Not offered (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"not offer" |"not offered" |"unoffered"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.10 -- London, July 12, 1973:

That is not possible. You have to purify it. You have to purify it. Tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, all your senses will be purified. This is the process. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. And you can begin service with your tongue.

Now, this is also very surprising. By utilizing our tongue, we can become perfect. This is also unknown to the modern science. By utilizing the tongue, one can become perfect. Yes. This is the process. If by the tongue you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and by the tongue you taste prasādam, you will be perfect, simply by executing these two things. Do not accept anything, do not allow the tongue to touch anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. This is one item. And another item—engage the tongue, always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You become perfect. Is it very difficult task? Anyone can do. Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, anyone can chant. And nice prasādam, anyone can take. And actually, it is happening so. How these European, American boys and girls, they are advancing, they are realizing? Simply by that process, tongue: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take prasādam. So you can introduce this process all over the world. Give them chance to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. But it is difficult also. There was a cartoon? That one...?

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973:

There was forest fire in Vṛndāvana. All the cowherds boys they became very much frightened, "Kṛṣṇa." "Yes, I'm ready." He ate up all the fire. So for Kṛṣṇa He could eat anything He likes. He is God. But still, He recommends, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Why? Because we have to take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, so therefore He is recommending, "These things you can give Me." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. So that is our food. We are devotees of Kṛṣṇa. We are meant for eating the remnants of foodstuff offered to Kṛṣṇa.

That is our... Jihvā, tāra madhye... If you want to conquer the tongue, then you fix up your mind that you shall not take anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. Then your tongue will be controlled. Tāra madhye jihvā ati lobhamaya sudurmati. Tongue is the bitterest enemy of the living being. The tongue is dragging. Jihvā. "Kindly give me this immediately. Kindly give me this wine immediately. Kindly give me this tea immediately. Kindly give me this cigarette immediately. Kindly give me this meat." Why? Control. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ (BG 9.26). So we have to take prasādam, eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Then naturally the other things will be negativated. This is the position. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29).

Lecture on BG 1.28-29 -- London, July 22, 1973:

This is the position. So as my mind is absorbed in something, some subject matter, my bodily symptoms also will work, or the senses will work according to that mind. Therefore for spiritual advancement also, you have to train your mind. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). If you use... First of all fix up your mind. Yoga means indriya-saṁyama. Yoga practice means that controlling the mind and the senses. That is yoga practice. Because our mind is very flickering and changing, something accepting immediately, something rejecting immediately, very flickering. Therefore we have to train up the mind, and when the mind is trained up, then automatically your senses will be controlled. If you are strong-minded, that "I will not accept any foodstuff which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," naturally your tongue is controlled. Naturally. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, śarīra avidyā-jāl jaḍendriya tāhe kāl jīve phele viṣaya-sāgare. Our this body is a network of nescience, or ignorance. This body, why we have got this body, material body? Because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa and we wanted to lord it over the material nature. This is our position. Therefore, according to our different desires, we have got different bodies. Here we are sitting, say fifty or hundred men. Nobody's body will tally with other's body. Face and everything, different. Because every one of us has got different desires. Therefore their facial expression, bodily construction, everything is made according to the mind. So at the time of death also, the constitution of mind will transfer me to another, different type of body. The mind will carry the soul. These are all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). So if you train up your mind, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Always remembering Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. Then it may be possible that at the time of death you remember Kṛṣṇa and your life is successful. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Immediately you are transferred to Kṛṣṇaloka. This is training.

Lecture on BG 2.3 -- London, August 4, 1973:

So beginning is the jihvā. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). Sevā. The tongue can be engaged in the service of the Lord. How? You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, always glorify. Vācāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Vācāṁsi, means talking. Talking is the business of tongue, and tasting is the business of tongue. So you engage the tongue in the service of the Lord by glorifying. Whenever... You take a vow that "Whenever I shall speak, I shall simply speak, glorifying Kṛṣṇa, nothing more." That is tongue control. If you don't allow your tongue to speak anything nonsense, grāmya-kathā... We sometimes sit together. We talk so many nonsense. That should be controlled. "Now I have engaged my tongue for the service of the Lord, so we shall not talk anything of sense gratification." This is controlling the tongue. "I cannot eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa." This is controlling the tongue. So these are small techniques, but it has got great, great value so that Kṛṣṇa will be pleased, the austerity, and He will reveal. You cannot understand. You cannot see Kṛṣṇa. You cannot order Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, please come, dancing with flute. I shall see You." This is order. Kṛṣṇa is not subjected to your order. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives us instruction, aśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinastu māṁ marma-hatāṁ karotu vā adarśanam (CC Antya 20.47). Adarśanam. Everyone wants to see Kṛṣṇa, a devotee, but a pure devotee says that "No, if you don't like to see me, that's all right. You can break my heart. I may always pray to see You. But You do not come and break my heart, that is also accepted. Still, I shall worship You." This is pure devotion. Not that "I have asked Kṛṣṇa to come before me dancing. He did not come. So I give up this nonsense. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is no value." Not like that. This is Rādhārāṇī's attitude.

Lecture on BG 2.4-5 -- London, August 5, 1973:

I am also materialist. And You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are offering to give me some benediction. I can take any kind of benediction from You. I know that. But what is the use of it? Why shall I ask You for any benediction? I have seen my father. Materially, he was so powerful that even the demigods, Indra, Candra, Varuṇa, they were threatened by his red eyes. And he gained over, control over the universe. He was so powerful. And riches, wealth, power, reputation, everything complete, but You have finished it in one second. So why You are offering me such benediction? What shall I do with them? If I take that benediction from You and I become puffed up and do everything wrong against You, then You can finish it within a second. So kindly do not offer me such benediction, such material opulence. Better give me benediction to be engaged in the service of Your servant. I want this benediction. Let me be benedicted by You that I may be engaged in the service of Your servant, not directly Your servant."

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

Just like my hand is part and parcel of my body. Suppose the hand catches one nice fruit cake, nice palatable cake. The hand cannot enjoy it. The hand picks it up and puts it in the mouth. And when the mou..., it goes into the stomach, when the energy is created by eating that food, that is enjoyed by the hand. Not only by this hand—this hand also, the eyes also, legs also. Similarly, we cannot enjoy anything directly. If we put everything for the enjoyment of God and then when we take, participate in that enjoyment, that is our healthy life. This is the philosophy. We don't take anything. Bhagavat-prasādam. Bhagavat-prasādam. Our philosophy is that we prepare nice foodstuff and we offer to Kṛṣṇa, and after He has eaten, then we take it. That is our philosophy. We don't take anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. So we are saying God as the supreme enjoyer. We are not enjoyer. We are all subordinate. So bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). And God is proprietor of everything. That's a fact. Now suppose such big ocean. Are you proprietor? We are claiming that I am proprietor of this land or this sea. But actually, before my birth, the sea was there, the land was there, and after my death, the sea will be there, the land will be there. When I become proprietor? Just like in this hall. Before we entered this hall, the hall was existing, and when we leave this hall, the hall will exist. Then when we become proprietor? If we falsely claim that sitting here for one hour or half an hour, we have become proprietor, that is false impression. So one has to understand that we are neither proprietor nor enjoyer. Bhoktāraṁ yajña... God is the enjoyer. And God is the proprietor. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. And suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29), He's the best friend of everyone. He's not friend only of the human society. He's friend of the animal society. Because every living entity is God's son. How we can be otherwise treating man in some way and animal in other way? No. God is actually perfect friend of all living entities. If we simply understand these three things, then we become peaceful, immediately.

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

He can take prasādam. (laughter) Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said like that, tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, tā'ke jetā kaṭhina saṁsāre: "Out of all the senses, the tongue sense is very powerful. So it is very difficult to control it." So he says, tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati: "The tongue is very greedy and very difficult to be controlled. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has given us one weapon." What is that? Kṛṣṇa baṛo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay, swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi: "Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Therefore He has given us His remnants of foodstuff." So if we make this promise, that "I shall not take anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," then your tongue will be controlled. And in the śāstra it is said that you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Not only Kṛṣṇa, even His name you cannot understand with these imperfect senses.

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi

na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau

svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

(CC Madhya 17.136)

"But when you engage your tongue in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself." So the tongue's business is twofold. One is with tongue we speak—it vibrates sound—and another business is with tongue we taste nice foodstuff. So if you engage this tongue in the matter of Kṛṣṇa's service by vibrating Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and if you don't allow your tongue to touch anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, then you become immediately Kṛṣṇa-realized soul. So when the tongue is controlled, all other senses are automatically controlled. This is the process. Now again engage your tongue, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

Similarly, if you think that "This body is required for acting, for working on behalf of the Supreme Lord; therefore I must keep the body fit to work," so that is not your identification with the body. But if I use this body for sense gratification and therefore I make my body stout and strong to enjoy sense enjoyment, that is the cause of my bondage.

So it is a simple technique, and we have to understand it and we have to act it on the program as they have been made by experienced devotees, experienced devotees. Now, another thing. Take this... See the advantage of God consciousness. Now, if you have got determination that "I shall not take anything which is not offered to God," because your life is meant for God's service... You earn for God; you cook for God; you eat for God. Therefore the whole life is like that. Now, if you are cooking for God, if you are purchasing stores for God, then you have to know what sort of things can be offered to God because... Always remember that you are going to the store not for your own purpose. You will find in later chapters that pacanti te aghaṁ pāpāḥ... Er, no. The idea is that anyone who is doing everything for the sake of the Lord, he is freed from the reaction, but anyone who is doing anything on his own account, he is being entangled in that action and reaction. So that is the technique of becoming yoga-sthaḥ. Yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi.

