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Encouragement (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.2-3 -- London, July 9, 1973:

So Dhṛtarāṣṭra inquired from Sañjaya, kim akurvata: "After my sons and my brother's sons assembled together for fighting, what did they do?" This was the inquiry. So to encourage him... Because Sañjaya could understand the feelings of his master that he wanted the fight, no compromise, kṣatriya spirit, "Let my sons and my brother's sons fight..." That is kṣatriya spirit. "My sons are one hundred in number and they are only five, so certainly my sons will come out victorious, and then the kingdom will be assured." That was his plan. So Sañjaya, his secretary, could understand the feeling. Of course, at last he would inform differently. Yatra yogeśvaraḥ hariḥ. At last he described, "My dear sir, you do not expect victory. It is not possible. Because the other side is Kṛṣṇa, yatra yogeśvaraḥ hariḥ, and the fighter Arjuna, so it is beyond your expectation of victory." But in the beginning he says, "Don't be discouraged. There was no compromise. Immediately your son Duryodhana..." And he is addressing himself (his son) as "rāja." because Dhṛtarāṣṭra would be encouraged when at least he thinks of his son becoming the king. Therefore he said "rāja."

Lecture on BG 1.6-7 -- London, July 11, 1973:

Because Kṛṣṇa's mission is: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7), paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). There is two mission: not only to give protection to the devotees, but also to kill the demons. To kill the demons, that is one side. So the devotees of Kṛṣṇa should be trained up both ways: not only to give protection to the devotees, to give them encouragement, but if need be, they should be prepared to kill the demons. That is Vaiṣṇavism. It is not cowardism. It is not cowardism. When need be. Generally, a Vaiṣṇava is non-violent. Just like Arjuna. In the beginning he was non-violent, Vaiṣṇava. He said, "Kṛṣṇa, what is the use of this fighting? Let them enjoy." So by nature he was non-violent, but he was induced by Kṛṣṇa to become violent, that "Your non-violence will not help. You become violent. You kill them. I want." So if Kṛṣṇa wants we shall be prepared to become violent also. And Kṛṣṇa, that is open secret, that paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Two business of Kṛṣṇa, two side.

Lecture on BG 1.6-7 -- London, July 11, 1973:

Because Kṛṣṇa's mission is: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7), paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). There is two mission: not only to give protection to the devotees, but also to kill the demons. To kill the demons, that is one side. So the devotees of Kṛṣṇa should be trained up both ways: not only to give protection to the devotees, to give them encouragement, but if need be, they should be prepared to kill the demons. That is Vaiṣṇavism. It is not cowardism. It is not cowardism. When need be. Generally, a Vaiṣṇava is non-violent. Just like Arjuna. In the beginning he was non-violent, Vaiṣṇava. He said, "Kṛṣṇa, what is the use of this fighting? Let them enjoy." So by nature he was non-violent, but he was induced by Kṛṣṇa to become violent, that "Your non-violence will not help. You become violent. You kill them. I want." So if Kṛṣṇa wants we shall be prepared to become violent also. And Kṛṣṇa, that is open secret, that paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Two business of Kṛṣṇa, two side.

Lecture on BG 1.12 -- London, July 13, 1973:

So Duryodhana was doubting that "My grandfather, Bhīṣma, is more affectionately inclined to the other party. So he may not be lenient in fighting." So in order to encourage Duryodhana, tasya sañjanayan harṣam. "Don't think that I am lenient. I am strong." Immediately, to encourage him, he blew his conchshell. Nowadays they use bugle. Formerly the conchshells were used by the kings.

Lecture on BG 2.2-6 -- Ahmedabad, December 11, 1972:

Now Kṛṣṇa was encouraging to fight; Arjuna was also very intelligently replying. He addressed Kṛṣṇa as Madhusūdana, Arisūdana. Madhusūdana means "the killer of Madhu demon" or "the killer or enemy." So his purpose is that "I have to kill Bhīṣmadeva, who is my so kind grandfather, and I have to kill Droṇācārya, who is my teacher, from whom I have learned this military art. So You have killed the demons and Your enemy, and why You are inducing me to kill my guru and my grandfather?" This is his argument. Kathaṁ bhīṣmam ahaṁ saṅkhye droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana, iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi: (BG 2.4) "They, my grandfather, my teacher, may chastise me, but how I can pierce with arrows their body?"

Lecture on BG 2.3 -- London, August 4, 1973:

So Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, is encouraging, kśūdraṁ hṛdaya-daurbalyam. "For a kṣatriya to speak like that, 'No no, I cannot kill my kinsmen. I am giving my weapons,' this is weakness, cowardice. Why you are all this nonsense doing?" Kśūdraṁ hṛdaya-daurbalyam. "This kind of compassion, giving up your duty as a kṣatriya, it is simply weakness of the heart. It has no meaning." Klaibyaṁ ma sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy upapadyate. "Especially for you. You are My friend. What people will say? So give up this weakness of the heart and uttiṣṭha, stand up, take courage." So just see how Kṛṣṇa is inducing Arjuna to fight. People are very much ignorant and they sometimes criticize that "Kṛṣṇa is exciting Arjuna.

Lecture on BG 2.6 -- London, August 6, 1973:

So these two groups of cousin-brothers... Mahārāja Pāṇḍu had five sons and Dhṛtarāṣṭra had one hundred sons. So it is family, the same family, and it was understanding between them that when others beyond the family would come to attack them, they would join, 105 brothers, and fight. But when there was fight amongst themselves—one side, hundred brothers; one side, five brothers. Because a kṣatriya family, it is to be understood they must go on fighting. Even in their marriage there would be fighting. Without fighting, no marriage takes place in kṣatriya family. Kṛṣṇa had 16,108 wives, and almost in each time He had to fight, to gain the wife. It was a sporting. For kṣatriya to fight, it was a sporting. So he is perplexed whether this kind of fighting he should encourage or not.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

Prabhupāda: Now Arjuna is perplexed. He is perplexed in the matter, whether to fight or not to fight. That was his perplexity. After seeing his relatives in front of him, with whom he was to fight, he was perplexed. And there was some argument also with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, of course, did not encourage him. Now, here is a point, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What is that?

Young man: What?

Prabhupāda: What is this book?

Young man: Well, this is the, the, the translation to the Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Well, no, you can hear me.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

Don't turn your attention. Just hear me. Kṛṣṇa, although He is present there, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but still, He did not encourage him. From worldly point of view, when somebody says that "I'll... I give it up. I don't want it. I don't want to fight with my friends or my relatives. Better let them enjoy. I shall forego my claim," from worldly point of view, this is a very, I mean, gentlemanly behavior, that one is foregoing his claim for the matter of his relatives or friends. But Kṛṣṇa is not encouraging that proposal. We have to mark it. Kṛṣṇa is not encouraging. Kṛṣṇa is rather... Kṛṣṇa is, rather, inducing Arjuna that "It is not a very good proposal. It is not befitting your position. You belong to the Āryan family. You belong to the kṣatriya, royal family. And you are denying to fight? No, no, this is not good. And I am your friend. I have taken the responsibility of your chariot driver, and, if you do not fight, what people will say?" So He is not encouraging. Just see.

Now, here is a good proposal from the worldly point of view that Arjuna does not want to fight, and Kṛṣṇa is not encouraging him. Now, what is the point? Somebody may say that "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why He is encouraging in the matter of fighting?" People, at the present moment, when there is a question of war, people want to stop that war.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Manila, October 12, 1972:

So these are the inquiries of the animals. They are also searching "Where is food?", "Where is shelter?", "Where is sex?" and "Where is defense?" Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. The human life is meant for inquiring "Where is God?" That is human life. Not "Where is stool?" That is hog's business. So we should not encourage this hog civilization. Hog civilization is to work hard day and night to find out where is food, where is shelter, where is sex, and where is defense. Wrong type of civilization. The human civilization means "Where is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?" Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is the Vedānta-sūtra. "Where is God?" "What I am?" These are the inquiries.

Lecture on BG 2.21-22 -- London, August 26, 1973:

Those who are spiritually realized, they will find to serve Kṛṣṇa means new enlightenment, new enlightenment. Nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt. Here, in this material world, you enjoy. It becomes hackneyed. Punaḥ punaś carvita; therefore you are disappointed. But if you engage yourself in the service of Kṛṣṇa, you'll find new and new encouragement. That is spiritual. If you find it hackneyed, then you must know that you are not yet serving spiritually, you are serving materially. Formality, stereotype. But if you feel new and new energy, then you know that you are serving spiritually. This is the test. Your enthusiasm will increase, not decrease.

Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

Anyone who knows that the living entity, soul, is avināśi, indestructible, then where is the question of killing? But that does not mean the Bhagavad-gītā is encouraging killing. No. That is not the purport. Killing is prohibited. But when we see that a brāhmaṇa is killing one animal in the sacrifice, it is not killing. Therefore we have to see with the eyes of Vedic knowledge. Not with these eyes. What is the value of these eyes? It has no value. We are very much proud: "Can you show me?" What is value of your seeing? Even if I show you, the value of your seeing power is nil. It sees only under certain conditions. That's all. If there is a light, you can see. What is the value of your eyes? Therefore the real seeing is through Vedic knowledge. That is seeing. Śāstra-cakṣus. Real knowledge, real seeing power, should be through the śāstras. And śāstra means infallible, not theory.

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

So therefore Kṛṣṇa, to encourage him... Actually, the purpose of yoga, He explained to Arjuna,

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
(BG 6.47)

First-class yogi. Who? Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā. Who is thinking of, always of Me, Kṛṣṇa."

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is educating people to become first-class yogi. Think of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. It is not bogus thing. It is actual fact. You can become yogi. You can become Brahman.

Lecture on BG 2.31 -- London, September 1, 1973:

You sit cross-legged, not like that. All of you. So a small industry, there are so many motor parts, so many other parts. About 200, 300 items, government is ready to help a small industry. But the government does not know or the leaders do not know that to engage people in such industrial affair means to bring them to the śūdra platform. Śūdra platform. Every government is encouraging people how to become śūdra. But actually, the human society must be divided into four parts. Four divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. Just like in our body there is division.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

So Arjuna, some rascal has killed some man giving the reason that killing is not sinful because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated there. Yes. Apparently, to the rascals it appears like that, that Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna to fight. And he says there is no sin. But the rascal does not see under what condition he is advising. Sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya. The sva-dharma, the principle is a kṣatriya's duty to fight, is to kill in fight. If you are in fight, you become sympathetic, then the same example: the dancing girl, when on the stage, if she is shy, it is like that. Why she should be shy? She must dance freely. That will be credit. So in the warfield, you cannot be compassionate. That is not required. In so many ways. Ahiṁsā ārjava, these are good qualities. In the thirteen chapter, Kṛṣṇa has described ahiṁsā, nonviolence. Nonviolence is generally accepted. And actually Arjuna was nonviolent. He was not a coward, not that because he was coward, therefore he was refusing to fight. No. As a Vaiṣṇava, naturally he is nonviolent. He does not like to kill anyone, and especially his own family men. He was taking a little compassion. Not that he was a coward.

So Kṛṣṇa is encouraging, inducing Arjuna to observe the duty.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

All this fighting were meant like that. According to the Vedic culture, the kṣatriyas... Not the brāhmaṇas. The brāhmaṇas are not encouraged to fight or kill. No. They should remain always nonviolent. Even there is required violence, a brāhmaṇa will not kill personally. He will bring the matter to the kṣatriya, royal order. Just like Viśvāmitra. Viśvāmitra was being disturbed by some demons in the forest. They used to live in the forest. So Viśvāmitra was able to kill such demon, many demons, by his will. But he did not do so. He went to Mahārāja Daśaratha, father of Lord Rāmacandra, to request him that "Give your sons Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. I will take them with me. They will kill that demon." The killing is there, but the brāhmaṇa is not going to kill personally. Or the vaiśya is not meant for killing, neither the śūdras. Only the kṣatriyas. The kṣatriyas should be so trained up. Just like in USA there is some trouble in recruiting soldiers, because... Why the difficulty is? The difficulty is the training is like śūdras. The young men are trained up like śūdras, how they can fight? Therefore they are afraid. They try to avoid fighting. Because there is no division. Everyone, in this age, everyone is śūdra. How you can expect a śūdra will be encouraged to fight? That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna because he is a kṣatriya. Sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya. It is his duty. The rascals should not take example that: "Kṛṣṇa encouraged killing. Therefore everyone should kill. There is no sin." Without understanding. This is the difficulty. The rascals they do not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. They interpret for their favorable condition. That's all. Here is Bhagavad-gītā. They do not read the whole thing from ācārya—misunderstand. Bhagavad-gītā is not encouraging violence. That is not the Bhagavad-gītā's purpose.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

One politician, he wants to keep his position, he engages the people in fighting, declares war. That is another thing. But when right thing, violence is required. So Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna in dharma-yuddha, not unnecessarily killing in the slaughterhouse. Do not misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. The rascals, they misunderstand. By killing, by his whims, he gives the evidence of... Another rascal, although he is learned professor, he says that because this man has killed on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā, therefore Kṛṣṇa is immoral. Just see. This is going on. Without understanding Bhagavad-gītā, even a so-called learned scholar also talking of Kṛṣṇa as immoral. He has encouraged killing. Just see. Such envious persons. And he is teaching Bhagavad-gītā. This is going on.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

Because you are fighting for the right cause, it becomes puṇyavān, righteous. The heavenly planet is meant for righteous persons. So by dying, by your death in this righteous fighting, you'll be promoted to the heavenly planets. So both ways you will be profited." Hato vā prāpsyasi svargam and jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm. "And if you become victorious, then you enjoy the kingdom. So both ways you are profited. There is no loss on your part. Tasmāt, therefore uttiṣṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛta niścayaḥ. Kṛta niścayaḥ. Definitely decide it that: 'I must fight. Fighting must be there.' Yuddhāya. For matter of fighting, uttiṣṭha, get up. Why are you sitting like coward?" Encouraging.

Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

Yoga system means the transcendental process by which we realize ourself, we link up our life with self-realization. That is called yoga. Now, now, somebody begins this yoga of self-realization, but for unfortunately he cannot prosecute the task in a nice way, and sometimes he falls down, falls down from the path. Still, there is encouragement that "You are not loser. You are not loser. Because you will be given a chance next life, and that next life is not ordinary next life." That next life is śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe: "You'll have your birth next life either in a very rich family, or in the family of very highly advanced, educated father." Śucīnāṁ śrīmatām. Śucīnām means... I have explained to you the, the life of a brāhmaṇa, brahminical culture. Śuci means brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows spiritual life, how to conduct.

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

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

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, similarly the learned may also act but without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path."

