Main business (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"main business" |"main businesses"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.31 -- London, September 1, 1973:

So anyone who engages himself without any reservation to the service of the Lord, he is not within the category of these eight varṇāśrama-dharma. He's transcendental. Sa brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. So as a Kṛṣṇa consciousness person, he can act like anything by the order of Kṛṣṇa. He can act as a brāhmaṇa, he can act as a śūdra, because his main business is to carry out Kṛṣṇa's order. He's no longer within the category of this sva-dharma.

Lecture on BG 2.40 - London, September 13, 1973:

You may do anything as your occupational duty, but the real life is that you have to awaken your dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, become eager to understand about Kṛṣṇa. That is main business. So therefore, it is said that after doing your duties very nicely, but you have no taste for understanding Kṛṣṇa, viṣvaksena... Another name of Kṛṣṇa is Viṣvaksa. Kathāsu, kathāsu means "message." Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu, notpādayed yadi ratim: (SB 1.2.8) if you do not awaken your attachment for hearing about Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-kathā... That is our main business. Caitanya Mahāprabhu—kṛṣṇa-kathā. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is our mission. We have to simply speak about Kṛṣṇa all over the world.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Suppose he begins in philanthropic work, some hospitalizing or opening educational institution. That is nice, but these things are being done by the government and many philanthropic persons. That is not the duty of a sannyāsī. A sannyāsī, a renounced order of life, his main business is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness. That is his real business. But if one has not the taste what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply accept sannyāsa, then he will do all this nonsense work.

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

So you haven't got to give up your work, your duty. Go on doing your duty, but make your point that "My life's main business is self-realization." You give more importance to that point of life. Not to the point of, that "I shall earn more and enjoy life." No. That should be given up. That is called nonattachment. So if we go on working in non-attachment and culture our self-realization, then gradually we shall come to the perfectional point.

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

In the very beginning of this chapter Kṛṣṇa said, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). We haven't got to make any research, modern understanding. There is no question of modern understanding. We are all following the old, ancient understanding. Now, even from ordinary platform, the eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, is that modern? It is not modern. Formerly also, all living entities were eating, they were sleeping, they were having sex intercourse and they were defending. The main business is...

Nothing is modernized. You can say, "modernized," but the principle is the same, old system. Nobody can change. And people are dying also. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That is also the old system. Everyone is taking birth, everyone is growing, everyone is falling diseased, and everyone is dying. Can the modern system stop this? The modern system can say, "Now you do not require to eat, you do not require to sleep," or "You do not require to have sex,"or "You do not require to defend?" No. The same system. "The old wine in a new bottle."

Lecture on BG 4.19-22 -- New York, August 8, 1966:

Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ. Niyamāgraha means to stick to the rules regulation. Suppose in your faith or in my faith there are certain rules and regulations to be observed. But if I go to some other place where the rules and regulations cannot be strictly observed, and if I want to observe such rules and regulations, then my main business is suffering. So we should not stick to the rules and regulations. We should see to the business.

Just like I am an Indian sannyāsī. I have come to your country, at your country. Oh, there are many rules and regulations in India which is different from your rules and regulations. But if I follow, if I stick to rules and regulations of Indian conception, then it is impossible to remain here. So I have to propagate this mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so I am not so much attached to the rules and regulations, but I am attached to the preaching work.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

Everyone, any highest, I mean to say, highly situated person in knowledge, his main business was how to conquer death. Now, at the present moment that question has become subordinate thing only, how to conquer death. "Let death there be. So long death does not come, let me enjoy and have sense gratification." That has become the standard of civilization at the present moment. But real problem is how to conquer death.

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

The human being, the human form of life, is therefore the perfectional stage, how to develop our love for God, or how we can love God. This is the main business of human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra says that this life is especially meant for developing or inquiring about our love with Kṛṣṇa, or God. This is the only business. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Fiji, May 24, 1975:

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And this is the basic principle of bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇa says here, yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Yogam. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ. The business is that we have to increase our attachment for God. This is our main business.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So we have come here, and we are struggling for existence with our mind and senses. This is our position. Therefore our business is how to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our main business. We are teaching that.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:

Everyone is trying for that, competition. Everyone is trying to have a skyscraper building and three Rolls Royce cars and so on, so on. They think that this is perfection of life, durāśayā, durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31), this material energy's production. But you do not think that "How many years I shall enjoy this skyscraper building? And what is my main business? My main business is how to become perfect." There are many animals within the skyscraper building. There are human being, there are dogs, there are cats, there are worms, rats, so many things.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

The nonsense civilization, they do not know that what is our main business. They do not know. Ajñānata. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto. Abodha jāta, these, all these living entities born in this material world in different forms of life, abodha jāta, all rascals. All rascals. We can prove they're all rascal. Nobody is intelligent.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Paris, August 11, 1973:

And if you want to hear Kṛṣṇa, then he will give you such instruction as you will be relieved from this miserable condition of material life and go back to home, back to Godhead. He's ready. But He does not speak generally, to the nondevotee. If you become a devotee, pure devotee, without any motive, then Kṛṣṇa is sitting within your heart. He says: teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). "Persons who are twenty-four hours engaged in My service with love and faith," buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam: "I give him such intelligence by which he can come back to home, back to Godhead." He'll give you. Because He knows. But if you don't like to take His instruction, then He gives instruction to the material nature to get you all right.