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

So mind that always, that we are not going to be idle. We shall go on with our work, as we are doing. But at the same time, we must perform yajñas, or sacrifice for the Supreme. Then we'll have sufficient for our necessities. And now, after having sufficient of our necessities, if we don't acknowledge or don't give the taxes of obligation, feel our obligation, then, He said, tair dattān apradāyaibhyaḥ.

Now, God or God's agent is supplying you so many things, and if you do not acknowledge or repay by sacrifice, then what is your position? Yo bhuṅkte. "One who enjoys," stena eva saḥ, "he is a thief." He is a thief, therefore, punishable. As a thief is punishable by the state law, similarly, one who takes advantage of these natural facilities and do not acknowledge it and do not offer sacrifice to the Supreme, then he is considered to be a thief. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, stena eva saḥ (BG 3.12). So yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. So, we are becoming debtors and debtors life after life in this way, and the only way to liquidate our so many debts is to perform yajña.

Now, there are different rituals of yajña. If we want to perform such yajñas for sacrificing clarified butter, grains, there are different, so many kinds of yajñas. It is not possible in this age. For this age, the particular type of sacrifice which is recommended, we had some sample of it yesterday in our, this loft. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). In this age it is very difficult to perform all those rituals. First thing, it is very difficult to obtain all the ingredients for sacrificing method. And people are not very well to do. They cannot secure also.

Lecture on BG 3.11-19 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:

That is the difference between the so-called foolish person and one who knows the things. One who knows the things, he knows that everything is controlled by a person. That person is called demigod.

So we have to satisfy. Therefore the yajña, sacrifice, is recommend. So that is mentioned here, that "Demigods, being pleased by sacrifices..." Just like to the income tax officer if you pay regularly your income tax then there is no trouble. Everything will go on. Otherwise, the state will enforce to exact income tax. So we are receiving heat from the sun. Similarly, we are receiving rains. Don't you think that we have to pay some tax? That is required. That is enjoined in the Vedic literature. You must. Therefore so many sacrifices are recommended. If you do not offer those sacrifices, then there will be irregularity of rain, irregularity of heat, excessive heat, excessive cold, and people will suffer. This is the process. They do not know it. Read it, purport.

Lecture on BG 4.1-2 -- Columbus, May 9, 1969:

So I have collected this fruit. It is Your fruit, I know. Still, please accept." This is finish, your business. You are a great devotee. You are a great Kṛṣṇa conscious personality, and Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa does not want you, from you, very nice thing. Kṛṣṇa is complete in Himself. He can produce many, many nice things. He is not begging from you, but still, He is expecting something from you because He is supplying so many things to you. Is it not?

Suppose if you have got a friend, you always give him. Don't you expect something: "Oh, I give so many things to my friend. He does not offer me anything?"? Don't you feel, out of love? Father, mother, they do so many things for the children. If the children do not do anything for the father and mother, are they not happy? Are they happy? No. They are unhappy: "My children are so ungrateful."

Although He does not want—Kṛṣṇa is full in Himself—but if we supply something to Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa's good is to be supplied to Kṛṣṇa. The fruit is not produced by you. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: (BG 9.26) "Anyone who offers Me a little fruit, a little water, and little leaf, oh, I accept." Tad aham aśnāmi, bhakty-upahṛtam: "Because he has brought with the devotion and love, I accept it." If Kṛṣṇa accepts your offering, then your life becomes sublime. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has taught that our tongue is very fastidious, wants to eat this thing, that thing, this thing, that thing. Even after... We have seen. He has eaten sumptuously at home but as soon as he comes out, "Let us go to the restaurant, let us have a cup of tea, a little this or that." The tongue is always dictating. "You eat this, you eat that, you eat that, you like that." That is going on. So if you want to control your tongue, then give him Kṛṣṇa prasādam. That "I'll not accept anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa." Then your tongue becomes controlled. And if you can control your tongue, your other senses will be automatically controlled. And yogic perfection means controlling the senses. Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ. So a devotee of Kṛṣṇa is the first-class yogi. That is accepted by Kṛṣṇa.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to train people to become the topmost yogi. Topmost yogi. Because they have controlled their senses. No meat eating, no intoxication, not even smoking or drinking tea. This is yoga (indistinct). Not that simply by pressing nose one becomes yogi. Practical life. After performing yoga, "Oh, my tongue is now dry, give me one bidi. (indistinct) one bidi." That is not yoga practice, smoking gañja, bidi, intoxication, tea, and he has become a yogi. These are useless, all bogus. Yoga means he has controlled his senses. Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ.

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

And the same law is applicable in human society. A big nation is trying to swallow up a small nation. You see? This is going on. This is nature's law. Nature's law. You cannot avoid it. But there are those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious. They... It is said that śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam: "Those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are not entangled in these sinful acts." How? They are also maintaining their body. So when they are maintaining their body, they have to commit sins. They have to eat other animals or vegetables. Never mind. So how they are not committing sins? These are very intelligent questions. There is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

A devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, he does not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. Just like you take the remnants of your master. Just like servant takes the remnants of master. The master eats. In India the process is that husband and wife, that after the husband eats, the remnants are taken by the wife. The wife does not eat along with the husband. That is the old system. Now it is being changed. The husband and wife, they do not... The husband is supplied by the wife all kinds of good dishes, and when the husband is satisfied, some foodstuff is left, and that is taken by the wife. So similarly, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he does not take anything, does not accept anything, which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Because his life is full of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:

Now, just like there are recommendations of animal sacrifice. There are many different types of sacrifice. There is recommendation of animal sacrifice also in the Vedic literatures. And what is that? That is a sort of restriction to the animal-eaters. Indirectly it is restriction, but it is sanctioned also by sacrifice in the Vedas. Just like the Vedic principle says that if you want to eat flesh, don't eat flesh which is not offered in the sacrifice, which is not offered in the sacrifice.

Now, those who have been in India, perhaps you have seen the goddess Kālī. The goddess Kālī, before the goddess Kālī a goat sacrifice is offered. But the Vedic principle says that if you want to take flesh, then you must sacrifice the goat before the goddess Kālī and then you can take. And that prescription is also very difficult because on the dark moon night the goat has to be sacrifice and there are so many paraphernalia and the mantra, the hymns chanted there... The goat is, I mean to, whispered within the ear that "The man who is sacrificing you, he will be responsible for your life, and for yourself, you are going to get the next life as human being without waiting for the evolutionary process." The animals... There is an evolutionary process.

That is accepted in Darwin's theory also, anthropomorphism. What is that? Anthropology, yes. Not anthropomorphism. Anthropology. Anthropology, there is evolutionary process. So that is accepted in the Vedic literature also.

So the animal which is sacrificed, he gets immediately his evolutionary process developed and promoted from animal life to human life. But the man who is offering that sacrifice, he becomes responsible. These are therefore so many hymns in the Vedic literature. So whole idea is that by offering such sacrifices man is restricted from flesh-eating.

Similarly, there are many kinds of sacrifices they are described here. I think those descriptions may not be very elaborately described, but I will give you the idea.

Lecture on BG 4.27 -- Bombay, April 16, 1974:

There is another version that sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Jihvādau, to control the jihvā. The jihvā means the tongue. It is very difficult to control the jihvā. People do not know it, but actually this is there. Everyone becomes a servant of the senses just beginning from the tongue. They eat anything and everything. Therefore they cannot control others senses also. This is the experience of big, big yogis. Therefore in the yoga practice, yama-niyama... In the yoga practice also, it is forbidden, not to allow the tongue to eat anything and everything, no. That is not possible. Similarly, we also ask our devotees not to allow your tongue to touch anything except kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Tongue's two business: eating, tasting something, and vibrating sound. So if we can control the tongue not to touch anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, and if we do not allow the tongue to talk anything except Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then you become the greatest yogi. The greatest yogi. Simply two things. Of course, we have to eat. That's a fact. Without eating, we cannot exist. So eat. We have got so many nice things, offered to Kṛṣṇa. We offer to Kṛṣṇa all nice things.

Lecture on BG 4.27 -- Bombay, April 16, 1974:

So These senses being materially contaminated, it cannot hear what is Kṛṣṇa's holy name. Ataḥ (śrī) kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Then how to understand Kṛṣṇa? That is recommended. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. You have to engage your tongue first of all in the service of the Lord. The Kṛṣṇa realization begins from the tongue.

How? Now you simply make it a vow that "I shall not talk anything except glorifying the Lord." Then you become perfect. Very simple method. Simply you have to make this determination, that "I shall not talk anything which is not about Kṛṣṇa, and I shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa." So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching these two things specifically. We are distributing little prasādam. If we get opportunity, we can give sumptuous prasādam. We are doing that in all other centers throughout the whole world. By eating, simply by eating, one can be beloved. It doesn't require if he simply eats Kṛṣṇa prasādam. It is so nice method. So jihvādau. And hearing. This is recommended here, that ātma-saṁyama-yogāgnau. Ātmā, you have to make a determination, ātma-saṁyama, that "I shall not allow this tongue to take anything in the restaurant. But I can simply allow the tongue... "If you do this, then you become gosvāmī. That is called gosvāmī. Because we are all godāsa. Go means senses.

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

Kṛṣṇa wants to see how much you are devoted to Him. Dravya-yajña. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry that you have to offer something, very nice foodstuff. That, you must do that. But if you have no such thing in possession, you can do it within the mind. But not that you have got everything to offer... You can offer Kṛṣṇa very nice foodstuff. In that case if you think that "I can do it in mind," that is cheating. That will not be done. But in case you have nothing to offer materially, but still, you can offer in the mind. That is called vitta-sartha.(?)