Twenty-six: "Let not the wise disrupt the minds of the ignorant who are attached to fruitive action. They should not be encouraged to refrain from work but to engage in work in the spirit of devotion (BG 3.26)."

Twenty-seven...

Prabhupāda: Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was chanting in a secluded place always. Now, if somebody, without being elevated to such high position, imitates, "Oh, Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted. Let me sit down in a solitary place and chant," he cannot do that. It is not possible. He'll simply imitate and he'll do all nonsense.

Lecture on BG 3.31-43 -- Los Angeles, January 1, 1969:

Spending money. You see? But there is no instruction how they are wasting their time, this human form of life, simply by jumping in the water. (laughter) And they are thinking, "I am enjoying, butterfly." You see? They do not know the value of this life. And the system of civilization who is encouraging them to do this without any good information, what kind of condemned civilization is that? Pulling by force to the darkest region of hell. They do not know although the hellish condition of life is in the front. There are so many varieties of life. They do not question, "Wherefrom these lives come?"

The Padma Purāṇa says, jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayor rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ. There are, nava-lakṣāṇi, 900,000 species of life within the water. We begin our aquatic life. Because the whole world was in the beginning, full of water, so we had to live within the water. So there are 900,000 species of life within the water. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. And when the water dries up, as soon as the land comes out, the trees and plants begin to grow, two million types of trees and plants. In this way there are 8,400,000 species of life.

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

From our practical experience we can say we got this chance. We got this chance. We got very nice parents. And I was born in a family, a very pure family. And, of course, in those days they were rich also. We had Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa mūrti-sevā. So from the childhood I was taught... Not taught. I asked my father, "Give me this Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa mūrti. I shall worship." And father encouraged me. I was performing this Ratha-yātrā festival. My father encouraged. So this means that I got this chance again.

So those who are executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are not in loss. Whatever they are doing, they are gaining some meaning, one percent, two percent, three percent, five percent, ninety-nine percent. It if fulfilled cent percent, then it is perfect. But even it is not cent percent, you are not in a loss because you get good chance to make further advance. These things are discussed. In the Sixth Chapter you will find. So there is guarantee.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

This is not pure devotee, but they are pious. One who goes to the temple and prays to God for some material profit, they are also pious. They are not sinful. But those who are sinful, they do not go even to the temple. They think, "What is this temple nonsense? We shall earn money." Our present government is encouraging this method, that "Why should you go to temple and waste your time? If you want money, then take to industries, work hard like an ass, and you get money." That is the policy going on. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says, "No, no, no, this is not good.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Bombay, April 7, 1974:

This is the general tendency of anyone who is in the material world. And in the Western world it is very prominent. In our country it was not prominent, but now the program is "Make it prominent. Eat more meat, drink wine, and work very hard." This is the program, going on. The leaders are recommending. So actual, there is tendency already. Āmiṣa madya-sevā, vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā, and if we encourage them more, then they become entangled more and more. The Manu-saṁhitā says, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. That is general tendency. But it has to be minimized, because in the spiritual position there is no such thing.

Lecture on BG 4.19-22 -- New York, August 8, 1966:

There are six formulas which can deviate us from Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and there are six formulas which can encourage us, which can enhance, advance us in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And what are they? Now, first of all let me state what are "against" principles, against Kṛṣṇa consciousness, against the principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What are they?

atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca
ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati
(NOI 2)

Ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati. Vinaśyati means is lost. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is lost. How? By these six processes. What are the six processes? Atyāhāra. Atyāhāra means to eat more than you require, and atyāhāra means to accumulate wealth more than what you require.

Lecture on BG 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974:

So that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). If you associate with the modes of goodness, then you are promoted to the higher planetary system, beyond heavenly planets. Janaloka, Tapoloka, Maharloka, Satyaloka, Siddhaloka, Brahmaloka. So that is possible. But our problem is not to promote ourself to go to the heavenly planet or higher than that, Janaloka, Satyaloka, Maharloka, or Brahmaloka. Kṛṣṇa advises ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). He does not encourage that "You go to the Brahmaloka." No. He never encourages. He says, ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Even if you become promoted to the Brahmaloka, then again you have to come back. Kṣīṇe puṇye punar martya-lokaṁ viśanti. As soon as your puṇya, the duration of life, is finished, then you have to come back again. This is going on.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

Because to address woman is difficult job, so the society sanctioned different dresses. So according to that Vedic literature, when the husband is at home a woman is recommended to dress herself very nicely, very beautifully, just to enliven the husband. The husband, if he sees the wife nicely dressed and nicely, beautifully looking, then he takes some encouragement. And similarly, a woman, when her husband is away from home, she should dress very niggardly, very niggardly. Now, you find that the dress... At one time the woman is dressing niggardly, and at one time the woman is dressing very beautifully and nicely. But what is the purpose? The purpose is the husband.

Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:

So to encourage Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, one day Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to his room. "Raghunātha? I heard that you are eating very nice foodstuff and you are not inviting Me?" So he was not replying. So He was finding out where he has kept that rice and He took and immediately began to eat. "Sir, You do not eat, this is not for You." "Oh! It is Jagannātha's prasāda! How do you say it is not fit?" Just to encourage him. He may not think, that, "I am eating this rejected," you see? In this way Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī reduced his foodstuff, ultimately, every alternate day only one piece of what is called, butter, so much. And he was offering even bowing down hundreds times and chanting so many times. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma—you have heard it while singing Six Gosvāmīs song.

Lecture on BG 6.32-40 -- New York, September 14, 1966:

We have to satisfy; otherwise we shall go ill. As we have to eat something, as we have to sleep for some time, so sex life is also required. So we cannot discourage it, neither all the Vedic literatures discourage. But Vedic literatures cannot allow you... If you actually serious about advancement of spiritual life, then you cannot encourage illicit connection, no. I request all my young students that "You get yourself married." And recently I have performed myself one marriage ceremony. Two of my students, they have been married actually. So we don't discourage what is necessity, but we cannot allow illicit things. So these are called vairāgya.

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

So five thousand years ago, when... (pause—noise in background) Five thousand years ago, when this yoga system was discussed between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, Arjuna frankly admitted that this system was very difficult for him. He thought himself as a gṛhastha and a military man, so concentration of the mind and sitting in a posture and looking on the point of the nose, so many systems, find out a secluded place, alone, and observing so many rules and regulation, āsana, dhyāna, prāṇāyāma, so he thought it difficult for him. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, in order to encourage him, that, although he could not practice the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, still there was no cause of disappointment.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 26, 1968:

Girl: If you want, if you want to go to other... (rattling sound) ...if you want to encourage us to enter into (indistinct), spiritually, not material world, is it necessary to live in a (indistinct) that's free of grief... (rattling sound) ...or change?

Prabhupāda: If you want to transfer yourself to other planets, yes. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means transferring yourself to other planets. The ultimate perfection or success is go back to Godhead, back to home. So when Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be perfect, you'll be transferred from this planet, or from this material world, to the spiritual world, and you'll talk with Kṛṣṇa just (as) you are talking with me.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

Just like to become brahmacārī, it is tapasya. Just like we are prescribing this formula: "No illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling." People want to do it. People want illicit sex. The whole city is full of pictures, simply how to indulge in illicit sex. Then meat-eating—big, big signboard—and intoxication, wine shops. They want it. That is the natural propensity. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantor na hi tatra codanā. You do not require to encourage them in these things. They have got natural tendency. That is material world—to enjoy unrestricted sex life, to eat meat, fish eggs, āmiṣa... Āmiṣa-madya-sevā. Āmiṣa means eat meat, fish, eggs. These are āmiṣa. And vegetarian means nirāmiṣa. So āmiṣa-madya-sevā. Madhya means intoxication.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

Indian man (4): Swamiji, most of our Hindus accept Lord Kṛṣṇa as our Supreme Being, as God. Yet in the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna won't fight his brothers, but Lord Kṛṣṇa encouraged this, to fight his own brothers, to kill his own brothers, to shed blood. Isn't this condoning violence? Yet Hinduism doesn't condone violence. Can you explain why Lord Kṛṣṇa encourages Arjuna to fight his own blood?

Prabhupāda: If you can question the high-court judge why he is ordering somebody to be hanged, then what will be the answer? The high-court judge orders somebody to be hanged and somebody to take degree for one lakh of rupees. Is there injustice? It is the law. The Supreme Lord has to execute the law. So there is no mistake. As there is no mistake in the judgment of the high-court, similarly, what to speak of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. There is necessity. The government, in order to keep law and order, there is violence also. The police sometimes commit violence, the military force. So in order to keep whole thing in balance, sometimes violence is required, and that is not to our whims but at the decision of the Supreme Lord.

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

Therefore, at the end of the Sixth Chapter Kṛṣṇa says, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā: "Of all the yogis..." The Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna was talking. Kṛṣṇa advised Arjuna to become a yogi, but Arjuna said that "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me. Because I am a politician, I am a soldier, I cannot sit down to practice yoga superficially. My mind will be disturbed in political affairs, in state affairs." So, cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham: (BG 6.34) "My mind is so restless, it is not possible." Then Kṛṣṇa, to encourage him, said,

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
(BG 6.47)

"Anyone who is thinking of Me always," mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā śraddhāvān sa me yuktatamaḥ, "He is the first-class yogi."

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very difficult to understand, but by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, it has been made very easy. Easy. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. It was explained by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He described the faults of the Kali-yuga, but he encouraged by one verse. "My dear king, there is one very nice opportunity in this Kali-yuga." Kaler doṣa-nidhe. Doṣa-nidhi: "It is the ocean of faults, but there is one very nice gain in this Kali-yuga." What is that? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet: (SB 12.3.51) "Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one can become free from all the troubles of this yuga, Kali-yuga," and mukta-saṅga, "and he becomes liberated, and he goes back to home, back to Godhead." So take it very seriously and make your life perfect.

Thank you very much.

Lecture on BG 7.16 -- Bombay, April 7, 1971:

You can understand by a nice example. Just like the government opens liquor shop. It does not mean the government is encouraging to drink liquor. It is not like that. The idea is that if government does not allow some drunkards to drink, they will create havoc. They will distill illicit distillation of liquor. To check them, the government opens liquor shop with very, very great, high price. The cost... If the cost is one rupee, government excise department charges sixty rupees.

So the idea is not to encourage, but to restrict. The idea is prohibition, at least in our country. Similarly, when there is allowance for sex life or meat-eating or drinking in the śāstras, they are not meant for instigating that "You go on with this business as much as you can." No. Actually they are meant for restriction. Therefore, for spiritual advancement of life, one has to know these basic knowledge, how we have to lead our life in order to make advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have therefore these restrictions, that nobody can have illicit sex life; nobody can eat meat and fish or eggs, like that; nobody can touch any kinds of intoxication, including smoking cigarettes and drinking tea—they are also intoxicants; and nobody can indulge in gambling. So these things are necessary.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

Oh, this is very awkward position. I have become teacher and He has become student. How it is possible?" So he was hesitating. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him, "No, no. Don't hesitate, because it doesn't matter that you are a gṛhastha, you are not even a brāhmaṇa." Rāmānanda Raya belonged to the Karana society in Orissa. They are supposed to be śūdra. But still he was a very big man. He was governor of Orissa, uh... governor of Benares and very rich man. And very learned scholar, especially in this Vaiṣṇava philosophy. So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the royal scholar in Mahārāja Pratāparudra's assembly house. Royal scholar.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

So in India especially—not only India; everywhere—we have been especially encouraged to go on with these sinful activities. They do not like. In the American countries we see, while passing on the street, two sides of the road they're hoarding, advertising these things, either wine or cigarette or gambling or this or that, or some sinful activity. So our first propaganda is to not only give one Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but also to stop this sinful activity. Just like when you are treated by physician, he gives you some medicine and also ask you some restriction: "Do not do this," "Do not eat this, eat this." So if you are actually interested to get out of this entanglement of transmigration from one body to another, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa brahmite kono bhāgyavān jīva, Lord Caitanya says. We are wandering throughout the whole universe. That we do not know. We think that after finishing this body, everything is finished. But that is not the fact. Otherwise, why there are so many varieties of life? The varieties of life are because there are varieties of sinful activities. Because there are varieties of sinful activity, therefore we have got varieties of karma.

Lecture on BG 9.15-18 -- New York, December 2, 1966:

So these are different methods, of course. But we should not be satisfied simply by the method. We should try to go further, on and on. Just like a little boy. He is promised by the father... He is in the eighth class. Father says, "My dear boy, if you can pass this eighth class, then I can make you a magistrate. I shall make you a magistrate." Boy is very enthusiastic. "I shall become a magistrate." You see. So similarly, these are some of the encouragement.

But actual point is, that we have come to the last point, is vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). If you want to be the rare, great soul, then you have to come ultimate to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. Thank you very much.

Lecture on BG 9.18-19 -- New York, December 4, 1966:

That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am seated in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "From Me there is remembrance," smṛti, "there is knowledge and there is forgetfulness also." So what is that, God making one person forgetful and another person encouraging? Why? Because I wanted like that. Because I don't want to revive my relationship with the Supreme Lord. Whenever I speak of God, oh, some person becomes: "Oh, what is God? Swamiji, what you are speaking, God?" They don't want God; so God gives him that "Forget Me. Yes, you forget and suffer." And one who wants God... Just like some poor students are trying to reestablish his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Oh, Kṛṣṇa gives him too: "Yes." So therefore His business is to make you forgetful because you want to forget. And when you are advanced, if you want know... If you want to establish, reestablish your relation, He will encourage you.

Lecture on BG 9.20-22 -- New York, December 6, 1966:

So these two things the Lord takes charge, that "I personally do it." For whom? Ananyāś cintayanto mām. Those who have no other thought than Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa conscious. Ananyāś cintayanto mām. Ye janāḥ paryupāsate, and engaged in that way always. He has no other business, simply Kṛṣṇa. For him these things the Lord does. It is specifically mentioned here. Therefore this is an encouragement. This is an encouragement by the Lord that "Do not think that because you are not trying for going to the other planet you will be unhappy. You will have happiness." What is happiness? Happiness is within your mind. If you are assured of your peaceful existence and the next life you are transferred to the supreme planet, or supreme place, then that is happiness, not for trying life after life to adjust happiness. Here is an assurance.

Lecture on BG 9.22-23 -- New York, December 8, 1966:

You have no right. He is also your brother. So this is universal brotherhood. When you come to the open sunshine, we can see, oh, everyone is eligible to take advantage of the sunshine. And so long we are in the darkness, we say, "Oh, this is my room; this is your room." So for such persons who are completely in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for them there is no scarcity. This is very encouraging. No Kṛṣṇa conscious person will think that "I will be in scarcity. I will be in want." No. Be rest assured. You will never be in want. You will never be in want. If you keep your full faith in Kṛṣṇa, you will always happily live and will be given a chance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma... Here it is guaranteed.

