Great sages (Conv. & Letters)

Expressions researched:
"Great Sage" |"Great Sages"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Questions and Answers -- Montreal, August 26, 1968:

Devotee: Nārada Muni delivered the chanting, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, to the Earth?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: Was it here before he came? And what..., how long ago did he come?

Prabhupāda: That you cannot calculate. Nārada Muni is one of the sons of Brahma, so he's present since the time of creation. And many great sages and saintly devotees are all devotees of Nārada Muni. Prahlāda Maharaja is disciple of Nārada Muni, Dhruva Maharaja is the disciple of Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva is disciple of Nārada Muni, Vālmīki is disciple of Nārada Muni. So Nārada Muni was very expert in getting disciples. He had so many disciples. Unlimited.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Darsana -- June 28, 1971, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Just like there are brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs, they have no sex life. Therefore, this sannyāsa, to go out of home by force, that means to avoid sex life, sannyāsa. You see? I think those who have got children, they should take sannyāsa now and preach. That is my idea. Not (indistinct) idea, because all the great sages, they waited if they are married. Just like Kapila Muni..., Kardama, Kardama Muni. Kardama Muni, he was a great yogi. So he was thinking of marrying, so Kṛṣṇa sent him good wife, Devahūti, a king's daughter. So he thought, "I was thinking of marrying, so Kṛṣṇa has sent. All right, let me marry." But he made a condition to her father that "I can accept your daughter as my wife so long she has no children. As soon as she has children, I shall go away." So the father agreed, "Whatever you like, you can do. I'm just placing my wife in your custody." So the sannyāsī..., when there is a child of the wife, I think one can accept sannyāsa.

Television Interview -- July 29, 1971, Gainesville:

Interviewer: As confirmed by all the Vedic scriptures and by the great sages in the disciplic succession, He has a body made of eternity, bliss, and all knowledge. God has infinite forms and expansions. But of all His forms, His original form, His transcendental form, is as a cowherd boy. A form which He reveals only to His most confidential devotees. So go the teachings of Kṛṣṇa as laid down in the Vedic literature. And of the sages in the disciplic succession, which I mentioned, one is our guest for this conversation today. He is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, foremost teacher in the West of the Kṛṣṇa philosophy, which, moreover, he teaches not only by word, but by example. He came to this country in 1965 on orders of his spiritual master. As a Kṛṣṇa disciple, he is the present human exponent of a line of succession going back five hundred years to the appearance in India of Lord Caitanya, and beyond that, to a time five thousand years ago when Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself was on this planet and His words were recorded. Welcome, sir. What is Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that every living being, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has got many expansion. That is called personal expansion and separated expansion. So separated expansions we are, we living entities. But although we are very intimately connected with Kṛṣṇa, somehow or other we are now separated by contact of material nature.

Interview -- July 29, 1971, Gainesville:

Interviewer: Well, maybe you ought to find out, because, you know, this is widely distributed in the United States.

Prabhupāda: My book is authority.

Interviewer: Yes, I know.

Prabhupāda: Macmillan's publishes every year fifty thousand. (stage directions going on in background) You can inquire from your side any reading matter from Bhagavad-gītā original. That will be nice. Then I can explain.

