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Influential (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

Now this bhagavān, you have heard, many times I have explained, bhaga. Bhaga means opulence. There are six kinds of opulences. What is that? Wealth, and then influence, strength, reputation and knowledge, beauty and renunciation. Is it not six? If a man is wealthy, very rich, just like in your country Rockefeller, Ford, there are many rich men in your, the..., your country is very rich. So if one is very rich he is called opulent. If a man is very reputed, famous man, he is also opulent. If a man is very influential, he is also opulent. If a man is very strong... Now the strong man, formerly strong men had request, ahh, respect. All the kings, they were respected on their personal strength. They used to..., they had to fight with the opponents. So that is also opulence. Then beauty. A very beautiful man or woman, that is also opulence. And wise, very learned, wise man, that is also opulence—scientist, philosopher, mathematician. So they are also opulent. And renouncer. Renouncer, that one who give up everything, he has everything in his possession, but he disposes himself, that is called renunciation. Just like king, Mahārāja Bharata, under whose name India is called Bhārata-varṣa. He was the emperor of the world, but at the age of twenty-four years only he gave up everything—his young wife, young children. Lord Buddha, Lord Buddha was prince, but very young boy, at the age of twenty years or something like that, he gave up everything, his father's kingdom. This is called renunciation. At the present moment (chuckles) hardly there is any sense of renunciation, but formerly there were many kings, many princes who renounced everything for spiritual advancement. So these six principles are called bhaga.

Lecture on BG 1.24-25 -- London, July 20, 1973:

This is guru. Guru means he'll always enlighten the disciple with the light of śāstra. Not that he will say, "There is no need of śāstra. I am incarnation. I, whatever speak, you take it." No. This is rascal. You should immediately, who has no reference to the śāstra, immediately take him as a rascal number one. This is the conclusion.

So here is śāstra, Bhagavad-gītā. Hṛṣīkeśa. We have already explained one day. Here also, again we are explaining. Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is there. He never leaves from Vṛndāvana. He is there. Why? Here also. Just like we see, a very rich man, a very influential man, the president, he lives in his... The Queen, she is in the Buckingham Palace. But she cannot go at the same time anywhere and everywhere. No. She is in, packed up in Buckingham Palace. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Therefore He is Hṛṣīkeśa. Try to understand the distinction between Kṛṣṇa and others. Kṛṣṇa is goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Ātma-bhūta. This ātma-bhūta is Hṛṣīkeśa. He is giving intelligence. The more you become purified, the more you get direct instruction from Hṛṣīkeśa. This is the point. So how you can become purified? Purified means no more influenced by the modes of material nature. That is explained: guḍākeśa. Guḍāka īśa. Guḍāka means darkness, and īśa. When you become master of this material world, or material senses. This material world means material senses. That's all. So if you become master of the material senses, then you become guḍākeśa. Therefore Arjuna is described here as guḍākeśa. Arjuna... Don't take Arjuna that he was mistaken. No, he cannot be. How he can be? He is constantly with Kṛṣṇa. How he can be misdirected? No. That is not possible. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama māyā andhakāra (CC Madhya 22.31). So guḍāka means darkness, māyā. So kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama māyā andhakāra. The darkness and light is there always, side by side. We have got experience. Here is sunlight, here is darkness. So these two things are there. So kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama māyā andhakāra, yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, there is no jurisdiction of darkness or māyā.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975:

All the planets, they are moving, rotating on the heat of the sun, heat and light, and they are working on the light of the sun. Sun is so important. Everything is described in the Vedic literature. So that sun also—working under somebody's direction. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. The sun is rotating in the orbit at the speed of sixteen thousand miles per second by the order of somebody. That is Govinda. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **.

So this is knowledge. This is knowledge. So the Supreme Person is Bhagavān. Bhaga means six kinds of opulences: the richest, the most powerful, the wisest, the most beautiful, and the most influential, and the most renounced at the same time. Just like this whole cosmic manifestation is created by the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but you will not find him here. Disinterested. Many millions of universes are working by His will, but He is not interested. The example is just like a big capitalist. He has got many factories, and if you go to the factory—there is a Tata factory, iron factory—you will find huge factories going on, but Mr. Tata is not there. Things are going on. Similarly, all cosmic manifestation going on, it is under the will of Kṛṣṇa. But He is not present here. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni: (BG 9.4) "Everything is resting on Me." Any factory, every worker knows that the whole factory function resting on that supreme person. He knows that. So actually fact is that mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni nāhaṁ teṣu avasthitaḥ: "But I am not there. I am not there." Similarly, Bhagavān means that. Under His will, under His power, everything is working so nicely, systematically, but if you want to see God, Kṛṣṇa, you cannot see Him. He is not there. He is in Goloka Vṛndāvana, but His influence is so extensi

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Bombay, March 21, 1974:

So we are beginning today speaking on Bhagavad-gītā, the preliminary scientific study of this science of Godhead. Bhagavad-gītā means Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhagavān means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhaga, we generally know, bhāgya, opulence, fortune, a man is called bhāgyavān. This bhāgyavān word comes from the word bhaga, Bhagavān. Bhaga means opulence, six kinds of opulences: wealth, strength, influence, education, wisdom, beauty, and renunciation. These are opulences. If a man is wealthy, he's attractive. He attracts. Any man, very wealthy, he attracts. Similarly, if he's very strong, if he's very influential, if he's very learned, wise, if he's very beautiful... He or she, it doesn't matter. Or if he's a great renouncer, one who has renounced everything for public benefit, naturally we have got attraction. So in this material world we find some wealthy man, some rich man, some strong man, some beautiful man, some wise man, one renounced man, but they are only fragmental. Fragmental, very small quantity. Any man... You can take a rich man. He may be very rich man, but, in comparison to the other persons in the material world, but nobody can claim that "I am the richest man." No. That is not possible. Nobody can claim. "I am the wisest man," nobody can claim. "I am the strongest man," that is also, nobody can claim. However one strong may be, he is under the rules and regulation and material nature. He cannot go beyond that. Therefore you cannot find Bhagavān, or the Supreme Person, possessing all these opulences. That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Bombay, March 21, 1974:

There are ten, one million types of birds. Similarly, three million types of animals, and four hundred thousand different types of humankind. Everything is exactly calculated. That is called Vedic knowledge. Because it is... How the perfection of knowledge comes? Here it is said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa says. Aham avyayam. The knowledge is perfect. Avyayam. Avyayam means "that cannot be diverse or deviated." Perfect. Avyayam. Without any deviation. Therefore if you want to know perfect knowledge, then you have to hear from Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān means the most powerful, most influential, the supreme wise, most beautiful, most learned, most renouncer. Just see Bhagavān's renouncement. If we construct a building, how much attached we become to that building. But Kṛṣṇa has constructed this whole universe. Whole universe means... We have no idea what is the universe. We have no idea what is this planet. We are trying to go to the moon planet. We have no exact idea even of the moon planet. And there are innumerable planets. Vasudhā. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣu vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). Each planet is of different type, different climate, different facilities, different standard of life. And there are ananta, innumerable planets. You cannot count even. So this is only one universe, and there are millions of universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). So Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, is creator of these all universes. Still, He does not come here. He comes occasionally. But He does not claim. You utilize. He has given to you. "You living entities, you wanted to enjoy this material world. All right, I give you. Enjoy." Beginning from Brahmā, down to the ant, they're enjoying, and they're creating their own karma-phala. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). And because he's creating his karma-phala, he's getting another body. Sometimes the ant's body, sometimes Brahmā's body, sometimes cat's body, sometimes American body, sometimes Indian body, sometimes monkey's body. In this way, we are wandering all over the universes. This is

Lecture on BG 6.2-5 -- Los Angeles, February 14, 1969:

Darkness can be eradicated by light, but light cannot be covered by darkness. Suppose you are in a dark room. You bring one lamp. The darkness over. But you take something dark and go to the sunlight, it will fade away. So kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama māyā haya andhakāra. Kṛṣṇa is just like sunlight. And māyā is just like darkness. So what darkness will do in sunlight? You keep yourself in sunlight. Darkness will fail to act upon you. This is the whole philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Keep always yourself engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities. Māyā will not be able to touch you. Because there is no possibility of darkness becoming influential in light. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That when Vyāsadeva, under the instruction of his spiritual master, Nārada, by bhakti-yoga: bhakti-yogena praṇihite samyak, praṇihite 'male. Bhakti-yogena manasi (SB 1.7.4). The same, mind, manasi means mind. When enlightened by bhakti-yoga, bhakti-light, bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite amale. When the mind becomes completely freed from all contamination. That can be done by bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite 'male apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. He saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. And he saw this māyā just on the background. Apāśrayam. Light and darkness, along with, just like here is light. There is darkness also here, little darkness. So darkness remains under the shelter of light. But light does not remain under the shelter of darkness. So Vyāsadeva saw Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, and this māyā, darkness, apāśrayam, just under His shelter.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

So in reply to that mode of yoga, Kṛṣṇa is directly speaking here: mayy āsakta-manāḥ. If you try to concentrate your mind on the form of Kṛṣṇa, so beautiful... He's enjoying with Rādhārāṇī and His associates. Then, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogam, if you practice this yoga, mad-āśrayaḥ, yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ... You have to practice this yoga, at the same time, you have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Mad-āśrayaḥ. Āśrayaḥ means "under My protection." This is called surrender. If you go to a friend in a difficult position and you surrender to your friend, "My dear friend, you are so great, so powerful, so influential. I am in this great danger. So I surrender unto you. You please give me protection..." So you can do that to Kṛṣṇa. Here in the material world, if you surrender to a person, however very big he may be, he may refuse. He may say, "Well, I am unable to give you protection." That is the natural reply. If you are in danger and if you go even to your intimate friend, "Please give me protection," he will hesitate, because his power is very limited. He'll first of all think that "If I give protection to this person, whether my interest will not be jeopardized?" He'll think like that, because his potency is limited. But Kṛṣṇa is so nice that He's so powerful, He's so opulent... He declares in the Bhagavad-gītā, everyone, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You leave aside everything. You simply surrender unto Me." And what is the result? The result is ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "I shall get you released from all kinds of reaction of your sinful life."

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:

Bhagavān. There is definition of Bhagavān. Not that any rascal advertises himself Bhagavān and he becomes Bhagavān. No. Parāśara Muni, father of Vyāsadeva, gave us what we mean by Bhagavān. Bhaga means opulence, and vān means one who possesses opulence. Just like we have our practical experience. Anyone who is very rich, he's attractive. He becomes attractive. Many men go to him for some favor. One who is very influential, he becomes very attractive. One who is very famous, he becomes attractive. One who is very learned, wise, he becomes attractive. One who is very wise, he becomes attractive. And one who is in the renounced order of life Renounced order of life means one who possesses everything but renounces, does not use it for his personal benefit. Just like a person who is very charitably disposed, he gives everything to the public. He's also very attractive.

So these are six kinds of attraction. So Bhagavān means one who is in full possession of all these attractive features, He's Bhagavān. Not any rascal loitering in the street and becomes Bhagavān. No. That is misleading. We do not know what is meant by the word bhagavān; therefore we accept any rascal as Bhagavān. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Riches. There are many rich men in Bombay city, but nobody can claim that "I am the possessor of all the riches. All the bank money or any money there is in Bombay, that is my money." Nobody can say. But Kṛṣṇa can say. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Samagra riches, not paltry portion of it. Samagra. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. Strength, influence. Vīryasya. Yaśasaḥ, reputation, fame. Just like Kṛṣṇa spoke this Bhagavad-gītā five thousand years ago, but still it is adored all over the world. Not only in India, but all over the world. Bhagavad-gītā is known in any country, irrespective of religion or faith. Everyone, any intelligent man, any scholar, any philosopher reads Bhagavad-gītā. That means Kṛṣṇa is so famous. Everyone knows.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:

In this age it is very difficult to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness. People are so downfallen. But there is only one method: if you can chant the holy name of God it will help you very quickly. So we do not say that, if you think that Kṛṣṇa name is the Hindu name or Indian name, "Why should I chant that?" But if you have got any name, actually must be name of God, not a fiction or an idea. Just like I've already explained this "Kṛṣṇa," Sanskrit word, means "all-attractive." But in the greatest. You say that God is great. Kṛṣṇa means the greatest all-attractive. Unless you become very great, you cannot be attractive. According to our material calculation, if one is very rich, he's attractive. If one is very influential, he's attractive. If one is very wise, he's attractive. If one is very beautiful, he's attractive. In this way, we attract. So God, Kṛṣṇa, has got all the six opulences of attraction; therefore He is called Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:

"With folded hands she is standing at my door, 'What can I do for you?' " Maidservant. So devotee is not after mukti, because they are already muktas. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). He is already nirmala, without a tinge of material motive. Therefore he is able to serve Kṛṣṇa. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate.

