This Gītopaniṣad is just like a cow, and the Lord is famous as cow boy, and He was milking this cow. Sarvopaniṣado. And it is the essence of all Upaniṣads and represented as the cow. And the Lord being expert cow boy, He is milking the cow. And pārtho vatsaḥ. And Arjuna is just like the calf. And su-dhīr bhoktā. And learned scholars and pure devotees, they are to take this milk. Su-dhīr bhoktā dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat. The nectar, the milk of Bhagavad-gītā, is meant for learned devotees.
Learned scholar (Lectures, BG)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:
He is learning from the beginning, a small child. He is trained up to call any woman, even of his own age, not "sister,"—"mother." This is the training. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. This is education. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, the great politician, has given the definition of a learned scholar. Who is learned scholar? He has given the definition. What is this? Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. To see every woman except his wife as mother. This is education. This is education, perfection of education, when you can see all women except your wife as mother. This is education. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat. And others' property? Just like garbage in the street. Nobody is interested in the garbage. You throw. That is education. And ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. And thinking all living entities as your own self. If you feel pains and pleasure by something, you could not afflict the pains to others. If your throat is cut, if your head is cut, you feel so much pain, how you can cut the head of another animal? This is education. Samaḥ sarveṣu-bhūteṣu. This is education, three things. This is the test of education.
Lecture on BG 1.43 -- London, July 30, 1973:
He also said, "It is my opinion." Nobody thinks that he is a nonsense number one; what is the value of his opinion? Nobody thinks. But this is the Vedic principle. Even Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He, when He was asked by Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that "You are a sannyāsī. You do not engage Yourself in the study of Vedānta. You are simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." So... Because a sannyāsī is supposed to be always reading Vedānta philosophy especially and all other philosophy. So "What is this, that you are chanting like a sentimental person?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, "Yes, My Guru Mahārāja, spiritual master, saw Me a fool number one." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it was known to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, He was a great learned scholar in His student life. So He is posing Himself as a fool number one. So this is the way. Caitanya-caritāmṛta the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he is presenting himself: purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi sei laghiṣṭha: (CC Adi 5.205) "I am lower than the worm of the stool." Purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi sei laghiṣṭha. Laghiṣṭha means lower, lowest. Jagāi mādhāi haite muñi sei pāpiṣṭha. Jagāi and Mādhāi was taken, they were drunkards, woman hunters. Therefore they were sinful.
Lecture on BG 1.45-46 -- London, August 1, 1973:
So puṇya-yaśo. He is simply glorified by pious activities. There is no impious activities in Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the purest. So whatever He does, that is pure. The rascals they do not know this. They think, "Kṛṣṇa is immoral." And He has become a professor, teacher. He does not know, he does not understand Kṛṣṇa. So many big, big professors, learned scholars, they do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa. And they talking about Kṛṣṇa. They are taking the position of instructing about Kṛṣṇa. Just see how rascaldom. You do not know something perfectly, and still, you are talking about it. This is going on. Puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante (BG 7.19). We have to know Kṛṣṇa. Because as soon as you know Kṛṣṇa, you become immediately liberated.
Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972:
He was asking Sañjaya: "What did they do?" Kim akurvata sañjaya. That was the question. And first of all, Sañjaya described the arrangement in the battlefield, and then he's speaking. Now, sometimes Bhagavad-gītā is misinterpreted that this battle, I mean to say, dharma-kṣetra kuru-kṣetra means "this body." We do not misinterpret in that way. There is no question of misinterpretation. We are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We do not change by our whimsical imagination, concoction. We do not interpret the words of the Bhagavad-gītā according to our own desire. No. Actually, from literary point of view, interpretation is required when things are not understood very clearly. The interpretation required. In the law court, when the lawyers try to interpret before the judge, when the terms are not very clear... That is the same way, in, in, amongst the associates and society of learned scholars. Interpretation is not required when the things are very clear. Just like the sun, sunshine, sunlight. There is no need of a lamp to show the sun. The sun is self-effulgent. It is already there. Light is there. Why one should take a lamp to show the sun? This misinterpretation has killed the spirit, the real essence, of Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on BG 2.1-5 -- Germany, June 16, 1974:
So here Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is speaking, and that is the final authority. He says to Arjuna as follows. He says, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like very learned scholar, but you are lamenting on a subject matter which you should not do." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Gatāsūn means this body. When it is dead or when it is alive, bodily conception of life is foolishness. So no learned man takes serious consideration of the body. Therefore in the Vedic literature it is said that "One who is in the bodily concept of life, he is nothing more than an animal." Therefore at the present moment, without knowledge of the self, the whole world is going on under the bodily concept of life. The bodily concept of life is there amongst the animals. The cats and dogs, they are very proud of becoming a big cat or big dog. Similarly, if a man also becomes similarly proud that "I am big American," "big German," "big," what is the difference? But that is actually going on, and therefore they are fighting like cats and dogs.
Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:
One who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, not devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he has no good qualification. "No, he's a very big man. He has opened such big, big hospitals, big, big schools, big, big, big..." Yes, that may be good from the material estimation, but because he's not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, these are not good qualifications. Harāv a... This one word: Harāv abhaktasya, harāv abhaktasya. If one has no devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot have any good qualities. These are not good qualities. Actually that is so. Suppose if you, the... According to karma-kāṇḍa vicāra, if you open a school, so in the next time, you will have good education. It is pious activities from material point of view. So the benefit will be that you will have good education in your next life. Accepting that it is very nice, next life I shall be very learned scholar, but to become that learned scholar I'll have to take my birth. But he does not know that how much difficulties are there to take birth. Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam (BG 13.9). One should see to the duḥkha, unhappiness, on account of birth and death. So suppose you will get next life in the heavenly planet, or you shall become very rich man, or you shall become very learned man, but you have to go through these distresses, janma. They do not consider this.
Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:
If you want to gain in your case... Just like you have to give very nice evidence in a court, similarly, according to Vedic culture, the evidence is pramāṇa. Pramāṇa means evidence. Śabda-pramāṇa. There are three kinds of evidences accepted by the learned scholars in Vedic culture. One evidence is pratyakṣa. Pratyakṣa means direct perception. Just like I am seeing you, you are seeing me. I am present, you are present. This is direct perception. And there is another evidence which is called anumāna. Suppose in that room, and I am coming just now, I do not know whether any person there is or not. But there is some sound, I can imagine, "Oh, there is somebody." This is called anumāna. In logic it is called hypothesis. That is also evidence. If by my bona fide suggestions I can give evidence, that is also accepted. So direct evidence, and, what is called, hypothesis or suggestion evidence. But the strong evidence is śabda-pramāṇa. Śabda, śabda-brahman. That means Vedas. If one can give evidence from the quotation of the Vedas, then it has to be accepted. Nobody can deny the Vedic evidence. That is the system. How it is so? Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given very nice example. That is in the Vedas.
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:
Therefore a human being says, as soon as you inquire... Even a child. You ask child, you show him the finger, "What is this?" The child will reply, "It is my finger." The child will never say, "I finger." He will say, "my." So everything is "mine." "My body, my head, my leg." Everything is "mine," but where is the "I?" That should be the inquiry, that "Everything, I am speaking 'mine.' Where is that 'I'?" As soon as we come to this point, "Where is that 'I'?" then our human sense is developed. Otherwise we are in the animal sense of life. So Kṛṣṇa is, I mean to say, instructing Arjuna that aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are lamenting on the subject matter which is not the subject matter of lamentation." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. Prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. "You are talking like a very intelligent, learned scholar." Because in the previous chapter he was arguing with Kṛṣṇa, giving evidences from śāstra on the bodily concept of life. But he does not know the śāstras say, "One who is in the bodily concept of life, he is no better than an ass or cow." That he did not know.
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:
He said that paṇḍitāḥ, those one who is learned, he does not lament on this lump of matter. Actually, if you soberly analyze this body, what is this body? Actually, it is lump of matter. It is a combination of bone and blood, flesh, urine, stool, nails and hairs. Otherwise what you can find in it? Do you mean to say by combining these ingredients, bones and flesh and urine and stool, you can manufacture a very learned scholar? Is there any science that you can manu... Ingredients... If the bodily ingredients is the man, you take this. In a dead body you take all these ingredients, again manufacture a similar man. But that is not possible. That is not possible. So this is our ignorance. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that "You are lamenting on a thing which is not at all subject matter. It is a dead matter. It was dead matter, and it will remain dead matter." Just like this apartment. I am living in this apartment; you are living in this apartment. I am not this apartment. When I vacate, when you vacate this apartment, the apartment remains.
