Now, Arjuna says, after hearing Bhagavad-gītā from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he accepts Kṛṣṇa as paraṁ brahma, the Supreme Brahman. Brahman. Every living being is Brahman, but the supreme living being or the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Brahman or supreme living being. And paraṁ dhāma. Paraṁ dhāma means He is the supreme rest of everything. And pavitram. Pavitram means He is pure from material contamination. And He's addressed as puruṣam. Puruṣam means the supreme enjoyer; śāśvatam, śāśvata means from very beginning, He's the first person; divyam, transcendental; devam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ajam, never born; vibhum, the greatest.
Material contamination (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"contaminated by material"
|"contaminated by matter"
|"material contamination"
|"material contaminations"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :
Devotee: "Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as pure, free from all material contamination, as the supreme enjoyer, as the foremost person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, never born, the greatest. Now one may say that..., one may say that since Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna were friends, Arjuna was only saying these things to his friend. But Arjuna mentions that Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead not only by himself but by Nārada, Vyāsa and numerous other great persons."
Prabhupāda: Authorities. He accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead not because Kṛṣṇa happened to be his intimate friend but on the authorities of others. And on the statement of Kṛṣṇa, and by understanding Him fully. He, he did not accept Him blindly. So this is the process of understanding Bhagavad-gītā. And although he understood fully, because in future so many rascals will come and proclaim himself that "I am also incarnation of Godhead," therefore in the Eleventh Chapter Arjuna requested Kṛṣṇa that "If you think, You can show me Your universal form," so that in future others will accept some bogus rascal as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he may test by seeing the, I mean to say, universal form of the person. So who can exhibit this universal form except Kṛṣṇa?
Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :
You don't desire to become one's son, you are already one's son. You simply do not know. Similarly, your relationship with Kṛṣṇa is there, every one of us, but I have forgotten; I do not know. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness practice will revive your relationship in what way..., in which way you are related with Kṛṣṇa. It is not that you have to desire. No. It is already there. You have to desire only how to revive it, that's all. That isKṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not an artificial thing. Just like we are establishing some relationship with somebody or you are my father or you are my wife, you are my husband. No. It is already there. Simply we have to find out. That will be revealed when you are perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati, you are freed from all material contamination, and you are perfectly situated in devotional service; it will be at once revealed: "Oh, you are related to Kṛṣṇa." You will have to wait for that.
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:
That is difference between God and you. So therefore, by chanting God's name, you actually contact with God. But in the material world that is not possible. Suppose I am thirsty, I want water. If I chant "water, water," it will not act. But in the case of chanting the holy name of God, it is as good as to associate with God. Try to understand. This is the absolute and relative relationship. It is stated in the Vedic literature that nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ, pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). The name of God and God is equally pūrṇa, perfect; śuddha, purified. Pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya, eternal, and muk... Pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-muktaḥ, and liberated from material contamination. So it is not the question of argument. You can try. There is no loss on your part. Chant the holy name of God and see the result yourself.
Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Mexico, February 15, 1975:
No, that is no argument. If you are diseased, you can be cured if you take the proper medicine, treatment. That's all. Disease is not hopelessness. Otherwise why the people go for treatment to a physician? Similarly, out of ignorance you are now in this miserable condition, but if you become treated by bona fide spiritual master, then you'll be cured. Originally every one of us—pure. Now, by material condition we are now contaminated. That... But there is process to get out of this material contamination. Then again we become pure. And as soon as we become pure, there is no more birth, death, old age, and disease. Finished.
Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:
That, that is pure transcendental stage of executing devotional service, after being free from material designation. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). That is called nirmala. That is mukti. Because spirit soul is eternal. It has to be cleansed, the material contamination. So when he's clean, then hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). When our senses are purified... Not this American hand or Indian hand. "It is Kṛṣṇa's hand. This hand should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, in sweeping the temple." If he thinks like this, he is far, far greater than any Vedāntist. If he simply knows that "This hand belongs to Kṛṣṇa," then he is far, far greater than any Vedāntist.
Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:
Niṣkiñcana means a great personality who has become completely freed from all material consciousness. He is called mahīyasām. He is also great, the great soul. So unless one takes shelter of the lotus feet or the dust of the lotus feet of a great personality who has no material affection, nobody can understand what is God. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ (SB 7.5.32). As soon as one understands the spirit soul and the supreme soul... That can be understood only when one is taken shelter of a great personality freed from material contamination. This is the version of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Otherwise, it is amazement. To understand about soul is amazement. To understand about God is amazement. So Vedic injunction is therefore that if you are at all serious to understand tad vijñānam, that science, transcendental science... Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). The Veda says, "Then you must find out a bona fide spiritual master." Tad vijñānārtham, if you are seriously interested.
Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:
Thank you very much. (break) The saṅkīrtana just now we have performed, it is vibration of the transcendental sound. This will help us in clearing the dust which we have accumulated on the surface of our mind. The whole thing is misunderstanding. We, as pure soul, pure consciousness, naturally we are aloof from material contamination. But due to our long association with this material atmosphere, we have accumulated a great, thick layer of dust on the mind.
Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:
So everyone has to test himself, "how far I have advanced." That means "How far I have become detached with material contamination." That's all. The test is in your hand. And if you are sincere, then you should test yourself. And if you want to make show, that is a different thing. That is explained in the Second Chapter, sthita-prajña. The behavior of a person who has advanced in spiritual consciousness, that is explained. You have studied. He talks like that, he walks like that, he behaves like that. So many things, they have been explained. These are the tests. So we may not be able to achieve all the success immediately, but everyone should try to follow.
Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:
Just like we are sitting in this loft. So by association of this Bowery Street, always dust is coming in this room, and it is being stuck up, layer after layer, similarly, by association of this material contamination, we have in our heart accumulated so many material dust. The whole thing, our progress of spiritual life, our progress of spiritual realization, is checked only because we have got some misunderstanding of our identification. The identification is that "I am this body." That's all. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).
Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:
We have, by chance, fallen into this material contamination and we have made our relationship with so many material things, so that we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Now, the whole process is to revive our consciousness to Kṛṣṇa. For that purpose, Kṛṣṇa comes Himself or Kṛṣṇa keeps this Bhagavad-gītā for you or Kṛṣṇa sends His confidential devotees to you, to canvass you, "Come to the point and be happy." That is the whole process. So ātma-rati, ātma-rati, self-satisfaction.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:
But that is pure and here it is impure on account of this material contamination. The thing is there but it is contaminated. Therefore you feel frustration. So intelligence is the why shall I remain in this contaminated position? I shall go to the pure platform. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:
Actually the sun is always there. But owing to our defective, insufficient eyesight we must calculate the appearance and disappearance of the sun in the sky. And because His appearance and disappearance are completely different from that of any ordinary common living entity, it is evident that He is eternal in blissful knowledge by His internal potency, and He is not contaminated by material nature.
Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:
So as you make your progress, spiritually, as you become hot... Just like I have given several times the example. If a iron, iron put into the fire, it gets warm, warmer, warmer and becomes red hot, and as soon as it is red hot, it is no longer iron. It is fire. The iron, wherever it will touch, it will burn because it has got the quality of fire. Similarly, even if you are in these bodies, material body, if you advance yourself in spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will be spiritualized. Your body will be spiritualized. You'll be no more be affected by this material contamination. The more you make advance, you'll feel it. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. It is not for future tasting, but you'll understand it, understand it. So we have to make our progress in that way.
Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:
Pradyumna: (reading) "Actually, the sun is always in its fixed position, but owing to our defective, insufficient senses, we calculate the appearance and disappearance of the sun in the sky. And because His appearance and disappearance are completely different from that of any ordinary common living entity, it is evident that He is eternal blissful knowledge by His internal potency, and He is never contaminated by material nature. The Vedas also confirm that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is unborn. Yet, He still appears to take His birth in multi-manifestations. The Vedic supplementary literatures also confirm that even though the Lord appears to be taking His birth, He is still without change of body. In the Bhāgavatam, He appears before His mother as Nārāyaṇa with four hands and the decoration of the six kinds of full opulences. His appearance in His original eternal form is His causeless mercy, according to the Viśvakośa dictionary. The Lord is conscious of all of His previous appearances and disappearances, but a common living entity forgets everything about his past body as soon as he gets another body. He is the Lord of all living entities because He performs wonderful and superhuman activities while He is on this earth. Therefore the Lord is always the same Absolute Truth, and is without differentiation between His form and self or between His quality and body. The question may now be raised as to why the Lord appears and disappears in His form. This is explained in the next verse."
Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:
Because his switch is made off. Just like the fan, when the switch is made off, the current supply is stopped. Now... There was a force of running. You may see that it is running for few minutes. But it will stop. Similarly, anyone, it doesn't matter what he is, if he puts himself, dovetails himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he, all his material contamination will be washed off, washed off.
This is the easiest process. There was many examples. Of course, there are, in scriptures, there are many, many good examples. But it is a fact that anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he doesn't require to endeavor for becoming a good man, I mean to say, separately. That Kṛṣṇa consciousness will help him to be the best man in the world. Api cet su-durācāraḥ. And there are other confirmation in the Bhāgavata, that yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ: (SB 5.18.12) "Anyone who has attained the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he attains all good qualities automatically." And harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ: "Anyone who is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness..." When I speak of Kṛṣṇa, you can take it as God.
Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:
To know the Absolute Truth is not possible by our present senses. That is also another fact. Because at the present moment we have got materially affected... Not material senses. Our sense are originally spiritual, but it is covered by material contamination. Therefore the process is to purify, to purify the coverings of our material existence. And that is also recommended—simply by service attitude. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). The whole thing depends on our surrendering process and engage ourselves in the service of the Lord. Then gradually, the Lord reveals to the devotee. That is the process.
Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:
This is perfect understanding of philosophy. This is called acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, inconceivably one and different simultaneously. We are one with God in quality, but we are different in quantity. This is the understanding. Because we are particle of God, we have got all the qualities. Not all the qualities. They have calculated, big, big saintly persons, we have got seventy-eight percent of the qualities of God in very minute quantity. Say God is cent percent, hundred. So we are, when we are perfect, means without any material contamination, then we possess... We have already; it is now covered.
Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
A person who is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom through his full contribution to spiritual activities for the consummation is absolute and the things offered are also of the same spiritual nature. How activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can lead one ultimately to the spiritual goal is described here. There are various activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All of them will be described in the following verses. But for the present just the principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is described. The conditioned soul entangled in material contamination is sure to act in the material atmosphere and yet he has to get out of such an environment. The process by which the conditioned soul can get out of the material atmosphere is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on BG 4.34 -- Questions & Answers -- August 14, 1968, New York:
So Supersoul, Supersoul is the Supreme Lord. Supersoul is also there. They are situated together. From the Vedic Upaniṣads we get this information that two birds are sitting on one tree. The one bird is eating the fruits, and the other bird is simply witness. So witnessing bird is the Supersoul, and the bird which is enjoying and suffering of this material contamination or attachment, that is soul. Is it clear?
Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:
Senses. Yes. Here... Senses... We have got our transcendental senses. Now it is covered. Just like in our diseased condition, the same hand, the same nose, same ear, are there, but we feel something extraordinary. "Oh, my, there is headache. Oh, my hand is burning, burning. Oh!" But when the disease is cured, then you don't feel that sensation. So senses we have got. That is our spiritual senses. So we have to revive our spiritual senses. We are not senseless. As spirit soul, we have got our original senses, but that senses are now covered by this material contamination. Just like my senses, my hand burns during fever, due to the fever. But when the fever is moved, removed, when I get free from the fever attack, then I feel nice, similarly, we have got our senses; when we are freed from this material contamination, then we have got our proper use of the sense and enjoyment.
Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:
One who is aspiring after that transcendental happiness which is called brahma-sukha, brahma-sukha... One who is, yaḥ antaḥ-sukha, that brahma-sukha is within. That brahma-sukha is not without. Yaḥ antaḥ-sukhaḥ antar-ārāmaḥ. And is happy and satisfied by enjoying within. Antaḥ-sukhaḥ antar-ārāmas tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ. And who is trying to find out the brahmajyoti, the effulgence of Brahman within. Sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇam. That yogi is already situated in Brahman. Nirvāṇam means ending all this material contamination. Brahma-bhūto 'dhigacchati. And he becomes a realized soul or the brahma-antaḥ.
Lecture on BG 6.25-29 -- Los Angeles, February 18, 1969:
Viṣṇujana: "One who controls the mind, therefore the senses as well, is called gosvāmī or svāmī. One who is controlled by the mind is called go-dāsa or the servant of the senses. A gosvāmī knows the standard of sense happiness. In transcendental sense happiness, the senses are engaged in the service of Hṛṣīkeśa or the supreme owner of the senses—Kṛṣṇa. Serving Kṛṣṇa with purified senses is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the way of bringing the senses under full control. What is more, that is the highest perfection of yoga practice." Verse 27: "The yogi whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest pleasure. By virtue of his identity with Brahman, he is liberated, his mind is peaceful, his passions are quieted, and he is freed from sin (BG 6.27)." Twenty-eight: "Steady in the Self, being freed from all material contamination, the yogi achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in touch with the Supreme Consciousness (BG 6.28)."
Prabhupāda: So here is the perfect. "The yogi whose mind is fixed on Me." Me means Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is speaking. If I am speaking, "Give me a glass of water." It does not mean that the water should be supplied to somebody else. Similarly, the Bhagavad-gītā is being spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa and He says "Me." "Me" means Kṛṣṇa. This is clear understanding. But there are many commentators, they deviate from Kṛṣṇa. I do not know why. That is their nefarious motive. No. "Me" means Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness person is always in yoga trance.
Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969:
Devotee: "A person born in a particular righteous, aristocratic or sacred family becomes conscious of his favorable condition for executing yoga practice. With determination, therefore, he begins his unfinished task, and thus he completely cleanses himself of all material contaminations. When he is finally free of all contaminations, he attains the supreme perfection, Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Prabhupāda: It is, try to understand, that, the Supreme Lord, God is pure. And His kingdom is also pure. And anyone who wants to enter there, he must be pure. That is very natural. That if you want to enter into some particular society, you must qualify yourself. Qualification is to go back to home, back to Godhead, the qualification is that you should not be materially contaminated. And what is that material contamination? The material contamination is sense gratification. Unrestricted sense gratification. That is material contamination. So you have to make yourself free from material contamination. Then you become eligible to enter into the kingdom of God. That process of being freed or being washed of all material contamination, is yoga system. Yoga system does not mean that you sit down for fifteen minutes for so-called meditation and you continue all your material contamination. Just like if you want to be cured from a certain type of disease, you have to follow the regulation made by the physician. Similarly, in this chapter the process of yoga practice is recommended, how you have to do it. So that means if you execute these prescribed methods, then you become freed from material contamination.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:
That I have already explained. Time is relative. (break) Time is eternal. Eternal. But it is... Just like Brahmā's duration of time. That is... According to our calculation, that is eternal, many, many millions of years. But Brahmā is also subjected to birth and death. Although time is eternal, but within this material world we are not eternal on account of material contamination. But time is eternal. Time is eternal; God is eternal; you are also eternal, living entity. Simply our work is not eternal. That can be changed. That we are... Changing our work... Suppose in this life you are American. Your work is different from the China. But next time, when you change your body to something else, your work changes. In this body you are human being. Next time, if you become a dog or a demigod, then your work changes. So we are changing our work according to the change of the body. Therefore work is not eternal. So our whole material existence is due to different kinds of work. So if we make the work also eternal, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities. Then we come to the eternal. But in the material existence our work is not eternal. We have understood that "I am not this body." Theoretically. If not practically, theoretically because we have heard from Bhagavad-gītā that dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā: (BG 2.13) "As the soul is changing the body every moment..." And I am not this body. The body is changing.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Upsala University Stockholm, September 8, 1973:
So in order to enjoy this spiritual pleasure, you have to practice some tapasya, austerity. Because you are spiritual, every one of us, spiritual. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. We are not this material body. We change. It is for certain years. Again we change: another body, another body. This changing of body is going on because we are seeking material pleasure. So God is giving us different types of body for enjoying different types of material pleasure. But if we want to enjoy spiritual pleasure, then you do not require to change body. That is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That every one of you want pleasure, but that pleasure, in the material world, you cannot enjoy perpetually. But if you purify yourself of this material contamination, if you do not accept this material body again, and you remain in your spiritual body, then you enjoy transcendental bliss eternally.
Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:
It is simply awakened. Not that artificially we are imposing some impression to the minds of our students that they are hankering after "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa..." No. It is a process to remove all the dirty things from the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). And as soon as the heart is cleansed of all dirty things, material contamination, then we can see what is our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa recommends that "Somehow or other, you try to be attached to Me." And the Gosvāmīs also, Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends, yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet: "Somehow or other, try to apply your mind in Kṛṣṇa."
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971:
Prabhupāda: Yes. Desire is according to association. You mix with the drunkards, you'll desire to drink. And you mix with us, you'll desire to worship Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we are giving you facility. You associate with us and desire only Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Yes.
Lecture on BG 7.6 -- Hyderabad, December 11, 1976:
So this change is going on of the external body, not of the spirit soul. The spirit soul is individual, Kṛṣṇa is individual, and it continues. Every one of us, we were individual in the past, we are individual at the present moment, and we shall continue to be individual in future. But when we are covered by this material body, this individuality becomes differentiated. Otherwise, even though individual—we are spirit soul—we are one, spirit soul. And without any material contamination, our relationship is permanent. Kṛṣṇa is the origin, master, prabhu, and we are emanation from Kṛṣṇa, servants. So and this relationship continues. Then there is no impediment on account of this bodily covering. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170).
Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, April 1, 1971:
So what is the difficulty? Even in your ordinary life you can study Kṛṣṇa, you can understand Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa will help you. As soon as you begin studying Kṛṣṇa, understanding Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will help you from within. Kṛṣṇa is with you. Kṛṣṇa is not far away. He is so kind that He is sitting in your heart as your friend just to help you, how you become liberated from this material contamination. Why you do not take this advantage? Every sane man should take advantage of this instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, but rightly, as it is said. Then anywhere he may be, it doesn't matter, he is a liberated person.
Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966:
We have been discussing about the transmigration of the soul. The... There are different kinds of transcendentalists who are called yogi: jñāna-yogī, dhyāna-yogī and bhakti-yogī. All the yogis, they are eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The yoga system is meant for linking our connection. We are eternally connected with the Supreme Lord. Somehow or other, we are now in material contamination. The..., the process is that we have to go back again. So that linking process is called yoga. Yoga, the actual translation of the word yoga means plus, plus, just the opposite of minus. Now, at the present moment, we are minus God, or minus Supreme. So when we make ourself plus, connected, then our human form of life is perfect. So at the time of death we have to finish that perfection. So long we are alive, we have to practice how to approach that point of perfection, and at the time of death, when we give up this material body, that perfection has to be realized.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:
So this devotional service is rāja-vidyā because it is uttama, utgata tama. There is nothing material contamination, uttama. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is sometimes called Uttama-śloka. Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by verses which is not ordinary poetry, ordinary poetry.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Melbourne, April 20, 1976:
Very important chapter, the most confidential knowledge, guhyatamam. And it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even those who are liberated from this material contamination, they are called mukta-jīva, liberated soul. And there are nitya-mukta. Nitya-mukta and nitya-baddha. Nitya means eternally, and mukta means liberated. And again, nitya, eternally, baddha, conditioned. So just like there are many persons in the state who have never seen what is the prison life, and there are many persons in the state, the majority of one's life is passed in the prison. Similarly, there are two nature, material nature and the spiritual nature. What we are seeing, this nature, this universe, within the material nature... Similarly, there is another spiritual nature. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20).
Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:
So to become purified, one must be purified of this material existence. Then he can understand what is God. Then he can serve God. With these material senses it is not possible to serve God. That is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). These indriyas, the present indriyas, contaminated by material existence... You cannot understand by simply hearing about God. Therefore you have to purify yourself. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). This is the definition given by Nārada Muni, how one can become a devotee, how one can be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. This is the formula. What is that? Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam, first condition: One has to give up all designation. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am śūdra," "I am this," "I am that." These are all designations of the body, but we are not this body. So if we can give up this bodily designation, that is called sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam. Then one has to become purified on the standard of devotional service.
Lecture on BG 9.27-29 -- New York, December 19, 1966:
Now, pious activities... Suppose in my whole life I have never done anything impious thing; I have done simply pious activities. So the result of pious activities is janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ (SB 1.8.26). By pious activities, in your next life you can get your birth in a very highly respectable, aristocratic family. Janmaiśvarya. You can get a great amount of wealth. And janmaiśvarya-śruta. You can become a highly educated scholar, or you can become a very beautiful. You have a very beautiful body. These things are the result of good activities, result. Now, suppose I get all these things. That is not my liberation. But we are for liberation. We want to get out of this material contamination. So good work or bad work, that will not lead me to liberation. The bondage is there. But if you act for Kṛṣṇa or you act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are liberated. And liberated means you are at once transferred to the spiritual world. Mām upaiṣyasi. Mām means "You can get Me. You can get Me."
Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:
Duality. Our position in this dual world is we are always doubtful. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), but we are doubtful. That is material influence. "How it is that simply by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa I become free from all material contamination or sinful activities results?" Doubt. But actually, you should not be doubtful. You should accept because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You should accept His word as it is. And because we are doubtful, we are presenting Kṛṣṇa in a different way. And there are so many commentators, so many swamis, they put Kṛṣṇa in a different way. But Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. Law of identity. You cannot comment on the Kṛṣṇa's personality. He says that "I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." We accept that. Then we can understand Bhagavad-gītā and take advantage of it; otherwise (it is) not possible. And that requires daivī sampat, godly characteristics.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- New York, July 6, 1972:
This is the process. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is within your heart. Kṛṣṇa is trying to help you from within and from without. From without, He is presenting His form in this temple. You can take the advantage of serving Him. He is sending His representative, spiritual master, to speak you directly about Kṛṣṇa, and He is ready to help you from within as Paramatma. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. He wants that you are all suffering in this material existence, Kṛṣṇa comes as He is, and He canvasses, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So bhāgavata-sevayā, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18), cleansing the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). This is the process. We are part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa, so we are pure, we have become impure on account of material contamination. So we have to purify ourselves and the process is to hear about Kṛṣṇa. That's all.
Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- Caracas, February 21, 1975:
So yoga system means to control the mind. By controlling mind, you can control the senses. Because mind is the master of the senses. Then above mind, still finer, is the intelligence. So you can train up your mind with intelligence. That is the best intelligence, when one engages the mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will get instruction from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sitting anywhere. So these things can be understood gradually after purifying the mind. At the present moment, on account of our material contamination, our mind is contaminated with so many material things. If you purify your mind, then you come to the spiritual platform. That is intelligence, via media between the spirit and the mind.
Lecture on SB 1.1.9 -- Auckland, February 20, 1973:
What is that reason, kāraṇa? The reason is kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. He has associated with a particular type of the material qualities therefore he has to accept a particular type of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Therefore we are instructing our students, "Associate with the good qualities, good qualities." The best qualities of association is devotional service, a devotee. Because they're transcendental, above goodness, above goodness. Just like you are living in this temple. This is above goodness according to Vedic.... If you live in the forest that is goodness, association with goodness, because there is no material contamination, simple life in the forest. Or in the village, not in the village, in the forest.
Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:
And the modern material science, they have no stress of it. Therefore they are sometimes misled about this understanding of the spirit soul. But the spirit soul is a fact. And everyone can understand by the presence of consciousness. Any child can understand. The consciousness is the symptom of the spirit soul. So the whole process now we are trying from the Bhagavad-gītā is to bring one to get him on the platform of consciousness. And if we act from the platform of consciousness, then we may not be pushed again into the platform of this bodily conception. And if we can continue that platform, if we continue to act on that platform of consciousness, then, at the end of this body, not even at the end of this body, even in the presence of this body, we shall be free. We shall be free from material contamination. Our spiritual life will be revived and the result will be that in our next life, next life, after leaving this body, we shall have our full spiritual life eternally.
Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:
And all the Vedas means that is also kṛṣṇa-kathā. Any scripture in Veda, that may appear apparently different, but they are meant for kṛṣṇa-kathā. Kṛṣṇa-kathā. Because you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā that vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). The whole topics, they are meant for kṛṣṇa-kathā. (aside:) You'll excuse me. I am called by nature. I shall... (break) So kṛṣṇa-kathā... śṛṇvatāṁ kṛṣṇa-kathā. If you kindly simply hear about this kṛṣṇa-kathā, topics on Kṛṣṇa, then what will be the result? Because it is pure, transcendental vibration, the result will be śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi. We have accumulated many inauspicious things within our heart due to our material contamination for many, many births. Many, many births.
Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:
Just see. Karma-jaṁ buddhi-yuktā hi phalaṁ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ. Manīṣiṇaḥ means the thoughtful. "They give up the reaction of, of work, being situated in the platform of consciousness. And the result will be that janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ, this bondage of birth and death and disease and old age, he becomes free from that." Then the next life? Padaṁ gacchanty anāmayam. Anāmayam. Anāmayam means where there is no death, no, I mean to say, old age, no birth, no disease. That is possible. That is called Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha. The Sanskrit word is Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety, anxiety. Here, due to our material contamination, we are always full of kuṇṭha, anxiety. Even a bird, when he's eating, he's seeing like this; this way, this way, this way, "Somebody's coming, or kill me. Oh." Full of anxiety. We are also anxiety, anxious. The politician is anxious. So long we are in contamination of this material body, we must be anxious. We must be anxious.
Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Los Angeles, August 28, 1972:
Then what do you see? Your seeing power is very limited. Why don't you accept that? So He's not appreciable by limited senses. Therefore His name is adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja. Sattvaṁ viśuddham. Sattvaṁ viśuddham. Sattva, goodness, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa. That sattvam, or existence, His existence is adhokṣaja, beyond our sense perception, and viśuddham. Apāpa-viddham, as it is stated in the Īśopaniṣad, viśuddham. He is never touched by the material contamination. Viśuddham. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Here, however good we may be, there is some material touch. But so far Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is concerned, His existence is viśuddham. Therefore He's called paraḥ. Nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ. Paraḥ means above this material world, transcendental.
Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:
Take for example our love, what you call love. Of course, it is perverted reflection of love. Several times I've repeated. In this material world there is nothing like love. It is only, everything perverted reflection of love. Just like you have got affection for children. That is there also, but that is without any inebrieties. Here also the same man and woman, male and female, there is attraction between one another. Similarly there is also, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But there is no inebriety. That is full and that is perfect. Here it is imperfect due to material contamination.
Lecture on SB 1.3.28 -- Los Angeles, October 3, 1972:
God is omnipotent; He can give you protection when you take shelter of His name. Because His name is nondifferent from Him. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). Nāma-kṛṣṇa. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaḥ, pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ. Don't think this Kṛṣṇa's name is less efficient than Kṛṣṇa. No. Pūrṇa. As Kṛṣṇa is perfect, similarly, this name is also perfect. Pūrṇaḥ śuddhaḥ. As Kṛṣṇa is pure, without any material contamination, apāpa-viddham, no, nothing sin, sinful can affect him... You have read it in the Īśopaniṣad. Just like sunshine. Infection cannot infect sunshine. Some disease can infect you, me, because we are less potential. But it cannot infect the sun. Rather, the sunshine will sterilize the infection. So anything infectious, anything sinful, cannot infect Kṛṣṇa. Rather sinful activities in touch with Kṛṣṇa will become purified. This is the process.
