Indicate (Lectures)

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Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

Devotee: "Arjuna was neither a great scholar nor a Vedantist, but a great soldier. A soldier is not supposed to be scholarly, and so Arjuna was selected to understand the Bhagavad-gītā because of one qualification only: he was a devotee of the Lord. This indicates that the Bhagavad-gītā is especially meant for the devotee of the Lord."

Prabhupāda: So this point is described that just like this yogi Maharishi, he has also written one Bhagavad-gītā. And what right he has got? He has no right to say anything about Bhagavad-gītā because he is not a devotee. Bhagavad-gītā is taught to Arjuna. He was neither a yogi nor a scholar nor a Vedantist nor a brāhmaṇa even. He was kṣatriya. Nor a sannyāsī even. He was gṛhastha. He had three wives and so many children. And he was fighting for kingdom. What is the qualification that Bhagavad-gītā was taught to him? Because he was devotee. People have to see how Bhagavad-gītā is to be accepted. Specially Kṛṣṇa mentions in the Fourth Chapter that "I am speaking to you. The disciplic succession is now broken.

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

Therefore during Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14). If you want sufficient water, then you must perform yajña. These are the indications, direction of the Vedic wisdom. So at the present moment no other yajña is possible. The only yajña, saṅkīrtana-yajña, is possible. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). So if this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is taken seriously all over the world and they perform saṅkīrtana-yajña, everything will be adjusted immediately. Everything. But these rascals will not take it. They will suffer. Otherwise all directions are there. People have to take the advantage of direction, perfect direction, without any mistake, and they will be happy. So we are trying to introduce this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement so that people may come to their senses, take advantage of it and be happy. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 1.13-14 -- London, July 14, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa and His devotee Arjuna, they are on the same platform. Therefore Mādhava and Pāṇḍava. They blew Their transcendental conchshells. This is not ordinary. (reads from purport:) "The sounding of the transcendental conchshells indicated that there was no hope of victory for the other side." This is the sounding. Divyau. They are also sounding their conchshell, even Bhīṣma, but that cannot be compared with the conchshells of Mādhava and Pāṇḍava. Arjuna, associates, they are also equally powerful. Nobody can be associates of Kṛṣṇa without being very, very much advanced. Just like fire can mix with fire, similarly water can mix with water; similarly, unless one is transcendentally advanced, he cannot be associate of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings,

gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe, nitya-siddha kori māne,

se jāy brajendra-suta-pāś

Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa, and His associates,

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

(I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.)

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:

So this is Vaiṣṇava's policy. Vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, tomāra kukkura, baliyā janaha more. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, "My dear vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, you just accept me as your dog, as the dog works by the indication of the master." He will give his life. Dog has a good qualification. However a strong dog may be, when the master orders, he will give his life. This is dog, faithful, so faithful to the master. So vaiṣṇava ṭhākura... So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is praying, vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, tomāra kukkura, baliyā janaha more: "My dear vaiṣṇava ṭhākura..." Vaiṣṇava ṭhākura means guru. "Kindly accept me as your dog." And he describes, I forget the exact language, that "I will always try to protect you. As dog keeps watch, so I will watch so nobody can come to disturb you. And whatever little prasādam you'll give me, I'll be satisfied." That dog's qualification. The master is eating, but the dog will never come, unless the master gives little morsel. He is satisfied. He is satisfied.

Lecture on BG 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973:

So everyone is born śūdra, but by cultivation of knowledge and culture, one can become... Saṁskārāt. Therefore, according to Vedic system, there are ten kinds of saṁskāra, reformatory method. This upanayana-saṁskāra, this is also one of the saṁskāra, sacred thread. Upanayana. Upa means near, and nayana means bringing. When the spiritual master brings nearer to spiritual consciousness, a person is given the upanayana, or the sacred thread. The sacred thread is the indication that "This man is now under the control of the spiritual master for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." This thread ceremony. This is called upanayana. Similarly, there is reformatory method, marriage, ten kinds of reformatory... The first beginning is garbhādhāna. So these things are impossible to introduce now in this Kali-yuga. Therefore the only reformatory method is: harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā (CC Adi 17.21). In this age of Kali, people are so fallen, so degraded, that it is not possible to introduce systematically the whole Vedic principle; it is not possible. That is not possible. It is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace, mercy, that He has given us mercifully, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti (CC Madhya 6.254), just to teach very short-cut method.

Lecture on BG 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968:

This is another indication how superiors should be shown respect. Arjuna says, "Although they have become avaricious, still, they are my superior." Avaricious, why? "They have got full affection for me. My grandfather Bhīṣma has got full affection for me. And Droṇācārya, I am his very dear student so he has also my very affection... good affection for me. But because Duryodhana has paid them, he has accepted their service. Paid them. So avaricious. Simply for money, in spite of so much affection and intimate relationship, they have accepted the service of Duryodhana, counting on money. So therefore they are avaricious. But in spite of their being avaricious, they are my respectful." This is respect. This is respect, that the respectful person who is my respectful, even there are some characteristics who does not command respect, still respect should be offered. This is a respectful offering. Yes. Sometimes it may be.

Lecture on BG 2.4-5 -- London, August 5, 1973:

So gurūn ahatvā. A devotee of Kṛṣṇa, if need be, if he's unqualified guru... Unqualified guru means who does not know how to guide the disciple. Guru's duty is to guide. So such kind of guru can be at least rejected. That is Jīva Gosvāmī's... Kārya-kāryam ajānataḥ. A guru who does not know what to do and what not to do, but by mistake, by mistakenly I have accepted somebody as guru, he can be rejected. By rejecting him, you can accept an actual bona fide guru. So guru is not killed, but he can be rejected. That is the injunction of the śāstra. So Bhīṣmadeva or Droṇācārya, certainly they were gurus, but Kṛṣṇa indirectly giving indication to Arjuna, that "Although they are in the position of guru, you can reject them." Kārya-kāryam ajānataḥ. "They do not know factually." This Bhīṣmadeva, he materially considered his position. He knew everything from the beginning, that the Pāṇḍavas, they were parentless, fatherless children, and he raised them from the very beginning. Not only that, he was so much affectionate to the Pāṇḍavas that he was thinking, when they were sent to forest, banished, at that time Bhīṣmadeva was crying, that "These five boys, they are so pure, so honest, and not only pure and honest, so powerful warriors, Arjuna and Bhīma.

Lecture on BG 2.8 -- London, August 8, 1973:

Just like we have got many enemies. Because we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, there are so many critics and so many enemies also. They do not like. So this is always. Now the number has increased. Formerly, there were some. Now there are many. So therefore indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokam. When these demons, the population, demonic population increases, then vyākulaṁ lokam. People become perplexed. Indrāri vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛdayanti yuge yuge. So when, at that time, Kṛṣṇa comes. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). There are list of names of the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa and God, or God. But after mentioning all the names, the Bhāgavata indicates that: "All the names listed herewith, they are partial representation of Kṛṣṇa. But the name, Kṛṣṇa is there. He's real, original Personality of..." Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. And He comes... Indrāri-vyākulaṁ loke. When people are too much embarrassed by the onslaught of the demons, He comes. And He also confirms. This is śāstra. One śāstra says He comes in this condition. And Kṛṣṇa says: "Yes, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham: (BG 4.7) at that time, I come."

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

All-attractive means He must be good; otherwise, how He can be attractive? A bad, someone who is bad, he cannot be attractive. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, this very word, means all-attractive. He has got all the good qualities, all the opulences so that He is attractive. That is the right description of, or right nomenclature of God. If God has got any name particular which is full in everything, that word is Kṛṣṇa. It is a Sanskrit word, but it indicates... Kṛṣṇa means God. In the śāstra it is said, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvaraḥ means controller, and paramaḥ, the supreme. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). That is the instruction of Vedic literature. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a sectarian religious movement. It is a scientific philosophical movement. Try to understand it. But the process is very simple. The process is by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. We are not magician, but we ask our students "Simply you chant this transcendental vibration," and he becomes gradually cleansed of all dirty things within the heart. This is our process. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has explained, He has given us the instruction, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

So living entity, living being, is energy of the Supreme Lord. Energy. Just like the sun and the sunshine. Sunshine is the energy of the sun globe. Similarly, we living entities, we are also energies of the Supreme Lord. What is this sunshine? It is a combination of a very small shining particles, molecular. That is sunshine. It looks like one homogeneous thing, but they are small particles. That is scientific understanding. Similarly, we are also a small particle of the Supreme Lord. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). We are a small particle. How much small? What is the magnitude? That is also described in the śāstra. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca, jīva-bhāgo sa vijñeyaḥ sa anantyāya kalpate (CC Madhya 19.140). There is dimension of the living entity—one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. So it is very difficult with our, these material eyes. We are very much proud of our eyes. But here is the indication from the śāstra, the length and breadth of the living soul. Now, you find out, with your eyes, your microscope. That is not possible. Because they cannot find out, they say, nirākāra. Nirākāra. In one sense, it can be supported that we cannot ascertain the forms of the soul. And what, how we can ascertain the form of the Lord? Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 19, 1972:

So we have to accept the sampradāya, disciplic succession, to receive real knowledge. So that sampradāya begins from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the original spiritual master of Lord Brahmā, of Lord Śiva, Nārada, so many other authorities. There are twelve authorities, svayambhur nāradaḥ śambhuḥ (SB 6.3.20). Svayambhu means Lord Brahmā; Nārada; and Śambhu, Lord Śiva; Kumāra; Kapila; Manu. They are all authorities. So that is the indication of the śāstra, that if you want to understand the transcendental science, the science of God, then tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That is the injunction of the Vedas, that if you really interested to learn the transcendental science, you must approach. Abhigacchet. This is vidhilin. Vidhilin. This form of verb is used in Sanskrit grammar when it meant "You must." You cannot say "I may accept or may not accept." That will not do. You must accept. Tad, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet, samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). These are the injunctions of the Vedas.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Brahman is impersonal. Brahman is everywhere. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Then Paramātmā. Then Bhagavān. Bhagavān is the last word of Absolute Truth. So Brahman is impersonal. Just like the sky is impersonal. (break)

Indian: Mahārāja, it is indicated in Rāmāyaṇa that God is coming to this world as kali-avatāra. It is correct? What is the indication of His coming?

Prabhupāda: His indication He's coming is that people are becoming degraded, forgetting God. That is their degradation. So at the end of this Kali-yuga they will be so much degraded that it will be impossible for them to understand God. At the present moment, although it is Kali-yuga, there are some persons who are trying to understand God. At least, there is attempt. But, at the end of Kali-yuga, say, about 400,000's of years, then people... Because they're becoming animals, more and more. The more we become animals, we cannot understand God. So our modern civilization is to make the people animal. That is advancement of civilization. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām. The modern civilization is how we can eat very nicely, how we can sleep nicely, how we can have sexual intercourse nicely, how we can defend nicely. Only these four principles are being taught. They have no idea what is soul, what is God, what is the relationship with the soul. So this is, this type of civilization is increasing. So just imagine how much it will be increased after four hundred thousands of years. The Kali-yuga has begun only five thousand years. Within this five thousand years, we have so much degraded, illusioned by the māyā as advancement of civilization. This is māyā. So the more days go, we shall be more illusioned. So there will be no capacity to understand about God. At that time, God will come to destroy all this population by cutting their throat. That is kalki-avatāra. (end)

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

So for management of these universal affairs, there are different departments also, so far we can get information from the Vedic literature. And each department there is a particular director. And Brahmā is considered to be supreme director of this universe. So this yajña, sacrifice, by Vedic rituals, they are indicated to pay different taxes to different demigods. But the Supreme Lord is above all. Therefore if one performs sacrifice for the Supreme Lord, he is immune from other obligations. That is also mentioned.

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ

na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan

sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ

gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

(SB 11.5.41)

Now, as soon as a living being is born in this material world, he has got many obligations. He has got obligation to the different demigods. Why obligation? Now, because just like the sun is also one of the demigods. He is supplying you light, so you have got some obligation. Don't you have any obligation? If you have got obligation to the electric powerhouse for supplying this light, which you are enjoying now, have you got no obligation to the sun who is supplying so much profusely light? Yes, you have got. The Vedic literature confirms it that you are indebted to the sun. Similarly, you are indebted to the moon. Similarly, you are indebted to air. And so many things we are taking advantage of the supernatural power. So we are actually indebted. Similarly, we are indebted to the ṛṣis, great sages, because they have left behind them all this Vedic knowledge. You are taking advantage. Just like this Bhagavad-gītā, or any scripture, any book of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 3.8-11 -- Seattle, October 22, 1968:

Just you can imagine that if for management of a city like New York, you have got so many departments. As soon as we go to these chambers, we get so many departments: criminal department, civil department, and so many departments. So for management of these universal affairs, there are different departments also, so far we can get information from the Vedic literature. And each department, there is a particular director. And Brahmā is considered to be supreme director of this universe. So this yajña, sacrifice, Vedic rituals, they are indicated to pay different taxes to different demigods. But the Supreme Lord is above all. Therefore, if one performs sacrifice for the Supreme Lord, he is immune from other obligations. That is also mentioned.

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ

na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan

sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ

gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

(SB 11.5.41)

Now, as soon as a living being is born in this material world, he has got many obligations.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Thirty: "Therefore O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with mind intent on Me, and without desire for gain and free from egoism and lethargy, fight (BG 3.30)."

Purport: "This verse clearly indicates the whole purpose of the Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord instructs that one has to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious to discharge duties, as if in military discipline. Such an injunction may make things a little difficult but that is the constitutional position of the living entity. The living entity cannot be happy independent of the cooperation of the Supreme Lord because the eternal constitutional position of the living entity is to become subordinate to the desires of the Lord. Arjuna was therefore ordered by Śrī Kṛṣṇa to fight as if the Lord were his military commander. One has to sacrifice everything for the good will of the Supreme Lord, and at the same time discharge his prescribed duties without claims of proprietorship. Arjuna did not have to consider the order of the Lord; he had only to execute His order. The Supreme Lord is the soul of all souls. Therefore one who depends solely and wholly on the Supreme Soul, without personal consideration, or in other words, one who is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious is called adhyātma-cetas..."

Prabhupāda: Adhyātma-cetas.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "...full of self-knowledge."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

So here the matter is being clarified, and Kṛṣṇa is answering also that bahūni me janmāni vyatītāni. Kṛṣṇa appears.... Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). He comes on this planet or in this universe. When He comes in this universe, He comes on this planet. There are innumerable universes. Not one, but innumerable. So there is a rotation of Kṛṣṇa's coming here.

Just like the sun rotates every twenty hours.(?) He's visible in the morning. Just like here just now it is half past eight. At six o'clock in the morning the sun will be visible. Everyone can say. Any experienced man. This is not foretelling. By experience. Any child can say that "Tomorrow at six o'clock the sun will appear." Similarly, the śāstras say, "At such and such time Kṛṣṇa will come." One who knows. One who does not know, how he'll say? But there are indications, "In Brahmā's one day Kṛṣṇa appears on the Dvāpara-yuga." So therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūni me janmāni. Bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna. "You have also passed many births, and I have also many times appeared, and because we are friends, we appear together. That is also fact.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

And what is that scientific knowledge? That is very simple. Prema. If you have love of God, then you are qualified to see God every moment. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). When one's eyes are smeared with the ointment of love of Godhead, by that clear eyes... Just like sometimes we use ointment to the eye to see very clearly, similarly, these eyes, these material eyes, are incompetent to see God. These ears incompetent to hear the holy name of God. This tongue is incompetent to chant the holy name of God. Similarly, all the senses, they are, being material. So constitutionally, they cannot see God, they cannot hear of God, they cannot chant of the holy name of God. But it is possible. The śāstra gives you indication.

Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). If you are in service attitude, then beginning from your tongue... Jihvā, jihvā means tongue. Jihvādau, beginning with tongue. The God realization begins with your tongue and ear. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and hear the transcendental name, and gradually you shall realize.

Just like an experienced man knows that there is sun in the sky although it is invisible. Similarly, the actual word, here it is stated, bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna. So God or the living entities, they're appearing and disappearing. Just try to understand the same example, sun. Sun is always existing, but it is appearing and disappearing. Similarly, we also appear and disappear.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Montreal, June 13, 1968:

So unless you have got sufficient life, the meaning is that meditation process is difficult and you must have sufficient time to practice it and then come to the standard point of meditation. But in this age such kind of perfection in meditation is not possible. Therefore in this age especially recommended that you sit down together and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is very easy. Anyone and everyone can take part in it. There is no necessity of education, of pre-qualification. And because in this age people are very slow, very unfortunate, badly associated, so many (dis)qualification they have got at the present moment.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has introduced according to śāstra, according to the indication of the śāstras, just like in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in other Purāṇas, and other Vedic scriptures this is recommended. In Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad, in Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, in Vāyu Purāṇa, this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare is recommended. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu simply introduced it as a great propaganda. That is. Otherwise, this is recommended in every age. There are many devotees, they were chanting. But the process of meditation is not possible. Therefore simply on the basis of this process one can attain the highest perfectional stage.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Only the Lord can manufacture a system of religion. The Vedas are also accepted as originally spoken by the Lord Himself to Brahmā from within his heart. Therefore the principles of religion are the direct orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These principles are clearly indicated throughout the Bhagavad-gītā. The purpose of the Vedas is to establish such principles under the order of the Supreme Lord, and the Lord directly orders at the end of the Bhagavad-gītā that the highest principle of religion is to surrender unto Him only and nothing more. The Vedic principles are to push one toward complete surrender unto Him and whenever such principles are disturbed by the demons, the Lord appears. From the Bhāgavatam we understand that Lord Buddha is the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who appeared when materialism was rampant and materialists were using the pretext of the authority of the Vedas. Although there are certain restrictive rules and regulations regarding animal sacrifice for particular purposes in the Vedas, people of demonic tendency still took to animal sacrifice without reference to the Vedic principles. Lord Buddha..."

Prabhupāda: Just like still animal sacrifice... Not only the followers of Vedas, every religion—animal is killed or sacrificed under certain religious rituals, in the lower stage. In the higher stage there is no such animal sacrifice. Just like this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, there is no ritualistic process as animal sacrifice. But the Vedas, they will include everyone. Suppose one is addicted to fish-eating or meat-eating. So the Vedas do not reject him also. He gives him direction that "You... All right, you can eat meat, but not you can start slaughterhouse. You can sacrifice one goat in the presence of goddess Kālī, and then you can eat." That means restriction. Goddess Kālī cannot be worshiped daily. So at least, he is forbidden to eat daily, meat. That is the idea.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Therefore each and every avatāra, or incarnation of the Lord, has a particular mission, and they are all described in the revealed scriptures. Nobody can be accepted as an avatāra without references to the scriptural indication. It is not a fact that the Lord appears only on Indian soil. He can advent Himself anywhere and everywhere and whenever He desires to appear. In each and every incarnation He speaks as much about religion as can be understood by the particular people under their particular circumstances, but the mission is the same: to lead people to God consciousness and obedience to the principles of religion. Sometimes He descends personally, and sometimes He sends His bona fide representative in the form of His son or servant."

Prabhupāda: So there are some protagonists. They say that God cannot come personally. Why? Why God should be restricted? Is God under your regulation or restriction? Then what kind of God He is? Yes. God can come personally out of His compassion. That is possible. Yes. And He comes. He says here in this verse that "I come." But it is not that somebody will imitate and he will say that "I am God." No. That also not. You have to test actually. That test, if you have got, if you are conversant with the principles of God appearance, disappearance, incarnation, then you can understand who is a pretender and who is actually representative of God, by action.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

So Bhāgavata indicates tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovida means one who is actually intelligent, not the mūḍhāḥ, rascals, actually one who is intelligent. He should try to solve the problems which is not possible to be done even if you travel over all the spaces up to the highest planet. Upary adhaḥ. Upary adhaḥ means upside all planets and downside all planets. There are millions of planets. If you travel... But these problems... Just like your fortune will go with you in your head. You may go to moon planet, but this head will go with you. Yadi yao bhaṅge kaphala yabe saṅge.(?) You cannot change. If you have to attempt anything for real progress, then this is real progress. What is that? To know the Supreme Absolute Truth, which is manipulating all activities. That is real progress.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

So just believe it. It is standard. It is accepted by all the great stalwart scholars and ācāryas of repute. Just like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, great scholars and ācāryas. They have accepted it. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We have to follow the footprints of great saints and sages, those who have achieved success by this indication of Bhagavad-gītā. Don't follow your whims. Take the standard advice. Just try to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Just try to understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa. And the result is that after leaving this body, you are no more going to accept any material body, but you enter into the spiritual kingdom and you have your spiritual body which is eternal, full of knowledge and blissful. This is the chance.