So Kṛṣṇa is personally instructing Bhagavad-gītā to understand Him, so we should take advantage of this, otherwise we are missing this opportunity of this human form of life. Kṛṣṇa is not teaching Bhagavad-gītā to some cats and dogs. He is teaching to the most influential person, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. So Bhagavad-gītā is meant for the rājarṣi, very rich, opulent, at the same time saintly person. Formerly all the kings were rājarṣi. Rāja and ṛṣi combined together. So the Bhagavad-gītā is not meant for the loafer class. It is to be understood by the heads of the society: yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). So those who are claiming to be the leaders of the society, they must learn Bhagavad-gītā, how to become practical and actual leader, and then the society will be benefited. And if we follow the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa, then all problems will be solved. It is not a sectarian religious sentiment or fa

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

Bhagavad-gītā is supposed to be spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore it is stated here, bhagavān uvāca. Those who are Sanskrit scholar, they will understand what is meant by the word bhagavān. Bhagavān. Bhaga means opulence, and one who possesses opulences, he is called vān. The vat-pratyaya. From vat-pratyaya, the word comes, vān. So bhagavān means "one who possesses all opulences."

There are six kinds of opulences: wealth, I mean to say, reputation, strength, knowledge, renunciation, beauty. These are called opulences. If one person is very rich, he is opulent, he attracts attention of many persons. Similarly, if one person is very influential, strong, he also attracts. Similarly, if one man is very famous for his activities, he also attracts attention. Similarly, if one man is very beautiful or a woman is very beautiful, he or she attracts attention. If one is very wise, learned, he also attracts attention. These are called six opulences, and these opulences are possessed by us in small quantity. Every one of us may possess some riches, maybe little wise or very... Not very strong, little strong. Little, little quantity of these opulences are there in every person. But when you find a person that nobody possesses more than him all these opulences... The Sanskrit word is asama ūrdhva. Asama means "equally," and asama means "without being equal." And ūrdhva means "above." When you find somebody, above him or equal to him, anyone else is as rich, as famous, as opulent, as wise, as beautiful, that person is called God. This is the definition of God. God is great means nobody is equal to Him, nobody is above Him in any kinds of opulences. That is called bhagavān.

Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:

Bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ viddhi pārtha sanātanam (BG 7.10), buddhir buddhimatām asmi. One who is very intelligent, that intelligence, extraordinary intelligence, must be considered, "Oh, he is Kṛṣṇa." Without being especially favored by Kṛṣṇa, nobody can become extraordinarily intelligent. Anyone... Everyone is trying that "I shall be more intelligent than my friend, my others," but without Kṛṣṇa's, I mean to say, special favor, nobody can become extraordinarily intelligent. Therefore, wherever you find extraordinary intelligence, you should consider, "Oh, there is Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Buddhir buddhimatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham. One who is very influential, that influence is Kṛṣṇa. That influence, that particular influence of a particular man, that is also Kṛṣṇa. Balaṁ balavatāṁ cāham. And one is very strong, stout and strong, that particular strength is also Kṛṣṇa. Just like an elephant is very strong. And more than elephant, the gorilla is still more strong. That strength, wherefrom..., wherefrom he gets strength? Now, suppose I am a human being. I cannot get such strength by my own endeavor, but I can get strength ten thousand times more than the elephant if Kṛṣṇa favors. Therefore strength. Just like Bhīma. Bhīma had strength ten thousand times than an elephant. He was so strong. There is no question of not believing. Because as I find that you are stronger than me and he is stronger than you, oh, similarly, there are many degrees of strength. Now, these degrees of strength is Kṛṣṇa. So you can understand Kṛṣṇa. Without Kṛṣṇa's favor, nobody can be stronger than the others. So balaṁ balavatām asmi.

Lecture on BG 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

Administrator class. Kṣatriya, kṣatriya means those who are in the governmental power. They should be śauryam, very powerful, and very influential. Śauryaṁ tejaḥ. Nowadays, without seeing these qualifications, a third-class, fourth-class man is voted, and therefore we find out that Mr. Nixon, he's attacked now so many... Because he has no kṣatriya qualification. These are the kṣatriya qualification, administrator. Śaucam, śauryaṁ tejo dhṛtiḥ. He must be determined, dākṣyam, he must very expert, yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam, and he should not flee away from fighting. When there is... Nowadays, when there is... the politicians and diplomats, they sit down very safely in their room and poor people, they are, by force, sent to fight. This is not kṣatriya, this is not administration. The kṣatriya is, he must come forward first of all. Then others will follow. Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. And dānam, he must be very charitable. That is another qualification of the administrator. Īśvara-bhāvaś ca, and the governing spirit. These are the kṣātraṁ karma svabhāva-jam. Similarly, this is second class.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Montreal, August 2, 1968:

"How shall I make him happy?" that is also attraction.

So there are two classes of men in this world. One class is trying to serve God, another class is trying to kill God. There is no third division. So those who are trying to kill God, that is an attraction. And those who are trying to serve God, that is also attraction. Therefore God is all-attractive. Just try to understand whether this definition is complete, that Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. Therefore Bhāgavata says, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). There may be many Gods, according to our conception. God means all-powerful, or full of... Our definition, in the Vedic śāstra: God means full of all opulences. There are six kinds of opulences: to become rich, to become very powerful, influential, very much famous, very beautiful, very wise, and very much renounced, unattached. The six kinds of opulences, when they are found in fullness somewhere, that is God. This is the definition of God, these six kinds of opulences.

We have seen many rich men, but if you find out somebody, that nobody is richer than him, then he is God. We have seen many men, wise men, but if you find out somebody—nobody is wiser than him—then he is God. In this way, the six opulences, when they are full represented in one person, he is God. He is Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, He exhibited all these opulences in fullness. Nobody could conquer Him. Nobody was richer than Him. Nobody was beautiful. In the history of the world, you cannot compare with Kṛṣṇa anybody has more rich, more beautiful, more wise, in this way. Therefore, Bhāgavata ascertains, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: "The original Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa." So the Bhāgavata-dharma is: if anyone is taught how to love Kṛṣṇa, that is first-class religion.

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

Just like Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī did. He said, dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya. The preaching method he is teaching. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya. He wrote one book, Caitanya-candrāmṛta, "The Moonlight of Lord Caitanya," in Sanskrit. He belonged to southern India. And his nephew became one of the Gosvāmīs. When Lord Caitanya was staying at his home, he was at that time householder. Later on he took sannyāsa and became Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. At that time Gopāla Bhaṭṭa... Actually, their family title was Bhaṭṭa, Bhaṭṭācārya. Bhaṭṭācārya is given title to the very learned brāhmaṇa. Cakravartī, Bhaṭṭācārya—these are brāhmaṇa's title who are very learned, very influential. So Bhaṭṭācārya. So at that time Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was little boy. So Lord Caitanya stayed with this Veṅkaṭa, Veṅkaṭanātha. His name was Veṅkaṭa. Later on he became Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.