Lecture on SB 1.5.25 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:
Just like a bubble, comes out. Because so many dirty things are reserved on account of our material conditional life for millions and millions of years. Anādi karama-phale paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Anādi, we cannot... Anādi means... Ādi means the creation. So before this creation. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We are in this material contamination not that in this millennium-before that. Just like millennium after millennium. Nārada Muni was speaking his life before this millennium. So anādi. Anādi means creation. But not only one creation, several creations, we are forgotten, or we are in this material world. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā... We are searching after material comfort, material comfort, sense gratification, in so many ways. So anādi karama-phale paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale, taribāre nā dekhi upāya. In this way we are going.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Hyderabad, August 18, 1976:
This is a description of Vyāsadeva. Vidvān. Even from literary point of view, if you see the contribution of Vyāsadeva, it is not possible in any age. So many books. Four Vedas, Vedānta-sūtra, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, and the most important contribution is the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is his last contribution. Under the instruction of his spiritual master Nārada Muni he contributed Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, amalaṁ purāṇam. Amalaṁ purāṇam means there is no material contamination. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90), there are material contaminations. But above this is the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vyāsadeva introduces dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vāstavaṁ vastu vedyam atra (SB 1.1.2). Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... Dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa. There are some contamination, cheating. But all these things are thrown away, projjhita. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpena ujjhita. So Śrīdhara Svāmī has given his comment on this. Atra mokṣa-vāñchā api nirastam. Mokṣa-vāñchā, to become one with the Supreme. That is also another cheating. So Śrīdhara Svāmī has given his comment, very reliable comment.
Lecture on SB 1.7.11 -- Vrndavana, September 10, 1976:
So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is amalaṁ purāṇam. Amalam. Mala means dirty things and amalam means without any dirty things. What is that dirty things? The dirty things means the material modes of nature—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Because it is material it is called mala, dirty. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: amalam, without any material contamination, because simply narration of Bhagavān and Bhagavān's devotees. Bhāgavata, bhakta. Therefore it is named Bhāgavatam: dealings between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Lecture on SB 1.7.19 -- Vrndavana, September 16, 1976:
As Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa, perfect, complete, śuddha, without any material contamination. Pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya, eternal. Pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-muktaḥ. Mukta means not of this material world. Mukti means anything which does not belong to, in this material world. That is called mukti. So the holy name, chanting of holy name, if we act it properly, without any offense, then we are directly in connection with Kṛṣṇa. There is no doubt. Pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ.
Lecture on SB 1.8.35 -- Mayapura, October 15, 1974:
Simply by remembering Him, simply by glorifying Him, simply by seeing You, so many things happen." So Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the authority... He is one of the authorities, Vaiyāsaki. Balir vaiyāsakiḥ. Out of twelve authorities, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is authority. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We have to follow the authority. So he says by..., simply by performing these processes, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, then what you are? Lokasya sadyo vidhunoti kalmaṣam: "This material contamination will be washed off." Lokasya sadyaḥ. When washed off? Immediately, sir, immediately, no waiting, sadya. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Lecture on SB 1.10.20 -- London, May 24, 1973:
So here in this material world, every one of us, we come here ignorant, like animals, no knowledge. There are so many varieties of living entities. Gradually, by evolution, we come to the human form of life, when our consciousness is developed. We can understand higher knowledge. And that is called Veda. So Veda does not mean it is meant for the cats and dogs. Vedas means knowledge, this knowledge, is meant for the human beings. Vedic... Therefore Indian civilization, based on Vedic knowledge, is estimated so high, perfect. Perfect scheme system for human society, based on Vedic civilization. Everything is correctly visioned, and the ideas are given by persons who are above material contamination.
Lecture on SB 1.10.20 -- London, May 24, 1973:
So if you go... Just like we are presenting so many books about Kṛṣṇa. Simply we have tried to explain Kṛṣṇa with all these translations, nothing but Kṛṣṇa, how to understand Kṛṣṇa. So here it is called: sarva-śruti-mano-haraḥ. Kṛṣṇa is very pleasing to hear. Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure. When we get our attachment for hearing about Kṛṣṇa, then at least we can consider that we have become free from material contamination. When we get attachment simply for hearing Kṛṣṇa, nothing else, all nonsense, then you should understand that you have become liberated. These are the test. Everyone can get this position. Because there is process. If you follow the process, then you come to the real stage.
Lecture on SB 1.15.28 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1973:
Pradyumna: Translation: "Sūta Gosvāmī said, Thus being deeply absorbed in thinking of the instructions of the Lord, which were imparted in the great intimacy of friendship, and in thinking of His lotus feet, Arjuna's mind became pacified and freed from all material contamination."
Lecture on SB 1.15.47-48 -- Los Angeles, December 25, 1973:
Pradyumna: "Thus by pure consciousness due to constant devotional remembrance, they attained the spiritual sky, which is ruled by the Supreme Nārāyaṇa, Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is attained only by those who meditate upon the one Supreme Lord without deviation. This abode of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, known as Goloka Vṛndāvana, cannot be attained by persons who are absorbed in the material conception of life. But the Pāṇḍavas, being completely washed of all material contamination, attained that abode in their very same bodies." (SB 1.15.47-48)
Prabhupāda: Tad-dhyāna udriktayā. Dhyāna means meditation. So the Pāṇḍavas, always they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa. While they were eating, they were sitting, they were sleeping, they were talking, they were fighting-Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When Arjuna was fighting, so there was also Kṛṣṇa. When they were dealing in politics with Duryodhana, there was Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is his friend, always talking with him, staying with him, sleeping with him, eating with him.
Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:
We must remember always that we are part and parcel of God. So we have all the good qualities of God; that is our nature. Just like the drop of the ocean water, it has got all the qualities of the ocean. There is no doubt about it. Therefore, even if we take a little drop of ocean water, because the ocean water is salty, we taste the water salty. The salt is there also, but in minute quantity. The ocean has got millions and trillions of tons of salt, and here, in the drop of the water, there is a grain of salt. But salt is there. Another example: just like a little portion of gold. So that is also gold; it is not iron. So naturally, in our original position we have got all the good qualities of God. Now, due to the material contamination, the godly qualities are now covered. The godly qualities are there, but it is covered. That covering is possible due to our very minuteness, very small quantity. Therefore we are fallible, but Kṛṣṇa is not fallible.
Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:
Everything is there. But due to material contamination, especially in this age, Kali-yuga... The Kali-yuga is very strong. Time is very strong, that even in contact, coming in contact with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are falling. They are falling. That is due to Kali-yuga. Therefore Mother Dharitrī is... Śocāmi rahitaṁ lokaṁ pāpmanā kalinekṣitam: "Now the Kali-yuga has come. I'm thinking that... I'm very much disturbed that people are losing their original qualities." These qualities are not to be acquired. These qualities are there, but it is covered. Just like a sharpened knife. The cutting power is there, but when it is covered by dirt, it does not cut.
Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:
But due to material contamination, especially in this age, Kali-yuga... The Kali-yuga is very strong. Time is very strong, that even in contact, coming in contact with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are falling. They are falling. That is due to Kali-yuga. Therefore Mother Dharitrī is... Śocāmi rahitaṁ lokaṁ pāpmanā kalinekṣitam: "Now the Kali-yuga has come. I'm thinking that... I'm very much disturbed that people are losing their original qualities." These qualities are not to be acquired. These qualities are there, but it is covered. Just like a sharpened knife. The cutting power is there, but when it is covered by dirt, it does not cut.
Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:
So this is due to our material contamination. Therefore we have to revive it. That sharpness, we have to revive. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If one is actually Kṛṣṇa conscious, then these qualities will be visible in his person. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). That is the test. If one is actually advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you'll not find any fault in him. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on SB 1.16.35 -- Hawaii, January 28, 1974:
As soon as you engage yourself in devotional service you become purified of all material contamination. Sa guṇan samatītyaitān. We are being troubled by the three modes of material nature, but if we stick to our devotional service... It is not very difficult to follow the four regulative principles. No illicit sex. There is no question of stopping sex, but no illicit sex. Unfortunately, they're so unfortunate that although they have got their wife, they go to another girl, and although the girl has one husband, he goes, she goes to another man. So unfortunate. These things should be stopped if you'll want to be serious; otherwise make a farce and do whatever you like. I cannot give you protection. That is not possible.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:
So our present condition is diseased. Why you are dying? Because you are diseased. Why you are becoming old? Because you are diseased. That is due to this body. But actually I am spirit soul. I am neither old nor diseased, but I have fallen into the condition of material contamination. Therefore I am thinking that I am diseased. This is called māyā. Just like in the dream I am feeling that a tiger is eating me, and I am crying, "Here is a tiger eating me, eating me. Save me." But there is no tiger. This is called illusion, or māyā. But so long we'll have this body just like so long we shall dream, we shall have to suffer the effect, even it is illusion. A man is crying, "There is a tiger." Actually, there is no tiger; neither tiger is eating.
Lecture on SB 2.3.20 -- Los Angeles, June 16, 1972:
So when people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, this nonsense fighting will stop. Otherwise there is no possibility. Otherwise it is not possible. They are trying to stop fighting by the so-called League of Nations, or United Nations. They are disunited. On principle, they are disunited. So many hundreds of flags. How they can be united? They can be united in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When they will be really learned, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18), paṇḍitāḥ ... When one is learned ... Just like we are sama-darśinaḥ. We don't discriminate American, India, African, this ...We distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness to everyone. Because we know, "Everyone is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is son of Kṛṣṇa. They are suffering on account of this material contamination. Let us do something for them." This is wanted. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974:
One who is engaged in these nine different processes of devotional service... The first beginning is śravaṇam, hearing. So under the direction of the spiritual master and the śāstras, immediately he is liberated person. He doesn't require to make separate endeavor for becoming liberated. Because immediately he engages himself in devotional... Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa (BG 14.26). Avyabhicāreṇa, unfailing. Strictly. Dṛḍha-vrata. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Dṛḍha-vrata, firm conviction that "I am engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. I am now free from all material contamination." Dṛḍha-vrata.
Lecture on SB 3.25.8 -- Bombay, November 8, 1974:
This knowledge begins, inquisitiveness, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī went to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was minister, very big minister of Bengal, Nawab Hussein Shah's government. He left everything. He resigned from the post and became follower of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So when he met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Vārāṇasī, at that time, he placed this question that ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya. This is the inquisitiveness, knowledge. Tāpa-traya. Tāpa-traya means three kinds of miserable condition: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. We are suffering always. Ātmā means body and mind—even soul. But soul is aloof from body and mind, but he is absorbed. On account of material contamination, the soul feels the pains and pleasure of mind and body on account of contact. So this is called adhyātmika.
Lecture on SB 3.25.43 -- Bombay, December 11, 1974:
So by situated, being situated on the spiritual platform, automatically you achieve your original status, constitutional position, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Then you are able to enter into the kingdom of God, or the spiritual world. Tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā. Here also it is said, praviśanty akuto-bhayam. Praviśanti. You have to enter. You are not destroyed. Just like we are praviśanti in different types of body in material existence, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), so when you are free from this material contamination, then you praviśanti in the spiritual world. The praviśanti is there. In the material world you are praviśanti from one body to another, and you are suffering.
Lecture on SB 3.26.5 -- Bombay, December 17, 1974:
So this is our position. Therefore ātma-darśana, one must know what he is. He is spiritual being. Spiritual being, he has nothing to do with this material world, but somehow or other, we have fallen in this material world. Anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. It is just like ocean. So just like if you fall down from the boat or the ship, then it is struggle for existence. You may be very nice swimmer, but that does not mean in the water you will be comfortable. That is not possible. Similarly, we living entities, part and parcel of God, we are as pure as God. Kṛṣṇa, God, is pure. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Pavitra. So similarly... Pavitra means without material contamination. That is pavitra.
Lecture on SB 3.26.11-14 -- Bombay, December 23, 1974:
Therefore you are dissatisfied. Now you do it." So under the instruction of Vyāsadeva..., er, Nārada Muni, his spiritual master, Vyāsadeva, his last mature contribution is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇaṁ yad vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyam. Therefore the Vaiṣṇava, they regard the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as amalaṁ purāṇam. Amalaṁ purāṇam means... Amalam means without any contamination. These all other purāṇas, they are dealing with karma, jñāna, yoga. Therefore they are samalam, with material contamination. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, simply dealing with bhakti; therefore it is amalam. Bhakti means directly in connection with the Supreme Lord, bhakta and Bhagavān, and the transaction is bhakti.
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
So similarly, originally we are all pure, Kṛṣṇa conscious, but as we have got little independence... Because we are part and parcel of God, therefore—God has got full independence—so we have got independence according to the quantity. Just like a small drop of ocean water has got a little quantity of salt also, similarly, we are aṇu, and God is vibhu; He is Prabhu, and we are servant; He is master, we are servant. The master has got independence, and the servant has also independence, not that because one is servant, he has no independence. He has got independence. If he likes, he can give up the service of the master and live independently. This is crude example. Similarly, our material contamination means that, when we desire to live without Kṛṣṇa consciousness: "Why we shall be subservient to Kṛṣṇa? We shall live independently..." That is going on.
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
So some way or other, originally, we are all Kṛṣṇa conscious, pure, svaccha. Svacchatvam avikāritvam. Now vikurvāṇāt, now, being transformed or agitated somehow or other... Anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. We cannot ascertain when this transformation took place. There is no necessity of making research how we fell in this material contamination or envelopment. But we should be intelligent enough to understand that we are fallen now. That is... How we fell—you can trace out the history, but it is very difficult because anādi karama-phale, nobody can ascertain. Just like when a man is diseased he goes to doctor. So when he goes to the doctor, the doctor gives him medicine according to the symptoms and the diagnosis.
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
So on account of this dirty position of material contamination, we cannot accept Kṛṣṇa as the real friend. Therefore we cannot get śānti. So if we want really śānti, then we must accept the formula, suhṛdaṁ sarva-dehināṁ jñātvā mām, not this political leader, that political leader, no. They do not know what is the actually path of śānti. They cannot. They do not have śānti in themselves. How they can...? "Physician heal thyself." The physician himself is a diseased person, māyā-mohita, so how they can help us? So this is not possible. We have to accept Kṛṣṇa as suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā: (BG 5.29)
Lecture on SB 3.26.23-4 -- Bombay, January 1, 1975:
So a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is not agitated by the material action and reaction. He remains fixed-up, naiṣṭhikī-bhakti. This is called naiṣṭhikī-bhakti, niṣṭhā, firmly convinced. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). Naiṣṭhikī-bhakti. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu. This is abhadra, this material contamination, kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ, three kinds of kriyā-śakti: working in the modes of ignorance, working in the modes of passion... These are the moha, that when these two things, kriyā-śakti, this kriyā-śakti under the spell of passion and spell of ignorance, is almost gone... Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā.