Lecture on BG 2.10 -- London, August 16, 1973:
So aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajña-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. "But you are talking like very learned scholar." Because he has talked. But those things are right. What Arjuna has said, that varṇa-saṅkara, when the women become polluted, the population is varṇa-saṅkara, that is fact. Whatever Arjuna has said to Kṛṣṇa in order to avoid the fighting, so those things are correct. But from the spiritual platform, those things may be correct or incorrect, but from spiritual platform, they are not to be considered very serious. Therefore aśocyān anvaśocas tvam. Because his lamentation was on the bodily concept of life. That bodily concept of life, in the very beginning of Kṛṣṇa's instructions, it is condemned. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "You are lamenting on the bodily concept of life." Because anyone who is in the bodily concept of life, he is no better than animal. So our all morality, all social status, all politics, all philosophy, everything is on this bodily concept of life. We want to enjoy senses. Senses means different parts of the body. So one who is interested with the body—that means one who is interested with the senses—their only business is how to... (end)
Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:
Even if you artificially bring breathing, just like nowadays they, with oxygen gas, as if oxygen gas is life... That is not the fact. So if you analyze every part of the body, then you will find that there is no life. This is called education. This is called scientific knowledge. Simply abruptly taking something without any proper understanding, that is not knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa chastised him that "You are talking like very scientific, learned scholar, but you are a fool number one because you are accepting this material body as the self." This is ignorance. This is confirmed in another place, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). This kuṇape, this bag of three elements, kapha pitta vāyu, or, take it, the skin, muscle, veins, bones, urine, stool, blood—what you will find if you dissect this body? They are all material things. What is blood? It is also water, red water. The urine, this is also water. And this bone, bone is nothing but earth hardened. If you take plaster of Paris... They sometimes show artificial bone also in the medical college. But that is not. That is bone. That is earth.
Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, November 17, 1972:
This is Māyāvādī theory, monism. But actually this is not clear knowledge. God is..., God is always distinct from me. He's the Supreme. It is not that we are equal to God. We are equal to God in quality, not in quantity. Therefore those who are thinking that they are equal to God in every respect, they are illusioned. Māyā, māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ. They have been called, they have been designated by Kṛṣṇa as māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ. Although they appear to be very learned scholars, but the essence of the knowledge is taken away by māyā. Therefore they say that God and ordinary human being is the same. Māyayā apahṛta... Asura. This is called āsura-bhāva. Āsura-bhāva means not to accept the supremacy of the Lord but think Him as one with all individual souls. But that is not the fact. That is poor fund of knowledge. Actually, when one becomes advanced in knowledge, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). In due course of time, after many, many births, when he actually comes to the platform of knowledge, he can understand that "Vāsudeva is great and I am small, I am insignificant." Therefore he surrenders. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. This is the sign of knowledge. When one surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is to be understood that he has actually attained knowledge. Otherwise it is ignorance. To think of Kṛṣṇa and ordinary person as equal is not knowledge; it is illusion.
Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Mexico, February 12, 1975:
So Kṛṣṇa began His teaching to Arjuna, chastising him that "You do not know anything; still, you are talking like a learned man." This is the fault of a person without any spiritual knowledge. Every man in this material world is almost without any spiritual knowledge. Still, they are proud of their learning, their knowledge, their degrees. This is going on. When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he first of all presented himself as a person without knowledge. Sanātana Gosvāmī was coming of a very brāhmaṇa, aristocratic family. He was very learned scholar in Sanskrit and Urdu; still, he presented himself before Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a foolish man. So actually that is the position. He said, grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita, tāi satya māni, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni. He said that "These common men say that I am very learned paṇḍita, but I am such a rascal, I do not know what I am."
Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Mexico, February 12, 1975:
So Bhagavad-gītā begins with this point, that one should know that he is not this material body. That knowledge is lacking at the present moment throughout the whole world. Yes. Everyone is identifying with this body like the animals. Therefore Kṛṣṇa chastised Arjuna that "You have got animalistic concept of life and still speaking like a very learned scholar. No learned scholar laments on account of this body." It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Dhīra... Dhīra means one who is sober by education. He is not disturbed. Just like when a man dies, his relatives lament, cry, "My father is gone. My father is gone. My father is no more," or "My son is no more." Anyway, they lament like that. But if he is little sober, he can understand, he can study, that "I am lamenting, 'My father is gone,' 'my son is gone,' but he's not gone. He's lying on the bed or on the floor. Then why I am speaking 'gone'?" If some friend asks him, "Why you are lamenting, 'my father is gone,' 'my son is gone'? He's lying here," but still he will say, "No, he's not. He may be lying there, but he's gone." That is puzzle. He's lying there and gone? What is this contradiction? That is the point to understand about the soul. The relative is lamenting, crying, "My father is gone." That means he never saw his father; he saw the body only. But at the time of death of his father he understands that this father is not this body; that is soul.
Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:
So Vyāsadeva, so learned scholar, everyone knows how great scholar he was. He has written so many books. Four Vedas, eighteen Purāṇas, then Vedānta-sūtra, then Upaniṣads. So many things. Recorded, not written, recorded. So such a big scholar was residing... He was guiding the whole society, but he was living very humbly. Even Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he was prime minister, but he was living in a cottage. That is the distinction between Vedic or Indian civilization and the modern civilization. The Indian civilization means they are interested in sat, and others they are interested in asat. Asat means which will not exist. I've already explained. In India, of course, materially, five hundred, five thousand years ago, materially also, India was very opulent. Why five thousand years? Even five hundred years or four hundred years, India was so opulent that Europeans were attracted to go to India. Even during the time of Mogul Empire. It was so opulent. Those who have gone to India, you'll find if you visit in Delhi, the Red Fort. Red Fort you'll find there are pictures of birds and trees on the wall and the eyes of the bird is now hole or some parts. Means it was bedecked with jewel.
Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:
So Kṛṣṇa began this teaching to Arjuna first of all, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You are talking like learned scholar, but you are lamenting on the body, which is not at all important." Nānuśocanti. Here also the same thing. Tasmād evaṁ viditvainam, this body, na anuśocitum arhasi. Do not be very much serious about this body. The soul is the subject matter to be considered. But the modern civilization, they are concerned with this body. Just the opposite. Kṛṣṇa says: Because the soul is immortal, therefore tasmād evaṁ viditvā, understanding of this principle, enam, this body, na anuśocitum arhasi. The real factor is the soul. We have to take care of the soul, not of the body. So far body is concerned, there are pains and pleasure like climatic changes. Āgamāpāyinaḥ anityāḥ, such bodily pains and pleasures come and go; they are not permanent. Tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. So you have to learn how to tolerate these bodily pains and pleasures, but you have to take care of the soul. But the modern civilization, they have no knowledge of the soul, what to speak of taking care of it, and, like animals, they are in the bodily concept of life, taking much care of the body, but they have no information of the soul, and what to speak of taking care of it.
Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1968:
Now if you want to get out of this disease, then sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. You just try to be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sākṣāt. Lokasyājānata. The rascal people, they do not know it. Therefore vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām. Therefore vidvān. Vidvān means this learned scholar, Vyāsadeva, he prepared the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lokasyājānata. The rascal people, they do not know. They are being carried off by this misconception that "I am this body, and my body will be finished within so many years. Now I have got this chance, I have got my strong body, let me have sex life as far as possible, then finish it. Who knows where I am going, what is the path?" You see? It is dangerous civilization. Dangerous. And anyone who will come and say, "Yes, you enjoy your senses and simply sit down for fifteen minutes. And you chant this one alphabet—bas. You finish your business." This is going on. So don't be misled in that way. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā perfectly. You'll be happy in this life and next life. Go on.
Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Hyderabad, November 30, 1972:
You are serving." In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, by the, spoken by Nārada, he says a brāhmaṇa, if he's in difficulty, he should not accept the business of a dog, service. He should not accept service. He may go to the profession of a kṣatriya, or even up to vaiśya. Not of a śūdra. These are the injunctions. So they were strictly being followed. These Sanātana Gosvāmī, they were very learned scholars, in Sanskrit, in Arabic language, Persian language, but because they accepted the ministership of Nawab Hussain Shah, immediately they were rejected. And they changed their name. Almost they became Muslim. Sakara Mallika, Dabhir Kasa. Their name was that. These are Mohammedan names. So they were living like that. But when Caitanya Mahāprabhu blessed them, they became the first-class gosvāmīs: Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy. And He therefore said, pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) He asked to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world, in every village, in every town. Does he mean that let them become śūdras? Let them remain śūdras, and they become Kṛṣṇa conscious? No. He did not mean like that. That means everywhere there should be Vaiṣṇava. And a Vaiṣṇava means above brāhmaṇa. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:
There are two kinds of of fighting. Dharma-yuddha. Dharma-yuddha means right, righteous fighting, and adharma-yuddha means political. That is... One politician, he wants to keep his position, he engages the people in fighting, declares war. That is another thing. But when right thing, violence is required. So Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna in dharma-yuddha, not unnecessarily killing in the slaughterhouse. Do not misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. The rascals, they misunderstand. By killing, by his whims, he gives the evidence of... Another rascal, although he is learned professor, he says that because this man has killed on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā, therefore Kṛṣṇa is immoral. Just see. This is going on. Without understanding Bhagavad-gītā, even a so-called learned scholar also talking of Kṛṣṇa as immoral. He has encouraged killing. Just see. Such envious persons. And he is teaching Bhagavad-gītā. This is going on.
Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:
Our mind is so strong and so uncontrolled that even though we artificially try to control our senses, still, sometimes, at a certain period, we fail. Just like Viśvāmitra Muni failed. Yatato hy api kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ. Vipaścitaḥ means a very learned man, very learned man, and still trying, not ordinary man, but learned man, trying to control his senses. Yatato hy api kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ, indriyāṇi pramā... But the senses are so strong that at certain point it fails even by the attempt of a very learned scholar who knows everything. Therefore in social, social, I mean to say, engagement, according to Vedic injunction, especially for the brahmacārīs, especially for the brahma... Not only brahmacārīs. Brahmacārī means student life, and other three orders of life means vānaprastha, retired life, and sannyāsa life, these three orders of life are restricted from associating with women. Only householders, those who are married, they are simply allowed to associate with women. And others, just like the brahmacārī, the vānaprastha, the sannyāsa, they are strictly restricted from association of woman.
Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:
What is that mentality? That mentality is that you are working for your sense gratification, and you have to change your mentality for gratifying the sense of the Supreme Lord. That's all. We are working... Ordinary work means for, working for our own sense gratification. "I want to eat this," so I eat. I purchase from the market. "Oh, this is very nice thing, very palatable to my tongue. Oh, purchase it. I shall eat it." Now, when you become conversant with the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā, you have to think whether this thing is palatable to the tongue of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Now you are thinking, "Let me purchase from the store this nice thing. It is very palatable to my taste." And when you actually become a learned scholar of Bhagavad-gītā, at that time you will have to think whether this thing will be palatable to Kṛṣṇa. That's all. The whole thing is there. When you learn that thing, when you want to please Kṛṣṇa and not yourself, then you become an expert spiritualist. That's all. So it is not very difficult thing. Very easy. Simply we have to learn how to reach that stage of life.
Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:
Now, just see. These gentlemen, they are... Some of them were big zamindar, some of them were learned scholars, some of them were ministers in the government service, but they left everything. And at Vṛndāvana they sat down? Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. No, they were find out, making research by researching all kinds of Vedic literature how things should be presented to the people of this age so that they can take up the matter very seriously and easily and they can make progress. That was their business, not that they left home, become easy going, and take prasādam and go on sleeping. Oh. No, no, no, no. They had no time to sleep. They were always thinking, lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, how people should be benefited. As much as the Lord is very much anxious for our benefit, similarly, the devotees of the Lord, they are equally anxious for the benefit of the public.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:
So this morning these press reporters asking me, "What is the purpose of your movement?" So I said, "To educate the mūḍhas, that's all." This is the sum and substance of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that we are trying to educate the mūḍhas. And who is mūḍha? That is described by Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Why? Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Why māyā has taken away his knowledge? Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. We have got very simple test, just like a chemist in the small test tube can analyze what is the liquid. So we are not very intelligent. We are also one of so many mūḍhas, but we have got the test tube. Kṛṣṇa says... We like to remain mūḍha, and take education from Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We do not pose ourselves as very learned scholar and very erudite scholar—"We know everything." No.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:
So even Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was so learned scholar, every one of you know, and He was very popular leader at Navadvīpa. And when He was sixteen years only, He defeated one very great learned scholar, Keśava Kāśmīrī. And he was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Actually He was very learned scholar, and His explanation of one verse, ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame... He described this verse in sixty-four ways. He was such a learned scholar. So He was not a fool, but He represented the fool of this age, that "If you want liberation from material bondage...
Because this human form of life is meant for that purpose. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... (BG 13.9). This human life is meant for getting out of this encagement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is human form of life. It is meant for. Unfortunately there is no education that "Why? I do not want death, but why death is compulsory? I do not want old age; why old age is compulsory? I do not want to take birth; why birth is compulsory?" These are the actual questions or problems of life. And our whole Vedic literature is meant for solving this problem. That is whole purpose. Vedic literature, Vedic civilization, is not meant for working day and night like animals only for maintaining the foodstuff and sense gratification. It is not civilization. According to our Vedic civilization, this is not civilization. This is another form of animal life.
Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:
So this instruction was first given to Arjuna, that "Arjuna! You are arguing with Me just like a very learned scholar, but you are fool number one, and you just try to understand this first of all, that that thing which is spread all over..." Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. Yena sarvam idam. Sarvam means the whole body, idam. But your consciousness is not spread in others' bodies. You must know it. If you say that "My consciousness is spread all over the universe," that is also another mistake. Your consciousness is limited within your body. Just like my consciousness is limited within my body, your consciousness is limited within your body. And everyone... We are all living entities and we are, everyone, conscious, but our consciousness is limited. We should not falsely claim that "I am the supreme consciousness."
Lecture on BG 4.1-2 -- Columbus, May 9, 1969:
Ātma-mātā, real mother, from whom I have taken birth, ātma-mātā. Guroḥ patnī, the wife of spiritual master. Ātma-mātā guroḥ patnī brāhmaṇī. Brāhmaṇī, the wife of a brāhmaṇa, learned scholar. Ātma-mātā guroḥ patnī. Why learned scholar? He is also guru because from learned scholar you learn so many things, and guru teaches us so many things. Therefore he is father, and his wife is mother.
Ātma-mātā guroḥ patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā. Rāja-patnikā means a queen. And now there is no king, queen, but formerly there was king and queen. So queen is also mother because king is father. He is giving protection to the citizens. Ātma-mātā guroḥ patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā dhenuḥ, cow. Cow is our mother. Why? She is supplying milk. You are drinking milk. So you are killing cows? Oh, that's not good, killing mother. Ātma-mātā guroḥ patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā, dhenur dhātrī tathā pṛthvī. Pṛthvī, that material nature, is also mother because by the material nature, I got this body.
Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:
This is very important verse to understand Bhagavad-gītā. By rascal interpretation, you cannot understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. It is a mystery. Rahasyam, mysterious. Only a devotee who is in intimate relation with Kṛṣṇa, he can understand. That is clearly stated here. When Kṛṣṇa was speaking Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, it was in the battlefield. It is not a parlor, discussing, smoking and discussing Vedānta philosophy. No. It is not like that. Very serious, in the battlefield. And Kṛṣṇa selected Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa selected... At that time, when Kṛṣṇa was present, there were very, very great learned scholars. Even Vyāsadeva was present there, the Vedavyāsa. And many others—Asita, Devala... Great, great saintly persons and saints. Rājarṣis. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was rājarṣi. Because in the previous verse He said, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2).
Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974:
When this thing is discrepancies... One... There is one verse by a learned scholar that here we are surrendering to somebody... I am not surrendering to somebody for his satisfaction, but for my satisfaction. I join some political party because I am finding out the opportunity how I can become a minister or how I can capture some power by going through this political party. This is my real aim. I do not go to serve the country. Maybe one or two. But my real purpose is how to get some opportunity, some position. Therefore I am not serving that party but I am serving my ambition.
Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974:
Therefore one learned scholar has prayed, kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās teṣāṁ na karuṇā jātā mayi na trapā nopaśāntiḥ, sāmprataṁ labdha-buddhis tvām āyātaḥ niyuṅkṣva mām ātma-dāsye, that "I have served so long the kāma, krodha, moha, mātsarya, lust, greediness, anger. But they are not satisfied." I have given this example, that you cannot satisfy anyone by material service. The example is in our country. Mahatma Gandhi gave his, the best capacity as he understood. Still, he could not satisfy everyone. Somebody killed him. So in this material world, so long we'll be in the material service, either socially or family-wise or community, whatever you do, you'll never be able to satisfy them. They will never say that "Now we are completely satisfied." Because it is disorganized. It cannot be.
Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Bombay, March 28, 1974:
Just like demons like Kaṁsa. He was also Kṛṣṇa conscious. What was his purpose? He was conscious Kaṁsa, he was making plan how to kill Kṛṣṇa. That's all. That is not anukūla. Ānukūlyena. We should be Kṛṣṇa conscious favorably. "What Kṛṣṇa wants and how can I serve Him?" That is anukūla. And "Kṛṣṇa wants this, I'll not do this. Rather I shall kill Kṛṣṇa. I shall read Bhagavad-gītā to kill Kṛṣṇa. There is no Kṛṣṇa. There was no Kṛṣṇa. There was no battlefield of Kurukṣetra. It is imaginary," that means the Kaṁsa's program, for killing Kṛṣṇa. So we should not adopt that. That is pratikūla, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, reading Kṛṣṇa's books but trying to kill Kṛṣṇa. So this is going on. "Not to Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), and a learned scholar, commentator is saying, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa, not to the person Kṛṣṇa." This is going on. This kind of consciousness will not help us. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167).
Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:
In India there is a common saying. They say, bhajan koro pūjān koro morte janle haya. The meaning is that however you may meditate upon... You may be very great meditator, or you may be a great religionist or yogi or a very learned scholar or whatever you may be, but everything will be tested at the time of your death. How far you have made progress, that will be tested at the time of your death. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Ante. Ante means at the end. Because this body is sure to end. Antavanta ime dehāḥ. This body is antavat; it is destined to be ended. "As sure as death." But nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ. Śarīriṇaḥ means the spirit spark which is occupying this body. That is nitya; that is eternal.
Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:
If somebody says that "I don't require any help of any spiritual master," that is wrong. That is wrong. You will find all the great persons... And so far our Vedic culture is concerned, great learned scholars, just like Śaṅkarācārya... Perhaps you have heard the name of Śaṅkarācārya. Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Lord Caitanya. In India there have been many, many great scholars. Even Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He had a spiritual master because He wanted to show the example. He did not require any circumstances to acquire knowledge from any other, but because He was playing just like a human being, so He set the example that He accepted a spiritual master. There are instances. So similarly, Lord Caitanya also, He accepted spiritual master. Śaṅkarācārya accepted spiritual master. That is the system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). The disciplic succession must be accepted.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
And you don't require any qualification. It doesn't require that you have to become a great learned scholar. No. Simply by the gift of Kṛṣṇa you have got these two ears. If you simply give aural reception to this transcendental word, that is sufficient. It does not require any extraneous education that you have to pass M.A. examination or D.A.C. or Ph.D. or something like that. No. So why should you not take advantage?
Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvidaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhāgavata, satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ (SB 3.25.25). If we actually take advantage of association of realized persons and if we hear from them, then the result is that it becomes very pleasing to the heart and the ear. Satāṁ prasaṅgān. Not to asatām. One must be realized soul in describing the science of Kṛṣṇa. Then the result will be that the audience will feel that it is very nice to hear, and it is appealing to the heart. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa (SB 3.25.25). Hṛt means heart. Karṇa means ear. Hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ, very pleasing.
Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:
Now, what is the binding reaction of good material work? Just try to understand. Good material work... Suppose you have done most charitable work, munificent work, and you have started so many, I mean to say, philanthropic institutions. That's all right. These are... From material estimation, these things are very good work. But you are being bound up. You are being bound up. In which way you are being bound up? That these things are called puṇya-karma, pious work. When you do pious work, you get four results. What are the four results? Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. If you do pious work, you can get reaction in four ways. You can get your birth in a very nice family. Just like in the family of a brāhmaṇa, in the family of a rich man. For pious work, one can get his janma. And aiśvarya. Aiśvarya means you can become very rich man by pious work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26). Śruta means you can become very learned scholar. These are the results of pious work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta, and śrī. You can become very beautiful by pious work. These are the results of pious work.
Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:
Even though he has to eat in the āśrama, but that he will eat upon the calling by the guru, "My dear such and such, please come and take your prasādam." It is said, if the guru forgets to call him one day, he will not take his food. This is called brahmacārī, means strictly following.
And they used to call every woman from the beginning of life, "Mother." This is training. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. From the very beginning of life, all women they are treated as mother. That is the system, Vedic system. Everyone will call a woman as "Mother." Never mind whether she is younger or older. It doesn't matter. Woman has to be addressed as "Mother." That is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's instruction. Who is learned scholar? Who has got three qualification, he is learned scholar. What is that? Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu: "To treat all woman as mother." Nowadays it has been introduced in India, "Bahinji." No. This is not the etiquette. The etiquette is to address every woman, never mind whether she is young or old, as "Mother." This is brahmacārī. This is brahmacārī.
Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that kiṁ karma akarmeti kavayo 'py atra mohitāḥ. Kavayaḥ, very learned scholars, they are also become bewildered how to specify duty to a particular person. That is not being done at the same time. Everyone is going to the school and colleges, passing their examination, but because he is not trained up according to his tendency or according to his quality, after education he is unemployed. Because he has not been trained up according to the tendency, according to the qualification. That is the basic principle of karma. Kṛṣṇa has begun in this chapter, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13).
That is very essential, the varṇāśrama-dharma. Because we must have the aim of life. At the present moment there is no aim of life. The aim of life is sense gratification. That's all. Indriya-tṛpti. That is forbidden in the śāstras. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Kiṁ karmeti kiṁ vikarmeti will be described. So karma and vikarma, prescribed duties according to qualification, position, occupation, that is called karma. And just opposite, it is called vikarma. Karma akarma vikarma. That Kṛṣṇa will explain.
Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:
So this should be our motto of life, that you should act if Kṛṣṇa is pleased. This is good work. That is confirmed in many places in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ (SB 1.2.13). Sūta Gosvāmī said in the meeting of great learned scholars and brāhmaṇas in Naimiṣāraṇya. He said, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: "O best of the brāhmaṇas who have assembled here to hear me..." Dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Again that varṇāśrama. Without varṇāśrama, it is a rascal society. That's all. It is not even human society. It is animal society. But that we have lost now. Again it is said, varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. He was speaking amongst the very learned scholars and brāhmaṇas. Therefore he addressed, "My dear all great brāhmaṇas, dvija-śreṣṭhā..."
Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:
So what is the aim of life? The aim of life... Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. Samupeta-mṛtyum. We have got this disease, mṛtyu, we have to die. We are making so many plans for our happiness, but where is the plan for stopping your death? That is the ultimate goal of life, but they do not know it. Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. Kṛṣṇa says... Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Therefore we are repeatedly asking everyone to study Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Don't become a learned scholar and interpret foolishly or differently from Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there.
So Kṛṣṇa says that our real problem of life is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). That is the problem. Repetition of birth. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We take one body according to karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). We get a body according to karma, daiva-netreṇa. That is not in your hand. Suppose if you are living like cats and dogs, the nature's way is that you get next life the dog's body, cat's body, or hog's body. And if you are working just like a god, godly, with good qualification, godly qualification, then you become next life demigod. You get your situation in the higher planetary system. These are all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:
You must know, because you have to accept next body. You can talk foolishly, "No, there is no body." Bhasmī-bhūtasya... That is the atheistic theory, that after the body is burned into ashes, everything is finished. Big, big professors, big, big learned scholars, so-called scholars, they say like that, "Oh, there is no life. Everything is finished after this body is finished." But that is not a fact. If we have to accept the authority of Bhagavad-gītā... We have to accept it. If we don't accept, that is our foolishness.