So that boy became influenced and he wanted to go with Lord Caitanya. He was sannyāsī. He was traveling. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised him, that "Your father and mother are still living. So you can come to me later on." He was boy, only sixteen years old. So this boy, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, he, after the death of his father and mother, he went to Lord Caitanya, and He accepted him. And He handed over in charge of Rūpa Gosvāmī, that "You treat this boy as your younger brother." And he also became one of the six Gosvāmīs. The six Gosvāmīs... Rūpa Gosvāmī is the, is the head actually. But Sanātana Gosvāmī being his elder brother, he was treating him as his spiritual master. So Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, and Jīva Gosvāmī. These six Gosvāmīs, they have given immense literature. And all of them established one temple in Vṛndāvana. You have seen, Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja, the Rādhā-Ramaṇa temple. Rādhā-Ramaṇa temple, that is Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī's.

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

Kṛṣṇa said, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā: (BG 4.6) "I am not external energy. I come in My own energy." And the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not understand. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Therefore they have been described as mūḍhāḥ, asses, fools, rascals. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: (BG 9.11) "Because I have come here in the form of a human being, they take it for acceptance that 'Kṛṣṇa is another human being.' " But that is not fact. Here, if one sees Kṛṣṇa through bhakti-yoga as Vyāsadeva saw, bhakti-yogena manasi... (SB 1.7.4). Mind must be saturated with bhakti-yoga. Then you can see the Supreme Person pūrṇam, not affected by māyā. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. And so far māyā is concerned, although māyā is very influential, that's all right... Apāśrayam: standing at the background, cannot come in front. Just like the same example: the darkness cannot come in front of... You stand before, facing your mouth towards the sun. The darkness will be the background, not in front. Similarly, the darkness, māyā, cannot stand before Kṛṣṇa. She is always behind. Māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam.

Now, this māyā, this māyā cannot cover Kṛṣṇa, but we become covered. Therefore in the next verse it is said, yayā sammohito jīvaḥ. That māyā which is so influential that she has extended her influence over all the living entities... Yayā sammohitaḥ, bewildered. We living entities, we are bewildered. So especially those who have not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are bewildered. They are thinking this material world is everything. And therefore they have got some problem, simply problem. He was thinking, that gentleman was thinking, "How this economic problem...?" Because he was in māyā. But had he been in bhakti-yoga, then he could understand there is no problem at all.

Lecture on SB 1.8.29 -- Mayapura, October 9, 1974:

Now, because these people are misusing these four material gains simply for sense gratification, māyā-sukhāya..." Māyā-sukhāya means sense gratification. Māyā... "They should be delivered from these clutches of māyā, and they should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is preaching. Preaching is required. That is the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, certainly He took His birth here, but He did not remain here. He did not remain here. He could have remained here very easily. His influence was very great. He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita, very learned scholar. Everyone knew. And He was very respectful. Otherwise, how He could gather 100,000 people in one day to go to the Kazi's house? That means He was very influential. But still, He... There was good wife, young wife, most affectionate mother. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu could stay at His birthplace very nicely without any difficulty. And what will be difficulty? He's Kṛṣṇa Himself, Nārāyaṇa Himself. And there was Lakṣmī. But still, to show the example personally, āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikhāya, He left home, He took sannyāsa, and He preached.

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

That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). This material life means sex life. So a man is searching after woman, and woman is searching after man. This is material bondage. This is natural not only human society—in dog society. Just see. The dog is crying, is crying at night because he has lost that woman. Is it not? Just see, even in the dog, what to speak of human being. So this is material life, to be affectionate unnecessarily. Therefore devotional service means vairāgya-vidyā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed by His example how He gave up the affection of young, beautiful wife, very nice home, most affectionate mother, most influential position in the society—gave up.

So this is the..., people do not know what is devotional service. Devotional service means... Just like Kuntī was praying, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, kindly help me how can I give up this affection of my family, the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis." This is required. This is the first sacrifice, not prākṛtena vaśaṁ gataḥ. Then it is... Actually, the perfection of life is no more affection for anything material: brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). That is the beginning, when we have lost complete affection for... We are not cruel; that is not another... But we know, we should know, that this is not required. This is simply moha. This is simply moha. This is illusion. It has no meaning. It is simply entanglement. That one must know. That is called vairāgya. Vairāgya-vidyā. Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya wrote hundred verses appreciating Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, of which two verses are available, because when he sent the hundred verses glorifying Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He immediately torn the papers, but the devotees collected the torn papers and saved one or two ślokas.

Lecture on SB 1.16.2 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1973:

Pradyumna: "...to kill the race of serpents including the takṣaka, which had bitten his father to death. On request from many influential demigods and sages, he had to change his decision to kill the race of snakes."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Although he was determined to kill, so he was requested by many demigods, saintly persons, "Just for one snake's fault... That was also destination, destined. You cannot kill all the species of snake." Then it was stopped. Then?

Pradyumna: "But despite stopping the sacrifice, he satisfied everyone concerned in the sacrifice by rewarding them properly, and stopping further procedure of the sacrifice. In the ceremony, Mahāmuni Vyāsadeva also was present, and he personally narrated the history of the Battle of Kurukṣetra before the king. Later on, by the order of Vyāsadeva, his disciple Vaiśampāyana narrated before the king the subject matter of Mahābhārata. He was much affected by his great father's untimely death and was very anxious to see him again, and he expressed his desire before the great sage Vyāsadeva. And Vyāsadeva also fulfilled his desire. His father was present before him and he worshiped both his father and Vyāsadeva with great respect and pomp. Being fully satisfied, he made charities most munificently to the brāhmaṇas present in the sacrifice."

Prabhupāda: You can read another verse.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1-3 -- Los Angeles, May 22, 1972:

These are the conception of the materialistic person, that "If I can see a grandson of a grandson, then my life is successful." (laughter) And he's working hard for that purpose. They are called prajā-kāmaḥ. Prajā means many sons in the family. That is considered very aristocrat. Prajā-kāmaḥ prajāpatīn. Devīṁ māyāṁ tu śrī-kāmaḥ. Śrī means beauty. If you want to become very beautiful, either man or woman, then you worship Durgā. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktiḥ.