And what is the main business of material nature? Just to beat you with shoes. That is nature. Therefore we are suffering in this material world. Because we have taken shelter of the material nature.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Hyderabad, April 20, 1974:

That knowledge is being explained. And when you come to that real knowledge then you become brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). When you actually understand that "I am Brahman," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul. This is my shirt and coat. Oh, so long I was busy with this shirt and coat only? I have no business with it." Yes, you have got business, but that is not your main business. Your main business is to take care of yourself as soul. That is your main business. This is called knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

Everyone is thinking if I become greedy, I shall get more. That is not possible. You cannot get a farthing more than what you are destined. But it is ignorance. He's thinking by simply struggling hard I'll get more. The śāstra says, "No, don't do it. So far your material condition is concerned, it is already destined with your body. You have got a certain type of body and according to that body you'll get certain amount of pleasure and pains, that is already destined." This is called adṛṣṭa, daiva. Your main business is if you want to make success, your life, then save time for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is proper utilization of life. That does not depend on destiny. That you can do. That you can do. So far other things are.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

That is the wonderful, I mean to say, power of the Supreme Lord. So we are trying to bring everyone—Hindus, Muslims, or mlecchas, Yavanas, Kirāta, Āndhras—anyone come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no limitation. We don't say, "No. Because you are born in this family, you can not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Everyone can. Just like in Africa, they are also taking. They are becoming Vaiṣṇava. So this is our main business. This is the business of every Indian.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

By the force of time, just in due course of time, everything, whatever you require, it will come. Just like I was talking to you that in my childhood we heard so much about London city. So I was desiring, "When I shall go to London?" Now, in due course of time, I am walking in London. So Kṛṣṇa has provided everything for you. Don't worry. Therefore our main business should be how to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We should not bother about other things. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. But the things are there.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

So that is our main business from the very beginning of life. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). This human form of life is so rare, after many, many millions of birth, many many millions of years rotating through different species of life, by the evolutionary process, we have come to this human form of life. In this life also, if you are simply engaged in the matter of eating sleeping, sense gratification, and defending, then where is the advancement? No advancement.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- Caracas, February 23, 1975:

Nobody aspires for distress, but distress is forcibly come upon you. Similarly, the śāstra says, "As distress comes without any desire, similarly, happiness also will come without any endeavor." So long we are in the material world, the so-called happiness and distress will come and go, but our, the human life, the endeavor should be how to find out or revive our relationship with God. That is our main business.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14 -- Los Angeles, August 17, 1972:

Similarly, everyone has to work. Therefore there must be systematic work so that whole society may develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the ideal or the goal of life. Without program working... Just like I was hearing that in Japan they are very much, the people have very much liking for working, but, by law, they are being prohibited, "Don't work." So this civilization has been created that they do not know anything more. They are not taught that working is not our main business. Our main business is, as it is stated, hari-toṣaṇam. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). We have to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Or God, whatever you say. But they do not know what is God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Los Angeles, August 24, 1972:

We are being harassed by getting these different types of body and engagement according to the body. That we can understand. We are not happy. One after another. Because our main business is sense gratification. So we cannot enjoy all these senses fully in one kind of body. There is some defect. Just like we are trying to gratify our senses by flying to another planet, moon planet. This is another sense gratification. We are meant for this planet. We are bound up by conditions.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972:

So spiritual realization is the ultimate goal of our life. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. We have discussed these verses previously. This human form of life, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā... Jijñāsā, about the truth, inquiry about the truth, that is the main business of the living entity. But lower than human being—animals, birds, beasts, trees, aquatics, insects—they have no privilege to inquire about the Absolute Truth. It is in the human form of life one can inquire about the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

Lecture on SB 1.3.22 -- Los Angeles, September 27, 1972:

Just see (the) kindness of Kṛṣṇa. He kept Brahmā's promise, He kept the atheist Hiraṇyakaśipu's aspiration, and He satisfied Prahlāda And everything was done simply by incarnating as Narasiṁhadeva. This is Kṛṣṇa's plan. He comes, but by one stroke, He serves so many business. That is Kṛṣṇa. So here is also, Lord Rāmacandra appeared. The main business was to kill Rāvaṇa. Not main business. Main business is to satisfy the devotee, side by side, to kill Rāvaṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:

Similarly, there is prayer for Lord Buddha also. The, that prayer is: nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam, "Although in the Vedic literature there is recommendation for animal sacrifice, you are forbidding, 'No, this should not be done.' " Therefore Buddhism is not Vedic religion, because he was against this Vedic sacrifice. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśi... His main business was to stop this animal killing, but people wanted to give evidence from the Vedas. Therefore he said, "I don't care for your Vedas." Veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya came, and he drove away the Buddhists from the land of India. That's a long history.

Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:

Similarly, there is prayer for Lord Buddha also. The, that prayer is: nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam, "Although in the Vedic literature there is recommendation for animal sacrifice, you are forbidding, 'No, this should not be done.' " Therefore Buddhism is not Vedic religion, because he was against this Vedic sacrifice. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśi... His main business was to stop this animal killing, but people wanted to give evidence from the Vedas. Therefore he said, "I don't care for your Vedas." Veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya came, and he drove away the Buddhists from the land of India. That's a long history.

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

So our main business is how to improve Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We should not divert our attention in any other material condition of improvement. That is actually not improvement. It is simply illusion, that "I am making improvement." What improvement? Suppose you are earning now, say, five hundred dollars per month. If you earn, say, five million dollars, so then what? Will you eat more than four cāpāṭis? (laughter) You'll eat the same four cāpāṭis. And you'll occupy the same six feet bed.

Lecture on SB 1.7.7 -- Vrndavana, April 24, 1975:

So our main business is how to improve in spiritual life. That is required. Materially, but if you improve in spiritual life, then if you have got any desire for material improvement, that will be automatically served. You don't require to try for it separately.