Interviewer: All right. (aside to associate:) You're going to cue me, right? (addressing audience:) Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed by all the Vedic scriptures and by the great sages in disciplic succession. He has a body made of eternity, bliss and all knowledge. God has infinite forms and expansions, but of all His forms, His original form, His transcendental form, is as a cowherd boy, a form which He reveals only to His most confidential devotees. So go the teachings of Kṛṣṇa as laid down in the Vedic literature. And of the sages in the disciplic succession, which I mentioned, one is our guest for this conversation today. He is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, founder of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, foremost teacher in the West of the Kṛṣṇa philosophy, which, moreover, he teaches not only by word but by example. He came to this country in 1965, on orders of his spiritual master. As a Kṛṣṇa disciple he is the present human exponent of a line of succession going back five hundred years to the appearance in India of Lord Caitanya, and beyond that to a time five thousand years ago, when Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself was on this planet and His words were recorded. Welcome, sir. What..., what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that every living being, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has got many expansions. That is called personal expansion and separated expansion. So separated expansions we are, we living entities. But although we are very intimately connected with Kṛṣṇa, somehow or other we are now separated by contact of material nature. So we have practically forgotten that we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: There was monarchy, the kings were very responsible. Therefore, the kings were known as rājarṣi. Rājarṣi, rāja ṛṣi, rājarṣi, this is compound word. (indistinct) king supervising the administration of the state, still his character was just like a ṛṣi, (indistinct) great sage. That was the qualification of the king. Therefore... Also Vedic civilization, even up to Maharaja Parīkṣit, the government was monarchy. At the present moment, practically all monarchical state is abolished. Even there is some monarchy... Formerly... (indistinct) just like in England, the Queen, she is powerless. Actually, the Queen has no power. People have taken away the power. Here also there is the (indistinct) Jaipur. Actually, they are the owner of the state, Jaipur state, the old state, at least five hundred years old, this state. (indistinct) It is the kingdom of Maharaja Mansingh, former Mansingh, who was commander-in-chief of emperor (indistinct).

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

Prabhupāda: In this way, when he became very much powerful, he began to neglect the orders of the great sages, brāhmaṇas, and respectable gentlemen. He became very much upstart.

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

Prabhupāda: Just like the other day it was published in the paper that this India spiritual, this is a myth. They are also declaring. Iti nyavārayad dharmaṁ. So execution of religious principle was forbidden, nyavārayat. Bherī-ghoṣeṇa, bherī means bugle, by bugle, sarvaśaḥ, everywhere.

venasyāvekṣya munayo

durvṛttasya viceṣṭitam

vimṛśya loka-vyasanaṁ

kṛpayocuḥ sma satriṇaḥ

(SB 4.14.7)

So all the great sages and saintly persons, brāhmaṇas, they assembled together and began to consider, "Now what to be done? This rascal king has declared like this and making things hellish, what to do?"

Room Conversation Including Discussion on SB 1.5.11 -- January 19, 1972, Jaipur:

Prabhupāda: If the thought is revolutionary for transcendental realization, even it is not properly composed from grammatical and literary point of view, because the attempt is there for glorifying the Supreme Lord, all devotees, all great sages, saintly persons, sādhavaḥ, gṛṇanti, they accept. Yes. Gṛṇanti śṛṇvanti, hear with attention, and gāyanti, and chant also. This is the principle. The only center is whether it is meant for awakening God consciousness. That is the central point, not the language(?). But it does not mean that it should not be correctly written. Correctly or incorrectly, if it is spoken by realized soul, that is important.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 21, 1973, Los Angeles:

Brahmānanda: Oh, even though he did not see the goat, he knew it was there.

Prabhupāda: No, he's seeing. Otherwise, how does he (makes sound) "Hut, hut, hut." He's seeing. Where is that machine? So this Darwin's theory says that there was no intelligent man or brain but how these books were written, thousands and thousands of years ago? These Vedic śāstras. If there were no intelligent brain? Vyāsadeva, like Vyāsadeva. Before Vyāsadeva also, other great sages, they compiled...

Brahmānanda: They have no explanation.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Brahmānanda: They have no explanation.

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I think it's easier here.

Brahmānanda: They have no explanation for the author who, of the Vedic literatures. They say: "unknown forest sages."

Prabhupāda: Unknown, it may be unknown, but the things are there. Where from they got the brain? That is our question. It may be unknown to you, or unknown to me, but the brain work is there. The philosophy is there, and the... At least, the language, the poetic arrangement, the linguistic strength, everything is there. So you may not know the person, but you can understand the brain. Just like...

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 17, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: We must see the inconceivable mystic power. Just like Kṛṣṇa, as a child, lifted a hill. This is inconceivable mystic power. Rāmacandra, He constructed a bridge of stone without pillar. The stone began to float: "Come on." So that is an inconceivable power. And because you cannot adjust this inconceivable power, when they are described, you say, "Oh, these are all stories." What is called? Mythology. But these great, great sages, Vālmīki and Vyāsadeva and other ācāryas, they simply wasted their time in writing mythology? Such learned scholars? And they have not interpreted that it is mythology. They have accepted it as actual fact. There was forest fire. All the friends and cowherd boys, they became disturbed. They began to see towards Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa, what to do?" "All right." He simply swallowed up the whole fire.