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

But there is a great list of formulas to make that, I mean to say, sacrifice of goat, not that I take a goat or cow to the slaughterhouse and cut it. No, that is not allowed. The idea is to restrict him, not to encourage him.

Just like, not your country, in our country, there is prohibition. In some cities there is strictly prohibition. No wine can be available. But still, there are wine shops, under government license. So this wine shop does not mean to encourage citizens to come and drink wine. No. The idea is to restrict, to restrict. Those who cannot live without liquor, for them, there is some concession. Because one must live after all. Similarly, one who cannot avoid meat-eating, for him, that demigod, goddess Kālī... But unfortunately, some foolish persons, they have advertised by goddess Kālī worshiping, he has become God. These are all foolishness. This recommendation... Here it is said by Lord Kṛṣṇa, te 'pi mām eva kaunteya: "That worship of different demigods is indirectly offering worship to Me because they are My representatives." But avidhi-pūrvakam. Avidhi-pūrvakam means "It is not prescribed." Avidhi-pūrvakam. It is, what is called, in English, which is not legal. Illegal.

Lecture on BG 9.29-32 -- New York, December 20, 1966:

So Arjuna offered, "Whatever work You like, You can take." So He said, "All right. I shall drive your chariot." So Kṛṣṇa's promise was that He will not fight. But at a time when Arjuna was perplexed by fighting with Bhīṣma... Bhīṣma was the greatest fighter, although he was very old man. Duryodhana incited him that "Because the other side are your very pet grandsons, you are not fighting fully." That was the complaint of Duryodhana. So in order to encourage him, Bhīṣma said to Duryodhana, "All right, tomorrow I shall finish all these five brothers. Tomorrow I shall finish. And I have got now special arrows for killing these five chivalrous brothers."

Lecture on BG 13.22-24 -- Melbourne, June 25, 1974:

Then these animal killers, they may not be encouraged, "So then we are doing nice, because one living entity is food for another. So we are eating every, anything. Any moving animals we can eat. Bird, beast, goats, cows, horse, ass, whatever is available." Yes, you can eat. But that is the natural law for the animals and uncivilized man, not for the civilized man. Because one living entity is food for another living entity, you cannot eat your father, mother or children. Why? Because you are human being, you have got discrimination.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

Therefore it is the duty of everyone to train everyone. Just like the parents. They should train their children to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. The state should encourage how people can become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then automatically all the good qualities will come. Now, actually, in the United States the government is realizing the importance of our movement because the government has failed to stop this intoxication habit, LSD. In the Western countries, the younger generation are becoming too much addicted to this intoxication, LSD habit, and it has become a problem to the government and they have established so many institutions to stop this habit, but they have failed. But they are seeing wonderful result amongst our camp, that simply coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they have given all intoxication. It is practical.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

So therefore Kṛṣṇa is stressing that, daivī sampad vimokṣāya. These daivī sampad characteristics should be encouraged to make one liberated, vimokṣāya. Just like these boys and girls have become liberated from all bad habits. Daivī sampad vimokṣāya. Daivī sampad vimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā. And if you develop demonic qualities, then you become more and more entangled in this material existence. It is very risky. We are thinking that "Let me enjoy this life to my best capacity," as the atheist class of people think, but they do not know how much risk they are taking. If I develop my characteristics like cats and dogs, then my next life is becoming bound up in the body of cats and dogs. But they do not know the science. How the transmigration of the soul is evolving in 8,400,000 species of life, the modern science they do not know. They do not know, but there is, there is law.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

Now, Arjuna is encouraged because Arjuna was thinking in the terms of material calculation. Just like Gandhi introduced this nonviolence. That is material calculation. It is all right. To become nonviolent is good qualification. But from spiritual calculation... Spiritual calculation means that surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa and then act. The difference between bhakti-yoga and ordinary karma is this: that when one's senses are purified under the direction of Kṛṣṇa or His representative, that is bhakti. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. What is bhakti? Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to become purified, sarvopādhi-vinirmukta. At the present moment we are encumbered with different types of designations. "I am Indian," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this," "I am that." They are all upādhis. But when one comes to the understanding that "I am eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is liberation. That is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Being identified with Kṛṣṇa's interest, he becomes nirmalam. That is mukti. Nirmalam means mukti. So long we are contaminated we are not mukta; we are conditioned. And as soon as we become nirmalam, that means mukti.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

Just like part and parcel of my body is always serving, similarly, we, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, our only business is to be engaged in devotional service of Kṛṣṇa. That is mukti. Svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). So here Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna, mā śucaḥ: "Don't think that because I am engaging you to fight, don't think that you are demonic person." Because generally, people take, when one fights, he is considered to be violent demon. But Kṛṣṇa has already encouraged Arjuna to fight, but here he says that "These are the godly qualities." Apaiśunam, nonviolence, ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam, ahiṁsā. These things have been stated. So because Arjuna is Kṛṣṇa's very intimate and dear friend, immediately He says... As soon as He says that daivī sampad vimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā (BG 16.5). Āsurī matā. This asurika fighting or asurika qualities, this is the cause of being entangled in this material existence. So Arjuna may be thinking that "I am fighting. I am also in asurika sampat." So Kṛṣṇa (is) immediately encouraging him, mā śucaḥ. Mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijāto 'si bhārata: "Don't think that you are in the asurika sampat." Why? He was fighting, he was killing. Why Kṛṣṇa says that "You are in the daivī sampat"? The thing is that he is fighting not for himself; he is fighting for Kṛṣṇa. That is the secret. He was fighting for Kṛṣṇa.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.3 -- London, August 20, 1971:

For example, another example can be given: just like the drunkard. The drunkards are given concession. There are liquor shops. The government gives some license to a person, that "You can sell liquor to the drunkards." But this liquor is not available in every shop. There is a particular shop. One has to purchase liquor from that particular shop. That means government is discouraging, but one who is obstinate, to give him some facility, this particular shop is established. Similarly, when there is allowance for sex life or drinking or meat-eating or even gambling, that is not encouraging; that is minimizing the tendency under discipline.

Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 27, 1973:

Yes. The... Anything sacrificed... Yajña. Yajña means Lord Viṣṇu. Yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). So whatever we do, it must be done for Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. You do whatever you like, but do it for Kṛṣṇa. Then there is perfection. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was a fighter, expert in killing. So he was considering, "Why shall I kill my own family members? Better stop." But Kṛṣṇa encouraged him, that "You must kill." So that is yajña. Kṛṣṇa... Under the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was engaged in killing art, but that is yajña, because it is for Kṛṣṇa, not for himself. For himself he was denying to fight. But when he agreed to fight and kill on account of Kṛṣṇa, it is called yajña. This secret people do not know. They think that killing is very... Killing is very bad, that's all right. Killing, why killing? Even if you give charity, if you become munificent, merciful, that is also not good unless you do it for Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.1.9 -- Auckland, February 20, 1973:

The senses, sense satisfaction, very pleasing immediately. But śreyas means ultimate goal, ultimately. Just like a child, for him preyas means he wants to play, he doesn't want to go to school and, but his śreyas means he must go to school, must be educated so that his future life may be secure. That is called śreyas. So our life, this human form of life, should be used for śreyas. It is said, puṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyas. We should not be attracted by the preyas. Preyas. But modern education is so nasty that they encourage preyas. Especially in the, not in this country, everywhere. That boys and girls are not checked, rather encouraged, encouraged in the matter of immature sex life. Preyas. They want it, "All right, do it, take tablets and enjoy." This is dangerous. For this reason, the generation are becoming degraded, because they are not aiming at the śreyas. They are simply aiming at the preyas, immediate pleasing thing. They do not know that immature sex life spoils the brain, spoils strength.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:

So the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is now well spread all over the world. The framework is there. So anyone can go and preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very easily and people will take it. Recently I'm coming from Manila, Philippines. There also, they're dog-eaters. But still they took part in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chanted, and we were very much encouraged. In the last meeting... We held our meeting in the hotel, big hall, very nice hall, and all young men came, and they chanted and danced with us, purchased our books, and here are... The organizer is Sudāmā-vipra Ma..., Gosvāmī Mahārāja is present here. He has gone there only six months, and within six months, he has organized so nicely that wherever we go, the young generation, especially, they chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa!

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

So this is our propaganda. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are giving chance to people to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). The same thing can be done in India also. But we have got better field of activities outside India, I tell you, frankly. I am very much encouraged. Because the, we get very good response quickly. And they become immediately attached to Kṛṣṇa, as you see the samples here. They have given up, on account of their attachment to Kṛṣṇa, they have given up all their nonsense, or abhadrāṇi. Abhadrāṇi. Abhadrāṇi. This, the principle abhadrāṇi means illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. These are the four pillars of abhadrāṇi.

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

So modern advanced in science people, they think: "Oh, what is the use of asking bread in the church? Why not take to industry?" That is their aim. In India, especially, this is the situation. The government is thinking that Indian people, being too much religiously inclined, they have fallen down economically; therefore these religious sentiments should be stopped completely. It is not encouraged. Here in Vṛndāvana so many pilgrims, they come from all parts of India; now all parts of world, they're coming. But it is kept in such unclean state to discourage people not to come here. That is the idea, so that people, educated people, modernized people may not come here. They do not want. That is the policy, I am seeing. They are introducing in the Vṛndāvana area so many industrial things so that the spiritual atmosphere is to be killed. That is the policy is going on. Nobody... The chur..., I mean to say, the temples are neglected. No question of improvement. The whole idea is not to come here: "Please do not come." They cannot say directly, but this is the idea going on.

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

Now you are so liberated that you cannot move, you can (not) spend your money. This is liberation. Formerly there was no restriction for going outside. And for a sannyāsī like me, I had so much difficulty to obtain the permission of the government to go out. So much difficulty. I remember all those... How, oh, with what great difficulty I got out of this country. And because I, some way or other, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, I got out of this country, I could spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. Otherwise, it was not possible. I wanted to start this movement from India, but I was not at all encouraged. I was not at all encouraged. I approached so many friends that "You have got four sons. Kindly give me one, one of your sons. I want to make him brāhmaṇa." "Oh, Swamiji, what he will do, becoming brāhmaṇa? We have to earn our livelihood." You see.

Lecture on SB 1.5.8-9 -- New Vrindaban, May 24, 1969:

And the whole world is problem for ordinary persons, but to us it is not problem. Because we see everything Kṛṣṇa's. If there is problem, it is Kṛṣṇa's problem. Why my problem? Kṛṣṇa can know how to solve problem. So we have no problem practically. Kṛṣṇa's problem. Kṛṣṇa will see to it. Just like Arjuna was encouraged that nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin. "You don't worry about your victory. I have already arranged." So we should have such faith and conviction and let us try. Let us do very sincerely and seriously. Then everything Kṛṣṇa will do. I haven't got to do anything.

Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:

Just like a man is addicted to commit theft. He has got a habit of stealing. And if I say, "Stealing is very nice art. You can go on with you, with it," then where is the reformation? There is no question of... He, he's already addicted. So it is encouragement. So similarly, in the dharma-śāstra... Just like in Mahābhārata there is... (aside:) Where is that "cut cut" noise? Don't make that sound. Just like in marriage ceremony. Marriage ceremony... Of course, in your country, the marriage ceremony is different. In India still, the people spend as much as possible in the marriage ceremony, millions of dollars. If one man is rich, he'll spend for his son's marriage or daughter's marriage. That is a great credit. "Oh, this man is very rich man. He's spending so much money." So there are so many religious performances, ritualistic performances. You have to spend money. So you must find out so many performances. So they have all these in the śāstras.

Lecture on SB 1.5.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1969:

So suppose we are prosecuting this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now death may come immediately. We all die. So Nārada Muni gives us encouragement that punar eva tato svedva:(?) "Either we die or sometimes we fall down..." Because māyā and Kṛṣṇa, side by side. "So it is all right. We are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if we fall down." Vrase vā tadā sva-dharma tyāga nimitta narthāśraya:(?) "Then you have given up your all other duties. So for giving up your duty, there must be some punishment." I don't mean in this worldly punishment. Just like, according to Vedic system, there are brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, for example. Just like Kṛṣṇa was advising Arjuna that "You are kṣatriya. So if you die in this fight, then your heavenly door is open."

Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:

Five thousand years ago, when Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna to concentrate his mind, meditate, or meditate upon Supersoul, so Arjuna frankly admitted that it was not possible for him. He said to Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are advising. That is nice. But it is not possible for me." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham (BG 6.34). "Mind is so restless, just like wind blowing. So to capture the mind, to make him pacified, it is very difficult job. I don't think I shall be able to do it." Arjuna refused. But Arjuna was a great devotee; therefore Kṛṣṇa encouraged him. Arjuna did not know anything except Kṛṣṇa, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Then He encouraged him, that "My dear Arjuna, for you, you are the best yogi."

Lecture on SB 1.7.38-39 -- Vrndavana, September 30, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna to kill Aśvatthāmā on so many grounds. First of all, he has killed the boys who were sleeping at night. And another very important point is that ātatāyī. Ātatāyī means the enemy aggressor. Unnecessarily one who attacks, he is called ātatāyī. One who sets fire in your house, one who kidnaps your wife or somebody in the family, and one who gives poison, and they are so many, a list of ascertaining an ātatāyī. So He described, Kṛṣṇa described the Aśvatthāmā as ātatāyī.

Lecture on SB 1.7.40 -- Vrndavana, October 1, 1976:
Pradyumna: "Sūta Gosvāmī said: Dispite being instructed in his duty and encouraged to kill the son of Droṇācārya, Arjuna, a great soul, did not like the idea of killing him, although he was a heinous murderer of his family members."

Prabhupāda:

sūta uvāca
evaṁ parīkṣatā dharmaṁ
pārthaḥ kṛṣṇena coditaḥ
naicchad dhantuṁ guru-sutaṁ
yadyapy ātma-hanaṁ mahān
(SB 1.7.40)

So Kṛṣṇa, as an impartial observer, He advised Arjuna to kill Aśvatthāmā on the ground of so many offenses. He was also trying to see how Arjuna decides. But Arjuna's decision was very right. Arjuna's decision was right because, naicchad dhantuṁ guru-sutam. He thought that "Although Aśvatthāmā is criminal, he should be killed.