Lecture on SB 1.7.49-50 -- Vrndavana, October 7, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). He appears as the son of Devakī or Vasudeva. We have to know this. And if you can know then you become immediately liberated. Our business is liberation. This is our main business. What is the purpose of getting this opportunity of human life? That we must understand. We should not waste our valuable life like the cats and dogs. This is our main business. To understand God. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Mayapura, September 29, 1974:

Without hearing, what he will do, nonsense? Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, this is our main business. Śravaṇam. If you don't hear, what you will do? You will do simply sense gratification. That's all. So this is difficulty, that we are not very much interested in hearing. And that is the main business. Our bhakti begins: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). We have to hear and we have to speak. But if we are not interested in hearing and speak, then it will be the same ṭhākura-bari(?), simply formula. That's all. And gradually it will be stopped. Unless there is life of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, these big, big buildings, temples, will become burden. So if we are, if we want to create burden for future, then we may give up this hearing and chanting and sleep very nicely. It will be burden.

Lecture on SB 1.8.20 -- Mayapura, September 30, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do like that. Therefore why does He come? He has got a different mission. What is that? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. He says, "I come for this purpose, to rescue the sādhus, the devotees, and to cut down the demons." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).

So vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, this is not main business. For killing the demons, one cyclone wind is sufficient. If Kṛṣṇa orders Varuṇa that "You make a heavy cyclone in this quarter," hundreds and thousands of demons will be killed within a second. So this is not the purpose, for... He does not come for killing. But because killing business is another business, when He comes to protect the devotees, so He automatically, there are some demons: "Kill them also."

Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- Mayapura, October 1, 1974:

Some way or other, be connected with Kṛṣṇa. It is not so meant... It is very great achievement that you work hard earn money and give it to Kṛṣṇa. That is a great sacrifice. So by karma-yoga, also, you can satisfy...

Because the main business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Varṇāśrama. There are four varṇas and four āśramas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsī. So these are the scientific divisions of civilized society. Unless there are these divisions, it is a chaotic condition; it is not very satisfactory.

Lecture on SB 1.8.27 -- Los Angeles, April 19, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa says that: "Anyone who is trying to approach Me, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, at the same time, he wants to become materially happy, he's not very intelligent." That means he's wasting his time. Our main business is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is the main business of human life. But if we waste our time for material improvement, and forget chanting, then that is loss, great loss. So such mentality, Kṛṣṇa says: āmi vijña ei mūrkhe viṣaya kene diba. "So this rascal is asking some material prosperity from Me by discharging devotional service. Why shall I give him material prosperity? Rather, whatever he has got, I shall take it away." Yes. (laughter) It is not laughing. When it is taken away, we become very morose. But that is the test. That is stated by Kṛṣṇa Himself to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja: yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad dhanaṁ śanaiḥ (SB 10.88.8).

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Mayapura, October 20, 1974:

When Nārada Muni made the hunter a disciple, so he dragged him to the riverside, Ganges, and gave him a tulasī plant, that: "You sit down here and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. And the tulasī plant is here. You offer obeisances." Then he was very much anxious because he was hunter. He has been stopped, his main business, killing business. So he was thinking that "My Guru Mahārāja may not cheat me. He has stopped my business. He has broken my bows and arrows. And now he has dragged me here to sit down and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on SB 1.8.41 -- Mayapura, October 21, 1974:

So this is māyā. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). We gather exactly like the straws, and on account of māyā's influence, we become very much attached: "Oh, here is my son. Here is my wife. Here is my family. Here is my..." And this is the, what is called, entanglement. Our main business is in the human form of life how to get out of this material world. They do not know. They not only create family but also society, community, nation, In this way we are embarrassed. The so-called nationalism, socialism and communism—simply moha, moha, exactly the same way as the small, that insects, under some illusion, moha, they come to the light and sacrifice their life. I have told you many times. We have seen in 1947, partition days, Hindu-Muslim fighting. One party was Hindu, other party was Muslim. They fought and so many died. And after death, there was no distinction who is Hindu or who is Muslim. The municipal men, they gathered together in piles and to throw them somewhere. Exactly the same way, the same insects, they come to the light and die in the morning, and we gather them together and throw in the street.

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

So this practice should be adopted. Don't waste time. As much as possible, try to hear about this transcendental subject matter, Bhāgavatam. Yad vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyam. It is stated that "The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very, very dear to the Vaiṣṇavas, to the devotees." In Vṛndāvana, you will find, they are always reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is their life and soul. So now we have got already six volumes, and further... How many? Eight volumes are coming? So you will have enough stock. So you should read. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. That is the main business. That is pure devotional service. Because we cannot devote twenty-four hours in hearing and chanting; therefore we have extended our activities, program activities, in so many ways. Otherwise, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so nice, if you practice anywhere, any condition, simply by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you will be happy. So adopt this practice and make your spiritual life perfect more and more.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Los Angeles, July 13, 1974:

So that is our main business, how to get out of this material body of skins and bones. That is real business. But these rascals, they do not know what is real business. They want to maintain the skin and bone by another skin and bone. That is their program. So it is foolish civilization. They do not what is civilization, what is the aim of life, what we should do. Nothing, no program. Simply just like animals, and kill animals and eat and be merry. And to digest meat, you drink also. One after another. As soon as there is drinking, then there is illicit sex. And so many things complicated.

Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:

Suppose you get another human life. Is it guaranteed? You may fall down again. So my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Finish all business in this life." Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. Finish this business of birth, death, old age and disease in this life. You can do that. This is our main business, not to make arrangement for eating, sleeping, mating and defending under different garb, under different pretext. That is not our business. Our main business is...