Room Conversation With Three College Students -- July 11, 1973, London:

Pradyumna:

āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve

devarṣir nāradas tathā

asito devalo vyāsaḥ

svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me

(BG 10.13)

"Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala..."

Prabhupāda: Now he is referring to great sages, on the authority.

Room Conversation with Educationists -- July 11, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: The duality of knowledge and knower is not accepted by the non-dualists, but in this verse transcendental pleasure, realized through transcendental senses, is accepted, and this is corroborated by the Patañjali Muni, the famous exponent of the yoga system. The great sage declared in his Yoga-sūtras: puruṣārtha-śūnyānāṁ guṇānāṁ pratiprasavaḥ kaivalyaṁ svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā vā citi-śaktir iti." This citi-śakti, or internal potency, is transcendental. Puruṣārtha means material religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, at the end, the attempt to become one with the Supreme.

Morning Walk -- December 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Yaśomatīnandana: They accept like, "I have not seen President Nixon, but I accept because I read in the newspaper." So somebody says that, well, by following this bhakti you can see Kṛṣṇa, but they will not accept that.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (2): Why should they accept Kṛṣṇa as authority over Darwin authority?

Prabhupāda: Ah? Because He's accepted by...

Yaśomatīnandana: Great sages.

Prabhupāda: ...great sages, saintly persons, scholars...

Devotee (2): By many scientists.

Prabhupāda: Then fool's paradise it is called... It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss. That is the only conclusion.

Morning Walk -- December 5, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes, not ava... Yes, avaroha process. Yes, thank you. Here Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). We have to accept that. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). So "There is no more superior authority than Me." Harer nāma harer nāma... (CC Adi 17.21).

Yaśomatīnandana: (loud waves drowns out voice)

Prabhupāda: Ah, na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ... (Bg 10.2).

Yaśomatīnandana: What to speak of these teeny scientists, even the great sages can't know Him.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Aham ādir hi devānām...

Yaśomatīnandana: Maharṣīṇāṁ ca sarvaśaḥ.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes, so show him. Show him. But prove him. Then everybody says that... I have got some disciple. I can say also, "I am God. My disciples have seen it. Believe me." Say that.

Karandhara: Well, that's why they won't believe in Kṛṣṇa. They know that everyone can say that.

Yaśomatīnandana: It is accepted by the higher authorities.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Yaśomatīnandana: All the great sages and saints.

Prabhupāda: Where are their higher authorities?

Satsvarūpa: They don't accept śāstra, that Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill five thousand years ago.

Prabhupāda: No... Like that, they do not believe the śāstra, just see.

Yaśomatīnandana: They believe in Alexander the Great and George Washington. Why don't they believe in Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's it. That is their foolishness. Nobody has seen George Washington.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 22, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Then... (Hindi) The votes given by some...

Dr. Patel: Ignorant people.

Prabhupāda: ...ignorant people. What is the value?

Dr. Patel: You see, if you go in the assembly...

Prabhupāda: Formerly a king was elected by great sages, saintly persons, brāhmaṇas. King was elected. And as soon as he deviated from the śāstric principles, he was kicked out.

Dr. Patel: That is right. But we don't want to follow that (indistinct) rāma-rājya.

Prabhupāda: Then suffer! Then suffer! If your patient does not follow your instruction, he must suffer.

Dr. Patel: He will die.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Morning Walk -- April 14, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Dr. Patel: I have not seen a single nightclub though I studied in England for two years. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...Nārada, but still they are sinful. Such a great personality like Nārada, they had seen, but still they are sinful. Go on.

Girirāja: "As such, the great sage Nārada considered that because the demigods Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva were so infatuated by false prestige, they should be put in a condition of life devoid of opulence." (break)

Prabhupāda: ...bench, standing. The small children, they are punished, "Stand up on the bench." It is like that.

Dr. Patel: All vegetables are in tamas, in tamas...