Actually we have seen in many places, a rich man has got Deity. The other day we went to a place. The Deity is there, but Deity is not worshiped. Deity is not offered anything. That is not good. That man is very rich man. According to his position, one must offer prepared foodstuff, distribute prasādam, not that... Generally, the impersonalists, they do so. There are many big, big temples, big, big Deities, but the Deity is offered a little elaichianna.(?) That is not good. If you establish Deity, you must worship to the best capacity of your possession. That is Deity worship.

Lecture on BG 7.9 -- Vrndavana, August 15, 1974:

Actually, we have to think of Kṛṣṇa... Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Here is Kṛṣṇa's form. Therefore we have to worship Deity. Constantly, if we worship, then Kṛṣṇa's form is always impressed. I can see Kṛṣṇa any, any time. If I close my eyes, I will see Kṛṣṇa, how Kṛṣṇa is nicely dressed. I see Kṛṣṇa is very pleasingly eating what I have prepared with devotion, bhaktyā. Real thing is bhaktyā, not official. Not official. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). He does not accept anything even it is not offered with bhakti and by the bhakta. He does not accept. Why He shall accept? Is He hungry like me? No. He simply wants to see how you have learned to love Kṛṣṇa, bhakti, how you are eager to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is... Kṛṣṇa wants to see. Otherwise He does not require your service. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). He's always being served by hundreds and thousands of goddess of fortune. They are so much afraid. They are goddess of... We are praying here goddess of fortune, "My mother, Goddess of Fortune, give me some fortune." They are... The goddess of fortune is afraid if Kṛṣṇa may reject. Just like Rukmiṇī. When Kṛṣṇa was joking with her, she thought, "Maybe Kṛṣṇa is going to leave me." Immediately fainted. Immediately fainted. That is the goddess of fortune.

Lecture on BG 9.2-5 -- New York, November 23, 1966:

So you can feel the presence of Kṛṣṇa as we make progress in this line. Sutradi-vyapa-matram tulasī-patra ambuki-matra upakara ca. And it is very easy also. Arcanam. Arcanam. Now, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that you have to offer something out of your love. Love means you must give something. You are taking something from Kṛṣṇa. Why not give something? Is it love, simply going on taking, taking, taking, and no offering? We are taking from Kṛṣṇa so much light. We are taking from Kṛṣṇa so much air, so much water. So many things Kṛṣṇa is supplying for our subsistence, fruits, grains. Without supplied by Kṛṣṇa, you cannot have. You cannot manufacture all these things. So you must admit that God is supplying us so many things. And why not offer something? Is it love? Therefore offering is required. Love means you take and you give also. Suppose if you love somebody... You simply take from him, but you don't give. Oh, do you think it is very good? No. It is not good. That is not love. That is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything, that is simply exploitation. So love means you must take, you must give. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte, bhuṅkte bhojayate. You must eat, and you must give to eat. Simply don't go on eating kṛṣṇa-prasāda, but give something to Kṛṣṇa for eating. So that...

Lecture on BG 9.26-27 -- New York, December 16, 1966:

So He is full. He has nothing to accept from you. But He likes that you should offer Him something.

Just like a rich father. He does not like any help from the son, but if the son, after he is grown up, he is earning, and if he offers something to the father, oh, he becomes very happy. This is natural. So our connection with the supreme father is like that. He is not in want. He does not require anything from me. But it is for my interest. If I offer something, then I become a very pet son of my father. This is called bhakti. This is devotional service or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And why should we not offer? Then we are ingratitude. Suppose the father is supplying everything, and if I do not offer anything to my father is it very good business? No. So here the ultimate, even the poorest of the poorest, he can offer these four things.

Otherwise if you have got means, oh, you should prepare very nice foodstuff for the Lord. At Vṛndāvana in India there are temples still. They are spending thousands and thousands of rupees for palatable foodstuff, offering to the Deity. And those foodstuff are distributed to the, I mean to say, devotees. Not only devotees, even nondevotees come and take because by eating, one shall be devotee. Nobody shall eat... If I ask somebody, "Please come and hear Bhagavad-gītā," oh, he may not agree. But if I offer some palatable dishes, foodstuff, kṛṣṇa-prasāda, oh, everyone will accept. Everyone will accept. So that is one of the process of devotional service, that we should offer very sumptuously to the Lord, and the prasāda should be distributed. The Lord is not taking away to His abode, to His kingdom. It is for you. But if you eat and if you distribute that sort of prasādam to the public, you are doing great service and the public is getting spiritual consciousness, God consciousness. Just establish, just propagate this everywhere. In the hospital, in the charitable societies, in industrial places, everywhere distribute this prasādam and chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Just see what is the result.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:

That is material world. Material world is not spiritual world. In the spiritual world you haven't got to work, neither you have to eat. Everything is complete. But in the material world means for your maintenance you have to work. But that work is very simple. Grow some food grains and keep some cows, take the milk, and just prepare nice foodstuff and eat. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). Keep Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Deity, at home, and Kṛṣṇa is pleased even you simply offer little fruit and little flower.

So Kṛṣṇa doesn't want anything else. Kṛṣṇa does not say, "Give Me meat. Give Me eggs. Give Me fish." No. He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. So if you are devotee, you cannot take anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa... I should offer to Kṛṣṇa what He wants. Just like if you want to offer me something, so you inquire that "What shall I offer you? What do you like?" So similarly, if you invite Kṛṣṇa to live in your house or temple, then you should ask Kṛṣṇa, "Sir, what can I offer You?" Kṛṣṇa said, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa said that "You give Me patram, means vegetables, flowers, fruits, and phalam, fruits, and some liquid, water or milk." Kṛṣṇa does not say, "You give Me meat or egg or fish." No. Kṛṣṇa can eat everything, He's all powerful, but He does not eat, although He is all powerful. He can eat everything. He can eat fire. That is another thing. But because we have to take prasādam, remnants of foodstuff, Kṛṣṇa, therefore He says, "Give Me this: food grains, milk, or fruits and flowers." Prepared or unprepared, it doesn't matter. Kṛṣṇa wants that. We... So far the Vaiṣṇava is concerned, sometimes they come forward to fight with us: "Why we should be vegetarian?" No, no, we have no quarrel with the nonvegetarian. Let them eat at their risk. But because we recommend, "You take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam," therefore we must be satisfied with this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26), nothing more than that.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 27, 1973:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi yad dadāsi yat kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Yat karoṣi. Everyone is engaged in some work. Yat karoṣi. Everyone they're engaged in performing sacrifices... Juhoṣi. Everyone is liking to give in charity. He has got some money; he wants to make some charity. Dadāsi yat. Everyone is eating. Yad aśnāsi. (break) That is Kṛṣṇa. If you give me a plate, thinking that "Guru Mahārāja will keep some prasādam," I eat everything. (laughter) That's all. No prasādam. You see? You are cheated. But Kṛṣṇa will not cheat. Kṛṣṇa will eat everything and you still keep everything. So where is your loss? Why don't you offer to Kṛṣṇa? Why in the temple? Everyone can do it at home. Everyone is eating. Why not offer to Kṛṣṇa? That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Is it very difficult?

But the difficulty is that Kṛṣṇa does not eat all nonsense. And one has to eat all nonsense. So therefore they are not... They are afraid of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Yes. Because they'll be forbidden. Kṛṣṇa said, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa is limiting. He can eat everything. He can... Just like in Vṛndāvana, He swallowed the fire. So for Kṛṣṇa to eat meat is not very difficult job. He can eat, because He is Kṛṣṇa, all-powerful. But He has prescribed, that "Give Me this foodstuff." Just like if you call me at your house, you'll ask me, "What can I offer you?" So similarly, we have called Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, please come and stay with us in this temple." So therefore we must give Him food what He wants. Not whimsically. And it is clearly stated, Kṛṣṇa says, "All right. Give me patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam." Patram, vegetables; phalam, fruits; toyam, milk, water. In this way. Kṛṣṇa says, "You give Me this." So you give Him. And Kṛṣṇa says, "If it is offered with faith and love, I eat. I eat."

Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:

Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Our business is to eat... We don't say that you are vegetarian and nonvegetarian. Vegetarian or nonvegetarian, it does not make very much difference. Ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpāḥ (BG 3.13). If you eat only for yourself, for sense gratification, it doesn't matter whether you are vegetarian or nonvegetarian. You are simply eating sinful results of your life. Ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt, yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9).

So our business is, so far we are concerned, Kṛṣṇa conscious people, we are not advocates of vegetarian and nonvegetarian. Of course, vegetarianism is very good, even for health's sake. But we do not take vegetables even if it is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our principle. If Kṛṣṇa said that "You give Me nonvegetarian diet," then we can eat also. But Kṛṣṇa does not say. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). So we are preparing so many nice foodstuffs with this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. We can prepare many, many hundreds of preparation of this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, and we can offer Kṛṣṇa and then take prasādam. That is all right. The human life is not meant for sense gratification. Sense gratification—my food is Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Why shall I go to restaurant? And this is tapasya. Eating is not stopped, but don't eat anything which is not kṛṣṇa-prasādam. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you, for satisfaction of your tongue, you get money and satisfy your tongue, that is forbidden. It is said that kāmasya na indriya-prītiḥ. You have demand. You have to, demand of the body. You have to eat something. You have to sleep somewhere. You must have some sense gratification. You must protect yourself from attack of others. That is all right. But don't do all these things for sense gratification. This is the injunction of the śāstra.