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

Tasmād bhārata sarvātmā bhagavān hariḥ, īśvaro hariḥ, śrotavyaḥ: "You have to hear about Him." Instead of hearing so many other news, which will not exist, you just try to hear about Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because Parīkṣit Mahārāja's question was that "Now I am going to die. What shall I hear about?" Because hearing is our main business. You are hearing. If you go out from this temple you will also hear. Or the sound is always going on. If we do not want to hear, the hearing is going on. So here it is recommended that "That Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme controller, who is Hari, or who protects us from all difficulty, Hari, and sarvātmā—He is situated in everyone's heart—that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Supersoul, should be heard." Śrotavya, should be heard. We should be prepared to hear about Him. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca. And we should discuss about Him, kīrtitavyaś ca. Smartavya. And if we hear and discuss, then, if we are really serious, then we shall remember also. Smartavya, and smartavyaś cecchatābhayam. Those who are actually desiring abhayam...

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

To realize Kṛṣṇa and go back to Him, that should be our main business. But these karmīs, they do not know what is the mission of this human form of life. They are busy working hard, day and night, for a morsel of grass. That's all. Yan maithunādi-gṛha... There are many other verses. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). So śāstra, intelligence, knowledge, means one should study everything very critically, "What is my position? What is my duty?" We should not be like the animals. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-khara. Now we have got our great personalities, leaders. They are praised, eulogized, our, these political leaders. "Our Hitler," "Our Gandhi," "Our Churchill," "Our Nixon." But śāstra says these leaders, those who are not spiritual leaders, those who cannot give our life, they are worshiped by these classes of animals, animals. These so-called leaders, politicians, they are eulogized very much by whom? By these class of men: dogs, camels, asses and...

Lecture on SB 2.9.3 -- Melbourne, April 5, 1972:

So if there is difficulty, we should discuss among ourselves and clear it, but there must be thorough discussion and understanding. And the president of the center, he should be able to answer the questions of other members. If he is unable, then he should ask the local general secretary. Then, at last, it should come to me, not that all the questions are going to me directly and "We are simply busy, vouchers and reports." So these things should be very carefully noted. The president means he must be very expert. He should be... Secretaries, they should be all expert in reading. This is our main business, to study, to know things. Otherwise, what is this? Now, this boy is asking question means he should have asked question to the senior members. What is your next question?

Lecture on SB 3.22.22 and Initiations -- Tehran, August 12, 1976:

So we cannot spare our valuable time for bodily comforts, sacrificing our real aim of life, self-realization. That is not civilization. That is animal civilization. First consideration is self-realization. Therefore you'll find Vedic civilization very simple because they took it main business, self-realization. The bodily comforts... Big, big kings, because they had to rule over the country, some gorgeous type, style of living. They were... Ordinary persons, they were satisfied in a cottage. Still you'll find in India in the villages—I think here also the same—they don't mind. I see from the street the original walls.(?)

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

So this is our position, and the human life is the opportunity to stop this dehāntara. And to stop this dehāntara, that is the main business. And how it can be done? Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa. And how you can understand Kṛṣṇa? Simply by association of the devotees. That's all. It is not very difficult. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Rūpa Gosvāmī says. If you get some faith, "Now I shall become free from this material attachment," then, as it is advised here, sa eva sādhuṣu kṛtaḥ. The attachment we have got for material enjoyment—similar attachment should be for the sādhu, that's all. Suppose I want to drink. As I become mad without getting any drinking, similarly, when you become mad without sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83), then you are liberated. You have to simply divert the attachment. Not to speak of drinking, even those who are smoker, if he cannot smoke for one hour, his throat becomes dried up, "Give me biḍi. Give me biḍi." So as you have got attachment for the biḍi, similar attachment for sādhu will be our liberation. Tat kṛtaḥ sādhuṣu. That is to be learned. That you can learn with sādhu-saṅga, if you mix with the sādhus.

Lecture on SB 3.25.25 -- Bombay, November 25, 1974:

This is the verdict of Vyāsadeva. Śrama eva hi kevalam. You are very nice, executing your occupational duties. Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ. Svanuṣṭhitaḥ. You are brāhmaṇa. That's nice. You are executing the brāhmaṇa's duties very nicely, or a kṣatriya, or a vaiśya, or a medical man, engineer, whatever you may be. That's all right. Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ. But if, by executing your professional or occupational duties, you do not develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness... That is the main business of human life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So then dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathā... (SB 1.2.8). Viṣvaksena-kathā means kṛṣṇa-kathā. Notpādayed yadi ratim. If you do not become inclined, śraddhā, this śraddhā of kṛṣṇa-kathā, then whatever you are doing—simply wasting your time, and it is a labor of love only, that's all. Śrama eva hi kevalam. And a devotee, even if he falls down by chance... There is every possibility of falling down because māyā is very strong. And it is a fight against māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Duratyayā. Māyā is very strong. We are getting experience. Some of them are falling down. But still, whatever he has done sincerely, that is a permanent credit of his account.

Lecture on SB 3.25.27 -- Bombay, November 27, 1974:

Because we are not meant for this service. We are, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Our main business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. In Vṛndāvana, in Goloka Vṛndāvana, somebody's serving Kṛṣṇa as His friend, cowherd boy. Somebody's serving Kṛṣṇa as gopī, as lover. Somebody's serving Kṛṣṇa as father and mother, mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja. Somebody's Kṛṣṇa's friend as servant, as tree, as water, as flower, as land, as cow's, as calf. So many ways. This is our business. But somehow or other we did not like to serve Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have been put into the service of māyā in three modes of nature. Just like criminal. A criminal does not like to obey the laws of the state; therefore a criminal is put into the prison house and he's forced to abide by the law of the state. The state laws are there—either outside the prisonhouse or inside the prisonhouse. But one who does not obey ordinarily outside the jail the orders or the laws of the state is put into the prisonhouse. But he cannot avoid the laws of the state. That is not possible. Because a citizen means he must abide by the laws of the state.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

Therefore our main business is how to stop the cycle of birth and death—no more accepting the body. That is answered here, as Kapiladeva said, na anyatra mad bhagavataḥ pradhāna-puruṣeśvarāt: "You cannot get it without taking shelter at My lotus feet. You cannot get out of this fear."

nānyatra mad bhāgavataḥ

pradhāna-puruṣeśvarāt

ātmanaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

bhayaṁ tīvraṁ nivartate

Tīvraṁ bhayam. What you are accepting, spelled by māyā, as very position, good position... I have told you many times. It is published in now..., that therefore, the rascal class of men, they want to..., they do not want to accept that there is life after death. "Everything is finished." Therefore in Western countries there is killing even grown-up child within the womb.

