Purifying process

Expressions researched:
"process can purify" |"process first to purify" |"process for purifying" |"process is most purifying" |"process is simply purifying" |"process is to purify" |"process means to purify" |"process of purifying" |"process should be purifying" |"process that will purify" |"process to purify" |"process will purify" |"process, how to purify" |"process, will purify" |"processes for purifying" |"processes may be purifying" |"processes purify" |"process—just to purify" |"purifying process" |"purifying processes"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 1.39, Purport:

In the system of the varṇāśrama institution there are many principles of religious traditions to help members of the family grow properly and attain spiritual values. The elder members are responsible for such purifying processes in the family, beginning from birth to death. But on the death of the elder members, such family traditions of purification may stop, and the remaining younger family members may develop irreligious habits and thereby lose their chance for spiritual salvation. Therefore, for no purpose should the elder members of the family be slain.

BG 2.50, Purport:

Since time immemorial each living entity has accumulated the various reactions of his good and bad work. As such, he is continuously ignorant of his real constitutional position. One's ignorance can be removed by the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā, which teaches one to surrender unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in all respects and become liberated from the chained victimization of action and reaction, birth after birth. Arjuna is therefore advised to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the purifying process of resultant action.

BG 3.3, Purport:

The ultimate goal is Kṛṣṇa, because the philosophers who are also sincerely searching after the Absolute Truth come in the end to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. The whole process is to understand the real position of the self in relation to the Superself. The indirect process is philosophical speculation, by which, gradually, one may come to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and the other process is directly connecting everything with Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Of these two, the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is better because it does not depend on purifying the senses by a philosophical process. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is itself the purifying process, and by the direct method of devotional service it is simultaneously easy and sublime.

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 9.31, Purport:

Continuous thinking of the Supreme Lord makes him pure by nature. According to the Vedas, there is a certain regulation that if one falls down from his exalted position he has to undergo certain ritualistic processes to purify himself. But here there is no such condition, because the purifying process is already there in the heart of the devotee, due to his remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly. Therefore, the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare should be continued without stoppage. This will protect a devotee from all accidental falldowns. He will thus remain perpetually free from all material contaminations.

BG Chapters 13 - 18

BG 18.78, Purport:

Some may protest that Kṛṣṇa incited Arjuna to fight, which is immoral, but the reality of the situation is clearly stated: Bhagavad-gītā is the supreme instruction in morality. The supreme instruction of morality is stated in the Ninth Chapter, in the thirty-fourth verse: man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. One must become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and the essence of all religion is to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa (sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja). The instructions of Bhagavad-gītā constitute the supreme process of religion and of morality. All other processes may be purifying and may lead to this process, but the last instruction of the Gītā is the last word in all morality and religion: surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. This is the verdict of the Eighteenth Chapter.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.2.30, Purport:

This stage of rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord without any hopes of emolument from the Lord, or any other way, can be attained when the material senses are purified and the original pure state of the senses is revived. It is suggested herein that the process of purifying the senses is by the yogic way, namely the gross senses are merged in the mode of ignorance, and the subtle senses are merged in the mode of passion. The mind belongs to the mode of goodness and therefore is called devamaya, or godly.

SB 2.6.1, Purport:

Originally, since all the senses are produced of the Lord's reservoir of senses, the sensual activities of the material world are to be purified by the process of devotional service, and thus the perfection of life can be attained simply by purifying the present position of our material activities. And the purifying process begins from the stage of being liberated from the conception of different designations. Every living entity is engaged in some sort of service, either for the self, or for the family, or for the society, country, etc., but, unfortunately, all such services are rendered due to material attachment.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.6.34, Purport:

The actual position of the conditioned soul is explained in this verse: all the conditioned souls are impure due to contact with the material energy in three modes of nature. Therefore it is necessary that they purify themselves under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, who not only is a brāhmaṇa by qualification but must also be a Vaiṣṇava. The only self-purifying process mentioned herein is to worship the Lord under the recognized method—under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master. That is the natural way of purification, and no other method is recommended as bona fide. The other methods of purification may be helpful to come to this stage of life, but ultimately one has to come to this last point before he attains actual perfection.

