon or an ordinary man, I will be slaughtered..." Therefore it is called martya-loka, "the universe of being slaughtered." Nobody wants. Just like the animal does not want to be slaughtered, but he is, by force, it is slaughtered. Similarly, nobody wants death, but we are forced. Even such a big man like Napoleon, he wanted to complete that arch, but he was slaughtered before his desire was fulfilled.

Lecture on SB 2.1.6 -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

What is the value? You waste your so much time to construct a very nice house, but at the time of death, you could not remember Nārāyaṇa. You remember your very nice friend, dog. Then what is the value? What is the value? They do not understand this, that there is life after death. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ: (BG 2.13) "As you are changing your body from childhood to boyhood, boyhood..." It is very simple philosophy. The rascal will not understand. I am changing my body. You may say "Growth or..." But it is changed. I had a childhood body; that body is different from my this present body. It is changed. Therefore I have already changed my body so many ways, so many times. And I change my body after this body is no more useful. That is going on.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1-4 -- Los Angeles, May 24, 1972:

Devotee: Jaya Śrī Guru.

Prabhupāda: Have kīrtana.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Vibration of this mantra will purify. Even if we do not understand the meaning, try to vibrate the mantra.

Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). To come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not very easy thing. It is by the grace of guru. Guru-kṛṣṇa. And grace of Kṛṣṇa. Combined together. One who sincerely wants to stop this business of repeated birth and death... But they do not understand that this is a suffering. They say, "Ah, let it happen." When they forget what is the suffering of birth. Birth, as I have many times explained... Nowadays, it is so much suffering that a child is born within the womb, and there is abortion, killed. "Kill him." But they do not understand the suffering, that one chance given that it will get a body and come out and maybe able to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that opportunity... he's being killed within the womb.

Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa says the sufferings of birth... They do not understand, such fools, that what is the suffering of birth. Even if you are not killed, you have to remain compact in a vat, airtight. And the worms, they are biting. So many things. Suffocated. That is one thing. But if he can live at least for ten months, the mother does not kill, abortion, then it has got a chance to come out. Otherwise, there is no chance to come out ever. He dies within the womb, again transferred to another womb, and again it is killed. So those who are too much sinful, those who are causing these abortions, they will get this sort of life.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1969:

A day will come when you have to submit to the laws of nature and give up this body. Even your president, Mr. Kennedy, he was going in procession, but when nature's law demanded that "Now you submit your body here and change for another body," he had to. There was no question, "Oh, I am president, I am Mr. Kennedy, I cannot do this." No. You have to do it. Force. That you do not understand, how this nature's force is working on us.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, June 12, 1972:

So atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ (NOI 2). Niyamāgraha means not accepting the rules and regulation. Another meaning of niyamāgraha means simply blindly following the rules and regulations, but he does not know for what he is doing that. Gardalika-pravāha (?). It is called gardalika-pravāha. Everyone is doing this, but he does not understand why he is doing it. There are many stories of this gardalika-pravāha. Sometimes I will tell you.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, June 12, 1972:

So niyamāgraha. So one, atyāhāra; two, prayāsa; three, prajalpa; and four, niyamāgraha; and fifth, laulyam, greediness; and sixth, jana-saṅgaḥ. Jana-saṅgaḥ means to associate with ordinary men, those who have no sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So-called karmīs, jñānīs, yogis. They do not understand Kṛṣṇa. Or scientist, philosophers. We should not associate with them. Because we know ... Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Anyone who does not understand what is Kṛṣṇa and what is Kṛṣṇa's service, he may be very big man in the ordinary estimation, but we don't give him any value.

Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 14, 1972:

"Now I want to be killed." Because the thorns have disturbed so much that they don't feel any value of life. So the so-called materialistic way of life, tātala saikate vāri-bindu-sama suta-mita-ramaṇi-samāje. Society, friendship, and love, so-called, it is simply full of thorns. That's all. But the camel likes that thorns. Therefore those who do not understand what is the value of materialistic way of life, they are just like camels. Camel is eating thorn and cutting the tongue, and blood is coming out. It is mixed with thorn. He is thinking that it is very nice food. Actually, he is tasting his own blood, and he is thinking, "Thorn is very nice." Similarly, those who are materialistic person, working day and night very hard, eating his own blood, and he's thinking he is very happy man. That's all. Therefore they are camels. That's all right. Have kīrtana.

Lecture on SB 2.3.20 -- Bombay, March 24, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:

This is not possible. Give us this... Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Actually this is dharma. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). It doesn't matter whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or any other sect. The test is how much you are advanced in understanding God. That is the... If you do not understand God, if you have no obedience to God, that is not dharma.

Lecture on SB 2.3.21 -- Los Angeles, June 18, 1972:

"Where is stool?" Because the body is hog's body. Similarly, an Indian, because he has got Indian body, even if he goes to America, he'll try for spiritual upliftment. That is the nature. A tiger, if you take in a civilized human society, he'll try to hunt. So they do not understand that by superior management, every living entity has been offered a different type of body for material distress and happiness. Everyone. It is not possible to change. Therefore, if we are intelligent enough, we should know that "My distress and happiness in this material world is already fixed up because I have got a particular type of body. Then when it is fixed up, then why, why I shall waste my time for so-called distress and happiness, when it is fixed up?" Just like you are running in a train. You have already purchased a ticket for third class.