Lecture on SB 1.2.32 -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1972:

Why you claim this is your property? Why you claim? Everything is belonging to Kṛṣṇa. That is your fault. So you must suffer. You are a thief. Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). Anyone who does not offer things to Kṛṣṇa before using, he's a thief. That is prasādam. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. The whole process is to accept the Supreme. So long we do not accept the Supreme, that is māyā. That is māyā. That is going on. Nobody wants to accept the Supreme everyone wants to become Supreme. Even after performing severe austerities, penances, still, they want to become one with the Supreme. This is also māyā.

Therefore Bhāgavata says, vimukta-māninaḥ. They are thinking that after undergoing such severe austerities and penances, now he has become God. That is māyā. He does not know. He's not God. But he claims like that, falsely. This is the cause of his suffering. Nobody can be..., can become God or equal to God. That is not possible. The same quotation: ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Only the Supreme God, Supreme Person, Īśvara, supreme controller, is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). You are, why you are, rascal, trying to become Bhagavān, God? This is māyā. He does not know. He's thinking that "I have become God." This is māyā. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ means his intelligence is not yet cleansed. It's still dirty. Although he has undergone good austerities, penances or taken sannyāsa, but the mind is dirty. Mind is dirty. So that will not help. The whole process is ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. We have to cleanse our heart. We have to understand our position. Then it will be successful.

Lecture on SB 1.7.47-48 -- Vrndavana, October 6, 1976:

Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja said, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). Because my father has done so much injustice unto me, so Kṛṣṇa wanted to give him benediction. But he refused. "No. I do not require anything. I am quite happy. I don't want anything. And in exchange of my service... Because I have done some work as Vaiṣṇava, it is my duty..." Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). "It is my duty as a servant. I have tolerated all tribulations offered by my father. I was never disturbed. I preached amongst my class friends. Whatever possible I have done. But that does not mean I want some benefit. No. I am not a bāniyā, vaṇik. Sa vai vaṇik. So do not offer my any benediction. I am quite satisfied." So the question may be that "You are satisfied in spite of undergoing so much trouble? Still, you are...?" "Yes, I am satisfied. Yes, I am satisfied." "How?" Tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ. "Because I have learned by the grace of Nārada Muni how to chant Your holy name." That's it. Tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta. "This chanting of Your glorification is mahāmṛta, a great nectarean." Tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ. "My cittaḥ, my consciousness, is always absorbed in the thought of Your glorification. Therefore I am not at all unhappy." "You are not unhappy in spite of so much tribulation given by your father?" "Yes. I'm not at all." This is Vaiṣṇava. He cannot be unhappy. We see that Prahlāda Mahārāja was put into so much trouble by his father. Even, even this Draupadī, she was put into so much trouble-immediately, her sons are killed. But she is, actually she is not unhappy. This is Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava cannot be unhappy in any circumstances.

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

Therefore you... The ācārya will pick up that "They are meant for becoming brāhmaṇas. They are meant for kṣatriyas." Or for coming from kṣatriya family, or the brāhmaṇa family... So first of all, these varṇas, then āśrama. The brāhmaṇa, one who is qualified as a brāhmaṇa, he has to observe the four āśramas, a brāhmaṇa: the brahmacārī-āśrama, the gṛhastha-āśrama, the vānaprastha-āśrama and sannyāsa-āśrama. The kṣatriya, they'll have to observe three āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha and vānaprastha. And the vaiśyas, two āśramas: brahmacārī and gṛhastha. And śūdra, only one āśrama, only gṛhastha. A śūdra is never offered sannyāsa. A... Only the brāhmaṇa is offered.

So in Śaṅkara-sampradāya, strictly, unless one is born in brāhmaṇa family, he's not offered sannyāsa. He's not given sannyāsa. So far we are concerned, we also offer sannyāsa to the brāhmaṇa, not to the śūdras. But according to quality we create brāhmaṇa, not that we are offering sannyāsa to the śūdras, No. The principle is: sannyāsa can be offered only to the brāhmaṇas. So one may not mistake that we are offering to the..., offering sannyāsa to the mlecchas, yavanas, as they complain. Some of my Godbrothers, they criticize like that, that I am offering sannyāsa to the mlecchas, yavanas. This is wrong idea. This is nārakī-buddhi. Actually, a Vaiṣṇava is above this varṇāśrama-dharma. But we don't claim that we have become perfect Vaiṣṇava. We are not so impudent. We want to remain under the Vaiṣṇava. Under the Vaiṣṇava. Otherwise Vaiṣṇava means... In Caitanya-caritāmṛta you'll find the Vaiṣṇava is paramahaṁsa. Vaiṣṇava has no saffron cloth. Vaiṣṇava is white cloth because Vaiṣṇava is paramahaṁsa, above. But we don't claim the position of Vaiṣṇava. We want to remain servant of Vaiṣṇava. Therefore sannyāsa order is below the position of Vaiṣṇava. Sannyāsa order means still in the material classification. But this Vaiṣṇava is paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmat... (SB 1.1.2). This Vaiṣṇavism is meant for paramo nirmatsarāṇām, paramahaṁsa. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26).

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Los Angeles, May 6, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa has no such thing. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. There is no distinction, material and spiritual.

So even we offer Kṛṣṇa prayer with broken languages, because Kṛṣṇa is Absolute, Kṛṣṇa will accept it. Bhāva-grāhī, bhāva-grāhī-janārdana. Janārdana, Kṛṣṇa, sees how much your heart is pure for serving Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa does not see the wording, the grammatical composition of your prayer. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said... When other demigods were afraid of approaching Nṛsiṁha-deva, so Brahmā requested Prahlāda that "You offer prayer." So Brahmā's prayer is very..., Prahlāda Mahārāja's prayer... So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "What prayer I shall offer to the Supreme Lord? Such big, big demigods like Brahmā and others, they are present here. Even goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, is present here. They are afraid or they could not offer proper prayers to Kṛṣṇa, Nṛsiṁha-deva, to pacify Him. He's very angry. So everyone is afraid." So Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "I am born in a low family. My father is Hiraṇyakaśipu. So how I can offer prayer? If big, big demigods could not offer prayer and satisfy the Lord, so what I can do?"

This is humbleness of Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava is so humble. He is induced, he's ordered by Brahmā, that "You offer prayer. Your prayer will be accepted." So then Prahlāda Mahārāja considering that viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābha-pādāravinda-vimukhāt: "I can understand this, that Kṛṣṇa is not satisfied by the prayers of a brāhmaṇa who is qualified with twelve nice qualities. Kṛṣṇa is satisfied simply by devotion. I can understand. Because all these big, big demigods headed by Brahmā, they could not... They are asking me. That means Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied simply by bhakti."

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

Nature's law is there. Although one animal is meant for by another these animals, they use their discrimination by nature's law. Tigers will never come to your garden to eat fruits and vegetables. No. By nature, they have got teeth and jaws to kill another animal. They want to eat, drink blood, fresh blood. Nature has given them all the provisions for that. Similarly, we human beings, this is scientific. Our teeth are meant for eating fruits. That is one Dr. Cooney, in your Germany. He said that... And actually, if you eat fruits and milk, you will have never any kind of sickness. That's a fact. So they're also life.

So we should use our discrimination. We... We, our only business is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So under Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we cannot eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa says: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You give me meat, eggs and fish." Kṛṣṇa does not say. When you have got Kṛṣṇa as your guest... Kṛṣṇa has come very kindly to be handled by you. He's unlimited. But He has agreed to become limited by your limited hands. This is Kṛṣṇa, this arcā-vigraha. Arcā-vigraha. If Kṛṣṇa, if you want to handle Kṛṣṇa is His gigantic universal form, you have no capacity. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa has become very small, and He's giving you chance to serve Him, to dress Him, to wash Him, to offer Him foodstuff, to offer ārātrika. Kṛṣṇa is giving these chances. So whatever Kṛṣṇa says. He's your guest. He has come very kindly. He says, "Give Me such kind of food." It is your duty to give such food. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalam... You cannot say, "Kṛṣṇa, this is also nice food, eggs and fish." No. That you cannot do.

Lecture on SB 1.15.35 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa worship is so easy, universal. Other worshiping method you have to collect so many things, then you can worship. Or you must have temple, you must have church, you must have worshiping place. But Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. And you can collect this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalam anywhere. You can worship Kṛṣṇa anywhere, but you have to learn how to worship. What is that learning? Bhaktyā, that is the method. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). This patraṁ puṣpam is not important thing. The important thing is bhakti, devotion. That is wanted. Without bhakti, if you offer Kṛṣṇa very big plate, Kṛṣṇa is not hungry to take your food. He'll not accept it. He'll not accept anything if you do not offer with your love, bhaktyā, love and serving spirit: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are so opulent. I have nothing to offer You because You have got everything. But I have tried to collect these things to my best power, so I am offering You. Kindly take it." This is mantra. This is mantra. Don't require much mantra. That meekness, that humbleness, "Kṛṣṇa, I am most insignificant. I have nothing to give You, neither You are very much hungry or You... You have got many, many..." Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). Kṛṣṇa is served by the goddess of fortune, not one, many millions. Here we are praying to goddess of fortune, "My dear goddess of fortune, kindly give me little fortune. I am very poor." That is our position. We are praying. But Kṛṣṇa's position is that lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam. The goddess of fortune is praying Kṛṣṇa. Just like the gopīs, they are all goddess of fortune. "Kṛṣṇa, kindly take little service..." This is the position.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1969:

So this king, being tired, being thirsty, entered the home of a sage, and he was in meditation. So the king called him. Because he was king, so he is habituated to order. A king is not supposed to submit, although they submitted to great sages and brāhmaṇas. But generally, their spirit is ordering, commanding spirit. So he commanded, "Give me a glass of water. I am very thirsty." So that sage, who was in meditation, could not hear him. The king became little angry, that "I am your guest. I am king. I am asking you water, and you are not hearing me. You are in your meditation." So he became little disgusted, and there was a dead snake. So he took that dead snake and got it round about the neck of the sage and went away in disgust, that "This sage did not offer me even a glass of water." Because, according to Vedic system, if somebody comes in your home, even if he is enemy, it is the injunction of the Vedas: gṛhaṁ śatrum api prāptaṁ viśvastam akuto 'bhayam. When a person comes at your home, never mind even if he's enemy... Friend is welcome, that's all right. But even an enemy comes, they are not forbidden. Not that in the gate there is, oh, "Beware of dog," "No trespasser allowed." No. There was no restriction. Even enemy was admitted, "Come on." So gṛhaṁ śatrum api prāptaṁ viśvastam akuto 'bhayam. Even an enemy enters your house, you'll receive him in such a friendly way that he will forget that you are his enemy. That was the system. So because Mahārāja Parīkṣit was king, he saw that there is negligence of this disciplinary action. "I became... I was king, and I was thirsty. I became his guest, I came..." Athiti. This guest is called athiti. Athiti means there are some guests who give notice before, prior to coming there, and some guests come without any notice. So the guest who comes without any notice, he's called athiti.