Lecture on SB 3.26.35-36 -- Bombay, January 12, 1975:
And that disturbances sometimes make us forced to forget our relationship with the Supreme, and that is called illusion. That is called māyā. But if we become very strictly adherent to Kṛṣṇa consciousness... That is very easily done at the Kali-yuga. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya (SB 12.3.51). If you strictly chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma... That... It is especially prescribed for the men in this age. Then we become mukta-saṅga. Mukta-saṅga means although we are in this material world, we are not in touch with it. That is called mukta-saṅga. Mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. We remain untouched by the material contamination and gradually becoming perfect. Then we can be transferred to the spiritual world.
Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:
So Bhāgavata is so powerful that nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā: we have to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam daily and twenty-four hours. That is the injunction: nityam. Nityam means always. So our members especially, I mean to say, those who are inmates, they, and those who are becoming members, ordinary member or patron member, we are giving them books. Please read them carefully. Don't take books that "I am member. It is my duty to take books and keep it in the almirah." No. Read it thoroughly. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. By regular reading of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then our this material contamination becomes vanquished. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). As soon as it begins to diminish, then it will diminish finally, and then you will be situated in your pure, original constitutional position, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhakti-yogataḥ. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). By cleansing the heart we become prasanna-manasaḥ, very jubilant. Bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. Therefore this bhāgavata-dharma should be practiced from the very beginning of life, and it should be studied. We have got so many books. One can read... Whatever already we have got, books, one can read for fifty years continually and get new enlightenment one after another.
Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:
Then you'll make progress. Otherwise, if you take it as an official routine work... You should take as routine work, but with consciousness that "We have to learn something," not simply attending the class, but to learn something. In this way make your life successful. Because after all, everything is being done, daiva-coditāt, impelled by the Supreme Person. The Supreme Person is behind everything. So in the association of devotees, if we read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly, then your, our, material contamination will be dissolved, and our spiritual consciousness will come out, and that will make our life successful.
Lecture on SB 3.26.43 -- Bombay, January 18, 1975:
So this is also one tāpa. In this material world we are suffering so many varieties of tāpa. Tāpan vindanti maithunyam agaram ajhaḥ.(?) It is simply full of tāpa. Tāpa means heat, and tāpa means unbearable, miserable condition. Therefore from tāpa... It comes from tāpa, tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some unfavorable condition. Of course, the soul is not affected by any favorable or unfavorable condition. Asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ. Actually, it has no connection with the favorable, unfavorable condition. It is simply abhiniveśa. The mind being affected by the material contamination, we are suffering so-called miserable condition of life. It is due to the mind. Otherwise, as it is said, one man is satisfied in a very poor condition of life, and another man is not satisfied even in the best opulent condition of life. Why? It is due to the mind. It is due to the mind.
Lecture on SB Questions & Answers -- Hyderabad, April 10, 1975:
So after becoming Brahman realized soul, when he is fully liberated from material contamination—goodness passion or ignorance—prasannātmā, na śocati na kāṅkṣati, he has no material hankering, neither he laments for any material loss. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, when he visions all living entities as spirit soul, mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54), at that time he is eligible to understand what is bhakti. And bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you become bhakta, if you have got the opportunity to come to that platform, then you can understand God. Otherwise, God is not so easy to understand. (break—questions and answers)
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:
Not to the original. So Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa or His expansions, They're original spirit. We are also original spirit. In contact with matter we are now diseased; therefore "to become" is applicable to the conditioned soul, not to the liberated. "To become," the past, present and future is applicable within this dual world. In the spiritual world there is no past, present, future. That is eternal. So "become" is applicable to us who are conditioned. Conditioned means by contamination of matter we are suffering. So we have to go to the healthy life, spiritual life. That is required. "To become" is not applicable to anything of Kṛṣṇa's name, fame, form, paraphernalia, expansion. They are all transcendental and eternal. And you can also become one of them as soon as you are freed from this material contamination. That is practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). If you practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and at the end of life, if you continue, then next life you also become brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). You also associate with the same. And there will be no distinction at that time—either Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā or all expansions—because they are all spiritual. Oneness. That oneness. Your question was that the oneness. Because there is no disagreement, there is no dissension. Everything is in harmony, spiritual harmony; therefore one. Any other question? You have any question? No? All right. (pause)
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:
Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Everything is described. So praśāntātmā. It is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, so long you will want something there is no question of praśāntā. So therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says bhukti mukti siddhi kāmi-sakali aśānta. Bhukti means karmis. Karmis means those who are working very hard to get some material benefit. They are called karmīs, either in this world or the next world or heavenly planet, there are different types of karmīs. So the bhukti... Bhukti means bhoga, sense enjoyment. They are called karmīs. So bhukti or mukti. Mukti means liberation to get out of this material contamination. That is called mukti, sva-rūpena vyavasthitiḥ.
Lecture on SB 5.5.24 -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1976:
When Kṛṣṇa appeared, Vasudeva was the father. So śuddha-sattva is Vasudeva. Vasudeva means there is no contamination of ignorance or passion, simply sattva-guṇa. Tato rājas tamo bhāvā kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye, ceta etair anāviddham. When your mind and consciousness will not be contaminated by the modes of ignorance and passion, that is śuddha-sattva. That is śuddha-sattva. That is spiritual platform, vasudeva. Then Vasudeva will beget Kṛṣṇa. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. So if we purify our existence, another Kṛṣṇa comes or Kṛṣṇa's devotees come. They come in śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram. Then naturally there is śamo damo titikṣa ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānaṁ āstikyam (BG 18.42). Naturally there is brāhmaṇa behavior. And when one becomes brāhmaṇa, pure, no material contamination, then bhakti appears, after becoming brāhmaṇa or brahma-bhūtaḥ, not material platform. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). In the material platform, jīva-bhūtaḥ. But in the spiritual platform, brahma-bhūtaḥ.
Lecture on SB 5.5.24 -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1976:
Otherwise there is no success. Kṛṣṇa also said śāstra. Kṛṣṇa is also the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He refers to the Brahma-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitam. So we cannot go beyond the śāstra. We must follow. So in the śāstra it is said, in the Kali-yuga people are so fallen, they cannot be persuaded to so many rules and regulation, but kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply that is special facility for these fallen... You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa regularly and you become liberated from the material contamination. And as soon as you become liberated, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). We have no distinction that "Here is American," "There is European," "Here is Indian," "Here is African." No. Samaḥ sarveṣu, even animals. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then bhakti begins. That is practical.
Lecture on SB 5.6.7 -- Vrndavana, November 29, 1976:
Amalam means there is no material contamination, pure description. Therefore Vyāsadeva, from the very beginning he says that dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇām: (SB 1.1.2) "This book is not meant for the person who is envious." Envious... You begin enviousness from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). The envious person will say, "Oh, this is too much. Why shall I surrender to Kṛṣṇa? I am also Kṛṣṇa. I am also God. This is too much." This is rascaldom. The actual fact is that we are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, we have forgotten it, and therefore we have become servant of māyā. We are suffering, and Kṛṣṇa, out of His kindness, He comes to prove that the living entities are eternal servant and He is the eternal master. Still, because they are contaminated, contaminated by the yogamāyā, contaminated by māyā, mahāmāyā... Mahāmāyā.
Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Nellore, January 7, 1976:
Then Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued to speak, "My dear king, if a diseased person eats the pure, uncontaminated food prescribed by a physician, he is gradually cured and the infection of disease can no longer touch him. If one follows the regulative principles of knowledge, he gradually progresses toward liberation from material contamination." Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this life, human form of life, is simply meant for inquiring about Brahman."
Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- Honolulu, May 12, 1976:
These things are there. The devotional service is so nice. If you simply take to devotional service, then all good qualities will come. You don't have to educate him, to send some reformatory school or this or that. That will be explained. In devotional service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. If you simply take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then all your... Because originally you are good. You have become bad on account of the material association. Therefore devotion means to be purified. This is a purificatory process from material contamination. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). If you think... Vimarśanam. If we think little soberly, that "I am thinking I am American or Indian. Am I American or Indian? This is upādhi, designation. By accident or somehow or other, I have got this body in America. Therefore I am American. But next time I may not take the American body. I may take another, Chinese body or something else." So one has to understand that "I am neither American, neither Chinese, nor Indian, nor white, nor black." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God." That is knowledge. We have to come to that. That is brahma-bhūtaḥ.
Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:
Santoṣa: "My dear King, the pure uncontaminated food prescribed by a physician is suitable for a diseased person. If the patient continues eating such food, the infection of disease cannot touch him, for although diseased, he gradually advances on the path toward cure. Similarly, if one follows the regulative principles of preliminary knowledge, he gradually progresses toward liberation from material contamination."
Prabhupāda:
- nāśnataḥ pathyam evānnaṁ
- vyādhayo 'bhibhavanti hi
- evaṁ niyamakṛd rājan
- śanaiḥ kṣemāya kalpate
- (SB 6.1.12)
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he, prāyaścittam atho 'pārtham (SB 6.1.10), he rejected this prāyaścitta policy, "I do something wrong and..." Just like in your country it is very... You make little mistake in driving car and you get a ticket. You go to the police and give some fine. But you should be careful no again ticket, again ticket.
Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Honolulu, May 13, 1976:
So here Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "My dear king, if a diseased person eats the pure, uncontaminated food prescribed by a physician, he is gradually cured, and the infection of disease can no longer touch him. Similarly, if one follows the regulative principles of knowledge, he gradually progresses towards liberation from material contamination." This is the translation of the... Nāśnataḥ pathyam. Pathyam. Pathyam means good foodstuff, not "Anything I can eat." That is the business of the hogs and dogs. Just like hogs have no discrimination. Anything, up to stool you give him: it will eat. That is not human civilization. Although it is the law of nature that ahastāni sahastānām. Vegetables or animals who has no hand... Just like ordinary animals, they have got four legs, no hand. So these four-legged animals is the food for the two-legged animals. Ahastāni sahastānām.
Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:
Guest (3): Swamijī, can you tell us why we're in this material contamination? Why is it that the spirit soul has material contamination?
Prabhupāda: That is the slight independence of the spirit soul. As soon as the spirit soul wants to enjoy for himself... Just like many boys gives up the association of the parents and he wants to enjoy this material world in his own way, without the sanction of the father and mother. He has got the right. Similarly, although we are all sons of God, or Kṛṣṇa, we have got the independence to give up His company and enjoy this material world. That is contamination.
Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Denver, June 28, 1975:
So anyone can get out of the slaughtering process by devotional service. That is stated here, kecit kevalayā bhaktyā (SB 6.1.15). Kecit. That is not very common. Very rarely one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kecit kevalayā bhaktyā. Simply by devotional service, one can get out of this dangerous condition of being slaughtered. Kecit kevalayā bhaktyā (SB 6.1.15). And who are they? Vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ, devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's name is Vāsudeva. He is the son of Vāsudeva; therefore His name is Vāsudeva. So vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ. Parāyaṇāḥ means "Our ultimate goal is Vāsudeva, nothing more." They are called vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ. Vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ, aghaṁ dhunvanti. Agham means the material contamination. We are always associating with material contamination. So if we become vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ... Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19), the same thing. Here it says kecit—means very rarely. And Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Sudurlabhaḥ, very rare.
Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Nellore, January 8, 1976:
So this hearing process is recommended, that you should hear from a realized person who is sadācara-sampanna-vaiṣṇava. So who is a bhakta? Because you have to learn from a bhakta, so who is a bhakta? That is also described. So it is stated in the śāstras and the Gosvāmīs as sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam: (CC Madhya 19.170) "Anyone who has no more designation and he is pure from material contamination." Upādhi means so long we think that "I am this body," that means I am decorated with this upādhi. So long we think that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," we are decorated with upādhi. Upādhi-śūnya is described in the Vedas, when one understands ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So there are two Brahmans: Parabrahman and ordinary Brahman. Parabrahman is the Supreme, vibhu, and ordinary Brahman, they are anu. Parabrahman is all-pervading, and Brahman is not all-pervading. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. Kṣetra, kṣetrajña, when He was describing Kṣetra means this body, and kṣetrajña means the soul who knows about his body.
Lecture on SB 6.1.16 -- Honolulu, May 16, 1976:
So we are in ignorance. We do not know. We are accepting this body as "I am." So many animal propensities, animal condition. So if we remain in animal condition of life, then that is aghavān. When one is in animal condition, that means more sinful. So we have to become sinless. That requires jñāna-vairāgya. Jñāna-vairāgya. So jñāna, vairāgya can be attained very easily if one becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yoga-prayo... This is the verdict of all Vedic literatures, that if one becomes devotee, then he'll develop his original good qualities. Because we are part and parcel of God, so we have got good qualities. It is covered now by material contamination. That gold, gold is gold, but it is covered by mud, dirty things, one cannot understand whether is it gold or something else. So our position is like that. So when we are free from these dirty things, then our original life becomes manifest. That is called mukti. Mukti hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpea avasthiti. Mukti means now we are differently contaminated situation. Roga-mukti. There is a verse, roga-mukti. One is suffering from fever, and when there is no more fever it is called mukti. Similarly, we are suffering on account of this diseased condition. This material life means diseased condition. It is not our real, but they do not know. They do not know. They are thinking this is life. But this is not life. They have no information. So this sinful life, suffering. Sinful means, when we are sinful, then we suffer.