SB 3.14.46, Translation and Purport:

In order to follow in his footsteps, saintly persons will try to emulate his character by practicing freedom from animosity, just as the purifying processes rectify gold of inferior quality.

Yoga practice, the process of purifying one's existential identity, is based mainly on self-control. Without self-control one cannot practice freedom from animosity. In the conditional state, every living being is envious of another living being, but in the liberated state there is an absence of animosity. Prahlāda Mahārāja was tortured by his father in so many ways, yet after the death of his father he prayed for his father's liberation by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 3.15.45, Purport:

Yoga necessitates controlling the senses, and bhakti-yoga, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is the process of purifying the senses. When the senses are purified, they are automatically controlled. One cannot stop the activities of the senses by artificial means, but if one purifies the senses by engaging in the service of the Lord, the senses not only can be controlled from rubbish engagement, but can be engaged in the Lord's transcendental service, as aspired to by the four sages Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumāra. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not, therefore, a manufactured concoction of the speculative mind. It is the process enjoined in Bhagavad-gītā (9.34): man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65).

SB 3.25.16, Purport:

In the beginning Lord Kapila has said that perfect yoga enables one to transcend the platform of material distress and happiness. How this can be done is explained here: one has to purify his mind and consciousness. This can be done by the bhakti-yoga system. As explained in the Nārada-pañcarātra, one's mind and senses should be purified (tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170)). One's senses must be engaged in devotional service to the Lord. That is the process. The mind must have some engagement. One cannot make the mind vacant. Of course there are some foolish attempts to try to make the mind vacant or void, but that is not possible. The only process that will purify the mind is to engage it in Kṛṣṇa. The mind must be engaged. If we engage our mind in Kṛṣṇa, naturally the consciousness becomes fully purified, and there is no chance of the entrance of material desire and greed.

SB 3.28.10, Purport:

This process of purifying the mind is also recommended by Lord Caitanya; He says that one should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. He says further, paraṁ vijayate: "All glories to Śrī Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana!" All glories are given to the chanting of the holy names of Kṛṣṇa because as soon as one begins this process of chanting, the mind becomes purified. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam: (CC Antya 20.12) by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa one is cleansed of the dirt that accumulates in the mind. One can purify the mind either by the breathing process or by the chanting process, just as one can purify gold by putting it in a fire and fanning it with a bellows.

SB 3.32.6, Purport:

One is called pravṛtti-dharma, which means the religious activities performed by the gṛhamedhīs for elevation to higher planets or for economic prosperity, the final aim of which is sense gratification. Every one of us who has come to this material world has the sense of overlordship. This is called pravṛtti. But the opposite type of religious performance, which is called nivṛtti, is to act for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Engaged in devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has no proprietorship claim, nor is one situated in the false egoism of thinking that he is God or the master. He always thinks himself the servant. That is the process of purifying consciousness. With pure consciousness only can one enter into the kingdom of God. Materialistic persons, in their elevated condition, can enter any one of the planets within this material world, but all are subjected to dissolution over and over again.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.9.6, Purport:

Without revelation by the spiritual energy, one is unable to offer prayers glorifying the Lord. Any amount of philosophical speculation or poetic expression by mundane persons is still considered to be the action and reaction of the material energy. When one is actually enlivened by the spiritual energy, all his senses become purified, and he engages only in the service of the Lord. At that time his hands, legs, ears, tongue, mind, genitals—everything—engage in the service of the Lord. Such an enlightened devotee no longer has any material activities, nor has he any interest in being materially engaged. This process of purifying the senses and engaging them in the service of the Lord is known as bhakti, or devotional service. In the beginning, the senses are engaged by the direction of the spiritual master and śāstra, and after realization, when the same senses are purified, the engagement continues. The difference is that in the beginning the senses are engaged in a mechanical way, but after realization they are engaged in spiritual understanding.