Prabhupāda: No. Some of them, fruitful, those trees for supplying nice fruits, nice flowers, they are in the goodness. Everywhere the three qualities are working.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: Sarvam etaṁ ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava: "My dear Keśava..." Keśava, the another name of Kṛṣṇa... "Whatever You have said I accept them cent percent." Sarvam etaṁ ṛtam. Ṛtam means fact, truth. This is understanding. So if we accept in that way, then our knowledge is perfect. And if we accept in a different way... Just like Gandhi says that "I do not believe that Kṛṣṇa ever lived." Just see. He does not believe in the ācāryas. All the ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, they have written big, big comment on Bhagavad-gītā, even Śaṅkarācārya. He does not believe anyone. He believes himself. And that kind of belief is not help. And our process is: because Kṛṣṇa has been accepted by all the ācāryas, all the great sages, Arjuna has accepted—we accept, that's all. We have no difficulty. If I am child, I ask my father, "What is this, my father?" The father says, "My dear child, it is called coconut." Then, if I distribute this knowledge, "This is coconut," then my knowledge is perfect. I may not be perfect, but because I have heard it from my father, who is perfect about the knowledge of this fruit, so I have taken that word from my father, and I am preaching, "This is coconut," and this is perfect. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is like that. We are simply repeating the perfect statement of our predecessor. That's all.

Morning Walk -- July 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that "If you simply understand Me..." Janma karma ca divyaṁ me yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Simply if you understand what is Kṛṣṇa, why He comes, what is the purpose, then you become conqueror over death. That is our philosophy. Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa. That is our progress, how much we have understood Kṛṣṇa. And when one understands fully Kṛṣṇa-fully it is not possible; at least partially—he is conquering over death. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). That is real human life, how to conquer over death. Aihiṣṭhaṁ yat tat punar-janma-jāyāya. All the great sages and big, big kings, they left everything, went to the forest for austerity, penance. Why? To conquer over death. That is the mission. That... Everyone can do that, human life. And that is plainly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Simply try to understand Me and you conquer over death." Simple thing.

Room Conversation -- August 21, 1975, Bombay:

Lalitā: I told you that Mr. Mani is Sai Baba's bhakta. So he is harassing, sending a letter and all. It's not especial any, that "Send to the member of ISKCON. They must leave." No. There is no report like that, but they are sending to say that he should learn and come to the Mr. Mani's bhakta of Sai Baba. (Bengali) There is nothing special. So if you are feeling better, then tomorrow or the day after tomorrow... (Bengali) ...can I mention that you must fit to see?

Prabhupāda: Yes. (Bengali) You know that? (Bengali) Between twelve to end of the day. (Bengali) Indira Gandhi... (Bengali) ...position plus spiritual knowledge, it will play wonderful in the world. (Bengali) Third-class, fourth-class rogue, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Rājarṣayo. He must be royalty, at the same time great sage, saintly person. Then he will understand. (Bengali)

Morning Walk -- September 29, 1975, Ahmedabad:

Prabhupāda: No, no, alternative, that alternative will not correct. That is the defect of Gandhi's movement. He is supposed to be reading Bhagavad-gītā, but he has never said, recommended, Kṛṣṇa worship. That is the defect of his education. Rather, he denied the existence of Kṛṣṇa. "I don't believe if any person as Kṛṣṇa ever lived." This is his concept. Gandhi has written in his life that while his father was dying he was enjoying sex with his wife. You know that?

Indian man (2): Gandhiji?

Prabhupāda: Yes, he has written it.

Indian man (1): It is, after all, only...

Prabhupāda: No, no. After, he became a great sage. That is all right. But in the beginning everyone is subjected. Which way we shall...

Kartikeya: We can go straight.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Brahmānanda, you just take an idea. We shall construct Gurukula in this pattern.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Prabhupāda: "They think." That is their… We don’t "think." We have got millions of years' history. Why we shall think with them, with these rascals? They may think, the rascal. A child may think like something, but a elderly man will not think like that. Because they are thinking like that, we have to think with them?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No.

