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Lessons (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Introduction to Gitopanisad (Earliest Recording of Srila Prabhupada in the Bhaktivedanta Archives):

So Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Lord Himself. And Arjuna, the, I mean to say, the student who took lessons of the Bhagavad-gītā, he accepted the whole story as it is, without any cutting. That is also not allowed, that we accept a certain portion of Bhagavad-gītā and reject another portion. That is also not accepted.

Introduction to Gitopanisad (Earliest Recording of Srila Prabhupada in the Bhaktivedanta Archives):

Now the world should learn from the Bhagavad-gītā, the lesson. Evaṁ śāstraṁ devakī-putra-gītam. There is one scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world, for the people of the whole world, and that is this Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:

You know in your country it is very usual. If he has nobody, then he keeps a dog, and takes it on the street. His dog passes stool, and he is standing, waiting: "Yes, sir. You pass your stool, I am waiting." Just see. It is practical. If you don't become servant of Kṛṣṇa, then you have to become servant of the dog. This is nature's way. Therefore intelligent person will take lesson from it, that "I have to become servant. Why not become Kṛṣṇa's servant? Then I will be happy. There are so many Kṛṣṇa's servants. They are so happy. Why shall I remain the servant of the māyā?" Kāmādīnāṁ katidhā.

Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:

Therefore intelligent person will take lesson from it, that "I have to become servant. Why not become Kṛṣṇa's servant? Then I will be happy. There are so many Kṛṣṇa's servants. They are so happy. Why shall I remain the servant of the māyā?" Kāmādīnāṁ katidhā.

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

I shall stop fighting or not fighting?" In the next verses it will be seen... When you are in such perplexity, "what to do and what not to do," so in order to get right direction, you must approach the spiritual master. That will be done in the next verse. Arjuna will say that "I do not know. I am now perplexed. Although I know it is my duty as kṣatriya to fight, still I am hesitating. I am hesitating in my duty. So therefore I am perplexed. So Kṛṣṇa, therefore I submit to You." Formerly he was talking just like friend. Now he will be prepared to take lesson from Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

That glorious... First of all we must know what we are. The mistake is that we are accepting this body as ourself. I am thinking Indian, you are thinking Australian, he is thinking American, he is thinking Mohammedan, he is thinking Hindu. In this way, because we are thinking different way, we have got difference of opinion. But as soon as we come to the spiritual platform. There will be no more different opinion. That we are trying, that come to the spiritual platform. Then everything will go on. The first lesson of coming to the spiritual platform is to understand that "I am not this body." This the first lesson of spiritual understanding.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:

So this world at the present moment at least, it is a fool's paradise. Nobody is learned. Because everyone is working under the bodily concept of life. This is chastise. This is the first chastisement. Just like before giving lesson, if the student is writing or reading wrongly, then the teacher immediately says, "You fool, it is not like this. It should be like this."

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:

So those who are in the bodily concept of life, they cannot advance in this real knowledge, that we are eternally servant of God. Our constitutional position is like that. If we do not serve God, we do not agree... We are servant of God, but if we deny that "No, I am not servant," so that means I become servant of māyā. Servant I'll have to remain. That is my constitutional position. So one must first of all understand what is his identity. So this is the beginning of a lesson given by Kṛṣṇa, that "You are lamenting for this body. This is not your identity. This is not your identity.

Lecture on BG 2.11 (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 11, 1975:

Go means cow, and khara means ass. So anyone who accepts this body as self, he is animal, he is not human being. That is the beginning of knowledge. People are accepting knowledge from a school, college, university, but at the present moment at least, how many people know that he is not body? Unless we understand this first principle of knowledge, there is no question of spiritual advancement of life. So the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā is to give lesson that we are not this body. It will be later on explained that the spirit soul, or the real person, is within this body. Just like we are here.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:

That lesson, instruction, is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. And it is very easy to understand. The perplexity which Arjuna met at the Battle, in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra... The fight was between two sector of family members. They're cousin-brothers, one family, but there was some trouble, who would occupy the throne. From Mahābhārata we understand that the Pāṇḍavas, at least up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he ruled over the whole world.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- London, August 18, 1973:

This is the first lesson to understand, what is spiritual life, what is spiritual knowledge. But all rascals, they do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa first of all slapped Arjuna: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You do not know what is the fact, and talking like a very learned man. Just try to understand what is truth." Na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsam. First thing is that nāsam, we have no nāsam. We never die, that will be explained later on more clearly, we do not die. Nāsam. At any time. It is not that sometimes we die and sometimes... No. Any time, jātu. At any time.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Mexico, February 12, 1975:

So this is the position for everyone. You ask any learned scientist, professor, "Who are you?" He'll say, "I am Mr. John." He'll say, "I am Mr. John, I am American," or "I am Mexican," "I am Indian," like that. So this is ignorance. Nobody is this body. That is the first lesson of spiritual knowledge. So long we identify with this body, that "I am Mr. Such-and-such," "I am American," "I am Indian," this is all ignorance. When you actually understand that you are not this body—therefore you are not American, nor Indian nor Mexican, but you are spirit soul—then your spiritual education begins. And that is... In Sanskrit it is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." Spiritual... Spirit soul has no connection with this material world.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Mexico, February 12, 1975:

If a man comes, follows the regulative principle even for some time and again he falls down, so so long he has followed, that asset is permanent. Anything, spiritual asset, that is never lost. So little, little, little, when it is complete, cent percent, then you become liberated. Spiritual asset is never lost. So even a person comes to the temple and follows the regulative principle for some time—again he falls down—he's not loser; he's gainer. Others who do not take this lesson and outside they may perform his so-called duties very perfectly, he's loser. So at least for some time let every one of you come here and follow the restriction. And if you become perfect, is all right, but even if you go away, whatever you have done, that is your permanent asset.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

But, but, but, because that is a difficult problem for us because we are engrossed with the idea of identifying this body with the soul. Now, the first A-B-C-D of spiritual knowledge is to understand that "I am not this body." Unless one is firmly convinced that "I am not this body," he cannot progress in the spiritual line. So the first lesson in the Bhagavad-gītā is taken in that way. So here it is, that dehino 'smin. Now, dehī, the soul, soul. Dehī means soul. One who has accepted this body, material body, he's called dehī. So asmin, he is there. He is there, but his body is changing. You see? The body is changing.

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 17, 1975:

Of course, they also say, "B.A., M.A., Bachelor of Art, Master of Art." It is just learning an art only; it is not education. Just like an electrical electrician. He knows the art how to put the negative and positive wire and bring electricity. That is an art. But that electrician does not know what is the science of understanding soul. The modern education, they are simply giving lessons on some art, generally known as technology.

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

And sva-dhīḥ means "My men, my own kinsmen." Who? "My children, my family, my society, my country," kalatrādiṣu. Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ: "And the land where these things have grown up, my body and my other relatives in relationship with this body, that is pūjya." Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya... Nationalism: "My country. I shall die for this land. I shall sacrifice everything." Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. And those who are little advanced, pious, they go to places of pilgrimages, take a bath in the Ganges, and come out. They think that water is tīrtha. No. Tīrtha is saintly persons. Tīrtha-padam. You have to meet saintly persons to take lesson from them. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣu abhijñeṣu. You have to meet self-realized persons, those persons who do not care for these things. And in the bodily concept of life, they have been described in the śāstra: go-kharaḥ, "cow and asses."

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

Don't be attached by, either by good work or bad work. That is the technique. A transcendentalist who wants to work from spiritual platform, he has no botheration, "Whether I am doing good or bad?" He has only to see, "Whether I am doing, acting on the platform of spiritual consciousness or material consciousness?" That's all. Even a apparently bad work by such person on the spiritual consciousness, is also good, supreme good. Not only good, but supreme good. Just like you see the example of Arjuna. From material point of view, he was right that "It is not good to fight with my brothers." That is right from material point of view. But when he learned Bhagavad-gītā, he fought with the same brothers. With the same brothers. That means that after learning Bhagavad-gītā, after taking lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, he did not become a bad man. No. He become a transcendental man. Transcendental man. Because that fighting, he accepted on the instruction, on the desire of the supreme consciousness, Kṛṣṇa. That is the technique.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

So every, everything that we are creating, that will be, at the end it will be set into fire. The Bhāgavata says that paśyann api na paśyati, teṣāṁ nidhanam. Everything will be destroyed, and still, the thing which will be destroyed, we are after them. But the thing which will exist—na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20)—which will continue to exist even after the destruction of this body, we have no information. We have no information, neither do we try anything for that thing. Bhagavad-gītā's teaching is sublime because it gives you the practical lesson for the supreme, for the supreme, your spirit soul. Material education, material advancement of civilization, is just like building for setting fire in it. It will be lost. It will be lost.

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

And what are the shackles of this prison life? The shackles of prison life... Just like in ordinary prison, prisoner... Of course, I do not know what is the case here of prison life, but I have seen. Sometimes in New Delhi I was invited to give some good lessons to the prisoners. So I have seen so many prisoners. They were shackled with iron chains, iron chains. So we are also chained up here, and what is that chain? That is our sense enjoyment.

Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:

Matiḥ means attention. So attention to Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā. Even by hearing instruction from learned, I mean to say, transcendentalists or by self-study. Parataḥ. Parataḥ means taking lessons or taking instruction from others. And svataḥ means by self-culture. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho vā. Mitho vā: "by assembly." By assembly. Na: "It will never be." Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha-vratānām means... Gṛha means "house," and vrata means "vow." One who has made his vow that "This worldly live, eat, drink, be merry and enjoy, this is all in all," for them, there is no question of spiritual life. We have to decide it that spiritual life and material life, they are different angles of vision.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

The beginning of our Bhagavad-gītā lesson is based on that we are spirit consciousness. We are not this body. And the whole function of the human society is to be enlightened in that spiritual consciousness of life instead of wasting time in sense gratification like the animals who are concerned with eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating. That is the background of our, this discussion, that we are different from the ordinary animals.

Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:

People become envious. One brāhmaṇa zamindar in the village, oh, he became very envious: "Oh, this man is Mohammedan and he is getting so much respect? Oh, I am a brāhmaṇa, I am a zamindar and nobody cares for me? Oh, he should be given some lesson." So he called a beautiful prostitute. "I shall give you such and such sum of rupees if you can, I mean to say, make a fall down of this man, this young man." He was young man. Ṭhākura Haridāsa was at that time about twenty-five years old, young man. So that prostitute, there was agreement. "Oh, it is easy thing for me. Sir, you give me such and such money. I shall get him. All right."

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

Therefore bhagavān uvāca. You take lessons from Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, perfect, all-perfect. What he will do by hearing this rascal or that rascal? Try to hear from the Supreme Personality without any fault, without any deviation. There are four kinds of defects in conditional life: to commit mistake, to be illusioned... Bhrama, pramāda, vipra-lipsā. To cheat, propensity for cheating. And imperfection of senses.

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:

That is our aim. The human form of life is meant for finishing all these problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), and go back to home, back to Godhead. But people do not know... They are not educated what is God, what is God's place, where to go back, what is my position, what is my relation. Nothing of these things are educated or given lessons in any university anywhere. But it is there, the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is personally giving you instruction. Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction to Arjuna. "Arjuna" does not mean that Arjuna is to take that lesson. Every one of us. And it is very old. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "Don't manufacture new type of religion." What you'll do that? It is simply waste of time. You cannot manufacture anything. But they are after modernized religion. What is this nonsense modernized religions? You are living entity. You are part and parcel of God.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

Just like the example... We can give very tangible example. Just like in the prison house sometimes the head of the country goes to visit, to see, to inspect how the prison life is going on or to give them some instruction, some good lesson, that "Why you are rotting in prison? You become good citizen." Now, suppose the head of the state goes to the prison and to instruct the prisoners, and if the prisoners think, "Oh, he is also a prisoner.

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

Now, follow pūrvataraiḥ. Now, we are listening Bhagavad-gītā. So Bhagavad-gītā was first heard by the Vivasvān, the sun-god. So giving aside sun-god, we can take at least Arjuna. Pūrvataraiḥ, mahadbhiḥ. Arjuna is mahat, mahat. Sa mahātmā su-dur... Because he knows Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). He surrendered to Kṛṣṇa for solution of the problem, whether he was to fight or not to fight. So Kṛṣṇa instructed directly and Kṛṣṇa certified him, bhakto 'si me priyo 'si: (BG 4.3) "You are my dear friend. You are My devotee. Therefore I shall talk to you the mystery." Rahasyam etad uttamam, Bhagavad-gītā. So take the lesson from Arjuna, how he acted, how he understood Bhagavad-gītā. Then pūrvataraiḥ. You don't have to go very long, long before. You take the symbolical representation of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna. So how did he understood? How he did understand Kṛṣṇa? He understood Kṛṣṇa: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So you understand like that.

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

So take the lesson from Arjuna, how he acted, how he understood Bhagavad-gītā. Then pūrvataraiḥ. You don't have to go very long, long before. You take the symbolical representation of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna. So how did he understood? How he did understand Kṛṣṇa? He understood Kṛṣṇa: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So you understand like that.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

So this is Vedic civilization. Don't be carried away. Take lesson from Bhagavad-gītā and make your life successful. That is the propaganda of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't become cats and dogs and advertise yourself as paṇḍita. These are the definition of paṇḍita. Either take you from Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's materialistic point of view, moral lessons, or spiritual lessons from Bhagavad-gītā, the definition of paṇḍita is different from the so-called paṇḍitas, having... That is... They are called māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Although they have got degrees of the universities, but actually, knowledge is taken away by māyā.