Tejas-kāmo vibhāvasum. Vibhāvasum. There are Vasus, eight kinds of Vasus. So you can worship one of the Vasus. If you want to be very influential person, like Mr. Nixon, then you worship Vibhāvasum. Vasu-kāmo vasūn rudrān. Vasu means "wealth." If you want wealth, riches. So list is there, but Kṛṣṇa says, "This will not make you happy, My dear friend. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). You kick off all this nonsense! You just surrender unto Me." That is Kṛṣṇa's instruction. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Because He's the Supreme, He's giving supreme advice. But there are other persons. To regulate them... Because... These they are called yajñas. Saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā. There is little touch of devotion, indirectly. Because if you want to worship Indra, you must worship at the same time Nārāyaṇa. That is the system. Nārāyaṇa-śilā will be there. Because the benediction you want from the particular type of demigod, he cannot give independently.

Lecture on SB 2.9.1 -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:

Next moment when the dream is gone, everything is finished. No more tiger, no more jungle, no more... Everything is finished. Similarly, so long this body is continuing, I am thinking, "I am a responsible leader, I am this, I am that." But as soon as this body is finished, oh, these are (indistinct) gone.

Sarva-haraś cāham. The death means... Kṛṣṇa says, "I am death. I take it away, all, everything. Gone." Now just think of our past life. Suppose I was a king or something like that. From Bhṛgu-saṁhitā it was ascertained. They said—I do not know—that I was a big physician in my last life, very spotless character, no sins, like that. He explained me. So it may be. But actually I have no remembrance that I was a physician. So what do we know? I might have been a very big physician, influential physician, having a good practice, but where is all...? All gone. So this situation, our contact with matter, is just like dream. Actually we are not fallen. Therefore, because we are not fallen, at any moment we can revive our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as we understand that, "I have nothing to do with. I am simply Kṛṣṇa's servant. Eternal servant. That's all," immediately he becomes liberated. Exactly like that: as soon as you... Sometimes we do that. When the fearful dreaming becomes too much intolerable, we break the dream. We break the dream when it becomes intolerable. Similarly, we can break this material connection at any moment as soon as we come to the point of Kṛṣṇa conscious. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is my eternal master. I am His servant." That's all. This is the way. Actually we are not fallen. There cannot be any fallen. The same example: Actually there is no tiger; it is dreaming. Similarly, our fallen condition is also dreaming. We are not fallen. We can simply give up that illusory condition at any moment. At any moment. So if you study all these verses very nicely, you get all this knowledge quickly. Now what is the purport? Come on.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

They have got enough money, still, they will hold stock, will not sell, so that people may not get stock and they will be hankering, they will pay any price demanded. These are going on, kāma and lobha. Kāma-lobhādibhiḥ.

So we have to cleanse this heart, the ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). They are doing all these things. These are not good things. Asādhu ayam. Na sādhu manye. These, this is not good for human being. Why it is not good? Because according to your karma you'll get another next life, another next body, and you'll have to suffer. Again you have to suffer. You are already suffering. You may be very rich man, but does it mean that you'll not be diseased, because you are rich man? No. This is suffering. You may be very rich man, very, I mean to say, influential man, prime minister... Even Jawaharlal Nehru-last time he became paralyzed. So you cannot avoid these things. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You should not be puffed-up because you have got some bank balance, you are happy. No. Your real unhappiness—these four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That any intelligent man should always keep in front, that "These are my distresses." These temporary distresses and to relieve it, that is not very good. You must make ultimate finishing of all distresses. That is bhakti-yoga. That is bhakti-yoga. And that bhakti-yoga begins this, by hearing and chanting.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

This is the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that don't try foolishly to speculate about God. Stop this foolishness. The same example: the frog in the well is thinking of the Atlantic Ocean. He has never seen Atlantic Ocean. He's speculating. Some friend told him, "My dear friend, frog in the well, I have seen a vast mass of water." "What is that?" "Now, Atlantic Ocean." "What is that Atlantic Ocean?" "Very great mass of water." "Oh? Bigger than this well? Maybe four feet or ten feet or...?" In this way, if you speculate, you will never understand what is God.

If you want to understand God, then try to understand from God Himself. He knows. Just like if you speculate of a big man, a neighbor, a friend, that "What is his wealth? Oh, he appears to be very rich man and very strong man, very influential man." And these are the opulences: very beautiful, very wise. So you can calculate. But if you make friendship with that gentleman and if he speaks about himself, then you can understand what he is. Then how you can understand God, Kṛṣṇa, by speculation? This is foolishness. Therefore, śāstra advises you that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya: "If you think that you are very learned scholar, you are very advanced in knowledge, and you can manufacture what is God, give up this foolishness first of all. Don't make this foolishness." Jñāne prayāsam. Oh, what is your knowledge? Limited. Kūpa-maṇḍūka, the frog in the well. How you can imagine? Simply by imagination? Is imagination God? Can you create? The Māyāvādīs say that "We can imagine God. God, it is so great that it is not possible to understand the Brahman, but we can imagine some form." This is Māyāvādī philosophy. This imagination will not... You cannot imagine God. God is fact. God is not subjected to your imagination. And your senses are imperfect. How long you will simply speculate? Give up this practice, foolishness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Honolulu, June 8, 1975:

He is unhappy by seeing others unhappy. He has personally no unhappiness, but he is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. All the Vaiṣṇava you will see. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, tyaktvā su-dustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyaṁ, māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam (SB 11.5.34). Caitanya Mahāprabhu was born in a very highly respectable brāhmaṇa family. He was personally very, very beautiful. His name is Gaurasundara. And very learned scholar. At the age of sixteen years He defeated a very learned scholar from Kashmir. So He was very influential. When He was twenty years old the Kazi broke the mṛdaṅga in saṅkīrtana. Kazi means the Mussulman magistrate. And He started the civil disobedience movement and He called for one lakh of men, 100,000 men, to join the saṅkīrtana and go to the Kazi's house. Immediately it was done. Just see how much influential He was. So, so far material condition, He had His very affectionate mother. He was a only son of His mother. All brothers and sister died. And His wife was very Lakṣmī-priya... Lakṣmī-priya died first, then He married, second time, Viṣṇu-priya. So very happy life. But He left. Tyaktvā... surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīm (SB 11.5.34). He was so happy in His family life that even the demigods cannot expect such happiness. Surepsita. Sura means demigods. They had no so much happiness. Tyaktvā, but He gave up. Why? Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvat. He took this mission just to show mercy to the fallen conditioned souls who are suffering in this material world. That was His...

Lecture on SB 6.1.14 -- Bombay, November 10, 1970:

Prabhupāda: What is your question, you can ask now.