Lecture on SB 1.7.40 -- Vrndavana, October 1, 1976:

Now here Kṛṣṇa is advising. So ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. There is a... Parīkṣatā, as Kṛṣṇa is examining, similarly, Arjuna also very intelligently acting. He knew that although Kṛṣṇa was encouraging him to kill Aśvatthāmā, "He wanted to see me, how I deal with the matter." This is also... So there is competition between bhaktas. Duye lagye hura huri(?). It is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is being enlivened by seeing Rādhārāṇī, and Rādhārāṇī is becoming more beautiful by seeing Kṛṣṇa. Duye lagye hura huri. The competition. This is described in the fourth chapter of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So it is transcendental sporting between the devotee and the Lord. It is not nirviśeṣa-vāda. The Lord wants to see "How he is My pure devotee." And the devotee wants to see that "I'll not accept anything from Kṛṣṇa. I shall sacrifice everything for Kṛṣṇa." That is duye lagye hura huri. That is devotee, and that is Kṛṣṇa.

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

Especially when you go from Vṛndāvana side to New Delhi, the first big industry we see—that Goodyear Tire, very big factory. So people are being dragged there that "Come here. You'll get good salary. Why you are working in the field so hard? Come here. You'll get good salary, and..." So they go. But the result is that they are not happy. And when they are not happy, they are, I mean, induced to take wine and meat. In this way, whole world... India, it was not there. Gandhi's movement was to stop this wine, flesh, and as we are prohibiting. But at the present moment, the government is encouraging. It is very regrettable.

Lecture on SB 1.8.47 -- Mayapura, October 27, 1974:

There is another story—it may be fact—that a boy was raised by his aunt very liberally. Then, gradually, the boy became, in bad association, a thief. And the aunt was encouraging, "Oh, it is a very good business. You are bringing so many things without any labor." So... Or out of affection he (she) did not chastise the boy when he was stealing. Then he, at the end, became a murderer. So he committed a murder. Then when he was to be hanged, so the government men inquired, "What is your last wish?" "Now, I want to speak with my aunt through the ear." Then he was allowed.

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

The modern civilization means large-scale arrangement for killing animals and large-scale arrangement for distilling liquor, especially in the Western countries. And India is also now following. So this is the position of the world. What is being condemned by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, that, those items at the present moment are being encouraged by the government. This is the difference between this government and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's government. You can just imagine.

Lecture on SB 1.10.4 -- Mayapura, June 19, 1973:

I told you sometimes, I think, in New York Airport. So seeing us, the sādhus, one young man came to me. So he introduced himself, "Sir, I am Christian. I faithfully discharge my religious principles." So I, I told him, "No, no. You do not faithfully discharge your religion." So he was surprised that without talking with him, immediately I charged that "You don't follow your Christian religion." "No, why do you say like that?" "Do you eat meat?" "Yes, sir." "Then you are not a Christian. You are not a Christian. Because in the Christian religion the first commandment is 'Thou shalt not kill.' So you are encouraging killing. How you are a Christian? You are not a Christian." The actually everyone is very proud of becoming Christian, Hindu, Muslim, but nobody is following. Nobody's following. All bogus.

Lecture on SB 1.10.13 -- Mayapura, June 26, 1973:

So this śāstra, śāstra-vidhi. Śāstra-vidhi. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantoḥ. Nityā hi. Na hi tatra codanā. One does not require encouragement. One is not taught in the school how to learn sexual intercourse. No. These things are already there. Nitya, nityā hi jantoḥ. Every living entity has got these propensities: intoxication, sex intercourse. Vyavāya āmiṣa. Āmiṣa: meat-eating, fish eating. They're there already. One does not require to be educated, how to eat meat, how to drink, how to use sexual intercourse. No. It is already there. Nityā hi... Na hi tatra codanā. There is no need of encouragement. Then why the śāstra's ordering that "You eat meat in this way. You drink in this way. You have sexual intercourse in this way"? What is the purpose? The purpose is to restrict him.

Lecture on SB 1.15.22-23 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1973:

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu very much liked that he is, in devotion and in ecstasy of Hanumān, he is thinking like that. So at that time Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "So don't be sorry. Sītā, Lakṣmījī, she cannot be touched by Rāvaṇa. It was māyā Sītā, māyā Sītā. I will tell you. I will give you evidence from the śāstra." So brāhmaṇa believed Him because Caitanya... "Oh, she is there? Sītā was not taken? A māyā Sītā was taken?" "Yes." Then he become encouraged. He cooked and sufficiently gave Him food.

Lecture on SB 1.16.1 -- Los Angeles, December 29, 1973:

So they should be trained. A class of men should be trained for these qualities. They are called brāhmaṇa. Similarly, another class, second class, they should be trained up as kṣatriya, very powerful, never goes away from the challenge of fighting. Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. Not that the fighting is going on, and the so-called president is sitting in his parlor and smoking cigarette. No. Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam: "Oh, everyone is fighting there? I must go in the front." He will fight. Otherwise how people will be encouraged? The chief man is in the background, and poor men, they are fighting? No. Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. That is kṣatriya.

So similarly, vaiśya. Vaiśya, they should be trained in three things, productive—kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44)—kṛṣi, agriculture; go-rakṣya, cow protection.

Lecture on SB 1.16.4 -- Los Angeles, January 1, 1974:

Because the government is śūdra: nṛpa-liṅga. They have taken the position of government, but they are all full of śūdras. Now in India not only killing cows... We had never seen... In Bombay this time I saw in our Juhu-big, big signboards: Beef shop. Beef shop. So Hindus are there also now taking. I asked one lady, she was meat-eater. So I asked her, "Do you eat cow's meat, cow's flesh?" "Yes, sometimes." So this is Kali-yuga. Now government is encouraging drinking and meat-eating. And illicit sex, that is, that has become now a common affair, anywhere you go. Why should you should have to go to brothel? Even big, big, other places. I don't wish to mention. You see.

Lecture on SB 1.16.5 -- Los Angeles, January 2, 1974:

Just like amongst the Jains, they will not ride on car, they'll walk. So our principle is not like that. "No, we shall not take advantage of the motorcar or the airplanes. These are all material. I shall walk." Why shall I walk? If I would not have taken the advantage of the airplanes, how I could preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world so swiftly? We must take all advantage, but for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We shall encourage people, but the thing is that we may not forget. If by material opulence we forget Kṛṣṇa, then that is suicidal. That is sui... Therefore we have to be little careful. We may drive the Rolls Royce car, but may not identify with the car: "Oh, now I've become Rolls Royce. You are Chevrolet. I'm Rolls Royce." (laughter) Don't become nonsense like that. Rolls Royce car is different from you, and Chevrolet car is also different from you. You can take advantage of them.

Lecture on SB 1.16.10 -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1974:

That is responsible king. Not that "They want to drink, and we can levy tax for drinking." Because by, I mean to say, encouraging people drinking... That we see in India now. Gandhi's started his movement on this basis. Nobody could drink even tea. At least amongst his associates, nobody could drink even tea. No cigarette. Gandhi was very strict. And of course, he could not prohibit, but he was also against illicit sex, drinking, gambling. But he prohibited. He introduced prohibition in so many states. But now government is encouraging. Government is giving license, "Yes, openly you can drink." Kali's influence. Meat-eating. In India, at least, we never saw big signboard in a beef shop. In upper country, even there was... Always there are meat-eaters. So the meat shop is kept out of the vision of public. I mean to say, privately one could purchase, and if one was accustomed to eat meat, he could not get the chance daily.

Lecture on SB 1.16.10 -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1974:

But the same rectified spirit, when turned into liquor by some process, not any very difficult process, just making it coloring or flavoring... The real thing is the rectified spirit. The government would charge sixty rupees per gallon. The cost, it is one rupee. And they would sixty charge rupees. Because government knew it or know it that when a man becomes drunkard, he will drink at any cost. At any cost. Pramatta. Pramatta. Matta means mad, and pramatta means prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa matta. So people are already mad under the influence of this material nature, and our government, all over the world, encouraging that "You become more mad, more mad." This is their welfare activities.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

So śāstra says that "Everyone, every living entity, has got a general tendency for these things: sex life, meat-eating and drinking." Then where is the need of shastric injunction? That shastric injunction is there not to encourage them, but to restrict them. In the human life, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. You have got a tendency for sex life, take for example. This is your tendency. But if you can check it, that is your success. Not that because you have got tendency, you have to increase it. That is not human civilization.

Lecture on SB 1.16.36 -- Tokyo, January 30, 1974:

For them the goddess Kālī is engaged to cut their heads, kill them. That is also Kṛṣṇa's agent. Vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, they have to be finished. But, by finishing them, they are also elevated. Finishing means finishing their sinful activities, finishing their sinful activ... Just like... It is very easy to understand. Just like a person who has committed murder, the state law is, "Finish him, otherwise he will commit another murder." If he's encouraged... Therefore, by finishing him, there are two purposes. One purpose is served that because he has done something very grievous sinful activity, by sacrificing his own life, he becomes relieved from the sinful reaction. That is the law in the Manu-saṁhitā. I have not manufactured. The murderer is condemned to death just to save him from many following resultant actions of sinful activities. If in this life, he gives his life, "Life for life," then he's safe. In the next life, he takes his birth clean, not suffering any more on account of the sinful activities. This is the statement in Manu-saṁhitā. Another instruction is that if this murderer is killed, then he will be saved from committing again murder.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Vrndavana, March 18, 1974:

Akṣayānanda: We do not condemn the householders, though. All of Lord Caitanya's, many of His followers were householders, and He encouraged them to progress in devotional life. Kṛṣṇa says, dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu, "I am householder life within the religious principles." In that way, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is for everyone. It is not restricted to sannyāsīs or brahmacārīs or persons who are celibate, but to all persons who follow the principles that are set down in Bhagavad-gītā and the śāstras.

Prabhupāda: My point is that śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Householder is not bad. That is not condemned. Real thing condemned: apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). That is condemned. Because they do not know what is the aim of life. That is missing. All these people... Ask anybody, that "What is the aim of your life?" Nobody... Nobody will be able to say. Any householder, any businessman, ask. They will simply say that "It is my duty to earn money. It is my duty to maintain my children, to give them education, to give them good opportunity for prospective life.

Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:
Prabhupāda: If this anger is applied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is purified. It is purified. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was not becoming angry to his enemy. He was a very good man. "No, I'm not going to fight." And Kṛṣṇa was, I mean to say, encouraging him to be angry. Otherwise how could he fight? So when he fought for Kṛṣṇa, that became service. Of course, these are very intricate questions. When one studies very seriously and scientifically, this will be revealed. So on the whole one can understand that "All the qualities of God is with me. But I am now materially contaminated." Just like a diseased person. A diseased person, he wants to enjoy the facilities of healthy life, but the physician says, "No, don't. Don't." Because that will create danger. Similarly, all the qualities we have got, but because it is materially contaminated, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is to purify them and to bring them to the normal condition, and then it will be happy. That is the whole idea.
Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

So my intelligence should be, "Why not go direct to the superior man? Why I am flattering this man?" That is sense. So therefore demigod worship is recommended in Vedas, that one day he may come to his intelligence that "Why demigod? Why not God, personally, directly?" Therefore, it is not that it is encouragement, it is encouragement(?). Just like, you know amongst the Hindus, the flesh-eaters, they're recommended that "If you want to eat meat, then you sacrifice one goat before the goddess Kālī." And Goddess Kālī is worshiped once in a month, on the dark moon day, at night. And there are mantras. The mantras say that... Within the ear of the animal it is said that, "You are sacrificing your life before the deity; so next life, immediately, you get a human form of life. And when you get a human form of life, you'll have the right to kill this man also." This is the mantra. Now, if you are a sane man, understand that "I am killing this goat at the risk of my life in next birth.

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

They are prescribed to stop it, not to encourage it. But the foolish persons, they say, "Well, it is in the śāstra. Why shall I not do?" Therefore Lord Buddha, when he appeared, he wanted to stop this animal killing, but because these rascals will show the evidence that "Here is sanctioned by the Vedas to kill an animal before Goddess Kālī. Why you stop?" Therefore he said, "I don't care for your Vedas." Because his only idea was to stop this animal killing. Ahiṁsā.

So we should know, whenever there is sanction in the śāstra for meat-eating, for sex intercourse, or for drinking, it is not for encouraging; it is for prohibiting, restricting.

Lecture on SB 2.3.15 -- Los Angeles, June 1, 1972:

This is the facility of taking birth in a Vaiṣṇava family. Children, simply by playing with Kṛṣṇa, they become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Some way or other, if somebody comes in contact with Kṛṣṇa, then his life becomes successful. So this kṛṣṇa-yoga, bhakti-yoga, can be practiced even by a child without interfering with his natural propensities. A child naturally wants to play, so he can play with Kṛṣṇa Deity. We had the opportunity of doing that. My father was worshiping Kṛṣṇa Deity. So I wanted to imitate him, and he gave me small Deity. That Deity is still worshiped. My sister and myself, whatever we were eating, we were offering exactly the same arcana. And father used to encourage. This Ratha-yātrā and Rādhā-Go.(?) Kṛṣṇa temple which we are propagating, it was, from the very beginning of our life, was initiated by our parents. So anyone can initiate his child to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness understanding from the very beginning.

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

If the Pacific Ocean overfloods this city, millions of people can be killed. If there is a war, millions of people can be killed. If there is epidemic, millions of men can be killed. So killing the demons, for that purpose He does not come, Kṛṣṇa. Rather, Kṛṣṇa's many agents, they can kill such demons without any difficulty. But He comes, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. (BG 4.8) Just like Lord Nṛsiṁha appeared not to kill the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu. He could be killed otherwise. But He appeared for Prahlāda. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was being so much teased and so much tortured. He could not tolerate it. So he wanted to show His devotee that "I shall kill your torturer before you." That is the purpose. So He did not appear for killing Hiraṇyakaśipu. He appeared to give encouragement to Prahlāda Mahārāja.

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

Just like we say "Don't eat meat." So actually, if all people become Kṛṣṇa conscious and give up meat-eating, then the slaughterhouse will be closed. Automatically. We say no meat-eating and no intoxication. So if all people become Kṛṣṇa conscious and give up drinking and smoking, the big business, breweries and cigarette manufacturers, will be closed. Similarly, no illicit sex. If people take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then so many brothels and clubs and nudies and everything will be closed. So they are afraid of their business; therefore they don't encourage this movement. Because ultimately, if this movement goes on, then where they stand? Everywhere we go, the advertisement is for intoxication, for sex, and for meat-eating. These are the advertisements.