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

Everything is there in the śāstra. Therefore we have to follow the śāstra. At the present moment... Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ. This is the recommendation for this age, how to worship God. So this is the method. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam. Tviṣā, by complexion, akṛṣṇa, yellowish color, akṛṣṇa. How it is akṛṣṇa means yellowish? That is a big explanation. This is indicating to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam. Kṛṣṇaṁ varṇayati. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu simply was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare...

Here is the picture. So we are trying to follow Him. That was kṛṣṇaṁ varṇayati. This is the statement of śāstra. So whom we shall worship in this age of Kali? Because according to different ages there are different prescription. So because this Kali-yuga is very, very fallen, everyone is a śūdra, there is no brāhmaṇa, no kṣatriya, no vaiśya, therefore, the one prescription is given there, that harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva... (CC Adi 17.21).

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

Knowledge means to understand something. How this tape recorder is manufactured, if we get some knowledge, technical knowledge, that is not knowledge. That is a, of course, to have some, our occupation executed. That knowledge is temporary knowledge. But real knowledge is... This is real knowledge. The real knowledge is that when one understands convincingly that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa, or God. When we say Kṛṣṇa, you should understand the Supreme Lord, the Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa is the technical word which is meant for indicating the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the whole, the whole pleasure, the whole attraction. These are the meaning of Kṛṣṇa.

So we are all part and parcel of the supreme pleasure, and our pleasure... Just like my hand. This is my hand. Now, this my hand can take pleasure when it is attached with my body. My hand can take pleasure when it serves my body. It does not take pleasure by serving your body.

Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:

Āśrama, this very word, indicates that it is spiritual. And perhaps most of you know that āśrama means... Āśrama, this very word, means that this place... Just like temple or church. There are so many buildings on this Second Avenue. And when you see a church or a temple, you at once understand that "This building is meant for spiritual understanding." Similarly, when we call āśrama, āśrama means that that, I mean to say, function is meant for spiritual realization. So all the four classes of social order—the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, and the vānaprastha and the sannyāsa—they are called āśrama. Āśrama means they are meant for spiritual emancipation. The student is also given instruction so that before entering family life, he gets complete instruction of spiritual life so that when he enters into family life, he is not just like a cat and dog, so-called sense gratification. They are meant for... Although they live with wife and children, they are meant for spiritual emancipation. This is called āśrama, gṛhastha-āśrama.

Lecture on BG 4.25 -- Bombay, April 14, 1974:

And we have got different types of demands. So... But that is recommended in the śāstra, in the Vedas, because gradually, one has to be taken to the transcendental position. To worship a type of demigod for certain type of benefit, at least it indicates that you can get the benefit from higher authorities. Indirectly the higher authority is accepted. Or otherwise we become atheist. To save the general people from atheism, there is recommendation for worship of different types of demigods.

Generally, they are recommended—five: the sun-god, the Gaṇeśa, the Viṣṇu, Lord Śiva and Durgā, and... The sun-god I have already said. Five, pañcopāsanam. Five: the sun-god, the Gaṇeśa, and the Durgā-devī, then Lord Śiva, and then Viṣṇu. This is also gradual evolutionary. People in the most lowest stage of humanity, they are struck with wonder by the power. As soon as there is some electricity, they feel some power. So when there are power worshipers... The modern scientists, they are power worshiper. They have gone up to the sun-god. Not god, the sun globe. The power is received from the sunshine.

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

Here truth means the Absolute Truth, not relative truth. Or even if you want to know relative truth, you have to approach a particular expert. But here, it is indicated, truth means the Absolute Truth. So Kṛṣṇa indicates that "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master." Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That is the Vedic injunction. In the Kaṭhopaniṣad the Vedas says that "If you want to learn transcendental science, so you have to approach a bona fide spiritual master."

And who is bona fide spiritual master? That is also described, śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham: "One who has heard from his spiritual master." This is... Spiritual master becomes by disciplic succession, ascending process. Just like we learn "Man is mortal" from higher authority, from my father, from mother or any other authority.

Or just a child. A child is attracted generally to his mother, in human being, in animals, everywhere. So if a child wants to know his father, then the authority is the mother, and there is not other authority. The child cannot know the name of his father by his own imagination or speculation, if he thinks, "Oh, he may be my father, he may be my father, he may be my father..." Go on imagining, speculating, but you will never be able to understand who is your father. But the mother indicates, "My dear child, he is your father"—immediately business finished. You see? So if you want to speculate who is God, who is the supreme father, you go on speculating for lives together. But if somebody knows, "Here is your God," you accept it—the business finished. Very simple truth. You cannot imagine, you cannot speculate, even on your ordinary father, what to speak of the supreme father.

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

Yes. The brahmacārī means... These are indication. When a person... When a boy becomes brahmacārī, even if he is the son of very rich man, he should live with the spiritual master as a menial servant. These are the injunction. That, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Apart from his Godheadship, He was a very rich man's son. Really He was a very great king's son, Vasudeva, but He was given under the protection of King Nanda, Nanda Mahārāja, His foster father. He was also very rich man, very... He was king... (break) ...training of brahmacārī. So how he can see? When... Even if he is grown up, he cannot see any other woman in other way. He thinks of "Every woman is mother." This is the training. Of course, that training is not possible at the present moment. The days have changed. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that even brahmacārī begins immediately, he is trained up. He is trained up very nicely. Go on.

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

The thing is that we want. That is our nature. We want to travel. People are coming from India to America, from America to India. So we want to travel freely. That is my right because as spirit soul, there is a word... You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means a spirit soul has the potency of going anywhere he likes, anywhere he likes. There are... Actually, those who have attained perfection in yoga... Of course, that is not the highest perfection. Even persons, those who have attained perfection in yoga, they can travel in any planet. And the perfection of yoga is indicated like this, that a yogi dies according to his own will. He is not, I mean to, pressed to leave this body just like ordinary people. They leave this body under the pressure of nature's law. So they get so much power. When they find that "Now I shall leave this body," they fix up in which planet they will go, and they transfer their soul into that planet. That is the highest yogic perfection. And hardly you'll find such a yogi.

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

There is another instance in a Bengali poetry, gṛhe vā vanete thāke, sadā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke, that "A man may be situated as a householder or a man may be situated as a renounced order in life. That doesn't matter. If he is attached with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is the perfect man." So here is the indication. "So Arjuna, you are asking what is the difference between the karma-yoga and sannyāsa. Oh. So there is no such difference. Better if you become a karma-yogī." Karma-yoga, meaning "You simply work for Kṛṣṇa." "Then you are better than a sannyāsa." Because a sannyāsī is living at the expense of the society, but a man who is fully alert that "Whatever I am earning and whatever I am doing, oh, it is all meant for Kṛṣṇa," oh, he is the practical man. He's a practical man.

Lecture on BG 5.3-7 -- New York, August 26, 1966:

They said, "Lord Caitanya, You are the most munificent person, personality, because You are distributing kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, love of Kṛṣṇa, and this love of Kṛṣṇa, distribution of love of Kṛṣṇa by You, means that You are Kṛṣṇa Himself." Because Kṛṣṇa, when He appeared, when He spoke Bhagavad-gītā and He said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all engagements; just become under My shelter. I give you protection," ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi, some people misunderstood. Even in Dr. Radhakrishnan's book, you'll find, he said,"Oh, not to Kṛṣṇa." You see. Even great scholars make mistake. The clear indication is that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam... (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says that "Just surrender unto Me," and the scholar says, "Oh, this surrender is not to Kṛṣṇa." Just see. So the surrender to Kṛṣṇa and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest perfectional stage of life, highest perfectional stage of... One who has tasted it, oh, he cannot be, I mean to say, thinking of anything else.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

So here it is said... Vyāsadeva, he writes... This Bhagavad-gītā is one of the chapter of Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means the history of greater India. Formerly Bhārata... "India" is given name by the Westerners, but real name is Bhārata, Bhārata-varṣa. This planet was formerly known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa, and later on, after the Emperor Bharata, this planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. So Bhārata-varṣa means not only India, but the whole planet. At least five thousand years ago it was known as Bhārata-varṣa. Bhārata-varṣa name is there, but it indicates only India. So this Bhagavad-gītā is a chapter of Mahābhārata. Perhaps you know the book Mahābhārata, "Greater Bhārata-varṣa," "The History of the Greater Bhārata-varṣa." That is Mahābhārata. So the background of this Bhagavad-gītā is that there was worldwide fight, battle, called the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Kurukṣetra, the place is still there. If some of you went to India, (you) might have seen it is near Delhi, New Delhi. The railway station is called also Kurukṣetra. So there was a battle five thousand years ago. The parties were two cousin-brothers, and this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. Therefore it is called bhagavān uvāca.

Lecture on BG 7.11-13 -- Bombay, April 5, 1971:

So this merit is being misused to improve the process of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. If you improve this process of this eating, sleeping, that does not make you very advanced in civilization. The animal is also eating. Whatever, according to the nature, they are destined to eat, they are eating. Similarly, we are also eating, but we are not eating according to the, I mean to say, indication of nature. Take, for example, our teeth and animal teeth. There is difference. Our teeth... This is scientific. Our teeth is meant for eating vegetables and fruits. It is so made. If you eat continually vegetables and fruits, you'll not be attacked with pyorrhea. But if you eat meat—your teeth is not meant for eating meat—you'll very soon be attacked with pyorrhea because breaking the laws of nature. This is one example. Similarly, in our eating, sleeping, mating and defending we are using so many wrong things. Just like formerly there was also fight. That fight was being conducted with arrows and bows. So if you want to kill your enemy, you'll kill your enemy, not others. Other innocent people will not be killed.

Lecture on BG 8.22-27 -- New York, November 20, 1966:

Now Kṛṣṇa is explaining that "My dear Arjuna, there are different time indication of passing away from this material world. That I am explaining to you." Yatra kāle, the time. Now suppose at a particular... There are different... Of course, in your country I do not know what is the astronomical almanac, but in India there is very minute calculation of astronomical situation. When a man is born, his horoscope is made, and when a man dies, how does he go, where he is going, what is his situation, by astronomical calculation they can say. So Kṛṣṇa also, accepting that principle, and He's confirming herewith that yatra kāle tu anāvṛttim. If some, at some particular time I leave this body, then I may become liberated. That means no more my birth in this material world. Similarly, if I die at a particular moment, I may..., I'll have to come back again in this material world. It is all chance. But that chance, accidentally or by some way or other one may have. But, for the devotee, there is no such chance. He is surely, he is surely. Because devotee... Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). A devotee is always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So there is no question of chance. He does not give any chance to think otherwise. Therefore he is guaranteed. But for others there are some chances like that, that in particular moment if he dies, if he leaves this body, then he can enter into the spiritual kingdom.

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:

So God, Kṛṣṇa, indicates the Supersoul who is situated within your heart. You desire something and He immediately orders the material nature that "You give him such and such body." Yantra. The body is yantra, machine. This body is a machine. So yantrārūḍhāni. He is seated in one kind of machine and he goes from one place to another, from one planet to another, from one life to another. This is going on. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This business is going on. If we want to stop this business, we have got this opportunity, human form of life. We can understand things if we have got little intelligence. And everything is being explained by Kṛṣṇa. If we take Kṛṣṇa's instruction and mold our life accordingly—that is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—then our life becomes successful. And after giving up this body, we are no more going to accept any material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). We get a suitable body in which we can go back to home, back to Godhead. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25).

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

So unless we become ācāryavān... That is the Vedic instruction. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). We cannot understand God, what is God. We cannot make research (because) we do not know what are the symptoms of God, although everything is described in the śāstras. Here also, in the Bhagavad-gītā, the indications are there. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). "There is nobody superior than Me." So this is the shortcut definition of God. Just try to find out a person... God is also a person, but He is the most superior person. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is the chief amongst the living beings. Nityo nityānām. He is the wisest of all wise men. Cetanaś cetanānām. What is the difference between God and us? The difference is that He is the maintainer and we are not maintainer. This is the difference.

Lecture on BG 9.34 -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

By nature's... Nature is acting by Kṛṣṇa's indication. So nature will punish you. As soon as you violate nature's law, you'll be punished, automatically. Suppose if you, you are not hungry, you have no appetite, bit if you by force if you eat, then you'll increase the disease. Because you have violated. There is no appetite, still you are eating. So you must suffer. If you have infected some disease, so you must suffer from that disease. That nature's law is working. Kṛṣṇa hasn't got to take any direct action. Nature, māyā, is there. As soon as you violate the laws of Kṛṣṇa you'll be punished automatically. You cannot avoid it. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Cannot avoid. Therefore those who are trying to overcome the laws of nature, that is the so-called modern scientists' endeavor. That is foolishness, rascaldom. They cannot do it. It is not possible.

Lecture on BG 10.3 -- New York, January 2, 1967:

Atrājam ity anena pradhāna-pradhānāt cid-vargāt saṁsāra-vivargāc ca veda, veda.(?) Now, here this ajam, that God is unborn, this indicates that He is different from this material world because in the material world we have no experience that anyone is unborn. Everyone is born. Not only everyone, everything is born. This your New York City is born. You will find some date in the history that the New York City was started four hundred years or five hundred years. So we have got, we are very much fond of history. That means finding out the date of birth of everything. So this is the nature. So "He is unborn" means that spiritual nature is not like this material nature. At once we can understand. Spiritual nature is born and... Material nature is born, and spiritual nature is not born. This is the distinction. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is not material, He is spiritual. Because He says unborn, therefore He is not material. Immediately you have to understand.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:

So that mental condition one has to practice. What kind of practice? That is also, how the practice should be done, that is also indicated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25), They are trying to go to the moon planet, but you cannot go in that way. That is not possible. You cannot go by force in any planet. You have to prepare yourself. Just in this planet also, if you want to go to some other country, in America, you have to prepare yourself for passport, visa, and what... So many papers. Pink forms. And bank balance. This, that, so many things. You cannot by force, that "I have come to America..." The immigration department will immediately check: "Where is your passport? Where is your visa? Where is your bona fide?"

Lecture on BG 17.1-3 -- Honolulu, July 4, 1974:

So arjuna uvāca means Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is teacher, and Arjuna is student. So this is the process of spiritual advancement. As it is indicated in the Vedas, tad-vijñānārtham. Tad-vijñānārtham means "To understand that transcendental science," gurum eva abhigacchet "one must take shelter of guru." It cannot be manufactured. Those who manufacture the method of understanding transcendental science, they are not bona fide. So we have already discussed many times that śāstra-vidhi. Guru means one who teaches the regulative principle from śāstra, from authorized scripture. That is guru. Guru cannot be anyone. Ācārya. Ācārya means one who knows the regulative principle or direction in the śāstra. He practically behaves in terms of the śāstra regulative principle and teaches his student also in the same way. He is called ācārya. Acainoti yaḥ śāstrāṇi.(?) He knows the purport of śāstra, he behaves himself according to the terms of the śāstra and he teaches his disciple in the same term. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). This is the process.

Lecture on BG 17.1-3 -- Honolulu, July 4, 1974:

Therefore, in our society we first of all try to reform the fallen soul or most infected materially person to reform, to come to the stage of flame, because without there being flame you cannot work. It is not possible. It is very practical example. We want flame. Just like yajña. Yajña... We perform fire sacrifice, but we want to see there is flame, not smoke, although the same thing. You cannot be satisfied: "Now there is smoke. It is all right. There is fire." Without there being fire, there cannot be smoke. Parvato mandimān dhūmāt(?). When there is smoke one can understand there is fire, even it is far away. When there is forest fire, people understand, when the smoke is coming from the forest, then can immediately understand there is forest fire. So smoke is, although indication of the fire, but it is not fire. So similarly, so-called meditation, so-called spiritualism, concocted idea, there is some touch of spiritual life, but that is not spiritual life. One should understand. That is not spiritual life. It is called ābhāsa. Ābhāsa means just like day, sunlight, full sunlight. But early in the morning, you cannot see the sun, but there is light. There is no darkness.

Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:

The purport is that there are symptoms, characteristics, of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. That is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā: satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā, satyaṁ śaucam, śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Similarly, for kṣatriya, there are seven qualification. Similarly, for the vaiśyas, three qualification: kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). And for the śūdras, only one: paricaryātmakaṁ kāryaṁ śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam. So the..., this is śāstras. This is the injunction of the Vedic literature. And Nārada Muni says, yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktam. The symptoms, the characteristics, varṇābhivyañjakam, to indicate, or to decide, in which varṇa, whether this person belongs to brāhmaṇa-varṇa, or kṣatriya-varṇa or śūdra-varṇa, like that. So there are symptoms. So Nārada Muni says if these symptoms are found elsewhere... Yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta. Suppose a śūdra, or a vaiśya, but he has got the qualification, symptoms, of a brāhmaṇa. So he should be accepted as brāhmaṇa, not as śūdra, as vaiśya. Similarly, a person born in brāhmaṇa family, if he has got the symptoms of a śūdra, he should be accepted as śūdra. This is the injunction in the śāstras. And Śrīdhara Svāmī, he says that simply taking birth in some particular family, brāhmaṇa family or kṣatriya family, one does not become so. It is the qualification. That is required.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971:

Pradyumna: "Obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, directly indicates Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the divine son of Vasudeva and Devakī. This fact will be more explicitly explained in the text of this work. Śrī Vyāsadeva asserts herein that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, and all others are His direct or indirect plenary portions or portions of the portion."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This will be explained in the Third Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto. When describing different incarnations, so in that list of different incarnations, Kṛṣṇa's name is also there. So Vyāsadeva has purposefully explained in that verse that there are so many incarnations. It has been described there that Kṛṣṇa, or God, has got so many incarnations, just like so many waves of the river. If you have got some experience of the flowing river you'll find so many waves are coming, one after another, one after another. He has got so many incarnations that you cannot count even. Just like if you sit down on the bank of a river and go on counting the waves, so whole day and night, whole year, whole life, still, it will not be done.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

Therefore, here it is said that this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not written by such rascal who is sure to commit mistake, who is sure to become illusioned, who is sure to cheat others, and whose senses are imperfect. This is the meaning. Śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte. How it is? Vyāsadeva writing... Five thousand years ago this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was written, and he is describing Lord Buddha's incarnation. Kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati. Sura-dviṣām. Sammohāya sura-dviṣām, buddho nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati (SB 1.3.24). He's writing bhaviṣyati, means in future tense. Lord Buddha appeared on this planet 2,600 years ago, and this book was written 5,000 years ago and indicating that Lord Buddha incarnation of Keśava will appear in the Bihar province, Kīkaṭeṣu, Gayā Pradesh, near Gayā. This Gayā city is still there. And five thousand years ago, either the Gayā city was there or it was predicted that there will be city of the name Gayā. In that province, Lord Buddha, as the son of Añjanā—his mother's name, Añjanā—he will appear to cheat the atheists. Lord Buddha appeared to cheat the atheists. "Oh, God comes to cheat?" Yes. Sometimes required. Just like one little child has taken away from the pocket of his father one hundred dollar bill, and he's going to tear it. And the father says, "Oh, my son, what you will do with this paper? You take these lozenges." And the lozenges is worth one cent. So he's cheated, giving him one-cent-worth thing and he's taking hundred dollars, "Give me." But that is not cheating. That is required. Sometimes a child requires to be cheated to save him from making mischievous activities.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971:

"Those who have taken birth as human being as Indian, on the land of Bhāratavarṣa, they should learn their spiritual asset and distribute it throughout the world for real welfare activity." This was Caitanya Mahāprabhu's indication. That was my Guru Mahārāja's indication. With that indication I tried, and somehow or other, it is coming to be successful. Now it is in your hand, you European and American young boys and girls. You take it seriously. From India they are coming, but I am very sorry to inform, they are not giving the real, not delivering the real culture. So we do not want to discuss that point. But now you are intelligent boys and girls. You have taken this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Try to understand more philosophically and distribute all over the world. That is my request. Otherwise the world is doomed. Without this spiritual knowledge, without God consciousness, the whole world is doomed. Go on.