Pandiya: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: God, you know the common definition is "God is all-powerful." Mr. Marwar? God is all-powerful.

Guest: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: That all-powerful. Now let us come to our own concept of all-powerfulness. We consider a rich man powerful, influential man powerful. Then a strong man powerful, a man of knowledge powerful. A man that is very beautiful, he is also powerful, or a woman is beautiful, she is powerful—she attracts so many. In this way, when all the six opulences are together in fullness, he is God. Is it clear?

Pandiya: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: God means nobody can be richer than Him, nobody can be stronger than Him, nobody can be more beautiful than Him, nobody can be wiser than Him, and nobody can be influential than Him. That is God. When you find somebody that "Here is the richest man in the whole universe or in the whole creation. Here is the most beautiful man in the whole universe," in this way, when you compare the six opulences, then that you will find in Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa was present He exhibited this practically. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- Vrndavana, December 11, 1975:

This is Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. If you want to get out of this material bondage, vairāgya-vidyā, then learn bhakti-yoga, vairāgya-vidyā. And how to learn? Kṛṣṇa Himself is teaching, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Just see His vairāgya. At home, the most affectionate mother, and the most beautiful young wife, Viṣṇu-priyā—He renounced everything. Tyaktvā su-dustyaja-surepsita-rājya lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam (SB 11.5.34). He became sannyāsa. In full young time, twenty-four years, having nice wife at home, very affectionate mother, they're very, mother end wife, they take care of very nicely. The home appears to be very, very happy home due to mother and due to wife. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu had both of them. Not only that—He was a learned scholar, very influential in Nabadwip. He could gather 100,000 men by His order only. He was so influential and so beautiful, so learned—everything. Su-dustyaja-surepsita-rājya lakṣmīm (SB 11.5.34). His opulence was very, very great, but He gave up. Tyaktvā tūrṇam. Similarly, the Goswamis also gave up their position. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means vairāgya-vidyā: to get detached. Don't increase attachment. Try to decrease attachment, then you'll be successful.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:

"My dear King, will you give Me a little land?" So his spiritual master, he was a demon. He forbade Bali Mahārāja not to promise, because He is Viṣṇu. "He'll take everything from you." That's a nice story. Some of you know how Bali Mahārāja became a great devotee of the Lord. Now here it is stated that mānaṁ janād aviduṣaḥ karuṇo vṛṇīte. Whatever He wants from any person, provided he is a devotee... The Lord does not accept anything from nondevotee. That is clearly stated in Bhagavad-gītā. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26).

Here it is stated, nija-lābha-pūrṇo. He is so opulent that He has no hankering. Complete. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya pūrṇaḥ. He is complete with full six opulences. He is the richest, He is the wisest, He is the most famous, He is the most strong, influential, and renounced order. Everything is complete there. Then why He is asking that patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati? He is so rich, so opulent, still He is begging that "Little flower, a little water, a little fruit, if offered to Me with devotion and love, I accept and eat it." So the real fact is that we have lost our devotion, faith, in God. So He is begging therefore that love and faith. Not your money. Because He is already opulent. What you can give Him? And what belongs to you? Nothing belongs to you. You come from the womb of your mother openhanded, and when you die you go openhanded. So what does it belong to you? Nothing belongs to you. That's a fact. Simply by illusion, you come here for some days and you think, "This is mine." That's all. This is called māyā. Actually, nothing belongs to you.

Lecture on SB 7.9.35 -- Mayapur, March 13, 1976:

"I spoke first of all this science to Vivasvān"? Vivasvān manave prāha... (break) "First of all I spoke this science to the sun god, the chief person in the sun planet." So we cannot accept the so-called scientists' version that there is no life in the sun planet. Everywhere there is: sun planet, moon planet every... In the moon planet al... (break) ...arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ. So many millions of years is equal to twelve hours... (break) Lord Brahmā had to undergo austerity for hundreds of years of his calculation. So not our hundreds of years. Our hundreds of years may be Brahmā's a few hours only. Law of relativity. So Brahmā, even though he is directly born of Viṣṇu, he's not ordinary living be... He's also a living entity like us, but very, very pious. Just like here somebody is very rich, very influential, very beautiful, very learned. These are the results of pious activities, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). If you are pious, then you get good opportunity of taking your birth in good family, aristocratic family, brāhmaṇa family, like that. You become beautiful, become educated. So Brahmā is also a similar living entity, but he's very, very pious. Very very pious. And Brahmā... Brahmā's post is so exalted that when there is no living entity available, then Lord Viṣṇu Himself becomes Brahmā. The post is so important. My point is that although he's so pious, greatly exalted, still, he had to purify himself.

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

If you can practice, it is all right. But there is no need. Simply you hear about Kṛṣṇa. The Bhagavad-gītā... To hear about Kṛṣṇa means the Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, you can hear. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you can hear. And you remain in your position. We don't want to disturb your position. Whatever you are, you remain. But you hear about Kṛṣṇa. Then gradually Kṛṣṇa will be conquered by you. Ajita Allah(?) Kṛṣṇa.

So these things, people think that these riches or yogic power or bodily strength or influence, these are qualification. They are not actually qualification, neither they are disqualification if provided. But the difficulty is, one who is rich, one who is very powerful, one who is very influential, he thinks, "What shall I do by hearing about Kṛṣṇa? I have got everything, I am so powerful, I am so rich." That is the disqualification. If he simply agrees to hear about Kṛṣṇa, then it is all right. We, according to Gosvāmīs, we don't say that riches, wealth, is a disqualification. But it must be engaged in the service of the Lord. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa sambandhe yukta vairāgyam ucyate. Just like Rāmānanda Rāya, he was very rich man, he was governor, but he always engaged himself in Kṛṣṇa's service. He was one of the most confidential servants and devotee of Lord Caitanya. So the conclusion is that richness or aristocracy, they are not qualification and they are not disqualification also, provided we agree to hear about Kṛṣṇa from the right source. This is the conclusion.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

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

"Why we should deny, that 'God is impersonal'? God is person. Kṛṣṇa came." Kṛṣṇa exhibited His godly potencies, energies, when He was present. There is no... In the history you won't find another second person like Kṛṣṇa in the whole history of the world. Apart from other points of view, Bhagavad-gītā, that is admitted, spoken by Kṛṣṇa, such deep, profound knowledge—there is no second imitation or second copy like Bhagavad-gītā in the whole world. That is admitted by all scholars, all religionists. Therefore He is pūrṇa-jñāna, pūrṇa-brahma. Bhagavad-gītā is pūrṇa-jñāna. The Bhagavān's one qualification—He is fully wise. Nobody is wiser than Him. That is one of the qualifications. Nobody is richer than Him, nobody is powerful than Him, nobody is influential than Him, nobody is beautiful than Him, and nobody is renouncer than Him. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya. That will be explained.