Bhagavān says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara (BG 2.13). Dehāntara-prāptiḥ is there. As we are getting dehāntara. We have got experience every day. Just like in daytime we have got this body. At night, when we dream, we have got a different body. We go elsewhere; we're working differently, forgetting this body, and again, daytime, we forget our body which was seen in the dream. That is also dream; this is also dream. This is daydream, and that is night dream. But the seer, the soul, is permanent. He is in the daytime and he is also nighttime. So this is our position. We are changing our body.
Just like I was a child, you were a child, but that we have forgotten. But that does not mean I did not have.
Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:
So Arjuna is ācārya. One who is speaking exactly like Arjuna, he's ācārya. Not that one is speaking nonsense according to his own opinion. What is he? What is his value? We are all defective. We cannot give our opinion. That is the disagreement with our preaching and others." We are preaching that nobody can give opinion on the Bhagavad-gītā if he does not come in the disciplic succession as it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). Otherwise it is naṣṭaḥ. Sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. It is lost. So kāma, this kāma, lusty. "I am very learned scholar. I can give my opinion on the Bhagavad-gītā. I can translate it in a different way. I can screw out some meaning by jugglery of words, grammatical jugglery.
Du-kṛn-karaṇe. Śaṅkarācārya has therefore decried, nahi nahi rakṣati du-kṛn-karaṇe. By the Sanskrit grammatical pratyaya, du-pratyaya, kṛn-pratyaya, and you change the meaning... That will not save you.
Lecture on BG 6.30-34 -- Los Angeles, February 19, 1969:
That's all. How you can (laughs) be lost of Kṛṣṇa? That is sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). So if you practice your life in this way, never lost to Kṛṣṇa, so at the time of death you are sure to go to Kṛṣṇa. Where you are going? You are not lost to Kṛṣṇa. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). And Kṛṣṇa promises, "My dear Arjuna, My pure devotee is never lost to Me." Don't be lost to Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection of life. That is perfection of life. Simply don't be lost to Kṛṣṇa. You can forget all things, but don't forget Kṛṣṇa. Then you are richest. People may see you are very poor man, just like Gosvāmīs. They adopted very poor life, mendicant. They were ministers, very opulent. Very honorable gentlemen, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, learned scholars, rich men, ministers, in every respect their social position so high. But they accepted this mendicant: tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. That Gosvāmī prayer you'll find. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. Just like most insignificant, they gave up everything. Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Kaupīna-kanthāśritau—just one underwear and loin cloth, that's all. They became accepted the purest way of life. But how they could live? If a very rich man accepts such poor condition of life, he cannot live. I have seen it. If one is habituated to high standard of life, if you immediately lower his standard of life, he cannot live. But they lived very happily. How? That is stated. Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. They are richest, by dipping themselves in the ocean of loving affairs of the gopīs. So is you simply think of the loving affairs of the gopīs for Kṛṣṇa, then you are not lost. There are so many ways. Don't be lost to Kṛṣṇa. Then you are successful. Then Kṛṣṇa will also not be lost and he'll be not lost. Go on.
Lecture on BG 6.40-43 -- New York, September 18, 1966:
So one who takes his birth in a very rich family, it should be understood that he was certainly a very pious man in his previous life. By good work, by pious work, we get. In our next life, we get facilities, four kinds of facilities. What are they? Now, janma, aiśvarya, śruta, śrī. Janma, aiśvarya, śruta, śrī. Janma means to get birth in very aristocratic family, royal family, lord family, rich family, janma. Or acquires large extent of wealth, janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26). Śruta means becomes very learned scholar. So one who is learned scholar, it is to be understood that it is due to his past deeds. One who is rich man, it is to be understood that it is due to his pious acts in his last life. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Śrī means beauty. And one who is very beautiful, either male or female, it is to be understood that this is the result of his or her pious work in the past lives.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Auckland, April 15, 1972:
So this is the process of studying Bhagavad-gītā. So if you study Bhagavad-gītā and conclude that the Absolute Truth is nirākāra, I don't think you are making very much progress. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). You try to understand this science by praṇipāta, praṇipātena, by surrendering, not by serving yourself, that "I am very learned scholar. Why shall I surrender?" No. That is the first thing wanted. If you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, then you must take the direction from the Bhagavad-gītā. The first direction is evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). "All the rājarṣis, they understood Bhagavad-gītā by the paramparā system." That paramparā system, Kṛṣṇa also says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "I spoke first of all this system of yoga system mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā." That is bhakti-yoga. What is that yoga system? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). "All the Vedas, they are teaching only to understand Me, Kṛṣṇa."
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Upsala University Stockholm, September 8, 1973:
So you can become Kṛṣṇa conscious in any circumstances. There is no limitation, that "You have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious under this condition, that condition." The condition will be enunciated later on. First of all, try to become Kṛṣṇa..., that you, at least, you drink water and so many times in a day, you just try to think that the taste of the water is Kṛṣṇa. That is the beginning of your Kṛṣṇa yoga system. And then, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, then you'll become, gradually, the greatest yogi without becoming very learned scholar, without becoming Vedantist, without becoming religionist or... Simply by this process you try to practice, and your life will be perfect.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hong Kong, January 25, 1975:
So in this way you have to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, not superficially. Even superficially you understand, even you do not understand, if you accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, then either you read Vedas or not Vedas, the same thing, because you have come to the conclusion. Suppose if there is fire. So the fire burns. So if you come to fire, if you have felt the heat and light, then either you know chemically what is fire, wherefrom it is coming... You know or may not know, but because you have come to the fire, the action of the fire will be perceived by you. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says either you are very learned scholar or not, whatever you may be, if you simply concentrate your mind and attachment for Kṛṣṇa... Mayy āsakta-manāḥ. Āsakta means attachment. And mind, manas means mind.
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:
The translation reads, "The Blessed Lord said, While speaking learned words..." Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master. First of all he was talking just like friends, but when he saw that by friendly talkings the problem which was present before him, that cannot be solved, therefore he accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, and the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa, first of all chastised him in this way, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "You are lamenting on the subject matter which is not object of lamentation." Aśocyān. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś... "But you are talking like a very learned scholar." So He mildly rebuked him that "This kind of lamentation is not done by paṇḍita, by learned scholar." That means "You are rascal number one. You are fool. You are talking like learned scholar, but you are a fool." Indirectly He says that gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. "Paṇḍitāḥ, those persons who know..." Just like this body. Paṇḍitaḥ, those who are learned scholar, they know that his body is the lump of matter. Just like a nice Rolls Royce car. It is very nice car, very valuable car. But it is after all a lump of matter. The car is important so long the driver is there. Otherwise, it is lump of matter. So those who are fools... Suppose if there is accident in the car. They become bewildered, "Oh, I am lost, I am lost." What you are lost? You are not this car. You are not this car. You are not this car. You get another car. Where is the cause of lamentation? That is being put, that "Why you are lamenting for this body? The body is not the object of lamentation. Either it is living or dead, it is a lump of matter." This is the meaning.
Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Hyderabad, April 28, 1974 :
The same thing, tattvataḥ, we have to understand. In the Fourth Chapter it is said that janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). That tattvataḥ, you can understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ. Then another place Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. So our aim should be to understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ in truth, not superficially, not by foolish commentary. If we simply try to follow what Kṛṣṇa has said, what is the difficulty? There is no difficulty, but foolishly we interpret in a different way, and māyā takes away our knowledge, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. He is thinking that he is very learned scholar, but he is fool number..., rascal number one. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Kṛṣṇa is speaking so many ways about Himself. Without understanding Kṛṣṇa in His own way, we are trying to understand Kṛṣṇa in different way. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, āsuri bhāvam. The atheistic class of men, they interpret in a different way, because theirknowledge has been taken by māyā. And why it is so? Because they are sinful. duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ. These things are there. You will find in Bhagavad-gītā. It is not our manufactured word. Therefore, our proposal is, try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is! Do not misinterpret, do not be misled by the misinterpreters. Then your life will be successful. You will understand what is Kṛṣṇa, and you will become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya.
Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:
Yes, He manifested all over the world, but you have no eyes to see Him. That is your defect. Kṛṣṇa is present everywhere. But just like sun is present in the sky. Why don't you see now? Huh? Answer this. Do you think the sun is not in the sky? Do you think that sun is not there? So go on the roof and see the sun. (laughter) Why you prove yourself a rascal, that "No, no, there is no sun"? Will it be accepted by learned men? Because you cannot see the sun, there is no sun? Will it be accepted by any learned scholar? At night you cannot see the sun, so if you say to any learned man, any, who knows things, "No, no, there is no sun," so will he accept that? He will say that "Sun is there. You rascal, you cannot see." That's all. "You just get out of your rascaldom. Then you'll see." Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25), Kṛṣṇa said. He is not exposed to the rascals, but one who knows, he is seeing.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:
Therefore Bhāgavata says that "Although they got up to the platform, āruhya, after much penance and austerities, they fall down." Otherwise a common man, he is also opening hospital. And if a sannyāsī who has rejected this world as mithyā, and if he also wants to open hospital and school and college, then what is the difference between the common man and this learned scholar or learned self-realized brahma-jñānī? That means he has not realized what is actually siddhi, what is brahma-jñāna. Otherwise why he is coming? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You can cease yourself from all material activities when you actually realize the Supreme Brahman. Just like you see the Americans and European boys. They are no more interested with material activities. You bribe them that "Again come to material activities." They will refuse, because paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. They are actually liberated. Actually liberated. And simply talking big, big words and becoming engaged in material activities, what is this nonsense? You are thinking liberated? You cannot give up even the family affection, and you are liberated?
Lecture on BG 7.6 -- Hyderabad, December 11, 1976:
So qualitatively we are one. God is good, so in quality we are good; we are not bad. But why you have become bad? Because we are now differently dressed. Dehātma-buddhiḥ. A dog is thinking, "I am dog," and a man is thinking, "I am man." A cat is thinking, "I am cat." He is neither cat, neither dog, neither human being. He is part and parcel of God. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is self-realization, "I am not this body." Just like we are differently dressed. So I am not the dress. I am human being; you are human being. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Therefore, those who are learned scholar, they do not find any difference between cat and a brāhmaṇa because the brāhmaṇa is also a living entity and the cat is also a living entity, differently dressed.
Lecture on BG 7.9 -- Vrndavana, August 15, 1974:
So guru is helping from inside and from outside. Antar-bahiḥ. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Therefore Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself as spiritual master. Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, sākṣād-dhari, sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. Manifestation of empowered. One who is pure devotee, he's empowered by Kṛṣṇa to act as spiritual master. Therefore spiritual master should be accepted: sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ **. It is described there. Tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ. Those who are learned scholars, actual devotees, they accept. But that does not mean guru is Kṛṣṇa. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. Now, that, if you accept, you... Accept means you honor spiritual master as good as Kṛṣṇa, because he's representative. But not that Māyāvāda philosophy that guru and Kṛṣṇa is the same. This is simultaneously one and different. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. He is as good as Kṛṣṇa because he is very, very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Why dear? Because he's preaching on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. What Kṛṣṇa wants, he's doing that. Therefore he's very dear.
Lecture on BG 7.9-10 -- Bombay, February 24, 1974:
There is a story, I shall... It is not story. Or take it as story, that sometimes Nārada Muni was passing, and one very learned scholar, brāhmaṇa, he saw Nārada Muni, and he asked Nārada Muni, "Sir, where you are going?" He said, "I am going to Vṛndāvana, yes, Vaikuṇṭha, to see my Lord." "Oh, you are going there?" Nārada Muni has got free passage to everyone. So, "Will you ask Nārāyaṇa when my liberation will come?" "All right, I shall ask." Then he met another cobbler. He was sewing shoes. So he also asked, "Sir, where you are going?" "Now I am going to Vaikuṇṭha to see my Lord." So, "Will you ask when I shall get salvation?" So Nārada Muni noted, "All right, I shall ask." So when Nārada Muni met Nārāyaṇa, he, after finishing his business, he asked the two men's question, that "These two men, one very learned scholar, brāhmaṇa, he also asked me this question, and the cobbler also asked me." So Nārāyaṇa said "This cobbler will get his salvation after finishing this life, and this brāhmaṇa will have to take, wait for many, many births."
Lecture on BG 7.11-13 -- Bombay, April 5, 1971:
So duṣkṛtina. Those who are always engaged in sinful activities, they are called duṣkṛtina. And mūḍhāḥ, they have been described by learned scholars as the karmīs, mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍha, the exact meaning of mūḍha is an ass. So the karmīs, the fruitive workers, they work very hard for sense gratification. But a similar mūḍha is an ass. A similar mūḍha means the ass is generally engaged in service by the washerman. The washerman loads the ass with tons of cloth, and whole day he works for the washerman, carrying tons of cloth. But at the end of the day he is offered a morsel of grass, and he is satisfied. And by eating that grass, when he is sexually impulse, he goes to the she-ass, and the she-ass kicks on his face. And still, he runs after the she-ass. The karmīs, they are also like that. Therefore they have been called as mūḍhas. They are working whole day very hard, but they are eating sometimes two cāpāṭis. That's all. Earning one crore of rupees per day, but eating two cāpāṭis only. Therefore they are mūḍhas. He has no sense that "Only for two cāpāṭis I am working so hard. And for sex life I have to bear so much expenses at the order of my wife." These are facts. We should not be sorry. Because Kṛṣṇa says. When we, I mean to say, deliberately discuss on śāstras, there is no question of compromising. We must face the bare facts.
Lecture on BG 7.14 -- Hamburg, September 8, 1969:
So that requires little intelligence. It does not require many, many births. It requires little intelligence. Take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously; your problems are solved. Now, if you don't believe in it, then come to argument, come to philosophy, come to reason. Go on arguing. There are volumes of books. You can be convinced. You can learn it. Every answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. You can try to understand it with your reason, with your arguments. It is open. (break) ...like Arjuna. Arjuna was taught Bhagavad-gītā, how much time? At most, within half an hour. Because he was very intelligent. This Bhagavad-gītā, the people of the world are reading. Very, very learned scholar, wise men, they are reading. They are trying to understand, giving different interpretation. And there are thousands of edition, commentaries. But Arjuna was intelligent; he understood it within half an hour.
Lecture on BG 8.5 -- New York, October 26, 1966:
There are millions and billions followers of Kṛṣṇa in India. Not only ordinary followers. Just like many great stalwarts, educationists, I mean to say, saintly person like Śaṅkarācārya, Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya, great educated and learned scholars, they have accepted. Lord Caitanya has accepted. And... There are so many others also. And there are millions and millions of temples of Kṛṣṇa. They are being worshiped by millions and billions of devotees still. Still, if you go some Kṛṣṇa temple in South India, you'll find thousands of thousands of people always assembled. You have no imagination. You see? In Jaipur temple, Jaipur temple, the king's palace... Within the king's palace there is Jaipur temple. So whenever you go in that Jaipur temple, you'll find at least one thousand men assembled. At least. If you go Jagannātha Purī, you'll find at least two thousand men, daily coming and going. If you go to Vṛndāvana, you'll find at least five thousand men, daily coming and going. So... And in Vṛndāvana itself there are five thousand temples. Out of that only seven or eight temples are very big temples. In other words, each and every house is Kṛṣṇa temple. So it is not that... Somebody asked me, "How many there are in India Kṛṣṇa conscious people?" Oh, the Kṛṣṇa conscious men in India, at least, the Hindus, oh, they are ninety percent, at least, all Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:
So therefore this science, the devotional science, devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, is rāja-vidyā. Automatically. Automatically your senses, mind become controlled because it is engaged in Kṛṣṇa; therefore it is purified. And as soon as it's purified, you'll not like to engage your senses in any other activities. That is the taste of bhakti. Bhakti..., one has become bhakta, at the same time he is very much attracted this sense gratification, that is not bhakta. Bhakti means bhakti-pareśānubhavo: realization of the Transcendence. And what is the test? Viraktir anyatra syāt, vairāgya. Many places it is stated, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ janayaty āśu vairāgyam (SB 1.2.7). Vairāgyam means no more taste for sense gratification. That is called vairāgyam. Vīra, vigatah rāga, no attachment. Our material attachment means material sense gratification. That is attachment. And bhakti means... Bhakti... Therefore another name of bhakti is vairāgya vidyā.
- vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga
- śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ
- śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī
- kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye
- (CC Madhya 6.254)
This is Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, a learned scholar, a logician. When he became disciple of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu he wrote one hundred... He was a great Sanskrit scholar. So he wrote one hundred verses. Out of, two verses are available, because when these verses were presented to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He tore it and throw it out, because He did not, did not like. It is His instruction that one should not be very much attached to his self-aggrandizement. No. But His devotees collected only two, three or some such ślokas. Out of these, this is one of them: vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ (CC Madhya 6.254). Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:
So you have kindly come here to hear. This is bhakti-yoga. Caitanya Mahāprabhu approved this bhakti-yoga—simply by, simply by hearing from the realized person. Caitanya Mahāprabhu had talks with Rāmānanda Rāya how one develops spiritual life, sādhu-sadanana(?). So Rāmānanda Raya was answering, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was questioning. The Rāmānanda Raya felt a little inconvenience that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu is such an exalted person, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Apart from that, He's born in high brāhmaṇa family." Such a learned scholar Nimāi Pandit He was, and so nice person, a sannyāsī, the topmost order in our Vedic society. "Sannyāsī, brāhmaṇa, scholar and everything complete, and He's questioning; I am answering. Oh, this is very awkward position. I have become teacher and He has become student. How it is possible?" So he was hesitating. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him, "No, no. Don't hesitate, because it doesn't matter that you are a gṛhastha, you are not even a brāhmaṇa." Rāmānanda Raya belonged to the Karana society in Orissa. They are supposed to be śūdra. But still he was a very big man. He was governor of Orissa, uh... governor of Benares and very rich man. And very learned scholar, especially in this Vaiṣṇava philosophy. So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the royal scholar in Mahārāja Pratāparudra's assembly house. Royal scholar. So in the beginning this Rāmānanda Raya and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had some talks on bhakti. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, being great logician, he could not understand the bhakti philosophy, but when he became a student of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he could understand how much elevated was Rāmānanda Raya. At that time before, "I could not realize," but when he become himself a devotee, he could understand. Therefore when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was going to the South Indian tour he recommended, "Sir, if You can meet Rāmānanda Raya, You'll be very much pleased. He's a great, advanced student in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu met him on the bank of Godāvarī River. And the talk was going on, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu took the position of the student, and he was offered, Rāmānanda Raya was offered the position of the teacher, although he was gṛhastha, governor, and according to our social custom, karaṇa, śūdra. So he was hesitant.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:
It is not Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wordings; it is the Vedic scripture. Kṛṣṇa also said, na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ duṣkṛtino narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Mūḍhāḥ, mūḍhāḥ means gāḍha, "who has no knowledge." So anyone who does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, what he is? He is in the four classes: na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Either he's a narādhama or he's an ass, mūḍhāḥ, or he's full of sinful activities, or if you say that he's so learned scholar, then māyaya apahṛta-jñānā, his knowledge has been taken out by māyā. Otherwise, how he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa? How he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa? Because he is not surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, he must be classified in either of these categories—mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtino, narādhama, māyaya apahṛta-jñānā (BG 7.15). Therefore we have to take shelter of this rāja-vidyā. not the jaḍa-vidyā. Jaḍa-vidyā will not help. Rāja-vidyā, rāja-guhyam. Very confidential, very con... Just like Kṛṣṇa describing in the last, Eighteenth Chapter, guhyatamam: "My dear Kṛṣṇa (Arjuna), I have given you all kinds of knowledge, but I am giving the most confidential knowledge now." What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). This is the most confidential.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:
So if we execute this devotional service, rāja-vidyā, then we can go back to home, be transferred to the spiritual world. They do not know. Aśraddadhānaḥ. Then, aprāpya mām: they do not know how to go back to home, back to Godhead. Aprāpya. Then what happens? Aprāpya māṁ nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3). He remains here in this material world and goes on transforming, transmigrating from one body to another, one body to another. And we should know, we should be very responsible that what kind of body we are getting next. If you don't care... Big, big professors, big, big learned scholars, they say that after finishing the body... Our men in Delhi, New Delhi, they are making some life members amongst the parliamentary M.P.s. So one M.P. said that "We don't believe in this. The last perfection is to become zero, to become zero." Because they cannot think, those who are materialist, they cannot think that there is another, spiritual world. They, they cannot think. Therefore this zero theory, śūnyavāda, was propounded by Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha propounded śūnyavāda, because the people are so rascal, they could not understand. There was no necessity. There was no necessity. He simply said nirvāṇa: "Stop this nonsense material life." But after material life, what is there, that He did not reveal, because these fools and rascal will not understand.
Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:
Just like I will give you again the same example, the government. The government, say, the university department, educational department, and the jail department. The jail department is also government department. It is not that government is absent from the jail department. Rather, government is spending more money for the jail department, more than the government spends on the university department. So both of them are government concern, but one department is full of criminals, and one department is full of learned scholars. This is the difference. Try to understand. You don't think that material world is out of the control of God. It is also under the control, exactly. The jail department is also under the control of the government. So that is the difference, material world and spiritual world. Material world means full of criminals, or against God, or defying the authority of God. And the spiritual world? Everyone is accepting the supremacy of God. That is material world and spiritual world.
Lecture on BG 12.13-14 -- Bombay, May 12, 1974:
"Oh, some of them, some of the atheists, they are very learned scholars." But the answer is māyayā-apahṛta-jñānāḥ: "They are superficially very learned, but actually their real knowledge is taken away by māyā." Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Just like Rāvaṇa, he was very learned scholar in Vedas. He was son of a brāhmaṇa. And materially he was very, very opulent. But because he did not care for Rāma, he is addressed as rākṣasa. This is the... He was also a great devotee of Lord Śiva. But still, in the śāstra he is described as rākṣasa. So māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. So this is the position.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa directly says how you can become devotee or dear to Kṛṣṇa. Or, in other words, how you will be seen by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is seeing your activities, but especially, to take care of you... Kṛṣṇa takes care. As soon as you become a devotee, immediately He takes care of you. Otherwise you are under the care of māyā, this material energy. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27).
Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:
You are thinking one boy here, because he is Australian, you are thinking more intimate relationship with him, and because I am Indian, you may not think more, in such intimacy. Because the bodily connection is there. But Kṛṣṇa said that "This is not very intelligent knowledge." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. A person who does not lament for this body, he is actually learned. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). Paṇḍita means learned scholar. So either this body is in living condition or it is in dead condition, a paṇḍita, a learned scholar, one who knows things as they are, he does not take care of this body. Not take care actually, he does not think very seriously about this body. That was the answer given by... Because this body is after all, a lump of matter. Actually, so long the soul is there, it is moving. It is growing or changing bodies or so many importance is there due to... Therefore, unless we come to this understanding, that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, there is lack of knowledge. That is being instructed by Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:
But there is no facility for studying this subject matter in the university or any educational institution. Therefore they are called mūḍhas. They do not understand what is God. Who was telling me? Some Bengali professor came here, and he said, "I am agnostic." Who told me just now, in the car? So mostly the so-called educated circle, they are agnostics. They do not believe in God, they do not believe in the soul, and still they are passing on as educationists, learned scholars, professor. This is the pity. Therefore one should learn from Kṛṣṇa, this education system at the present moment, you cannot learn anything positively. They are all vague.
Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Paris, August 13, 1973:
Therefore this energy is called karma-saṁjñānyā. This... There are many energies of Kṛṣṇa. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). But learned scholars, they have divided into three: the spiritual energy, the marginal energy, and the material energy. Avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīya-śaktir iṣyate. So here this material world, either you become a tiger, either you become Lord Brahmā or you become a small ant, you have to struggle for your existence. This is material world. You cannot think that "I shall be happy without any working."
Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973:
Our propaganda is not for the East and the West, but our fight is with the ignorance of the people because at the present moment people are kept in ignorance, in foolishness, that he is this body, bodily identification. But still, there is difference between East and West. In the West, I have talked with big, big professors, learned scholars. They have no idea of next life.
I talked with Professor Kotovsky in Moscow. He said, "Swamiji, after annihilation of this body, everything is finished." They have no idea that there is soul. And in India even the poorest man, he knows that, "There is next life. I existed in the past, and I will exist in the future." This Vedic conclusion is known even to the poorest man, illiterate man. That is, of course, the difference between East and West.
Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:
Big, big leaders, they say like that, that "After death, there is no life. Everything is finished." Big, big professors, big, big learned scholars, they are of this opinion, that after death there is no life. Everything is finished. And wherefrom all these different forms of life come, they cannot answer. There are eight million four hundred thousand forms of life. Wherefrom they come? What is the purpose of so many forms of life. What is the purpose of life? What is the distinction between the form of human life and these lower grades of life. Higher grades of life—no knowledge, no knowledge. Everyone is ignorant, foolish. Therefore they have been addressed as mūḍha, mūḍha, all rascals.
Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Bombay, October 28, 1973:
We have seen many big, big sannyāsīs in India, very learned scholar, and very nicely they can describe śāstra also, but they are entangled in politics. Why? If this world is mithyā, jagan mithyā, you have rejected it, then why you are again coming to politics? Why you are coming in the mithyā world? Because there is no realization. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. They are thinking that "We have now become liberated," māninaḥ. Actually, they are not liberated. Because aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ, their intelligence is not yet clear, therefore, even after severe austerities, penances, they come to the point of Brahman realization, because they have no realization of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they fall down. Because there is no engagement. I do not wish to name the big, big sannyāsīs of India who fell down in this way. But you know that the Māyāvādī sampradāya, they take this world as mithyā. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. If jagat is mithyā, then why you come down again for philanthropic activities, for political activities? That is called māyā.
Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:
Just like these European, American, boys. before coming to my shelter, they were doing everything. We prohibit illicit sex. We prohibit intoxication. We prohibit meat-eating. We prohibit gambling. So these boys and girls were accustomed to all these habits, pravṛtti. But they have now changed their pravṛtti because they want to become sura. They want to achieve the ultimate goal of life. One may not know what mode of life we should accept. One may not know what mode of life we should reject, but in the śāstra, in the teachings of great men, learned scholars, things are there. We have to accept. We may not know, but we should accept. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for this purpose, to change the pravṛtti nivṛtti. Just like there is pravṛtti for meat-eating. We are advising, "Please do not eat meat." This is nivṛtti. Before that, they do not know what is the difference between meat-eating and not meat-eating. But now they are understanding. Therefore they are becoming sura. One who adopts the methods... And why one should eat meat at all?
Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:
But if you misinterpret, if you pollute it by your own interpretation, then you will not see. These rascals, they are simply polluting. Because they are not coming in paramparā system, everyone is trying to become a very learned scholar, very learned leader, but they are rascals. Actually they are rascals because they cannot see. Recently, what was the Gandhi's statement? That "I do not believe that there was Kṛṣṇa ever lived." That's it, "ever lived. Kṛṣṇa is of my imagination." He said like that. This is going on. All the ācāryas, they accepted. Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Person. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava: (BG 10.14) "Your personality, nobody can understand." There is person before him, and he is such a big man. He says that "It is imagination." This is going on. If... Science should be as other such study. Two plus two, mathematic calculation, that is four. You cannot say it is five or three by interpretation or by imagination. Two plus two is equal to four. You accept or not accept; that is a different thing. So it is a science. You have to accept according to the direction given. Then you will have this real thing. So any other question? Study by questioning. Paripraśnena, tad viddhi paripraśnena, paripraśnena sevayā, praṇipātena.
Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:
You may have some particular knowledge. Suppose you are expert singer. Very good, but if you earn your money for fulfilling your sense desires, that is demonic. But you know the art, how to sing. If you very melodiously sing Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then you are demigod. The same thing can be utilized both ways. Anything. Therefore śāstra says, idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā (SB 1.5.22). People are advancing by research and by education. Śrutasya means education, and tapasaḥ... And to become very learned scholar, scientist, it requires tapasya, austerities, penance. It is not that all of a sudden one becomes very great scientist. After many, many research work. Therefore it is called tapasya. Idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā sviṣṭasya sūktasya ca buddhi-dattayoḥ (SB 1.5.22). People do very pious activities, charity, munificence. What is the purpose? What is the purpose of becoming educated, learned scholar, very charitable and all these pious activities? What is the end? Ask them. Somebody will say, those who believe next life—that is also fact—that "Next life also, I will get opulence, properly situated." That is also fact.
Lecture on BG 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:
So according to these three modes of material nature, there must be division of the society. The first class men are called brāhmaṇa, most learned scholar. Learned scholar means, as I was explaining, one who has complete knowledge of God, that is learned scholar. Otherwise, to know how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse and how to defend, this, these knowledge is also there in the animals. They know how to eat. There is no need of university for teaching how to eat or how to sleep or how to have sex life or how to defend. These are animal necessities. But actually human being should be still more advanced in knowledge. That knowledge is not comprising only eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That knowledge is to understand the Absolute Truth, God. That knowledge.
Lecture on BG 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:
In our, there is one Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he was a great politician. Perhaps those who have gone to India, New Delhi, there is Cāṇakya-purī where all the ambassadors and foreign diplomats are situated. That Cāṇakya Muni, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he was a great learned brāhmaṇa and politician. He gave his instruction. So he gives the formula, "Who is a learned scholar?" Who is a learned scholar. He has given three formulas. What is that?
- mātṛvat para-dāreṣu
- para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat
- ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu
- yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ
Who is a learned man. He said, "A person who can see all the women of the world, except his wife, as mother." Mātṛvat-para-dāreṣu. Para-dāra means other's wife. If one has learned this art how to see other's wife as mother, and para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat, and other's riches, possessions, as garbage in the street. Just like you don't touch the garbage. Similarly, other's property, other's riches, one does not touch or even see to it. And he thinks all woman as mothers except his own wife. And ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu, and treating everyone equally, as he wants to be treated himself. If by pinching your body or giving pain to your body, if you feel pain, you should not give pain to any living entity. If one has learned these three things: mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu, then he's is learned scholar. It is not that one has got this degree from this university, then he has got. That degree will not help us. Unless one is God consciousness, he cannot have any good qualification. That is the Vedic injunction.
Lecture on BG Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972:
So if you follow the footprints of Arjuna, then you are rightly understanding Bhagavad-gītā. But if you are following the footprints of some rascal, then you are not understanding Bhagavad-gītā. You are understanding something else. This is the secret. Here we have got so many commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā, as one thinks. As if Kṛṣṇa left Bhagavad-gītā to be commented by some rascals to understand! Why? He said Bhagavad-gītā clearly. Why it is to be interpreted by some rascals? Did Kṛṣṇa mean that "I leave Bhagavad-gītā ambiguous and some learned scholar will come. He will explain"? What is this nonsense? Everything is clear. Bhagavad-gītā, in the beginning it is said that
- dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
- samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
- māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
- kim akurvata sañjaya
- (BG 1.1)
Now, why it should be interpreted that "Dharma-kṣetra means this, kuru-kṣetra means this, pāṇḍavāḥ means this"? Why? It is clear. Kurukṣetra still existing. Everyone knows. And that is dharma-kṣetra. Everyone knows. It is not known now. From the Vedic age. Kuru-kṣetre dharmam ācaret. Still people go there for performing ritualistic ceremonies. So Kurukṣetra is still there and it is dharma-kṣetra from time immemorial. Why it should be interpreted that "Kurukṣetra means this, and dharma-kṣetra means this"? Why? Where is the dictionary?
Lecture on BG Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972:
So that was being done. Bhagavad-gītā is the science of God, the spiritual science. But it was being adulterated by so many grains of sands. So people could not understand it. We do not present Bhagavad-gītā with some adulteration. Kṛṣṇa says, bhakto 'si priyo 'si arjuna. Kṛṣṇa is instructing Arjuna to begin the paramparā system because the paramparā system was supposed to be broken. People misunderstood. Or some way or other, it was broken. As it is going on now also. So Kṛṣṇa said that "I shall speak to you this same old philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā again." "Why unto me?" Why Kṛṣṇa selected Arjuna? There are many others, learned scholars. Now, Kṛṣṇa says, bhakto 'si priyo 'si. Kṛṣṇa was a military man, er, Arjuna was a military man. He was not a Vedantist. He was a gṛhastha, not even a sannyāsī. Why Kṛṣṇa selected to instruct Arjuna as the disciple of the renovated paramparā system? That is also spoken by Kṛṣṇa: bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3), rahasyam etad uttamam: "Because you are My dear friend, because you are My devotee, you can understand the mysteries of Bhagavad-gītā." Kṛṣṇa did not select a so-called Vedantist to understand Bhagavad-gītā.
| Page Title: | Learned scholar (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 01 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=75, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 75 |