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

So the best thing is that we should be submissive. We should not be proud. That will not help us. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatām. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. The so-called speculative knowledge should be given up. Jñāne prayāsam, namanta eva. Just be submissive. Namanta eva. Śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva, san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. San-mukharitām, those who are perfectly saint.... Just like Vyāsadeva, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, san-mukharitām. They have accepted.... Caitanya Mahāprabhu.... San-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. In this way we can understand, we can take the lesson, everything is clear.

Lecture on BG 4.28 -- Bombay, April 17, 1974:

Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma... The Gosvāmīs practically demonstrated in their life everything. Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught them. They were the first disciples of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rūpa Gosvāmī was given lesson for ten days continually at Allahabad, Prayāga, Daśāśvamedha-ghāṭa. As a result of his instruction, he first wrote this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, which we have translated into English, Nectar of Devotion. Similarly, Sanātana Gosvāmī was given instruction for two months at Benares, Vārāṇasī.

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

That, "How is that, I am so great a yogi, I can travel in the space, and this man is ordinary king, he cannot show such jugglery of yoga system, but still people honors him most. Why? I shall teach him some lesson." So he picked up some quarrel with the king, that's a long story, I shall state it some other day, so after all he was defeated. And he was directed by Nārāyaṇa to take shelter of the feet of the king, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa.

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

You do not require to educate them. In the school, college, the boys and girls are not, I mean, given lesson... Of course now, I think, they are now giving lesson also. But naturally, without any lesson, they know how to do it. Similarly, without an education, one can take to intoxication. So these things are natural. But when we try to stop these material instincts, that is called tapasya, tapasya.

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

Therefore Kṛṣṇa's body is different from us. Therefore He is controller. We think, "If Kṛṣṇa has got a body, then He must have a body like us." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). "These mūḍhas, rascals, because I appear before them to give them the lesson about God, what is God, these rascals think of Me as one of them." This is rascaldom. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ (BG 9.11). That sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1) can control the whole material nature—that they do not know. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968:

You will find in the later chapters that Kṛṣṇa says, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya (BG 7.25). Just like if you enter into any educational institution, if you don't surrender yourself to the rules and regulation of the institution, how you can get advantage of the knowledge imparted by the institution? Everywhere, wherever you want to receive something, you have to be controlled or you have to be surrendered to the rules and regulation. Just like in our class we are imparting some lessons from the Bhagavad-gītā, and if you do not follow the rules and regulations of this class, it is not possible to receive the knowledge. Similarly, the full knowledge of the controller and the process of controlling can be understood when one is surrendered like Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa. Unless one is surrendered soul, it is not possible. You always remember that Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna surrendered himself to Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). So therefore Kṛṣṇa is also speaking to him.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:

So this is the first business, that "Where we shall take knowledge?" Tad-vijñānārtham. Vedic lesson is that tad-vijñānārthaṁ gurum eva abhigacchet: "You should go to guru." Just like Arjuna has accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru. When Arjuna was puzzled, he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "I am kṣatriya. It is my duty to fight, but I am declining. Although You are requesting me to fight, still I am declining.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 23, 1976:

Arjuna, he simply took Kṛṣṇa as a best friend; he became perfect. That is Bhagavad-gītā. He has accepted Kṛṣṇa as the best friend: "Kṛṣṇa, although I am talking with You as friend, but I know what you are. So I am perplexed. Kindly give me lesson." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I am surrendering unto you. I accept you as my spiritual master. Kindly teach me." So he became perfect by making Kṛṣṇa his friend. So nine processes. Any process you take and do it perfectly; then you become perfect. So we are opening different centers all over the world. At least if they come and hear about Kṛṣṇa they'll become perfect, without doing anything, simply by hearing, hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. It is very easy. It is not at all difficult. Where is the difficulty? God has given us ear, and if we simply hear, listen what Kṛṣṇa says, we become perfect.

Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

So the problem... Here it is said that "try to understand what you are. Are you this body, or you are something separate from the body?" We are separate from the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. The first lesson given to Arjuna was this:

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
(BG 2.11)

Arjuna was hesitating to fight: "How can I kill my nephew, my brother, my grandfather," and so on so on. So Kṛṣṇa was instructing him that "It is your duty. As a kṣatriya, when there is battle, you should fight.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Hyderabad, April 19, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa is perfect. If we take lessons from Kṛṣṇa, instruction from Kṛṣṇa, then we get perfect knowledge. That is the process of studying Bhagavad-gītā. If you accept Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being, then we are befooled. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). We should accept Kṛṣṇa. Why should we accept? Because all the śāstras accept. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sādhu-śāstra-guru—that is the evidence. According to our Vedic knowledge, we shall accept a thing when it is proved by Vedic evidence. Therefore Veda means knowledge, perfect knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Paris, August 13, 1973:

So same thing is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. First of all the whole Vedic knowledge is summarized in Vedānta-sūtra by Vyāsadeva. And again he explains under the instruction of Nārada, the Bhāgavatam, Brahma-sūtra. So brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaṁ. So one has to take lesson from Bhāgavata, Brahma-sūtra, Bhagavad-gītā, and... Not that "I reject all these books, and..."

Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:

But we are prone to be covered. But Kṛṣṇa is not prone to be covered. Otherwise, why should we take lessons from Kṛṣṇa? If He's also like one of us, then what is the use of taking knowledge from Him? There is no use. But these rascals, they think that Kṛṣṇa is like us. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because Kṛṣṇa, by His causeless mercy comes down to teach you how to take you back to home, back to Godhead, rascals think that "Kṛṣṇa is like us." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Therefore Kṛṣṇa says "All these lessons, instructions, can be assimilated, understood, by My devotee," mad-bhakta etad vijñāya (BG 13.19). "And therefore they are eligible to get back his original consciousness." Mad-bhāvāyopapadyate. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:

If you have got sufficient knowledge... The knowledge is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Simply you have to study. You have to take lessons from the Bhagavad-gītā from the right person. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). You must learn from a guru who is actually in knowledge of this Vedic literatures, śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham.

Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Bombay, October 28, 1973:

That is knowledge, that I am not the... Brahman realization means that "I am not this body." Because so long one identifies with this body, he is no better than animal. That is the first lesson. Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Deha and dehinaḥ. So that is preliminary knowledge of Brahman realization. But if you do not fix up in your Brahman realization... That is parā-bhakti.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

We have to take lessons from nature's study. The hog is sometimes trying to drink the milk from the breast of the mother and sometimes trying to have sex. You'll find it. This is hog life. This is dog life: no sex discrimination, no food discrimination, no shelter discrimination, no defense discrimination. But all these things—"Discrimination, the best part of valor"—that is in human civilization. Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra said, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now... In your previous lives as cats and dogs and hogs, you simply were busy for inquiring 'Where is stool?' 'Where is food?' 'Where is sex?' 'Where is this?' 'Where is that?' Now, because you have got human body, better consciousness, advanced consciousness, discrimination, now you inquire about Brahman."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

We go, we take bath in the river, like the Christians, they take bath in the Jordan River, or Hindus, they go to Hardwar, take bath in the Ganges, or Vṛndāvana, they take bath. But they think by taking bath in that water, his job is finished. No. Actually the job is to go to such pilgrimages, holy places, to find out experience spiritual advancement. Because many spiritually advanced men, they live there. Therefore one should go such places and find out the experienced transcendentalist, and take lessons from him. That is really going to pilgrimage. Not that simply going and take bath and business finished. No. So

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu...
(SB 10.84.13)

Abhijñe, one who knows. (indistinct) we should approach person who knows things very well, abhijñaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is abhijñaḥ, svarat. So similarly Kṛṣṇa's representative is also abhijñaḥ, naturally. If one associates with Kṛṣṇa, if one talks with Kṛṣṇa, he must be very abhijñaḥ, very learned, because he takes lessons from Kṛṣṇa.

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

But we think that Kṛṣṇa is like us. That is also condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā: avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). "The rascal fools, they think Me as ordinary human being." They, all the big, big ācāryas of our country, Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, many, many big, big stalwarts, they have accepted, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Are they fools that they are worshiping a human being? Are they fools, so big, big scholars, stalwarts? No. Only the fools consider that Kṛṣṇa is ordinary human being. He comes to give us lesson what is actually God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:

So everyone can bhakti-yoga practice, simply under the guidance of proper spiritual master who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. From him you take lesson. And it is not difficult, this bhakti-yoga practice. Actually, this was the practice in India in every home. There was Deity. At least, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they had Deity, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Sītā-Rāma, or Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, or Nārāyaṇa śilā. Every house, it was being worshiped. But we have lost our culture. Vāsudeve bhakti-yogaḥ..., bhakti-prayojitaḥ. We have lost this culture. Revive it. Don't lose this opportunity of human life. Practice bhakti-yoga and be Kṛṣṇa conscious, and make your life successful. That is our mission. We are teaching. It is not a business, that "Give me some money; I will teach you." It is open. We are asking everyone, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." What is the difficulty? There is no loss. You haven't got to pay anything. Simply as these boys have learned to chant and dance, kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. This is the Gosvāmīs' teachings,"Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." And why should you go to see dancing elsewhere? Dance at home. Make family organization in that way. You will be happy. Then you will understand what is your position.

Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972:

Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. Our material life begins by a knot in the heart. What is that knot? That is sex desire. This is the knot. A man is hankering after a woman, and a woman is hankering after a man. This attachment is the beginning of material life. Everyone, not only human society. In animal society, in bird society, in beast society, you'll find this sex attachment. This is the hṛdaya-granthiḥ, beginning. Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, the first teaching to a student is to give him lesson how to become brahmacārī. How not to become attached in sex life, that is called brahmacārī. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Tapasā, to become brahmacārī, to become..., abstaining from sex life, it requires tapasya.

Lecture on SB 1.3.8 -- Los Angeles, September 14, 1972:

So Nārada Muni compiled these śāstras, tantra. Tantra means expansion. Just like there is notebook. Just like Vedānta-sūtra, the lessons are given in codes. Just like the businessmen, they send code. One word composed of four letters, it has got so many meanings. So those who are using those codes, they can understand, "By this code, this sentence or this paragraph is meant." Similarly, the Vedānta-sūtra is giving Vedic knowledge in codes-athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12)—in this way. This janmādy asya yataḥ code is explained by the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, eighteen thousand verses to explain this one code. Similarly, the Vedic knowledge is expanded, or also contracted.

Lecture on SB 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972:

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, giving the right information, that "If you do not want to be carried away by the waves of this māyā, material nature, then take to this consciousness so that at the time of your death you will change this body to Kṛṣṇa planet, Kṛṣṇa, Goloka Vṛndāvana." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa is not making lying propaganda. He has no business. He is giving you information, that if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, janma karma me divyam, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa—how He is acting, why He has come, why He has appeared, why He has given us the Bhagavad-gītā, what lessons He is giving—in this way, if you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tat..., in truth, not whimsically, not sentimentally, with sound philosophy, knowledge, argument, you try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then you get tyaktvā deham... Then after giving up this body, undoubtedly you go back to Kṛṣṇa, go back to home back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 1.3.21 -- Los Angeles, September 26, 1972:

Just like Cāṇakya, in his moral lessons, he says that viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam. When there is a tub of poison, but, if there is little nectar, then you take it. Don't think that "It is in the poison pot, why shall I take it?" No, you can take it. Viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam amedhyād api kāñcanam. Suppose in a very filthy place where people pass stool, urine, there is some gold. So you should take it. Don't think that because the gold is in the polluted place, gold has become polluted. No. You take it. Viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam amedhyād api kāñcanam, nīcād apy uttamā vidyā. Vidyā, education, was to be received from a brāhmaṇa, because it was the brāhmaṇa's business to become highly learned scholar and make others educated.

Lecture on SB 1.3.27 -- Los Angeles, October 2, 1972:

So if we take the Vedic statement, Vedic literature statement, as fact, then our knowledge is perfect. You don't require to research. There is no need. It is perfect knowledge and very easy. Kṛṣṇa says that imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). So Kṛṣṇa said this. Arjuna was playing just like ordinary man, although he is not ordinary man. Just to give us lessons, he was asking question just like ordinary man. So when Kṛṣṇa said that "I spoke this Bhagavad-gītā science of God, or philosophy, to Vivasvān, the sun-god," He clarified the matter. He said... Arjuna said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are my contemporary, of the same age. So how can I believe that You spoke Bhagavad-gītā some 400 millions of years ago to sun-god?