SB 4.24.43, Purport:

Of course, Lord Rudra is always spiritually awake, but for our benefit he is praying in this way. For the impersonalist, pure egotism is ahaṁ brahmāsmi—"I am not this body; I am spirit soul." But in its actual position, the spirit soul has devotional activities to perform. Therefore Lord Śiva prays to be engaged both in mind and in action in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord according to the direction of the Vedas. This is the process for purifying false egotism. Cetaḥ means "knowledge." Without perfect knowledge, one cannot act perfectly. The real source of knowledge is the vācaḥ, or sound vibration, given by Vedic instructions. Here the word vācaḥ, or vibration, means the Vedic vibration.

SB Canto 6

SB 6.1.13-14, Purport:

In the bhakti-mārga, the path of devotional service, one must strictly follow the regulative principles by first controlling the tongue (sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234)). The tongue (jihvā) can be controlled if one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, does not speak of any subjects other than those concerning Kṛṣṇa and does not taste anything not offered to Kṛṣṇa. If one can control the tongue in this way, brahmacarya and other purifying processes will automatically follow. It will be explained in the next verse that the path of devotional service is completely perfect and is therefore superior to the path of fruitive activities and the path of knowledge.

SB 6.2.12, Purport:

One's main purpose in human life should be to purify his existence and achieve liberation. As long as one has a material body, one is understood to be impure. In such an impure, material condition, one cannot enjoy a truly blissful life, although everyone seeks it. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.1) says, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet: one must perform tapasya, austerity, to purify his existence in order to come to the spiritual platform. The tapasya of chanting and glorifying the name, fame and attributes of the Lord is a very easy purifying process by which everyone can be happy. Therefore everyone who desires the ultimate cleansing of his heart must adopt this process. Other processes, such as karma, jñāna and yoga, cannot cleanse the heart absolutely.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.6.21, Purport:

Nyāsa-mantra includes ācamana, or first drinking a sip of water kept in the right hand. There are different viṣṇu-mantras to purify the body. The gopīs, and in fact any householders, knew the process for being purified by chanting Vedic hymns. The gopīs executed this process first to purify themselves and then to purify the child Kṛṣṇa. One executes the process of aṅga-nyāsa and kara-nyāsa simply by drinking a little sip of water and chanting the mantra. The mantra is preceded with the first letter of the name, followed by anusvāra and the word namaḥ: oṁ namo 'jas tavāṅghrī avyāt, maṁ mano maṇimāṁs tava jānunī avyāt, and so on. By losing Indian culture, Indian householders have forgotten how to execute the aṅga-nyāsa and are simply busy in sense gratification, without any advanced knowledge of human civilization.

SB 10.8.10, Translation:

Nanda Mahārāja said: My dear great sage, if you think that your performing this process of purification will make Kaṁsa suspicious, then secretly chant the Vedic hymns and perform the purifying process of second birth here in the cow shed of my house, without the knowledge of anyone else, even my relatives, for this process of purification is essential.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 11.3.30, Translation:

One should learn how to associate with the devotees of the Lord by gathering with them to chant the glories of the Lord. This process is most purifying. As devotees thus develop their loving friendship, they feel mutual happiness and satisfaction. And by thus encouraging one another they are able to give up material sense gratification, which is the cause of all suffering.

CC Preface and Introduction

CC Preface:

If one's mind is fixed on Kṛṣṇa (His name, qualities, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia), all one's activities—both subtle and gross—become favorable. The Bhagavad-gītā’s process of purifying consciousness is the process of fixing one's mind on Kṛṣṇa by talking of His transcendental activities, cleansing His temple, going to His temple, seeing the beautiful transcendental form of the Lord nicely decorated, hearing His transcendental glories, tasting food offered to Him, associating with His devotees, smelling the flowers and tulasī leaves offered to Him, engaging in activities for the Lord's interest, becoming angry at those who are malicious toward devotees, etc.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 3.124, Purport:

"In the Age of Kali, mlecchas, or lowborn people who have not undergone the purifying process of saṁskāra, who do not know how to apply that process in actual life, and who are covered by the modes of passion and ignorance will take the posts of administrators. They will devour the citizens with their atheistic activities." A person who is not purified by the prescribed process of saṁskāra is called asaṁskṛta, but if one remains kriyā-hīna even after being purified by initiation—in other words, if one fails to actually apply the principles of purity in his life—he remains an unpurified mleccha or yavana. On the other hand, we find that Haridāsa Ṭhākura, although born in a mleccha or yavana family, became Nāmācārya Haridāsa Ṭhākura because he performed the nāma-yajña a minimum of 300,000 times every day.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter Preface:

In accordance to one's consciousness, the individual is either polluted or clear. If one's mind is fixed on Kṛṣṇa (His name, quality, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia), all one's activities—both subtle and gross—become favorable. The Bhagavad-gītā's process of purifying consciousness is the process of fixing one's mind on Kṛṣṇa by talking of His transcendental activities, cleansing His temple, going to His temple, seeing the beautiful transcendental form of the Lord nicely decorated, hearing His transcendental glories, tasting food offered to Him, associating with His devotees, smelling the flowers and tulasī leaves offered Him, engaging in activities for the Lord's interest, etc.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book Introduction:

Śukadeva was the greatest of all Bhāgavata reciters, and thus he began to speak about Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, which destroy all inauspiciousness in this Age of Kali. Śukadeva Gosvāmī thanked the King for his eagerness to hear about Kṛṣṇa, and he encouraged him by saying, "My dear King, your intelligence is very keen because you are so eager to hear about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa." He informed Mahārāja Parīkṣit that hearing and chanting the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are so auspicious that the processes purify the three varieties of men involved: he who recites the transcendental topics of Kṛṣṇa, he who hears such topics, and he who inquires about Him. These pastimes are just like the Ganges water, which flows from the toe of Lord Viṣṇu: they purify the three worlds, the upper, middle and lower planetary systems.

Krsna Book 87:

But when one is promoted to the mode of goodness, one can understand that the senses and the mind are engaged in material activities only due to being covered by perverted consciousness. When this perverted consciousness is gradually transformed into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the path of liberation is opened. So it is not that one is unable to approach the Absolute Truth by the senses and the mind. The conclusion is, rather, that the senses, mind and intelligence in the gross stage of contamination cannot appreciate the nature of the Absolute Truth, but when purified, the senses, mind and intelligence can understand what the Absolute Truth is. The purifying process is called devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.9:

This text gives some hints of how to become a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The word satatam ("always") has been used to indicate that the process of purifying one's consciousness does not depend on fruitive activity, empiric knowledge, yoga, or on time, place, or circumstance.

A living entity becomes free from all suffering as soon as he admits that he is an eternal servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Such a servant of the Lord need not perform fruitive activity or cultivate empiric knowledge, nor does he have to undergo any other process of purification. The only essential factor is his intense greed for devotional service to the Lord.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 5.1:

By studying the Vedas, the Vedānta-sūtra, and the Upaniṣads, one may find processes for purifying the consciousness and elevating oneself to the transcendental platform. But for the conditioned souls of Kali-yuga, such means are beyond reach. Lord Caitanya alone can liberate the conditioned souls of this age. In His younger days Lord Caitanya was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita because He was an erudite scholar. Indeed, He became famous as a master of logic. Yet for the sake of the jīvas afflicted by the Kali-yuga, He presented Himself as illiterate.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:

To know the Absolute Truth is not possible by our present senses. That is also another fact. Because at the present moment we have got materially affected... Not material senses. Our sense are originally spiritual, but it is covered by material contamination. Therefore the process is to purify, to purify the coverings of our material existence. And that is also recommended—simply by service attitude. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). The whole thing depends on our surrendering process and engage ourselves in the service of the Lord. Then gradually, the Lord reveals to the devotee. That is the process.

Lecture on BG 4.26 -- Bombay, April 15, 1974:

Because senses want engagement. If you artificially stop, it will not stay. For the time being, it may be appearing, but it is not possible. You cannot be desireless. Sometimes we say that "We should be desireless." That is not possible. The whole process should be purifying desire, purifying desire, mind. Mind is the source of desires. Therefore the bhakti process is first of all engage the mind. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). If you engage your mind, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru... (BG 18.65). This is the recommendation given by Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966:

They have got the powers, so many wonderful powers, but he doesn't... His only aim is ātma-viśuddhaye: "I am now contaminated by this material atmosphere; so I have to purify myself." So that purification process we shall discuss next day. But I may say in this connection that so much difficult process for purifying the ātmā is very easily done, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Because the sound, this transcendental sound vibration, is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. His name is not different from Him. So when you chant His name with devotion, that means Kṛṣṇa is with you. And Kṛṣṇa, when Kṛṣṇa is with you, how you can remain impure? You become pure. The purest. That is the whole system. Now, if there is any questions, you can ask.