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

So to achieve this goal of life, premā pum-artho mahān, in this age especially, in Kali-yuga, because we cannot do any other thing, it is very, very difficult. The time is very obstacle, full of obstacles. Therefore kalau... This is the method, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam: (CC Adi 17.21) "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra," kevalam, "only." Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. In the Kali-yuga, because main business is how to get relief from this material bondage... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). People do not understand even that what is really our distress. Kṛṣṇa says, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says personally, "These are your miseries." What? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) "Repetition of birth and death.

Lecture on SB 3.28.17 -- Nairobi, October 26, 1975:

So people do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa. How they will love Kṛṣṇa? It is not possible. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Out of many, many millions of persons, somebody may try to become perfect. They do not know how to become perfect. They remain cats and dogs, simply engaged in eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That's all. They are cats and dogs. They are not human being. What is the difference between cats and dogs and human being? Human being is also interested. So long this body is there, we are interested in eating, sleeping, mating or de... But that is not our main business. Our main business is how to understand God and love Him. That is our main business.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- London, August 30, 1971:

The aim of human life is to understand God. That is the main business of human life. Main... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Viṣṇu is the Supreme Lord, Supreme Personality of Godhead. People, they do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is to understand the Lord, the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu.

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

But so far we can see, those who are busy with bolts and nuts, how this dull brain, they can manufacture such things? That is not possible. It requires another brain. The yogīs can go, the yogīs can go. Just like Durvāsā Muni. He went to Vaikuṇṭha-loka, and he saw personally Lord Viṣṇu in the Vaikuṇṭha-loka for being excused because His disk was after him to kill. He insulted a vaisnava. That is another story, so in this way actually human life is meant for that purpose to understand God and His potencies and to revive our old relationship with Him. That is the main business. But unfortunately, they are being engaged in factories, in other work, to work like hogs and dogs, and their whole energy is being spoiled.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

Tattva-jijñāsā, that is the main business. Now, what is that tattva? That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam: (SB 1.2.11) "Those who are aware of the tattva, they say that tattva means the Supreme Absolute Truth." Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). Jñānam, that knowledge, is advaya. Advaya means without any duality. But they are expressed in three different ways—Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān—brahmeti paramātmeti, according to the stage of understanding. Those who are in the lower stage—we cannot say lower—in the beginning stage, that is Brahman realization. And one who has made further progress, that is Paramātmā realized. And one who has made further progress, that is Bhagavān realization. This is the verdict. So if you realize Bhagavān, then vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Then you'll understand that Vāsudeva, Bhagavān, He is Paramātmā. He's also Brahman. Rather, He is Parabrahman.

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

One must approach a mahānta. Mahānta. This whole world is illusion and one who is above this illusion is called mahānta, one who has ended the illusion. Samit-pāniḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12), one should approach a guru who is brahma-niṣṭham. Brahma-niṣṭham means fully fixed up in Brahman understanding because life is meant for brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life, this human form of life, is meant for inquiring about Brahman, not for anything else. Anything else—Where is food? Where is shelter? Where is sex? Anybody's different?—this is animal life. Above this, when we, in human life, our main business is brahma-jijñāsā. Not that "Where is food?" "Where is shelter?" "Where is sex?" and "Where is difference?" These are animal propensities, animal inquiries.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

So, na prīti-yuktāh. His business is not how to increase money, how to please the, I mean to say, relatives, how to talk with the persons interested in keeping this body. Na prīti-yuktāh. He is not interested with them. Prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke. Simply just be engaged with them as far as your duty. It does not mean that "I am not attached to my wife; therefore I shall forget my duties to wife and children." It does not mean. Yāvad-arthāś ca loke. "As it is my duty, I must execute, but my main business is how to secure friendship with Kṛṣṇa." Such kind of gṛhastha is mahātmā.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:

So those who are believer in the śāstras, believer in the Supreme Lord, they believe in destiny also. Therefore śāstra says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). We should try for advancing our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our main business. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido. Kovidaḥ means very expert. He should try for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not for material advancement. This is civilization. That is, we have already discussed. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). If you think that, "If I work very hard, then I shall improve my position," that is not possible. Your position is already fixed up. Then shall I not try for my happiness?

Lecture on SB 5.5.4 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1976:

The main business is how far one is devoted to Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. It doesn't mean that one has to become a sannyāsī or one has to remain a gṛhastha. There are four āśramas. You should accept whichever is suitable for you, but the business is how to serve Kṛṣṇa. That's If you find that remaining as a gṛhastha, you can serve more Kṛṣṇa, that's all right. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has accepted this. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir. Sthāne, sthāne means everyone has got some position. So it doesn't require that you have to change your position. But the real business is you have to see how far you are making progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

That they do not know. Somebody is thinking, "My self-interest is this"; somebody is thinking, "My self-interest is this," and therefore there is collision, strife, fight. But actually, the self-interest is one for the..., at least for the human being. What is that? Realization of God. It is equally important for the Americans; it is equally important for the Indians; equally important for every living being, especially for the civilized man. This is self-interest. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. What is that Absolute Truth? Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. That should be our first business. Of course, we require a living place and eating materials and sex arrangement or defense arrangement. That is required. You do that. But don't forget your main business. Then you are cats and dogs. Your main business is God realization.