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

So taking this calculation, even Kapiladeva was twenty-five years old, He was quite able to take charge of His mother Devahūti. So He knew that "Father left My mother in My charge, and therefore I must take charge of My mother and keep her always pleased." Mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā. This... The boy is not irresponsible. He is always ready to please His mother. Here we have given these pictures in this Bhāgavatam. Here Kapiladeva in a brahmacārī dress, and mother is taking lesson from the son. Now, sometimes it is asked, "How the mother will take lesson from the son?" That is the prerogative of the male. Strī... In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32), striyaḥ... Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyāḥ. A woman is considered in the level of śūdra. Although a woman is married with a brāhmaṇa, the woman is not offered the sacred thread. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is also accepted like that by the Supreme Personality... Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrāḥ. And another place it is said that Mahābhārata was compiled by Vyāsadeva because the direct Vedic knowledge is not understandable... Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). Trayī means Vedic literature. They cannot understand. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām: women, and the śūdras, and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means born in a brāhmaṇa family, but not qualified as brāhmaṇa. They are called not brāhmaṇa. They are called dvija-bandhu.

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

We require our, I mean to say, maintenance of life and soul. That is, that is a fact. But tena tyaktena bhuñjīthāḥ. You enjoy everything which is given to you as prasādam, as remnants, as mercy. This is Vaiṣṇava life. Vaiṣṇava life means they do not... What is this temple? The temple is they are being trained up how to accept the remnants of foodstuff of Kṛṣṇa. We don't cook for ourself. If we cook for ourself, then, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt, bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpāḥ (BG 3.13). They are simply eating sinful things.

And people are doing that. They do not offer to Kṛṣṇa, and they eat whatever they like. The result is that you have misused this opportunity of human life, to understand Kṛṣṇa and go back to home, back to Godhead, so that you'll be happy eternally. You'll be freed from this entanglement of bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). You enjoy one duration of life; again you have to give it up. Then you accept another duration of life. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate. This human life is meant for getting rid of this business, taking birth and dying, taking birth and dying. This is meant. This is... This opportunity's given, but if you do not use it properly, you use it as cats and dogs and hogs, then the..., by nature's law, you will get the body next life cats and dogs and hogs. You eat even stool. Because you had no discrimination in eating, the "All right, you can now eat..." the pig's body, hog's body you get, and eat even up to stool. That opportunity is given. And you have sex life with your mother and sister. You see hog's life. They have no sex discrimination. They do not discriminate, "It is..., she is my mother," or "She is my sister." No. So this is hog's life. Therefore śāstra says that "Don't be foolish to lead a life like hogs." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The material civilization should not be like that. What is that?

Lecture on SB 3.25.44 -- Bombay, December 12, 1974:

Sometimes foolish people question us that "You are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. Why you do not worship Rāma?" Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference. But anyone has got his liking. Just like Hanumān has liking to worship Lord Rāmacandra, and the gopīs had the liking to worship Kṛṣṇa. That does not make any difference. It is like... Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa, the Lord, appears in different way. Sometimes the gopīs... The Kṛṣṇa went away from the gopīs, and the gopīs were searching out Kṛṣṇa. So in some place Kṛṣṇa was sitting in the Viṣṇu form. So the gopīs passed through that Deity, and they did not offer much respect. "Oh, He is Viṣṇu. All right, namaskāra." Because they wanted to see Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, but every devotee has got some inclination, love Kṛṣṇa. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). So therefore Kṛṣṇa is all-pervading in different mūrtis. Therefore in the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya some of them, they worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and some of them worship Sītā-Rāma. And some of them worship Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. Some of them worship Rukmiṇī-Kṛṣṇa. There are so many devotees. But all of them are the same, Vaiṣṇava. All of them are the... But not demigods. Viṣṇu. So chanting, bhakti-yoga means to chant Viṣṇu. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). And Viṣṇu has got so many forms. So either you chant Hare Rāma or you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is the same. There is no difference. Sometimes they first of all place "Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare." And sometimes they place "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa..." There is no difference. Sometimes they say, "No, it should be Hare Rāma first." Sometimes they..., "No, Hare Kṛṣṇa." But that is not very important, childish. Any, either you say Hare Rāma or Hare Kṛṣṇa, the same. So this is to be done. Tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena.

Lecture on SB 3.26.18 -- Bombay, December 27, 1974:

So nobody can become Caitanya Mahāprabhu's guru, but He was playing the part. He was questioning, and Rāmānanda Rāya was replying. So just imagine how his position was exalted. So he was little hesitating, and when very intricate questions were put before him... He was quite able to answer. He was answering. So he was feeling little hesitation, "Sir, You are coming out of a very high brāhmaṇa family and the most learned personality, and now You have taken sannyāsa, the supermost position in the human society."

Sannyāsa is very respectable position. Still it is honored in India. Anyone where a sannyāsī goes, at least in the villages, they offer respectful obeisances and gives all kinds of comforts, still now. According to śāstra, it is said if a sannyāsī is not offered respect or duly honored, the punishment is the man should fast at least one day. This is Vedic system. But there are many sannyāsīs taking advantage of this, so we are not concerned. Neither Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a false sannyāsī. He was real sannyāsī. And he was also real gṛhastha, Rāmānanda Rāya. So he was feeling little hesitation. To encourage him, Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately said, "No, no. Why you are feeling hesitation? Why you are feeling inferior? You are guru." "Now, how I am guru?" "Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128)." Because to become a knower of Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary position. Yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). One who has known Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary man. Yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). He is above all the siddhas even. "So why you are hesitating? You know kṛṣṇa-tattva; therefore I am asking from you." So this is the position.

Lecture on SB 5.5.28 -- Vrndavana, November 15, 1976:

He not only worships the Deity wholeheartedly... That is prema. Īśvare prema. But beyond that, tad adhīneṣu—he knows how to respect the devotees, tad adhīneṣu, īśvara adhīneṣu. That means other devotees. Then he becomes madhyama-adhikārī. If he simply takes care of the Deity worship and if he does not offer respectful behavior to another devotee, he is kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. He is in the lower stage. So īśvare tad adhīneṣu. He must see that "Here is a devotee." He must have power to see that "Here is a devotee."

So how to deal with devotee? Maitrī: to make friendship with him. Īśvare prema. And to the devotees, friendship; not with others, friendship. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised. When He was asked by a gṛhastha devotee how to behave like a Vaiṣṇava, what is the behavior of a Vaiṣṇava, He immediately answered that the standard Vaisnavism is asat-saṅga-tyāga,—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra: (CC Madhya 22.87) "He must give up the company of asat, nondevotees." Asato mā sad gamaḥ. Don't associate with nondevotee. If you want to make progress, don't associate. Associate does not mean to talk with a nondevotee is association. No. That we have to do. As gentlemen, as devotee, we can. But not intimately. Associate means dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. These are intimate relationship, dealing: giving something to your friend, accepting something from your friend, feeding your friend, accept food from him, and disclose your mind to your friend, and understand his mind. Ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. So with devotee we should deal in six ways, ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti. Īśvare prema tad-adhīneṣu maitrī. This is friendly behavior. And kṛpa bāliśeṣu.

Lecture on SB 5.5.33 -- Vrndavana, November 20, 1976:

It is not so easy to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth. It requires time. He... Not all of a sudden you can understand. But if you stick to devotional service, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234), then He reveals. When you engage your tongue... It is also wonderful. To understand Kṛṣṇa, you require your tongue. Generally we understand by seeing or by hearing. Hearing is there, but here it is recommended tongue, especially. Why tongue is used? Because if you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa by your tongue and taste Kṛṣṇa prasādam, you will understand Kṛṣṇa. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. If you make it a promise that "I shall not talk anything except Kṛṣṇa's message," and if you promise that "I shall not take anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," these two things, this prasādam and chanting, will make you perfect to understand Kṛṣṇa. In another place Kṛṣṇa says, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. This is yoga, bhakti-yoga. How easy it is. There are so many yogas, but if you practice bhakti-yoga you become first-class yogi.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

So it is very easy, bhakti-yoga. It is not at all difficult. You haven't got to strain your body as in other haṭha-yoga practice you have to very undergo hardship, to sit in a particular posture, in a particular place. These things are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Not that you become yogi in a fashionable city as you'll find nowadays, yoga-āśrama signboard in a fashionable house, and you show some gymnastic, you become a yogi and get some money. Not that. This is bhakti-yoga, begins from jihva. Exercise your jihva, tongue; then you become a perfect yogi.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1970:

What do you mean by nature? Nature means an energy which is acting under the direction of God. That is nature. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Prakṛti means nature. Don't take that the nature is producing without the active cooperation of the Supreme Lord, puruṣa. Just like when a woman has got a child, produced a child, you must know that she had connection with a man, the puruṣa. So it is common sense.