Lecture on SB 1.5.9-11 -- New Vrindaban, June 6, 1969:

So he does not deny anybody. He has made books in such a way that any person reading books... Just like in a school there are different classes and different books are recommended for different classes. Similarly, Vyāsadeva has given the whole Vedic literature in such a nice way in the form of Purāṇas that any man can be elevated to the highest position, reading books like this. Take for example that one who is addicted to take intoxication, eating flesh, and sex life—because these are natural instincts. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantor na hi tatra codanā. Nobody is required to give lesson, to teach. Nobody required to be taught how he has to make sexual intercourse. Nobody has to be taken, I mean, given lesson how he can become intoxicated. Don't you see that the intoxicants, intoxicated person, they have become automatically? There is no university.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

Yama means controlling the senses. Yama, niyama. Then āsana. Then sitting posture. Generally, in these yoga societies in your country, they give some lesson on the sitting posture, and people become captivated that he is practicing yoga. No. First one has to follow regulative principles and control the senses, then practice the sitting postures. Yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma. And when your sitting posture is correct, then you can exercise breathing. Exercise. Breathing exercise means the nostril which is stopped breathing. You have to press that side and try to breathe from the other side. In this way, breathing exercise. Yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma. This is called prāṇāyāma.

Lecture on SB 1.5.33 -- Vrndavana, August 14, 1974:

So if we want to be free from the entanglement of this karma, then we must work for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Yajña, Yajñabhuja, Viṣṇu. Yajñārthāt karmaṇaḥ. This is the cikitsitam. The material activities you are becoming entangled, and you are becoming more and more diseased. So you should be treated. How? The same thing. Milk is... Rabri is also milk preparation and dahi is also milk preparation. So you are becoming diseased by this process. Now you take this process, you will be cured. Then you will be happy. Therefore it is said, tad eva hy āmayaṁ dravyaṁ na punāti cikitsitam. Cikitsitam. We should handle everything material properly treated, properly treated. Not to work for anyone. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us lesson that you are jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Every living entity is eternally the servant of Kṛṣṇa. So instead of becoming servant of your senses, just try to become the servant of Kṛṣṇa, then your life will be successful.

Lecture on SB 1.7.5 -- Vrndavana, September 4, 1976:

Vyāsadeva saw three things: the jīvātmā, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and māyā. Māyā means what is not. Mā-yā. So that māyā begins from what is not. I am not this body, but I am thinking I am this body. This is māyā. I am not this body. That's a fact. But I am thinking, "I am this body." This is māyā. This is the beginning of māyā. This is the conception of the animals, less than human beings. Nowadays even a human being, he's also thinking like that. This is anartha. That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā lesson, to impress, "Arjuna, you are not this body." Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So many ways. So this is anartha. To accept this body and in bodily relationship everything, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), this is māyā. So this is anartha. Anartha means meaningless. No artha. Artha means meaning.

Lecture on SB 1.7.8 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1976:

So one should be senseful, that "So much suffering awaiting..." Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. And Kṛṣṇa says, "You have to accept another body." Not that death is finish. They have made it a very easy formula, that after death everything is finished—because they are rascals. They do not take lesson from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati: (BG 2.13) you have to change your body. But these rascals, they do not know.

Lecture on SB 1.7.8 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1976:

He's coming again as ācārya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He has got so many representatives ācārya: Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Viṣṇu Svāmī, so many ācāryas. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). So take lesson from the ācāryas. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is ācārya. Vyāsadeva is ācārya. He's making the next ācārya by teaching him-adhyāpayām āsa, śukam adhyāpayām āsa—so that he is becoming ācārya. So we have to go the ācārya and take lesson.

Lecture on SB 1.7.10 -- Vrndavana, September 9, 1976:

Siddhānta. How Kṛṣṇa is great. Ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ. Therefore it is said how Kṛṣṇa is great. God is great. In the Western world, they say God is great, but one does not know how He is great. That you will find in the Vedic literature. Just like in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ittham-bhūta-guṇo-hariḥ: He's so great. That you have to learn from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Simply to know God is great, it is good. But how He is great, how He is working, that we have to take lesson from the Vedic literature. You cannot find such information anywhere, in any book throughout the whole world. So there is no question of studying Vedas from a sectarian point of view. For the sake of knowledge, everyone should study this Vedic literature.

Lecture on SB 1.7.24 -- Vrndavana, September 21, 1976:

So in order to teach this lesson to us, the conditioned souls, jīva-loka, Kṛṣṇa, vidhatse svena vīryeṇa, by His own potency... Own potency means, if you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, He has got such potency He can deliver you from this conditioned life, jīva-loka. He can make you purified, mukti. That is called mukti. When you are free from this conditioned stage, this bodily conception of life, then you become free—simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa.

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

So we are discussing the point, "Who requires a guru?" If you are actually serious about understanding the spiritual subject matter, brahma-jijñāsā... Not this market value. If you are interested about brahma-jijñāsā... Just like the merchant association, they inquire, "What is the value of this share? What is the value of this commodity? What is the val...?" No. Not that kind of inquiries. But śreya-uttamam. Jijñāsuḥ śreya-uttamam. There are two kinds of objective: śreya and preya. Preya means immediately sense gratification. Just like a child. Child wants to play because it gives him immediately some sense gratification, satisfaction. He does not like to go to a school or to study or to take lesson. He does not like.

Lecture on SB 1.7.41-42 -- Vrndavana, October 2, 1976:

So we must always remember that if we want to be recognized by Kṛṣṇa, if we want to become inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, then we must take this lesson given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. So to endeavor to become gopīs, that is also Māyāvādī, that "I shall become gopīs." No. You have to become the servant of the servant of the servant of gopīs. That is... Otherwise, the same ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). Then again we'll be misled. This is material disease. Everyone is full of some ahaṅkāra: "I am this," "I am this," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am a sannyāsī," "I am lord," "I am this." So many things. So long this mentality will continue, then that is māyā. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27).

Lecture on SB 1.7.43 -- Vrndavana, October 3, 1976:

So this instruction that pathe nārī vivaryaya. And another lesson is, even Lord Rāmacandra, He was attached. Naturally one is attached to his wife. So if we become attached to a woman, then we have to face so many dangers. This is another instruction. Even Lord Rāmacandra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and still He had to accept so many troubles. They were loitering in the forest, feeling the separation of Sītā-devī. So many things happened.

Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa is jagad-guru. He is the original teacher. That teacher is teaching personally in the Bhagavad-gītā, and we rascals, we do not take the lesson. Just see. Therefore we are mūḍhas. Anyone who is unfit to take the lessons given by the jagad-guru, he is mūḍha. Therefore our test tube is: if one does not know Kṛṣṇa, if one does not know how to follow Bhagavad-gītā, we immediately take him as a rascal. That's all. Never mind he... He may be prime minister, he may be high-court judge, or... No. "No, he is prime minister. He is high-court judge. Still, mūḍhaḥ?" Yes. "How?" Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ: (BG 7.15) "He has no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. He is covered by māyā." Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Therefore he's mūḍha. So straightly preach. Of course, you may say all these things in soft language just to, not to make any agitation, but anyone who does not accept Kṛṣṇa as the jagad-guru and does not take His lessons, he is a rascal. Just like this mūḍha in Jagannātha Purī. He says that "You take next birth. Then you can..." That mūḍha, take him as rascal. Why? He is jagad-guru; he also says, "I am jagad-guru." But he is not jagad-guru. He has not even seen what is jagat. He is a frog. And he is claiming jagad-guru. So he's mūḍha. Kṛṣṇa says. He is mūḍha because he has not taken the lessons given by Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.28 -- Mayapura, October 8, 1974:

Controller means īśvara; īśvara means controller. He's the Supreme Controller. He's controlling the whole creation. Īśānam. Kālam īśānam. But who is controlling Him? No, He is not controlled. Anādi-beginningless. Neither endless or beginningless, anādi or nidhanam. And vibhum, the Supreme. This is the understanding of Kṛṣṇa. We have to take lessons from authorities. Here is Kuntī, authority. Therefore his (her) statements are recorded in the śāstra. What is śāstra? Śāstra means, is, the record of the statement of authorities. That is called śāstra. Just like in law court, you put lawbooks. What is that lawbook? Lawbook means the statement of the authorities. Similarly, śāstra... Śāstra means śās-dhātu.

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Los Angeles, April 26, 1973:

Pradyumna: "That is the omnipotency of the Lord. One who foolishly considers Nārāyaṇa like other living beings should take a lesson from this."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore in the śāstra it is forbidden, that don't compare with Nārāyaṇa. Don't be on equal footing with Nārāyaṇa. It is not possible. But the rascals, big, big swamis, they are exclaiming that: daridra-nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa has become daridra. Manufactured word. Where is this word daridra-nārāyaṇa in the śāstras? But they have manufactured. That Nārāyaṇa has become daridra and He has come to my door to beg. Nārāyaṇa is the master of Lakṣmī, sahasra-śata-lakṣmī, and He has now become daridra, poverty-stricken. These foolish things are going on.

Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Los Angeles, April 28, 1973:

Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau, yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi **. So this is the business of the spiritual master, yuktasya, to engage them always. Vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam. Such guru, spiritual master, I am offering. This is Gurv-aṣṭaka. So here it is said: śṛṇvanti. Kuntī-devī ... The first business is śṛṇvanti. One must be eager to hear. Lesson, everything is hearing. You go to school, college. What purpose you pay the school fee, college fee? For hearing. You hear from the learned professor, teacher, you sit down and you get knowledge. The first thing is śṛṇvanti. Therefore a devotee is always engaged in hearing about Kṛṣṇa, śṛṇvanti. That is devotee's business. Tavehitam. Those who are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their first business is hearing. So śṛṇvanti gāyanti. And if you actually, you have heard about Kṛṣṇa, then next business will be to chant, gāyanti.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1973:

He said, "That I do not know." Imperfect knowledge. If you do not know, then your knowledge is imperfect. Why you have become teacher? That is cheating. When you have got imperfect knowledge, why you take the position of the teacher? That should, you should not have done that. Therefore our position, to become perfect, is to take lesson from the perfect. Kṛṣṇa is the perfect. Kṛṣṇa says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So we take the knowledge from the perfect. Therefore this understanding, that soul is eternal, that is perfect.

Lecture on SB 1.13.11 -- Geneva, June 2, 1974:

Naturally, you become eternal. There is a very nice story. Nice story not, a fact. Sāvitrī-Satyavān. Sāvitrī-Satyavān. This, I mean to say, incidences are mentioned in the śāstras to give us lesson. Sāvitrī was a very chaste devoted woman. Sāvitrī. In India, to the woman, in order to become very chaste and devoted to husband, they observe the ritualistic ceremony to worship Sāvitrī Satyavān.

Lecture on SB 1.13.12 -- Geneva, June 3, 1974:

The family of Kṛṣṇa, there is no power in the whole world that anybody could kill them. So Kṛṣṇa planned that they should be killed amongst themselves by fighting. So another lesson is that if we fight amongst ourselves, even we belong to the family of Kṛṣṇa, we are ruined. This is the instance of Yadu-kula. Although they belonged to Kṛṣṇa's family directly, still, because they fought amongst themselves, they were all banished, vanquished.

Lecture on SB 1.13.12 -- Geneva, June 3, 1974:

He was living just like in the opulence of demigods. Because they were all nephews. Pāṇḍavas were so well-behaved, cultured devotees, and Vidura was devotee. So he was treated just like devavat, godly. That is required. Just like whenever I go anywhere, they treat me very nicely, I live very comfortably, similarly, Vidura was treated by the Pāṇḍavas to live very comfortably, devavat, just like godly standard. But he did not live there for getting some material comforts. His aim was that "This poor man, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, my elder brother, he has not yet been lessoned, that what is the value of these material comforts." He was living shamelessly. So he wanted to instruct him, and thus he lived there for some time.

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

Everything was there. But the only fault was that he did not care for Rāma. That is the only fault. "Oh, what is Rāma? I don't care for Him. There is no need of performing yajñas and ritualistic ceremony to be promoted to the heavenly kingdom." Rāvaṇa said, "I shall construct a staircase to go to the moon planet. Why you are trying in this way or that way? I will do that." Svargesari.(?) So these people are trying like Rāvaṇa, but they should take lesson from Rāvaṇa that his godlessness made him doomed. Everything he lost.

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

So we should take this lesson that without God, without spirit, this material, I mean to say, gorgeousness has no value. Just like we were talking with the scientist in our walking. I was giving this example. Now, there was big, big scientist, just like Professor Einstein was a well-known scientist, but when that small spark of soul was gone from the body, the scientist was lying down, but useless. Nothing coming. Nothing coming.

Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:

This is our charge against this so-called advancement of life. And they are forgetting real thing. They do not understand what is soul. They do not understand. They do not understand that the soul is transmigrating from one body to another. Soul is immortal. Soul is eternal. These things are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the beginning, this is the beginning lesson: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāram (BG 2.13). This is the beginning of spiritual understanding. But they do not understand this beginning lesson, and still they are advanced. This is going on. Simply cheating. So this cheating process is going on under the misconception that "I am this body." The basic principle is cheating. Wrong. And on the wrong platform they are building phantasmagoria, big, big ideas.

Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:

So sane man should take lesson from Bhagavad-gītā that "If I am as good as Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is eternal, I am eternal; Kṛṣṇa is spiritual, I am spiritual; Kṛṣṇa never dies or never takes birth, I do not take birth; I never die," in this way actually we understand that I'm identical in quality with Kṛṣṇa. Then that is called brahma-sampattyā, this knowledge, brahma-sampattyā viśokaḥ. This is it. Then you become free from all lamentation.

Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973:

Now, we can take one lesson that intoxication is so bad that it had a bad effect in the family of God, Yadu dynasty. And what to speak of others? Intoxication is so bad. Go on.

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

Here it is explained how from that original reservoir of all energy, things are coming. That is the lesson in Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "Everything is coming from one source." Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. These are Vedic mantras. That is Brahman. Brahman means inexhaustible, avyaya. There is no exhaustion. Pūrṇam. As we learn, pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation), everything complete. Complete, we have no idea of complete. We think complete also limited. Complete satisfaction. Suppose you have got a bank balance, a million dollars. You think, "It is now complete. I am fully satisfied." But he hasn't got the complete idea. The bank balance may be one million dollar today, but if I spend it, it will be gradually reduced, and one day it will be zero. So that is not complete. Complete means you go on spending as much as you like; still, it remains complete. That is complete.

Lecture on SB 1.16.7 -- Los Angeles, January 4, 1974:

Because strī, śūdra, woman, śūdra and dvija-bandhu... Men born in high-class family, but behavior is different, they are called dvija-bandhu. So they cannot understand the Vedic lessons directly. It is not possible. They have no such intelligence. Strī, śūdra and dvija-bandhu. So Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś cārtheṣu (SB 1.1.1). They cannot understand. Therefore through Mahābhārata they are instructed. History. History they can hear. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "It is the duty of a human being, even from childhood, kaumāra..." Kaumāra means from the age of fifth year up to tenth year. This is called kaumāra. So people should be educated about this, that the problem is how to stop janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). This education. This is called Bhāgavata instruction. You are noting. We are talking on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The subject matter is how one shall transfer himself from this material world to the spiritual world and thereby stop birth, death, old age and disease. This is the whole subject matter.

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

So these are very difficult things, but because it is the age of Kali, kālena balīyasā, as we studied yesterday, that kālena vā te balināṁ balīyasā: time is very hard time. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that it is very difficult time, kalau. It is not Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's version; it is the Vedic version. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This will clarify your heart. Then you can understand who is guru, where to surrender, where to take lesson. In this way we can make... Haphazardly, if we accept, then there will be failure.

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

So it is a great science, how by tongue... Actually, our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to teach people how to engage the tongue in the service of the Lord. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are requesting everyone, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is beginning with tongue. "And take prasādam and go home." That's all. Philosophy later on. Philosophy later on. Because, unless one has got clear brain, unless has actually the senses, purified, one cannot take the lesson of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Just like this is philosophy. One cannot understand the lessons which are given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā... Therefore in the beginning we do not ask anybody, outsider, that "Read Bhagavad-gītā or..." No. "Please come, chant with us Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is required. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you will feel. You'll feel. Because this method will cleanse your heart. The more you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the more you become fit to understand the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the process. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234).

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

Therefore we should take lesson from Mahārāja Parīkṣit that what we are going to prepare for our next life. That is human life. Otherwise it is animal life. The cats and dog, they do not know "What is my next life." They think that... They do not know anything. So if a human being does not know, "What I am preparing for the next life?" he is no better than cats and dogs. That is the statement of the śāstra. It is not my statement.

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

So this is the process of taking lessons. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit also trying to take lesson from the learned saintly persons there. At last it was settled that "Whatever Śukadeva Gosvāmī will say, that will be accepted. That will be accepted." So therefore Śukadeva, after being questioned by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is answering, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ (SB 2.1.1). He inquired. Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired. He was a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa from the very beginning. Because Pāṇḍava family, they were all Kṛṣṇa's devotee, so Parīkṣit Mahārāja also was a devotee from his childhood. He was worshiping the Deity of Kṛṣṇa. That was his plaything.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:

Bhava-sindhu means take birth again and again. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This is very botheration. And there is no guarantee what kind of... Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja... He's also devotee. He's going to Vaikuṇṭha. There was no doubt about it. Still, for our lesson, he inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī that "What is my duty now, now I am going to die?" This is intelligence.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:

This Bhāgavata-saptāha is imitated under Parīkṣit Mahārāja's... Parīkṣit Mahārāja had only seven days' time, so he might have listened to the Bhāgavata lesson for seven days. But for us, it is not that we observe a Bhāgavata-saptāha and finish our business. No. Our business is nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Boston, December 22, 1969:

This is the greatest boon of life. Tūrṇaṁ yateta. The śāstra says that "Very quickly you should try to finish this business." Because Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was aware that he was going to live for seven days. But we do not know whether our life is still for seven days or seven minutes. Any moment. There is no guarantee. Don't think that "In old age we shall take up this business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness." By the example of Parīkṣit Mahārāja, we can take the lesson that we do not know when we shall die, but before death we have to become competent in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What is that competency? Always, twenty-four hours, thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. This is competence.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Paris, June 11, 1974:

Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa first of all begins the constitution of the ātmā, or spirit soul. He begins. When He began to teach Arjuna Bhagavad-gītā, the A-B-C-D lesson was to make him convinced about the soul within the body. That is called ātma-tattvam. And nobody knows. Therefore, bahir-artha-māninaḥ: they are accepting this external feature. Just like we have got external feature. We can understand very easily that this body, this body is external feature. Real "I" am within. As soon as I go away from this body, this external feature, as good as the garbage in the street. That they do not understand. They are busy piling garbage. "Bring more garbage, more garbage." And this is the working capacity. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They think, "This garbage will save me." Very important question. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). The ātma-tattvam means "I am now within this garbage for the present. And after leaving this, in this garbage, I pile up so many other garbages. And in this way, working uselessly the whole life, then I transmigrate from this body to another garbage body." That I do not know. This is called apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Apaśyatām means "not seeing." A means "not," and paśyatām means "seeing, one who sees." He's seeing, "This garbage is everything." He does not see ātma-tattvam.

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

They live on the tax, and the brāhmaṇas, on the contribution of the public. Just like we are teaching, we are living on the contribution of the public. The public knows that there is an important institution. They are giving good lessons. So public contributes. So we can accept contribution. But a king is not allowed to take contribution. Because he is administrator, he can tax, so his source of income is tax.

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

So ātma-tattvam means to know what is the nature of ātmā and how he reveals... That is all explained by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. If we take advantage of this lesson and instruction, that is our success of life.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Paris, June 12, 1974:

That is the business. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu. Janeṣu. Tīrtha means in the holy places many saintly persons live. So if one goes to the holy place, they must find out a holy man who is living there, and take lesson from him. And that is purification. Not that I go and take bath in the water, and I become purified.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

So "I heard it from my father, Dvaipāyana." Vyāsadeva, he composed this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and he found his son, Śukadeva Gosvāmī... He had many other sons, but this son, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, because he thought that "This body is liberated," so he taught him about the lessons of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and this is the first time... Because śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. He heard it from his father, Dvaipayana, and he is now narrating, kīrtanam. He got the chance of narrating Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam at the time of death of Parīkṣit Mahārāja.

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

I have seen many scholars, they cannot understand Bhāgavata. Sanskrit scholars, they will read, but they will not be able to understand. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā also. If anyone studies Bhagavad-gītā from scholarly point of view, a-b-c-d, he'll not understand. Kṛṣṇa therefore says that "Arjuna, I shall speak the lessons of Bhāgavata unto you because you are My very dear friend and you are My devotee." Kṛṣṇa did not want to speak Śrīmad-SB.. Bhagavad-gītā to a scholarly student. No. These books are not to be understood by mundane scholarship. That is not possible. All the Vedic śāstras, all the Vedic śāstras. There is a big commentary on Bhagavad-gītā by a great scholar and political leader, Lokamanya Tilak. So one of his devotees, he's also politician. When I was in London in 1968... So he has got a society there. They're preaching the Tilak's political view, like that. He has got a... So he came to see me, and he was very much eulogizing Lokamanya Tilak, that he has written his big commentary, Karma-yoga.

Lecture on SB 2.4.1 -- Los Angeles, June 24, 1972:

If you want to know positively, what is God, then we should take lesson from a self-realized soul who has understood, who has seen. Jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ (BG 4.34). Just like here it is tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ. So tattvam, the truth, so one must have seen the truth, realized the truth. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That is guru. Means one who has seen the truth. How he has seen the truth? Through the paramparā system. Kṛṣṇa said this, and then Brahmā said the same thing, then Nārada said the same thing, Vyāsadeva said the same thing, and then disciplic succession, Madhvācārya, Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī, Lord Caitanya, Ṣaḍ-gosvāmī, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. In this way. Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī.

Lecture on SB 2.4.1 -- Los Angeles, June 24, 1972:

You surrender there." Māyā is always after you to bewilder you. Because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa by our independence, misusing our independence, so māyā wants to give us some good lesson, that "Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, you are trying to be happy. All right, I shall give you nice happiness." This is going on. Therefore, māyā is very strong. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot get out of the clutches of māyā so easily.

Lecture on SB 2.4.1 -- Los Angeles, June 24, 1972:

So here, Parīkṣit Mahārāja is fully surrendered to his spiritual master. Vaiyāsaker iti vacaḥ. Whatever he said... Vaiyāsaki, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he placed the whole thing before him, how to concentrate one's mind on Kṛṣṇa. So upadhārya matiṁ kṛṣṇe. Then immediately this is the result. If you approach a bona fide representative, then, taking lessons from him, the result will be upadhārya matiṁ kṛṣṇe, your surrender will be on Kṛṣṇa. Read the purport.

Lecture on SB 2.9.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

The American government, they are trying. They are spending so much money to stop these intoxication habits of the young men. They cannot because they are ramamāṇa māyayā. They are pulled by the ear of the person: "You must drink this." Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Prakṛti, nature, material nature is pulling you: "You must drink." So unless one is free from the management of the prakṛti, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni, it is impossible. So they are trying to give lesson that "Don't drink." "Vegetarians." There are so many societies. In Hong Kong I saw so many societies. Hong Kong or where I saw?

Lecture on SB 3.1.10 -- Dallas, May 21, 1973:

Similarly, others may take up the line of training... Military men... Others may take... There are training classes. Maybe mercantile firm, you can get your lessons. So there was organized method to train these mercantile men, administrator and brāhmaṇa. So Vidura, although he was born of śūdra mother... His mother was śūdra, maidservant. Formerly, when a prince was married, along with the princess, a few dozens of maidservants would go with the king. So to become king, always it is to be understood he has to maintain more than one wife. That is king.

Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974:

He is always ready to please His mother. Here we have given these pictures in this Bhāgavatam. Here Kapiladeva in a brahmacārī dress, and mother is taking lesson from the son. Now, sometimes it is asked, "How the mother will take lesson from the son?" That is the prerogative of the male. Strī... In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32), striyaḥ... Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyāḥ.

Lecture on SB 3.25.7 -- Bombay, November 7, 1974:

So here also, Devahūti, she was taking lesson from her son because the son knew the science of Kṛṣṇa. It doesn't matter whether one is son or one is something else or born in śūdra family or brāhmaṇa family or a sannyāsī. We are concerned with the science of Kṛṣṇa. That is required. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita also.

Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:

But here it is said, ya ādyo bhagavān. This is human civilization. Everyone should know what is Bhagavān and take lessons from Bhagavān. Bhagavān is coming.

Lecture on SB 3.25.11 -- Bombay, November 11, 1974:

Because at that time he understands perfectly that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything. This is Bhagavad-gītā lesson. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca prakṛtir bhinnā me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā... Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Whatever we are seeing, that is exhibition or manifestation of two energies. Just like the sun has got two energies, heat and light. Everyone knows. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa has got many energies.

Lecture on SB 3.25.13 -- Bombay, November 13, 1974:

So because He knows everything, therefore we have to take lesson from Bhagavān. What Bhagavān says, if we take, that is perfect knowledge.

Lecture on SB 3.25.13 -- Bombay, November 13, 1974:

God knows everything. Kṛṣṇa knows everything. But we do not know what is God. That is our position. We do not know. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, God, Kṛṣṇa, is situated in everyone's heart. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: (BG 15.15) "I am entered in everyone's heart." Everyone's heart—not only the human being, but also animals or anything. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi (Bs. 5.35) **. He is within the atom. Therefore because He is within me, within you, and within everything, He knows everything. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). He knows everything. So because He knows everything, therefore we have to take lesson from Bhagavān. What Bhagavān says, if we take, that is perfect knowledge.