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

This is self-interest. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. What is that Absolute Truth? Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. That should be our first business. Of course, we require a living place and eating materials and sex arrangement or defense arrangement. That is required. You do that. But don't forget your main business. Then you are cats and dogs. Your main business is God realization.

Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975:

The same thing, example, that I am in the car, I am studying the machine only. I forgot my destination, where I have to go. I am busy with studying the car. What is the use? You must know. You have got a good car. You must know where is the destination, where you have to go. That is your business. The business... Of course, it is secondary. If you want to know what is the car, that is secondary; that is not your main business. The main business is how to utilize the car and go to my destination. That is intelligence.

Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975:

But He wants that "My dear child, you are now grown up. You have got this human form of body. You don't play like this and waste your time. You take education and know things as they are." That is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra: "Now you have got human form of life. You try to understand what is God." That is the main business. Unfortunately, we are misled by blind leaders. We have been engaged in studying the body, that's all.

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:

The whole Vedic civilization is based on this idea, that "Stop this nonsense business, repetition of birth, death, old age." Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is knowledge. What knowledge, this technical knowledge, this knowledge? You cannot stop these things. Therefore main business is how to stop it. And because they are foolish people, they think that "These things cannot be stopped. Let us go on with this repetition of birth and death, and in each life let us struggle for existence." This is material civilization, ignorance, no knowledge.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja is requesting, "My dear friends, you try to learn this science," dharmān bhāgavatān iha, "from this very childhood life." Because this human form of life, he says that, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Mānuṣaṁ janma. This form of body... We have got by evolutionary process. It is a chance given by the nature to understand what is God. This is the main business of this body. Not that economic development. That is not the business of human body. Sense gratification. Sense gratification is there in the animals. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The human form of life is not meant for to live like the dogs and the hogs.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, brahmā, sarve hy amī vidhi-karās tava sattva-dhāmno: "They are all Your servants. These demigods, they are appointed servants, and they are not disturbing like us. And Your incarnation is specially meant for them, specially meant..." Because Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Actually He incarnates to protect these, I mean to say, faithful persons who are devoted to Kṛṣṇa. That is His main business. And vinā... And the sideways side, I mean to say, killing all these demonic per... Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu, he's demon, and Prahlāda is devotee. Lord Nṛsiṁha's appeared for two business: for killing Hiraṇyakaśipu and giving protection to Prahlāda. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "Actually Your appearance, Your incarnation, is meant for these devotees, these demigods." Demigod means devotee.

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

Just like in Europe and America, some of our friends criticize that "Swami Mahārāja, he is not doing this, not doing that." We are doing everything, but our main business is just to induce them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the secret. You have to induce them. Then even there is some discrepancies in the rules and regulation, it does not matter. Rūpa Gosvāmī says, sarve vidhi-niṣedha syur etayor eva kiṅkara. First of all, we must be Kṛṣṇa conscious somehow or other. We must find out. It can be changed according to country, climate, and circumstances. But the result, we have to see by the result whether one has become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is wanted. That is wanted. Then we say that this is the rule: you don't do this, we don't do this. In the beginning we have many difficulties. Because their behavior, their culture, everything just opposite. Just opposite. How you can expect everything to the right point? That is not possible. So we have to find out means how he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is my first business. So that is the secret.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

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

So Vedānta-sūtra says, answer, the first aphorism is: athāto brahma jijñāsā. Brahman, the Absolute, that is the main business of the human life, to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Here everything is relative truth. I am the son of my father. My father is the son of his father. His father is the son of his father. You go on. Everything is relative. But who is the Absolute? Who is the Absolute? That inquiry is called Brahma-jijñāsā. Who is the original father? Then if you go on searching like that, within this universe you'll find Lord Brahmā is the origin. He's called, therefore, pitāmaha, Lord Brahmā. But if you still inquire further, who is the father of Brahmā, then you come to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, from His abdomen, there sprouted a lotus flower, and (on) the lotus flower, Brahmā was born. Therefore Brahmā's another name is Svayambhūr.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

Yes. Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi. Our main business is..., (uproar in background, sounds like monkey attacked audience) (pause) Hut! Hut! (laughter, applause) So our main business is to serve the ācāryas. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means why..., we are trying to serve the ācāryas. Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His direct disciples, the Ṣaḍ-gosvāmīs, and their disciples. Rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti. That is required.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1972:

My Guru Mahārāja used to say... He had so many temples all over India, and he used to say sometimes that "If by selling all these properties, temples, if I could turn one man to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then my mission will be successful." He used to say that. So our purpose is not to construct big, big buildings. That is required for propaganda work, for giving shelter to people. But our main business is how to turn the face of the bewildered conditioned souls towards Kṛṣṇa. That is our method. That is our main purpose. Therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and other Vaiṣṇavas, they did not advise to give much attention for constructing big, big temples and maṭhas. Because if our attention is diverted towards these material things... Material things means, as I have repeatedly explained, forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise there is no, nothing material. It is illusion. Illusion means actually there is nothing material. How it can be material? If the Supreme Lord is Supreme Spirit, everything is coming from Him, so what we call the material energy, that is also coming from the Supreme.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.11 -- Mayapur, April 4, 1975:

Now we, being part and parcel of Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says personally, mamaivāṁśaḥ. So if Kṛṣṇa is not affected by this creation and annihilation, then we, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, why we should be affected by this creation and annihilation? We are very much afraid of being annihilated, and we are trying to discover many scientific, so-called scientific methods how we may not be destroyed. Why this inclination that we may not be destroyed? Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa; therefore eternity of life is our aspiration. That is the proof that we are..., Kṛṣṇa is eternal, similarly, we are also eternal. But circumstantially we are now put into this material world. Therefore our main business is how to revive our original position, not to be annihilated, never annihilated. It is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gītā. Actually we are not annihilated. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), nityo śāśvato 'yam.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 -- Mayapur, April 8, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa begins, therefore, His instructions that "Don't think you are this body. This is your covering. You are within this body." That is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa's instructions. And at last He, as a father, advises sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So when we do that, giving up everything, we surrender to Kṛṣṇa, at that time we revive our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. This is wanted. Therefore the author is instructing us, jayatāṁ suratau paṅgor mama manda-mater. Manda means one who cannot go very fast, or bad, manda means bad. Manda means slow. In this age especially, in Kali-yuga we become very, very slow in spiritual progress, although that is our main business. But on account of this Kali-yuga, we are all very, very slow. We think that "Spiritual cultivation is meant for old age. Now let us enjoy our life in this material world." That is our wrong conception of life. What do you mean by old age? Nearing death. So who can guarantee that he is not nearing death? Everyone is nearing death at every moment. Why should you wait for old age? That is manda-mater, bad intelligence. We should know that death may take place at any moment.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.16 -- Mayapur, April 9, 1975:

Now, asad-grahāt: "We have accepted this body, which will not exist." Asad-grahāt. These are facts. Study śāstra in that way. Why we are full of anxiety? Because we have accepted this body. So our main business is how to get out of this entanglement of this temporary body. The people are not very seriously thinking, neither they have got sufficient knowledge how the temporary body is obtained, how it is changed, another temporary body, and there are 8,400,000 different forms of body, and we are changing one after another. Why this disease? "If I am, my position is, as I understand from Bhagavad-gītā, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20)—I am not destroyed after the destruction of this body—why I am in this position that I have to change my body?"

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.105 -- New York, July 11, 1976:

Heavenly planet? Karmīs? They might have pious activities. They want to go to the heavenly planet. So Vaiṣṇava says that "What is this heavenly planet? It is phantasmagoria. It has no..." Actually it is so. Then yogi? The yogi's main business is to control the senses. That is real yoga. Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. Controlling the senses so that mind can be in a peaceful condition... Without controlling your senses, mind cannot be. Then you can apply this mind for meditation. If the mind is agitated, what is this nonsense meditation? First of all control the mind; then think of meditation. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā. We have to meditate with the mind. But if the mind is agitated, where is the question of meditation? It is all bogus. So for a yogi the first business is yama-niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, pratyāhāra-aṣṭa, aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Then one's mind is controlled. Then dhyānāvasthita. Then he can remain in trance, always thinking of Viṣṇu. That is yoga. So first thing is to control the mind, control the senses.

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, June 27, 1971:

Now this civilized form of human life, with higher intelligence and consciousness, it is meant for God realization. It is not meant for utilizing as the animals waste their time simply for eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is not our business. That is part of our business so far the body is concerned. But as spirit soul, our main business is to understand what I am, wherefrom I have come, where I shall go, why I am under the tribulation of threefold miseries of material condition. These questions must be answered. If we do not question, just like live like animal... The animal cannot question, neither they can understand the answer, but the human form of life they can question and understand the answer also. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is called brahma-jijñāsā, inquiring about the Supreme. So that is our prerogative. Please take chance of this human body and try to understand yourself and cleanse your heart from the dirty things by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Address -- Los Angeles, February 9, 1975:

So I was not very much hopeful to become successful. When I was in Boston port, I wrote one poetry that "I do not know why I have been brought here. How these people will take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? As soon as I will say these four regulative principles, they will ask me to go away." (laughter) It is very difficult for this country or this part of the world to follow the four principles of regulative life: no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating, and no intoxication. Even Lord Zetland, when he was given this formula for becoming advanced in spiritual consciousness, he flatly replied, "It is impossible for us." Yes. But impossible thing can be made possible by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. That is possible—Kṛṣṇa is all powerful—provided we are serious and sincere. That is the main business. We must be very serious and sincere. Then Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence.

Arrival Talk in Room -- Mayapur, March 23, 1975:

That's it. He understood that "Kṛṣṇa is divine. So whatever He says, that is my duty to do, not to judge Him on my platform." That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. One who does not take Kṛṣṇa in the same platform as one is but accepts Kṛṣṇa's personality, then he can understand. Otherwise how one can accept it that a person has expanded many millions of universes like this? Immediately they will they will take as mythology, because he's thinking on terms of his capacity, not as Kṛṣṇa says. Therefore nobody could understand Kṛṣṇa. We took the simple method: accept Kṛṣṇa as He says. That's all. Finished. That is the main business. Our philosophy is simple because we take it, Kṛṣṇa's word, as it is, that's all. And we believe it firmly: "Yes, this is the truth." To understand Kṛṣṇa is not difficult. What Kṛṣṇa says, you accept it. Sarvam etam ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava: (BG 10.14) "Whatever You say, I accept it. Not only I accept it blindly, but this very thing was accepted by such great personality as Vyāsadeva." (aside:) Anyone who wants to come... Simple thing. Big, big ācāryas, they accepted Kṛṣṇa as He is. And why shall I not accept? This is paramparā system. If others have accepted Kṛṣṇa as He tells, and they have become big, big ācāryas, so what objection can be there from my part? What I am?

Initiation Lectures

Initiation of Jayapataka Dasa -- Montreal, July 24, 1968:

So Lord Buddha, he, of course, did not preach directly God consciousness, but we accept him as the incarnation of God. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. He had to preach amongst the atheist class of men who were too much addicted with animal slaughter and he wanted to stop animal slaughter. That was his main business. So I've several times explained. Therefore he rejected Vedic authority. Because in the Vedic authority there is recommendation, under certain condition, of animal sacrifice. But he wanted to stop completely animal sacrifice. Therefore superficially he said, he denied the authority of Vedic ritual. Because if he accepted Vedic rituals then he could not preach this ahiṁsā paramo dharma. So that is a great story. Anyway we accept, we Vaiṣṇavas, we accept Lord Buddha as incarnation. That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra. So indirectly the Buddhists are worshiping God. They are denying, there is no existence of God but they are accepting the incarnation of God.