Lecture on SB 6.1.16 -- Honolulu, May 16, 1976:
Therefore here it is said, bhakti-yoga means not only dedicating life to Kṛṣṇa but also to serve the Vaiṣṇava, tat-puruṣa. Tat-puruṣa means to serve a person who has dedicate his life to Kṛṣṇa. Two things: dedication to Kṛṣṇa and dedication to the devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So in this way if we advance, then it is very easy to become free from this material contamination. That is stated. Na tathā hy aghavān rājan pūyeta tapa-ādibhiḥ (SB 6.1.16). Tapa-ādibhiḥ, it is general process, but it is very, very difficult, especially in this age. So if we simply take this course, that dedicate life to Kṛṣṇa and dedicate life to Vaiṣṇava, then our life will be successful.
Lecture on SB 6.1.47 -- Dallas, July 29, 1975:
So these Yamadūta superficially saw that "This man, Ajāmila, is a first-class sinful man, and he has to be taken to Yamarāja. He has simply committed adharma." But the Viṣṇudūta has come because he is now freed from all material contamination, because at the end of his life he chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa. So that is... If it is possible, so much advantage of chanting the holy name of the Lord, if you constantly keep yourself engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord, there is no possibility of your being touched by māyā. This is the position. Vartamānaḥ anyayoḥ kālaḥ guṇābhijñāpakaḥ. Guṇābhijñāpakaḥ. Anyone who is intelligent, who can understand what this man is, which quality he belongs to... This is education.
Lecture on SB 6.1.56-62 -- Surat, January 3, 1971, at Adubhai Patel's House:
This is going on, Bhāgavatam. Nobody is interested to hear the incidences of Ajāmila. They at once go to Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā is not this lusty affair—that is a different thing—but people, because they want such thing, they are very much addicted to Bhāgavata reading, or Bhāgavata recitation when rāsa-līlā is described. So the rāsa-līlā should be strictly... Caitanya, according to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction—we follow that—this rāsa-līlā chapter is not for ordinary person. They are meant for liberated persons, not for ordinary persons. Therefore they should not be, this rāsa-līlā description should not be made amongst ordinary people. Those who are advanced devotee, those who are liberated from material contamination, they should try to understand what is rāsa-līlā. That is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that one should not even imagine the rāsa-līlā of Kṛṣṇa. But it is meant when one is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is for them only.
Lecture on SB 6.3.18-19 -- Gorakhpur, February 12, 1971:
Then he says, guhyaṁ viśuddhaṁ durbodhaṁ yaṁ jñātvā amṛtam aśnute. Dvādaśaite vijānīmo dharmaṁ bhāgavataṁ bhaṭāḥ: "My dear boys, these twelve men..." Dvādaśa. Two and ten, dvādaśa. Dvādaśaite vijānīmaḥ: "We know what are the principles of dharma. We know, we twelve personalities, authorities." Dharmaṁ bhāgavatam. Dharmam means bhāgavata-dharma, the relationship with God and the living entity. That is dharma. Bhāgavataṁ bhaṭāḥ, guhyaṁ viśuddham: "This is very confidential and without any material contamination," durbodham, "and very difficult to understand, the principles of religion, very difficult." They are reading Bhagavad-gītā so many years together, but when the question comes that "Surrender unto Me," they cannot understand. Durbodham: "It is very difficult to understand." Durbodhaṁ yaṁ jñātvā: "But fortunately, if anyone understands, jñātvā..." Jñātvā means "If one understands," amṛtam aśnute, "he can drink the nectarine." If actually one understands the religious principle, he becomes, I mean to say, free from all material contamination. Amṛtam aśnute: "He is a fit candidate to drink the nectar of devotion." Amṛtam aśnute. Etāvān eva loke 'smin puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ. Now, what is the best principle of executing dharma, religion? So he says, etāvān eva loke 'smin: "Especially in this material world," puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ, "this is the first-class religious principle."
Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Montreal, June 16, 1968:
Not actually we have lost our consciousness; we have lost our memory. Consciousness is there, but consciousness may be differently contaminated. Different person, your consciousness may be different from my consciousness. You are thinking in a different way; I am thinking in different way. Similarly, consciousness is there. That is a symptom of life, symptom of spirit soul. But the difference is due to material contamination. Just like superficially your blood and my blood, the same, red. But if we analyze, oh, there may be so many chemicals present in your blood, and so many chemicals may be present which is not exactly equal. Similarly, as soon as there is life and there is spirit soul, the focus of the spirit soul, consciousness, must be there. I am present in this body—how I can understand? Because this consciousness. You pinch any part of your body: you feel. This is your consciousness. That means I am present in this body, and as soon as I am away from this body, you may cut this body into pieces—there will be no consciousness. There is no feeling. So our consciousness should be purified. Now the consciousness is contaminated by material association in so many ways. Just like the blood purification tonic is given. If the doctor finds by examination of the blood... In your country, as soon as you go to a doctor, immediately, "Please offer your blood." The demand is immediately blood.
Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:
Now we..., our attachment is covered by designation: "I am the head of the family. I have to do this. I have to earn this money. I have to do that, I have to do that." This is upādhi. This is... Because upādhi means just like you are designated with some title, B.A., M.A. or some (indistinct ) or some (indistinct)—there are so many designation. But that is designation. But real... That is not reality. Similarly, our this designation, that "I am the head of this family," "I am the brāhmaṇa," "I am the śūdra," "I am American," these are all designation. Actually it has no reality. On account of material contamination... So we have to cleanse this designation. Then our original attachment for Kṛṣṇa will automatically come. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Consciousness is there, attachment is there, but it is being covered by so many designations. So when you give up this designation, that is called mukti. Mukti does not mean that you get some extraordinary position. Mukti means to become free from these material designations. It is same attachment, diversion of attachment to Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 7.7.25-28 -- San Francisco, March 13, 1967:
"Anyone who takes to this business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness..." Māṁ ca yo avyabhicāreṇi bhakti. Avyabhicāreṇi means without any material contamination, pure devotional service: "The Supreme Lord is my Lord. I am His eternal servant. My business is to serve Him, nothing more." This is called pure devotion. Either you call Kṛṣṇa or Jehovah, or whatever name you like, you give, but God is one. So if you simply become to this consciousness, that "I am eternal servant of God, and my business is to serve God..." And in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God, there is other service. Just like we are giving this service. Kṛṣṇa consciousness we are spreading, why? It is not a business. But because we have established our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God, we want to propagate it. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not mean to be aloof from this material world, but his activities are different. He is not in that activity which will create anxiety. Here we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Oh, there is no business. We don't expect anything from you. But if you accept it, then our mission is nice. If you don't accept it, so there is no anxiety.
Lecture on SB 7.9.1 -- Mayapur, February 8, 1976:
The Darwin's theory, a rascal theory, that there was no life, but according to Vedic knowledge there were the best life, Brahmā. From there begins life, and gradually they become degraded, material contamination. Not that there was no life. From low type of living condition one is elevated higher and higher. That is a wrong theory. The real theory is that life begins from the most exalted person, Lord Brahmā, prajā-pati. So in any auspicious matter they are forward, because you cannot approach God in your lower condition of life. You see? Lower condition of life means sinful reaction. In that condition you cannot approach God. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). (aside:) Who is talking? Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme pure, pavitraṁ paramam. Paramam means extreme. So nobody can approach Kṛṣṇa while He is impure. That is not possible. Just like some rascals, they say, "It doesn't matter what you are eating, what you are doing. There is no hindrance for your spiritual advancement." These rascals, these fools, misleading the whole world that in the matter of understanding the Supreme Person one can behave like the low-grade persons. No. That is not possible. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12).
Lecture on SB 7.9.6 -- Mayapur, February 26, 1977:
Pradyumna: "Translation: By the touch of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva's hand on Prahlāda Mahārāja's head, Prahlāda was completely freed of all material contaminations and desires, as if he had been thoroughly cleansed. Therefore he at once became transcendentally situated, and all the symptoms of ecstasy became manifest in his body. His heart filled with love, and his eyes with tears, and thus he was able to completely capture the lotus feet of the Lord within the core of his heart."
Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 4, 1968:
And as the cleansing process of your heart makes progress, then you become freed from the blazing fire of material existence. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ. And then again, just like in the moonlight, daily, the moon increases the light. When the moon is rising daily in the bright fortnight, daily you see that the moon is increasing in shape. So this, that very example, is said here also. As soon as your heart is clean and you immediately you become freed from all material contaminations, then your real pleasure on the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness increases in the proportion. As the moon increases in the sky daily, and as one day it becomes the full moon, so this process is so nice that increasing daily by chanting, one day it will come that you will simply love Kṛṣṇa and forget everything. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam (CC Antya 20.12).
Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:
No. Organ of the self. It is covered by the material energy. Originally, you have got everything. You have got mind, ego, and everything. Just like when I think, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is also ego, "I am." But that is pure. But as soon as I think "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this body," that is impure. This is impure egoism, and that is pure egoism. So ego is there. Similarly, mind is also there, intelligence is also there, but when it is covered by this material contamination it is called māyā, and when it is out of material contamination, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa. I shall act for Kṛṣṇa, I shall live for Kṛṣṇa, I shall eat for Kṛṣṇa, I shall prepare foodstuff for Kṛṣṇa, I shall sing for Kṛṣṇa—everything Kṛṣṇa," that is liberated stage.
Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:
Material mind has to be treated by spiritual medicine, then the material mind will be spiritual. Just the same example, that a man has got some bowel disturbance by drinking excessive milk, and the physician gives him another milk preparation, curd, and he is cured. Similarly, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just to treat the mind by Kṛṣṇa engagement. Then he becomes freed from material contamination. And actually it is happening. Those who are taking to this treatment, they are experiencing how it is happening. The door is closed? Why? Open. (kīrtana) (end)
Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:
Śṛṇvatāṁ sva kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). This chanting vibration is so nice that at least you become pious. Puṇya śravaṇa-kīrtana. Anyone who hears, he becomes purified. Puṇya śravana-kīrtana. Hṛdy antaḥ sthaḥ. And the Supreme Lord Paramātmā, Supersoul, is within you. As soon as you begin chanting, then hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi. Abhadrāṇi means all dirty things that you have accumulated birth after birth, due to this material contamination... Hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti. Vidhunoti. Vi means "particularly," and dhunoti, "washes." Suhṛt satām. Because He's always our friend. God is always our friend. We do not know that. That is the difficulty. We have lost our friendship with God, and we are trying to make friendship with this and that, with this and that. That is the cause of disturbance in the world. They are trying for establishing peace in the world, but they do not know what is the method of establishing peace.
Lecture on SB 7.9.26 -- Mayapur, March 4, 1976:
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "My body is in large quantity this rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So it is not possible for me to approach You, My Lord. Because You are śuddha-sattva and I am in the material contamination, how it is possible that You shall touch my head? It is simply Your causeless mercy." This is appreciation. "Otherwise how it is possible? You cannot touch this nasty quality of rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. My body is made by my father and mother. They belong to the nasty rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa quality. So it is not possible that You'll touch my body, but You have done it. You have placed Your lotus hand on my head. It is simply Your causeless mercy. Otherwise I am not fit for this. So, and I... You are so merciful that this mercy You did not offer to Lord Brahmā even." Brahmā is supposed to be the supreme creature within this material world, Brahmā. He's the first created creature, and he's called Svayambhū. He's not born of any material father and mother but directly came through the lotus stem which is growing from the navel of Viṣṇu. So he's not ordinary person. He's not ordinary person. He's not... Therefore he's known as Svayambhū. We are not svayambhū. We are begotten by father and grown up by mother. We are not self-sufficient. But Brahmā is called Svayambhū because he is not born of any material father and mother. So "He did not get this mercy. Although Brahmā's position is so exalted, still, my Lord, he did not get this opportunity."
Lecture on SB 7.9.35 -- Mayapur, March 13, 1976:
My point is that although he's so pious, greatly exalted, still, he had to purify himself.
Here it is said, kālena tīvra-tapasā pariśuddha-bhāvaḥ. Pariśuddha-bhāvaḥ. To become purified of the material contamination is not so easy. So you should always remember that the purificatory process which has been prescribed to you, how rigidly you have to follow. If you are neglectful, then you are losing the chance because you... Try to understand. This material world is so contaminous that even Lord Brahmā had to purify himself by austerities for many hundreds of years.
Lecture on SB 7.9.39 -- Mayapur, March 17, 1976:
So in another place it is said, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ-stho abhadrāṇi (SB 1.2.17). This is abhadra. The hṛdy antaḥ-stho, within the core of heart, there, so many nasty, dirty things, that is the material contamination. So it can be, I mean to say, avoided, or cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), Caitanya Mahāprabhu has assured. The whole process of education and advancement of civilization is how to cleanse the dirty mind. Why it is dirty? Kāmāturam: the lusty desire and greediness. So we should always remember this, that mind is the best friend and the worst enemy. If it remains kāmāturam, the worst enemy, and if it is Kṛṣṇa conscious, the best friend.
Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:
Cleanliness means bahyābhyantaraḥ. Bahya means outside, without. Abhyantara means inside. Unless we are clean, unless we are pure, how we can make advance to approach the Supreme? The Supreme is described as the purest. In the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the Supreme Lord, Brahman." And pavitraṁ paramam: "You are supreme pure." There is no impurity. Impurity means material contamination, and purity means spiritual life. So this cleanliness inside and outside, that will also decrease. Just know.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, December 27, 1972:
When one becomes brahma-bhūtaḥ, self-realized, at that time, he becomes prasanna-manaso, joyful. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he has no more lamentation or hankering. Evaṁ prasanna. In this state of life, prasanna-manaso, evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20), by practicing bhagavad-bhakti yoga, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ mukta-saṅgasya jāyate. At that time, one can understand what is the science of God, bhagavat-tattva. It is not a sentiment; it is a vijñāna, science. Bhagavad-tattva-vijñāna. So who can understand this bhagavad-tattva-vijñāna, science? Mukta-saṅga. One who is liberated from this material contamination, he can understand.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:
These cowherd boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they are not ordinary human being. They are very, very advanced in spiritual assets. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. When they are... Just like you accumulate money. When you have got too much accumulation, ten crores of rupees, like that... When one's pious activities becomes accumulated in voluminous attitude, at that time, one is... That means when one is completely free from the material contamination, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). When one has, one is actually learned, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. A devotee has no distinction between this living entity or that living entity.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:
This sama-darśinaḥ, equality, cannot be possible in material vision. That is not possible. One must elevate himself to the spiritual platform. Then paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. That is after brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Brahmā bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). When one has attained this stage, then he can enter mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. That is, that is really bhakti's platform. That bhakti platform means elimination of all material contamination.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 2, 1973:
After being liberated from this material contamination, that ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am not this matter; I am Brahman..." That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. In the brahma-bhūtaḥ stage, one is joyful, prasannātmā. That is the symptoms of brahma-bhūtaḥ. Prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Na śocati na kāṅkṣati.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 2, 1973:
So many botheration. It is very difficult to realize Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but there is very short-cut way recommended: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, you become uncontaminated of this material contamination and thus, being freed from material contamination, you become eligible to go back to home, back to Godhead.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972:
So real purpose of this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Rūpa Gosvāmī which we have translated by the name, Nectar of Devotion, the Complete Science, the Complete Science of Bhakti-yoga, this is very important book of understanding how to become purified in devotional service, how to approach Kṛṣṇa, how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. These things are described very nicely. And Kṛṣṇa, being Supreme, He's Supersoul, we cannot approach with our material consciousness. Therefore the consciousness has to be changed. Then we can approach Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Unless we change our consciousness... Just like, without being fire, you cannot enter into fire. In the śāstra says, without being Brahman, you cannot approach Brahman. Similarly, without being purified of all material contamination, you cannot approach Kṛṣṇa. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:
Therefore we have to undergo the tribulation of material nature. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. But we don't want this. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We don't want. Although we are trying to be happy, but we do not know how to become, I mean to say, free from the material contamination. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. They are trying to open hospitals. Just like one Sindhi gentleman, he has contributed about five of seven crores of rupees to start a hospital here. That gentleman, not, some, his relative, came to see me. So I said that "However magnificent hospital you may start, you cannot stop death. That is not possible. That is not possible." You may try in your own way.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 8, 1973:
Simply quoting verses, like parrot, will not be very much beneficial. One must apply, jñānam vijñāna-sahitam. Jñāna means to know the thing, and vijñāna means to apply the things in practical life. Jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitam. So we must know the vijñāna, how practically. That is taught by the Gosvāmīs, kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana, always chanting the glories of Kṛṣṇa. Kīrtana, gāna, nartana, nartana means dancing. Dancing is very good. The more you dance, the more you become light; means the burden of material contamination becomes reduced. Dancing is so nice. Even if you don't feel ecstasy, if you dance by force, that will also help us. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartanau-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. By dancing dancing, we shall develop our dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, love for Kṛṣṇa. This is a nice process. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. Then you will merge into the ocean of love for Kṛṣṇa. So this is the highest stage of ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always chanting Kṛṣṇa's name, dancing in ecstasy, and to be merged in the ocean of love for Kṛṣṇa. These are the perfection.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1972:
The nirviśeṣa, impersonalists, they want to stop activity, but actually Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, says that real activity begins when one is self-realized, one is situated in Brahman realization. Brahman realization does not mean to stop. Brahman realization means to act for Kṛṣṇa, not for sense gratification. That is Brahman realization. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). And in that bhakti stage, bhaktyā māṁ abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Actually, simply by executing devotional service, being freed from all material contamination, when one is engaged in devotional service, bhakti, that process, bhakti process can help one to understand what is God. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. It is not said that by karma, "karmaṇā mām abhijānāti."
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972:
Pradyumna: "Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has also quoted a definition from the Nārada-pañcarātra as follows: 'One should be free from all material designations and must be cleansed of all material contamination by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He should be restored to his pure identity, where he engages his senses in the service of the proprietor of the senses.' So when our senses are engaged for the actual proprietor of the senses, that is called devotional service."
Prabhupāda: Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Bhakti, devotional service, does not mean inertness. Not simply sitting down or meditate. It is activity, engaging all the senses. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. Hṛṣīka means these senses—not these senses, but purified senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Just like pranair arthair dhiyaḥ vaca. Prana, life; artha, riches, money; dhiya, intelligence; and vaca, speeches. So everyone using... Just like for national cause people are engaging life, they are sacrificing life. So many, for attainment of independence in India, so many Indians gave up their life. Pranaiḥ. So many people gave up their everything. We know during national movement, Mr. C. R. Das, a great leader of the Congress group, he sacrificed everything. He was a big, very big lawyer, barrister. He sacrificed his profession, he sacrificed his life—everything.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:
Pradyumna: "Those effects described as 'almost mature' refer to the distress from which one is suffering at present, and the effects 'lying as seed' means that in the core of the heart there is a certain stock of sinful desires which are like seeds. The Sanskrit word kūṭam means that they are almost ready to produce the seed, or the effect of the seed. And 'immature effect' refers to the case where the seedling has not begun. From this statement of Padma-Purāṇa it is understood that material contamination is very subtle. Its beginning, its fruition and results, and how one suffers such results in the form of distress, are part of a great chain. When one catches some disease, it is very..., it is often very difficult to ascertain the cause of the disease, where it originated and how it is maturing. The suffering of a disease, however, does not appear all of a sudden. It actually takes time. And, as in the medical field, for precaution's sake, the doctor injects a vaccination to prevent the growing of contamination, similarly, the practical injection to stop all the fructifications of the seeds of our sinful activities is simply engagement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the best injection. Take this injection and become free from all sinful reactions.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1972:
Pradyumna: "This tight knot of false ego is due to ignorance. As long as one is ignorant about his identification, he is sure to act wrongly and thereby become entangled in material contamination. This ignorance of factual knowledge can also be dissipated by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as it is confirmed in the Padma Purāṇa as follows: 'Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness...' "
Prabhupāda: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī is giving evidences from different Vedic literatures to support his statement. Here is a statement from Padma Purāṇa. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in his Tattva-sandarbha, has proved it, without any doubt, that the Purāṇas are supplementary to Vedas. They are... Just like Upaniṣads is part and parcel of the Vedas, similarly, Purāṇas are also part and parcel of the Vedic literature. There are philosophers, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not accept Purāṇas as Vedic literature, but Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has proved in his Tattva-sandarbha, in the beginning, that Purāṇas, Mahābhārata, itihāsa-purāṇa, they are part and parcel of the Vedic literature. Supplementary. Purāṇa means that which supplements.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:
When one is freed from material contamination, then one can understand the science of bhakti-yoga. So, some way or other, if we try to understand bhakti-yoga, that is the great science. That is the... To learn. If you actually want to learn something greatest in the scientific world, that is bhakti-yoga. Go on.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:
Pradyumna: (reading) "This is doom for him because this human form of life is meant for getting out of the material contamination. By the advancement of material knowledge, people are becoming more and more entangled in material existence. They have no hope of being liberated from this catastrophe. In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya it is stated that Prahlāda Mahārāja, a great devotee of the Lord, prayed to Nṛsiṁhadeva (the half-lion, half-man incarnation), as follows: 'My dear Lord, I repeatedly pray unto Your lotus feet that I may simply be stronger in devotional service. I simply pray that my Kṛṣṇa consciousness may be more strong and steady, because happiness derived out of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service is so powerful that with it one can have all the other perfections of religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and even the attainment of liberation from material existence.' Actually, a pure devotee does not aspire after any of these perfections because the happiness derived from devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so transcendental and so unlimited that no other happiness can be compared with it. It is said that even one drop of happiness in Kṛṣṇa consciousness stands beyond comparison with an ocean of happiness derived from any other activity."
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:
Yes. It is not that Viṣṇu has to be remembered only by the brāhmaṇas. No. Anyone—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, or lower than the śūdras, any pāpa-yoni. Kṛṣṇa recommends, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā (BG 9.33). Even pāpa-yoni, it doesn't matter. Any material condition cannot check Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anyone can take bath in the Yamunā. It is open for everyone. There is no prohibition that those who are low-born, they cannot take bath in the Yamunā or Ganges. Similarly, for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra there is no barrier. Everyone can chant. Everyone can take advantage and thus become purified of the material contamination.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 31, 1973:
"This statement is confirmed by Lord Śiva in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, Seventeenth Chapter, 52nd verse, wherein Lord Śiva addresses Satī thusly: 'My dear Satī, persons who are devoted to Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, are not afraid of anything. If they are elevated to the higher planetary systems of if they get liberation from material contamination, or if they are pushed down in the hellish condition of life—or, in fact, in any situation whatever—they are not afraid of anything. Simply because they have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa, for them any position in the material world is as good as another.' "
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.16 -- Mayapur, April 9, 1975:
So we have to, according to the śāstric injunction, according to the spiritual master instruction, everywhere we have to organize this Kṛṣṇa family. So Kṛṣṇa family does not mean starvation. Kṛṣṇa family means to enjoy simply. Simply minus this material contamination. Chāḍi anācāra. Anācāra. Anācāra means not proper behavior. Proper behavior means to remain always pious, and improper behavior means to become impious, sinful. If you become sinful, then you cannot enter into the family of Kṛṣṇa; that is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is described in the Bhagavad-gītā by Arjuna—paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Pavitra. Pavitra means pure, completely pure, without any material contamination. So if you want to enter into Kṛṣṇa's family, then you have to become also completely pure. Otherwise, there is no chance. Completely pure of all material contamination. That can be done when we give up our designations. That can be done. If I think, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am vaiśya," "I am white," "I am black," these are upādhi, designations. And if we think like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "I am not this, I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya, I am not a śūdra, I am not a brahmacārī, I am not a..., not, not this, not this..."
Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.16 -- Mayapur, April 9, 1975:
So in this way, in one life we may practice how to become free from this material contamination and execute devotional service as it is prescribed in the śāstra and by the instruction of spiritual master. If we keep ourself pure without material contamination, then we become fit to enter into the family of Kṛṣṇa. This is the process.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.112 -- Bombay, November 24, 1975:
So if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then immediately you become parā. Kṣetrajñam ākhyā tathā parā. Immediately you become parā. Otherwise you remain in the aparā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), this material contamination. Kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-142 -- New York, November 29, 1966:
So to develop love of Kṛṣṇa means that is real liberation. And that love of Kṛṣṇa begins after many, many births of cultural life. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). When one surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, that is the beginning of his real life. And as he makes progress, then he realizes—I have several times discussed this point—ādau śraddhā. First thing is that "I must get myself out of this material contamination." That is called śraddhā. "In this very life I shall realize." So this śraddhā, this belief and this determination, as you make more and more perfect, you make advance. You make advance. Not as official, not as makeshow, but really... Ādau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅgaḥ. Then, as you are determined, so your taste for associating with devotees... Just like we are now associating with Lord Kṛṣṇa's, Lord Caitanya's, teaching. He is a great devotee. This is called sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Ādau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅga tathā bhajana-kriyā. Then bhajana-kriyā, how to execute. Now Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching. You will gradually know what is the bhajana-kriyā, how to execute devotional service. That we shall come later on. Tato anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. And as soon as your devotional service, prescribed duties, are discharged, you become free from all material contamination. That is the test. Tato anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā. Then you become firmly convinced. Tato niṣṭhā tato ruci. Then taste.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-142 -- New York, November 29, 1966:
You have to please Him by your service attitude. Then He will reveal to you what He is. And that is bhakti. That is bhakti: taiche bhakti-phale kṛṣṇe prema upajaya. If you execute the devotional service, then you develop that love. And as soon as kṛṣṇa-prema āsvāda haile, bhava nāśa pāya... And as soon as you develop, the more the proportionate way of, you develop love of Kṛṣṇa, love of God, proportionately, you are free from this material contamination. When you are perfectly in Kṛṣṇa love, you are perfectly free from material contamination. This is the way of liberation.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-142 -- New York, November 29, 1966:
These are by-products. To become liberated and to become materially happy by prosecution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a by-product. You have to attempt further thing. And what is that? Prema-sukha-bhoga: you shall be absorbed in love of Kṛṣṇa. That is the... That is here recorded that that should be your ultimate goal of life. So we should not stop: "Oh, now I am very happy. Now I have no material miseries," or "I am liberated. Now this material contamination does not affect me." No. When you will be so much absorbed in love of God, just like Lord Caitanya showed... Cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me, govinda-viraheṇa me: "Oh, I am crying. Just My tears coming, just torrents of rain from My eyes." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvam: "I am seeing everything vacant." Why? Govinda-viraheṇa me: "In separation of Govinda."
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.281-293 -- New York, December 18, 1966:
"Now, this Viṣṇu has nothing to do. He is not affected by this material contamination." That is the power of Viṣṇu. Just we are living entities. When we come into this material world, we become contaminated, we become affected by the influence of this material nature. But Viṣṇu, although He is looking after the management of creation of this brahmāṇḍa, He is not affected. He is not affected.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.6 -- New York, January 8, 1967:
And as soon as the sparks of fire falls down from the original fire, oh, it is extinguished, no more beautiful. So we are in the same relationship with Kṛṣṇa. He is the complete whole; we are parts and parcels. Just like the complete whole fire and the sparks of fire. When the fire and the sparks are displayed, it looks very nice. Both of them enjoy. And when the spark... Of course, fire has unlimited potency to produce sparks. But the sparks, when is out of the fire, fireplace, then it loses its identity, and this is called conditioned life. We are in that conditioned life. We are fire, sparks of fire. But because we are in material contamination, therefore we have become conditioned.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.6 -- New York, January 8, 1967:
They have no intelligence to see that within the ocean there is individual expansion, individual life, and they are enjoying. Similarly, in the spiritual sky there is individuality. That individuality is there. And that individuality is reciprocated between Kṛṣṇa and the individual souls. They are called nitya-mukta, eternally liberated. And the other class, who are just like in the river fishes, they are called nitya-baddha. Their, I mean to say, limited sphere in the river or in the pond or in the well... The frog philosophy. They are expanding themselves, frogs: "How much great is Atlantic Ocean?" So they are called conditioned soul. Those who are in this material world, although they are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord energy, but because they are conditioned in this material contamination, they are called, I mean to say, conditioned, conditioned by the laws of nature.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.31-38 -- San Francisco, January 22, 1967:
Now, this reflection, although there is no difference between this reflection of the Supreme Lord, Supersoul, and the Supreme Lord, still, He is not Supreme Lord. You have to still go further. You have to search out the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Brahmā said, "Now I am seeing Your personality. So there is nothing beyond this." Nātaḥ paraṁ parama yad bhavataḥ svarūpam. "Now, here it is Your real form or real identity." Bhavataḥ svarūpam. And what is that svarūpam? What is that identity? Ānanda-mātram. It is simply reservoir of pleasure. This is the form of Kṛṣṇa. Form of Kṛṣṇa means there is no shadow of any material contamination. Ānanda-mātram. Ānanda-mātram avikalpam aviddha-varcaḥ. And not that... Suppose we are sometimes happy and next time I am unhappy, but this ānanda is eternal. There is no cessation. Ānanda-mātram. Paśyami viśva-sṛjam ekam aviśvam ātman. "So I am seeing now personally viśva-sṛjam, the creator of the whole manifestation." Viśva-sṛjam, viśvam ātman. "And You are the soul of all manifestation."