Lecture on SB 3.25.17 -- Bombay, November 17, 1974:

This is self-realization. Self-realization means to see one's proper identity. At the present moment we are not finding out our proper identity. We are seeing to the body. I see you, your body, and you see me, my body. We have no vision of the real person, which is, who is occupying this body. This is the first lesson we get from Bhagavad-gītā: dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehi... This body is called deha, and the owner of the body is called dehī.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

He is accepting Kṛṣṇa as guru, śiṣyas te 'ham (BG 2.7), "Kṛṣṇa now I become Your servant, not that I remain as Your friend." Friend to friend talk is not very serious. Now I want to talk with serious. You become my spiritual master, you teach me, and I will take your lesson. This should be the It is not meant for only Arjuna. It is meant for everyone, that if you, you must find out the guru. The first guru is Kṛṣṇa, and anyone who is Kṛṣṇa's representative, he is guru. Guru is Kṛṣṇa, the original guru, and if Kṛṣṇa representative is found, is available, then he is also guru.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

That we will not hear. I will not take lesson from the śāstra, from the ācāryas. At least in India we have got big, big ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, even Śaṅkarācārya, even Guru Nanak, they have accepted, all, Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why should we not? Why you? I shall be another competitor to Kṛṣṇa. This is our misfortune. Therefore Bhagavān said, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Because we are sinful, because we are rascals, we do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are searching after Kṛṣṇa, making speculation, philosophical. Don't do that. Accept Kṛṣṇa and be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be happy. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974:

So it doesn't matter whether God appears as my son or guru or father. God is there always. So we have to take knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge. Because He is the origin of everything. Govindam ādi-puruṣam. Ādi-puru... The original person. So if we take lessons from the original person, that is perfect knowledge. Otherwise it is imperfect knowledge. So that... Somebody was asking about the paramparā. So that paramparā is very necessary, to know the knowledge by the paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Paramparā is very important thing. Therefore, unless we take to the paramparā system, which is, in another word, it is called sampradāya... Sampradāya.

Lecture on SB 3.26.11-14 -- Bombay, December 23, 1974:

So the living entities, being enamored or illusioned by the activities of this material nature, they are studying the material nature as Sāṅkhya philosopher, as scientist, as mathematician, as chemist, as physist. They are all studying only these twenty-four elements, not beyond that. Beyond that is the soul, and beyond that is the Supersoul. When one can understand not only to study the material composition of the body but the moving spirit of the body, that is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā lesson, beginning, that "Don't be simply misled by studying the material elements of the body, but within the body there is the living force, living entity." Just try to understand that. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13).

Lecture on SB 3.26.11-14 -- Bombay, December 23, 1974:

So these elementary principles are there, but they are growing into, or changing into different body by the interaction of the guṇas. That is going on. That is called prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Whatever is being done, that is by the interaction of the three modes of material nature. Actually, it is the prakṛti, or pradhāna. Pradhāna change, come into manifestation. That is called prakṛti. And there are twenty-four elements, and they are changing or growing, whatever you say. This is Sāṅkhya philosophy. Unfortunately, people are not given lesson about the Sāṅkhya philosophy in universities, in... If they are given in some philosophical classes—that atheistic philosophy of Kapila, Sāṅkhya philosophy, but not this Sāṅkhya philosophy, theistic Sāṅkhya philosophy.

Lecture on SB 3.26.17 -- Bombay, December 26, 1974:

So we should take advantage of this Vedic literature. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). One, everyone, should approach the bona fide spiritual master and take lessons from the Vedic literature. Then this life will be successful. We are rotting in this material world. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Getting one short type of body, live there for some time, again it is annihilated, again another body. And we do not know what kind of body. That will depend on our karma. So... But you have to accept. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

Lecture on SB 3.26.26 -- Bombay, January 3, 1975:

But we don't care for it. We are so dull, mūḍha. Mūḍhatvam. Mūḍhatvam. There are so many big, big scholars of Bhagavad-gītā, but they do not know the first lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, first lessons of Bhagavad-gītā. First lesson of Bhagavad-gītā is there. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. Who is thinking of this, that na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), if after the destruction of this body, I am not annihilated—that is a fact—but who is making research about it? And still, they are big, big scholars of Bhagavad-gītā, and they do not know even the ABCD of Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 3.26.26 -- Bombay, January 3, 1975:

This is the first lesson of Bhagavad-gītā:

dehino 'smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
(BG 2.13)

Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit, na hanyate hanya... They do... These things do not strike even their dull brain, that "If ātmā... I am ātmā. I am the soul. I do not die even after the annihilation of this body. But that means I will have to accept another body. But is this very good job? Why not seek after our original position, when there is no more change of body?" This question does not arise even. But it is very easy. For that reason, Bhagavad-gītā is there.

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

If a avaiṣṇava, if a Māyāvādī, he speaks about Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā, one should not hear it. He should avoid it because it will create some misimpression. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has forbidden strongly, māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa: (CC Madhya 6.169) "If one hears from a Māyāvādī about Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then that person is doomed." So this is, therefore, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This injunction means one should approach a Vaiṣṇava to accept him as guru and then take lessons from him and make his life successful.

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

Don't try to gather knowledge through these naked senses. Try to gather knowledge just like how creation is made. And that is stated here by the authorities, Kapiladeva. And if you take it, then your knowledge is perfect. And if you imagine, "Perhaps there was a chunk, and there was this, there was that"—all nonsense. At least we, Kṛṣṇa conscious men, we don't accept this nonsensical proposition. Our knowledge is derived-tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is Vedic injunction. "If you want to know perfectly, if you want to have perfect knowledge," tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva, "you must approach guru." Here is guru, Kapiladeva, or Kṛṣṇa, God. God is guru, original guru. God gave lessons to Brahmā. Brahmā gave lessons to Nārada. Nārada gave lessons to Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva gave lessons to us. This is Vyāsadeva's contribution. And if you follow this disciplic succession, then you get perfect knowledge. Otherwise, if you speculate, then you are in darkness, tamasi. What power you have got?

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

So Bhagavad-gītā, the lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, cannot be changed by the whims of rascals. This is not possible. Aham avyayam. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Avyayam. This yoga is avyayam, not that with the change of time, the meaning would be changed. That is not possible. The meaning would remain the same thing. The millions of years ago Kṛṣṇa said, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65).

Lecture on SB 3.26.44 -- Bombay, January 19, 1975:

Just like Brahmā. Brahmā has created this universe, but he knows that he is not the creator. When Nārada Muni inquired from Brahmā that "We know that we are creator, you are the creator," Brahmā said, "My dear son, you are wrongly impressed. I am not creator. The creator is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1). And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. Brahmā was given inspiration or lesson from within the heart. Kṛṣṇa is therefore called caitya-guru, "the guru from the heart."

Lecture on SB 3.26.44 -- Bombay, January 19, 1975:

And what is that? Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). From the very childhood this dharmān bhāgavatān must be given lessons to the children. Therefore, from the very beginning we have opened this gurukula in Texas and in New Vrindaban, West Virginia. But here, practically, India, we don't get this opportunity. Before starting this movement, I approached many friends that "You have got four sons. Give me one.

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

Anyway, Rāmānanda Rāya, he was very learned although he was not born in a brāhmaṇa family. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taking lessons from him. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, kibā vipra, kibā śūdra, nyāsī kene naya yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya (CC Madhya 8.128). Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā: "Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes a guru." So every one of you can become guru provided you understand the science of Kṛṣṇa.

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

So here Devahūti (s)he is taking lesson from his (her) son. The son is given birth by the mother. She may think that "I have given birth to you. What you will teach me?" No. Because he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. Or He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Therefore she is taking lesson from her son, exalted son.

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

Therefore people are being cheated. Our process is to take lesson from the perfect person and distribute it, just we are doing. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are preaching what Kṛṣṇa has said, that's all. Not that we have manufactured something new. No. That is not our business. How I can manufacture? I am imperfect. How can I manufacture? But the spiritual master who follows the perfect teacher, he is perfect. He is perfect because whatever he is speaking, that is the statement of the perfect person.

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

He can say, provided he has taken the lesson from the father. This is the way. So our teaching, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is perfect because we have taken the lesson from Kṛṣṇa. Just try to understand how perfect we are. We don't say anything as "I think," "maybe," "perhaps." No. We never say.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Johannesburg, October 20, 1975:

This is called own business. "Am I this body or something else?" We can understand it that "I am not this body," because as soon as I, you, leave this body, the spirit soul, it is nothing but lump of matter. That we can understand. That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā lesson, to understand that "I am not this body." If we live under the conception that "I am this body," then, the śāstra, Vedic literatures, condemns, "Then you are no better than the cats and dogs, because they also live under the bodily concept of life." And if you do not understand that you are not this body, you are spirit soul and you are changing different forms of body for realization of the higher, the highest goal of life... That you should understand. That is called tapasya.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Delhi, November 28, 1975:

The word Bhagavāt and... Bhāgavata is also in relationship with Bhagavāt or Bhagavān. So every śloka of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is full of spiritual information. If we take advantage of this great Vedic literature, then we become fully aware of Bhagavān and the devotees of Bhagavān. Therefore it is named Bhāgavatam. But this Bhāgavatam has to be studied from the very beginning and take the lessons from live bhāgavata. There are two kinds of Bhāgavatam—one, this grantha bhāgavatam, and the other is a person bhāgavatam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised that if you want to understand Bhāgavatam, then you must approach a person whose life is Bhāgavatam. He said, bhāgavata para-giya bhāgavata sthane, that "If we learn, listen, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the person bhāgavatam, then it is very easy to understand the spiritual knowledge given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam."

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Delhi, November 28, 1975:

We are part and parcel of Viṣṇu, or the Supreme Lord. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Jīva-bhūtaḥ, these living entities, not only human being but everyone, sarva yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4), in every form of life, the living entities are covered with the material dress. So Bhāgavata-dharma, or spiritual life, can be understood when one has understood his identification, what he is. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā the first lesson given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna is to bring him to the spiritual platform. When Arjuna was lamenting on the body of his relatives on the other side, he was too much affected in the bodily conception of life: "How I shall fight with the other side? They are all my brothers, nephews, my teacher, my grandfather, and who has fought with such enemies in the history?" Everyone fights. There is fighting but not fighting with own men, even at the present moment, although there is sometimes civil war.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Delhi, November 28, 1975:

One should not become guru, one should not become kinsmen, one should not become father, one should not become mother"—na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum—"if one cannot give lesson to the children how to avoid death." This is the duty of the guardians, of the government, how to avoid death. Where is that education? So that is the defect of the modern education. There is no training. So, gardulika pravaha.(?) It is going on, very risky civilization.

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

So in this way, they're kept in the darkness. And here, these verses of Ṛṣabhadeva, he says warning. He's warning, He's speaking to his sons, but we can take the lesson. That he says: nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Kāmān means the necessities of life. You can get your necessities of life very easily. By tilling the field, you get grains. And if there is cow, you get milk. That's all. That is sufficient.

Lecture on SB 5.5.27 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1976:

So we must take advantage of the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. It is not meant for... Arjuna is already liberated, but he is placing himself as one of us just to take the lessons of Kṛṣṇa for the benefit of the whole world. And Arjuna, who is living with Kṛṣṇa as friend not only in one life... Bahūni me janmāni vyatītāni tava cārjuna. So Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇa. He cannot be in ignorance. Kṛṣṇa-sūrya-sama, māyā andhakāra, yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra (CC Madhya 22.31). Who is constantly living with Kṛṣṇa, he has no ignorance, but he's putting himself as ignorant.

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

You have to take lessons from the master. Although the book is there, for example I can give you. Suppose if you want to be a medical man, the books are available in the market. You can purchase and read and become a doctor. Is it possible? Is it possible that simply by reading books, purchasing from the market, I become a medical man? No. That is not possible. You have to learn it from a person who is a medical man. Then you will. You go to the medical college and learn the medical science from the practical medical man, and then you examine, put yourself in examination.

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

So anyway, we have to act according to the superior order. And so far the spirit soul is concerned, that is the first lesson of spiritual knowledge. Unless you understand what is spirit... We are present here. The body is there and the spirit is there. Now we must analyze according to the direction given in authoritative books. That is very easy. Kṛṣṇa says that within this body there is the spirit soul. And we can experience that unless the spirit soul is there, the body does not change, and as soon as the spirit soul goes away, the body is a dead lump of matter. That's all.

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

Just like I have given the example: Gandhi gave lifelong service according to his own. Hitler gave lifelong service. Napoleon gave lifelong service. But their ultimate end was very, very regrettable. Nobody realized his service. He was punished. This is material world. We have to understand very clearly, and we have to take lesson from this verse that we may go on serving our lusty desire, greediness, anger, and so on, so on, but we will never come to the end and become happy. When one comes to the point that "I have rendered service in so many ways.

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

Revatīnandana: That was a reference about karma. Those who do not understand... It was a lesson on karma.

Prabhupāda: So there is no value of this question of the atheist. They do not know what is the meaning of going to the church or going to the temple or church or spiritual master. That is a foolish question. The church does not allow. But if the church does not disclose this fact, that "Oh, I see every week you come. What is this nonsense?" But the priest, they get some money and they want to continue their church business to get some money.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

Therefore, in the beginning of the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, this lesson is the first lesson. We have to understand.

dehino 'smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
(BG 2.13)

Ninety-nine point nine percent, they do not understand this philosophy, especially in the modern age. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). They are very, very dull rascals. This is the challenge. Mandāḥ. Mandāḥ means dull, no intelligence. A simple truth, Kṛṣṇa is explaining to Arjuna.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Honolulu, May 10, 1976:

Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). The first necessity is that you surrender. So here you have seen, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, although the emperor of the world, he is taking lesson from Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is seated on the throne and he is seated on the ground, submissive. So does it mean that "I shall become submissive, and whatever my guru will say, I will have to accept?" No. Paripraśnena. Tad viddhi. Here is the paripraśna. Śrī-rāja uvāca. Ask him. That is intelligent. Intelligently serve. First of all we must... It is not that he is checking the guru, "How my guru is learned?" No. The submission is there. But when the guru says something, he may not understand. That concession is given, paripraśna. You inquire.