Initiation of Hrsikesa Dasa and Marriage of Satsvarupa and Jadurani -- New York, September 5, 1968:

And there is no separation. It is... There is no question of divorce or separation. In any condition of life, happiness or distress, you shall continue as husband and wife, because our main business is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This marriage is not material marriage for sense gratification. But because there are girls and boys and we require also Kṛṣṇa conscious population, therefore we encourage this marriage. It is not for sense gratification. So in this way there is no question of separation or divorce. You admit this? Yes. You also admit this? Then you change your garland.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (reading:) "This was spoken by a brāhmaṇa from Avantī deśa. 'I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. This was approved by the previous ācāryas, who are fixed in firm devotion to the Lord, Paramātmā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.' " Purport. "In connection with this verse, which is a quotation from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto, Twenty-third Chapter, fifty-eighth verse, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that of the sixty-four items required for rendering devotional service, acceptance of the symbolic marks of sannyāsa is a regulative principle. If one accepts the sannyāsa order, his main business is to devote his life completely to the service of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa. If one does not completely devote his mind and body to the service of the Lord, he does not actually become a sannyāsī. It is not simply a matter of changing dress. In Bhagavad-gītā, Sixth Chapter, first verse, it is also stated, anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ, sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca: (BG 6.1) 'One who works devotedly for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa is a sannyāsī.'

Wedding Ceremonies

Address at Wedding of Bali-mardana -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1973:

One may be a gṛhastha or sannyāsī—it doesn't matter—but he must be Kṛṣṇa-tattva-vit. He must know the science of Kṛṣṇa. That is required. So in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we have got four orders: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. Whichever position one can find himself suitable, he can accept that, and... But the main business is kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, and preach the cult all over the world, sei guru haya. Guru means preacher, to enlighten. One who can enlighten, he is guru.

General Lectures

Pandal Lecture at Cross Maidan -- Bombay, March 26, 1971:

So our main business should be how to improve in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So far other things are required, bodily necessities, that is recommended by Rūpa Gosvāmī, anāsaktasya: "Don't be attached." Don't take food, don't eat simply for satisfying your palate. That is called sense enjoyment. But you, just to keep yourself fit, just to keep your body fit for giving service to the Lord, you can eat Kṛṣṇa prasāda. And so far Kṛṣṇa prasāda is concerned, it is not very bad; it is very good. We offer... Of course, those who are followers of Vedic principles of life, they know how nice foodstuff can be offered to Kṛṣṇa. There are hundreds and thousands of varieties of fruits. There is nice grains also, there is nice milk also, there is sugar also.

Lecture -- London, August 26, 1973:

When the body feels very warm, we uncover. The covering and uncovering is due to seasonal changes. Therefore this material world means changing always. It is called jagat. Jagat means always changing. On account of the material world's changing, we feel pains and pleasure on this material body. Kṛṣṇa advises, therefore, that mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. The material pains and pleasures, they are on account of this body. But we are not this body; we are spirit soul. Our main business is how to elevate the soul to its original position of eternity. That is our problem.

La Trobe University Lecture -- Melbourne, July 1, 1974:

Our real business, real education, is to understand, "What I am? I am not this body." But that education is lacking. So our main business is to understand that "I am not this body, and the bodily pains and pleasure, they are due to the change of season only." Just like now it is winter season. We are covering our body. In the summer season we do not like so heavily dressed. So this feeling of pains and pleasure is due to this material body.

La Trobe University Lecture -- Melbourne, July 1, 1974:

This man is my family man" or "my national man." So all these bodily concepts of life is based on ignorance, because we do not know soul. Actually the human life is meant for being educated that he is not this body; he is soul. That is the Vedānta-sūtra philosophy, to inquire about the spirit soul. That is our main business. Unfortunately... We are traveling all over the world. There is no institution, no school, no college, no university where this education is given, that "What I am? Am I this body, or I am something else? No. I am something else."

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

So therefore we have to first of all establish our relationship with God. Your establish..., is already

established. Just like the father and the son—the relationship is already there. It is not... But still, sometimes the son goes out of home and may be forgetting his father. Similarly, we are out of home. We have come from the spiritual world in this material world. We have forgotten our father. So we have to revive this relationship with our father, or God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is the main business of human life. In other species of life lower than the human being it is not possible to revive our old relationship with God. But in this life... Therefore this is the greatest opportunity.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: This is spiritual following. Just like we are doing. We are also not neglecting the bodily necessities of life, but our main business is how to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is not supported by the state or the leaders of the society. They think they are unnecessary because they are animals. So that is the... If the leaders, yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tad tad eva itaraḥ janaḥ (BG 3.21), that is, every leading man accept that this is necessary. Just like we say "No illicit sex." So if the state helps, it can stop immediately. "No meat-eating": the state can immediately do it, "No slaughterhouse." If somebody says that it is enforcement for a person who wants to eat meat and the state has stopped, no.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: That it is, when he understands that he is not this body, then his unnecessary endeavor to keep the body in comfortable position without the, without executing the business of spiritual life, then he is kept in darkness. So when one understands that he is spirit soul, so how to elevate the spirit soul to the highest perfection, that will be the main business. So that is wanted. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Then he understands that "Not only I am spirit soul, but everyone is spirit soul," then equal, equipoised. Every spirit soul should be given the chance of perfect understanding, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then activities of devotional service. If everyone is engaged in devotional service, then he gradually comes to the state of loving God, prema. Premā pumartho mahān. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended perfection of human life is how to raise oneself to the platform of loving God. That is perfection. Otherwise it is not perfect society.