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

Pradyumna: "When one associates with the Supreme Lord and exchanges one's constitutional rasa with the Lord, then the living being is actually happy. These śruti-mantras indicate that every living being has its constitutional position, which is endowed with a particular type of rasa which is to be exchanged with the Personality of Godhead. In the liberated condition only, this primary rasa is experienced in full. In the material existence, the rasa is experienced in the perverted form, which is temporary. And thus the rasas of the material world are exhibited in the material form of raudra (anger) and so on. Therefore, one who attains full knowledge of these different rasas, which are the basic principles of activities, can understand the false representations of the original rasas which are reflected in the material world. The learned scholar seeks to relish the real rasa in the spiritual form. In the beginning he desires to become one with the Supreme. Thus, less intelligent transcendentalists cannot go beyond this conception of becoming one with the spirit whole, without knowing of the different rasas. In this śloka, it is definitely stated that spiritual rasa, which is relished even in the liberated stage, can be experienced in the literature of the..."

Prabhupāda: Rasāmalayam.

Pradyumna: "...can be experienced in the literature of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam due to its being the ripened fruit of all Vedic knowledge. By submissively hearing this transcendental literature, one can attain the full pleasure of the heart's desire. But one must be very careful to hear the message from the right source. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is exactly received from the right source. It was brought by Nārada Muni from the spiritual world and given to his disciple Śrī Vyāsadeva. The latter in turn delivered the message to his son, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī delivered the message to Mahārāja Parīkṣit..."

Prabhupāda: Don't close your eyes.

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

Yes. The ācārya or gosvāmī, their business is... Just like our ācāryas, sad-gosvāmī, they left their service, big service, ministership, and by the order of Caitanya Mahāprabhu they went to Vṛndāvana. But what for, going to Vṛndāvana and sleeping and eating? No, no, not for that purpose. They, rather at home they had time to sleep more, but when they went to Vṛndāvana they were sleeping only one half-hour to two hours only. At the present moment when a man becomes old, he requires more rest. But according to Vedic civilization, no more rest, more work, more work. But these gosvāmīs, they were deputed by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu... At that time this Vṛndāvana, which you have seen, now it is nice city, but during the time of Caitanya Mahāprabhu it was a big field only, that's all, nothing was there. Everything, all Kṛṣṇa's līlā were vanished. Not vanished, it was not visible. Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw one small hole, little water, and He indicated, "This is Rādhā-kuṇḍa." Then Rādhā-kuṇḍa was discovered. So these Gosvāmīs were working very hard. And special business was there, nana-śāstra-vicaraṇaika-nipunau. They were very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the Vedic literatures. Nana-śāstra, śāstra, not ordinary knowledge. They were also reading(?). Nana-śāstra-vicaraṇaika-nipunau. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī has quoted so many verses, so many incidences from different śāstras, how the biography is stated there in compiling Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, which we've translated, Nectar of Devotion. So this Nectar of Devotion, because formerly whatever is given under Vedic evidence it will be accepted always correct. Therefore nana-śāstra-vicaraṇaika. They used to collect all the Vedic references and put into Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu to establish that bhagavad-bhakti, devotional service to the Lord, is the ultimate goal of life.

Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- London, August 10, 1971:

So as it is statewise, fire brigade is ready, similarly, universally, this material world is also, there is chance of fire at any moment. We do not want it, but it will take place. Therefore this material existence is called saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. And the forest fire is compared, especially mentioned: this fire cannot be extinguished by your fire brigade. You cannot send fire brigade to the forest. I've seen in Naimitad(?). From Katgudang(?) station, about, oh, one mile up in the hill there is fire. So long ago. So I asked the man, "What is that?" "That is fire." So nobody went there to set fire, but the fire is blazing. You see? So how this fire can be extinguished? Can you send fire brigade or buckets of water? No. That is not possible. Then it will go on, the fire? No. It will be extinguished. How? Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. Just like this forest fire can be extinguished only if there is cloud upon it—if there is rain. You cannot send fire brigade. That means this is the indication that this fire of this material world can be extinguished through the exigency of spiritual master, because he has received the mercy cloud. Cloud. Just like cloud has taken water from the sea, similarly, the spiritual master takes mercy, receives mercy, from the ocean of mercy, Kṛṣṇa, and he pours it over this saṁsāra-dāvānala.

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

Everyone is trying to be perfect. The whole struggle of existence is going on all over the world, how to become perfect. So that perfection ideal is different of different persons. Somebody is thinking that "If I have a nice bungalow and a nice bank balance and nice wife and children and family, then my life is perfect." Somebody is thinking that "If I can make my country very happy in comparison to other countries, then it is happy..." So there are different types of perfection. But actual perfection is... They do not know. That is indicated, that I am... Because I have been described, I am the soul. I am not this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Within this body there is the dehī. Dehī means the proprietor of this body. So that dehī, he is, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, he is changing from one body to another. One body... Just like we have got experience in this life also, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. As we are changing, past and present, therefore after this body is annihilated, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), I am not annihilated; I take another body. That body... What kind of body? That will depend on my work. Just like we become diseased. As we infect certain type of disease, we suffer from that disease. This is practical. Nature's law is there. If you infect some disease, you will have to suffer from that disease. Similarly, as we are creating our mentality by different types of activities, our next life will be according to that mentality. This is the law of nature.

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

Similarly, here it is indicated that religion... What religion? Religion should be to disentangle you from this material miserable condition-dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na arthāyopakalpate. Not that you go to church or temple and ask for some material benefit. No. That is not the... Na arthasya dharmaikāntasya. Arthasya. We are earning money by some occupation. That's all. Then what is the purpose of this money? Now, if you are dharmic, dharmaikāntasya, if you are actually religious, then your money is not meant for sense gratification. Na arthasya. Dharmaikāntasya. Kāmo lābhāya hi smṛtaḥ. Not for your sense gratification. You should know that this money, excess money you have got, it is God's money, because in the Bhagavad-gītā we learn, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ (BG 5.29). He is bhokta. He is bhokta. Bhokta means enjoyer. Just like we were just coming here. This Ford company and this company and so many, there are. So the factory is going on. The bhokta is the managing director or the proprietor, not the worker. Worker can get their salary, that's all. So bhokta, real enjoyer, is the proprietor. Therefore nowadays the Communist party, they say, "We are working. Why this man should enjoy?" They struggle. So this struggle, either the worker becomes proprietor or the capitalist become proprietor, it is the same thing. Real proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. Bhoktāham. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ. That we do not know.

Lecture on SB 1.2.23 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972:

So, so here it is indicated: śreyāṁsi. If you want your ultimate goal, then you take shelter of Viṣṇu, the Lord of sattva-guṇa. Then you'll be benefitted. Not by others. But we are generally influenced by the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, lust and greediness. Therefore kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.20). We, we are lost of intelligence, influenced by lust and greediness, and therefore we take shelter of other demigods. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajante anya-devatāḥ. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Alpa-medhasām. Alpa-medhasām means people do not know. Suppose I take some material benefit, temporary benefit... Every material benefit is temporary. Whatever benefit we have in this life, as soon as this body's finished, all our benefit finished. Then I'll have to take another body which may not be even human form of body. Sometimes we are being too much attached to our present possession. We remain in the possession, but in a different form. In a different form. There are many, I mean, Puranic, Pauranic indences(?). That is long story, that by karma, we take birth in different forms of life, and if we have got too much attachment... Sometimes a person, the proprietor of the house, after death, remains in that house as serpent, sometimes as dog, sometimes as tree. Being too much attached to the possession, they cannot get better life. And sometimes we can get the body of a hog and monkey in Vṛndāvana also.

Lecture on SB 1.2.23 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972:

Now if we take instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as it is indicated, every one of us should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is clearly said, śreyāṁsi tatra khalu sattva-tanoḥ, sattva-tanor nṛṇāṁ syuḥ. Lord Viṣṇu. And Viṣṇu, the original Viṣṇu, is Lord Kṛṣṇa. So if we take to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's shelter... Kṛṣṇa also says: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So if we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, according to the injunction of the śāstras and Vedas... Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā. The purpose of all Vedic Knowledge is to understand Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as we understand Kṛṣṇa, what He is, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), then hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti. If we want to stop this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease, then we must take shelter of Lord Viṣṇu. And Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all viṣṇu-tattva. That means we must become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is our highest benefit of life.

Lecture on SB 1.2.33 -- Vrndavana, November 12, 1972:

Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grā... Atīndriya. Atīndriya means "beyond this." It is covered. Covered senses, you cannot enjoy. Suppose I cover your tongue with some cloth and then I give you one rasagullā. Can you taste it? What you'll taste? There are so many things. If you cover the senses, the real senses, and try to enjoy with that covering, what you'll enjoy? That is not enjoyment. The..., it has to be uncovered. Then you'll enjoy. That is indicated: sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). If you uncover the senses, upādhi... These upādhi... Because I am in bodily concept of life, therefore I am thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am black," "I am white," "I am man," "I am woman," "I am tree," "I am this," "I am that." This is covered. How you can enjoy with these covered senses?

So you have to uncover. You have to discover. That discovering process is devotional service. The more you are engaged in devotional service, the more your senses become pure or uncovered. And when it is completely uncovered, without any designation, then you are capable to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is apprenticeship.

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:

So this kind of rascalism is not very good. You must accept the incarnation of God according to the description in the śāstras. Not one rascal cheats you and you also become another rascal to accept it. Don't do that. You must know what are the indication of incarnation. This question was raised by Sanātana Gosvāmī to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Because in this age of Kali, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's incarnation is stated in the śāstra, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the Upaniṣad, in Mahābhārata. There are evidences. He appeared as the son of Jagannātha Miśra, but His incarnation is stated in the śāstra. Therefore we accept Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as incarnation. Caitanya Mahāprabhu never said that "I am incarnation." Rather, to warn the ordinary people that they should not accept any so-called incarnation, when somebody stated Caitanya Mahāprabhu that "You are incarnation of Kṛṣṇa," He immediately blocked His ears: "Don't say like that. It is great offense, great offense." Because He was playing the part of devotee. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was teaching us how to execute devotional service. And He deprecated Māyāvāda philosophy in so many ways. He was to establish the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He was exemplifying Himself, how to become a devotee. So He never mentioned that He is incarnation. But we understand from the features of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that He (is) incarnation of Kṛṣṇa.

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

So that is God or God's scripture. Past, present, and future. This Bhāgavata was written by God Himself, Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. That we have described, eleventh or some avatāra. So the Kalki will appear. The śāstra is giving indication that after such and such year. And another point is this dasyu-prāyeṣu rājasu. The..., more and more the government will be just like thieves and rogues. We are already experiencing. Now a new law has been passed in India that nobody can keep property more than five to seven lakhs of rupees. So people's incentive to earn money is now being cut down. Formerly it was freedom that you can earn your money as much as you like. Now if you think that "I will earn money, hundreds and thousands of money," but what is the use? The government will take away. That means you will be lazy. The economic development will be checked. Because one who works so hard for economic development because he is under the inspiration that "The more I earn, I will be able to enjoy more." But when this impression is given that "More we earn, it will be taken by government, and I will not be able to enjoy it," naturally he will not work.

Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969:

Yasmin, yaśasaṁ gṛṇanti atre tu yad yāni nāmāni sādhavo mahanto vaktari sati śṛṇvanti śrotari sati gṛṇanti, anyathā tu svayam eva gāyanti kīrtayanti.(?) So indirectly he hinted that: "You should compile one first-class literature which the swan class men will hear, will chant and enjoy. So far, what you have done, that will be enjoyed by the crow class men. But you do something which will be enjoyed by the... Then you will be satisfied. Otherwise, you'll not be satisfied." That was his indirect hint. "You are not satisfied by, even after compiling Vedānta-sūtra. That means, that indicates that these literatures will not be satisfactory for the swan class of men, or paramahaṁsa." Paramahaṁsa means the topmost transcendentalists. They'll never...

Actually, you'll find that our Kīrtanānanda Swami was in Vṛndāvana. There are many devotees. There are many devotees; they're illiterate practically. They do not know what is Vedānta-sūtra. But still, by their sincere devotional service they're very much elevated. What to speak of others, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, he was illiterate. He could not sign even his name. But he was so spiritually elevated that my spiritual master, who was the topmost scholar of his time, he accepted him as spiritual master. What is the reason? The reason is that this transcendental science does not depend on academic qualification. It is, it is not that because one is very, academically very qualified, he'll become a devotee.

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

Nanu svadharma matrad api karmana pitṛloka srute, pitṛloka-prāpti phalaṁ asti va tatraha tasyaite kovida viveki tasyaiva hetoḥ tad arthaṁ yatra kuryād yad upary brahmaloka paryantam adhaḥ sthāvara paryantam brahmadbi jivena na labhate.(?) Now, those who are karma-kāṇḍīya, karmīs... Karmīs means those who follow strictly the ritualistic ceremonies, as it is indicated in the Vedas. They are karmīs. Karma, akarma and vikarma. There are three divisions of our activities. Generally we say karmīs, ordinary men, who are working hard to earn some money and enjoy. Actually, they are not karmīs. They are vikarmīs. Real karmīs... Just like a thief. A thief is stealing. That is also certain kind of activity. It is not inactivity. So we cannot say that this is bona fide activity. He's also planning. He's also making plan, how to steal, how to go upstairs of the house and then come down. So there is activity. But such kind of activity is not bona fide activity. Therefore, according to śāstra, it is called vikarma. Vikarma means it is counteractivity. Activity means you have to work legally. That is activity. If you say that "I am very much active in stealing," then that is not excused. Then you'll... Government will say, "Please stop your activity. You come into the prison." Yes.

Lecture on SB 1.5.18 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1969:

So our duty is as, I mean to say, indicated by Nārada Muni. Our only duty is how to achieve full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other things, there is no need of trying. Actually, I have seen that in India... Everywhere the same case. A person without any education, even without any, practically illiterate... I have seen so many merchants, he cannot sign even his name. In Calcutta I've seen practically a Marwari, merchant. He, he cannot... He has deposited money in the bank. Simply he can sign his own name with great difficulty. So he's canvassing, "Will you kindly write here..." That means the check to be paid to the gentleman, he cannot write. He's asking somebody's help, "You write the name of the person whom I can pay." And he'll simply sign. If he writes something wrong, he'll have to accept. If he writes his own name... (laughter) So that man is earning millions of dollars. You see? And I have seen also very educated medical man, England-returned, M.R.C.P I am speaking from my practical experience. So he goes to a hospital, big doctor, but I have seen in his house. He had not even a good utensil at home. He's so poor in spite of so much education and highly qualified, England-returned doctor.

Lecture on SB 1.5.24 -- Vrndavana, August 5, 1975:

Having controlled the senses. This is dānte. We have to control these things, then the special favor will be there. (reading purport) "In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says 'All the Vedas are searching after Me.' Lord Śrī Caitanya says that in the Vedas the subject matters are only three, namely to establish the relation of the living entities with the Personality of Godhead, perform the relative duties in devotional service, and thus achieve the ultimate goal, back to Godhead. As such, vedānta-vādīs..." They have been described veda-vādin, veda-vādinī, in the previous verse. "Vedānta-vādīs, or the followers of the Vedānta, indicates the pure devotees of the Personality of Godhead." That is vedānta-vādī, veda-vādī. Veda-vādī means actually one who knows what is the objective of Vedas, they take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And when Caitanya Mahāprabhu discussed Vedānta philosophy with Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he said that in the Vedānta or Vedas there are three things only: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. He de... All śāstras. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same three things are there: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana.

Lecture on SB 1.5.24 -- Vrndavana, August 5, 1975:

Having controlled the senses. This is dānte. We have to control these things, then the special favor will be there. (reading purport) "In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says 'All the Vedas are searching after Me.' Lord Śrī Caitanya says that in the Vedas the subject matters are only three, namely to establish the relation of the living entities with the Personality of Godhead, perform the relative duties in devotional service, and thus achieve the ultimate goal, back to Godhead. As such, vedānta-vādīs..." They have been described veda-vādin, veda-vādinī, in the previous verse. "Vedānta-vādīs, or the followers of the Vedānta, indicates the pure devotees of the Personality of Godhead." That is vedānta-vādī, veda-vādī. Veda-vādī means actually one who knows what is the objective of Vedas, they take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And when Caitanya Mahāprabhu discussed Vedānta philosophy with Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he said that in the Vedānta or Vedas there are three things only: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. He de... All śāstras. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same three things are there: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana.

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

So by mental speculation, so-called big, big philosophers, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can be understood by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is visible. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. When you are trained up how to love God, Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself, and you will see Him. Premāñjana-cchurita. Not with these eyes, but another eyes. What is that eyes? Premāñjana, love, the ointment of love, when it is smeared in your eyes, then you can see. Just like there is medicine, eye ointment, or surma, in India it is called surma. Sometimes you apply, your vision becomes very cleansed, and you can see things very nicely. So we have to cleanse our eyes to see Kṛṣṇa, by the ointment of love of Kṛṣṇa. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilo..., santaḥ. Then, when you are saintly person, santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti, He... He is, actually He is already indicated in the śāstra that God is situated within your heart. So then when your eyes are clear, then you can see, hṛayeṣu, always existing. But so long you are mūḍha-dṛśa, you are mental speculator, the curtain is covered, the covering is there, you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. Māyā-javanikācchannam ajñādhokṣajam avyayam na lakṣyase, "You are not visible," mūḍha-dṛśa, "by persons who are rascal and simply believe in direct perception," mūḍha-dṛśa. How it is? In Sanskrit language you will find exact example is given, naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā.

Lecture on SB 1.8.24 -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Viṣāt—from poison; mahā-agneḥ—from the great fire; puruṣa-ada—the man-eaters; darśanāt—by combating; asat—vicious; sabhāyāḥ—assembly; vana-vāsa—exiled to the forest; kṛcchrataḥ—sufferings; mṛdhe mṛdhe—again and again in battle; aneka—many; mahā-ratha—great generals; astrataḥ—weapons; drauṇi—the son of Droṇācārya; astrataḥ—from the weapon of; ca—and; āsma—indicating past tense; hare—by the Personality of Godhead; abhirakṣitāḥ—protected completely. Translation. My dear Kṛṣṇa, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Aśvatthāmā."

Prabhupāda: So Kuntī is remembering all the dangers that she had passed before getting the kingdom. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). These Pāṇḍavas, they were great devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And in the material world, because people are interested in material things, so they were put into so many dangerous condition of life. That was the policy of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, how to kill the sons of Pāṇḍu and usurp the kingdom for his own sons. That was his policy from the very beginning. But they were very obedient because Dhṛtarāṣṭra was their guardian.

Lecture on SB 1.8.43 -- Mayapura, October 23, 1974:

"If you come to Me..." Kṛṣṇa is saying to us, indicating Arjuna, that "If you come to, come back to home, back to Godhead... Why you are rotting in this material world, temporary world?" "No, I have got so many responsibilities, Sir. How can I join You?" So Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān pari...: "Give it up." "Then, I'll be in trouble?" "No, you'll not be troubled." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa is giving assurance.