So this offering of foodstuff to the Deity, Kṛṣṇa or God, is very nice. "My Lord, You have given me so nice foodstuff to eat; so You first of all taste, and then we shall take." It is a gratitude. You haven't got even any gratitude to express. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). Anyone who does not offer foodstuff to the Personality of Godhead, he is thief. He is thief. And yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. And if you take foodstuff offered to the Deity, then you get rid of all sinful activities. Mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ and bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). Ātma-kāraṇāt means self satisfaction or sense gratification. We are eating. Everyone is eating; we are also eating. The difference is somebody is eating for sense gratification and somebody is eating for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. So if you simply acknowledge that "My dear Lord..." Just like a son, if he acknowledges the benefits derived from the father, how much the father is satisfied, "Oh, here is a very good son." The father is supplying everything, but if the son says, "My dear father, you are so kind to me that you are supplying such nice things. I thank you," the father becomes very much pleased. Father does not want that thanks, but it is natural. Father does not care for such thanks. His duty he is supplying. But if the son feels thankful for the father's benefit, the father is especially satisfied.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 and Room Conversation -- Bombay, November 15, 1970:

Prabhupāda: Temple we have to construct. But for that construction, temple, they will pay. But for residential and other buildings and maintenance we have to arrange. That's not a bad proposal. It is very nice proposal. They are giving us land, giving us a temple. And we can raise funds and construct as we increase men. In the meantime we can manage the temple. It is good proposal. Open it. Somebody is knocking. Keep it open. No, don't keep it ope... Yes, open, open. Keep it open like that. Yes. Another thing: that Gopāla is not offered sacred thread? You were not doubly initiated? So he can be initiated doubly. And Bruce, what it is? He is not going to be initiated?

Yamunā: I'll have to ask him (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: Huh? No, you can ask later on. He is now practiced to our habits. So he can be initiated, yes. There is sufficient place. You can sit down here. (break) (Hindi) You can sit down behind the women. Aiye, aiye, (Hindi) Come. Come on forward. Come forward. (Hindi) Now the difficulty is if I speak in English, most probably the ladies will not be able to understand. And if I speak in Hindi, then these...

Guest (2): (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Huh? Speak in English? You can do one thing. You can translate. Huh? That will be nice. So you come here. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt.

Guest (2): The Sanskrit... I don't read Sanskrit.

Prabhupāda: No, I will speak in English.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- New Vrindaban, June 25, 1976:

That is avidyā-jāl, a network of ignorance. Śarīra avidyā-jāl, and the senses are our greatest enemies. Unless we control the senses, we are put into this avidyā-jāl, network of... And out of all the senses, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says tār madhye jihvā-jihvā means tongue-jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati. It is very greedy. Jihvā, to control the tongue. To control the senses means begin with the controlling the tongue. That is also very difficult job. So therefore to control the tongue, best thing is to take kṛṣṇa prasādam. First of all, offer to Kṛṣṇa and then take. Tāra madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati tā'ke jetā koṭhina soṁsāre. Kṛṣṇa boḍa-doyāmoy kori bare jihvā joy. At least if we take it as a vow that "I shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," that will help us. Kṛṣṇa boḍa-doyāmoy, kori bare jihvā joy svaprasād ānna dilā bhāi.

So with the tongue begins spiritual life. If we restrict our tongue not to talk uselessly, simply talk of Kṛṣṇa, or chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, read Kṛṣṇa books, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and when you are hungry, take Kṛṣṇa prasādam, then it will be possible. You can control the tongue. And if you can control the tongue, then you can control other senses very easily. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has given a very easy formula, tār madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati tā'ke jetā koṭhina soṁsāre kṛṣṇa boḍa-doyāmoy, kori, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that from Vaikuṇṭha He has come here in this remote village of America. He's so kind, just to accept your service. Don't think that "Here is a doll." No. Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, on the request of devotee, He has come. You should always remember this, that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, personally present." Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu...

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 7.9.40 -- Mayapur, March 18, 1976:

So if you talk of Kṛṣṇa, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and if you give prasādam, the tongue will be controlled. This is our program, that let everyone chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and let everyone take Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Then the jihvā will be controlled. Here the jihvā is so formidable, the first jihvā is mentioned. So if you can control your tongue, then you can control your belly also. Because without control of the tongue... If you lock up, that "I shall not accept anything except prasādam," so if you go on the street and if you see hundreds and thousands of restaurant, you'll not be allured. "No more chop cutlet, finished, because I cannot take anything without being offered to Kṛṣṇa." So automatically it becomes controlled. If we take this vow, that "I shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa..." Naturally Kṛṣṇa does not take any chop cutlet, so you cannot offer it. Kṛṣṇa personally says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). So you have to prepare foodstuff for Kṛṣṇa from patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ, nothing else. Although He can eat... Kṛṣṇa can eat fire also or anything, all devour. But Kṛṣṇa prescribes for us that "You can give Me this in bhakti, with devotion and faith, then you'll be benefited." If Kṛṣṇa eats from your hand, then your life is successful. If Kṛṣṇa accepts any bit of service from you, then your life is successful. Immediately you become liberated, because bhakti is not for the conditioned soul. As soon as... Kṛṣṇa therefore adds this word. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry for eating anything from your hand. He's not hungry. But He wants to teach you how to become a bhakta. Mad-bhaktaḥ. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. He wants you to become His devotee. Then your life's problem is solved.

Lecture on SB 7.12.6 -- Bombay, April 17, 1976:

"Take a cigarette, take a cigarette," and immediately I begin to smoke. That means I am dictated by the tongue. Then tongue, then belly. The belly is filled up, and still, there is some nice food stuff—"All right, let me eat." Control, cannot control. And then genital. That, we know very well, we cannot control. This straight line: tongue, belly, and the genitals. Therefore one should control the tongue first. That is spiritual life, beginning, controlling the tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). The controlling of the senses begins from the tongue. If you allow the tongue to eat anything in the restaurant or anywhere, then you cannot become the jitendriya. And if you can control the tongue—"My dear tongue, I shall not give you any food which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa prasādam"—then the tongue is controlled. And kṛṣṇa-prasādam means patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). If you want to offer Kṛṣṇa something, we must know what Kṛṣṇa wants to eat. Just like if you call a friend, you ask him, "My dear friend, what do you like to eat?" Then it is etiquette. And that is going on. Similarly, you have invited Kṛṣṇa here. He has come. Don't think He has not come. He is here, sākṣād vrajendra-nandana-hari. The atheist may say, "Oh, these rascals are worshiping a stone," but that is not the fact. We are not spending so much energy and money for installing a stone. Stone is already there. Therefore it is forbidden, arcye śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matiḥ. If you think the Deity as śilā, means stone, and guruṣu nara-matiḥ, if you think guru as ordinary human being, vaisnave jati-buddhi, and if you think a Vaiṣṇava, "He is American Vaiṣṇava. He is Indian Vaiṣṇava," jāti-buddhi nārakī—you become nārakī immediately. These are the descriptions.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1972:

Now, because the frog, crowing, (imitates frog sound:) "caw a kronh, caw ka kronh," that means inviting the snake. The snake cannot see where is the frog, but by hearing the sound, crowing sound, the snake can understand, "Here is my food." So his crowing sound will be stopped as soon it is swallowed up by the snake. Similarly, we have got this tongue, human body. It is not the cat's tongue or dog's tongue or tiger's tongue or hog's tongue. It is the human being tongue. So this should be engaged for Kṛṣṇa's service by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare... This is... The tongue is being used. And tasting Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. If we simply, if you do not read any śāstra, if you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the tongue is... And simply we do not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. If we take this vow, that "My tongue should be used only for Kṛṣṇa..., by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra... And chanting, chanting, when I become hungry, I take some little prasādam..."

Actually, that was the original process of paramahaṁsas, Gosvāmīs. They used to... Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. Their tongue was always used for Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975:

This mission we are preaching all over the world because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted it. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to deliver the fallen souls from the clutches of māyā and take them back to home, back to Godhead. As Kṛṣṇa came, He also... His mission was this. Bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam ādigacchati. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma (BG 15.6). He is also giving information, "You come to Me. Live there eternally, with bliss and knowledge. Why you are rotting in this material world?" So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has come with the same mission. His mission is not different from Kṛṣṇa because He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. So His mission is to offer prema, bhakti. Prema-bhakti-vadānyatā. That is His magnanimity. Śrī Kṛṣṇa did not offer prema. That is also prema, the preliminary condition. He said surrender. Surrender means beginning of prema. Unless I have got love for you, why shall I surrender to you? So that is the beginning of love, surrender. So He demanded so much. But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so kind and magnanimous that in course of His chanting and dancing, He embraced everyone and gave him Kṛṣṇa-prema. That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's magnanimity. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has offered his prayer to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "People cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, and You are giving love of Kṛṣṇa." If you don't know anybody, how you can develop love for him? So just imagine how much magnanimous is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is giving such a nice process, that chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, be purified—immediately you become free from this material bondage and begin your loving service to Kṛṣṇa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's gift.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.49-65 -- San Francisco, February 3, 1967:

Now, just see the behavior of Lord Caitanya. Although He was not in agreement with the other party, still, because they were sannyāsīs, renounced order of life, Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered His respect by bowing down before them. It is the duty of everyone, not only between the sannyāsī and sannyāsī. It is the custom of Vedic system. As soon as one would see a sannyāsī, at once he should offer his respect. If he does not offer his respect, then it is enjoined that he should fast one day as punishment. He should not eat. "Oh, I saw a sannyāsī, but I did not offer my respect. Therefore the penance should be that I should fast one day." This is the injunction. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He was God Himself, but His behavior and His etiquette was excellent. At once He saw the sannyāsīs, He offered His respect. Pāda prakṣālana kari vasilā sei sthāne. And it is the system that when one comes from outside, he has to wash his feet before he enters room, especially for the sannyāsīs. So He washed His feet and sat down outside where the other sannyāsīs were sitting, a little off, just the place where He washed His feet.