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

Prabhupāda: So how much by nature the sex life is condemned in so many ways. Therefore we say "No illicit sex." It will save you from so many encumbrances. Sex life is not denied, but this unrestricted sex life is very very abominable in human society. But they are encouraging unrestricted sex life. They are distributing tablets, encouraging others to have sex life. Never mind. Unmarried girls they are keeping dogs. One lady in America, she told me that the dogs are kept for this purpose. When I was going to walk in that park in Brooklyn, the young girls are bringing dogs, big, big dogs. You were not at that time with me?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. I don't remember.

Prabhupāda: Bhavānanda. Bhavānanda was taking me to that big park.

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

So actually whenever there is sanction in the śāstra, that is not encouraging. That is restriction. So one cannot give this evidence, "Oh, your Vedas say this is sanctioned." But that sanction is restriction. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantor na hi tatra codanā. The śāstra is not encouraging. Because there is no need of encouraging. It is already known to him. Why the śāstra encourage? This is not encouragement. This is restriction. The same example can be given. Just like when government opens liquor shop it is not encouragement. It is restriction. You cannot have liquor manufactured by yourself anywhere, everywhere; otherwise it will increase more and more. So you have to pay heavy tax and purchase. And there are so many other rules and regulations. So this is restriction. When there is liquor shop licensed by the government, it does not mean it is encouragement.

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

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.

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

Nitāi: "Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: The most powerful sage Maitreya was a friend of Vyāsadeva. Thus being encouraged, Maitreya, pleased by Vidura's inquiry about transcendental knowledge, spoke as follows."

Prabhupāda:

dvaipāyana-sakhas tv evaṁ
maitreyo bhagavāṁs tathā
prāhedaṁ viduraṁ prīta
ānvīkṣikyāṁ pracoditaḥ
(SB 3.25.4)

So this is the process of getting knowledge, to approach the proper person, guru, and submissively hear from him about transcendental knowledge. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Don't try to receive spiritual knowledge or transcendental knowledge very cheaply. Although it is very easy, there is no difficulty, but the process must be known.

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

So in this age it is very difficult to become exactly Vedic brāhmaṇa. That's very, very difficult because everyone has become śūdra. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. In the Kali-yuga you cannot find out exactly a qualified brāhmaṇa. Very rare, very rare. Therefore Vedic brāhmaṇa is not possible. It is... Our movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is creating pāñcarātriki-vidhi. Pāñcarātriki-vidhi-brāhmaṇa means there is no evidence of, there is no certainty whether one is brāhmaṇa or son of brāhmaṇa because so many things are lacking. But, if he has got little taste of Kṛṣṇa understanding, he should be encouraged. That is pāñcarātriki. Just like if there is little fire you fan it-fan it and it will come out a big blazing fire.

Lecture on SB 3.26.18 -- Bombay, December 27, 1974:

Sannyāsa is very respectable position. Still it is honored in India. Anyone where a sannyāsī goes, at least in the villages, they offer respectful obeisances and gives all kinds of comforts, still now. According to śāstra, it is said if a sannyāsī is not offered respect or duly honored, the punishment is the man should fast at least one day. This is Vedic system. But there are many sannyāsīs taking advantage of this, so we are not concerned. Neither Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a false sannyāsī. He was real sannyāsī. And he was also real gṛhastha, Rāmānanda Rāya. So he was feeling little hesitation. To encourage him, Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately said, "No, no. Why you are feeling hesitation? Why you are feeling inferior? You are guru."

Lecture on SB 3.26.21 -- Bombay, December 30, 1974:

To come to that state, here it is stated that you have to purify your citta, consciousness, svaccham, crystallike, crystallike, transparent, svaccham. And that śāntaṁ bhagavataḥ padam, that is the stage of understanding Bhagavān. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). This stage can be attained by bhagavad-bhakti, by devotional service. This devotional service begins simply by hearing and chanting. We have got all these books. Anyone can take advantage of these books. Now it is translated into English. Of course, we are getting very, very good, encouraging reports from Western countries. Our books are selling very nicely, beyond our capacity of supply, all over Europe, America especially. Especially in America, all libraries, colleges, professors, educationists, they are very with great respect receiving these books.

Lecture on SB 3.26.27 -- Bombay, January 4, 1975:

"I think it is more difficult than controlling the wind." Suppose there is very strong wind, and if you want to stop it, you see, it is not possible. There is cyclone. Similarly, Arjuna has compared the mind with the speed of cyclone. How it is to be controlled? So completely denied. But Kṛṣṇa said, just to encourage Arjuna, that he should not be disappointed because he could not control the mind. But still, because his mind was always engaged in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he is the best of all the yogis.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
(BG 6.47)

He encouraged Arjuna that "Don't be disappointed because your mind is always engaged in Me." Arjuna might be anything, but he was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. He was always associating with Kṛṣṇa. He did not know anything else, Kṛṣṇa. That is the position of first-class yogi. Otherwise, if you try to control the mind from kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya, that is not possible.

Lecture on SB 3.28.1 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1975:

So Rāmānanda Rāya was feeling a little agitation, that "How is that? I am a gṛhastha, householder, not even born in high family, brāhmaṇa family. And I am engaged in politics, I am governor, and He is a sannyāsī, renounced order of life. How is that that He is asking question and I am replying? The question is enquired by the student, and the answer is given by the spiritual master. So how is that?" He was feeling little agitation. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately encouraged him, "Don't hesitate." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's example. He is teaching everything by His personal example. His purpose was that in this Kali-yuga the distinction between brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra will be almost finished. Then who will instruct? Because the instructor's position is brāhmaṇa. One must be brāhmaṇa.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

Then after few days Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired from Svarūpa Dāmodara, "Oh, nowadays I don't find Raghunātha standing there, what he is doing?" Svarūpa Dāmodara replied that "Raghunātha has given up that business standing on this. He thought that it is standing like prostitute. 'No, I don't want.' " Then, "How he's eating?" "No, he is collects some rice which is washed away from the kitchen, and he eats that." Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was doing that. Caitanya Mahāprabhu one day went to his place and He was searching, just He was encouraging, He was searching. He saw that a small pot some rice is kept. So, "Raghunātha, what is this?" (He) began to eat, "Oh, (this) is very nice. You eat such nice things, you do not invite us?" (laughter). Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī said, "It is not for you, don't take it, don't..." "No, no, it is very nice!"

Lecture on SB 5.5.30 -- Vrndavana, November 17, 1976:

Again he was sitting. This is yoga-siddhi. Then he was allowed—"Hopeless." They cannot be locked up. That is yoga-siddhi, not merely showing some gymnastic process. No. One must be... That yoga-siddhi, it is not possible in this age because people are not expert to practice this yoga system. Therefore Arjuna denied, "No, no, no. Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me to practice this yoga system. It is impossible for me." So five thousand years ago he said, "Impossible," but we are daring to make it possible. That is not very good. Better, as Kṛṣṇa says... To encourage Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa said that "Don't be discouraged because you cannot practice this yoga system. Here is the best process." What is that? Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā: (BG 6.47) "If you simply think of Me, then you are the best yogi."

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

No learned man laments on this subject." What was the subject? He was considering that "If I kill the other side, my brother or my nephew or my teacher, they will die." So that is the general impression in the whole world. Then He teaches, "No. On account of death of the body, the soul does not die. The soul simply changes another body. That's all." This is the first instruction. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). For that reason you cannot kill. It is not that Kṛṣṇa was encouraging killing. No. Duty. When there is fight, there is killing. You cannot avoid it.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

So there is no value of this question of the atheist. They do not know what is the meaning of going to the church or going to the temple or church or spiritual master. That is a foolish question. The church does not allow. But if the church does not disclose this fact, that "Oh, I see every week you come. What is this nonsense?" But the priest, they get some money and they want to continue their church business to get some money. So this is going on, cheating and cheated. Therefore the society has become the full of cheaters and cheated. So the cheating cheaters are not encouraged. If in the church or if anywhere, in the court, they are all full of cheaters and cheated, then what can be done? But either the court or the church is not meant for that purpose, that they will excuse the sinners every week without questioning and without giving him full, nice instruction that "You cannot do this." But if they say like that, then no more, nobody will come. Their income will be lost. So therefore they are cheated and those people who are thinking that "I have gone to church and my priest has excused me. I have confessed," this is cheating. That's all. Actually the purpose is different.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:

Everyone hides his secret before the enemy, but truthful means that he does not hide anything even to his enemy. That is brahminical qualification. Satya śama, controlling the senses, controlling the mind. Dama, controlling the senses, satya-sama-dama-śaucam, always clean, taking bath three times daily. Antar-bahiḥ. Outwardly, to wash with soap and other materials to clean, keep oneself clean, and inwardly, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa—that is cleanliness. So satya-sama-śaucam ārjavam, simplicity. Not to encourage artificial necessities of life. Simple life: plain living, high thinking—simplicity. And titikṣa, tolerance. Because this world is miserable. If we become disturbed with the miseries of this world, oh, you cannot live for a moment, because this life is, material life is full of miseries. So you have to become tolerant.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Honolulu, May 19, 1976:

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was the emperor of the whole world, so the Kali, he said, "Sir, you say go out of your kingdom, but where is not your kingdom? Everywhere, throughout the whole world, where shall I go?" Then he designated that "You stay in these four places." "What are those places?" "Now, where illicit sex, brothel, prostitutes are going on. You can live there. And where unnecessary animal killing is going on, you can stay here. And where drinking, intoxication, is encouraged, you can stay there. And where gambling is there, you can stay there." So he could not find any place throughout the whole world where these things were going on. That is the kingdom of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. There was no chance. So it is the government's duty to see that people are very nicely ruled so that they become all pious. That is the duty of the government. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Because if the king, monarch, is properly instructed, and if he orders that "My subject, my citizens, should follow this order," then it will be automatically followed out.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Honolulu, May 19, 1976:

The yoga system—first yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ, to control the senses. And now it is going on, transcendental meditation, that "After practicing yoga you will increase your sex power." This is going on. And that is accepted as yoga, and they are paying for it, thousands, yes. This is going on. Yoga-indriya... Just the opposite. People want sense gratification. If somebody encourages, "Yes, you take this mantra and you'll be very powerful sex enjoyer," so people will pay for that: "Yes, give me that." This rascaldom is going on. You see? So what we can do? We can simply explain, but people want to be cheated. That is the thing. Satya bole to mare lata(?) There is a Hindi proverb that "If somebody speaks the truth, it is received in loggerhead, and if he speaks lies, all bluffing, then it is relieved and payment is there."

Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Chicago, July 5, 1975:

That was encouraging to Arjuna because Arjuna thought, "Then I am useless. I cannot fix up." But his mind was already fixed up. Therefore Kṛṣṇa encouraged him, "Don't be discouraged. Anyone whose mind is already fixed up in Me always, he is the first-class, topmost yogi." Therefore we should be always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That is Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, that means your mind is fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection of yoga. So to become a brāhmaṇa, this is the first qualification, to keep the mind fixed up, not being agitated, śama. And when your mind is fixed up, then your senses will be controlled. If you fix up your mind that "I shall simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam, no more business," then the senses will be controlled automatically. Tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970:

So this is very important point, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says. This is authority, that naṣṭa-sadācāro dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ. As soon as there will be contamination of illicit sex life, he will be bereft of all good character, this basic principle. And the whole world is now encouraged in that way. So how we can expect good character from the modern man? There is no possibility, if we accept this statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, naṣṭa-sadācāro dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ. So Ajāmila, being contaminated by that illicit sex life with a prostitute, he lost all his brahminical qualifications and gradually he was in need of money. Just like the other day I gave you the instance of a big high-court judge, because he was also of that type. I know his private character. He was most debauched and therefore he wanted money, ten thousand rupees per month. And in spite of his position as a high-court judge and getting four thousand, five thousand salary, he could not check from his falldown. So this is natural. If you indulge in illicit sex life and naturally other things, intoxication, gambling, then there will be no limit of expenditure. And to meet all those expenditure one has to adopt cheating or stealing. These processes has to be.

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

Revatīnandana: We always encourage chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, is that so?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the only method in this age. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one's... The reservoir of understanding will be cleared. And then you, he can receive, he can receive the spiritual knowledge. Without cleansing the heart it is very difficult to understand and receive spiritual knowledge. All these reformatory measures—brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha—they are simply the cleansing method. And bhakti is also a cleansing method, vidhi-bhakti. But by engaging oneself in this Deity worship, he also becomes cleansed. Tat-paratve... Sarvopādhi... As he becomes enlightened or advanced in understanding that he is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes purified.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Surat, December 22, 1970:

So this is taught also in the Bhagavad-gītā. Amānitvam adambhitvam. No false pride. Then ahiṁsā. Unless one is prideless, unless one is humble, it is not possible to become nonviolent. So this nonviolence is also there, the Vaiṣṇava. So automatically they don't encourage animal-killing. So every religion, the highest principle of any religion is there in Vaiṣṇavites, or the followers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Any best thing, in any religion, you will find in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore it is perfect. Buddha religion teaches ahiṁsā; the Kṛṣṇa conscious people are ahiṁsā. Lord Jesus teaches love of God; they are the best lover of God. And Hindu religion teaches liberation; they are... As soon as they become Kṛṣṇa conscious, immediately they are liberated, immediately, instantly. There is no question of asking for liberation.

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

Therefore this movement should be encouraged. Especially I request my students that you push on this movement. Your country is very good. Let them become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then everything will be bhadrāṇi, all auspicious, bhadrāṇi. Otherwise your so-called big, big motorcars will create abhadrāṇi, viparītāni. We don't discourage you to construct big, big cars, but it should be used for the kīrtana party to go to village to village, not to go to the brothels and liquor shop. Then you are ruined. You can use it, all the facilities. The microphone should be used for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not talking nonsense. This should be this... Everything is good, provided it is used for good purpose. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa sambandhe yukta vairāgyam ucyate. We are not such foolish person that "This is material, this microphone. We shall not touch it." No, we are not so fool. We are intelligent enough how to use it. That's all.

Lecture on SB 6.1.67 -- Vrndavana, September 3, 1975:

So this man, Ajāmila, by his association with the prostitute, he degraded. Therefore it is the duty of the guardians, of the government, of the father, to protect the civilization from degradation. But nobody cares for that. Therefore, at the present moment, everything is chaotic. They are degraded. Prostitution is allowed freely, bad association, and they are encouraging by opening liquor shop, brothel, restaurant, meat-eating. So how you can expect a very nice civilization? That is not possible. We are suffering the consequence of our own degraded life. So how we can protect ourself from degradation? The śāstra is there. Śāstra, the scriptures, are there. Never mind whatever scriptures you have got—Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddha, or any. Every religion has got scripture. Just like the Christians have got Bible, the Muslims have got Koran, and Hindus, they have got Vedas. They should abide by the injunction of the śāstra. Lord Kṛṣṇa also recommends that you must follow the sastric injunction.