Lecture on SB 1.8.48 -- Los Angeles, May 10, 1973:

So if anyone creates something, so that thing belongs to the creator. If the father and mother has created this body, then from the very beginning the body belongs to the father and mother. And actually, in the childhood, as the father and mother says, "Sit down here, eat this, don't go there," everything is controlled by the father and mother, and originally given by the father and mother. So how we can claim, "This is my body"? From the very beginning. Then somebody maintains you. Suppose you are working in office, in a factory. So actually that body belongs to him, the maintainer. Just like a dog. The master maintains it, and the dog's body is meant for the service of that master. As soon as the master indicates, "You do this," immediately he does it. A dog has no independence, practical. So in this way the body belongs to the master. In the beginning, body belongs to the father and mother. Then, if you grow up, then body belongs to your country. In this way, go up to the death point, and after death also, the body belongs to others.

Lecture on SB 1.10.14 -- Mayapura, June 27, 1973:

So this is the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's worship. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was falling down on the water, "Oh, I could not see Kṛṣṇa." When He was gṛhastha, He was simply consulting with mother, "Mother, I could not realize Kṛṣṇa. What shall I do? Where shall I go?" Mother said, "My dear son, why You are impatient? Everything will be all right in due course." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was giving indication that "I must leave home." Mother was also understanding that "This boy wants to leave us." That was another perplexed position. So that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching:

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa

cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam

śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ

govinda-viraheṇa me

Govinda-viraheṇa: "In separation from Govinda I am thinking one moment as twelve years." Some of you or all of us have got this experience. If we want something very, very eagerly, then every moment becomes a long time. "Oh, it is not yet received. It is not yet received. It is not yet done." Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa. Nimeṣa, a moment, a twinkling of an eye, that is called nimeṣa.

Lecture on SB 1.16.11 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1974:

"So this you have been cursed; it cannot be withdrawn. You have to go. But after going in the material world, if you treat Me as your enemy, then in three births you will be liberated and you will come back. But if you treat Me as my friend, then it will take seven, seven births." So decided, "We shall become Your enemy, Sir." So therefore this Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, they are Jaya-Vijaya, and they appeared to be very strong enemy. To become enemy of Kṛṣṇa, that is not also joke. He has to fight with Kṛṣṇa. It is not ordinary thing. No ordinary man can fight. So Vaiṣṇava commentation is that when Kṛṣṇa wants to fight, the fighting is not possible in the spiritual world. And whom with fight? Everyone is engaged in His service. So therefore, to fight, He has to come here to execute His mission. Vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, to kill the duṣkṛtām, miscreants. So when He personally fights... The duṣkṛtām can be finished simply by indication of Kṛṣṇa. The material energy is so powerful. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. Even the sun, the most powerful, aśeṣa-tejāḥ, high temperature. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ, unlimited temperature, that sun is also moving within it's orbit, yasyājñayā, under the order of Kṛṣṇa. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So to kill a demon in this material world, the Lord does not require to come Himself. But He comes in special case. Just like Kṛṣṇa came to kill Kaṁsa, to kill Rāvaṇa, to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu, like that. So that is also His pastime.

Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974:

So the forefathers of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, sva-pūrveṣām, they were not ordinary person. They were mahātmās. So how one can become mahātmā? It is not very difficult, provided one wants to become mahātmā. Nothing is difficult in this world, provided one wants to have it, or to become. So how to become mahātmā? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. What is that? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ (BG 9.13). This is mahātmā. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. First of all Kṛṣṇa says, sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ: "To get a mahātmā, broadly-minded great personality, it is very difficult to find out." But still, one may try to find out what are the symptoms of mahātmā. That is discussed in Bhagavad-gītā. When one understands, "Kṛṣṇa is the origin or original source of everything," janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), as it is indicated in the Vedānta-sūtra that "The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything emanates." That is Absolute Truth.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Delhi, November 4, 1973:

Everything is there. But we have become so unfortunate, led by rascal and fools leaders, that we are missing the opportunity of this human form of life where we can solve all the problems of life, and the indications are there, here in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that "I give you order. You, every one of you become a spiritual master." "Oh, I have no qualification. How can I become spiritual master? It requires high knowledge, Sanskrit understanding." "No, you don't require anything. Simply you speak kṛṣṇa-upadeśa." What is kṛṣṇa-upadeśa? Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). You simply go door to door and say, "Please surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Then you are spiritual master. I have done this. What I have done? I have gone to your country to say this thing, that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You surrender; you become perfect." That is being done.

So it is not very difficult to become spiritual master. Simply you have to become very serious and sincere to the service of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ: (SB 2.1.1) "Oh, it is very nice." Loka-hitam: "It will be beneficial to the whole human society."

Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:

Why? Now, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam: (SB 2.1.2) "They do not know what is self-realization." Apaśyatām, cannot see. Their vision is very poor. Why? They are thinking this body as self; therefore they are very poorly thoughtful. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in another place, it is stated, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Every day we are experiencing that "I am not this body. The body is growing. I am still there." There are so many instances. But we cannot understand that we are not this body. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Ātmā means, the ātmā... There are various meanings of ātmā. Ātmā sometimes is meant, indicating this body, ātmā is sometimes indicating this mind, ātmā is soul, and ātmā, Paramātmā, the Supreme Lord. Ātma-tattvam. Tattvam means truth, philosophy, or science. So they do not know the science of ātmā, either take it body or mind. Generally, they take it as this body. So so far body is concerned, there are so many departments: medical department and health department and... I do not remember. There are so many departments. All these departments of knowledge, they are practically on the basis of this body. Then higher than this, ātmā, if you take it, "mind," there are psychological department, speculation department, philosophical department, so many departments, mind. Then intellectual department.

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

Prabhupāda: Anyone else? Hm? You can speak.

Devotee: This verse indicates that... (break)

Prabhupāda: Hm. Anyone else who will speak? Pradyumna Mahārāja?

Pradyumna: Nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya...

Prabhupāda: Hm. You have to speak. Try to speak.

Pradyumna: This is a continuation of the previous verse. It said that...

Prabhupāda: I have a question now. You are maintaining your institution by the grace of the householders. You are begging. So how you can condemn householders? If the householders do not become your life members, your institution will be stopped. So how do you condemn the householders?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Isn't it the original Vedic process that the householders would willfully give their charity to the brāhmaṇas?

Prabhupāda: So therefore, for charity householders required. You cannot condemn householders.

Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 15, 1972:

Pradyumna: "The ass is another animal who is celebrated as the greatest fool, even amongst the animals. The ass works very hard and carries burdens of the maximum weight without making profit for itself. Footnote: Human life is meant for earning values. This life is called arthadam, or that which can deliver values. And what is the greatest value of life? It is returning home, back to Godhead, as indicated in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.15). One's selfishness must be aimed at the point of going back to Godhead. The ass does not know its self-interest, and it works very hard for others only. Similarly, a person who works very hard for others only, forgetting his personal interest available in the human form of life, is compared to the ass. In the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa it is said:

aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu

bhramadbhiḥ puruṣaiḥ prāpyaṁ mānuṣyaṁ janma-paryayāt

tad apy abhalatāṁ jātaḥ teṣām ātmābhimānināṁ

varākāṇām anāśritya govinda-caraṇa-dvayam

Prabhupāda: Hm. This is very important verse. You can repeat this. One may take it by heart.

aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu

bhramadbhiḥ puruṣaiḥ prāpyaṁ mānuṣyaṁ janma-paryayāt

tad apy abhalatāṁ jātaḥ teṣām ātmābhimānināṁ

varākāṇām anāśritya govinda-caraṇa-dvayam

Repeat it. (Devotees say the verse.) So aśītim means eighty. Aśītiṁ caturaḥ. Caturaḥ means four. So eighty-four. Eighty plus four means eighty-four. Lakṣāṁs. Lakṣāṁs means hundreds of thousand. So eighty-four hundreds of thousands. Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu. Jīva-jāti. This is different species of living entities. Jīva-jāti. The hog species, the ass species, the dog species, just like they have got species. Jīva-jātiṣu. So in different species of living entities, they are counted, eighty-four hundreds of thousands, or 8,400,000. Bhramadbhiḥ. Bhramadbhiḥ means transmigrating, wandering one after another. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. There are 900,000 species within the water.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:

Pradyumna: Purport: "The inhabitants in Vaikuṇṭhaloka are all personalities with spiritual bodily features not to be found in the material world. We can find the descriptions in the revealed scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Impersonal descriptions of transcendence in the scriptures indicate that the bodily features in Vaikuṇṭha are never to be seen in any part of the universe. As there are different bodily features in different places of a particular planet, or as there are different bodily features between bodies in different planets, similarly the bodily features of the inhabitants in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas are completely different from those in the material universe. For example, the four hands are distinct from two hands in this world."

Prabhupāda: So in other planets also there are different types of body. Some of the bodies are prominent in earth, earthly body. Just like we have got here earthly body. Similarly, fiery body, watery body, gaseous body, there are different types of body. What the scientists know about? Maybe in Candraloka they are going, but they cannot see the body. They say that there is no life. Suppose there is gaseous body, so they do not see it. But every planet has got different types of body. And Vaikuṇṭha planets also their bodily features are described herein.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

So unless one is enlightened by the spiritual knowledge, he remains only just like cats and dogs. And to understand spiritual identification, that is called dharma. Dharma means that. And the ultimate goal of dharma is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We have created so many dharmas: Hindu dharma, Mussulman dharma, Christian dharma. These are manufactured. Of course, there is indication how to execute dharma, but real dharma—when you come to the conclusion, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19).

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante

jñānavān māṁ prapadyate

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

(BG 7.19)

So this is... Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for this purpose, that we... We are not preaching any particular sectarian religious system. No. We are preaching the real what is meant by religion. Religion means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Nobody knows what is dharma. This is the position. Because dharma means the order of the Supreme Being. That is dharma. Just like law means the order of the government, similarly, dharma means the order of the Supreme Being. That is dharma.

Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974:

Simply as Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), so a devotee, a pure devotee, is simply attached to Kṛṣṇa. They are not dis... A devotee is not disrespectful to other demigods. That is a mistake, that "These Kṛṣṇa devotees, they do not care for other demigods." No. A Kṛṣṇa devotee cares for the other demigods very rightly because he knows what is the position of the other demigods in comparison to Kṛṣṇa. Just like Durgā, Goddess Durgā. In the Brahma-saṁhitā the Goddess Durgā is worshiped. In which way? Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Mother Durgā is the external energy, or potency, of Kṛṣṇa, and she is so powerful that sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana, she can create, she can maintain, and she can annihilate, or bring devastation. She is so powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā (Bs. 5.44). And mother Durgā is so powerful alone. Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā: "But she is acting not independently, but like the shadow," chāyeva. Chāyeva yasya bibharti bhuvanāni: by the indication of Kṛṣṇa. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā also: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10).

Lecture on SB 3.25.32 -- Bombay, December 2, 1974:

Everyone wants some prestigious position, lābha pūjā pratiṣṭhā, some material profit, lābha, and prestigious position so that people will give him salaam, minister, president, and to become very famous, historically very famous. These are material hankerings. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). We don't want. This is animittā bhakti. Nimittā, for some certain reason, if you become a bhakta, then you are not a śuddha-bhakta. You are a viddha(?)-bhakta, a polluted bhakta. Pure bhakti is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), zero. Material hankerings, anything material, hankering, should be void. The void philosophy, nirvāṇa, that indicates that you should completely finish these material desires. That is Lord Buddha's philosophy, nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means material desires, to make it void, no more. Lord Buddha said up to that. Because the people who were following him, they were not so expert, advanced; therefore he did not say what is after giving up every desires. Because desireless it cannot be. Desires... People say that "You become desireless. Give up your all desires." That give up all desires means you give up your material desires, because you cannot be desireless. Then you are dead body. But we are eternal living entity. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We are getting different types of body on account of different desires. So I become desireless of this habit; then I desire another habit. So that is going on.

Lecture on SB 3.26.3 -- Bombay, December 15, 1974:

So the great body, this universal body, as Kṛṣṇa showed universal body to Arjuna, so it is possible for Kṛṣṇa to show the universal body, virāḍ-rūpa. You cannot show. You cannot show. It was Arjuna's request to exhibit the virāḍ-rūpa because Arjuna knew it that "Because I am accepting Kṛṣṇa God, so many God will be there later on. A man will claim to become God. But as I am requesting Kṛṣṇa to show the virāḍ-rūpa, similarly, if some fool accepted the another fool as God, he should request him, 'Please show your virāḍ-rūpa.' Then accept him. Otherwise don't accept." So God has virāḍ-rūpa. So both God and we are, living entity, are of the same quality. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi means so 'ham. These words, Vedic words, are there to indicate that "Qualitatively, I am as good as God. He is spirit soul; I am also spirit soul. He has got creative power; I have got creative power. He has got senses; I have got senses." Everything just similar, facsimile. In the Bible it is said, "Man is made after God." Is it not said like that? That means God has exactly the same form. And therefore man is made also, the same form. So in this way both God and the living entities, they are anādi. Anādi, there is no beginning.

Lecture on SB 3.26.20 -- Bombay, December 29, 1974:

So this is the point. Therefore Bhāgavata's instruction is that you must be careful of being successful by discharging your duties. That should be your point of view. You do not remain blind. You see that you are successful. So how it is successful? That is also given indication in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsām (SB 1.2.8). This is also there. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. There was a big meeting of very, very learned brāhmaṇas at Naimiṣāraṇya. Perhaps you know Naimiṣāraṇya, there is a place. In Uttar Pradesh near Lucknow, there is a place, Naimiṣāraṇya. So long, long ago, say, four thousand, five thousand years ago, there was a big meeting of learned brāhmaṇas. In that conference this resolution was passed. What is that resolution? Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ: "Now we are assembled here, guided by the learned brāhmaṇas." There were kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras also. So the resolution was passed. The president was Sūta Gosvāmī.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Los Angeles, January 20, 1969:

So we are fallen in this material condition of life, and because we have disobeyed without the permission of father, we have misused our independence, therefore we are condemned within this material world. The īśāvāsya, the Īśopaniṣad teaches us, therefore reminds us, that "My dear human being..." The śāstras, the scriptures, the Vedas, they're meant for human being, not for the dogs, cats. Those who are not taking advantage of these scriptures of Vedic literatures, they are no more than animals. Because animals, they cannot take advantage of this knowledge. But human being can take. Therefore it is said, indicated in the śāstras, that this body is very suitable boat for crossing over this ocean of nescience. We are in the ocean, this outer space, the big space within this universe. It is to be considered just like a big ocean, and all the planets, they're just like islands. Therefore in the Vedic literature sometimes these planets are called dvīpa. Dvīpa means island. Śvetadvīpa. This planet is called Jambūdvīpa. Just like in the ocean, there are many hundreds of small, big island. Similarly, the ocean of air or outer space, there are so many planets. They are called dvīpas.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Tittenhurst, London, September 12, 1969:

Everything is being done by the laws of nature. You cannot change it. There is a plan, God's plan. It will go on. You don't have to bother yourself, that without you, everything will be topsy-turvied. No. You cannot do anything. You are falsely thinking that your leadership is very much needed. No. I was thinking. When I was householder, several times there was indication given by my Guru Mahārāja that I should give up family life and become a sannyāsī and preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. In several way there was hints from my spiritual master, but still, I was not willing. I was thinking, "If I go away, then my family, my sons, my daughters, they will suffer." But actually, I have left my family connection in 1950. Actually '54, but introductory in '50. For the last twenty years. But they are living; I am living. They are not dying in my absence, and I am not suffering without being in my family. On the other hand, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, I have got better family members. I have got nice children in a foreign country. They are taking so much care of me, I could not expect such care from my own children.

So this is God's grace. We should depend on Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa is kind, wherever we go, everyone will be pleased, everyone will be kind. And if Kṛṣṇa is unpleased, even in your family life you'll not be comfortable. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, at a certain age, it is indicated that one should retire from family life. So this Ṛṣabhadeva Mahārāja, He was retired. Although He had one hundred sons, all obedient sons, He was emperor, anything was at His command—still, He was retiring. That is the Vedic system.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- London, September 17, 1969:

We have discussed some of the symptoms of great soul. The great soul is sama-citta, equal to everyone. Great soul is never angry; they are friend to everyone. And sādhava. Sādhava means sadācāra, clean habits. A mahātmā cannot be implicated with those four principles of sinful life. That is the first test. No illicit sex life, no gambling, no meat-eating, and no intoxication. This is called sadācāra, clean habit. Anything beyond this: unclean habit. Here it is stated, sādhava. Sādhava means sadācāra, clean habit. Then it is said, ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthāḥ. Now this mahātmā is specifically indicated for a sannyāsa, a perfect sannyāsī, renounced order. Their characteristics is that. And another mahātmā... Suppose one is in household life. Question may be whether a mahātmā can be in the household life or not. That is being described: Yes. In household life also there can be mahātmā. Just like Advaita Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu even, Nityānanda Mahāprabhu. They were all householders. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was a householder. He married twice. His first wife died—He married for the second time. Regular householder, although He left household life very early. He was only twenty-four years old; therefore He had no children. But Nityānanda Prabhu had one child, Vīrabhadra, and Advaita Prabhu had two, three children, of which buddhi was very highly elevated. Similarly, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, he had children. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not say that one has to become in the renounced order or sannyāsī, then he becomes a mahātmā. No. We also do not propagate such idea. At least, I am not doing that. I am creating householder, ideal householder. And my ideas are being fruitful. Here in London I sent six householders, and they are doing nice, sincerely they are working. Therefore I am very much proud of them.

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

These are the information we get from the śāstra. Adyam, He is the original person. Ādyaṁ purāṇa puruṣam, the oldest person. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca, and at the same time always fresh youth. So how we shall learn all these things? Mahat-sevā. Go to mahat, mahānta, the guru. Serve him. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). You cannot challenge like a nonsense. You have to engage yourself to the service. That is the beginning. Brahmacārī is indicated, "Go to gurukula." And you may be a king's son or a very learned brāhmaṇa's son, it doesn't matter. You serve your guru just like a menial servant. This is the instruction. This is the first education. Go to gurukula and serve the mahat guru, the broad-minded guru, just like a menial servant. What is that? You go collect everything for guru, alms, and do not claim proprietorship. It is guru's property. Whatever you collect, that is not your property. That is guru's property. And go to gurukula, and when guru will ask you, "My dear boy, please come and take your prasādam," then you'll take. If guru forgets to call you, you should fast. This is gurukula. Not that "I am hungry. There is foodstuff. Let me eat." No. Without permission of guru you cannot touch anything. This is the injunction.

Lecture on SB 5.5.24 -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1976:

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given this opportunity that simply by chanting... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has not manufactured it. It is mentioned in the śāstra. No other... Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not introduce anything by manufacturing, just like nowadays these rascals do. There is no question of manufacturing. Whatever is there already in the śāstra, indication, we have to follow. Yaḥ śāstra-viddhim utsṛjya vartate... Otherwise there is no success. Kṛṣṇa also said śāstra. Kṛṣṇa is also the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He refers to the Brahma-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitam. So we cannot go beyond the śāstra. We must follow. So in the śāstra it is said, in the Kali-yuga people are so fallen, they cannot be persuaded to so many rules and regulation, but kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply that is special facility for these fallen... You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa regularly and you become liberated from the material contamination. And as soon as you become liberated, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). We have no distinction that "Here is American," "There is European," "Here is Indian," "Here is African." No. Samaḥ sarveṣu, even animals. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then bhakti begins. That is practical.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

So there are indication in the śāstra that how to make progress towards the goal of nivṛtti-mārga. That is stated, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). If you associate with devotees, mahat, mahātmā, great soul... Who is great soul? Great soul means who has understood God. He is great soul. He is called mahātmā. That is stated, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ-prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). Mahātmā means he is not under the condition of this material nature. He is under the protection of the spiritual nature, he is mahātmā. You have to live under somebody. That is our position. You cannot say that "I am not living under somebody. I am independent." No. That is not possible. Nobody can say. Can anybody say that "I am independent"? No. Because our constitutional position is that, to serve. Either I serve my family or serve my community or serve my nation or serve my government—in this way go on increasing—but your position is to serve. You... Here you will find, therefore, that the so-called master is also servant. Just like President Nixon. He was elected the master, president, but actually he was the servant of the popular vote. As soon as he became unpopular, he was immediately dismissed. So the president of a big state is the position that he is a servant. How you are not a servant? That is our nature. So people are engaged in service generally.

Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:

Responsible life is that "I have got this improved form of life than the cats and dogs, and I have got more intelligence than the cats and dogs. If I simply utilize it for four bodily necessities of life..." Four bodily necessities of life means we require some eating. The cats, dogs, human being, or high-court judge, or anyone—they require some eating. They require sleeping, apartment. So that is... The cats and dogs can sleep without apartment, but the sleeping required. That is fact. Eating required, that is fact. And sex life, that is also fact. And defense, that is also fact. But these things are common to the cats and dogs and man, human being. So what is the special feature of the human being? The special feature of the human being is that a human being can consider that "I have got this nice American or Australian or Indian body. Then what I am going to get next? What kind of body?" That is utilized for human intelligence. A cat and dog cannot think like that. Therefore our business should be: "Now, by the nature's way, I have come to this form of life by evolutionary process. Now I have got good intelligence. How I shall utilize it?" That proper utilization is indicated in the Vedānta philosophy. Vedānta philosophy, perhaps you have heard the name. Veda means knowledge, and anta means last stage or end. Everything has got some end. So you are being educated, you are taking education. Where you shall end? That is called Vedānta. Where the ultimate point.

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

So many other things. Five thousand years before, ago, this was foretold, that in this age people will like to keep long hairs in order to become beautiful. So this is śāstra. Śāstra means direction—both past, present, and future. Everything is there. Therefore we have to consult the Vedic literature. It is perfect. It is without any mistake, without any cheating. This is śāstra. Just like in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you'll find the indication of Lord Buddha's birth. It is stated in the list of incarnation of God that buddha-nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati. Bhaviṣyati means future tense. In the beginning, just after the beginning of this age, kīkaṭeṣu, in the province of Gayā... If you have gone to India, you will see still there is a place known as Gayā in the province of Bihar. And Lord Buddha, I mean to say, flourished himself in that part of the country. And it is indicated there that kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati, in future. And his mother's name is also mentioned: añjana-sutaḥ. Lord Buddha's mother's name was Añjana. He was Hindu, kṣatriya, a prince. So everything is stated there. Similarly, the next incarnation at the end of this Kali-yuga is also mentioned in the Bhāgavata. That will take place 400,000's of years after from this time. But His father's name and the incarnation's name and the place where He will come, that is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

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

So anyway, a child cannot understand, but when he grows up, he understands everything. So how Kṛṣṇa consciousness acts, how this transcendental sound cleanses your heart, you may not understand in the beginning, but if you take to it and if you practice it, then you understand. Then you can understand. And in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, śabdāt anāvṛttiḥ. As from the sound the whole material existence has come into being, similarly, from sound also, you can go back to the spiritual existence. So this sound vibration... The oṁkāra is also the same sound as..., om, but this is easier, Hare Kṛṣṇa. You cannot have so ecstasy by vibrating om, but because it was chanted by the greatest authority, Lord Caitanya, it has got special power. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). The scriptures indicate that we have to follow the footprints of great authorities. Tarko apratiṣṭham. You cannot come to the right conclusion simply by arguing. You may be a very good logician and you can argue very nicely, but another man, he may be a greater logician than you. He can nullify all your arguments. There is possibility. So tarko apratiṣṭhaḥ.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26-27 -- Philadelphia, July 12, 1975:

So this kind of guru is going on. But you should know, guru means who carries the order of the Supreme Lord. That is guru. Any rascal who manufactures some idea is not guru. Immediately kick him out, immediately, that "This is a rascal. This is not a guru." Guru is here, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā (CC Madhya 7.128). Guru means the faithful servant of God. That is guru. So you have to first of all test that "Are you faithful servant of God?" If he says, "No, I am God," oh, kick him on his face immediately. (laughter) Kick him immediately, that "You are rascal. You have come to cheat us." Because test is there that guru means faithful servant of God, simple. You don't require large definition, what is guru. So Vedic knowledge gives you indication that tad-vijñānārtham. If you want to know the science of spiritual life, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12), you must approach guru. And who is guru? Guru means who is the faithful servant of God. Very simple.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

So their challenge was that "You are claiming to be servants of Yamarāja, but we are doubting whether you are bona fide servants of Yamarāja. Otherwise why you are committing this mistake?" So this indicates the servant should be as good as the master. That is servant. Because sometimes servants may be challenged. So that is the qualification of Kṛṣṇa's servant. Kṛṣṇa's servant must be always equipped, because they have to meet so many opposing elements, Kṛṣṇa's the... Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). There are so many... Practically the whole material world is full of duṣkṛtām. They want to create God. They don't want to become servant of God. That is their challenge. Therefore, anyone who is claiming to become servant of God, Kṛṣṇa, he must be well equipped to meet the challenging spirit of others. Prahasya idaṁ megha-nirhrādayā girā. Very gravely enquired from them. What is that enquiry? They said, śrī-viṣṇudūtā ūcuḥ. The Viṣṇudūta replied. Their submission was, "Sir, you are so nice gentlemen. You appear to be coming from the very elevated planets, and why you are interfering?"

Lecture on SB 6.1.38 -- Los Angeles, June 4, 1976:

This is very nice challenge. Suppose if somebody, if you say that "We are Kṛṣṇa conscious persons." So one may challenge you, "First of all, explain what do you know about Kṛṣṇa?" That is quite natural. If you do not know about Kṛṣṇa, you have no right to say that "I belong to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement." You have not right to say. So your position is like that, simply if you have a tilaka and a kaṇṭhi, that does not mean that you belong to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Any cheater can do that. You must know the philosophy. If one challenges, you must reply. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung a song indicating these cheaters. He says, ei oto ek kalir cela(?). "Here is a servant of Kali." What kind of cela? Na te tilal golai mālā (?). "He has got a tilaka and golai mālā, bās, that's all." He does not know what is the philosophy. If you do not know the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you simply mark your body with tilaka and kaṇṭhi, then you are not proper servant, you are not qualified. So tilaka, mala, is necessary. Just like a policeman. A bogus man, if he dresses like a policeman, he is not a policeman. He must know what is the police law, criminal law, who is to be punished, who is not to be punished, what is criminality, what is innocence. All these things he must know.

Lecture on SB 6.1.47 -- Detroit, June 13, 1976:

Devotee: (leads chanting, etc.) Translation: "Just as springtime in the present indicates the nature of springtimes in the past and future, so this life of happiness, distress or a mixture of both gives evidence concerning the religious and irreligious activities of one's past and future lives."

Prabhupāda:

vartamāno 'nyāyoḥ kālo

guṇābhijñāpako yathā

evaṁ janmānyayor etad

dharmādharma-nidarśanam

(SB 6.1.47)

By the symptoms of birth, one can understand, of course, through abhijñā, those who are abhijñā. And the word is used guṇabhijñā, jñāpakaḥ. Guṇābhijñā, guṇābhijñāpako yathā. By the guṇas, one can—guṇa means quality—one can understand the past and future. Still in India there is an astrological system, it is called Bhṛgu-saṁhitā. According to that Bhṛgu-saṁhitā, the astrologer can say what the man was in the past and what he's going to be in future. And present also.

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

Now, it is very nice conclusion. He says, the Viṣṇudūta says, sāṅketyam. Sāṅketyam means "simply by indication." Sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyam, "or by joking." Sometimes people joke us, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Haribol." That is... That has also its effect, pārihāsyam. Sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ vā stobham, "or with devotion and reverence," stobhaṁ helanam eva vā. Or helanam means "without giving any importance, if one chants." Helanam eva vā vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam. Vaikuṇṭha means Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa. Vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ. But even in such way one chants the holy name, then it can vanquish immediately many millions of sinful reactions. There is another Bengali verse, eka hari-nāme, yata pāpa hare, pāpī haya tata pāpa, karibāre nahe:(?) "Once chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa's name, it has so potency, so much potencies that it can vanquish millions and millions of sinful reaction that so much a sinful man cannot commit." A sinful man can commit hundreds of thousands of sinful activities, but the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that a sinful man will be unable to commit so many sins as the name can vanquish simply by chanting once offenselessly. This is the conclusion.

Lecture on SB 6.2.14 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1975:

All right. Sāṅketyam, "indication."

sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ vā

stobhaṁ helanam eva vā

vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam

aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ

(SB 6.2.14)

Everyone should know, viduḥ. Generally we do not know what is the power of vaikuṇṭha-nāma.

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis

tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ

etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi

durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ

Caitanya Mahāprabhu regretted that the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that all the potencies or all the energies in the Absolute Person, the same thing you'll find in His name, in His form. But these things are not understood by less intelligent class of men. To understand these things means to know Kṛṣṇa in truth.

Lecture on SB 6.2.15 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1975:

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam it is said that dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41). So mokṣa means tattva-jijñāsā. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsa na yas ceha karmabhiḥ. So that tattva-jijñāsā means to understand Kṛṣṇa. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ. The same. Tattva-jijñāsā... Who will inquire about tattva? Those who are siddha. So that siddha stage, brahma-bhūta stage, is not for everyone. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Out of many millions of persons, one may be interested how to become siddha, to understand ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is called siddha. And yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). This is called tattva-jijñāsā. So tattva-jijñāsā is meant for the siddhas, not for the fools and rascals. They cannot. They are inquiring, ke apa haya. (Hindi?) You find in the market, big, big merchants, they have got exchange in Calcutta, Bombay. The inquiry is ke apa haya. So not that inquiry. Ke apa haya, share cut ke apa haya, cao ke apa haya, dal ke apa haya.(?) Not That is not tattva-jijñāsā. Tattva-jijñāsā means "What is Brahman?" That is tattva-jijñāsā, because Vedas indicates that "Try to understand ahaṁ brahmāsmi, 'You are Brahman.' " Tat tvam asi. So 'ham. So this is the Vedic injunction.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 12, 1968:

Therefore you have to be guided by your spiritual master. Otherwise how can you know? It is not possible. Any school you go, you have to be guided by the school teacher. Otherwise you don't have any education. So this is also a kind of education, Kṛṣṇa education. So you have to find out a bona fide school, you have to find out a bona fide teacher, and then you learn. That's all. If, for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you go to somebody who is engineer, then you cannot have Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if you go to engineer, how to become engineer, you can become engineer. Unfortunately, we have got departments of knowledge in our educational system, but actually there is no department of knowledge where Kṛṣṇa consciousness is taught scientifically. That is the great necessity of the present day. But if you are sincere to learn, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12), it is indicated by the direction of the Vedas, "Then you have to approach a bona fide person who can teach you Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Then you will learn it.

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

Bhāgavata-dharma, yesterday we discussed, dharmān bhāgavatān iha. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). From the beginning of life, from childhood, they should be given lessons on bhāgavata-dharma. The bhāgavata-dharma is very clearly indicated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā should be read very carefully, attentively, from the beginning of life, childhood. Not that Bhagavad-gītā should be read in old age. No. From the very beginning of life. And whole Bhagavad-gītā is bhāgavata-dharma. And when one is well conversant with the Bhagavad-gītā or the lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, then the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins.

Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):

Yes, he is greater than me in so many respects. Therefore I can surrender." This is called praṇipāt. So selection of spiritual master means first of all you must agree that "Here is a personality where I can bow down my head, yes." Everyone is proud. Why shall he bow down before a person unless he understands that "Here is a personality who is greater than me"? So this is the first condition, praṇipāt. Praṇipāt means prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāt. You have to become blank slate: "Now, sir, whatever I have learned, oh, I forget. It is now blank slate. Now you write whatever you like." This is the first condition. Praṇipātena, and sevayā. Sevayā means service. So because the service is wanting, so one has to serve the spiritual master. It is indicated that even if you are the greatest personality, you have to approach and serve the spiritual master just like ordinary menial servant. Menial servant. If the spiritual master says, "My dear boy, you just cleanse my shoes," or any, I mean to say, abominable, oh, he'll be ready. This is called sevayā. And praṇipātena, sevayā. Praṇipātena..., paripraśnena and sevayā. Paripraśna means when you cannot understand, you must place, "Sir, I cannot understand this portion." This is the process.

Lecture on SB 7.9.7 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1977:

So these are the science. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is our guru. He's not ordinary. Don't think that "He's a five-years-old boy. He has no knowledge." No. He is perfect nitya-siddha guru, and we should always pray for his mercy. And that is Vaiṣṇavata. Vaiṣṇava ṭhākur tomāra kukkura boliyā jānaha more. This is a humble way. "O Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura..." All Vaiṣṇavas are ṭhākura. They are not ordinary persons. Ṭhākura... We therefore address: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākur. So Vaiṣṇava Prahlāda Ṭhākura. So we should always pray, vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, tomāra kukkura boliya jānaha more. This is There is a song of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura: "My dear Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura, kindly accept me as your dog." Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura. As the dog, by the indication of the master, does everything very obedient, we have to learn this lesson from the dog, how to become faithful to the master. That is the instruction. In everything you can learn something. Everyone Therefore mahā-bhāgavata, they accept everyone as guru, to learn something. Actually, from the dog we can learn this art, how to become faithful at the risk of life even. There are many instances, dog have given the life for the master. So, and we should be dog to the Vaiṣṇava. Chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā, nistāra pāyeche kebā.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 9, 1968:

Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "I think..." Whatever he thinks is right, because he is a great devotee. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). The Vedic literatures indicate that you have to follow the footprints of great personalities, devotees. Tarko apratiṣṭhaḥ. If you want to understand the Absolute Truth by your argument and logic, oh, it is not possible. Because our argument, logic, may be defeated by another man. Another man's argument may be defeated by another man. Because all of us, we are limited. Whatever qualification we have got, they are all limited, and there is greater and greatest, comparative, superlative degree in every field of activities.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 9, 1968:

So the Vedas indicate therefore that mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). If you want to understand the Absolute Truth, then you have to follow great personalities, great devotees. Just like in the Western world, Lord Jesus Christ, you have to follow his principles. This is all right, his Ten Commandments. But we do not follow. We simply fight. "Oh, I am Christian, you are Hindu," "I am Muhammadan," "I am this." Nobody tries to follow. You see? That is not the way. You have to follow. If you believe in certain personality... Of course, not believe, not blind believing. He must be authority. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam they have indicated twelve authorities. According to Vedic version, there are twelve authorities, and one of them is Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Lecture on SB 7.9.14 -- Mayapur, February 21, 1976:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is requesting Nṛsiṁha-deva, "Now the business is finished. My father, the great demon, Hiraṇyakaśipu..." He said, asuraś ca hatas. He... Such a great Vaiṣṇava, he is not calling Hiraṇyakaśipu his father. And in other place also he addressed his father, na sādhu manye asura-varya. He never said, "My father." He said, "The greatest of the asuras." He was so bold. The father was such a great demon, and he was not addressing him as father, and the father was becoming more and more angry upon him. This indicates that a person who is a demon, not devotee, he's not worth calling a father. That sort of father should be avoided. Pitā na sa syāt. People are affectionate to father and mother, and they hesitate how to give up... Especially boys give up the company of family, father and mother, take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But here, in the śāstra, it is said, if the father is demon or a mother is demon or a friend is demon or a family member is demon, they should not be accepted as relative. Pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syād gurur na sa syāt. Even guru. If you have accepted somebody as guru but he's a demon, he should be rejected immediately, immediately. Just like in India there is a system of jāta-guru, the guru by caste. By familywise, they become guru. One family is attached to another guru family by hereditary rules, the sons after sons accepting guru, the other party, and there is regular business. So such kind of guru is not wanted.

Lecture on SB 7.9.29 -- Mayapur, March 7, 1976:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, mat-prāṇa-rakṣaṇam ananta pitur vadhaś ca. The two things are there. When Kṛṣṇa incarnates there are two things. What are they? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Two things. So here two things are being done. One thing is to save Prahlāda Mahārāja, paritrāṇāya sādhunam, and another thing is vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām yuge yuge sambhavāmi. So actually vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, it doesn't require the presence of the Supreme Lord. The nature's arrangement is so strong that anyone can be finished within a second, anyone. There is no need of Kṛṣṇa's taking so much trouble to come here. But He comes especially for deliverance of the devotee, bhakta-vatsala, and side work, to kill the demons. That is not His business. The Māyā, Durgādevī, is sufficiently powerful to kill any demon within a second. There is no difficulty. Simply by ordering Māyā... Or Māyā does not wait the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. She can understand what the Lord wants. Simply little indication, she can kill hundreds and thousands of demons in one stroke. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya. She can do that.

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

So we are followers of mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the mahājanas, out of the twelve mahājanas. There are also described, who are mahājana. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. The indication is there. The question will be, "Who is mahājana?" So mahājana means... That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, svayambhūr nāradaḥ śaṁbhuḥ kapilaḥ kaumāro manuḥ prahlādaḥ (SB 6.3.20). So Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the mahājanas. So we are discussing Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction and his character, his ability. This is Vaiṣṇava. Bhāgavata means the glories of the Lord, Bhagavān, and the glories of the devotees, both. There is no difference between Bhagavān and bhagavad-bhakta. There is no difference. But that does not mean, like Māyāvādī, that bhagavad-bhakta is also God. No. That is explained by Viśvanātha Cakravartī. Sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ **. Bhakta bhagavān, bhagavān bhakta. Vaiṣṇava, he is equally good like God. Sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. But he's so power... He's more than.

Lecture on SB 7.9.47 -- Vrndavana, April 2, 1976:

This śloka is applicable to both Rāmacandra and Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Viṣṇu is always mahāpuruṣa. Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja is addressed sometimes, mahāpauruṣika. Because he is devotee of Mahapuruṣa, so he is addressed as mahāpauruṣika, like that.

So by the śāstra indication, especially in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's incarnation is described:

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

saṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñair saṅkīrtanair prāyair

yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ

(SB 11.5.32)

This is the most important verse indicating Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam. He is in the same category. And another meaning, kṛṣṇa-varṇayati: "The incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who is always describing Kṛṣṇa or chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." Varṇayati. But tviṣa akṛṣṇam: "But by complexion, akṛṣṇa, not black." So "not black," that may be many other colors. Then which of them I shall take? That is also stated in the śāstra. While making the horoscope of Kṛṣṇa, Gargamuni, he said, idānīṁ kṛṣṇataṁ gataḥ. Śukla-raktas tathā pītam idānīṁ kṛṣṇataṁ gataḥ: "Nanda Mahārāja, your son, this child, has now appeared as kṛṣṇa, blackish." Idānīṁ kṛṣṇataṁ gataḥ. "Otherwise this very child appeared in previous ages." Śukla-raktas tathā pīta: "He... Sometimes He appeared in white color, sometimes red, sometimes yellow."

Lecture on SB 7.12.2 -- Bombay, April 13, 1976:

So Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu svayaṁ bhagavān. So guru, according to the capacity of the student, he teaches first about Brahman, then Paramātmā, then Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate knowledge of tattva-jñāna. And one who teaches this tattva-jñāna, he is guru. Otherwise he's a rascal. So therefore the first indication is that if you want to become a real human being, then you must approach a real guru and learn from him. Mold your life in that way. This is human civilization. Then, after guru... Gurvaṣṭaka we chant daily. Guru. What is the duty of the guru?

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-

trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam

prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya

vande guroḥ śrī caraṇāravindam **

We have Daily we understand what is guru. Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, citette kariyā aikya, āra nā kariya mane āśā **. This is that. This is wanted. If you have got real guru and if you follow him, then your life is successful. There is no doubt. But if you have a so-called bogus guru, and without any knowledge of the śāstra, then your life will be spoiled. Especially the Māyāvādī guru, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned, māyāvādī-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). Māyāvādī guru means one who thinks that everyone is God. That is Māyāvādī guru.

