Motto (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"motto" |"mottos"

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

The motto of our magazine Back To Godhead is: "Godhead is light, nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience."

Interview with the New York Times -- September 2, 1972, New Vrindaban:

John Nordheimer: Many people have tried to change the world, but we see that they have failed. Many people have tried to see God, but they do not succeed.

Prabhupāda: That is because their purpose is not strong. That is due to māyā, forgetfulness. Just like darkness and light; if your light is strong, there is no darkness. But if you have no light, or if your light is not very strong, there is darkness. This is the principle: If you want to drive away darkness, you must bring light. That is the only medicine. You don't have to make a separate endeavor to drive away darkness. As soon as you bring light, darkness will go. The motto of our magazine Back To Godhead is: "Godhead is light, nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience." This is also the Vedic injunction: Don't remain in darkness; come to the light. How is this possible? When I flew to London from Los Angeles, there was no darkness, for we did not allow the sun to set, you remain always in light. This means that if you don't forget Kṛṣṇa, your life will be successful.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

That is the motto of our Back to Godhead: "Godhead is light, nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience."

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was thinking of just like Kṛṣṇa's pure devotees like mother Yaśodā. They are always eternally remaining.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...strongly warm, then you do not become cool very soon. You must be strongly warm, fire temperature. Then you will act as fire.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And the process for heating up the fire?

Prabhupāda: You keep yourself with fire.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya. That is you.

Prabhupāda: Don't go outside the fire. Then you keep yourself warm. And temperature increase exactly like fire. That is required. That is the motto of our Back to Godhead: "Godhead is light, nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience." That is the beginning of our movement. Keep Kṛṣṇa always. Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14). Then you remain Kṛṣṇized. And as soon as you give it up, then think of devils. This is going on.

"Act piously, day and night." This should be the motto.

Morning Walk -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: What will come? Trust no future, that's all. We must be always ready for destruction. Material world is like that. Nitya anityatam. Canakya Paṇḍita has says, tyaja durjana-saṁsargam: "Avoid bad men's company." Bhaja sādhu-samāgamam: "Always try to associate with learned, what is, ādhu, with devotees. Avoid this worldly men's association and try to associate with devotees." Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam bhaja sādhu-samāgamam, and then smara nityam anityatam. "And always think that everything here in this material world is for few days." That's all. Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. (break) Anityatam. (break) ...be the motto of life. (break) ...associate with the materialistic person, try to associate with devotee, and always think that this world is for few days. That's all.

Ambarīṣa: This world is what?

Prabhupāda: For few days. Nityam anityatam. (break) ...other. Kuru puṇyam aho-ratram: "And act piously, day and night." This should be the motto.

...motto, "Kṛṣṇa is sun." You know it? So when Kṛṣṇa sun is there, all these glowworms' lightening will be finished.

Morning Walk -- June 21, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: What it was before?

Bahulāśva: It was a Mormon church.

Prabhupāda: Ohh.

Bahulāśva: Built very solid.

Jayatīrtha: Made of bricks.

Prabhupāda: So all the churches we are purchasing. (laughter)

Bahulāśva: They are all going out of business.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...worm and the sun. When the sun is arisen, the glowworms, automatically finished. (break) ...motto, "Kṛṣṇa is sun." You know it? Kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama. So when Kṛṣṇa sun is there, all these glowworms' lightening will be finished. (break) ...this sun always shining. Then these glowworms will be finished.

If you are not in Kṛṣṇa, then you are in māyā. And if you are in Kṛṣṇa, there is no māyā. That is our Back to Godhead motto, "Where there is Kṛṣṇa, there is no nescience."

Morning Walk -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Sometimes our devotees fall down because he has not come to that platform, ever-existing. Therefore the fire extinguished. That is possible, but everyone should be very, very careful that the fire may not be extinguished. Then again māyā. There are two things: Kṛṣṇa and māyā. If Kṛṣṇa fire is extinguished, then māyā, ignorance, darkness. Two things.

kṛṣṇa-bhuliyā-jīva bhoga-vāñchā kare

pāśate māyāra tare jāpaṭiyā dhare

As soon as you forget Kṛṣṇa, then māyā is there, "Yes, please come here." Finished. There is no two, er, three. māyā, Kṛṣṇa. If you are not in Kṛṣṇa, then you are in māyā. And if you are in Kṛṣṇa, there is no māyā. Yāhān kṛṣṇa, sūrya-tāhān, nāhi māyāra adhikāra. That is our Back to Godhead motto, "Where there is Kṛṣṇa, there is no nescience."

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

There should be one nation under God, and one world government under God as well. Everything belongs to God and we are all His sons.