Sri Isopanisad Lectures
Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, October 30, 1968:
So unless we come to the standard of pure goodness, without any tinge of passion and ignorance, it is not possible, God realization. Therefore bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167), jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). Jñāna is the platform of goodness, and karma is the platform of passion and ignorance. So bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ (CC Madhya 19.167), without any material desires, devoid of, freed from all kinds of material desire and uncovered by ignorance, passion and goodness. Goodness also. To become very good man in this world, that does not mean that he is freed from this material contamination. He's contaminated by the goodness quality. Just like Arjuna. He wanted to be very good man. Kṛṣṇa said, "Now fight." He said, "Oh, how can I fight? Oh, they are my brothers, they are my grandfathers.
Festival Lectures
Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971:
Because there are so many defects, therefore the attraction does not exist. It is all defective. This body is false, false in the sense it is an imitation. Just like you see one idol in the dress shop, very nice girl standing, but it is a false; similarly, this body made of material elements is not our real body. False. Similarly, the girl's body is false. Therefore, because false, the so-called love and attraction is also false. Therefore our so-called love breaks. There is no love here. It cannot be. There cannot be any love. This is... That tendency is there, but due to this material contamination, lust is going on in the name of love. Actually it is lust.
Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 30, 1968:
We can serve Him very convenient. This is God. Therefore aprameyam, immeasurable. Immeasurable does not mean simply great. Immeasurable means you cannot measure even how small He is. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. He is greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest. Therefore aprameyam. Anagham. Anagham means this material contamination cannot touch Him. Etad īśasya īśānām. Īśa, the Supreme Lord, means that He may come in any form. Just like He appears as the boar, hog. That does not mean He is hog. Or even He acts like hog, still He is anagham. How it is possible? Because He's tejiyasaṁ na doṣayā (SB 10.33.29). Tejiyasam...
Initiation Lectures
Initiation of Rukmini Dasi -- Montreal, August 15, 1968:
Therefore they were nonenvious, nirmatsara, and because they were nonenvious, pūjitau, pūjitau means they are worshipable. A person should be worshipable because he's nonenvious. Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau, such kind of position can be attained by one who has acquired the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantāra. And such person can deliver the suffering humanity from this material contamination. Therefore we offer our respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, Rūpa, Sanātana, two Raghunāthas, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, and Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. Repeat.
Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968:
This chanting helps us always remembering Kṛṣṇa. As soon as we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, hear, immediately we remember. So, so long I remember, I am śuciḥ, I am pure, no material contamination. Therefore if I continue my life in that pure stage, then I am eligible for going back to Godhead. Because nobody can enter in the kingdom of God without being completely pure. Completely pure means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), no material desire. Here in the material world, we manufacture so many plans to be happy, material desires. Somebody's thinking, "I shall be happy in this way." Somebody's thinking... There is no question of happiness here. The place is contaminated. In a contaminated... Just like in an infected place you cannot be happy. The medical officer will ask you to leave that place, that "This quarter has been infected by the disease.
Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969:
This is the sign, symptoms of contamination, that suffering, threefold miseries-ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika. But as the animals, they suffer, but they do not understand, this is animal life. The animal is being taken to the slaughterhouse, but still he's happy. This is animal life. So when one cannot understand his sufferings of this material contamination, his life is animal life. He knows that he's suffering, but he's trying to cover the suffering by some nonsense means: by forgetfulness, by drinking, by intoxication, by this, by that. He's aware of his suffering, but he wants to cover his suffering in a nonsense way. Just like the rabbit. The rabbit, when he's in face to face of some ferocious animal, the rabbit closes the eyes. He thinks he is safe. Similarly, simply by trying to cover our sufferings by artificial means, that is not solution. That is ignorance.
Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969:
So when you enter into the Kṛṣṇa science you get so much volumes of transcendental knowledge, and we are trying to present before you this knowledge in so many ways, by cleansing your heart from this material contamination. And this initiation is the beginning of cleaning the contamination. Therefore this mantra suggests, apavitraḥ pavitraḥ vā: either you be contaminated or not contaminated. When one is not contaminated, he's relishing this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra by associating with Kṛṣṇa. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, he's also chanting. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also chanting, but His chanting and my chanting, there is little difference. That chanting is on the transcendental platform, actually relishing with Kṛṣṇa. My chanting... In the beginning there are three stages: offensive stages, liberated stage, and relishing stage. So you will be initiated for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, there will be so many offenses. So we have to offend..., we have to defend ourself from the offenses. There are ten kinds of offenses. You'll get the list. So we shall try to avoid. Then our chanting will be purified. And when the chanting is purified, then immediately you are liberated. And after liberation? Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: (BG 18.54) your life of devotional service actually begins. Then you relish reciprocation of love with Kṛṣṇa.
Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:
Kṛṣṇa is the original person of all viṣṇu-tattva. So anyone who is keeping himself always in touch with the vibration of Kṛṣṇa consciousness—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—that is the only, I mean to say, guaranteed platform where you can keep yourself purified without any material contamination. And in this purified state, if we can leave this body ultimately, then there is no doubt we enter into the supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead. These things are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, and you read carefully.
Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:
So my request to you all who are going to be initiated, that you keep always yourself in contact with this chanting and that will make you, I mean to say, able to be always purified, śuci. Material contamination cannot... And you avoid these four principles: illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication of all descriptions. Intoxication does not mean simply liquor. Intoxication means even tea-drinking. Tea is also intoxication, in slight degree. Tea, coffee, cigarettes—everything should be avoided. In India they chew pan. So these things are to be give up, intoxication group, and meat-eating group. Then you make very quickly progress, and by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). After leaving this body, one hasn't got to take another material body and suffer. So long we have got this material body, we have to suffer the material pangs. There cannot be any adjustment. So if anyone is serious for ending all troubles... Everyone wants to live peacefully and happily.
Initiation Lecture -- Boston, December 26, 1969:
God's position is that, that the yogis, they are trying to capture God by meditation. And demigods like Brahmā, Lord Śiva and others, they are offering Vedic prayers. And the Sāma Veda is always singing the glories of the Lord. The Lord is so exalted, so pure. So if you have to reach Kṛṣṇa, you must be pure, cent percent pure. And that is not very difficult. This ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you become purified, purified, more, more, more, more. And day will come when you find that you are completely pure from all material contamination and you become eligible to enter into the kingdom of God, and that makes a solution of all problems.
Gayatri Mantra Initiation -- Boston, May 9, 1968:
Yes, that is the basic, that is the first principle. Lord Caitanya says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam: (CC Antya 20.12) "By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one becomes cleansed of the dirty things, material contamination."
Initiation Sri Ranga, Romaharsana, Sridhara Dasas -- Los Angeles, July 3, 1970:
Yes. The whole thing is purification. Material contamination means desire to enjoy this material world. That is contamination. We have nothing to do with this material world. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. You are spirit. Unfortunately, we are put into this association. So that is another chapter. But now we are trying to come out of it. So at the same time I am trying to go back to home, back to Godhead, at the same time, desiring some material sense gratification, this is another offense.
Initiations -- Sydney, April 2, 1972:
So being afraid, he wanted to be saved by his youngest son. Naturally we, anyone we love... But because the youngest son had the name Nārāyaṇa, the original Nārāyaṇa took notice of him, and he was saved, and he was immediately taken to the kingdom of God because he chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa. So those who are always chanting the holy name of God, they are in safety position. Safety position means next life, he is going back to home, back to Godhead. So this is an example that such a sinful man, if simply by chanting once at the time of his death—that was also desiring his youngest son—he could get so much benefit, those who are chanting always the holy name of God, they should be always in safe condition. Māyā, or the material contamination, cannot touch him. But one thing, those who are being initiated, they are being freed from the resultant action of past sinful life. But they should be careful not to commit again sinful activities. Then they are safe. That's all.
Initiations -- Sydney, April 2, 1972:
The spiritual body is already there within this material body. So those who are engaged in Yajñeśvara's service, they are giving up this material body and developing a spiritual body. The example can be given: just like an iron rod. It, put into the fire, it become warm, then warmer, warmer, and at last, it becomes red hot. When the iron rod is red hot, it is no longer iron rod; it is fire. Similarly, if you practice this spiritual way of life, the same way, gradually you will become completely spiritualized. Completely spiritualized means that no more material activities. That is possible. If we follow the process, we can turn our life from material contamination to pure spiritual life. And that will help us going back to home, back to Godhead. That's all.
Wedding Ceremonies
Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969:
So as soon as we begin hearing about the Supersoul or the Supreme Lord, then the contamination which are accumulated on the covering of our heart for so many years of our past work, by simply hearing, by electrifying or by lighting, it becomes clear. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). To hear about God is itself a pious activity. Even if we do not understand, simply if we hear this chanting, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma..., one becomes gradually a pious man. Apart from any other realization, he becomes a pious man. In this way, as soon as we hear about God, we become cleansed of all material contamination. Then our three modes of material nature, namely we are... This world is moving under three modes: the modes of goodness, the modes of passion and the modes of ignorance. So generally, people are influenced by the modes of passion and modes of ignorance. Very few people are on the modes of goodness. But this process of hearing about God will gradually place one on the platform of the modes of goodness. Sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati.
General Lectures
Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:
Pure is pure; impure is impure. If you say it is impure pure, how it is possible? One is addicted to all nonsense habit and he's practicing meditation and elevating himself. Is it possible? That is all bogus. As soon as one becomes purified, the manifestation of his character, of his mode of life, living, everything will be purified. That is the test. Pareśānubhava. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhava. Just like if you're cured, then there is no fever. The temperature is at the normal point. And if you say, "I am cured. I am taking medicine, and still, my temperature is 105," that is not possible. So advancement in self-realization means purification from material contamination. That is real advancement. This is practical.
Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:
Yes. It is artificial. You are already artificially complicated by your, this body, because you have got this body. And you want to make yourself more complicated? And do you mean to say that is advancement? You have to get free. So just like in order to get free from a type of disease one has to take proper medicine and proper diet, similarly, in order to get out of this material contamination, you have to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the medicine. And you have to take Kṛṣṇa prasādam, the diet. The disease will be cured. Simple method. And it is practically seen. When these boys came to me first, from that time and this time, their face has changed so much. And what I am giving them? These fruits, Kṛṣṇa prasāda, that's all, and chanting. Their mind, their face, their activity, their habit, their character—everything has changed. But what is the process? This medicine and this diet. That's all.
Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968:
You may have good knowledge, you may be a very good philosopher, you can understand, you may be a very learned man to understand what is this world, what is this, how it is working—very great scientist, advanced, educated man. That is goodness. But that is not the cause of your being freed from material contamination. You have to go above goodness.
Press Release -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1968:
Again, by filtering the same water, the original clearness can be regained. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the process of clearing the consciousness, and as soon as the consciousness clear and pure it is transferred to the spiritual world for eternal life of knowledge and bliss, which we are hankering for in this material world, and being frustrated in every step on account of material contamination.
Lecture -- New Vrindaban, June 7, 1969:
Because jolliness is my original consciousness, but due to my material contamination I am not jolly, I am morose, I am full of anxiety. So as soon as you become freed from this material contamination... Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. How you can become such happy mood? Bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ: by the bhakti-yoga process.
Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:
Your first, the first installment will be that your heart will be cleansed of all material contamination. Then you'll be situated on the brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Oh, prasannātmā! Oh, joyfulness! Without being joyful, you cannot understand what is God. If your mind is disturbed always, you cannot meditate, neither you can understand what is God, what you are. It is impossible. Therefore we have to accept any process which can make me joyful.
Lecture to International Student Society -- Boston, December 28, 1969:
So this is a process of purification. When we actually purify our, this material contamination and designation, we, I mean to say, raised, we are promoted to the actual spiritual life. And then, at that time, we shall feel happy and our consciousness will be broader, and everything will be all right.
Lecture -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:
That process is easy, very easy. The chanting. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). The glittering thing, Kṛṣṇa, or the Kṛṣṇa light. Kṛṣṇa light is within everyone. Nitya-siddha: eternally truth. But it is covered by material contamination. And by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra these nasty, dirty things will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. This is polishing. Polishing. Just like mirror, you polish; you can see very nicely the reflection of your nice face. Similarly, if you polish your heart by chanting, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, then immediately you develop your dormant love of Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as the dormant love of Kṛṣṇa is awakened, immediately you are liberated. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam.
Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 11, 1971:
So apart from this historical point of view, try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means pure consciousness. Just like water, when it falls down from the cloud, it is pure, and as soon as it drops or mixes with the muddy earth, it becomes muddy. It is not more clear. Similarly, we, as spirit soul, our consciousness is as pure as Kṛṣṇa is pure. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Gradually, as we contact the material contamination, we become different conscious. Just like we are sitting, so many ladies and gentleman here. Some of us thinking that "I am American," some of them are thinking that "We are Indian," some of them are thinking "German," or this or that—"I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am white," "I am black." In so many way we are. Our consciousness are polluted.
Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:
So our request to everyone is that you try to understand Kṛṣṇa scientifically. Kṛṣṇa-tattva vijñānam. It is not a sentiment or philosophical speculation or fanaticism. It is not that. It is a fact. Now, one should have intelligence to understand, that's all. But the method is so simple that we are fortunate, we accept immediately the version of Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66), then our life is successful immediately. If we accept this statement of Kṛṣṇa that "You simply surrender unto Me," and we do it, immediately we become relieved from this material contamination.
Lecture at Caitanya Matha -- Visakhapatnam, February 19, 1972:
After Brahman realization, after being freed from this material contamination, when one becomes actually happy, prasannātmā, na śocati na kāṅkṣati, no anxiety, at that time, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām.
Speech -- New Vrindaban, August 31, 1972:
Simply we have to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart, and we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa or forgotten our supreme father on account of material contamination. So if we hear about Kṛṣṇa attentively, just like you are doing now, kindly, it is very good opportunity. I thank you very much. You are all young boys and girls, but you are very fortunate. Your fathers, grandfathers, do not come here. But you have come. So because you are fortunate. So similarly, continue this. Just try to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Your life will be successful. You haven't got to do anything. It doesn't require that you have to become a master of degree examination, M.A., Ph.D. or D.S.C. No. God has given you these two ears, and if you kindly submissively hear from the realized souls, then your life will be successful. Actually, that is happening. All these boys and girls who have come to me in different parts of the world, simply by hearing... I have not bribed them, I have no money. So they are sacrificing their everything for me. Why? Simply by hearing me. That's all. So the hearing is so strong. And they are educated boys, they're university graduates. I'm not befooling them. But as they're hearing, they're understanding the gravity of the movement and gradually they're becoming convinced and firmly situated in the post. So this is called bhāgavata-dharma.
Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974:
Namely, the name of God is as powerful as God is Himself. It is called pūrṇa. Pūrṇa means complete. And śuddha. Śuddha means without any material contamination. Pūrṇaḥ śuddha nitya. Nitya means eternal. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ means without being different from the person whose name we are chanting.
Public Speech -- Bad Homburg, Germany, June 22, 1974:
"The name of God and God is equally pūrṇa, perfect, śuddha, purified, pūrṇaḥ śuddhaḥ nitya, eternal, and pūrṇaḥ śuddhaḥ nitya-mukta, and liberated from material contamination." So it is not the question of argument. You can try. There is no loss on your part. Chant the holy name of God and see the result yourself. In India also sometimes "Kṛṣṇa" is announced as "Kṛṣṭa." Or you announce as "Christo." It does not make... Because God will take your mind, not your pronunciation. If you mean to pronounce God's name, even it is not, I mean to say, formally or perfectly pronounced, still, God will understand that you are trying to chant His name. That is your perfection. (break) ..."Christo" or "Kristo" or "Kṛṣṇa," if He understands that you are hankering after Him, He will give the resultant action. And this is the easiest process in this age for God realization. Thank you very much. Let us chant.
Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975:
On account of dirty things we are thinking that "I have got soul, and the animal has no soul." This is due to dirtiness of the heart. So if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, the heart will be cleansed. Just like a mirror with a dust, you cannot see, but if this dust is cleansed, then you can see your face very nicely. Similarly, because on account of material contamination our heart is unclean, we cannot see things as they are, but the chanting process will cleanse your heart, and then you will see everything in order. Then you will not say the animal has no soul.
General Lecture -- (location & date unknown):
And in the beginning also, of the Bhagavad-gītā teaching, He said Arjuna that "I am teaching Bhagavad-gītā to you because you are devotee." Bhakto 'si priyo 'si: (BG 4.3) "You are My very dear friend and devotee. Therefore," rahasyam hy etad uttamam, "I am delivering this mystery of Bhagavad-gītā-yoga to you." So to understand Bhagavad-gītā requires that qualification: bhakto 'si. And similarly, on the Eighteenth Chapter, the Kṛṣṇa directly says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). The brahma-bhūtaḥ stage is liberated stage from material contamination. But you have to develop further. In the liberated stage, if you shall be satisfied simply being brahma-bhūtaḥ, self-realized, understanding yourself as Brahman, that is not sufficient. You have to make further progress. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). When one has acquired these qualities, that he is no more, I mean to say, faltering in the matter of hankering and lamentation, and he is now on the transcendental stage of seeing every living entity on the equal level—samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu—at that stage one can enter into the devotional service.
Philosophy Discussions
Philosophy Discussion on William James:
Prabhupāda: So disease, when you are in diseased condition, it means increasing suffering. Disease increases. Without treatment disease increases, as fire, without being extinguished, without attempt of extinguishing the fire, it increases. Debt, compound interest, increases. So therefore the instruction is that disease, fire, and debt should not be kept as it is without any attention. The attention must be there to see that it is not increasing, it is being completely extinguished. That is intelligence. So therefore we must know our suffering is on account of disobedience to the orders of God, or on account of becoming irreligious. So we must find out the real system of religion, and we, there is already, but on account of our ignorance it is now covered by material contamination. Otherwise our relationship with God is a fact. We are thinking independently. That is foolishness. The demons, or the atheist class, they falsely think independent of the orders of God; therefore they are forced to accept which they do not want. Ultimately they are forced to accept the punishment—birth, death, old age, and disease—but still, atheist class, they deny existence of God. That is their foolishness. Actually God is there, His order is there, and if we are deficient in carrying out the order, we should take the instruction of bona fide spiritual master, the representative of God, and we should execute it, and then we become happy.
Philosophy Discussion on William James:
Prabhupāda: Yes. Friendly continuity means the, there are so many relationship, five relationship. First relationship is the master and the servant, and then friend to friend, then son and father, and then beloved and the lover. So these are all friendly relationship. We can, when we are actually in God relationship, we have got natural instinct to accept any one of them. So our friendly relationship with God can be chosen. Somebody likes sometime as friend to friend, father and son, or beloved and the lover, master and the servant, and the Supreme and the subordinate. They are five relationship. Any one of them, when we are actually liberated, free from material contamination, we being eternal part and parcel of God, the particular relationship is revived. That is called svarūpa-siddhi, revival of our original relationship with God.
Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:
Prabhupāda: No. Automatically it will come. Because the good qualities are already there in the spirit soul, and it is being purified, uncovered by the material contamination. The original cult is coming out. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śyāmasundara: What does the word "cult" mean?
Prabhupāda: Cult means... What do you mean by cult? Cult is an ordinary word.
Śyāmasundara: I've always thought cult meant something sectarian or...
Prabhupāda: Not sectarian. Cult means the natural occupation.
Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain:
Prabhupāda: So we agree to this point. Just like soul, at the present moment you have got a certain type of body, human body, but the soul has potentiality to have a spiritual body or a dog's body. Both potentialities are there. So the essential is the soul, and the reality... It is not reality; temporary form in the material body. But the potentiality as the soul has its own spiritual body. When it is uncontaminated by the material contamination, he remains only reality without any so-called actuality or temporary form.
Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain:
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is contaminated. The varieties are there in the spiritual world. The same varieties when they are presented here with material contamination, it is called perverted. Just like the example in the Fifteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham (BG 15.1), reflection on the bank of a river, reservoir of water, the tree is reflected, varieties are there. The trees or trunks, branches, twigs, flowers, everything is reflected, but they are all false. Real variety is there, on the bank of the river. Because it is reflection, it appears that everything is there in the perverted way, and then they are all false.
Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:
Prabhupāda: Not developed. Uncovered. There are different layers of material contamination. So that has to be cleansed. (aside:) You can come this side. (indistinct). The more the layers are cleansed, his original consciousness come out. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), cleaning the dirty things accumulated on the heart.
Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:
Prabhupāda: Yes. Morality, as we understand from Bhagavad-gītā, that nobody can approach God without being purified of all sinful reaction. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. A person who has finished all sinful activities, and simply standing on the platform of pious activities, they can understand what is God and be engaged in God's service. And another place it is said by Arjuna, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, param brahma." Every living being is Brahman, spiritual, but Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Being; therefore He is paraṁ brahma, and the paraṁ dhāma, and the resort of everything, ultimate resort of everything, and pavitra, purified, there is no material contamination. So, what is this? What does he say in this?
Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:
Prabhupāda: That, that we say liberation. One should be free from the material contamination. That is our... Because under material condition, he is in three modes, goodness, passion and ignorance. So one who is in goodness he does not approve conclusion in ignorance. And one who is in ignorance, he thinks it is better.
Philosophy Discussion on Plotinus:
Prabhupāda: In this way there are different processes. They are called karma, jñāna and yoga. But they require endeavor to elevate, strenuous endeavor, all these practices. But the, the supreme process is simply to surrender unto the Supreme One, and He gives out intelligence how to be free from this material entanglement, and that is called bhakti-yoga. It is very pleasing to execute, and without any, much endeavor. Simply being fully surrendered to the Supreme Lord, he immediately becomes purified from all material contamination, and little practice of bhakti-yoga makes him completely fit for going back to home, back to Godhead.
Philosophy Discussion on Origen:
Prabhupāda: But material body has nothing to do with the spiritual body. It is simply external coating, or it is a kind of contamination for suffering of the spirit soul. As soon as he is coated with this material contamination, he identifies himself with the coating and he forgets his real, spiritual body. That is called māyā, ignorance, and this ignorance continues so long he is not fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. When one becomes fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he understands that this material body is the external coating; he is different from this material body. That condition, that uncontaminated understanding, is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. The spirit soul is Brahman. He was under the illusion of bodily concept of life—that is called jīva-bhūtaḥ—and when he understands that he is not this body, he is the spirit soul within the body, that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ.
Philosophy Discussion on St. Augustine:
Prabhupāda: But again, on account of his further, low-grade activities, he goes down, sometimes as human being or sometimes as more than human being—the demigod—and sometimes as animal, trees, plants. In this way he goes down, degradation, or goes up by elevation. But he is always aloof from the material body, but according to his desires and activity he gets different body. This is quite reasonable and confirmed by the Vedic literature. But his actual life is when he is freed from this material contamination, getting different bodies life after life.
Purports to Songs
Purport to Gauranga Bolite Habe -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1969:
Saṁsāra-bāsanā mora kabe tuccha ha'be: "When my desire for material enjoyment will be insignificant, nonimportant." Tuccha. Tuccha means a thing which we calculate no value: "Throw it away." Similarly, spiritual advancement is possible when one is convinced that "This material world and material happiness is no value. It cannot give me any real bliss of life." This conviction is very much necessary. Saṁsāra-bāsanā mora kabe tuccha ha'be. And he also says that "When I shall be free from the desires of material enjoyment, then it will be possible to see the real nature of Vṛndāvana." Viṣaya chāḍiyā kabe śuddha ha'be mana: "When my mind will be completely purified, uncontaminated from the material contamination, at that time it will be possible for me to see what is Vṛndāvana." In other words, one cannot go to Vṛndāvana by force and live there, and he will achieve that transcendental bliss. No. One has to make his mind freed from all material desires. Then one can live at Vṛndāvana and relish its residential benefit. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that. Viṣaya chāḍiyā kabe, śuddha ha'be mana: "When my mind will be freed from the contamination of this material enjoyment and I shall be purified, then it will be possible for me to see Vṛndāvana as it is." Otherwise it is not possible.
Purport to Gaurangera Duti Pada -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:
As in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that anyone who can simply understand the transcendental appearance, disappearance, activities, work of Kṛṣṇa, he immediately becomes eligible to enter into the kingdom of God. Simply by understanding the pastimes and the work, transcendental activities of Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, one who enters into the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, he immediately becomes freed from all contamination of the heart. Gaurāṅgera madhuri-līlā, yāra karṇe praveśilā. Karṇe praveśilā means simply one has to receive the message of Lord Caitanya. Karṇe means in the ear. To give the message a submissive aural reception. Then immediately one's heart becomes freed from all material contamination.
Purport to Gaurangera Duti Pada -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:
Gaurāṅgera saṅge-gaṇe, nitya-siddha boli māne. Anyone who has understood that the associates of Lord Caitanya, they are not ordinary conditioned souls... They are liberated souls. Nitya-siddha bole māni. There are three kinds of devotees. One is called sādhana-siddha. Sadhana-siddha means by following the regulative principles of devotional service, if one becomes perfect, he's called sādhana-siddha. Another devotee is called kṛpā-siddha. Kṛpā-siddha means even if he has not followed strictly all the regulative principle, still, by the mercy of ācārya or a devotee, or by Kṛṣṇa, he is elevated to the perfectional stage. That is specially. And another devotee is called nitya-siddha. Nitya-siddha means they were never contaminated. The sādhana-siddha and kṛpā-siddha was contaminated by material touch, and by following regulative principles or by the mercy or grace of some devotee and ācārya they're elevated to the perfectional state. But nitya-siddha means they were never contaminated. They're ever liberated. So all the associates of Lord Caitanya, just like Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa, Gadādhara, Nityānanda, they are Viṣṇu-tattva. They are all liberated. Not only they, the Gosvāmīs... There are many others. So they are ever-liberated. So one who can understand that the associates of Lord Caitanya are ever-liberated... Nitya-siddha bale māni, sei yaya vrajendra suta-pāśa. Immediately he becomes eligible to enter into the abode of Kṛṣṇa.
Purport to Gauranga Bolite Habe -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
Habe means "will be". Ākuti eagerness. "When I shall be very much eager to understand what is spoken by the Gosvāmīs?" These are the processes. We have to derive the pleasure of Nityānanda. We have to understand the six Gosvāmīs, what they are speaking. We have to cleanse our mind from material desires. These are the qualifications to understand what is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise we shall be misled, we shall think Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa ordinary boy and girl. No. The activities are just like that, but it is all spiritual. There is no material contamination at all. There is no material inebrieties. Therefore, in such loving affairs, in such embracing, such kissing, in Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, that is all spiritual, eternal, blissful, full of knowledge, full of pleasure.
| Page Title: | Material contamination (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Partha-sarathi |
| Created: | 21 of Dec, 2008 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=177, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 177 |