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

"Oh, who can be greater than me? I can think myself. Why? What is the necessity of a spiritual master? I can become a religious leader, I can become such and such, or..." This is our mentality.

So this mentality should be sacrificed first, before going to a spiritual master. First of all you have to select who can be your spiritual master. That requires some knowledge. Or you have to behave with a person to understand, "Whether he is fit to become my spiritual master?" Then you should offer yourself to be a student. That is the process, not that all of a sudden you shall go to a person, "Oh, please accept me as your..." No. You should first of all try to understand whether he is actually fit. Then offer yourself. So just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, when he first saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he did not offer himself, but when he heard from Caitanya Mahāprabhu and he understood, "Yes, it is very nice thing. So I should now retire from service, and I should wholly devote to Caitanya Mahāprabhu," so he left his very lucrative job, ministership, and just like a very poor man he approached to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he's placing, submitted himself as blank slate, that "These are my qualifications. Please accept me."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.14-20 -- New York, January 10, 1967:

Tapasvino dāna-parā yaśa..., manasvinaḥ. Manasvinaḥ means mental speculators, philosophers, thinking, high thinkers, great thinkers. So these are worldly, great men. Who? One who performs great penance, one who is very charitably disposed, one who is very famous, one who is very mentally advanced, he can think nice things, writes philosophical thesis, write nice poetry. Manasvinaḥ. These are the products of great mind. Manasvino mantra-vidaḥ. Mantra-vidaḥ means the chanters of Vedic hymns. Mantra-vidaḥ sumaṅgalāḥ. These things are all nice, auspicious. These things are all... But kṣemaṁ na vindanti vinā yad-arpaṇam. But these things cannot... By these things you cannot alone have success unless it is not offered to the Supreme Lord. Your good qualification should be engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord. Then you get the desired result. And our Howard's mother has written very nicely that if you talk of Kṛṣṇa, then you enjoy yourself, and you give enjoyment to many others. And if you talk of man (mammon?), then you can create some, I mean to say... What is the exact word she has used? Noise. You can create some noise for some time.

So if you are a good writer, if you are a good thinker, then just think of Kṛṣṇa and write. Then it will please you and it will please all others. Our Back to Godhead is for that purpose. And if you write some fiction, you can please some men and create some noise for some time in the world, but it will be useless after some time. Just like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Five thousand years before it was written; it is still giving light. It is because it is Kṛṣṇa-kathā. And within your experience, so many nice novelists and poets came and gone. Nobody cares for them. So you can create noise. Very nice word she has used—I'm very pleased—that by writing such things you can create a noise in the world for some time, but it will mix in the..., it will go in the oblivion. So everything should be engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the perfection of everything.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, May 4, 1970:

"To come back to Me, that is the highest perfection of life. He does not come to this miserable world." So we should be careful not to eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, prasādam. That should be determination. We cannot purchase things from the market and eat. No. That is not possible. We cannot eat. We can simply eat such things which are offered to the Deity, Kṛṣṇa. That is yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ. Even if we have committed some sin, by eating this prasādam we counteract it. Mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Yajña-śiṣṭa. Aśiṣṭa means the remnants of foodstuff after offering yajña. If one eats, then mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Because our life is sinful, so we become, I mean to say, freed from the sinful activities. How it is? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: (BG 18.66) "If you surrender unto Me, then I'll give you protection from all sinful reactions." So if you make it a vow that "I shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," that means it is a surrender. You surrender to Kṛṣṇa, that "My dear Lord, I shall not eat anything which is not offered to You." That's vow. That vow is surrender. And because there is surrender, you are protected from the sinful reaction.

Festival Lectures

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:

"Do this" means rise early in the morning, maṅgala-āratrika. Of course, you must sleep, but not sleep like cats and dogs, animals. Simply sleeping means waste of time. The more you reduce sleeping, then you become perfect. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. All the gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, they conquered over these things. What is these things? Nidrā, sleeping; āhāra, eating; and vihāra, and sense pleasure. This is called sannyāsa life, reducing sleeping, reducing eating. This is pravṛtti-mārga. We think "If I can eat voraciously like an elephant, then my life is successful." No. That is not success of life. If you can do without any food, that is successful. That is success. This is called nivṛtti-mārga, but that is not practical; therefore if we promise that we shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, that is tapasya. If you don't go to the restaurant and eat anything nonsense, that is pravṛtti. But if you want to stop that restaurant-going, then you take Kṛṣṇa prasādam; kṛṣṇa borā dayā moy kori bāre jihvā joy sva-prasāda-anna dilo bhāi. Kṛṣṇa is ready, so many nice, palatable dishes; you take and stop this restaurant-going. This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa does not say "Bring something from the restaurant" or this or that. He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: anything, little leaf, little flower, little water. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry, but Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has come to you, so that you can touch Him, you can dress Him, you can decorate Him, you can offer Him, you can live with Him as servant, as friend, as son, as lover. In so many ways, Kṛṣṇa is giving you chance.

Initiation Lectures

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

This is the definition given by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, that to become a devotee of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa, one has to follow the principles of śruti and smṛti, and pāñcarātriki-vidhi. Especially in this age, Kali-yuga, there is no Vedic vidhi. Because Vedic vidhi is lost. Formerly, initiation was offered to a person who is actually born of a brāhmaṇa father. Otherwise... Or the higher caste, the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas, they were offered initiation, and the śūdras were not offered. That was the Vedic system. But in this age the śāstra says that kalau śūdra sambhava. In this age of Kali practically there is no more any brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, or vaiśya. Maybe by name, but in qualification they are not existing. Everyone is supposed to be śūdra. So in Kali-yuga the pāñcarātriki-vidhi is accepted. The pāñcarātriki-vidhi is also Vedic vidhi, corollary, given by Nārada Mahāmuni. But it is accepted by the Vedic followers, pāñcarātriki-vidhi.

Initiation of Satyabhama Dasi and Gayatri Initiation of Devotees Going to London -- Montreal, July 26, 1968:

So these ten kinds of offenses should be avoided and at least sixteen rounds you must chant. All the Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, they had a limited, not limited, a number, fixed, that "So many times I shall chant." So we are offering only minimum of sixteen rounds. That, it will take, sixteen rounds, it will take about, utmost, three hours. So you should... Out of twenty-four hours, you should engage at least three hours for chanting. So then this is the beginning of initiation, and those who have chanted at least for one year, then the next initiation is to offer him Gāyatrī mantra. Some of the students, boys and girls, will be offered this Gāyatrī mantra. And when the Gāyatrī mantra is offered men, they are offered also sacred thread, and girls, they are not offered sacred thread. If their husband is a brāhmaṇa, she automatically becomes brāhmaṇa because wife is considered to be the half, better half. She is the better portion. So she automatically becomes better brāhmaṇa (laughter). So better brāhmaṇa does not require any thread. There is a Bengali proverb, ya va nauket poiyete darkana naya (?). The proverb is that in India if one has got sacred thread, he is immediately understood that he must be belonging to the higher caste, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, or vaiṣya. But if somebody knows that he is brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya, he doesn't require to show the sacred thread. Similarly, the wives of brāhmaṇa is already known that he (she) is brāhmaṇa, so she does not require to show the sacred thread. So don't be sorry because you will not be offered the sacred thread. That's all right.

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

So ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. So Kṛṣṇa's name and Kṛṣṇa is not different. Therefore, as soon as my tongue touches the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, that means immediately it associates with Kṛṣṇa. So if you constantly keep yourself associated with Kṛṣṇa by chanting this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, then just imagine how you are being easily purified simply by this process, chanting, jihvādau, engaging the tongue in chanting. And your tongue wants very palatable dishes to taste. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He has given you hundreds and thousands of palatable dishes, remnants of foodstuff eaten by Him. You eat. In this way, if you simply make it a determination that "I shall not allow my tongue to taste anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, and I shall engage my tongue always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa," then all perfection is within your hold. All perfection. Two simple things: Don't eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Our Kṛṣṇa prasādam are so variegated, nice varieties... The variety is the mother of enjoyment. How much enjoyment you want with your tongue? You can have simply by eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam. And the more your tongue is purified, the more you relish the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Relish. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. It is stated by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that it increases the ocean of bliss, transcendental bliss. Ocean does not increase. We have no experience within this material world. If ocean would have increased, then all the lands would have been swallowed up many long, long years ago. Ocean does not increase. But this ocean, transcendental bliss, is increasing. Some of you must have experienced, those who are actually relishing. The authorities like Rūpa Gosvāmī, he says that "What I shall chant with one tongue? If I would have millions of tongues, then I could chant a little more. And what I shall hear with two ears?"