Lecture on SB 6.2.12-14 -- Allahabad, January 17, 1971, at Kumbha-mela:

We know. But at the time of his death," mriyamāṇaḥ, yad asau bhagavan-nāma samagrahīt, "simply chanted the name of Hari, Nārāyaṇa," samagrahīt, "perfectly, without any offense." Just try to understand that simply by chanting one name only, Nārāyaṇa, samagrahīt, without any offense, he became immediately purified from all sinful activities. These are not exaggeration. This is the fact. Otherwise why Caitanya Mahāprabhu should encourage,

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
(CC Adi 17.21)

You'll never find any disagreement with the śāstra, sādhu, and guru. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya. That is our guidance. Sādhu. If you say Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a sādhu or a devotee, so His words and the words of the scriptures are the same. The sādhu will speak only on the authority of śāstra. And śāstra means the description given by the sādhu. They are correlative. And guru means who follows the sādhu and the śāstra. So these are very instructive.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Boston, May 8, 1968:

So Nārada Muni says that if one gives up his occupational duty, specific duty either as a brahmacārī or sannyāsī or gṛhastha or brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya, he gives up. Why he gives up? Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer (SB 1.5.17). By sentiment or by association, he becomes encouraged that "I shall take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I shall give up everything." So Nārada Muni says, "Oh, it is a very good thing. Even if he's sentimental."Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer (SB 1.5.17). And because one comes by sentiment to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness he cannot stick. So bhajann apakvo 'tha. That means, bhajann, when the execution of devotional service is not complete, apakvo, immature Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi (SB 1.5.17). Or even falls down.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Hong Kong, April 18, 1972:

That is the instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. Yuddhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). Arjuna did not stop his fighting capacity. He was a kṣatriya. And Kṛṣṇa did not encourage him that you should stop fighting. Rather Arjuna was trying to stop fighting. Kṛṣṇa said, "No. You are kṣatriya. You cannot stop fighting." So don't think that by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious one becomes a vagabond. No. One gentleman talked with me that "Your Vaiṣṇava philosophy has made our country coward." No. You do not know what is Vaiṣṇava. In India there were two great fights. One the fight between Rāma and Rāvaṇa, and the other great fight was between the two, Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas. In both the fighting the hero was Vaiṣṇava. The hero, Hanumānjī, Vajrāṅgajī, who fought on behalf of Lord Rāmacandra, he is a Vaiṣṇava. And Arjuna, who also fought on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, he is a kṣatriya. So they do not know what is Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Madras, January 2, 1976:

It is confirmed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu when he was discussing with Rāmānanda Rāya. He was a governor of this Madras province under the regime of Mahārāja Pratāparudra of Orissa. And he was politician but he was a very learned scholar in Kṛṣṇa science. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu was talking with him. So because he was a śūdra by birth and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was not only very exalted position, brāhmaṇa and sannyāsī... So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was questioning and he was answering, so he felt little hesitation, that "Sir, You are so exalted. I am a gṛhastha and a politican, and how can I..." Immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him, "No, no, no, don't hesitate."

Lecture on SB 7.6.2 -- Toronto, June 18, 1976:

Just like Valmiki Muni meditated for sixty thousands of years. So actually this meditation, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, the yogic system, it is recommended in the śāstras, the Bhagavad-gītā also it is there, but in this age it is not possible. Even Arjuna denied. "Kṛṣṇa, You are recommending me to undergo the process of yoga, but it is not possible for me." Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram. It is not possible. But Arjuna was a pure devotee. He was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. He had no other business. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, to encourage Arjuna, He said that "Don't be disappointed. Because you are thinking that you are unfit to meditate upon Lord Viṣṇu, don't be disappointed.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Montreal, June 16, 1968:

So we have to take advantage. That is explained in the first verse by... Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam: "This human form of body, it is very rarely obtained. It is not to be misused." That is the first knowledge. But people are not educated in that way. They are encouraged that go on, sense enjoyment: "Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy." Some rascal comes, so he also says, "All right, go on. Enjoy. Simply meditate for fifteen minutes." But actually, this body is not meant for aggravating sense enjoyment. We require sense enjoyment because that is a demand of the body. If we want to keep body in healthy condition, then the demands of the body—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending—must be provided. But it should not be aggravated.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- Vrndavana, December 8, 1975:

To eat meat, to have sex life, āmiṣa-madya-sevā, and to drink intoxication, these things are naturally there, so why śāstra should encourage them? "Yes, you can eat meat by offering pūjā, worship to Goddess Kālī." "Yes, you may have sex life by marrying." In this way, they're śāstras. They are mentioned. But this is not encouraging. This is restraining, that if he is not married, he will enjoy sex life like cats and dogs. Therefore śāstra says, "All right, don't become cats and dog. Become a human being and get married and have your sex life under restrain." Similarly, "If you are rākṣasa—you want to eat meat—don't eat like rākṣasa. Better offer a goat to be sacrificed before Goddess Kālī." This is śāstra. Because the goat will be benefited. Because it is offering his life before Goddess Kālī, he will immediately get the body of human being, immediately promotion. He is benefited, and he has the right to kill this man. These are the injunction in the śāstras.

So śāstra never encouraging this, but those who are in the tamo-guṇa, in the darkness, just to raise them gradually to the sattva-guṇa, some concession is given. Just like government. Government opens liquor shop. The liquor shop is opened not to encourage.

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

It's not that cent percent people of the world will take. That is not possible. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Only the fortunate persons will be able to take it. So we should not be disappointed that "Nobody, majority of people, do not take this. What is the use of? Let me sit down in Vṛndāvana and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." No. The Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He also did it. He never sat down tightly in Vṛndāvana. He also did it. He traveled all over the India and took so much trouble. So preaching is very important, and you should engage. That will help you. Every one of you should be pure in your activities and try to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness as far as possible. If you remain pure, then your preaching will be successful and you'll get encouragement. That is the instruction of all Vaiṣṇavas.

Thank you very much.

Lecture on SB 7.6.11-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 27, 1976:

One enjoys his wife with two prominent sense organs, namely the tongue and the genitals. The wife speaks very sweetly. This is certainly an attraction. Then she prepares very palatable foods to satisfy the tongue, and when the tongue is satisfied one gains strength in the other sense organs, especially the genitals. Thus the wife gives pleasure in sexual intercourse. Household life means sex life (yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45)). This is encouraged by the tongue. Then there are children. A baby gives pleasure by speaking sweet words in broken language, and when the sons and daughters are grown up one becomes involved in their education and marriage.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Seattle, October 21, 1968:

So this Hiraṇyakaśipu was not confident. He was thinking, he was materially puffed up, and he was thinking that he is God. When his son... Fortunately, his son Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was a great devotee, Vaiṣṇava, by the grace of Nārada, and he was always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When he was in school, five-years-old boy, and naturally, the school was an atheistic school. Just like nowadays, in no school, colleges they encourage any theological study. What is called? Secular state. So gradually we are becoming like that Hiraṇyakaśipu. But Hiraṇyakaśipu tried, Rāvaṇa tried, Kaṁsa tried to exist without God, but they did not exist. So nobody can exist. So this Hiraṇyakaśipu tried to protect himself by so many material ways, but when he was too much against his innocent devotee son, then Kṛṣṇa appeared as Nṛsiṁha-deva, and He was very fearful.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Mayapur, February 28, 1977:

Be tolerant more than the tree. I mean to say, one shall be meek and humble more than the grass. These things will happen. In one life if we execute our Kṛṣṇa consciousness attitude, even there is suffering little, don't mind. Go on with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't be disappointed or hopeless, even there is some trouble. That is encouraged by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā: āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata: "My dear Arjuna, even if you feel some pain, this bodily pain, it comes and goes. Nothing is permanent, so don't care for these things. Go on with your duty." This is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Prahlāda Mahārāja is the practical example, and our duty is to follow the footprints of such person like Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja, therefore, taking courage, that the material qualifications are not assets to approach God, but it is only devotional service, service attitude. "Kṛṣṇa, or God, I love You. I can sacrifice You... I can sacrifice everything for You." Just like Lord Jesus Christ. He sacrificed even his life. The gopīs, they also sacrificed everything for Kṛṣṇa. This is wanted. The degree of sacrifice, the degree of attachment is taken into consideration by God, not any material opulence. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is encouraged. Tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam: "Therefore I shall try to offer my prayers according to my capacity." It is not that because one does not know Sanskrit or a particular type of language and he cannot pray very nicely with poetic simile, metaphors... These things are not required. Simply you have to open your feelings of love of Godhead. Then He's pleased. It does not depend on the particular type of language or poetic ideas.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:

It is said that a verse written in broken language... Suppose a person, a great devotee, is writing some prayers for God, but he has no idea of the rhetorical or prosodic method, the system of poetry. He has no such idea, but he is simply expressing his feeling. But if that feeling is correct, even the language is broken... There are many examples. Just like a child, he prays mother, parents, simply by crying. It has no language, but the mother understands what is the feeling of the child. It is the feeling that is taken into consideration, not the language. So Prahlāda Mahārāja very much encouraged, that tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava.

Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Calcutta, March 23, 1976:

That is Vaiṣṇava's duty, because they practically see that these rascals are engaged only in false activities which will not help him. They are planning this "ism," that "ism," that "ism," that "ism," simply wasting time, because he knows. He knows, everyone knows, but Vaiṣṇava understands; the non-Vaiṣṇava does not understand. He is a fool. He's a fool, does not understand. When in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said clearly, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27), "Everyone is under the control of the modes of material nature, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa," and still, this rascal is thinking that he is independent... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. And the so-called yogis and swamis encouraging them, that "Yes, you can go on doing all nonsense. Pay me thirty-five dollars, I will give you mantra, and you'll be perfect." This is going on.

Lecture on SB 7.9.54 -- Vrndavana, April 9, 1976:

If you want to enjoy these material facilities, then you can go to such kind of men, such kind of men, and... If you want to learn drinking, so go to a club where drinking is very encouraged. Preyas-kāmāḥ. If you want to enjoy sex, go to the club where prostitutes are available. That is preyas-kāmāḥ. But if you want to reach the goal of life, then go to Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. There are two kinds of men, sreyas-kāmāḥ, preyas-kāmāḥ, so two things are there. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for the śreyas-kāmāḥ. And who becomes śreyas-kāmāḥ? Mahā-bhāga, with great fortune. Not ordinary person. Unfortunate or misfortunate, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Mahā-bhāga. Very, very great fortunate person.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms this in His teaching to Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 16, 1972:

But sometimes my godbrother criticizes that I am sannyāsī, I am taking part in marriage. So I have got very good difficulties. Here, when I come to India, they say that I am spoiling Hindu system of religion. And when I go there, the Christian says that "You are the greatest enemy." (laughter) This is my position. You see. If I go ahead, then... And if I go behind, then... So what can be done? I have to execute my duty. I am not encouraged by the government, by my godbrothers, and still I have to do this duty. What can be done? So, so far I am concerned I know by getting them married I am benefited. They have done so much... He's also married, this boy. He's always... He has got his wife, he has got children, but he doesn't care for his wife and children. He remains with me and he helps me in editing the Sanskrit portion of my books. He has studied Sanskrit. He was not a Sanskrit scholar, but by his endeavor he has studied Sanskrit.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:

This is Gosvāmī's, Rūpa Gosvāmī's message. Where you are sitting, this is Rūpa Gosvāmī's place. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says the same thing. Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). So these boys, Ṛṣi Kumara Gosvāmī and others, Satsvarūpa Gosvāmī, Hṛdayānanda Gosvāmī, they're preaching the mes..., same message, Kṛṣṇa message. In the paper: "Kṛṣṇa message in South Africa." "Kṛṣṇa message in South Africa." This is very encouraging, that Kṛṣṇa message is being spread as Caitanya Mahāprabhu desired. Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is very encouraging. So all of you... Of course, Caitanya Mahāprabhu entrusted the matter to all Indians, especially.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 24, 1972:

So he thought that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asking him question and he was answering, that means he was taking the superior position. So he felt little shyness. And when he was feeling such shyness, Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him,

kibā vipra kibā śūdra nyāsī kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya
(CC Madhya 8.128)

Encouraged him. Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught the whole world, how one can become exalted simply by learning the science of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā. Tattva means science. It doesn't matter whether he's a sannyāsī or a gṛhastha or a śūdra or a brāhmaṇa. It doesn't matter. These are all designations of the body. Spiritually, we are all one.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:

So if follow that policy that one who is born in India as brāhmaṇa, except him, nobody can become brāhmaṇa, then this Vedic civilization will be, in due course of time, lost. We should be very careful. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading Vedic culture outside India. And they are welcoming it, those who are intelligent, they are welcoming it. They are accepting it. We should encourage them. Instead of discouraging this movement, we should encourage, so that the whole world can be united on the platform of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If we simply hate low-grade families, low-grade men, that will not solve the problem. Just like when there was political movement in India, the Britishers, they presented so many problems. Just like the untouchables, the Muhammadans, and so many things.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

Prabhupāda: But you cannot, you have not done this. There are so many men without shelter, without food. What you have done for them? The Ramakrishna Mission began for daridra-nārāyaṇa sevā. They have got so much big, big buildings, institutions. And why the daridra-nārāyaṇa is lying on the street? What they are doing? Why do they not take the daridra-nārāyaṇas in the big, big building they have got? Their mission is daridra-nārāyaṇa sevā. Why they are not doing that?

Indian man: (Hindi conversation with Śrīla Prabhupāda) (break)

Prabhupāda: "...and naturally inclined to enjoy. And you have encouraged them in that way in the name of religion. This is very condemned and is quite unreasonable. Because they are guided under your instructions, they will accept such activities in the name of religion and will hardly care for prohibitions. They will hardly care for prohibitions."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

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

Then he encourages, nāca, gāo, bhakta-saṅge kara saṅkīrtana: "Now go on. You have achieved so much success. Now again You go on." Nāca: "You dance." Gāo: "You sing and chant," bhakta-saṅge, "in the society of devotees." Not to make a profession, but bhakta-saṅge. This is the real platform of achieving success in spiritual life. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura also says that

tāñdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa
janame janame mora ei abhilāṣa

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that "Birth after birth." Because a devotee, he does not aspire after going back to home, back to Godhead. No. Any place, it doesn't matter. He wants to simply glorify the Supreme Lord. That is his business.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.108 -- San Francisco, February 18, 1967:

Your whole life shall be dependent upon me. I take full charge of you." And the woman agrees, "Yes, I also agree to serve you the whole life." This is marriage. The... If we exploit, of course... But this is the nice arrangement. This is cooperation. A woman agrees that "I shall serve you," because the man requires woman's service in so many ways by her ser..., cooking, by her embracing, by her becoming beautiful, so many ways. That is the encouragement so that he can work, he can live peacefully, he can discharge spiritual duties nicely. So there is cooperation. Stri-puruṣa. Puruṣa is supposed to be enjoyer, but both their lives become sublime when there is cooperation. So patiḥ patīnām. So everyone is given the chance of becoming a pati. Pati means husband, or proprietor. Even the ant, it has got also a companion, female ant. Even the dog, it has got also companion. Even the small bird, even the insect, even the fly—everyone is given. This is called viṣaya. Viṣaya means material enjoyment.