So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, admitted by all ācāryas. And on the basis of that authority, we are preaching all over the world that "You are searching after God? Here is God." Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. In the Bhāgavata has given different list of different incarnation of God but ultimately concludes that ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: (SB 1.3.28) "All the incarnations, they are parts or parts of the parts." Aṁśa means part, and kalāḥ means part of the part. "But svayaṁ pūrṇa-bhagavān, ṣoḍaśa-kala pūrṇa, ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa-bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa." That is the verdict all Vedas, all śāstras. So we should also accept in that light. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). And Kṛṣṇa also says personally, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: (BG 10.8) "I am the origin of even Brahma, Śiva, and Viṣṇu also." Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. So from any...

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

So this svābhāvika ākarṣaṇa can be... At the present moment we have no natural attraction for Kṛṣṇa; therefore we must understand by knowledge what is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa tattva vettā. So why one should be attracted to Kṛṣṇa unless Kṛṣṇa has all the attractive features? The attraction... Generally, in this material world we are attracted to a rich man or to a powerful man, man or woman. Just like our Prime Minister, she is woman, but because she is powerful, we are attracted. We talk of her. So the points of attraction are discussed by Parāśara Muni as bhaga. Bhaga means opulence. So these opulences... When one is very rich, he is opulent. One is very powerful, he is attractive. One is very influential, one is very beautiful, one is very highly learned... In this way, attraction. So if we scrutinizingly study the life of Kṛṣṇa, you will find in the history of the world than Kṛṣṇa there was no richer person, no powerful person than Kṛṣṇa, no beautiful person than Kṛṣṇa, more learned and person of knowledge, philosophy than Kṛṣṇa. If you study you'll find everything. The six opulences are fully represented in Kṛṣṇa; therefore He is Bhagavān. Bhaga means opulences, and vān means one who possesses. This is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa, that He is all-attractive because He possesses all the six opulences. This is the description of Kṛṣṇa. So we should not accept anyone and everyone as Bhagavān. We must test whether he has got the six opulences. A person who is begging from door to door, and when there is some bodily pain he immediately goes to the doctor—"Toothache, sir. Please give me medicine," so does it mean that he is Bhagavān? A Bhagavān cannot cure his tooth pain even? This class of Bhagavān we should not accept. Bhagavān is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, asamaurdha. Nobody can be equal to Bhagavān and nobody can be greater than Bhagavān. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says particularly, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya: (CC Madhya 8.128)

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Dallas, March 3, 1975:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to become trained up sufficiently how to enter Kṛṣṇa's great family. In Kṛṣṇa's family there is no sannyāsī. Have you seen, anyone, a sannyāsī in Vṛndāvana? At least in the books? Sannyāsa means to make this material life sannyāsa, finished, "No more this," renounce. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu did. He renounced His material family life. He had very nice wife, young wife, and He was young man, twenty-four years old, and there was a very affectionate mother. He had very good position in the society, Nimāi Paṇḍita. Yesterday you showed one play called Chand Kazi. So He was so influential that simply by His calling, hundreds and thousands of men immediately joined to go to the Chand Kazi's house to perform kīrtana. So just imagine what was His social position, so popular, leader. He had very good position. As a learned scholar, He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Beautiful, very beautiful body, Gaurasundara. Very beautiful wife. Very honored brāhmaṇa, Jagannātha Miśra's son, grandson of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, very social, aristocratic position. But still, He gave up everything. That means that although He had nothing material, but to show us that material things should be renounced, that is sannyāsa; and enter into the spiritual family of Kṛṣṇa. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). He does not become again entangled in these material varieties of life. In material world there is also varieties, but that is false. This morning we were discussing this point, mirage. In the mirage there is a show of false water, and the animal runs after it. But there is no water, and finally he becomes more thirsty, and it is desert; he falls down and dies. So the material world means we are running after false family. But don't think that there is no real family life. There is real family. That is Kṛṣṇa's real family, eternal family, blissful family. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to train up people to be detached from this false family and to enter into the real family. That is the point. Not that if I give up this false family I will become zero. No.

Initiation Lectures

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

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was resident of this place where you are taking sannyāsa. So what was the purpose of His taking sannyāsa? He was very respectable brāhmaṇa, Nimāi Paṇḍita. This tract of land, Navadvīpa, is the place of highly educated brāhmaṇas from time immemorial. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu belonged to a very respectable brāhmaṇa family, the son of Jagannātha Miśra, His grandfather, Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, very respectful, respectable persons. He took birth in that family. Personally He was very beautiful; therefore His another name is Gaurasundara. And He was very learned scholar also; therefore His another name is Nimāi Paṇḍita. So, and in His family life He had very nice, beautiful young wife, Viṣṇupriyā, and very affectionate mother, and He was very influential. You know that. In one day He collected about one hundred thousand followers to protest against the Kazi's order. So in this way His social position was very favorable. Personal position was very favorable. Still, He took sannyāsa, left home. Why? Dayitaye, in order to favor, in order to show mercy to the fallen souls of the world.

General Lectures

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

So bhaga... Bhaga means opulence. And what are the opulences? That also, we can very easily understand. If one man is very rich, we call opulent. If one man is very famous, reputed, he's opulent. If a man is very advanced in learning, in wisdom, he's al... That is also opulence. A scientist, a philosopher... If one is very beautiful, he is also opulent. So there are six kinds of opulences: richness, reputation, strength, influence, beauty, and wisdom. So asamaurdhva, that equality and greatness... When you'll find a certain man is in such a position that nobody is richer than him and nobody is famous, more famous, than him, nobody is more stronger than him, nobody is more influential than him, nobody is more beautiful than him, and nobody is wiser than him—if you find somebody full in six opulences... These are the definition given in Vedic literature.

aiśvaryasya samagrasya
vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
ṣaṇṇāṁ iti bhagaṅ ganā
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

Bhaga, these opulences... So you have to find out. You do not accept any cheap God. You just try to find out whether this man claiming as God has no greater than him and no equal to him. Then he is God. This simple test. Don't accept any bogus, so-called God. Just try to put him to the test whether he is actually God. This is the test, that nobody should be greater than him; nobody shall be equal to him. Then he is God.