Prabhupāda: Then? Because the rascals are thinking in some way, we have to believe that? First of all let them prove that they are sane men. They are all insane rascals. Why shall I take their words? We are taking words from Kṛṣṇa, who is accepted the Supreme by all the ācāryas, all the great sages. Why shall I go to this rascal Darwin? We are not so fools. We cannot accept.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 1, 1976, Mayapur:

Guru-kṛpā: "We're not explaining. We're just accepting it's a fact."

Prabhupāda: So everything is fact. But the real knowledge is to find out the source of the fact. That is real knowledge. Just like if we ask any gentleman—at least in India—for your identification, your father's name is required, your name of the village is required. If you go to the court, then such and such; father's name, such and such; village, this; religion, this; like this.... So father.... Why father's name? "What is the source of your existence? Wherefrom you are coming?" "I am coming from this family." So that is knowledge. Atom.... Atomic theory is there in Vedic conception, paramāṇuvāda. Kaṇada, the great sage, Kaṇada, he gave this theory, Kaṇada. Paramāṇuvāda. Paramāṇuvād. Paramāṇuvāda is accepted in Vedic philosophy also. But we know what is this paramāṇu also. Just like the sunshine. What is the sunshine? A combination of shining atoms. But we can see it is coming from the sun, incessantly coming. We can see. We can, immediately say, "This is.... The source is the sun." Similarly, the paramanu, the atoms, they are incessantly coming out. But wherefrom it is coming?

Room Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: The duality of knowledge and knower is not accepted by the nondualist, but in this verse transcendental pleasure realized through transcendental senses is accepted, and this is corroborated by the Patañjali Muni, the famous exponent of the yoga system. The great sage declares in his Yoga-sūtras: puruṣārtha-śūnyānāṁ guṇānāṁ pratiprasavaḥ kaivalyaṁ svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā vā citi-śaktir iti. This cit-śakti, or internal potency, is transcendental. Puruṣārtha means material religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, at the end, the attempt to become one with the Supreme. This oneness with the Supreme is called kaivalyam by the monist. But according to Patañjali, this kaivalyam is an internal, or transcendental, potency by which the living entity becomes aware of his constitutional position.

Room Conversation -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: We can actually understand Kṛṣṇa who is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, simply by studying His words in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The impersonal Brahman can be conceived by persons who are already in the inferior energy of the Lord, but the Personality of Godhead cannot be conceived unless one is in the transcendental position. Because most men cannot understand Kṛṣṇa in His actual situation, out of His causeless mercy He descends to show favor to such speculators. Yet despite the Supreme Lord's uncommon activities, these speculators, due to contamination in the material energy, still think that the impersonal Brahman is the Supreme. Only the devotees who are fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord can understand, by the grace of the Lord, that He is Kṛṣṇa. The devotees of the Lord do not bother about the impersonal Brahman conception of God. Their faith and devotion bring them to surrender immediately unto the Supreme Lord, and out of the causeless mercy of Kṛṣṇa, they can understand Kṛṣṇa. No one else can understand Him. So even great sages agree, 'What is ātmā? What is the Supreme? It is He whom we have to worship.' "

Room Conversation -- September 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: One has to become brāhmaṇa. The opposite word of kṛpaṇa is brāhmaṇa. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). That is wanted. So we are giving brāhmaṇa's position. Instead of taking the brāhmaṇa position, if he wants to take again kṛpaṇa position, then what is the use of being initiated? All these great sages, saintly person, who were they? They were all brāhmaṇas. Brāhmaṇa. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is always addressed, brāhmaṇa. Is it not? This is brāhmaṇa's business. It is not the kṛpaṇa's business. Kṛpaṇa's business means he does not know how to utilize the asset. So (Hindi) it is my duty to speak the truth. So now you can do whatever you like... Give him prasāda. (Break) ...these words, tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. They have been described, it is just like... Of course, it is very difficult, this itching. We have got practical experience. When there is some itching, we cannot stop it. We cannot stop it.