Lecture on BG 6.11-21 -- New York, September 7, 1966:

The whole process is, yoga system, whole process is to purify myself. Purify. Ātma-viśuddhaye. And what is that purification? The purification is that I am pure spirit. I am not this matter. And under material contact I am identifying myself that "I am matter." I am thinking of myself, "I am this body." This is impurity of my existence. And it is clearly said here that one has to realize his constitutional position, that he is not this matter. (coughs) No water? Ātma-viśuddhaye. Upaviśyāsane yuñjyād yogam ātma-viśuddhaye. The whole process is to purify. Now, this purification process, if somebody is not able to go outside home and find out a secluded place, do you think that his purification of his existence will not be possible? No, it will be possible. That is the contribution of Lord Caitanya.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

Not artificial, but temporary. I want to live eternally. I don't want death. But it is not possible, because I have got this temporary nature. That I was explaining this, that yena śuddhyet sattva. When your existential position will be purified, then you get your And the whole process of chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is purifying process. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). It is all purifying process. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Purification means now we have got so many designations. So when we shall be free from all designation and simply understand that "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is my natural position. This is very important question. It is clear?

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, April 1, 1971:

So how we can avoid Kṛṣṇa? Simply we have to know. You have to purify your eyes. You have to purify your ears. You have to purify your hands. You have to purify your legs. In this way, when your senses are purified in every step, in every moment, you will see Kṛṣṇa, nothing but Kṛṣṇa. The purificatory process—just to purify the eyes. Kṛṣṇa is present before you in arcā-mūrti, arcāvatāra, nicely dressed by the devotees. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā **. It is the duty of the devotee to decorate the śrī-vigraha, the form, transcendental form of Kṛṣṇa very nicely so that thousands of people may come in the temple and see Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

And when He was present, His activities were superhuman. And from the evidence of Vedic literature, He is God. Then, in spite of all these evidences, if you don't believe Him, then it must be considered that āsuraṁ bhāvam, that "I shall not believe. Whatever evidence you give, and whatever, I mean to say, activities you may show, I'll never believe You God. Finished." Then that is helpless. So avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Besides that, one must have the eyes to see God also. God cannot be seen with our imperfect senses. So the whole bhakti process, bhakti-yoga, is the process of purifying the senses to take, to understand what is God, what is spirit, what is soul.

Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

Simply, this bhakti-yoga is the process of purifying, purifying. As soon as you purify your power of seeing, power of hearing, power of tasting, power of touching, all these... We have got our senses to taste, to acquire knowledge. But if the senses are blunt, then we cannot understand what is God. But therefore you require regulative principles to understand what is God. That regulative principle must be undertaken. And the easiest regulative principle is this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you regularly chant with devotion, without any offense, then this very simple process will help you to purify your senses and you will appreciate presence of God, and God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness will develop in you.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

So when he fought for Kṛṣṇa, that became service. Of course, these are very intricate questions. When one studies very seriously and scientifically, this will be revealed. So on the whole one can understand that "All the qualities of God is with me. But I am now materially contaminated." Just like a diseased person. A diseased person, he wants to enjoy the facilities of healthy life, but the physician says, "No, don't. Don't." Because that will create danger. Similarly, all the qualities we have got, but because it is materially contaminated, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is to purify them and to bring them to the normal condition, and then it will be happy. That is the whole idea.

Lecture on SB 3.26.16 -- Bombay, December 25, 1974:

This material world is padaṁ padaṁ vipadām, only danger. Every step there is danger. That's a fact. So if we take shelter of that abhaya-caraṇāravinda, then we have no fear. This is a fact. Abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ. Sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ. Our existence, when it is purified... So this bhakti-mārga, or devotional service, is the process of purifying, purifying process.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ-stho abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

Satām, those who are devotees, they are simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness begins: śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. Simply these centers are created to give chance to the people in general to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. Because as soon as we hear about Kṛṣṇa attentively and try to assimilate it, then the purification of the heart begins.