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

This was also written by Vyāsadeva. But at last, he was not satisfied. Or even after writing so many big literatures, he was not satisfied. So one day he was sitting very morose, and in the same time, his spiritual master, Nārada, came to see him. Because Nārada is not an ordinary spiritual master. He could understand that "My disciple is sitting morose. So I must go there and give him some encouragement because he's a great personality. He is giving human society so many nice things, but he's not very happy in his mood. So I shall go and give him some encouragement."

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

And Lord Caitanya encourages him that "Because you have come to this understanding, now all your miseries are over. All your miseries are over." Just like a man suffering from certain kind of disease, if he approaches a right physician, that means he is beginning of, beginning of..., ending of all diseases is there. Similarly, if we can find out a bona fide spiritual master, and if we are actually anxious to end our miserable life, then it is actually done. The beginning is there. Saba tattva jāna, tomāra nāhi tāpa-traya. "Now don't be discouraged. You have no threefold miseries. Because you have come to this position, therefore you are above all these threefold miseries."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.125 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

We do not like to serve. But if we serve Kṛṣṇa, then we shall feel some ecstasy in increasing the service. There is no payment. There is, I mean to say... Materially, there is no payment. Still, a person engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will be encouraged to serve more and more. This is the distinction. In the material platform, if you serve somebody, you will find tired, satiated. You won't like. But if you engage yourself in the service of Kṛṣṇa, you'll find yourself more energetic. You'll like to serve more and more. That is the test. If I feel tired, then that is material, and if I feel more encouraged, that means it is blessings of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-mādhurya... So one is engaged in service of Kṛṣṇa not officially or to make show, he feels enlivened in rendering such transcendental service. Some of you must be feeling like that, I am sure; otherwise you cannot take so much responsibility, working all day, unless you feel. You see?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.337-353 -- New York, December 25, 1966:

So, when he was so sorry, so Śukadeva Gosvāmī encouraged him, "Mahārāja, don't be sorry. There is very nice process in the Kali-yuga. In the midst of so many difficulties of this age, there is one boon, and that boon is one can become liberated from this material entanglement altogether simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma..." Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. It was especially mentioned, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya (SB 12.3.51), simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one can become... This is the greatest boon in this age. Although there are so many difficulties, full of miseries, increase in the greatest volume... The world is, material world is miserable. Just like cold season, this winter season, today we are feeling most inconvenienced. Similarly, this material world is always miserable.

Festival Lectures

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

That Mr. Bhaṭṭācārya told me that sometimes some rich man goes there with all his wealth and stake it, and when he's lost, he fires himself, and the gambling managers puts him down and throws him in the... There is no law for such killing or such homicide or anything. Do whatever you like. You see? So there is a class of men. Just like a liquor shop. Liquor shop is licensed by the government. Does it mean the government is encouraging, that "You become drunkard"? But government is giving this license because there is a class of men who must drink, and they will violate all... Say, "All right. Let them have it."

Similarly, there are two kinds of living entities: nitya-baddha, nitya-mukta, eternally liberated and eternally conditioned. You see? So for the conditioned... They will never agree to abide by God. Therefore, for them, this material world, the external energy: "All right, you do whatever you like.

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

Because in our house, my father used to receive so many sannyāsīs, but some of them were not very to the standard, and due to my association with college friends, younger days, I lost my faith practically, although I was born in a Vaiṣṇava family. My father was a pure Vaiṣṇava. From my childhood, he gave me Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity for worshiping. A ratha... I was playing with my boyfriends, Ratha-yātrā, Ḍola, like that. My father encouraged. So I was trained up in this line, but in my youthful age, when I was college student, gradually, by their bad association or something, gradually, I lost my activities. But when this friend, Mr. Mullik, took me to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, he immediately asked me that, "You are educated young boys. Why don't you take up Lord Caitanya's message and preach in the Western world?" In the very first sight, he told me.

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

So he replied that letter, that "You try to preach in English language. Then the persons who will be instructed by you and both yourself will be benefited." Again, he said the same thing which he ordered me in 1922 at the first sight. Then there... He passed away 1936, 31st December.

Then there were other Godbrothers. I consulted him that "Guru Mahārāja said like this. What can I do?" So they also encouraged me. I was writing. There was a paper, Harmonist. Then, by their desires, I started this Back to Godhead in 1944. That was also started on his advent day, this advent day. Back to Godhead was started. Yes. There was a meeting, and many friends came, and we first started this Back to Godhead on his advent day, this advent day, 1944. So our paper, Back to Godhead, the advent day is also today.

Sri Sri Kaliya Krsna Deity Installation -- Lautoka, Fiji, May 2, 1976:

So, ladies and gentlemen, today is very auspicious day that in your country, beautiful land, we are now going to establish a temple of Kāliya. Rāmana, Kṛṣṇa. Of course the Deities, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Guru-Gaurāṅga also will be there. There will be three compartments in the fashion of our Vṛndāvana temple. And I thank you very much for your encouraging association in this matter.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Srila Prabhupada Welcomed by Governor at Hotel De Ville -- Geneva, May 30, 1974:

This republic is an independent state, part of Switzerland, and it has a reputation for being a great center of dialogue between all men of science, philosophy and religion. Geneva is the seat of the World Council of Churches, and there is a Protestant pastor who is there as representative of the Canton of Geneva. Unique among the cities of the world, Geneva has had the privilege to greet many great religious heads such as Pope Paul VI, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and many others. As civil authorities, we are very much encouraged by religious or spiritual groups because they contribute to wake up the consciousness of the people, provided, of course, that they respect all the laws. For thousands of years, man has tried to find perfection through religious means, and for us what is so much important is that this be done with tolerance, that whatever the books, whether they be the books of India or the Toraḥ or the Koran, that they contribute to a general welfare of all men and not that they fight each other.

Arrival Lecture -- Mayapur, September 27, 1974:

Because in the foreign countries, especially in America, our books are being accepted by (the) higher circle, big, big universities, colleges, professors. They are so eager to read the books that they have simply heard that this Bhāgavatam will be finished in sixty volumes and Caitanya-caritāmṛta will be finished in twelve volumes... We have got Caitanya-caritāmṛta only one volume published, and they are ordering for twelve volumes, that "As soon as it is published, you send us." This is very encouraging. Similarly, they are ordering for sixty volumes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, although we have published only twelve volumes.

Arrival Lecture -- Calcutta, March 20, 1975:

So by Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace, with the cooperation of the Western youths, this movement is going on. I have traveled all over the countries, as I reported, and everywhere I saw, I was very much pleased that saṅkīrtana is going on. And it is improving. It is not declining. That is my greatest encouragement, that even in my absence, things are going on very nicely, improving. That is very hopeful. Not only that—from the Gurukula we are training small children. There are about more than hundred children in Dallas. They are rising early in the morning, attending maṅgala āratik, boys and girls not more than ten years, not more than five, six years. So that is very hopeful. In future they will become nice Vaiṣṇava. And many children are taking birth. They are very nice devotees. In last, in our Śrīpāda Atreya-rsi's small child, about six months old, as soon as I shout out, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," immediately he'll... He'll laugh. Very nice. There are many such children. So all these children, they are Vaiṣṇavas. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sanjāyate (BG 6.41). That is the... They are given chance to take birth in the family of Vaiṣṇava father and mother. From the very beginning of life, they are getting encouragement. We had such opportunity. Somehow or other, we have come to this stage. Similarly, these children, they are getting opportunity from the very beginning of their life.

Arrival Conversation -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1975:

Prabhupāda: He has presented very nicely. So we should encourage our men.

Jayādvaita: Publish it.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And our men, all our men should write. Otherwise how we shall know that he has understood the philosophy? Writing means śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Śravaṇam means hearing from the authority and again repeat it. This is our business, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23), about Viṣṇu, not for any politician or any other man. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, about Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. So that is success. Hear and repeat, hear and repeat. You haven't got to manufacture. Any one of us, simply if you reproduce the purport which I have given in the Bhāgavata, you become a good speaker. What I am doing? I am the same thing, writing the same thing so that modern man can understand. Otherwise we are repeating the same thing. They are repeating also same thing, sense gratification. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). But because that is material, they are not getting happiness. But the spiritual thing, we are chanting the same Hare Kṛṣṇa, simply repeating, but we are getting transcendental bliss. What we are doing? Same "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." So process is the same, the subject matter is different. So why you are behind publication? Now all the big men are here. Why our books are behind? Why? Here the editors are there. I don't think there is any scarcity.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation of Rukmini Dasi -- Montreal, August 15, 1968:

To establish real religion in the world. Real religion. Just yesterday we have received one letter from Mr. Renovate, Vancouver. He says that the Canadians, they want real religion. That's very good, encouraging. Anyone, if he is anxious to have real religion, for him this is the best thing, this kṛṣṇa-kīrtana-gāna-nartana. So without religion, human society is nothing but animal society. It is simply polished animalism. So these Gosvāmīs, they made so many books to guide us. You have read Rūpa Gosvāmī's Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. That is the first direction in the line. So they always worked very hard, day and night. Their business was writing books or chanting and dancing.

Initiation of Hrsikesa Dasa and Marriage of Satsvarupa and Jadurani -- New York, September 5, 1968:

And there is no separation. It is... There is no question of divorce or separation. In any condition of life, happiness or distress, you shall continue as husband and wife, because our main business is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This marriage is not material marriage for sense gratification. But because there are girls and boys and we require also Kṛṣṇa conscious population, therefore we encourage this marriage. It is not for sense gratification. So in this way there is no question of separation or divorce. You admit this? Yes. You also admit this? Then you change your garland.

Initiations -- Sydney, April 2, 1972:

So peace automatically will come if people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, because they become highly qualified, without committing any sinful activities. If such population is there in the world, there is no question of disturbance. Everyone will be peace, peaceful and happy. So our marriage, Kṛṣṇa consciousness institution encouraging marriage, on this ground: not to produce cats and dogs, but to produce highly qualified devotees. So you should always remember that. And there is no... Once married, there is no question of divorce or separation. That you should remember. We don't allow any divorce and separation. The husband and wife, there may be sometimes disagreement, but according to Vedic literature, when there is fight or disagreement between husband and wife, it should be neglected. Nobody take it seriously.

General Lectures

Speech to Indian Audience -- Montreal, July 28, 1968:

Unfortunately, the present policy is that students are being taught to forget their old Vedic culture and try to imitate the Westernized way of life, industrial life, technical life. That is being encouraged. But here I find that the young men and young girls and boys, both, they are very much interested about Indian original culture of spiritual life. Recently, you know, some yogi came, and he simply bluffed so many people that "If you pay me thirty-five dollars, I will give you one personal mantra, and you will be in transcendental life," or so many things. So thousands and thousands of European boys and girls, as well as in America, they flocked together, but later on, they were frustrated. That means while the Indian youths are coming to the Western countries for advancement of technological knowledge, the Western boys and girls, they are hankering after spiritual life. This I have very particularly studied. I am here, not in Canada, in America.

Speech to Indian Audience -- Montreal, July 28, 1968:

If you forget your duty, then you are forgetting your identity. So my special request in this meeting is for the Indian ladies and gentlemen to support this temple, and by supporting this temple, to support this movement. It is good not only for the Indians—for everyone. It is no sectarian religion. It is completely scientific and philosophical. Everyone can accept it, not dogmatically, but with reason and argument. And you can practically see that all my students, none of them are Indians. Until now, they are all American. They are educated, they are intelligent. They are trying to understand it with all logic and philosophy, and when they understand it nicely, they take to it very seriously. So my request is that this is a very nice movement. Everyone, either Indian, American or Canadian, should take part in it and encourage us.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

They have got children, and they have given up their all bad habits. You see? They are not, I mean to say, eating meat. They have no illicit sex life. They are strictly vegetarian. They are preparing nice foodstuff from vegetable and grains. They do not take part, intoxication. They do not smoke even. Just see practically. If everyone becomes like them, then what is the trouble? If you encourage them to indulge in illicit sex life, to become intoxicants, to gambler and eating everything, without any discrimination, then how you can expect to have very good men in this world? They are mad. So this question, that "Is this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa the answer to living successfully in today's...?" What do you mean by "successfully living"? Successfully living does not mean that you work hard just like cats and dogs, and eat something and have sex life at night. That is not successful life.

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

Then God will reveal Himself. He is sitting within everyone's heart, and as soon as He sees that one is very sincere and "He's trying to understand Me," then He will teach you from within and you'll understand. Even without reading book, by His grace you will understand. But anything we should not claim falsely. We should be very sincere and serious to understand God. Then God will help us. God is within everyone's heart. There is no difficulty. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So I'm very glad that you are all coming to our, this center. And these boys are trying to convince you in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please try to cooperate with us so that we may be encouraged also.

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

Then in future they will be godly or God conscious and their life will be peaceful. And because this is not taught in the schools and colleges... I have got experience by traveling in the Western countries. Especially in America, they have got so many nice arrangements of big, big universities. Unfortunately, nowadays they are producing hippies. So this is not very encouraging. In every schools and colleges the God consciousness should be taught. Never mind whether through Bible or Koran or through Bhagavad-gītā. Everywhere there is knowledge of God consciousness. That teaching should be introduced in every schools and colleges so that children, from the very beginning, may understand what is God, how great he is, how we are related with God, and how we have to live.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 12, 1971:

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly participating in this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement. We are speaking here for the last one week, so it is very encouraging that we are reviving the dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness of our brothers and sisters in India.

This Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement is to be learned from the very childhood. So far personally we are concerned, my father taught me this Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very childhood. My father was a great Vaiṣṇava, and I had the opportunity of taking birth in that family.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

So we should take advantage of these facilities offered to human society. If we don't take advantage of it, if simply we work hard like dogs and hogs and die like cats and dogs, then what is the value of life? So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is started to educate people to understand Kṛṣṇa, that's all. We have no other concoction. There is no invention. Simply we are trying to convince people to understand Kṛṣṇa. So our main subject matter is based on the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So we have opened this center in Bombay to give you facilities. Please try to take it. Please come and encourage us, and we shall continue this movement, here in this center, as long as possible.

Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972:

Just like the government creates the prison house. That does not mean that government wants that somebody should be criminals and fill up this prison house. It is a freedom to the citizens. Government creates university also, or government creates prison house also. But it is your freedom. You make your choice: either you go to the university or you go to the prison house. It is your choice. Just like government opens some liquor shop, gives license. That does not mean that government is encouraging drinking. The liquor shop is there. Those who are drunkards, they can go. That's a facility. That's all. Otherwise, that is not encouragement. Similarly, the... When God created this material world... I think in your Bible also it is said that the Adam and Eve, the forbidden apple... That means He made some rules and regulations, "Do this; do not this." And if you do this, what is not sanctioned, then you suffer.

Lecture -- Jakarta, March 2, 1973:

Guest: And we from the Hindu side, Indonesia, we thank His Divine Grace for giving us advice and encouragements. (indistinct) And some of us will try to come to see His Divine Grace to talk about this matter and we will take it further.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. That's all. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Now you play your (indistinct), we shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (chanting of mahā-mantra for some minutes) (leads praṇāma prayers) Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So we can go?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Harer nāma harer nāma... (CC Adi 17.21).

Devotee (1): He would like to say something.

Prabhupāda: Acchā.

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

The fourth symptom is that a guru, the spiritual master, encourages prasāda distribution, remnants of foodstuff distributed to the public. Ours is not dry philosophy, simply we talk and go home. No. We distribute prasādam, very sumptuous prasādam. In every temple, anyone who comes, we can offer prasādam. In each and every temple, we have got already from fifty to two hundred devotees. And outsiders also, they come and take prasādam. This is an... This introduction is also another symptom of guru, prasāda distribution. Catur-vidha. Not ordinary. Catur-vidha means four kinds of eatables: carvya, cūṣya, lehya, peya. Something is chewed, something is swallowed up, something is licked up. In this way, there are different kinds of palatable dishes.

Lecture at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan -- Bombay, October 18, 1973:

So I shall request that there is great need of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. It is only one man's attempt. If persons like Nandajī and others, living persons... Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). Nandajī is one of the śreṣṭha-vekti of India. He was minister in the Central government. Now he is out of office. But the man is the same. I was very glad when I received the literature. I thought, "At least one man in India is thinking that India is so much downfallen." So I was very much encouraged. Otherwise I was very much discouraged that there is no human being in India, because they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, forgotten God. Now I see there are still. So I shall request Nandajī that take the standard method as prescribed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Then you will be successful.

City Hall Lecture -- Durban, October 7, 1975:

Everyone, practically 99.9%, at the present moment, they are under the conception, bodily conception: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," like that. That is ignorance. That will be discussed in the Bhagavad-gītā very elaborately. So the question may be raised that "How I can do welfare activities for the welfare of the whole world?" The Caitanya Mahāprabhu encourages. He says that āmāra ājñāya hañā tāra ei deśa: "Wherever you are staying," ei deśa, "in that country... You may not go outside, but wherever you are staying," āmāra ājñāya, "by My order," guru hañā, "you must become a guru"—by the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. "Then? I have no education.

Lecture -- Nellore, January 4, 1976:

He was talking with Caitanya Mahāprabhu but he was very learned devotee. So he was feeling hesitation that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu's coming from very high-grade brāhmaṇa, and He is sannyāsa. His position is very exalted. I am a śūdra. How I can advise Him?" He was questioning, and Rāmānanda Rāya was answering. So the answer-giver is in superior position, so he hesitated. So while he was hesitating, Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him,

kibā śūdra kibā vipra nyāsī kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya
(CC Madhya 8.128)

He said, "It doesn't matter whether you are a brāhmaṇa or a śūdra or... These are all bodily conception of life. You become above the bodily conception of life. You simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa." Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā.

To understand Kṛṣṇa is not so easy thing.
Tenth Anniversary Address -- Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:

The first one was to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large, to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of (indistinct) to achieve real unity and peace in the world. Second, to propagate a consciousness of Kṛṣṇa as He is revealed in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Third, to bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Kṛṣṇa, and thus to develop the idea within the members and humanity at large that each soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Fourth, to teach and encourage the saṅkīrtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God, and to reveal the teachings of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Fifth, to erect for the members and the Society at large a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the Personality of Godhead.

Lecture Excerpt -- London, July 25, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa is providing another good house, so there is no discouragement. But go on executing your routine work. I am very glad to see that you are taking care of the Deities very nicely. Whenever I come, I see. This is very encouraging. And the more you keep the Deity very nicely decorated, then your heart will be cleansed of all dirty things of this material world. Tṛṇād api... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). That is wanted. And if we keep our core of heart cleansed from material dirty thing, then māyā will not be able to overcome us. So keep in that spirit. Never mind if sometimes, occasionally, there is some difficulty. We have got examples of devotees. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Prahlāda Mahārāja had to face so many difficulties.

Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 23, 1977:

They follow Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya. He was a gṛhastha. He was a responsible government officer. Still, he was the best disciple of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rāmānanda Rāya, while talking with Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he was feeling little shamefulness because Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a great sannyāsī and coming from a very respectable brāhmaṇa family, and Rāmānanda Rāya, he belonged to the Kharan(?) caste of Orissa, and he was gṛhastha, at the same time in government service. So he was feeling little shamefulness, that "I am teaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu." So when he was feeling like that, Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him,

kibā vipra kibā śūdra nyāsī kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya
(CC Madhya 8.128)

"You become a sannyāsī or you become a gṛhastha or you are a brāhmaṇa or a śūdra. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness has nothing to do with these material things. If you know actually what is Kṛṣṇa, then you can become guru."

Departure Talks

Departure -- Los Angeles, October 5, 1972:

So we have started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to educate people in perfect knowledge. So we have got so many branches, and we have to travel and encourage them. So now I am going to the eastern hemisphere—from the western hemisphere to the eastern hemisphere. So I am going now in San Francisco. From there, I shall go to Hawaii, and then cross the international line, dividing East and West. Then we go to Manila, and therefrom we shall go to India. In Vṛndāvana we shall have Ūrja-vrata for one month. You also could observe ūrja-vrata here from the next Ekādaśī, one month. I have already instructed Karandhara to have a sky lamp and put candle in the evening to the Deity for one month. Each one, a small candle should... And then, after Ūrja-vrata, we have a big engagement in Hyderabad. And then in Bombay, then in Delhi. In this way. So in the meantime you go on with your work, hold the morning class, Bhāgavatam. Each verse try to understand scrutinizingly and worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:
Prabhupāda: So God displays himself factually as He does in the spiritual world in Vṛndāvana. His nature is to play with the cowherd boys, to dance with the gopīs. These things are actually displayed, and devotees became encouraged that "After finishing this material body, we are going to Kṛṣṇa, or God, to join these pastimes of the Lord." This is called paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. Sādhus, they heard from the śāstras, but Kṛṣṇa practically demonstrates. So they become doubly confirmed, doubly assured what they are going to have next life. So these things, the transcendental world, God, His activities, we hear. By hearing also we realize. Because God is absolute, therefore to see Him and to hear about Him, there is no difference. There cannot be any difference. By seeing eye to eye or to hear about Him, the same thing.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. War also, we, Vedic philosophy, we say, dharma-yuddha. Just like Arjuna was encouraged, dharma-yuddha. So everything has got his use. War has got also use, you(?). But that is progress?

Śyāmasundara: Yes, progress comes about through conflict of opposites. So that as states fight each other, the one that comes out victorious is the most progressive, advanced state.

Prabhupāda: When the war should be declared? Is there any philosophy?

Śyāmasundara: He doesn't believe in peace; he says that peace is a dream.

Prabhupāda: Peace cannot be possible within this material world, especially without God consciousness, there cannot be any peace. That is a fact.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: This is spiritual following. Just like we are doing. We are also not neglecting the bodily necessities of life, but our main business is how to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is not supported by the state or the leaders of the society. They think they are unnecessary because they are animals. So that is the... If the leaders, yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tad tad eva itaraḥ janaḥ (BG 3.21), that is, every leading man accept that this is necessary. Just like we say "No illicit sex." So if the state helps, it can stop immediately. "No meat-eating": the state can immediately do it, "No slaughterhouse." If somebody says that it is enforcement for a person who wants to eat meat and the state has stopped, no. State at least can do this, that state is not going to maintain slaughterhouse. If you want to eat meat, you can kill an animal at your own house, but state is not going to commit these sinful activities, statewise. That is changed in every respect. No more breweries. State cannot maintain the manufacturing of liquor. If anyone individual wants, he can prepare for himself, but he cannot sell, he cannot induce others to take. He can for his personal (indistinct), he can take. In that case, state is giving liberty, "If you want eating meat, so do." But that is not encouragement; that is discouragement. That is Vedic injunction. Vedic injunction is that yes, you can have sex, but get yourself married properly like gentlemen and ladies do. But sex will not be allowed unrestricted intermingling of men and women and prostitution, brothels. That state has to stop. In this way whole thing can be revolutionized, and the society will be completely in human civilization and God consciousness. That is wanted.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Hayagrīva: I put "head" there.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the real purpose of human life. Nature gives him the opportunity in the evolutionary process to get the human form of body. Now, here is a chance. He can read books, he can read Vedas, he can take instruction from the spiritual master. These opportunities are there. So that should be encouraged. That is human civilization. Simply to keep him in darkness, and that he is body and bodily necessities of life is the only business, it is a very suicidal civilization. That is not civilization. It is animal status of life.

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Prabhupāda: There are two sides. There are two kinds of people are going. The same man, he is giving charity for feeding poor man or giving relief to the distressed man, but at the same time he's encouraging animal-killing. So what is the ethics? What is the ethical law in these two contradictory activities? One side... Just like our Vivekananda. He is advocating daridra-nārāyaṇa sevā, "Feed the poor," but feed the poor with mother Kālī's prasāda, where poor goats are killed. Just like, another, one side feeding the poor, another side killing the poor goat. So what is the ethic? What is the ethical law in this connection? Just like people open hospitals, and the doctor prescribes, "Give this man," what it is called," (Hindi), ox blood, or chicken juice." So what is this ethic? And they're supporting that "Here is chicken juice." Just because animal has no soul, so they can be killed. This is another theory. So why the animal has no soul? So imperfect knowledge.

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:
Prabhupāda: A living entity is eternally an individual soul, and if he wants to merge into the spiritual whole, he may accomplish the realization of the eternal and knowledgeable aspects of his original nature, but the blissful portion is not realized. By the grace of some devotee, such a transcendentalist, highly learned in the process of jñāna-yoga, may come to the point of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. At that time, long practice in impersonalism also becomes a source of trouble, because he cannot give up the idea. Therefore an embodied soul is always in difficulty with the unmanifest, both at the time of practice and at the time of realization. Every living soul is partially independant, and one should know for certain that this unmanifested realization is against the nature of his spiritual blissful self. One should not take up this process. For every individual living entity the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which entails full engagement in devotional service, is the best way. If one wants to ignore this devotional service, there is the danger of turning to atheism. Thus this process of centering attention on the unmanifested, the inconceivable, which is beyond the approach of the senses, as already expressed in this verse, should never be encouraged at any time, especially in this age. It is not advised by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: That we also say. Freud is encouraging, and our process is to stop. That is the difference. Freud says that when there is sex impulse, enjoy. (indistinct) care what it is.

Śyāmasundara: No. He doesn't say one way or the other. He is merely trying to analyze the sex impulse. He says that due to repressed childhood sex desires that these neuroses arise in a person's personality, and that by analyzing...

Prabhupāda: Our process is not repression. We don't repress. Therefore we give facility, that "You have got sex impulse. All right, you have it, but with your wife, legalized wife."

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: So he felt that man should at least be allowed to practice his religion, although he felt that the state should encourage the abolition of religion. That it is an inherent human right for man to be able to practice religion...

Prabhupāda: That, that I explain always, that state duty is the freedom of religion, but the state must see that a person advocating particular type of religion, whether he is acting according to that religion...

Hayagrīva: But he felt that if this religion should be allowed, it should be individual and not communal. He says, "Liberty as a right of man is not based on the association of man with man but rather on a separation of man from man. It is the right of separation..."

Prabhupāda: No, there is no question of separation, that if we accept God as the supreme father. Now the Christian religion believes God as the supreme father. So if the supreme father is there, and if we become obedient to the supreme father, then why, where is the difference of opinion? But we do not know the supreme father and we do not obey the supreme father. That is the cause of dissension. The son's duty is to become obedient to the father and enjoy father's property. So if we know the supreme father, and if we live according to the father's order, so there is question of antagonism, dissension. It is all our own, father being the center. That, the difficulty is that we call supreme father but we do not accept the father's order or what is the order of the supreme father. That is the defect.

Philosophy Discussion on Socrates:
Prabhupāda: "Of all the yogis, one who has learned to see Me within himself, he is first class." Others are bogus. The perfection of yoga means to see God within himself. That is perfection of yoga. So this process, as Socrates used to give chance to his disciple, that is good process, to give him chance to develop his understanding. The teacher helps. Just like the father and mother give the child. First of all he helps, taking his hand, "Now walk, walk," and sometimes he gives him pleasure: "Now you walk. Let me see how you walk. Now you walk." Although he sometimes falls down, but a father will encourage, "Oh, you are very nice. Stand up, stand up again. Walk." So give chance to the disciple how they can think properly to go back to home, back to Godhead, teacher is giving instruction and tries to see how he has developed. So that process is natural. And another process is that suppose a man comes to argue, so you should give him first chance, "All right, you say what is the import of these verses." Then he can understand his position, where he is. Then he captures him. Because an expert, he knows how to capture the fool. So let the fool first of all go on, talk all nonsense, then he'll understand where he is and he will capture. That is also a process.
Philosophy Discussion on Blaise Pascal:

Prabhupāda: Philosophy means, real philosophy means to understand the truth. That is philosophy. So without understanding about the truth, if he encourages untruth... Just like some philosophers are philosophizing on sex life. So the people are becoming degraded. So what is philosophy in sex life, that is an (indistinct). It is there in animal and man also. So sex life is not actual life; it is a symptom of life only. So if we stress on this point only, that is not philosophy. Philosophy means, as it is stated, tattva jñānārthaṁ darśanam. To find out the Absolute Truth, tattva, that is philosophy. And tattva means the spirit soul or the spiritual atmosphere. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). So those who are discussing about Brahman or Paramātmā, Supersoul, or Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are real philosopher because they are trying to find out the Absolute Truth, and others are bogus.

Page Title:Encouragement (Lectures)
Compiler:Rishab, Mayapur
Created:26 of May, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=171, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:171