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

So jaṭā-kamaṇḍalūn bibhṛyāt. Bibhṛyād upavītam. But the sacred thread must be there, sacred thread. That is the sign that, that "This person has approached guru." The sacred thread is the indication that he is twice-born. First of all he was born by the father and mother; now he has approached guru, and guru gives him initiation and sacred thread. That means he is under the care of guru. That is required. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Unless one takes shelter of ācārya, he is careless. Not careless; he is not taken care of. He is vagabond. If one does not take shelter of ācārya, then he is a vagabond. Therefore in India we see so many vagabonds: no employment, no caretaker, loitering in the street, playing at noontime, no engagement. This is the defect because we have lost our own culture. Although this culture—brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsī—is Indian culture, unfortunately we have given up. Varnāśrama-dharma, varṇa, four varṇas and four āśramas, they're simply giving up. No more brāhmaṇa, no more kṣatriyas, no more vaiśyas, no more śūdras. They are less than śūdras. Pañcama. Less then śūdra means caṇḍāla. Kirāta-hūṇāndra-pulinda-pulkaśāḥ. There are so many divisions of caṇḍālas. Pañcama. They are called pañcama. So the whole thing is topsy-turvied. We have given up our own culture and imitating the foreigners and the Western country.

Lecture on SB 7th Canto -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

So here also it is said viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād. Dvi means double, twice, and ṣaḍ means six, then means twelve. Twelve kinds of qualities a brāhmaṇa meets. The twelve kinds of qualities are also mentioned here. (reads from Śrīdhara Swami commentary:) Evaṁ bhaktyeva kevalaya hari (indistinct) sambhavati tukta idaniṁ bhaktiṁ vinā na kiñcit toṣa (indistinct) dviṣaṭ (indistinct) guṇa (indistinct) variṣṭhaṁ manye. Even a brāhmaṇa, unless one is qualified by the twelve prescribed qualities in the śāstra, he cannot be accept..., he cannot be accepted as brāhmaṇa. Śrīdhara Swami says that even though one is qualified with all those good qualities which indicates that one is brāhmaṇa... Prahlāda Mahārāja also says that, viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād. Even though he is qualified, but he is not a devotee. Generally, those who are very highly qualified brāhmaṇa, they are very proud, and they do not become a devotee, generally. "Oh, devotion, this is for poor man. This is for those who are not highly educated, for them. They are chanting, dancing." They criticize like that. But actually that is not the fact. Jīva Gosvāmī was the most learned scholar. Rūpa Gosvāmī was most learned scholar. All the... Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, the most learned scholars. His one description of the Bhāgavata śloka. What is that śloka? Ātmārāmāś ca munayo. He explained in sixty-four ways to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.

Lecture on SB 10.22.35 -- Bombay, March 19, 1971:

So this movement, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is very important movement. So, somebody should dedicate his life, somebody should dedicate his wealth, somebody should dedicate his intelligence, and somebody should dedicate his words. So, suppose one cannot dedicate his life or he has no money, he can give us some intelligence that "If you go to such-and-such person, or if you do like this, if you make your plan like this for pushing your Kṛṣṇa consciousness," that is also service. Intelligence. And if he has no money, no intelligence, and cannot dedicate his life, then he can give his words. What is that? That word is, that Kṛṣṇa says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "So I have come to you, sir, to tell you that you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Please surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Words, there is no expenditure. But you can say... Or you can say, "Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." I think it is very easy. There is no expenditure, there is no loss. So, śāstra gives us indication that prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā śreya-ācaraṇaṁ sadā. So I am so obliged to you that you are trying your best to push this movement, and at the same time I must say that this movement is very, very important. This is the life-giving movement to the human society. That's a fact. It is not a bogus, manufactured, concocted movement. It is authorized. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). And we are teaching this philosophy throughout the whole world and actually from all parts of the world we are getting devotees who are completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:

But especially those who are impersonalists, they can see God in that way. Śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu. There are descriptions in the Seventh Chapter, how you can see God in your common dealings. Still, if you do not see God, then you can see, you must see one day God at the time of your death. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Death is God. So the atheist class men, just like Hiraṇyakaśipu, who always challenges God, in spite of so many things wherein we can see God, they deny to see God; therefore God comes before them as death. So everyone has to meet death. So God is there. And you are seeing. But because we are atheist class of men, we are denying, "There is not God." So Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu says that, "After all, you have to meet with God at the time of death. So before death, why don't you see God in so many ways?" That is Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. The science of devotional service which is giving you indication how to see God always and everywhere. Go on reading.

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

When Vyāsadeva finished his all scripture writing, all the Vedas, Purāṇas, even Brahma-sūtra, he was not happy. He was not happy, and his spiritual master, Nārada, came, inquired: "Why you are not happy? You have done so much work." So he could not explain. He said, "I, I do not find why I am unhappy. But because you are my spiritual master, you can say." So he indicated that "Because you did not describe about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore you are not happy. Now you try to describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead, particularly." And therefore he wrote this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You'll find this in the Third Chapter of the First Canto. Hmm.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 10, 1973:

So the blissful enjoyment with Kṛṣṇa, it is unlimited. That is called Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Rasa and amṛta. Amṛta, that is not dying, that is not possible. Want (?) some material enjoyment. It is not possible. But, because we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they still persisted. Yes, this is the difference. You will feel more and more enthusiasm. In this material world, the more you'll work, you'll feel tired. And the spiritual world, the more you work, you'll feel enthused. That is called anandāmbudhi-vardhanam. That is the test. If our workers are feeling tired, then that means he's working materially. And if he's feeling enthused, more and more, that is his, he's working spiritually. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. That is the spiritual test. Rāmante yoginaḥ anante satyānande cid-ātmani (CC Madhya 9.29). That is cid-ātmani, that is spiritual, not material. So here, we are trying to enjoy material. So how we can be happy? That is not possible. Materially we cannot be happy, therefore Bhagavad-gītā gives us indication, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya grāhyam (BG 6.21). If you want happiness, happiness is our prerogative. Every individual soul, happiness. Because Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, eternal, blissful, ānanda. Ānanda, blissful. Cit, knowledge and sat, eternal. That is Kṛṣṇa. Sat-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

This verse was already there in the Bṛhad-nāradīya Purāṇa, the indication of our activities in the age of Kali. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He pointed out. Although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself—He could manufacture so many things—but He did not do so. That is ācārya. Ācārya will not manufacture any new type of religion, a new type of phrase of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That is not potent. The... Just like Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is in the śāstra. So that is potential. Now if we add and subtract something from these sixteen words, that is my manufacture. That will have not the potency. They do not understand it. They are thinking if they can manufacture some new line, adding with Hare Kṛṣṇa, then he becomes particularly noted. But he spoils the whole thing. That is the... He does not make any new thing. The new thing he does, he spoils the whole thing. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu never did so, although He's Kṛṣṇa Himself. He stuck to the point of śāstra. Kṛṣṇa, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also indicates: yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ na siddhiṁ sāvāpnoti (BG 16.23). He indicates that nobody can give up the injunction of the śāstra. Brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ (BG 13.5). Kṛṣṇa says. He can give. Whatever He says, that is śāstra, that is Veda. But still, He gives reference to the śāstra.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

This is the injunction in the śāstra, that this form of the Lord, who is accompanied by His associate... Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is always associated with Śrī Advaita Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Gadādhara Prabhu, Śrī Śrīvāsa Prabhu. Therefore the process of worship is śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. That is perfect process. Not to cut short. No. As it is indicated. This is indication in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tvisakṛṣṇaṁ sangopangastra... (SB 11.5.32). So when we have to worship Lord Caitanya, we worship with His associates. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. No cut-short method. So that is sastric injunction. So in order to get rid of the sinful activities of this age, it is already prescribed in the śāstras and confirmed by the greatest authority, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12).

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

So it is the duty of the elevated person, brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, to take charge of this business. Kṛṣṇa says, ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ. Never mind one is born in low-grade family, but he can go back to home, back to Godhead. Te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. So who will take the initiative to elevate these persons? Unless one who is expert does take interest for elevating these fallen souls, then how they will be elevated? This is problem. But we are not careful about these affairs. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore indicated that,

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya janma haila yāra

janma sārthaka kari' kara paropakāra

(CC Adi 9.41)

This is paropakāra. Those who are born in low-grade family... The most regrettable fact is that in India the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, they did not take care of the fallen souls. Once one becomes, somehow or other, a Muhammadan, he has no more chance to come back to the Hindu society. This policy was being followed. And therefore the result is that these fallen souls, whom we call fallen souls, the Muhammadans, they partitioned. Now we are crying. Not only that. I think, from historical point of view, this whole planet was India, Bhārata-varṣa. This planet was called Bhārata-varṣa—not this portion of land. But because gradually the Vedic culture became diminished, they separated from this Vedic culture, as we have got actual experience, and within twenty years the Pakistan is taken away from India.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:

So this process, giving chance. Of course, those who are preacher, they must be very sincere and serious. Āpani ācari prabhu jīveri śikṣāya. One must be perfectly in the Vaiṣṇava behavior, sadācāra. Because to hear from professional reciters, there will be no effect. He must be Vaiṣṇava. It is the indication by Sanātana Gosvāmī, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam. One who is professional, who is not Vaiṣṇava, from him, one should not hear about the holy names of God, Kṛṣṇa. That is prohibited. Because it will not be effective. Rather, it will be dangerous. So preaching work, this Kṛṣṇa conscious preaching work, we must be very cautious that those who are preachers, they must be pure Vaiṣṇava. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Not for money's sake, not for reputation sake, lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhā. Only for serving Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). This is pure Vaiṣṇavism. One has to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Not for any other purpose. So this preaching work should be taken up by pure Vaiṣṇava, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ (Brs. 1.1.11). And if the śāstric injunctions and the direction given by the authorities, if they are presented as they are, surely there will be effect. It has been proved. And it is being proved. So this process we should adopt, and our success of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is assured.

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

Mādhavānanda: "There is a similar statement by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself to Uddhava in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Twenty-seventh Chapter, verse 49. The Lord says there, 'My dear Uddhava, all persons are engaged in activities, whether those indicated in the revealed scriptures or ordinary worldly activities. If by the result of either of such activities they worship Me in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then automatically they become very happy within this world, as well as in the next. Of this there is no doubt.' We can conclude from this statement by Kṛṣṇa that activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness will give everyone all perfection in their desires.

"Thus the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that there is no need of even designating oneself brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha or sannyāsī. Let everyone be engaged in whatever occupation he now has. Simply let him worship Lord Kṛṣṇa by the result of his activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will adjust the whole situation and everyone will be happy and peaceful within this world. In the Nārada Pañcarātra, the regulative princi..."

Prabhupāda: "Everyone" means one who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Everyone" does not mean that one who does not. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by his influence, hundreds will be happy. Hundreds will be happy. So a few people, if they become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then there will be tremendous benefit to the human society. Not that everyone will become Kṛṣṇa conscious. By the presence of really a pure Kṛṣṇa conscious person, many people will be benefited.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.2 -- Mayapur, March 2, 1974:

That is the indication that to claim to become God or Kṛṣṇa is the highest type of rascaldom. That is rascaldom. Those who are these Māyāvādīs who are claiming that "Everyone is God. I am God, you are God," they are all rascals. Therefore I have said in connection, with reference to that boy-god..., you know, I do not wish to repeat. We do not accept such cheap God. No. We accept Kṛṣṇa. And we accept Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as God because śāstra says, the ācārya says; therefore we follow the footsteps of the ācāryas. Rūpa Gosvāmī says, kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne: "Sir, You have now come... You are Kṛṣṇa. You have come under the name of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. You are so magnanimous that You are distributing..." Be... Without becoming Kṛṣṇa, how one can distribute Kṛṣṇa? Without one becoming millionaires, how he can distribute millions of dollars?

So it is the business of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu... He's so magnanimous that He is distributing Kṛṣṇa. So take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have come from distant place, you have spent much money, thousands of money to come here. Take advantage of this journey and chant śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Then you'll get Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll get, surely. This land, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's birthsite. So anyone who takes shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he is dhanya, he is glorified.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1974:

So we can very well understand that we are being maintained by Kṛṣṇa, and why we should not be ruled by Him? This is a fact. Now, you can see in this country, in this village, Māyāpur, their so many food grains are growing, but who is supplying? That is Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible to grow these food grains in your factory. No. That is not possible. He's helping us. He has stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Unless you eat sufficiently, unless you have food grains in stock, you cannot flourish. Bhutani. Bhavanti. Bhavanti means flourishing. So both animals and men, they must eat sufficiently. There must be food grain sufficiently. So that food grain you cannot manufacture in your factory. You may start a very big factory, Goodyear Tire factory, but that tire also will not move when there is no supply of petrol. This is your position. You are dependent even for this tire and petrol, and what to speak of this food grain. So who is supplying the food grain? The supplying person is... Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That singular number individual person, He is supplying. You can say prakṛti, nature, is supplying. No. Nature is not supplying. Nature is the agent of supply. Real supplier is Kṛṣṇa. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. And that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Nature is working under the instruction or the indication of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.109-114 -- San Francisco, February 20, 1967:

So these are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore natural conclusion, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, that His potencies, His body and His activities—everything spiritual. There is nothing material. Cid-vibhūti ācchādi' tāṅre kahe 'nirākāra.' And when there is some indication of impersonalism in the Vedas, it should be understood that His body is not of this material nature. If somebody says that "God does not belong to this matter," that is all right. That does not mean He's impersonal. He has got a spiritual body. Matter is denied. The whole Upaniṣad... First of all they describe the Supreme... Just like apāṇi-pādo javano grahītā. There are Vedic statements that "The Supreme has no hands, but He can accept whatever you offer." Now, this is contradictory. If He has no hands, how He can accept? What for He's accepting. Therefore it is to be understood that He has His hand, but not this hand. My hand is, er, can stretch, say, one yard only, but because He's unlimited, His hand can be stretched... Just like we are offering foodstuff, so how He is eating? That is His... He's eating by His transcendental body. We cannot see at the present moment, but He is eating. How He's eating? Because we have got the information, "Yes, I eat." Tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ: "Anyone who is My devotee and offers in love, I take them." So that cannot be... There is no mistake. But how He is taking, how He is eating, because we are in this material body, we do not see it, but He is taking. Therefore cid-vibhūti ācchādi' tāṅre kahe 'nirākāra'.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 8.128 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 24, 1977:

That is up to you. We... (break) ...vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ, arcye śilā-dhīr. Everyone knows in the temple... Just like Jagannātha. Everyone knows Jagannātha is made of wood, or, in other temple, made of stone. But people, do they come to see wood and stone? So if anyone thinks... Sometimes the atheist class, they think that "These foolish men, they are going to see a piece of wood." This is nārakī-buddhi. Similarly, arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matiḥ. Those who are acting as guru according to the description, if somebody thinks that "This man is ordinary person," and vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ, similarly caraṇamṛta, Gaṅgajala, if somebody thinks ordinary water, so "he's nārakī." So these Europeans, Americans who are properly initiated according to Vaiṣṇava system, according to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's indication, if somebody thinks their jāti, angrej jāti or American jāti, he's nārakī. What can be done?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975:

So again he says, sādhya-sādhana-tattva puchite nā jāni: "Actually I do not know. It is my duty to put questions upon you." That is also indicated in the Bhagavad-gītā.

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

Tad viddhi. If you want to understand things which is beyond this material world... Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ: "Don't remain within this darkness of material existence. Try to transcend, to go to the spiritual world, jyoti, where it is light." Here it is always darkness, and there there is always light. So everyone should be interested, especially in this human form of life, not to remain here like animals, cats and dogs, but to become brahma-bhūtaḥ. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. One must know. This is the duty of human life. So he says, sādhya-sādhana-tattva puchite nā jāni: "Now I am little interested how to become spiritually advanced, but I do not know how I shall put the question before You and what is the ultimate goal of life. These things I do not know. But I have got an inquiry." That is natural.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.156-163 -- New York, December 11, 1966:

Now, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam some advanced devotee is indicating Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇam enam avehi: "This Kṛṣṇa..." When Kṛṣṇa was present in person, many persons studied Him in a different way, but one of them, who is pure devotee, he is describing about Kṛṣṇa that enam, "This Kṛṣṇa, this Kṛṣṇa," kṛṣṇam enam avehi, "you should try to understand." What is that? Tvam ātmānam akhilātmanām. Ātmānam akhilātmanām. Ātmā means the self, or soul. So we individual souls, we are part and parcel, fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is to be understood as the source of all individual selves. Akhilātmā. Akhila means all. Then jagad-dhitāya: "Now, He has come, He has descended out of His causeless mercy," jagad-dhitāya, "for the benefit of this world, this planet." Dehīva ābhāti. Just like He appears ordinary person. Ābhāti māyayā. Māyā. This māyā is not illusion. This māyā means by His internal potency. By His internal potency, He can appear just like us, but He's not like us. He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

Oh, why you are in confusion? As other incarnation are to be understood from the indication of the śāstras, similarly, we have to understand from the indication of the śāstra who is incarnation." Sarvajña munira vākya-śāstra-'paramāṇa'.

Now śāstra, the scripture, is the most first-class evidence, sarvajña munira vā..., sarvajña... Because śāstras are written not by ordinary person. Not by Rabindranath Tagore, a sex play. (?) No. (laughs) Śāstras are written by liberated persons. Therefore śāstra, scripture, have got so many advantages and so much respect. So therefore Lord said: sarvajña munira vākya-śāstra-'paramāṇa'. Śāstra paramāṇa. Just like (we) see in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, four hundred thousands of years after there will be avatāra, Kalki, and His father's name, His birthplace, is already mentioned there. This is called śāstra. Five thousand years before Bhāgavata was written, and there is indication that in such and such age, in such and such province, in such and such family, Lord Buddha will appear. That is written there. And five thousand years before, ago, the, the symptoms of Kali-yuga is already written there. And we are experiencing.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.62-67 -- New York, January 6, 1966:

So out of the one hundred verses, on the sixty-fourth verse Lord Caitanya pointed out, "Will you kindly explain this line? I am little in difficulty to understand." What is that? There was a word, bhavānī-bhartā. Bhavānī-bhartā. Bhavānī... Means "husband of Bhavānī." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu pointed out that Bhavānī... "Bhava means Lord Śiva, and bhavānī means Lord Śiva's wife, and bhartā means husband. So this bhavānī word itself indicates that she is the wife of Lord Śiva, and why you have stated again bhartā, again 'husband'?" This is called dvirukti-doṣa (?). Sanskrit language is very scholarly language, reformed. You cannot deviate even a line, even a letter in the sense, in the poetry, in the writing. There are all regulation, strict regulation, grammatical and metric and so many things. So nobody can surpass, not that... Just like nowadays we write poetry—one line is three hundred miles, one hundred, (chuckles) and only one mile. That sort of poetry will not be allowed in Sanskrit. You cannot adjust three hundred miles and one mile. No. It must be very symmetrical. That is Sanskrit language.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967:

Therefore, all different interpretation... The Vedic literature, either take Bhāgavata or Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, or any Upaniṣad, the meaning is very clear. It is sheer foolishness to understand that "The meaning is vague, now I am clearing. I am a great scholar. I can interpret in a different way." So... As if Vyāsadeva left the meaning to be cleared by some rascal. You see? He was not himself competent to clear the meaning, but he left the work to be done by some rascal. That is their interpretation. But actually it is not. In every śloka, if you know Sanskrit, you'll see the meaning is clear. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1). There was actual some fight between the two cousin groups, and they fought at the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. That Kurukṣetra is still existing. If you go to India that... There is a railway station, Kurukṣetra. It is about 150 miles from Delhi. And people go there for pilgrimage. Therefore it is dharmakṣetra, a place of religious rites. And in the Vedas, Sāma-Veda, I think... I don't exactly remember. But one of the Vedas it is written that kurukṣetre dharma yajayet. In the Kurukṣetra, that place, if anyone wants to perform religious rites, he should go to Kurukṣetra and perform there. It will have better effect. This is the indication in the Vedic literatures. Therefore Kurukṣetra is still accepted. Those who travel, wander in pilgrimages, they go to Kurukṣetra still. The system is going on. If there is a lunar eclipse, they go to Kurukṣetra to make some charities. So Kurukṣetra is accepted from the very, very long period in the Vedic age as the place of pilgrimage. So it is stated there, dharmakṣetra. How can I interpret that this Kurukṣetra means this body? In which dictionary he finds this meaning? But people are so foolish, because Mahatma Gandhi has interpreted, "Oh, it is right." So this is going on.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, July 8, 1971:

So such things it is useless, try to understand by arguments. That is simply nonsense. You can, of course, inquire, but that inquiry is not challenge. If you inquire from your spiritual master by challenge, then it is your misfortune. You have to inquire from the spiritual master—that is indicated-sevayā, by service, by making him satisfied. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). First of all you have to surrender, and then you have to please him by service. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. If you can please him, then naturally Kṛṣṇa is pleased upon you. That is the injunction. So this praśna... First of all you should find out somebody where you can surrender. If there is duplicity in surrender, that is useless. First of all see whether you can surrender there; then accept him spiritual master and then please him by your service and inquiry. That is Vedic principle.