Lecture on SB 6.1.10 -- Honolulu, May 11, 1976:

So modern education there is no real knowledge. Real knowledge begins in the Bhagavad-gītā. Those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, the first understanding, Arjuna was given lesson. When he was perplexed and he became a disciple of Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "Kṛṣṇa, let us stop this friendly talking. Let us stop this friendly talking. Now I agree to become Your disciple. Now You teach me." So the first teaching was chastisment.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1976:

Yes. Not seven years. (laughter) If we regularly read two verses. That will be also not possible. Anyway, we can read. Not once reading you can understand. Repeatedly. Punaḥ punaḥ (indistinct) the stock which we have already got, you can study and take lessons from the Vedic literature. Make your life perfect. What kind of residential quarters are there throughout the whole universe, how many universes are there, what is the special features of different residents. But don't take this nonsense instruction that "Except on this planet there is no life other planet." This is simply nonsense.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- Los Angeles, June 3, 1976:

We teach how to offer obeisances as soon as we enter. That is our business. Where is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. Either you are learned or a fool or rich or poor or black or white or American or Indian, Hindu, Muslim, never mind—take this lesson, you become perfect. So human society should take advantage of this movement and do these four things only—man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. Then what is the... Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ: (BG 18.65) "I guarantee you come back to home, back to Godhead, by this process."

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

The human life is very, very valuable. This is the time. In cat's and dog's life... We cannot invite the cats and dogs in this temple and take this lesson on Bhāgavata and Bhagavad-gītā. We invite human beings. We invite human beings because there is chance. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- Los Angeles, June 5, 1976:

You have come. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo. And if you continue... What we are doing? We are making the association to take lessons from these Vedic literatures. This is called sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). In the drinking shop we make one kind of association, in the restaurant we make one association, in the club we make some association, different places. So here is a place, here is also association.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:

Tene brahma hṛdā ya, hṛdā ya ādi kavaye. He was instructed the Vedic lessons by Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa. He did not manufacture it. So Vedas means coming from directly Nārāyaṇa, not that Brahmā has created. Brahmā has Vedas in his hand, but he has received it from Nārāyaṇa. That is the information we get. And... So Brahmā instructed his sons. Then they got the knowledge. The sons instructed to the grandsons. In this way, Vedic knowledge is coming. Therefore it is called paramparā, disciplic succession. We don't manufacture. We receive the knowledge, the perfect knowledge by disciplic succession, beginning from Nārāyaṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.42 -- Los Angeles, June 8, 1976:

So in order to convince Parīkṣit Mahārāja how chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is powerful, he is giving a lesson from the history, how Ajāmila was delivered simply by chanting "Nārāyaṇa." This is the incidence from the history. And it is history. The story begins, kānyakubje. Kānyakubja is still there in India. Perhaps you have heard the name of Kanpur. So that is within the Kānyakubja area. Kānyakubje dvijaḥ: "There was a brāhmaṇa in Kānyakubja." Historical name is all... So it is history. It is not story, mythology. No story. It is historical fact. Anything which is described in the śāstra... The Bhāgavata is Maha-Purāṇa. Don't be misled, "These are mythology." No, these are historical facts. And we have to learn the Vedic knowledge by the description selected from the history so that we can easily understand. This is the purpose.

Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, June 9, 1976:

They are so much atheistic that it was impossible for them to understand what is God, what is devotion. So therefore Lord Buddha propounded the philosophy, "Make all your nonsense activities zero, so much. First of all make zero, then positive we shall say." That is zero movement, śūnyavādī. At least, if a rascal children is always doing something nonsense, then first of all stop him. Make him zero. Then good lesson: "Come. Do this." So this Buddhist movement means to make their atheistic activities zero. At least that is good. It is better not to... Maunam, silent. Instead of talking all nonsense, better be silent; don't create disturbance. So... And the other movement, nirviśeṣa-vādī, are giving little hint, Śaṅkarācārya, Māyāvāda, that "Yes, this zero is not sufficient. There is positive." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. His movement was that "This material world is false; make it zero. But there is a positive thing which is Brahman."

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-62 -- Surat, January 3, 1971, at Adubhai Patel's House:

When everyone has gone, all elderly people has gone to sleep, then the wife goes. And he (she) comes early in the morning so that nobody can see when she has come out from the husband. This was the system. And at daytime no wife was allowed to see the husband, especially young wife. So this sex affair, according to Vedic civilization, is strictly regulated. It is not that cat's and dog's sex life. Because if you allow the sex life like cats and dogs, then the society will be cats and dogs. So these things are to be taken lesson from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. All right.

Lecture on SB 7.5.22-30 -- London, September 8, 1971:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was a devotee and he was a child. So his father thought that "He is taking good education in politics, in diplomacy." So one day he asked the boy, "My dear boy, will you kindly say what nice things you have learned from your teachers?" Prahrādānūcyatāṁ tāta svadhītaṁ kiñcid uttamam: "My dear son Prahlāda, will you kindly explain what you have learned very good thing from your teacher?" Svadhītaṁ kiñcid uttamam: "Very selected best things what you have learned," ucyatam, "please explain." Kālena etāvatā āyuṣman yad aśikṣad guror bhavān: "You have taken lessons from your teachers."

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- London, September 9, 1971:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was inquired by his father that "Who has taught you this Kṛṣṇa consciousness...?" Because he knew that "He is my son, king's son. He does not go to mix with anyone else. He simply takes his lesson from the appointed teachers. How is that this boy, five years old only, and he is so much Kṛṣṇa conscious?" So he was surprised. He asked him that "How you have taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" The answer is that "My dear father, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be achieved by a person like you, whose vow is simply to enjoy this material world." Hiraṇya. Hiraṇya means gold, and kaśipu means nice bed, very soft, cushioned bed. Hiraṇyakaśipu.

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

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

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Toronto, June 21, 1976:

He's receptive; he can take. Prahlāda Mahārāja's recommendation is that so long we are strong, we are in working order, we are not feeble or all energy lost... No. When you have got full energy, full strength, young men, children, they should take this lesson of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is recommended for them. Not for the old man who has lost everything. But they have taken it that Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is for the old man who is going to die.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:

There is a proverb in Bengali that kañcaya noyale bhas pas korbe nyastas (?). Bhas means bamboo. Bamboo, while it is green, you can bend it, but when its yellow or dry, oh, it cannot be bent. It will break. It will be break. Therefore school children... Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja is instructing his class fellows. School children, from five years old, they should be given lesson about Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness. Otherwise, in advanced age, oh, it is not possible.

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

He is advising to the sons of the demons because the demons, they cannot understand. But it is the duty of the Vaiṣṇava to preach, although Kṛṣṇa advises that "You don't preach the truth of Bhagavad-gītā to the demons." He said, "Those who have not undergone austerities, those who are not very serious, don't speak about these lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66)." Means they'll not understand. But still, the devotees, they take the risk that "All right, let me try to convince this person that 'Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.' " Even Kṛṣṇa says that "Don't try, because they will not be able to understand," still, they try. That is a devotee. Therefore devotee is more merciful than Kṛṣṇa. Devotee is more merciful.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

In the Sixth..., the Seventh Chapter, Kṛṣṇa is giving lesson how to become unattached to this material world. Mayy āsakta manāḥ pārtha. If you increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa—if you become perfectly Kṛṣṇa consciousness—then it is possible to be detached. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 9.59). Your attachment gets better engagement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means attachment for the best. We have got attachment. We have got attachment for our family, for our home, for our children, for our wife, for our society, for our nation, for our country, and so on, so on, so on, so on—so many.

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

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya explained this verse in connection with Caitanya Mahāprabhu's activities, that "Who is this personality?" So he explained. He composed one hundred verses with reference to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's activities. Some of them are available, mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So first of all, ascertaining Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya says that "This movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement enunciated by, inaugurated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, what is this? Vairāgya-vidyā. This is the instructional lesson, or education, vidyā, education." It is vairāgya-vidyā, detachment education. It is not attachment education. The material education means attachment education.

Lecture on SB 7.9.3 -- Mayapur, February 17, 1977:

Therefore we should not take lessons of God from these rascals. We should take lessons of God from śāstra, from guru and from sādhu, one who has seen God, tattva-darśina. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā, upadekṣyanti tad jñānam (BG 4.34). Tad jñānam means spiritual knowledge. Tad-vijñānam.

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 11, 1976:

He is uttama-adhikārī, mahā-bhāgavata. So this mahā-bhāgavata, this word is very important in this verse, mahā-bhāgavato 'rbhakaḥ. Immediately, as soon as Brahmā requested, "My dear boy, please pacify." No hesitation, immediately he fell down. Upetya bhuvi kāyena. He is always at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and, as a child, immediately as Brahmā said, immediately he did. Kāyena upetya nanāma, as it is, he was not to be lesson, that you meant like this, fall down this, no, he knows, everything. Life after life he is doing that. Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe, nitya-siddha kori māne.

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 18, 1977:

So we should take lesson from Prahlāda Mahārāja that if a child becomes a devotee in the family, he is the best child, the best. He is giving the best service to the family. But the rascals, they are taking otherwise, that "My son has become devotee. Bring him back by deprogramming, by kidnapping." People are so rascal. You see? They do not take it a great benefit that "My fortunate son has become a devotee. My whole family will be delivered." But they have no knowledge. They have no brains. Therefore I say it is not brainwashing, it is braingiving. They have no brain. (laughter) So take it very seriously and do nicely.

Lecture on SB 7.9.7 -- Mayapur, February 14, 1976:

So therefore, this process Prahlāda Mahārāja is demonstrating by his personal behavior because he is mahājana. He is mahājana. Out of the twelve mahājanas. The śāstra says, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186), one has to follow the mahājana, authorized person. Mahājana means authorized person. Ordinary jana, common man, and mahājana means authorized person. We cannot take lesson, instruction from unauthorized person. This authorization must come through the disciplic succession. If the spiritual master, authorized spiritual master says, "You do this," that we have to do.

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

This is There is a song of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura: "My dear Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura, kindly accept me as your dog." Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura. As the dog, by the indication of the master, does everything very obedient, we have to learn this lesson from the dog, how to become faithful to the master. That is the instruction. In everything you can learn something. Everyone Therefore mahā-bhāgavata, they accept everyone as guru, to learn something. Actually, from the dog we can learn this art, how to become faithful at the risk of life even. There are many instances, dog have given the life for the master. So, and we should be dog to the Vaiṣṇava. Chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā, nistāra pāyeche kebā.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:

Oh, it is not possible just like simply by purchasing some medical books and study at home you cannot become a doctor, medical man. That is not possible. Neither you can become a lawyer. The books are available in the market, but that is not the process. You have to enter yourself in an institution, take lessons from the professors, must attend lecture classes, seventy-five percent at least. Then you are allowed to sit in the examination.

Lecture on SB 7.9.33 -- Mayapur, March 11, 1976:

That is the basic principle of spiritual life. Unless we understand who I am... You go to the spiritual master, our first business is inquiry. That inquiry is "Who am I?" This is the... This is the beginning of inquiry. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is authorized. We have printed one pamphlet, "Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement Is Authorized." It is not a sentiment, fanaticism. No. It is scientific, authorized. So I am very glad that you European and American boys, you have taken so much trouble to come here, but you'll be benefited if you come here and try to take lessons from Caitanya Mahāprabhu as He gave it to Sanātana Gosvāmī. Sanātana Gosvāmī inquired, "Who am I?" and He replied very simple thing: jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). This is the beginning of our lesson, so we must understand very nicely this point.

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

So we should take lesson from Brahmājī, our grandfather, that pariśuddha-bhāvāḥ tīvra-tapasā. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace, mercy, that we haven't got to undergo tīvra-tapasā. But we are thinking, "This is also very difficult." What is that? No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. But they are taking it very, very severe. What is the severity? We don't say "No sex," but "No illicit sex." This much tapasya, austerity, you cannot follow?