Lecture on SB 6.2.12-14 -- Allahabad, January 17, 1971, at Kumbha-mela:

Sattva-bhāvana means citta-śodhaka. Citta means the heart, and śodhaka, the purifying process. So instead of taking yourself to these prescribed ritualistic ceremonies, if you simply engage your mind in describing or glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead... That is our process. Our only objective is how to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are writing books, we are publishing magazines, we are preaching, we are going everywhere—just to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is our only business. This process is recommended here, citta-śodhaka. If you sit down and write some article on Kṛṣṇa, that means you have to concentrate on Kṛṣṇa's activities or Kṛṣṇa's devotees' activities, and that very process will purify your heart.

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 4, 1968:

That is not giving you satisfaction. You try to develop your love which is already dormant in you, and when you are efficient in loving God, you will see God face to face. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). The Brahma-saṁhitā says that those who have developed love of God and smeared the eyes with the ointment of love, but by that ointment the sight of your eyes, the material eyesight, will be clear. Just like you sometimes apply medicine on your eyes to see clear, similarly, there is a process to make your eyesight clear to see God. That's all. Not that stop seeing, but clear the eyesight. Purify your senses. That is called bhakti. Bhakti means the process of purifying the senses. That's all. And as soon as your senses are purified, transcendentalized, you see God face to face.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:

Desire is a function of mind. So īhā means desire. So what is that desire? Īhā yasya harer dāsye. Anyone whose desire is to engage himself in the service of Kṛṣṇa. So whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness activity is purification of the mind, of the intelligence, of the ego, everything, purifying process. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). The impurification is that upādhi, designation. I'm thinking "I am American," "I am Indian." This is designation. Actually, spirit soul is neither American nor Indian nor Hindu nor Muslim. So one has to get out of this entanglement, material entanglement.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

There are purificatory processes. Just like in infectious condition, those who are vaccinated, given injection, he is supposed to be purified. He cannot be attacked or infected by the disease. Similarly, in spiritual life also one has to remain purified. The whole process, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to purify the people in general from the contaminated condition of material existence. Purifying. It is purifying process. A living entity by nature is pure because he is part and parcel of the Supreme Pure, God. But due to his impure condition, he has forgotten his eternal relationship with God. So this initiation means that one is being accepted as student by the spiritual master to promote him gradually to the purified state, where he can realize himself and God.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 13, 1968:

Then he says, hā hā... When he has come to the senses, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," then he surrenders. This process, the chanting process, will purify our heart, our burning heart, and one will come to the understanding that "I am eternal servitor of the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa." Then, as soon as he comes to this understanding, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19), "After many, many births when one person becomes actually wise, a man of wisdom, jñānavān'—jñānavān means wise man—then what does he do? "He surrenders unto Me," Kṛṣṇa says.

Lecture Engagement and Prasada Distribution -- Boston, April 26, 1969:

"In that seat you have to concentrate your mind in order to purify your senses." That is the process. Real yoga process means to purify the senses and purify the mind. Then how one has to execute that yoga system? It is said, samaṁ kāya-śiro-grīvam. Kāya means this trunk, body, and śira means head, and grīva means the neck. So it should be in a straight line. Samaṁ kāya-śiro-grīvaṁ dhārayann acalam. You should sit in such a posture that it will not move. It will not move. Straight, straight line. Then samprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svam: "You have to see the tip of your nose, sitting straight line, without any movement, and you have to see the tip of your nose." Samprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśaś cānavalokayan: "And you cannot see any other side. You have to simply see..." These are the process of concentrating the mind.