Festival Lectures

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

Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that sukham ātyantikam. Ātyantikam means the super, superhappiness, ātyantikam—means that which you cannot excel more... That is the final point. That sort of happiness is not possible to achieve... Happiness... First of all, you must understand, happiness means sense gratification, happiness. You can understand it very easily. If I get some nice foodstuff, because I satisfy my taste, palate, I feel happiness, "Oh, very nice food I am eating." Similarly, you take any of your sense organs, when it is satisfied according to the sense object, it is called happiness. So the sum and substance of happiness is to satisfy the senses. But Kṛṣṇa says that sukham ātyantikam. The supermost happiness can be achieved not by these senses, but atīndriya. Atīndriya means transcendental senses. Just like at the present moment our senses are gross material senses. But there is another sense, not another sense, this sense. This is covered sense. Suppose you will try... You will be able to understand. Now, I want to touch some soft place to enjoy the sense of this hand, touch sense. But if the hand is covered with gloves, I cannot enjoy that sense so nicely. You can easily understand. The sense is there, but if it is artificially covered, then even the facility is there, I cannot enjoy the sense perfectly. Similarly, we have got our senses, but our senses are now covered by this material body. So Kṛṣṇa gives us indication in the Bhagavad-gītā that that superhappiness can be achieved by that sense, not this covered sense. Covered sense, you cannot enjoy the happiness superbly. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyaṁ grāhyam (BG 6.21). Atīndriya means transcendental, not this covered sense. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means... We have got consciousness. Everyone is conscious, but that consciousness is covered consciousness.

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

So after publishing three parts of readings(?), then automatically, Guru Mahārāja gave me indication that "Now you can start for America." So some way or other, in 1965 I went to America, with great difficulty. But I took about two hundred sets of books. The customs clearance was done, I told them that "Oh, I am taking these books for distribution. Not for sale." Anyway, they passed, and with these books I reached America. And I was maintaining myself by selling these books for one year. There was no friend, and I was living in apartment with great difficulty. Still, the whole, I mean to say, stock, and my typewriter, my tape recorder—everything was stolen. In this way, I became very much depressed, and I was going to the shipping company, "When the next ship is going for, going to India?" So they gave me such and such date. Then I thought, "Let me wait for some time more. Then I shall return back." I had return ticket, of course. There was no difficulty.

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

Some dharma is for lording it over the material nature. Karmīs. The karmīs are trying to lord it over the material nature, all resources. Working hard, day and night, how to lord it over the material world. This is one dharma. Another dharma, when the karmī's frustrated because he cannot enjoy... Because he is not enjoyer. Artificially, he is trying to enjoy. Then, when he's frustrated, then he says, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "The brahma is satya, and this world is false." Then he becomes a sannyāsī, a renouncer. But he cannot live in that renouncement platform. And then he again comes back to this material world and engages himself in some philanthropic work: "Let us open hospital. Let us open schools and college..." If the brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā... If the world is mithyā, false, why you are again, a sannyāsī, you are coming again back to this platform? That means he's not satisfied in so-called brahma satyam. Practically, he has no realization of Brahman. Therefore he comes back again. And that is, I mean to say, indicated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Persons who are thinking that "I have become liberated. I have become Nārāyaṇa. I have become God. I have become Brahman." Brahman, everyone is Brahman. That's a fact. But there is another Param Brahman. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12)—Kṛṣṇa.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Calcutta, March 20, 1975:

Tehran. Yes. I forgot. He has come. Here is the Tehran representative. Yes. So there was very nice meeting in Tehran. Many scholar, Muhammadan, came to see me. So everyone is understanding the importance of this movement. So in Tehran I discussed about chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that there are many names. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. Kṛṣṇa's name, manyfold. So I pleaded to the Muslim audience that "You can chant the name of Allah also. Not necessarily that you have to chant the Kṛṣṇa name, but any name indicating the Supreme Lord can be chanted." Because in the śāstra it is said, harer nāma, harer nāma, (CC Adi 17.21) the holy name of the Lord. But it must be the name of the Lord. Actually, Kṛṣṇa has thousands of names, and His names are enumerated by His activities. Just like Kṛṣṇa accepted to become the son of Mother Yaśodā; therefore He is called Yaśodā-nandana. Kṛṣṇa accepted Vasudeva as His father, or Nanda Mahārāja; therefore He is called Nanda-nandana, Vāsudeva, or Devakī-nandana. Kṛṣṇa acted as the charioteer of Arjuna; He is called Partha-sarathi. So Kṛṣṇa's name means attached with the activities along with His devotees. This is Kṛṣṇa's name. So if the Muhammadans' aim the Supreme Lord, Allah akbar, "God the great..." Just like we say Parabrahma. Brahman means the biggest, bṛhatvāt bṛhannatvāt. On account of being very big, including everything, that God's another name is Parabrahma. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Arjuna addressed Kṛṣṇa as Parabrahma. So Allah akbar means Parabrahma.

Arrival Talk -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

That was Bhagīratha. Gaṅgā was hesitating, mother Gaṅgā, that "I shall go to the material world. People will take, all sinful men will take bathing, and I'll be overloaded with sin. Then how I shall get out of this sinful, accumulation of sins?" So Bhagīratha said, "My mother, don't hesitate. When a holy man will take bath in your water, then all the sins he will assimilate." Then she agreed. "Yes. That's..." So if we become holy man, actually, then immune. There is no difference. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. These are bogus, that "I do not go out of Vṛndāvana." They are making Vṛndāvana limited. Vṛndāvana is not limited. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, wherever there is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple, that is Vṛndāvana. That is Vṛndāvana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He, once only, He went to Vṛndāvana. Does it mean He was not in Vṛndāvana? So this is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that preaching must go on in hell and heaven. We should be very much expert and follow the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the simple instructions. Mukunda mādhava yādava hari bolena bolo re vadana bori. Simply chant the holy names of Lord, mukunda mādhava yādava. This is Caitanya. Rise early in the morning. You go and preach, and work hard, day and night, and that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... This song indicates. That's all.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation of Bali-mardana Dasa -- Montreal, July 29, 1968:

So long we are in the material conditional life, we have got various designations—"I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am this," "I am that," so many designations, "I am nationalist," "I am Communist," "I am socialist," so many designations. So sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), means you have to give up the designations. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. Now I am thinking, "I am nationalist," "I am Communist," "I am American," "I am Indian." So I have to give up these designations. And what I have to think? There must be thinking. I am not stopping my thinking what I am. That is indicated in the Vedas. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That aham, my identity, is not lost, but at the present moment I am thinking that "I am this, I am that," but you have to think, you have to identify with Brahman, the Supreme Brahman. And when you identify with the Supreme Brahman, that is your liberated stage. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). When you identify yourself with Brahman, then at once you become free from all these designative activities, prasannātmā: "Oh, I have no more any duty in this material world."

Deity Installation and Initiation -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972:

So you are getting initiation in this auspicious day when Lord Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī, His eternal consort, is now being situated, er, established, installed, on this auspicious moment, and you will be initiated to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in the beginning. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. As it is indicated in this verse, one who remembers the Supreme Personality of Godhead always, he remains always purified, śuciḥ. Śuciḥ. Śuci means... Another meaning of śuci is brāhmaṇa, purified. A brāhmaṇa... According to nature's division, there are four classes of men: the brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, and the śūdra. Brāhmaṇa means the intellectual class of men who knows hygienic rules, keeps himself always purified and engaged in studying Vedic literatures for understanding this world, God, himself, the interrelation. They are called brāhmaṇa. And the kṣatriya means those who live their life under the instruction of the brāhmaṇa but they are engaged in administration of the state, they are called kṣatriyas. Then vaiśyas, still less intelligent class.

Excerpt from Sannyasa Initiation of Viraha Prakasa Swami -- Mayapur, February 5, 1976:

To date, all the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu following in His footsteps accept the sannyāsa order and keep the sacred thread and tuft of unshaved hair. The ekadaṇḍī-sannyāsīs of the Māyāvādī school give up the sacred thread and do not keep any tuft of hair. Therefore they are unable to understand the purport of tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa, and as such, they are not inclined to dedicate their lives to the service of Mukunda. They simply think of merging into the existence of Brahman because of their disgust with material existence. The ācāryas who advocate the daiva-varṇāśrama, the social order of cātur-varṇyam mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā, do not accept the proposition of asura-varṇāśrama, which maintains the social code of varṇa is indicated by birth. The most intimate devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namely Gadādhara Paṇḍita, accepted tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa and also accepted Mādhava-upādhyāya as his tridaṇḍī-sannyāsī disciple. It is said that from this Madhvācārya, the sampradāya known in Western India as Vallabhācārya sampradāya has begun. Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Bose(?), who is known as smṛti-ācārya in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, later accepted the tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa from Tridaṇḍipāda Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.

Wedding Ceremonies

Initiation of Sri-Caitanya dasa and Wedding of Pradyumna and Arundhati -- Columbus, May 14, 1969:

It is stated, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The Lord says that "The four divisions of social order—namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, śūdras—these divisions were created by Me," and guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, "not by birthright but by identification of qualities and actual work." In the similar way, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, it is stated that yasya hi yad varṇābhivyañjakam, lakṣaṇaṁ syāt. Yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyañjakam, tat tenaiva vinirdiśet (SB 7.11.35). The whole Vedic system is to pick up qualitative persons. There is no such thing as birthright qualification. And Śrīdhara Swami, the greatest commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he has commented on this verse, yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyañjakam tat tenaiva vinirdiśet, yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta tat tenaiva vinirdiśet: (SB 7.11.35) "If such qualities are found in another platform, then he should be designated in that position." Just like if a boy born of a brāhmaṇa family, he has got the qualities of a śūdra, he should be indicated as śūdra. And if a boy born of a śūdra family but he has got the brāhmaṇa's qualities, then he should be accepted as brāhmaṇa.

Initiation of Sri-Caitanya dasa and Wedding of Pradyumna and Arundhati -- Columbus, May 14, 1969:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to purify the human society. And the purification process, simply by chanting, is sufficient. But still, our Gosvāmīns, they have given us some ritualistic ceremonies. That will help the process of purification. Sacrifice, offering, these things are there. But the main thing is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That is sufficient. So in our society we want to establish divine society. Therefore there is need of all classes of men and all classes of social orders. Our Vedic conception is varṇāśrama-dharma. The "Hindu" term is not found in any Vedic literature. It is a name given by the Muhammadans, so far I know. It is not... Real term is varṇāśrama-dharma, sanātana-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. Four varṇas: brāhmaṇa kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, according to qualification... And Bhagavad-gītā also says these are the qualification, brāhmaṇas: satya śama dama titikṣa ārjavam, ācāryopāsanam, brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Similarly, there are indication of the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas; and śūdras' one qualification: paricaryātmakaṁ karmaṁ śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Paricaryā, to serve others. And in this age, because everyone is after employment—without employment he cannot survive—therefore it is said, kalau śūdra sambhava. In the Kali-yuga... A brāhmaṇa is not expected to serve anyone. A kṣatriya is not expected to serve anyone, nor the vaiśyas. Only the śūdras. So kalau śūdra sambhava. Therefore actually there is no Vedic ritualistic performance for the śūdras. It is meant for the brāhmaṇas only.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Just try to understand what is God.

Guest: I didn't know that God was Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: No, everything has got definition. Just like if I say "This is watch." So it has a definition. Watch means it is round and there is a white dial and two hands, there are so many figures indicating time. Like that, I can give you some description. So anything, whatever you see or experience or try to understand, there must be some definition. So when you speak of God, do you know what is the definition of God?

Guest: Yes. I thought He was love.

Prabhupāda: Love is not definition; love is the action. Yes, love. I love God. Love is my activity. But there must be some definition of God. That also you know. You now forget. Now, in one word, they say "God is great." So how do you test one's greatness? Next point. If you say that "This man is very great," now there must be an understanding how you estimate that he is great. These are different stages of understanding. So how do you understand that God is great? What is your calculation, that from, on this point, God is great? Just like in your Bible it is said, "God said 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." Is it not? Is it not statement? So here is greatness. He simply said, "Let there be creation," and there was creation. Can you do that? Suppose you are very nice carpenter. Can you say, "Let there be a chair," and at once there is a chair? Is it possible? Suppose you are manufacturer of this watch. Can you say that "I say, let there be watch," and there is immediately watch? That is not possible.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 2, 1968:

Of course, there cannot be any interpretation in the Bible. Then there is no authority of Bible. If you interpret something... Just like "Call a spade a spade." So if you call something else, that is a different thing. He's not spiritual master. Just like this is watch. Everybody has called it watch, and if I call it spectacle, then what is the value of my being spiritual master? I'm misleading. (laughter) It is watch, that I must say. So when there is misinterpretation, he's not a bona fide spiritual master. He's not spiritual master, what is called a bona fide. If I want to teach you how to see this watch, I can say that "This is called watch and this is called hand and this is called time indication; this is, this called...," so that is nice. And if I say that "Everybody says it is watch. I say it is spectacle," then what kind of a spiritual master I am? Reject him immediately. That intelligence you must have, who is a pseudo spiritual master or real spiritual master. Otherwise you'll be cheated. And that is being done. Everyone is interpreting in his own way. The Bhagavad-gītā, there are thousands of editions, and they have tried to interpret in their own way, all nonsense. They should be all thrown away.

Lecture to College Students -- Seattle, October 20, 1968, Introduction by Tamala Krsna:

Either you are Christian or either you are Muhammadan, either you are Hindu, this characteristic will go on. Suppose today you are Christian, tomorrow you become Hindu. That service mood, that loving spirit, goes with you, either you become Hindu or Muslim or Christian. Therefore that service spirit and love, the tendency to love and service spirit, is your characteristic, and that is your religion. That is the universal form of religion. You have to apply your natural characteristic in a certain place, where you will be satisfied. Your service spirit is (indistinct). You have to apply your natural characteristic in a certain place, where you will be satisfied. Your service spirit is there, your loving spirit is there, but because it is misplaced, you are not happy, you are frustrated, you are confused. The Bhāgavata gives you indication, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is the first-class system of religion, which trains you to love God. And if you have developed that tendency to the fullest extent, to love God, then you are perfect man. And then you will feel perfection within yourself. Yayātmā suprasīdati. You are hankering after satisfaction, full satisfaction. That full satisfaction can be obtained only when you love God. That is the natural function. It doesn't matter whether you are following Christianism or Hinduism or Muhammadanism. Just try to understand how much you have developed your God consciousness to love God. Then in your any religion is nice, very nice. Otherwise it is simply waste of time. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). After executing your ritualistic performances in particular type of religion throughout the whole life, if you do not see that you have no love for God, then simply you have wasted your time. Śrama eva hi kevalam.

Brandeis University Lecture -- Boston, April 29, 1969:

So the self-realization process is to be achieved by this human form of life. That is... Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is indicating everyone. We are teaching that "Don't spoil your this rare human form of life simply by engaging yourself in the matter of sense gratification." Because sense gratification ample, or sufficient sense gratification opportunity you had even in the hog's life. Because we have migrated, we have evolved from hog's life also. Sometimes we had been a hog or a dog or something like that. Now we have come to this stage of life, this life should not be spoiled like the cats, dogs and hogs. But we should have some restraint and realize ourself. This possibility is there simply by chanting these sixteen words: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is possible. This is practical. Since I came to your country in 1965... Of course, for one year I was traveling here and there, but in 1966 I established first my class in New York at 26 Second Avenue. Then there were many branches now. We have got about sixteen branches all over the country. And these students, they are chanting, and they have taken to the austerity. I don't accept any cheap student or cheap disciple. My first condition is that there is no illicit sex life, there is no intoxication, there is no gambling, and there is no meat-eating. These four principles are there, but all my students in these twenty, about sixteen centers—one in London, one in Germany—but you will be surprised that all these boys and girls, they have taken to this austerity very seriously. They're not drinking even tea or smoking a cigarette.

Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969:

People are hooked on matter and on their own identity in matter, taking their own identity from their faces, nose, bodies, and immediate physical city-complex around them, and not realizing another, sweeter, deeper but wilder or "transcendental" identity than the identity of the one-dimensional man that Marcuse has talked out. So what we are proposing here is a modern-minded view, or some indications of a modern Western, i.e., gnostic, Marcuse view of Kali-yuga, as applying to our own situation, rather than being an oriental fairy tale. As it stands, I read in the paper today, the prognosis for our... According to U Thant in today's paper, according to the head of the U.N., mankind has only ten years to reverse the political, social, moral, emotional, bhakti course of the planet, and alter our technology, alter our consciousness radically enough to preserve human existence on the planet. (applause) So this is not only the official U.N. pronouncement; it's also the pronouncement of most of the ecologists, biologists, and ecosystemic students of the planet that are presently considering the ecological disruption that we have caused through our greed and destructiveness.

Lecture Excerpt -- Bombay, November 7, 1970:

The first instruction is, the Lord says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). I think I have explained this several times. Again, repeatedly, just like we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa repeatedly. There is no, I mean to say, tiredsomeness. These boys, they can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra twenty-four hours, they will never get tired. They will dance and they will chant. And you also, if you try it you will never get tired. Because it is not material. In the material world if you chant anything, any favorite name for three, four, or ten times, you will get tired. Yes. That's a fact. But because it is not material, if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra you will never get tired. The more you chant, your heart will be cleansed from all material dirty things. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). And the problems of your life within this material world... These are simple words, but it requires lots of explanation. What is the problem of our life? That you do not know. The modern education never gives enlightenment what is the problem of life. That is indicated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that those who are educated, advancing in knowledge, they should know what is the problem of life. The problem of life is, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One should always feel the inconvenience of taking birth, janma; mṛtyu, inconvenience of death; jarā, inconvenience of old age; and inconvenience of disease. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

Lecture Excerpt -- Bombay, November 10, 1970:

Prabhupāda: ...but Vedas indicate that He is the supreme eternal, nityo nityānām. There are many eternals, many millions and trillions of eternals, but He is the supreme eternal. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is the supreme living creature. He is also living. He is not dead.

Devotee: Haribol.