Lecture on SB 7.9.42 -- Mayapur, March 22, 1976:

These big, big men who are so much eulogized by some rascals, all these big, big leaders, what they are? Because they are not devotee of Kṛṣṇa, they cannot lead. They simply will mislead. Therefore we take them all rascals. This is the criterion. Take this one criterion. Anything you want to learn from somebody, first of all you see whether that somebody is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise don't take any lesson. We don't take any lesson from a person, "Perhaps," "Maybe," like this. No. We don't want such scientist or mathematician. No. One who knows Kṛṣṇa, one who is devotee of Kṛṣṇa, one who is overwhelmed in ecstasy simply by hearing Kṛṣṇa, you take lesson from them. Otherwise all rascals.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

He sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore his business with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is how to increase his love for the Supreme Personality. That is one business of the madhyama adhikārī. And how to make friendship with the devotees. Loving God, Kṛṣṇa, and making friendship with devotees, who is devotee. Not to become envious of the devotees, but to make friendship. If the devotee is uttama adhikārī, he should take lessons from him. If he's equal, then he should make friendship with him. And if he's lower, then he should try to help him to become higher devotee.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:

That is the first qualification of the demons. They do not know what is right doing and what is wrong doing. Suppose we, just like we restrict anyone who comes to our camp to become our student, we restrict that "You should not do this" or "You should do this." Anywhere, if you go to a physician, he'll say also that "You shall do this." Some "do's" and some "do not's." So the asuras, they do not know, because they have no direction, they do not know what are the "do's" and what are the "do not's." This is the first qualification of the asuras. They do not know. Because they do not like to take lesson from superior. They manufacture their own lesson.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

But actual interest is... Human life should be sober. He should... Therefore the first beginning of real life is to understand that "I am not this body." This is the first lesson. But where is that education? Throughout the whole world, go anywhere. Where is that education that students are being taught that "You are not this body"? There is no education. Then what is the value of this education? To keep them andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), to keep them in the darkness.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

Matir na kṛṣṇe parato svato vā. Kṛṣṇe matiḥ, by personal endeavor, svataḥ, or by taking lessons from others... Just like we are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, attending meeting also, conference also. But still, matir na kṛṣṇe. But that can be achieved only, naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim, unless one surrenders to the mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam. Unless one surrenders to the dust of the lotus feet of pure devotee, Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be developed.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.2 -- Mayapur, March 26, 1975:

So how one can exhibit Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that is... By His personal example Nityānanda Prabhu has given us lesson. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sending His devotees to preach and Nityānanda Prabhu was doing that, He used to go with Haridāsa Ṭhākura to preach on the street, home to home. So when they saw there was a big crowd on the street, so Nityānanda Prabhu inquired from the people, "Why there is so many people assembled?" He was informed that "There are two gundas, rogues. They are creating some trouble." The gundas, their business is to create trouble, that's all.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.97-99 -- New York, November 22, 1966:

Kṛṣṇa-svarūpa. Now, Sanātana Gosvāmī is taking instruction and lessons from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And what is the subject matter of instruction? That is described herein by the author of this Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The subject matter is kṛṣṇa-svarūpa, what is the actual position of Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-svarūpa-mādhuryaiś, and what is the special attractiveness of Kṛṣṇa, mādhurya, kṛṣṇa-svarūpa-mādhurya aiśvarya, and what are the opulences of Kṛṣṇa, bhakti-rasāśrayam.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

Now the body is changed—I have got this wretched body, old man's body. So all these bodies... That is simple, logical. Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning—that is the first lesson of Bhagavad-gītā-that,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
(BG 2.13)

Dehinaḥ means the proprietor of the body. But every one of us, thinking "I am this body." They have no first lesson of Bhagavad-gītā. First lesson only, ABCD, that "You are not this body." This is the first lesson.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

So this is the position. So Sanātana Gosvāmī is placing this plain fact, that ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa... "I do not want to suffer. So there is suffering." That's a fact. Ihā nāhi jāni kemane. "So how I can get out of this suffering, kindly give me lesson." And this is human life. Go to a bona fide guru, try to understand the problems of life, what is the aim of life, how actually we can become happy. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra philosophy, therefore, the first instruction is athāto brahma jijñāsā. Kena Upaniṣad. Why? And that is human life. If you remain silent, never ask "Why I am suffering?" then you are in the category of cats and dog. And when this inquiry begins, athāto brahma jijñāsā, then your human life begins.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.100 -- Washington, D.C., July 5, 1976:

He worked for his country, he took country as his master, and he worked so hard, and his countrymen killed him. We should take lesson from this that you cannot satisfy in this material world by becoming servant of your family or community, society, nation. No. It is not possible. You can satisfy very easily Kṛṣṇa by little service. By little service. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt.

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

"Foolish persons deride at Me because I am playing just like a man"—so He came again as a devotee, Lord Caitanya, how to teach, how to grasp Kṛṣṇa bhakti, devotional service. So He practically demonstrated. So He is eternal as Sanātana Gosvāmī is also, he is eternal associate. So as if he is taking lesson, representing ourself, he is taking lesson from the Lord.

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

The Lord is also... This is a process. It is the duty of the spiritual master to select a disciple, and at the same time it is the duty of the disciple to select a spiritual master. Now the selection is very nice. Sanātana Gosvāmī is the right person to understand the science of devotional service, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the right person to give lesson to the disciple about this science. So He says, yogya-pātra: "You are just the proper person to understand this science of devotion." Now, krame saba tattva śuna, kahiye tomāte: "Now I shall gradually explain to you about this devotional service, and you'll understand."

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

"You are changing your body at every moment. From the mother's womb up to the death point, you are changing every body. Then why you are thinking that you are body? But you are the same. In spite of all changes, you are the same." I think, my childhood, I think that I am the same. I forget that I am so much grown-up. That is my position. So the first lesson, the inquiry of Śrī Caitanya, of Sanātana Gosvāmī, is that "What I am? What I am?" Arjuna did not place himself "What I am?" but here, because the instruction which is given in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta is practically higher than Bhagavad-gītā—it is postgraduate study, higher than Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.100-108 -- Bombay, November 9, 1975:

That "People, they address me as paṇḍita, but I am such a paṇḍita that I do not now what I am." This is the position of everyone. Everyone is very much proud of his learning, scientific knowledge and so on, so on. But if you ask him, "What you are?" "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am American." This is the answer you'll get. But that is, I am not. I am not this body. This is the beginning of paṇḍita. This is the beginning. Bhagavad-gītā teaches in the beginning this primary lesson, that "You are not this body."

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

So therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī is the best example to follow, how one should approach a guru, how one should take lesson from guru, how he should understand to make his life successful.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.104 -- New York, July 10, 1976:

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā the first lesson is, Kṛṣṇa began the lessons of Bhagavad-gītā that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on a subject matter which has nothing to do with you."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.5 -- New York, January 7, 1967:

Yathā mātur vāṇī. Now śruti, this Vedic, vedo mātā. Vedo mātā. Veda is called mother. Why? But this mother gives birth the second birth. We have... Several times we have discussed in this hall that first birth is given by this material father and second birth is by the spiritual master. The spiritual master is the father, and the Veda is the mother. So when a person is called dvija, second birth, when he goes to the spiritual master and takes lessons from Veda... This upana... The sacred thread is called upanayana... Upanayana means to bring him nearer. Upa means nearer, and nayana means bringing. To take a fallen soul nearer, that is called upanayana. And when the spiritual master sees that he is quite competent to come near to God, he recognizes him and he gives him sacred thread. That is called brāhmaṇa. That is the symbol that he has approached an ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. How one is understood that he knows spiritual science? That means who has a spiritual master. These things are there.

Festival Lectures

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Boston, May 1, 1969:

He was seeing always God, Kṛṣṇa, but his father was not seeing because he was atheist. He was asking, challenging, "Where is your God? You are talking of so many times God. All right, I shall teach you a lesson today." So he took his sword and wanted to kill his own son. Atheist is so unkind, cruel, that he is prepared to kill his own son, beloved son, five years old. That is atheism. And theism, the father who tortured him so much. So after the death of his father, he's praying to Nṛsiṁhadeva, "Please excuse my father." This is theism. So that is the difference between Kṛṣṇa consciousness and ordinary consciousness. They're very kind, everyone. Vāñcha kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca. You utter this prayer, krpa-sindhubhya eva ca. Vaiṣṇava is the ocean of mercy. There is no end. As you cannot, I mean to say, draw all the waters from the ocean, it is not possible. Similarly, a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee, ocean of mercy. You can draw from it as much mercy as you like; still, it is full.

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Boston, May 1, 1969:

So things are going like that. Atheist class of men, they're declaring themselves free, no God, and that is all nonsense—mūḍha. They have been described as mūḍha. First-class fool. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhā prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Study Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there. Those who are narādhama, lowest of the mankind. As the lowest of the mankind is atheist, similarly, the highest of the mankind is Kṛṣṇa conscious. So try to be the highest kind of mankind. The world is suffering for want of highest kind of mankind. And be an example. So you'll learn this lesson in this day of the advent of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

So in this way Prahlāda Mahārāja talked with his father, and the father became more angry. Instead of taking the lesson ... Mūrkhāya upadeśa hi prakopāya na śāntaye. If you teach lesson to a foolish person, he'll be simply angry. He'll not take your lesson. How it is so? Payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. If you keep a snake and if you want to make friendly behavior with him, that, "My dear snake, don't bite any more. I'll give you milk and banana. You eat here and stay here nicely," he'll not... His poison will increase, and one day he will... There is a story in the Hitopadeśa: one day, one... The same thing. So payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. So these are lessons, stories. So his father, Hiranyakasipu, became more and more angry. So one day... Because after all, son and father... The son was simple boy. So one day he said, "Prahlāda, I shall now kill you. I shall see how your Kṛṣṇa saves you."

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Bombay, May 5, 1974:

So it is very instructive lesson, Prahlāda Mahārāja. Now it is getting late. Otherwise, I would have recited some of the verses recited by Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of our gurus.

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Bombay, May 5, 1974:

So we should take lessons from this story that even in dangerous position, we should not be forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will save us. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,

yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
yasmin sthite guruṇāpi
duḥkhena na vicālyate
(Bg. 6.20-23)

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that if one gets Kṛṣṇa consciousness, yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ, aparaṁ lābhaṁ, any other benefit or gain is never considered. This is so nice.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa advents for give us lesson. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). Kṛṣṇa says, "My dear Arjuna, I come when there is discrepancies in the process of religious life." Dharmasya glānir bhavati. And what is dharma? The simple definition of dharma is dharmāṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). This is dharma. Dharmāṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Just like what do you mean by law? Law means the word given by the state. You cannot make law at home. That is not possible. Whatever the government gives you, that "You should act like this," that is law.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa advents, Kṛṣṇa advents to teach us this lesson, that "You are immortal by nature. As spirit soul you are part and parcel of Me. I am as immortal. So you are also immortal. Unnecessarily, you are trying to be happy in this material world."

mamaivāṁso jīva bhūto
jīva-loke sanātanaḥ
manaḥ saṣṭanindriyāni
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
(BG 15.7)

Simply struggle for..., unnecessarily.

Sri Vyasa-puja -- Hamburg, September 5, 1969:

So spiritual master means he must be just like the cloud. How it is possible? It is possible. It is possible in this way, provided he follows the disciplic succession of spiritual master. Then it is possible. He must inherit the power from the superior source. Then it is possible that by his teaching, by his lessons, the forest fire which is burning within our heart, it can be extinguished, and the person who receives such spiritual instruction bona fidely, he becomes satisfied. This is the process.

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 30, 1968:

So the lesson is that we should not treat Rādhārāṇī as ordinary girl, or Kṛṣṇa as ordinary man. They are the Supreme Absolute Truth. But in the Absolute Truth, there is the pleasure potency, and that is exhibited in the dealings of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And Rādhā's expansion all the gopīs, and Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Address -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975:

Just like you are dressed with your shirt and coat. The shirt and coat is not important, but the person who is putting on the shirt and coat, he is important. Unfortunately, modern education is giving stress on the outward, external body or to the dress and not to... They do not understand who is the person who is dressed or who has got this body. This is the first lesson of spiritual understanding.

Initiation Lectures

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

Sūrya means sun-god. So nobody can trace out history when sun-god took the lessons, but we can have little information from Manu-saṁhitā, because Manu's age, Vivasvān... This age is called Vaivasvata Manu. So in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that first of all this initiation was given by Kṛṣṇa to Vaivasvata, and he instructed his son, whose name is Vaivasvata Manu.

Initiation Lecture -- Los Angeles, July 13, 1971:

You see? Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a kṣatriya, a king. He was neither yogi, but he was a great devotee. So this yogi, Durvāsā Muni, he wanted to supersede him, that "He is ordinary kṣatriya king, and because he is advertised that he is a devotee, I shall teach him some lesson." So that was the quarrel between the... The king was very nice, he never picked up quarrel, but this old man picked up quarrel and he was chastised by Viṣṇu like that. Yes. Go on.

Initiation and Brahma-samhita Lecture -- New York, July 26, 1971:

He's a person like us, and He's the original person. Govindam ādi-puruṣam tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So those who are in poor fund of knowledge, they can understand that the Absolute Truth is a person. Therefore we have to take lessons from Brahmā, the supreme poet, or learned person, who is the original person. And he says: govindam, govindam ādi-puruṣam. And he says, tam ahaṁ bhajāmi: "I worship."

Initiation Lecture -- Toronto, June 17, 1976:

So the Bhagavad-gītā is the summary of all Vedic knowledge. So if we pass through this process of divya-jñāna, dīkṣā, then we rightly understand what is Bhagavad-gītā or we become interested that what is the lesson of Bhagavad-gītā. Veda pathād bhaved vipra. After reading... Bhagavad-gītā is the summary of Vedic literature. You cannot read all the Vedas at the present moment, neither you have time, nor you have got the capacity.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, October 9, 1968:

They were topmost of the brāhmaṇas; still, they require knowledge. Knowledge is so nice that even if you think that you are very learned, you are well versed in everything, still, you require knowledge. That should be our motto. Don't think that "I have finished." Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught this lesson in His life, that He represented Himself as a fool. So everyone should think of himself that "I am still a fool." Just like it is said that Sir Isaac Newton... He was such a learned man, but he used to say that "I have simply collected a few grains of sand from the beach of knowledge." Knowledge is so vast that his knowledge was simply a few grains of the vast amount of sand of knowledge.