Initiation Lecture -- Boston, December 26, 1969:

Kṛṣṇa says, "No. Give Me patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26)." Kṛṣṇa can eat everything. He is God. But He says that "Give Me this." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. "Offer Me this flower, fruit, water. Like that." So we are after Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. That is our motto. We don't fight with vegetarian and non... We are not making propaganda... Just like there is vegetarian society. No. We have no business. Even if a man becomes vegetarian, what does he gain? In this material world, either vegetarian or nonvegetarian, they are on the same platform, birds of the same feather. You see? So that is not our propaganda. We are introducing Kṛṣṇa-prasāda; therefore we invite people to take nice prasāda. So these four principles we should follow. We shall not accept anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our position. And no illicit sex life, no gambling, no intoxication. We are already intoxicated, being haunted by the ghost of māyā. And further intoxication...? Do you think intoxication can be cured by intoxication? No. That is not possible. So these four rules you have to follow. And you keep to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then your life is sublime. Very simple thing. Very simple thing. But it is simple for the simple, but it is very hard for the crooked. Yes. So those who are going to be initiated, they should always remember these restrictive four rules and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa at least sixteen rounds, and eat Bhagavat-prasādam, Kṛṣṇa-prasādam, and be happy, dance. That's all. Is there any difficulty?

Initiations -- San Diego, June 30, 1972:

And the other party also opens his mind. Guhyam ākhyāti... Guhyam means very confidential things. Ākhyāti, disclosed, exchanged. Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. And bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva. And giving the lover to eat something and accept from him some eatable. These are the six ways of increasing love. If you act in that way with Kṛṣṇa...

You are taking so many things from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is giving you everything. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Whatever our necessities of life, that is being supplied by Kṛṣṇa. We are taking these fruits, flowers, grains. It is not possible to manufacture these in your factory. It is Kṛṣṇa sending, Kṛṣṇa giving you. So we are living at the cost of Kṛṣṇa, and after cooking these fruits, flowers or grains, if we do not offer to Kṛṣṇa, is that very good gentlemanliness? I take so much from you and simply, nicely, and very cleanly cooking the foodstuff, if we offer to Kṛṣṇa, then what is the wrong there? The rascals, they say, "Oh, they are heathens. They are worshiping some stone." Just see. So these are all less intelligent person. God eats. Kṛṣṇa says, tad aham aśnāmi. "I eat."

Initiations -- San Diego, June 30, 1972:

So I have cooked it. Kindly You take first," oh, how it is nice. Just like your father has given you so many things and you are obliged, "Oh, our father is maintaining us." And if you cook something and give it to the father first, "My dear father, I have cooked this. It is very nice. You first of all..." "Oh, it is very nice? All right, give me." The father will be so much pleased. "Oh, here is my dear son." It is father's property. You cannot give anything to the father. Similarly, you have nothing to offer to Kṛṣṇa. Simply you have to become little intelligent. That's all. Not rascal. If you remain rascal, then your human life is spoiled. If you become little intelligent, then your human life is successful. This is intelligence, that "God is giving us... God is giving us daily bread. Why not offer to God first?" That is intelligence. And simply, "God is giving me bread. I shall eat. That's all..." I am meant for eating only? And why not offering? God will not eat. Simply you feel gratitude: "Oh, God has given me this bread. Let me offer it to God first of all. Then I take." What is the wrong there? What is loss there? But these narādhama, lowest of the mankind, they even do not recognize this. Lowest of... They have been described in Bhagavad..., narādhama. Na māṁ duṣkṛtina mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. His intelligence, his knowledge, has been taken away by māyā. He has not this knowledge even, that "God has given me to eat. Why not offer first of all to God?" This intelligence has been taken away by māyā. Therefore they are narādhama. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). So those who are narādhama, lowest of the mankind... Just like here, something being offered to Kṛṣṇa, to God, He will eat it, but He will leave everything for you as prasādam. How? Pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Iso Invocation). This is God's power. He will eat everything, but He will keep everything for you as prasādam. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya. Taking everything, but still, it is there.

Sannyasa Initiation Lecture -- Calcutta, January 26, 1973:

Still some rigid brāhmaṇas, they worship. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu even, He did not accept prasādam from a non-Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa. He must be brāhmaṇa, at the same time, Vaiṣṇava. Then He would accept.

So this regulation we should follow. We should not accept food, (only) prasādam. If anyone wants to give us food, then he must arrange for cooking food and offering to the Nārāyaṇa, to the Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. Then we can take. This is the... Otherwise we... Bhuñjate te aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātmā... People who are cooking for eating oneself, that cooking, that eating is simply sinful. Without prasādam, whatever we eat, that is, we are eating sin, That's all. Therefore we must suffer. We should be careful. Bhuñjate te aghaṁ pāpā. This is parātma-niṣṭhā, that we should not accept anything which is not offered to Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. Parātma-niṣṭhām. Etāṁ sa āsthāya parātma-niṣṭhām. This niṣṭhā is not invented by us. Pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ upāsitām. All great predecessors... There were other sannyāsīs, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, even Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was a sannyāsī. So pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ upāsitām. These actions were executed by our previous ācāryas. Pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ upāsitām. Mahadbhiḥ. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). You have to follow the ācārya. Ācārya upāsana. Aham... The, what will be the result? Now, ahaṁ tariṣyāmi. I shall cross over.... Tariṣyāmi. Duranta-pāram. The extensive, unlimitedly extensive, the ocean of material existence. Ahaṁ tariṣyāmi duranta-pāraṁ tama. Tama means this material world, which is darkness. Because our business is to go out of this darkness to the light. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. We have to go to the light. So this is the process. Aham... And what is that process? Tama mukundāṅghri-niṣevayaiva. Mukunda means Kṛṣṇa, one who gives liberation. Hari. Hari means one who takes away all your sinful activities. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). He's taking; therefore His name is Hari. Mukundāṅghri. Another name is Mukunda. Mukunda means... Muk means mukti, and ānanda means bliss. Kṛṣṇa gives you mukti, deliverance, deliverance from this tama, this material world, and gives you transcendental bliss; therefore His name is Mukunda. Mukundāṅghri: the lotus feet of Mukunda. Niṣevayaiva. Simply by serving the lotus feet of Mukunda, I can do this. This is the sum and substance.

Initiation Lecture -- Hyderabad, August 22, 1976:

Then you become perfect. You become eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. Very simple thing. It is not at all difficult, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anyone. There is no distinction. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Never mind one is born in low-grade family, but still he can take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya, striyo śūdrās tathā te 'pi yānti parām. Everything is open.

So not only the devotees who are being initiated today, I request all of you, please come here daily. See the Deity. Even if you cannot offer anything. I think everyone can offer, I think, a flower can be offered, a little fruit can be offered. Even if you do not offer, just come here, see the Deity and take the impression within your mind and offer obeisances. Just see. And chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Everyone, there is no restriction. So that is our request. We have opened this branch in your city. It is a very prominent place. You can come and take the advantage.

Wedding Ceremonies

Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969:

Himāvatī: We need another plate.

Prabhupāda: These Press representatives, they are taking?

Haṁsadūta: Yes, they're all from the Press.

Prabhupāda: So you have not offered them prasādam?

Himāvatī: Everyone has.

Prabhupāda: They should have been given. Anyway, something should have been given. You are going? She is going with her father?

Himāvatī: He was once in Montreal. Remember? Rukmiṇī's father once came to Montreal?

Prabhupāda: Yes. She is her mother?

Himāvatī: Yes.

Prabhupāda: She is not elderly. Mother is eating?

Himāvatī: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Forty, thirty-five years.

Himāvatī: Yes. Rukmiṇī is only seventeen. Rukmiṇī is seventeen. She's not very old.

Prabhupāda: She is only... She is the first child?

General Lectures

Lecture Excerpt -- Montreal, August 23, 1968:

So to love Kṛṣṇa we don't require anything. Ahaituky apratihatā. It is open for everyone, but we should learn to sacrifice for Kṛṣṇa. That is the sign of love. Yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yaj juhoṣ (BG 9.27)i. If you... You are eating. If you simply decide that "I shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," then Kṛṣṇa will understand, "Oh, here is a devotee." "I shall not see anything except Kṛṣṇa's beauty." Kṛṣṇa can understand. "I shall not hear anything except Hare Kṛṣṇa and topics on Kṛṣṇa..." These things are there. It does not require that you become very wealthy, very beautiful, or very learned. You have to decide that "I shall not do this without Kṛṣṇa. I shall not do this without Kṛṣṇa. I shall not mix with any man who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious. I shall not talk anything which does not speak about Kṛṣṇa." So your... "I shall not go anywhere except Kṛṣṇa's temple. I shall not engage my hands in anything except Kṛṣṇa's business." In this way, if you train your activities, then you love Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa is purchased—simply by your determination. Kṛṣṇa does not require anything from you. Simply He wants to know whether you have decided to love Kṛṣṇa. That's all.

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

Yes. Because if you want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious—that is the whole teaching—you have to act according to the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. So vegetarian or not vegetarian, it is not a very important thing. Either you eat meat or vegetable, both of them have got life. That is the nature's way. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. One life has to eat another life. That is nature's law. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness means he does not anymore eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We take prasādam. Whatever is offered to Kṛṣṇa, we take that. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad aham aśnāmi (BG 9.26). So just like if you ask some guest at your home, you will ask him, "What you shall eat, sir? What can I offer you?" Similarly, when you invite Kṛṣṇa to your home or to your temple, you should prepare foodstuff according to Kṛṣṇa's instruction, not according to your whims. So Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: "Anyone who offers Me patraṁ"—that is vegetable—"puṣpaṁ"—vegetable—"and liquid things like milk, water..." And you can prepare so many other things from vegetables. If you offer to Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam, then you are free. That is, yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. If you accept foodstuff which is offered for yajña-yajña means acceptance by Kṛṣṇa—then you are free from sinful life. Otherwise you are responsible. Either you eat meat or vegetable, it doesn't matter.