Brandeis University Lecture -- Boston, April 29, 1969:

So spiritual life does not mean a whimsical life. It is, first of all basic principle is, that building character. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find that when Arjuna is accepting Lord Kṛṣṇa, he is saying that paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "My dear Lord, Kṛṣṇa, You are the most purest." Purest. Most pure. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma: "You are the Supreme Lord. You are pure." So idea is that if you want to have spiritual life, you have also become, to become pure. Without being pure... That pureness... This evolution means gradual process of purifying process. You are not... You are distinct from cats and dogs means your body is purified than the body of the cats and dogs. So purification required. The first principle of purification are these four regulative principles.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: Yes that is in one sense, that you don't will anything which is not favorable to Kṛṣṇa's service. That is our prescription. Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyaṁ vivarjanam. This is, out of the six items of surrender, these are the two items, that you should give up things which are not favorable in execution of devotional service. You should give up. That sort of willing, you should give up. And you should accept everything which is favorable for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So willing cannot be... Our process is to purify willing. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170).

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: That is not possible. Suppression willing, that is not possible. He has to change the quality of willing; then he will be happy. And that is bhakti. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). The process of willing should be purified. Then he will be happy. And the process of purifying the willing is bhakti, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23), chanting and hearing of the pastimes, all about the Lord. That will purify him. He is missing the point that he is individual, accepting that life is eternal, and still he wants, prefers this nirvāṇa. But he does not know what is nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means this kind of whimsical willing is troublesome. He has to stop this whimsical willing. He has to come to the standard willing. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- July 16, 1968, Montreal:

Prabhupāda: Simply by legal obligation one cannot be purified. You may enact thousands of rules and regulation and laws. You cannot purify the heart of the people. Here is the process to purify the heart of the people. Therefore they should be taken advantage of. Simply by saying that "If you do this, then you'll be punished," nobody cares for that. Just like a child. The parents daily says, "My dear boy, don't do this. This is mischievous." But he does. Just like a dog, animal. Because the heart is not purified. The knowledge is not there. So this is the process for purifying the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). This is the process. So one should take advantage of this process, how to purify the mind, how to purify the heart. Then you will be a perfect personality, perfect man. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. So we don't say that "You change your profession, you change your position or occupation," no. Please come and hear.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is when... More you become purified, you feel ecstasy. But this chanting process is purifying process.

Śyāmasundara: Śrīla Prabhupāda, this afternoon we were discussing about austerities.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Śyāmasundara: About austerities. If you don't practice voluntarily austerities, then you must involuntarily practice some austerities.

Prabhupāda: Yes, under the direction of spiritual master. You have no mind to follow austerities, but when you accept a spiritual master you have to carry out the order. That is austerity.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- December 13, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Nirviśeṣa means no speciality, no varieties. That is nirviśeṣa. And śūnya, zero. When it is zero, then there is no question of right and wrong. So our philosophy is not that. There is no zero, and there is no varieties. We don't say. There is, but it's purified varieties. Tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam means purified. So our process is to purify everything. We don't want to stop. That is not our proposition. They cannot find out any solution. Therefore they want to make stop: "Stop this business." Suppose a business is not going very nicely. It is going at loss. Somebody says, "Close it." But one experienced man comes: "Why should you close? All right, I shall do it properly. You'll get profit."

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- July 2, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: If you are suffering from cataract, how you can see distinctly? You have to get your eyes operated. Then you can see. So our bhakti process is simply purifying, purifying, more, more, more. When you are completely purified, you see God face to face, eye to eye, talk with Him, play with Him, just like cowherds boys, they are playing, the gopīs are dancing. You get that position. (break)

Yadubara: ...You said in the Bhāgavatam, speaking about Dhruva Mahārāja, that his senses became enlivened.

Prabhupāda: Senses are there. It is purified. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). The bhakti process is completely, complete process to purify you. Other process are not. Karma, jñāna, yoga cannot purify you cent percent, but bhakti process can purify you cent percent.

Morning Walk -- July 2, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: There is no question of outer senses. Senses purified. What do you mean by outer senses?

Devotee (2): The senses with which you perceive the outer gross...

Prabhupāda: That always remains. But when it is not purified, you perceive material things. When it is purified, you perceive spiritual things.

Devotee (2): So the same gross senses will be able to see spiritual things.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is purified. Bhakti is the purifying process. I have already said. Not that the eyes are suffering from cataract disease, "Pluck out." That is Māyāvādī philosophy.

Morning Walk -- October 4, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: But where is satisfaction?

Brahmānanda: They think that unhappiness comes from repression of one's desires.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They think that actually that we're suffering from so many desires, that we must be very poor creatures because we become devotees.