Room Conversation -- November 20, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Sarva-dharmān: Everything give up. That is India's Vedic civilization. They are not concerned with the material advancement. Simple life. That's all. And our present leaders, they are thinking that "brainwashed." They are not deeply thinking, "Why our great sages and ācāryas recommended this life, not the skyscraper life? Why? They were not less intelligent." They are not thinking in that way. They are thinking that "Because we neglected the skyscraper thoughts, we are so backward." At least this rascal Nehru was thinking like that. "So finish this." The Russia is... What is called? Opiate, brainwashed. These things are accepted like that. "It has no value, simply some prejudice and superstition, and they are thinking like that and they are spoiling their material side of life." This is their idea.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Second Meeting with Mr. Dwivedi -- April 24, 1977, Bombay:

Indian man: Origin.

Prabhupāda: Origin, yes. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mat... (BG 10.8). That is the difficulty. You do not read Bhagavad-gītā. You quote Vivekananda. You quote another, another. But Kṛṣṇa is God. That is the cause of misfortune of India. You don't accept Kṛṣṇa as the authority. Everyone accepts, all the great sages formerly, Asita, Devala, Vyāsa. Svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me. And at the present era, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Caitanya—all accept, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān (SB 1.3.28). You don't follow the ācāryas, the authorities, Kṛṣṇa. You bring something.

Conversation, 'Rascal Editors,' and Morning Talk -- June 22, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: The nonsense, they are... They are correcting my trans... Rascal. Who has done this? Munayaḥ is addressing all these munis.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's addressing the munis?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sādhus, great sages.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sādhu means they are very pure. What can be done if it goes there and these rascals becomes Sanskrit scholar and do everything nonsense? One Sanskrit scholar strayed, that rascal... He take... What is his...? Śacī-suta? Śacī-sandana?

Talk About Varnasrama, S.B. 2.1.1-5 -- June 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's not the purpose of life. It's missing.

Prabhupāda: Therefore the Bhāgavata says, kāmasya na indriya-prītir lābhaḥ, kāmasya lābho jīveta yāvatā. So why they are restless? They do not know the end of life. So what is the end of life? Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā na yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. The real business is that "What is Brahman?" If your mind is diverted to brahma-jijñāsā, then naturally these nonsense things, they will be... Therefore Bhāgavata begins, athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ, paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). The knowledge is there. The process is there. Everything has to be dovetailed. What is that? Dovetailing? So the great sages, brāhmaṇas, they were holding meeting in Naimiṣāraṇya, discussion how people will be happy.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's the duty of the sages.

Prabhupāda: Munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ: (SB 1.2.5) "Oh, you have raised the kṛṣṇa-sampraśna? Very, very..." Loka-hitam. Is not the beginning? The rascals has given meaning, munayaḥ... The whole scheme is how people will be happy.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sages are living for that purpose.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sages and munis, brāhmaṇas...

Prabhupāda: Everyone. (Bengali) The civilization is... They are also trying loka-hita-kāraṇa, how people will be happy, but in a wrong way.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Mr. Toshihiro Nakano -- Delhi 1 April, 1961:

All great sages of the world like Lord Krishna, Lord Buddha, Lord Christ, Hazrat Mohammed, Acarya Sankara, Acarya Ramanuja, Lord Caitanya, all lived for enlightening men on this culture of Human spirit. And men like us should follow their footprints for all round welfare of the human society. Your Foundation has rightly taken up the cause in due time and I have my full cooperation with you. Hope you are well.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Balai -- San Francisco 29 December, 1967:

To answer you question regarding your names: Balai is the name of Baladeva., Krishna's elder brother. His wife is called Balai dasi, or His girlfriend is called Balai dasi. Baladeva. is not different from Krishna. He is first expansion from Krishna. All the incarnations and expansions begin from Baladeva. Lilasukha is name of Bilvamangala Thakura; this Bilvamangala Thakura was a great devotee of Krishna and he wrote a famous book Krishna Karnamrta, recognized by Lord Caitanya. Kancanbala was one of the gopis in the association of Krishna. Indira was also one of the gopis in the association of Krishna. Ekayani was the wife of a great sage who was in the Satya Yuga when all persons were paramahamsas or liberated persons. Ekayani's husband was a liberated person.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Aniruddha -- Los Angeles 14 November, 1968:

Regarding your questions: Your first question, "Are great sages put under yogamaya or maya? Also are all the eternally liberated souls under yogamaya?" Yogamaya means the mercy of the Supreme Lord which connects a devotee in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and mahamaya means the external potency of the Lord which puts a conditioned soul into illusion that he will be happy by material adjustment. So great sages who are impersonalists are also under the spell of mahamaya, because a conditioned soul in the material world wants to improve his material position as exalted as possible, and the concept of becoming one with the Supreme Lord is the greatest illusion for them. Because it is a fact that nobody can be equal or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such, anyone desiring to become one with the Supreme means that he is still in the trap of maya. On the other hand, a humble devotee who may not be a great sage, but simply by his implicit acceptance of the Lotus Feet of the Lord as the goal of his life means that he is under the protection of yogamaya. I think this will clear the idea.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Janardana -- Los Angeles 2 March, 1969:

So our Krishna Consciousness movement does not belong to any such cheating process. They are cheating processes in the sense that the basic principle is for economic development, and if it is simply for solving the problem of bread, it is not true religion as described by Srimad-Bhagavatam. Even if the living entity is born with a silver spoon in his mouth he will not be happy so such plans for economic development are simply cheating processes. Therefore, the great rishis in the forest Naimisaranya inquired of the great sage, Suta Goswami, "How can the living entities actually be happy?" Srimad-Bhagavatam answers this question that the top-most super-excellent religious principle is that which following, the protagonist becomes a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without any motive and without being checked by any material impediments. That will make a person completely satisfied, and that is our process. We are educated people how they can develop their dormant love of the Supreme Lord without being impaired by any material condition.

Letter to Sivananda -- New Vrindaban 21 May, 1969:

The great sage Narada is a brahmacari and with His Tamboura He is travelling all over the universes without any restriction and chanting Hare Krishna mantra and creating new devotees of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that one who does this service namely go on preaching the glories of the Lord and creating all devotees of the Lord that person is the most confidential and favorite of the Lord. I am so pleased to learn that Uttama is helping to bring in persons in our temple. Now Jaya Govinda is there and Mandali Bhadra and his wife are coming very soon in Germany and so you are already four and when Mandali Bhadra comes you become six. Why six? Seven. Because he has got a little boy. So your center Hamburg will very soon become as large a center as Los Angeles. So far incorporating our center is concerned, I think you should do it immediately. And if you want, you can take a copy of incorporation either from New York or from London and simply present a copy of our incorporation and get it registered. Police permission you must have because this outdoor Sankirtana is our life and soul and we are getting good response from other centers. And surely in your center also the same response will be available.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Revatinandana -- Los Angeles 25 March, 1970:

Regarding your question about the various demoniac species of life: the Lord's condemnation, although appearing to be very harsh, is not so. The Lord being Absolute, His condemnation is as good as His blessings. Whenever the Lord or anyone of His pure devotees condemns somebody, it is to be taken as blessing. You know that the great sage Narada condemned the sons of Kuvera to become trees, but as a result of this, they were able to see Lord Krsna which is very difficult even for the great mystic yogis.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Los Angeles 9 May, 1970:

Regarding the Vedas personified, they should be drawn just like you have seen some pictures of great sages. They are young in appearance like perfect Vaisnavas, and they may be shown with tilak and Vaisnava markings in that way.

Letter to Jadurani -- Los Angeles 26 May, 1970:

The personified Vedas are just like great sages in appearance. Some of them may be looking like Vyasadeva, Valmiki, Narada, etc. Some of them are older and some of them are younger, some of them have full hair like Vyasa because they are householders and others are brahmacari—but they are all great souls, highly elevated in transcendental science, or Paramahamsas. So as you suggest these pictures will be needed for illustrating the long portion of text describing their prayers to Garbhodakasayi Visnu. This is a very important chapter, and if possible it should also be very appropriately illustrated. So you are very able to choose out suitable subject matter for the pictures, then execute them carefully for Krsna's satisfaction.