Prabhupāda: If He is not living, how this world is working? We have no eyes to see. Bhagavad-gītā says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "Under My superintendence." Background is God. Under His direction. In the Bible also it is said, "God created this." Yes. That's a fact. Not that there was, there might have been a chunk and it was spread like this and there was sun, there was... No. Actually sa aikṣata. In the Vedas also it is said, sa aikṣata, sa (indistinct). So these are Vedic injunction. But this is fact, God created. So we have to open our eyes to see. That is ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). That is the process of cleansing your heart. If you cleanse your heart, then you will understand what Bible says, what Veda says. It requires to be purified. Just like a man suffering from jaundice, if you give him a piece of candy sugar, "Just taste it," he will say, "Oh, it is very bitter." But candy sugar is bitter? No. It is very sweet. And the medicine for jaundice disease is that sugar, that candy sugar. Modern science also prescribes, and it is prescribed in the Ayur Vedic medicine also. If he takes much quantity of this candy sugar water, then he becomes relieved from jaundice. And when he is relieved, then he says, "Oh, it is very sweet." The same thing. Same thing. So the modern disease of godless civilization, jaundice, can be cured by this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 7, 1971:

So we have to undergo all these processes recommended in the śāstras-yajña-dāna-tapa-kriyā. So this is yajña, saṅkīrtana-yajña. It is recommended in the Vedic literature that in this age, Kali-yuga, the form of the Lord as kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam, that "He is always engaged in describing or glorifying Lord Kṛṣṇa." Who is that? Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the indicated incarnation in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam (SB 11.5.32). You have seen Lord Caitanya's picture. He is always followed by many devotees chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, sāṅgopāṅgāstra pārṣadam, especially His associates Lord Nityānanda, Lord Advaita, and Śrīvas, and Gadādhara. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. These associates, they are Kṛṣṇa-varṇam always. The Lord Himself, Kṛṣṇa, He is always describing about Kṛṣṇa as devotee. He is teaching us how to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Just see how much merciful is Kṛṣṇa upon us. He is coming personally, instructing Bhagavad-gītā, and asking us, "Surrender unto Me. Give up all other business, all other so-called occupations. You surrender unto Me. I shall give you protection from all sinful reactions." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣa..., mā śucaḥ: (BG 18.66) "Don't be worried. I'll take charge of you." But still, we do not surrender unto Him. Still, we say, "Oh, this is too much. Kṛṣṇa is demanding too much from us. No, no. We have many other gods. We can surrender there, or we can do our own business." Therefore Kṛṣṇa again comes as devotee, Lord Caitanya.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 12, 1971:

What is that highest goal of life? The highest goal of life is not to have a skyscraper building constructed in my life or have big balance in the bank. No. That is not highest goal of life. The highest goal of life is indicated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is also statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Persons who are very much attached to the external world, durāśayā bahir-artha... This external world is called bahiraṅgā śakti, the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So here it is just like mirage, just like people...or the not people, animal, running after water in the desert. In the desert, there is some reflection of heat, and the animals think there is water. And they run after water, the water also going ahead and the animal also going ahead. In this way, when he is too much tired, he falls down and dies. Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayam.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 13, 1971:

Cripple-minded man thinks in terms of personal interest or society's interest or community's interest, nation's interest, or international interest. Even international interest is cripple-minded, because there are many planets. If we expand ourself from self-interest to family interest, from family interest to community interest, similarly, even you expand to the international interest, it is imperfect unless your interest is expanded up to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the Vedic injunction in the Ṛg Veda, oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Those who are advanced in knowledge, their aim is, their interest is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu. Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. But people do not know what is his self-interest. That is indicated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇu. Everyone should be self-interest. But in this material world, being illusioned, being bewildered by the material energy, we are thinking our self-interest in terms of our particular type of education. Somebody is thinking that "Simply I have to maintain my body somehow or other." Little expanded, thinking interest of society, you go on. But they do not know that the self-interest must expand to Lord Viṣṇu. And that is explained by Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 13, 1971:

Priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt, viṣṇoḥ, viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam. Our self-interest must reach up to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. That is perfection. Otherwise whatever interest we create, that is temporary interest and it will be finished and I shall create another interest. That knowledge is lacking in the modern civilization. We are interested in nationalism. That is very good. But we do not know what nationalism was in my past life and what nationalism will be there in my next life. That we do not. Therefore, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that interest should be to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu as it is indicated, directed by the Vedas, tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. Unfortunately, somehow or other we have forgotten that interest. That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, anādi bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela ataeva māyā tāra golay badhila(?). We do not know when we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, our self-interest. And because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, therefore māyā, the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa, has caught up us. Ataeva māyā tāra golay badhila(?).

Lecture -- Delhi, December 13, 1971:

Nara-Nārāyaṇa: I think people will argue that just because a child develops to a certain stage, what is the indication that he will develop after that stage? In other words, if I go from birth, youth, old age, then what is to say that I am again going to youth? They will say, "What is that logic? How I will go again to youth? Simply I will go again and vanish away," or something like that. They do not know...

Prabhupāda: No, that example is given. Just like this garment I am using. So when it becomes too old torn or something, so I will throw it away. I take another. What is the difficulty? When this body I am growing or changing, whatever the Christians say, but when it is no more workable, I give it up. I take another. What is the difficulty?

Nara-Nārāyaṇa: The materialistic man will think, "Well, I am voluntarily giving up my clothing, but I'm involuntarily giving up my body."

Prabhupāda: Voluntarily, involuntarily, that is another thing. Just like a child does not know that his coat is useless, but mother comes and changes the garment. So it is changing, that's a fact. It doesn't matter whether you are changing voluntarily or involuntarily, that is not very important thing. You are changing, that's a fact. Yes?

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

So this bhagavata dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is started to educate people for enjoying satyānanda, satyānanda. At the present moment we have no information what is the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is described in the Vedānta-sūtra as janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra begins with this sūtra, that "Now this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth and my relationship with Him." That is the human mission. The dogs and hogs, they cannot understand what is the aim of life, but in the human form of life we can understand that this form of life is especially meant for understanding the Absolute Truth, or Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Absolute Truth means the Supreme. In the Brahma-sūtra it is indicated that the human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. We have to inquire about the Absolute Truth. That is human form of life, not to waste our time simply going to the market and inquire, "What is the rate of rice and what is the rate of dahl?" That should go on, but along with it there should be inquiry what is the Absolute Truth and what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. That is beginning of human form of life. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. The foolish persons, foolish living entities, abodha-jāto... All of us, we are born ignorant; otherwise why we are sent to a school? Why the children are sent to a school? Because they're abodha-jāto. By birth they are all śūdras, abodha.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa never meant jñāna-yoga or dhyāna-yoga or karma-yoga process. He especially meant that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you have to accept this bhakti-yoga process. There are many thousands of yogic processes, but if you want to know Kṛṣṇa, if you want to know God, then you have to take to this bhakti-yoga process.

That is also indicated by Arjuna. When Arjuna was being advised, he was assured that... Why Kṛṣṇa was advising about Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna? He was a gṛhastha, householder, a kṣatriya, fighter, warrior. He was not a Vedāntist, neither he had any time to study Vedas. He was a gṛhastha. Study of Vedas is the business of the brāhmaṇas. So he was not a brāhmaṇa. But still, Kṛṣṇa said that "Still, I am instructing you this Bhagavad-gītā, rahasyam etad uttamam. The most confidential, secrecy, mystery of Bhagavad-gītā is difficult to understand, but I am instructing you." "Why? Why You have selected me?" Bhakto 'si: "Because you are My devotee." This is the only qualification to understand Bhagavad-gītā.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972:

We living entities... We are all souls, living entities; similarly, God is also a living entity. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He's the supreme living entity. Just like we have got leader—in every society, in every country. Just like in our country we have got the president, the chief Indian. Or in America, Mr. Nixon, the chief Indian, uh, chief American. Similarly, there must be one chief, leader of the whole creation, and that is Kṛṣṇa. There must be. By logical conclusion, there must be a leader. That is... That indication we get from Bhagavad, yes, Vedas, Kaṭhopaniṣad: nityo nityānām. Who is God? God means the chief of all living entities. It is not very difficult to understand. Just like in order to manage the whole government, we require a chief man. In order to manage a big establishment, we require a chief man. So why not this cosmic manifestation, the whole cosmic, cosmology. Why not a chief person? That we do not know. Still, we are passing on as advancement of education.

Subha Vilasa Home Engagement -- Toronto, June 19, 1976:

So the material world is a very dangerous place. The living beings within the material world are kṣatram. They do not know the purpose of life. They are simply interested in their own advancement, somehow or other. So they engage in all kinds of destructive activities which cause harm to themselves and to others. So this is the condition of the material world. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda has stated that this is no place for a gentleman. In the material world everyone is, just as we are observing... I was visiting the Kṛṣṇa consciousness farm in British Columbia, and on the road we were passing large herds of beef cows. We were discussing that the farmer thinks of these cows not as spirit souls but as commodities. He simply puts them in a field to eat, and when they get big enough, kills them and takes the money for his enjoyment. He doesn't see that these are living entities, spirit souls. So this activity of the human beings, killing the cows, helpless cows by the thousands daily, is causing the..., or is an indication that there is no merciful quality in the human beings. They are simply interested in their own aggrandizement and welfare. If they don't surrender to Kṛṣṇa, that is the only alternative.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Śyāmasundara: Monad is very vague. It means a small unit of oneness or unity, which is the substance behind everything else, even the atom.

Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is fully independent.

Śyāmasundara: He says, for instance, that a monad changes its appearance according to its desires.

Prabhupāda: That indication is for the soul. But Kṛṣṇa is not that. Kṛṣṇa is kuta; means he does not change.

Śyāmasundara: He says just like this thing, (holding up an object) it will change to another thing, to another thing, to another thing, depending on its desire, which impels it to change. He says that even behind some object there is some ability to change.

Prabhupāda: That I have already said. Just like Kṛṣṇa, first of all He created the whole total cosmic energy, and then, by His plan, by His devices, He divides into so many things, changes, parts and parts and parts. It can be taken in that way. The material changes are going on according to the will of God, or Kṛṣṇa. Is that clear?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. He says that each monad is like all of the others. They are identical, so that to know one is to know all, to know the whole world.

Prabhupāda: This individual monads can be taken as soul?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. And he sees soul even in matter.

Prabhupāda: Yes. If Kṛṣṇa is there, there is Supersoul.

Śyāmasundara: So he would say that each particle of Supersoul or each monad is self-contained, that there is no loss of gain of force.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Eternal.

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Devotee: There's one verse in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that explains that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna after Kṛṣṇa left the earth, returned to the spiritual sky in this same body. Does that indicate that their bodies were so spiritual from spiritual activities that they no longer were material bodies?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, that is possible. Now, let us talk of this philosopher. If you bring so many questions then we cannot do it.

Śyāmasundara: His idea was that the truth is in the sum of all moments, he called the organic theory of truth. The truth is not static or composed of isolated segments or parts, but it is the sum total of everything and it is constantly changing. So he says that these phenomena or facts of nature or these moments, they are progressing in an evolutionary process according to a course which is prescribed by a universal reason or the world spirit, weltgeist. That the world spirit is unfolding itself through phenomenal events.

Prabhupāda: That means... This is another nonsense proposition. According to the universal reason. So wherefrom the reason comes unless there is a person? That he does not know.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Śyāmasundara: Well, just like the frog may lay millions of eggs. Out of all those millions of eggs, a few—three, four—may survive. That means those who were the fittest, by chance they happened to be best fitted to survive. Otherwise too many frogs...

Prabhupāda: If I say that frogs or many others animals lay eggs, millions... Just like the snake. They give birth to so many hundreds and thousands of snakes at a time. So, if so many snakes are allowed to exist, then there will be disturbance. Therefore the nature's law is that the big snake eats up the small, small snakes. That is nature's law. But behind this nature's law there is brain. That is our proposition: that nature's law is not blind. There is brain, and that brain is God. We get it from Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). So whatever things are happening in the material nature, it is being done by the indication of the Supreme Lord in order to maintain everything in order. Just like the snake is laying eggs, thousands. If they are not killed, then the whole world will be full of snakes only. So there is a plan that the snakes will eat. Just like tiger. Tiger, they also have their cubs, but the male tiger kills them and the female tiger hides them. So many tigers are coming out. So that is another economic Malthus theory that whenever there is large number of population there must be some war, some epidemic, some earthquake, like that. They should die. So these natural activities are planned; they are not chance. As he is saying, "chance," that means he has no sufficient knowledge.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: The soul moves.

Hayagrīva: ...bacteria for instance, or an ant.

Prabhupāda: So ant moves because there is soul; the bacteria moves there because there is soul. Similarly, the man moves because there is soul. An animal moves because there is soul.

Hayagrīva: And every soul is immortal.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: So that's all, on Darwin. (break) This is an appendix to the Darwin. In 1925 the Tennessee legislature passed the Butler Act, forbidding the teaching of Darwinism, Darwinian evolution, in the public schools of that state. In May, John Thomas Scopes, a science teacher at Dayton High School, consented to be the defendant in a court test of the law. He was arrested and indicted by a Grand Jury and stood trial on July 1925.

Prabhupāda: Why he was arrested?

Hayagrīva: For teaching Darwinism. For teaching that man descended from the apes.

Prabhupāda: So he was teaching, and the government arrested him?

Hayagrīva: The government, the American government, arrested, yes.

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Śyāmasundara: No. God is... God is good...

Prabhupāda: God is good in all conditions, or God is good when Stuart Mill accepts? What is the position of God?

Śyāmasundara: He says that the presence of evil indicates that if God were everything, that He would be not so good.

Prabhupāda: Why? Therefore God has to depend on the free will or on the opinion of Mr. Mill? Is that? He says that God is not so good. God is good, but not so good because he does not approve all of His activities.

Śyāmasundara: No. He says that God is good, but He is limited in His power; otherwise everything would be good.

Prabhupāda: How nonsense he is! And he is philosopher. He is making God limited, and he is philosopher. Just see.

Śyāmasundara: He says if God were good then everything would be good.

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

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Śyāmasundara: So religion is not just a police force for keeping people in illusion.

Prabhupāda: He does not know what is religion. He does not know, and he is trying to define religion. He does not know. I have defined already religion. Religion is the service spirit. That is religion. Now, real religion is the service... Everyone is engaged in giving service, but he does not know where his service will be successful. That he does not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives us indication that "You serve Me and your service spirit will be successful." That is religion.

Indian man: Sir, we see that Dr. Stanley Johnson... He is my friend. He said he was traveling in Moscow. One lady got in the train, and she told him, "You look religious. You must very rich also." No. "Sir, you look religious, so you must be very rich." He said, "Why? Why do I look rich?" Because they have the idea that only rich men can think of religion.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. That's their whole idea.

Prabhupāda: That means foolish, all set of foolish rascals, that's all. From his talking we can understand. He is the leader. So he is a big foolish man, and his followers must be all fools. That's all.

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Hayagrīva: But it's ambiguous in this way. It says, "Outside the enactment of duty we can not know anything else of God."

Prabhupāda: So what is that, I am asking, what is your duty? We have got definite duty. We divide the whole human society into division. That is called varṇāśrama-dharma. Socially, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and spiritually, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Now the..., it is so that whatever you are doing, you must do it in one of these eight principles. So there are eight principles; there are duties. So if you act accordingly to the position, say gṛhastha, you have got a position, or a sannyāsa, you have got a position So sannyāsī means this; gṛhastha means this. So if you follow that principle, then you are doing duty. But if you have no standing, then what is your duty? That is very common sense. If you go to work in a big office, so the master of the office gives you duty, "You do this. You are dispatcher." Or "You are clerk, you are this, you are...," then it is duty. And the, if you engage, go to the office, now "Simply let me do my duty," so "What is my duty? Shall I sit down on the clerk's bench or on the superintendent bench, or on the What is my duty?" Duty must be given, that "This is your duty." Where is that indication?

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Hobbes:

Hayagrīva: Hobbes compares man to a machine ultimately made by God, but he does not see this machine as controlled directly by God but by the Leviathan, by the, by the king, the ruler.

Prabhupāda: No. God is situated in everyone's heart, and He is seeing every minute action of the soul—what he is desiring, how he is manipulating the machine. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Specifically it is indicated that God is situated in the heart of the living being and He is observing what he desires. So according to his desire, God is so kind He is supplying a machine. If he wants to enjoy this material world as a human being, God gives him opportunity to become a human being, and if he wants to enjoy this material world as a dog, He gives him the body of a dog. If he wants to enjoy as a hog, He gives the body of a hog. If he wants to enjoy as demigod, He gives him the body. So this is God's mercy. So long the individual living being wants to enjoy this material world, so according to his eagerness to enjoy in that way, He gives the facility, and that facility is the particular body. This body is material. It is supplied by the material nature, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). The machine is made by the material ingredients, upon the order of Kṛṣṇa, or God, for the enjoyment of the living entity. So he sits in that machine and travels. Just like we have got a car, we can travel, similarly we get particular machine and we travel in some species of life in some planet. There are innumerable planets, and 8,000,000 species of life. So according to the contact with material nature, the living entity is desiring something, and God is so merciful that He is giving him facility. But actually, because God is friend, when he is prepared to understand from God how he will be happy, He says that "You give up all this nonsense plan. You just surrender unto Me." Then he is perfect.

Philosophy Discussion on Blaise Pascal:

Hayagrīva: Of all things in the world, Pascal considered this to be the strangest. He says, "A man spends many days and nights in rage and despair over the loss of his job or for some imaginary insult to his honor, yet he does not consider with anxiety and emotion that he will lose everything by death. It is a monstrous thing to see in the same heart and at the same time this sensibility to trifles and this strange insensibility to the greatest objects—death. It is an incomprehensible enchantment and a supernatural slumber, which indicates as its cause an all-powerful force," such as māyā.

Prabhupāda: This is, this is instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, that one who does not believe in God or disobeys the orders of God, a day will come when God will come as death, and his all power, all false prestige, all imagination, all plans will be all broken. Then after that, according to the transmigration of the soul, that person, because he did not obey the orders of God, he acted like animals, he gets the body of an animal. This is transmigration. And he suffers.

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Hayagrīva: But you shouldn't think of Kṛṣṇa in any..., in another way, for instance a palm tree or...

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) Then He is giving indication that "Amongst the trees I am this." So you take it.

Hayagrīva: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Just like Kṛṣṇa said, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). He said that "I am the taste of the water." So you are drinking water always. The taste which quenches your thirst and you feel satisfaction, that is Kṛṣṇa. Now if you follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction, "Now I am drinking water. Now I am feeling satisfaction. Now this satisfaction is Kṛṣṇa," then you remember Him.

Hayagrīva: Hegel mistook this for pantheism.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Hayagrīva: Hegel mistook this for pantheism.

Prabhupāda: He has mistaken in so many ways. (Sanskrit) Just like our... Not Pradyumna. If somebody has boils all over the body, then where it will be operated? Better kill this body. (laughing) So he has got so many boils, this Hegel and Segel, all, because they are speculators. They have no definite knowledge. Speculators cannot have definite knowledge. Therefore our Professor Dimmock has said, "Here is definite definition of Gītā." What is that? Just see. Then it is so. He has appreciated it.

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Henry Huxley:

Hayagrīva: Huxley did appear to have..., to adhere to the doctrine of transmigration. He says, "The doctrine of transmigration constructs a plausible indication of the ways of the cosmos to man. Every sentient being is reaping as it has sown, if not in this life then in one or other of the infinite series of antecedent existences of which it is the latest turn." In Evolution and Ethics he writes about brahman and ātmān and liberation. He says, "The earlier forms of Indian philosophy agreed with those prevalent in our times, and supposing the existence of a permanent reality or substance beneath the shifting series of phenomena, whether of matter or of mind, the substance of the cosmos was brahman, that of individual man ātmān, and the latter, that is ātmān, was separated from brahman only by its..."

Prabhupāda: That is also not. He is not separated. He is, brahman and ātmān, they are existing, co-existing, and that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā in the chapter "Kṣetra and Kṣetrajña." The body is the field, and the ātmā, individual soul, is the owner of the field or the worker in the field. So it is also said there is another owner, kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ vidhi. As the individual is working in the body, similarly, there is another soul working in the body. So what is the difference between the two? The two is different that the individual soul knows only about his own body, but the other soul, Supersoul, He knows everything of every body. That is the difference. I know the pains and pleasure of my body. I do not know the pains and pleasure of your body. But this Supersoul, He knows the pains and pleasure of this body, of that body, of millions and millions of bodies. That is the difference between the two souls. But the two souls are there. One is called Supersoul, paramātmā, and the individual soul is called ātmā. So ātmā and paramātmā are there. The difference between them is that ātmā knows about his own body and the paramātmā knows everything of all bodies. That is the difference.