Prabhupāda: So why so many desires? Because one desire is not complete, therefore you desire next. Therefore the process of desiring is defective, and our process is to purify the desires, not to remain in the imperfect platform of desiring, but whatever desire you have got, just purify it. Then it will be satisfied. So desire produced by bodily concept of life will never be satisfied. Therefore some of them are trying to become desireless, the impersonalists. Nirvāṇa.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 17, 1976, Mayapur:

Bhavānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I had one question about this play by Girish Ghosh. The Girish Ghosh was a debauchee, and wouldn't it be better to take, make dramas from your Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Then the sound vibration is coming from pure source. Or does that not matter? If the man was...

Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all you see how it can be utilized, whatever translation is there. Then we shall purify it. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlānam (CC Madhya 19.167). Just like this microphone. It is prepared by the meat-eaters. How we are utilizing it? Everything has got a proper process to purify it.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Stan -- Bombay 17 November, 1970:

In this way we are always remembering Krsna and that is our natural conscious state. So naturally everything about Krsna is originally known to us all and as soon as we begin to associate with the devotees of the Lord and chant His Holy Name, this memory gradually becomes stronger as we remember our constitutional position of always serving Krsna in different ways.

The first step, so you have noted is that the dirty things which are clouding our spiritual senses must be cleansed by the Sankirtana process. So Krsna Consciousness is a purifying process. If you follow the regulations of our Society very strictly you will quickly become completely purified and thus achieve the highest perfection of life, Krsna consciousness or Love of God.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Damodara -- Paris 8 June, 1974:

I have asked you to stop the political program because actually you cannot organize as the others can. We cannot manage with separate money, separate brains from our regular ISKCON propagation. It is not so easy to do politics, moreover it is a filthy atmosphere. So do not indulge in it. I am glad to hear all the participants have stopped. So you convey to them my instructions in this matter. We have an immense field of work in distributing books, reading and chanting and working for Krsna in many fields. And the aim of it is to always remember Krsna. Some philosophers think that in response negatively to the nasty consciousness of material life we should become "thoughtless" but this is not Krsna Consciousness, nor is it possible to become void or like a stone. Our process is to purify the thinking by always thinking of Krsna, actively and positively.

Letter to Swami Jara Kumar -- Vrindaban 20 August, 1974:

Please accept my best wishes, I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 10th 1974. In this age the spiritual revolution was recommended by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He demonstrated that the Yuga Dharma for this age is the Sankirtana chanting of the holy names. If we want the degraded mass of people to be elevated, we must stop their sinful activity. To stop sinful activity one must purify the mind and the best process for purifying the mass mind is the chanting of the maha mantra Hare Krishna. This can be done in public where everyone has a chance to hear and be purified.

We experience that people are becoming more friendly and helping our movement in America simply because we are performing this sankirtana yajna. I hope you can understand this. This movement is authorized and confirmed by great acaryas as well as the sastras and also by Lord Caitanya Himself Who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, non different from Krishna.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Prem J. Batra -- Ahmedabad 28 September, 1975:

So mind and intelligence are already there in the soul, but in the conditional stage the same mind and intelligence become polluted as false egotism or enjoyer. The bhakti process is to purify everything. The mind is not the soul but is a venue for expressing the soul's desire. So if the mind is purified, then things go on nicely in its original position. If he does not go on rightly he falls down in conditional life. The whole yogic system is to convert the mind from matter to spirit. You can utilize the mind in both ways. When the mind is spiritually trained up it is the best friend of the soul, and when the mind is materially polluted, it is the worst enemy.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Bhakta dasa -- New Delhi 26 August, 1976:

All initiates of mine must strictly follow the four principles of no meat, fish or egg, eating; no gambling; no intoxication of any kind; and no illicit sex. They must chant 16 rounds a day minimum with attention, clearly chanting the mantra, and listening very carefully. This is the recommended process for purifying the heart in this sinful age of Kali. Be serious to push on this sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and certainly He will bless you and your life will become perfect, na ca tasmad manusyesu kascit me priya-krtama, anyone who preaches this message of the Bhagavad-gita is the most dear servant of the Lord.