Letter to Ekayani -- Los Angeles 25 July, 1970:

Regarding the activities of such great sages and devotees like Parvat Muni and Parasara Muni begetting children, such activities of these elevated souls are not to be questioned by us. They have a higher purpose which we cannot determine; therefore it is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that one should not try to imitate the actions of the Isvaras or those who are very powerful, but one should follow their instructions.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Atreya Rsi -- Calcutta 17 May, 1971:

I have just recently received one letter from Bhavananda Prabhu highly requesting that you be initiated and I am glad to accept you as my duly initiated disciple. Your name I have given as Atreya Rsi Das. Of the seven great sages, Atreya Rsi was one. Also I have received your money order for beads, and they have been duly chanted on by me and are enclosed herewith.

Letter to Jadurani -- Los Angeles 14 July, 1971:

Bhisma was lying on the bed of arrows on one side of the battlefield. There was trees and grass, but no dead men were around. Only there was the Pandavas. Krishna and great sages such as Vyasa—big, big men. Krishna was in the forefront in His royal dress. Bhisma was a stout and strong old man. The arrows were piercing his body only. They did not go all the way through. The arrows piercing his back were supporting his body and there were many arrows piercing his chest. There were no arrows in his head. A sunset scene is all right.

Letter to Sankarasana (Stephen Bridge), Parasara (Ron), Pulasta (Chris Pinkard) -- London 12 August, 1971:

Sankarasana Das (Stephen Bridge): Sankarasana is another name for Visnu.

Parasara Das (Ron): Parasara was the father of Vyasadeva.

Pulasta Das (Chris Pinkard): Pulasta means name of a great sage.

Visnujana Maharaja tells me that in his absence, while he is opening one center in San Antonio, you three boys are maintaining nicely there in Austin. So you are all very qualified and you have been trained up under the expert guidance of Visnujana Swami. So you should all work cooperatively to push on this movement there in Texas and make our Austin center a grand success. That is my request to you all. Always be engaged in Krishna's business and stay fit in spiritual life by strictly following the regulative principle, by chanting at least 16 rounds of beads daily and without fail, by studying all our books and by regularly going for street Sankirtana. These make for our very strength in spiritual life and if you will follow them faithfully then your going back to home back to Godhead will be certain.

Letter to Mohanananda -- Delhi 6 December, 1971:

So far your land project in Linden, Texas, you may call it New Naimisaranya, as you wish. Naimisaranya is a place where great sages and saints gather to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, so our program there should be the same as everywhere, have our temple and call neighboring persons to hear, especially from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Distribute our books to them, prasadam, like that. Our program is the same everywhere, chanting, dancing, and feasting on Krishna prasadam. As soon as we get some opportunity, no matter Texas or China, we contaminate the place with Krishna, that's all. It is a good idea that you propose to hold a very nice Bhagavata Festival to inaugurate New Naimisaranya. Do it very nicely, and invite all of the citizens from Dallas city and the surrounding area, especially the younger class, and read and lecture very palatably from Srimad-Bhagavatam, and in every way demonstrate to them the ideal Krishna Conscious community. A little land, some cows, enough. Balance of time chant Hare Krishna and be happy.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Trista Hubbarth -- Bombay 3 May, 1975:

You have very thoughtfully asked me what do I think of the Self Realization yoga and meditation. We are not concerned with other religions or yogas in terms of competition or sectarian spirit. Actual spiritual knowledge is to take the authoritative statements from the scriptures and from the great acaryas, spiritual masters in disciplic succession. Other's opinions are not important. For example, in the Bhagavad gita, Lord Krsna gives His opinion, but He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all the great sages of the Vedic philosophy including Vyasadeva the compiler of all the scriptures, as well as Narada, Brahma, Siva and in the modern time, Ramanuja, Sankaracarya, Lord Caitanya, etc. They all confirm that Krsna is the supreme truth, the Personality of Godhead. Although this is plainly described throughout the Vedas, you will not find it in the teachings of the so called swamis and yogis who are teaching nowadays. Therefore you have intelligently discovered that in my Bhagavad-gita the approach is very different from what you have found elsewhere. That is because I am not trying to avoid Krsna or give some misinterpretation, but I have accepted the actual Bhagavad-gita, wherein Krsna says, Mattah parataram nanyat (BG 7.7), there is no higher than Me.