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

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."

Lecture to International Student Society -- Boston, December 28, 1969:

So there is so many list of understanding that God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So when one is fully cognizant of the energies of the Lord, how they are acting... And we have to practice. We take lesson from Bhagavad-gītā and we practice. You will be able to understand. Then after bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19), when you become mature, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti, "Oh, Vāsudeva is everything," then you surrender. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. That person, who has widened his soul in that way, he is very rare to be seen. And what are the functions of such mahātmā? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmā, one who is so broadminded, he is not crooked to be under the spell of this material energy.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 12, 1971:

This Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement is to be learned from the very childhood. So far personally we are concerned, my father taught me this Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very childhood. My father was a great Vaiṣṇava, and I had the opportunity of taking birth in that family. So he gave me lessons of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning of my life. He gave me mṛdaṅga. He engaged a teacher for learning mṛdaṅga playing.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:

So our request is that the guardians who are present here in this meeting, they should organize a special school to give lesson to their students, to their boys, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, bhāgavata-dharma. There is vast knowledge behind this. They will be enlightened. Their life will be successful.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives you instruction how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Bhagavad-gītā is the elementary lessons how to understand Kṛṣṇa, then become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

You have to change this dress. You have to change this body. And next body is depending on your activities. If you act sinfully, then you have to take the body, by force of nature, as cats and dogs. That is certain. Don't risk your life. Take the opportunity of human life and be Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa personally comes to canvass, to "Please give up all this engagement, please come to Me, surrender unto Me, and I will give you all protection." This is the lesson we understand from Bhagavad-gītā. And if we actually surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, if we actually understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then your bhāgavata-dhima(?) begins. That is Vyāsa...

Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972:

Where is my childhood body? Where is my boyhood body? Where is my youthhood body? They're all gone. So although the bodies are gone, I remember that I had a body of a child, I had a body of a boy, I had a body of young man. Therefore I am eternal, my bodies are not eternal. Therefore the conclusion should be: when I change this body, then I'll exist. That is... Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra... (BG 2.13). Everything is there, either you study yourself or take the lesson from the Vedic version.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

So there are so many things, problems of our life; we are neglecting. And everything is very clearly described in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is being, explained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. We should take advantage of these lessons in the Bhagavad-gītā. Unfortunately, in the foreign countries, before me, many other swamis went, tried to explain Bhagavad-gītā.

Arrival -- Dallas, May 19, 1973:

That is religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That system of religion is first class wherein the followers are given lessons how to love God. Unfortunately, at the present moment there is no question of how to teach them for loving God. They deny the existence of God. This is the present situation. People have become so rascal that they do not believe in the existence of God. Or somebody believes... Not believes. That is affirmed. Some of them say, "God is dead. Now we have to take to social work, political work. Let the subject matter of God be set aside." Especially in India. In India, the country where still God consciousness is so strong, the government wants that they should forget about this God business. So this is Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga means simply for fight on trifling things and forget God.

Arrival -- Dallas, May 19, 1973:

You cannot understand God in any other form, in the form of a dog, in the form of a cat, or even the form of a demigod. Demigods, they are very rich, opulent, so sometimes they forget. Out of very much being affluent, people forget Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the demigods also sometimes forget. And what to speak of the animals. So this human form of life is the only chance to understand God. Therefore if children are not given lesson about God...

Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa first began this lesson: "My dear Arjuna, you are not this body. Why you are lamenting about this body? You are not this body. Neither your so-called relatives, they are this body. They are different." Asmin dehe. In this body there is the proprietor of the body, the dehī. Just like you are the coat and shirt, you are the proprietor of the coat and shirt. Similarly, this body is also covering. The subtle body and the gross body—coat and shirt.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975:

Devotee (4): Many people say, "No one can become perfect." How can we help them understand that there is...?

Prabhupāda: Yes. No one is a perfect. Therefore you should take lessons from the perfect. That's all. Then you become perfect. Otherwise why there are instructions just like Christ said, "Thou shalt not kill"? That means "You are imperfect; therefore you are killing. Take my instruction. Don't do it. You become perfect." That's all. We are all imperfect. We have to take lesson from the perfect. Then we become perfect. Yes?

Lecture on Manipur Dancing -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975:

So this kind of dancing is very welcome all over the world if we do not misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. That should be the precaution. Otherwise it is very, very good. And our purpose is to introduce these Kṛṣṇa pastimes all over the world so that they may take lesson that they are seeking after happiness; the happiness is with Kṛṣṇa, not in the material world, Then you'll be successful.

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

So by evolution, jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, from aquatics to trees, plants, then insects, then birds, then beast, then human being, then civilized human being... In this civilized form of human being, if we do not take this knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā personally given by the Lord Himself, then we are missing the point. This is the whole Vedic literature's lesson, that human form of life is meant for self-realization: "I am not this body. I am soul. I am spirit soul. My business is different from simply taking care of the body." This is human civilization.

Departure Talks

Departure Lecture -- London, March 12, 1975:

Suppose theoretically I know so many things to prepare-rasagullā, sandeśa, halavā, kachorī—but if I do not practically taste what is halavā, what is kachorī, then what is the use of simply having knowledge? So the Māyāvādī philosophy like that, jñāna, simply knowledge. That knowledge is there in the Bhagavad-gītā in the beginning, the first lesson: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam (BG 2.13). "Within the body there is the soul. That soul is eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na jāyate na mriya... This is the first lesson, that "I am Brahman. I am spirit soul. I am eternal. I do not die even after the annihilation..." This is the first lesson. It doesn't require much time, that we have to devote our whole life to understand that "I am Brahman."

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Śyāmasundara: In this regard, later Śrīla Prabhupāda said that a man who has fever and a man who has never had fever, they enjoy... When the man who has fever recovers he enjoys equally with the man who never had fever. Therefore someone who has fallen into the material world, if he is liberated, he enjoys equally with the man who has never fallen into the material world. Neither he enjoys more, for instance, that he has learned some lesson so therefore he enjoys more his freedom, nor does he enjoy less than the man who has never fallen. (break)

Prabhupāda: Well, everything is the expression of spirit.

Śyāmasundara: So everything is art?

Prabhupāda: Well, what is his definition of art?

Śyāmasundara: Art is the expression of the spirit in sensuous form.

Prabhupāda: That is there. We are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, there is love of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, but that is sensuous, sensual. The gopīs are coming to Kṛṣṇa, lusty. Kṛṣṇa is beautiful, they are attracted. So these are there: sensuous, beautiful, art.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone is in ignorance due to long separation from God. In the material world the living entity has forgotten his relationship with God; therefore his activities are only sense gratification, like the animals. And when he is given lesson, instruction how to become God conscious, how to love God, that is activity, and that is real life. Otherwise it is animal life. The religion is a kind of faith, sentiment, but when the religious system is understood on the basis of good logic and philosophy, that becomes perfect understanding of God. Without philosophy, religious understanding is sentiment. That sentiment does not help anyone very much. It continues for some time, then people become disinterested in the matter of religion. So religion means, as it is stated in the Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how one has learned to love God. Then it is religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaja means we do not see God eye to eye at the present moment in our physical condition, but still, hearing about Him, we can develop our dormant love for God. That is real religion.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Śyāmasundara: He says that "Ours is the responsibility of accepting a precious heritage of values, accumulated by the continuous human community at great cost in effort and suffering, and to expand, conserve, transmit, and rectify these values bequeathed to us." In other words, he says that we must take the lessons of history and build upon them in order to transmit these values and preserve them.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We are doing that. We are taking from the history of forty millions of years ago and transmitting it by guru-paramparā, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). Accepted by great authorities like Vyāsa, Nārada, Devala, five thousand years, Arjuna, and later on the great ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya. Lately, five hundred years ago, Lord Caitanya. And we are following Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: To some extent that is all right, because when you are in prison life, you will find evil. But that evil is good for you, so that you can learn some lesson, and when you are out of the prison you will not come again. That is the blessings of evil.

Śyāmasundara: The blessings of evil.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: For instance in the animal kingdom, he observes the brutality of one animal eating another animal, and he says that this is life's pattern, one disappointment after another.

Prabhupāda: So, the worst brutal is the human being who is eating animals. Animals are called brutal because he is eating another animal, and the human being who is eating animal, he is the worst brutal, because in spite of his sense, he is violating. So therefore, he is the worst animal.

Philosophy Discussion on Edmund Husserl:

Śyāmasundara: I'm saying that because Kṛṣṇa is there in the..., is the prowess of all..., the intelligence of all intelligent men, is it not possible if someone has no exposure to the Vedic authorities, that he can still approach the Absolute Truth through clear intelligence?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That means he has to take lesson from Kṛṣṇa from within. That Brahmā took.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: Tattva-darśinaḥ, one who has learned about God as fact, as you see eye to eye and you believe it. Similarly, one who has seen God eye to eye, you have to let..., get lessons of God from him. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is talking with God. So if you have to understand God, then understand how Arjuna has taken his instruction from God and what he's understood. So Arjuna says, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān, puruṣaṁ śāśvatam ādyam (BG 10.12). So we have to take lesson from Arjuna not from Mr. Freud, who has no knowledge of God. That is the way.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Hayagrīva: Concerning early religious training, he writes, "So long as a man's early years are influenced by the religious thought inhibition, and by the lore one derived from it, as well as by the sexual one, we cannot really say what he," that is man, "is actually like." So he feels that early religious education actually warps a man's development, that you can't say what man can truly be like if you educate him to believe in a transcendental being.

Prabhupāda: That's a fact. If a child is given lesson that there is a supreme being controlling the whole cosmic situation, what is the wrong there? He should learn it.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: But we forget that, or we do not get superior guidance, then we again fall. But there is chance. One who is born in rich family, one who is born in high-grade family, he has got the chance, and (indistinct) to take lessons from Bhagavad-gītā that "I have become..., I am born in rich family or in a brāhmaṇa family, so I am well situated. Now I must take where I left my, developed my spiritual consciousness." So if he tries, he gets the chance. So human form in general is a chance for making progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, especially when one is born in aristocratic family or a brāhmaṇa family or a Vaisnava family.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: Yes. So that understanding, I do not know whether he has fulfilled. That understanding is Kṛṣṇa. That is explained, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). That understanding is full, complete, when he comes to the point of understanding Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as he understands Kṛṣṇa, his life is successful. His, this journey, material journey, stops. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). That is full understanding. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). When he understands Kṛṣṇa in complete... And Kṛṣṇa is giving lesson how he, one can understand Kṛṣṇa completely. Asaṁśayaṁ samagram māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Kṛṣṇa says, "Now hear how you can understand Me in complete, without any doubt." That He begins in the Seventh Chapter. So if we understand Kṛṣṇa in complete, without any doubt, then our next birth is in the spiritual world. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is the version of Bhāgavata. So we have got this opportunity, at least those who have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to understand Kṛṣṇa completely, without any doubt. Then our life is successful.

Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's a fact. That we admit. He creates his nature. So now you have created your nature as nothing, but you can create your nature as something. But a poor fund of knowledge cannot do that. Therefore he has to take lessons from a higher personality. Before philosophizing, he should have taken some lessons from persons who are in the knowledge. That is the Vedic injunction: tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to learn that transcendental science one must approach a bona fide spiritual master.

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas:

Prabhupāda: He cannot lead. As we are concerned, we therefore don't accept the so-called scientist's or philosopher's belief. They say, "We believe," "Perhaps it may be like this." These are all doubtful declaration. There is no truth in it. If there is any truth, that is also doubtful. Why should we risk our life by following such blind man who is thinking, who is believing, but he has no clear knowledge? Therefore we have decided to take lesson from the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, who knows everything perfectly well. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). He knows past, present and future, and what is our benefit, welfare, everything. So we should follow Kṛṣṇa instead of so-called blind philosophers.

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: There is nothing... Impersonal means when we cannot see that the background is person. We can of course take the lesson from nature that the sunshine is impersonal but the background is sun-god. But because we are in a very lower stage of life we can simply experience the sunshine but we cannot go and talk with the sun-god. That is not possible. So similarly, the background is person and the expansion of God's energy is imperson. So because we are in the energy, we are not directly in touch with God; therefore we say that God is an imperson. We have no such capacity now, but they, if we become devotee, we can attain that position when he can talk with God in person as the gopīs and the cowherds boy, mother Yaśodā and other in Vṛndāvana inhabitants they are doing.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Prayers by King Kulasekhara -- Los Angeles, December 25, 1968:

So King Kulaśekhara says that "I cannot wait up to that time when everything will be topsy-turvied. Now my mind is sound. Let me enter immediately in the stem of your lotus feet." That means he's praying: "Let me die in the sound condition of my life so that I can think of your lotus feet." In other words, he's giving us lessons that if we do not practice to engage our mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa when our mind is sound, how it is possible to think of Him at the time of death? (end)

Page Title:Lessons (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Partha-sarathi, Rishab
Created:15 of Aug, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=216, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:216