Then how you can run on the first class? That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 2.3.23 -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1972:

They're preaching the Tilak's political view, like that. He has got a... So he came to see me, and he was very much eulogizing Lokamanya Tilak, that he has written his big commentary, Karma-yoga.

So he wanted to invite me in talk on Tilak's great task. So I told him that "Tilak does not understand Bhagavad-gītā." So immediately he was surprised. Then we had a talk, and I convinced him that "Tilak was a politician, maybe a big scholar, but that does not mean he can understand Bhagavad-gītā." Bhagavad-gītā is understood by devotee. He may be illiterate. It doesn't matter. Still... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu certified the illiterate brāhmaṇa who was reading Bhagavad-gītā in Raṅganātha temple... You know the story. The brāhmaṇa was illiterate. His guru ordered him that "You read Bhagavad-gītā daily, eighteen chapters."

Lecture on SB 2.3.25 -- Los Angeles, June 23, 1972:

He simply went on narrating. In the middle, there were some questions, intelligent questions, by Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Question is also required. If you simply hear, do not understand, just like dumb stone, that's not good. You should hear attentively, and as soon as there is some difficulty, you should question. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that you should understand... First of all surrender. Praṇipāta. Tad viddhi praṇipātena. Praṇipātena means you must find out an able teacher, where you can surrender. So nobody wants to surrender, but if he sees that there is a greater personality than him, he surrenders. That is nature. So this praṇipāta word means that you do not go for understanding Bhagavad-gītā and Bhāgavata to a store-keeper. You should go to a person where you can surrender. Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34).

Lecture on SB 2.4.1 -- Los Angeles, June 24, 1972:

Simply if you chant the mantras, you become purified. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Simply by hearing and chanting you become pious. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Even you don't understand the meaning, the very sound vibration will help you. Now we have finished one chapter within five minutes. How much time it took? I don't think more than five minutes. So everyone should chant every day at least one chapter. Then? Next chapter? Which chapter?

Lecture on SB 2.4.3-4 -- Los Angeles, June 27, 1972:

Death is sure. Death is the best surety as... "As sure as death." Nobody can say that "I can avoid death." That's a fact. So one who actually understands that "I'll have to die,"... People do not understand. Everyone thinks that he will not die. He'll not die. That is called māyā. He's seeing that everyone is dying; still, he's thinking that "I shall not die" or "I shall live for millions of years. There is no question of death." But it is a fact. You may be advanced in science, but he, this death is sure. That's a fact. Therefore it is advised here that saṁsthāṁ vijñāya, one who is actually intelligent, he should know that he will die. But the karmīs, the rascals, he knows also that he will die—at least, theoretically accept—but he wants to enjoy, since the death does not come, to the fullest extent. That is the present condition of the society.

Lecture on SB 2.8.7 -- Los Angeles, February 10, 1975:

That is logic. And the rascal philosopher's statement, "It happened automatically. There was a chunk, and the creation came...," this is rascal's philosophy. Jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8). The rascals, they do not accept that there is a cause of this creation. That they do not understand. They do not know, and they theorize. You'll find mostly in the Western countries all these philosophers... The Darwin's theory... He cannot give any reasonable cause. Some theory: "It may be, perhaps, for millions of years there was no..." Speculate. And he admits that "Whatever I am presenting, it is all my speculation." We have seen his letter, some, from 150 years ago. He wrote a letter to a friend. He admitted that "Whatever I am presenting, that is speculation." But science is not speculation. Science cannot be speculation. That is not science. "Two plus two equal to four"—this is science. And if you speculate—"Two plus two equal to five" or "Two plus two equal to three"—that is not science.

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

Cintāmaṇi: But you said that when we change bodies we forget everything, that after death that... I don't understand.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Change bodies... Just like you have changed your body from the body of the womb, and at the present moment... But you don't remember all the incidences that have happened. So sometimes we remember; sometimes we do not remember, like that. But generally, if we... We remember during lifetime, but we forget also. Even if we forget, that does not mean I am dead. Forgetfulness is explained, māyā. We forget Kṛṣṇa. We forget that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa" by forgetfulness. That is explained. What is that? Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan.

Lecture on SB 2.9.9 -- Tokyo, April 25, 1972, Informal Class in Room:

Pradyumna: I don't understand how sometimes we..., how the intoxication of some type of wine would go along with the ruling of a country.

Prabhupāda: Well, for rulers is a pleasure. They must have some pleasure. Just like ordinary men, they drink with woman, dancing, it is a recreation. So this is material recreation, to be little intoxicated and several nice young girls around. That gives him some encouragement. You see? They have to take so much risk, so much responsibility. For recreation they require it. They should be given little facility.

Page Title:Do not understand (Lectures, SB cantos 1 - 2)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:29 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=139, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:139