Prabhupada Inspects New BTG -- June 24, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: "America and other nations in the United Nations should agree that wherever there is enough land it may be utilized by the human society for producing food. The government can say, 'All right, you are overpopulated. Your people can come here. We will give them land, and they can produce food.' We would see a wonderful result, but will they do that? No. And what is their philosophy? Roguism. 'I will take the land by force and then I won't allow others to come here.' "

Reporter: "One American motto is 'One nation under God.' "

Prabhupāda: "Yes. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There should be one nation under God, and one world government under God as well. Everything belongs to God and we are all His sons. That philosophy is wanted."

Free from all anxieties, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Life is meant for simply chanting. This should be the motto.

Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda:...thinking of how to utilize the whole land. The situation is very good, good prospect. I want that self-independent here, as far as possible. But you have got enough materials. With woods you can make cottages. Then land becomes clear, then utilize it.

Bhagavān: Cows.

Prabhupāda: Cows, so many things. Free from all anxieties, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Life is meant for simply chanting. This should be the motto. But because we have got this body, we have to maintain it. That much. Otherwise, we have no ambition to become a very big man in this material world, enjoy it. This is all false, useless. He'll become a big man, and one day death comes and kicks him out. So these are all false attempts. It has no meaning. The meaningful life is, so long we live, become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. And tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). That is wanted. Give facility to the people. Here is very nice arrangement. Now make plan how to utilize. You have got enough land. You can utilize for supplying the necessities of life.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

We do not agree to die. We want to come to our original position, no more death. This is our motto, because we get information from the Bhagavad-gītā.

Room Conversation with Adi-kesava Swami -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: I am spirit soul, and I have been captured or I have voluntarily surrendered to this material world, and it is being agitated by the mind, so I am taking this shape, that shape, that shape, this shape, eight million four hundred... That is my trouble. My nature is to be fixed up, always illuminating, but circumstantially I am being agitated by mind, and working with my mind, I am accepting this body, that body, this body, that. So this is very troublesome. Those who have no knowledge, no brain, they are satisfied with this material condition, agitated condition, and driven by the thinking, feeling, willing of the mind. This is very dangerous. We want to get out. This is psychology.

Ādi-keśava: That disturbs them the most, that we are condemning everything they believe.

Prabhupāda: It is condemned. My position is different. Why shall I die? The rascals, they agree to die. We do not agree to die. We want to come to our original position, no more death. This is our motto, because we get information from the Bhagavad-gītā, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). I do not die on account of my material body mixed up... "Dust thou art; dust thou beist." This body is made of five elements: earth, water, air, fire, ether. And this is my gross body. The gross body is finished, but my mental, subtle body—mind, intelligence—that is not yet finished. That is carrying me to another body.

Just like there is wash of mist, sun, as soon as the sun rises. So let Kṛṣṇa rise up. Therefore our, this motto is in the English Back to Godhead, "Kṛṣṇa is light..."

Evening Darsana -- May 15, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: So far devotees are concerned, especially in this age, directly, directly engage him in bhakti-yoga, and everything will be all...

kecit kevalayā bhaktyā

vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ

aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena

nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ

(SB 6.1.15)

The general process is tapasā brahmacaryeṇa yamena niyamena, satya-śaucābhyāṁ tyāgena, satya-śaucam, śamena damena... (SB 6.1.13). There are different stages. But kecit kevalayā bhaktyā, simply by bhakti, kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ... Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yoga-prayojitaḥ. They can wash. Kārtsnyena aghaṁ dhunvanti. All sinful reaction of life becomes washed. Aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena. How it is possible? Nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. Just like there is wash of mist, sun, as soon as the sun rises. So let Kṛṣṇa rise up. Therefore our, this motto is in the English Back to Godhead, "Kṛṣṇa is light..."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa is light..." "Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead, there is no nescience."

This should be the motto, how we engage our life, our money, our intelligence, our words, to improve Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is success.

Room Conversation with Mr. Myer -- July 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Our Bengali... Bhagavāner-kathā, they have been very much appreciated. How many they'll sell?

Bhakti-caru: We printed, last issue, thirty thousand issues here.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Bhakti-caru: And one of them, here. First issue was ten thousand. The second issue was twenty thousand. Third issue was thirty thousand. And first and second was sold out in three weeks.

Prabhupāda: And we have got many appreciator.

Bhakti-caru: Yes. Many people are taking up this spiritual life after reading those.

Mr. Myer: It is a conscious reminder, month after month. Each time a new issue comes...

Prabhupāda: That requires management. That requires management, how...

Mr. Myer: Once one takes up a certain life...

Prabhupāda: ...to set up things, how to come...

Mr. Myer: ...even one is slipping...

Prabhupāda: So do nicely. And as far as our capacity is there, kṛṣṇārthe akhila-ceṣṭaḥ. Prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā śreya-ācaraṇaṁ sadā. Janma-sāphalyam... Etāvaj janma-sāphalyam. Do it. Do this. Prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā śreya-ācaraṇam. This is..., should be... This should be the motto, how we engage our life, our money, our intelligence, our words, to improve Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is success.