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

So how you can find out a person who is the richest man within this..., not within this world, within this universe. It is very difficult. You cannot find out a being who is the most, I mean to say, famous within this universe. We can know. Just like in your country, your President is the most famous man. But in other country there may be another famous man. In other planet there may be another famous man. So you cannot fix up that "Here is the man who is the most famous within this universe, who is the most influential, strong, wise." So therefore, if you try to understand who is God by corroborating the definition of God, it is very difficult to find out. If you travel all... Now you have got sputniks, but you cannot go further than 25,000 miles. But there is no limit even of this material, one universe, and there are innumerable universes. To find out the most important man or living entity within this universe... Of course, from Vedic literature we understand Brahmā is the most, I mean to say, opulent personality within this universe, Brahma. He is called the creator of this universe. But from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we understand that Brahmā is not the ultimate creature. In the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you'll find. It is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The definition of God is given there, and the qualification of God is given there, that He instructed Brahma. Brahmā is calculated to be the prime personality within this universe, but he was also instructed by God. Tene brahma, ādi-kavi. Ādi-kavi. Ādi-kavi means the first man, the first man of knowledge. So you may question that "In the creation, first, there was only one living creature, Brahma. Then where he went to take lessons? Who instructed him? There was no other living creature." That is also another qualification of God. God created. That also you know. You have read in your Bible. God created, but He is not one of the created beings. He created. Therefore, before creation, He was there. It is to be concluded. Before creation of this cosmic manifestation, He was existing. That information you'll have from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), in Vedānta-sūtra, "the original source of all emanation."

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Prabhupāda: He can define, but he must be a very, what is called, sane man to define. The sane man's definition of God is there. Just like everyone says, "God is great." So now if he can define what is the greatness... The greatness, if one man is very rich, we consider him great man. If a man is very wise we call him a great man. If a man is very strong or influential or beautiful... Greatness according to our estimation. So all this greatness must be there in God. God must be the richest, God must be the strongest, God must be the most beautiful, God must be wisest. In this way, six opulences calculated, and when these opulences are in completeness, that is God. So that completeness we find in the history Kṛṣṇa. In the history of humanity it is very easy to find out that when Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, so He proved the strongest, the most influential, the most beautiful, the supreme wise—everything—supreme famous. Kṛṣṇa's fame, fame is still going on. Kṛṣṇa's knowledge, stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, is still being studied all over the world. This is the proof that He is God. And all saintly persons in India, they are not controlled by these foreign Dr. Frogs. So these big, big ācāryas, like Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Śaṅkarācārya, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all big ācāryas, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord. So there is complete uniformity of the authorities in the past, present and future. So here is God. If one cannot accept Him God, then he is insane. With so many evidences, and it is practical. Many evidences when Kṛṣṇa was present He showed; that is history. But these imperfect Dr. Frog, when they see God is doing something uncommon, they take it "Myth, mythology."

Hayagrīva: Now...

Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain:

Śyāmasundara: Today's philosopher is called Jacques Maritain, and he's a French..., contemporary French philosopher, very influential, and he's a religionist. He believes in a personal God.

Prabhupāda: Still living?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. His main philosophy is that existence and essence are both there; that existence is not possible without essence. He defines existence to be..., er, essence to be potential and existence to be the actual. So that a thing, and everything that we can perceive, has both existence and, in other words, potentiality and actuality. For instance, this cup has the potentiality to be something else, to be a piece of metal, but in its actual form it is like this. But it has potentiality to become something else. So he says these two things—the essence and the existence-exist simultaneously.

Prabhupāda: So we agree to this point. Just like soul, at the present moment you have got a certain type of body, human body, but the soul has potentiality to have a spiritual body or a dog's body. Both potentialities are there. So the essential is the soul, and the reality... It is not reality; temporary form in the material body. But the potentiality as the soul has its own spiritual body. When it is uncontaminated by the material contamination, he remains only reality without any so-called actuality or temporary form.

Śyāmasundara: He says that sense activity occurs on an immediate level of experience, without any conscious awareness of itself, but that true knowledge of reality comes through intuition, and that this reality is called being.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975:

So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to teach us how to become detached to this material. That is vairāgya-vidyā. Vidyā means vairāgya-vidyā. Vidyā does not mean to become more and more attached to this material world. That is not... That is avidyā, illusion, because I will not be able to save this body. This body will change. I will be annihilated. But still, I am very much anxious for this body. This is called illusion or ignorance or avidyā. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to teach us vairāgya-vidyā, how to become detached. He personally showed by His life example that... He was very learned scholar in Navadvīpa. His name was Nimāi Paṇḍita, and He was very influential also. He was so influential that simply by His calling, 100,000 people joined Him to show a civil disobedience movement, disobeying the order of the magistrate that "You cannot perform kīrtana." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu organized immediately about one lakh of people and went to perform at the house of the magistrate. The civil disobedience movement, perhaps you know that it was inaugurated by Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, in India against the British government. But long, long before, five hundred years before, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He started this civil disobedience movement against the order of Kazi. So He was so popular. My point is that not only He was a very learned scholar... He was young man, twenty, twenty-two years, but He was so popular that He could call 100,000 people at once to start this civil disobedience. The social position...

Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975:

He was beautiful, Gaurasundara. His another name is Gaurasundara, very beautiful boy. And a very learned scholar, Nimāi Paṇḍita. Nobody could defeat Him. And very influential and born of a very high-grade brāhmaṇa family. His father, His grandfather, was very, very learned scholars. So in every way He was very well situated, although the brāhmaṇas are not very rich. They do not care for money. They are interested in knowledge, brahma-jñāna. And if one knows Brahman, then he is brāhmaṇa. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ: "Brāhmaṇa means one who knows the Absolute Truth." That is brahma-jñāna. The human life is meant for that purpose, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Everyone should be interested to enquire about Brahman, the Absolute Truth. At least, a class of man must be there in the society. That is the brain, brain of the society, brāhmaṇa. Just like you have got the brain in your body. If the brain is absent, if the brain is gone mad, then your whole body is useless. That is the position at the present moment. There is no brain in the society. All śūdras, no brāhmaṇas. Because nobody is interested with the Absolute Truth.

Everyone is interested how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex and how to defend. That is going on, nationwide, worldwide. Therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is interested to make a section of the people brāhmaṇa, brain. They can guide. It is not that everyone requires; neither it is possible. Unless one is very intelligent, he cannot become brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means the most intellectual class of the society. That is brāhmaṇa. Satya śamaḥ damaḥ titikṣa ārjavaḥ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). These are the brāhmaṇa's qualification. He must be truthful, so much so truthful that even to his enemy he will not keep any secret. That is called truthfulness.

Page Title:Influential (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:24 of Nov, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=39, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:39