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Real life (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

Prabhupāda: One who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious or God conscious, he's sleeping.

Revatīnandana: (to guest:) He said that one who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, not God conscious, he is sleeping. His real life is asleep. So being awake in the true sense is to know my relation with God. That is true life, eternal life. Yes?

Prabhupāda: The Vedic injunction is uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata, that "You wake up. You have got this chance of human form of body. You take advantage of it." These are the Vedic instructions. Uttiṣṭhata, "Get up, be awake." Jāgrata, "Be awakened to understand your identity." Therefore one who is not trying to understand his identity, spiritual identity, he's sleeping.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:

That is earth. So do you think this combination of this earth, water, air, fire, is life? Can you produce life? You take... You can get enough earth, water, air, pus, stool, urine, blood. You manufacture one life. That you cannot do. This is called analysis. And those who are engaged in understanding the self as the combination of these earth, water, air, fire—sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Such persons are defined in the śāstra as no more intelligent than the cows and the asses. So from here spiritual knowledge begins. You analyze the body, but you won't find the real soul or real life, although it is within you. But why you cannot find? It is very, very small. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). The formation of the soul, measurement of the soul, is very, very... It is smaller than the atom. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya (CC Madhya 19.140). The tip of the hair you divide into hundred part, and take one part. Again divide it into hundred parts. That one part is the measurement of the soul. That means one ten thousandth part of the top of the hair. So how you can see? But that small particle is giving you living force. This knowledge we get from Bhagavad-gītā, and that is the fact. You cannot get life by analyzing this material body.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:

Unfortunately, the people at the present moment, they do not know, neither they can imagine even that there is possibility of becoming immortal. This is very important point. There is not possibility, there is fact. And kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is so important. In the śāstra, many places, it is said. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). That param is, means spiritual. There are two kinds of, parā and aparā-prakṛti. Aparā-prakṛti, parā-prakṛti. Apareyam. I am, this material world is aparā, inferior energy. Itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Besides this, there is another prakṛti, another nature, which is parā. Parā means spiritual. So we should be interested with the parā, not with the aparā. Why? Now that is real life. That is real life. Here it is said ubhayor api. Considering both this parā and aparā, the superior and inferior. Tattva-darśibhiḥ. Who will study? Tattva-darśibhiḥ. Tattva-darśī means those who have realized the truth, tattva-darśī. And we find this word tattva in various places. Tattvataḥ.

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

One man is doing his duty, his occupational duty as a brāhmaṇa, or a kṣatriya or a businessman or a student or anyone. He's doing very nicely. But doing all these activities, if he could not awaken his dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ. Viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ means just like you have come here to hear about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, why you have come here? You have come here hearing me or anyone discussing śāstra. So this is required. You may do anything as your occupational duty, but the real life is that you have to awaken your dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, become eager to understand about Kṛṣṇa. That is main business. So therefore, it is said that after doing your duties very nicely, but you have no taste for understanding Kṛṣṇa, viṣvaksena... Another name of Kṛṣṇa is Viṣvaksa. Kathāsu, kathāsu means "message." Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu, notpādayed yadi ratim: (SB 1.2.8) if you do not awaken your attachment for hearing about Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-kathā... That is our main business. Caitanya Mahāprabhu—kṛṣṇa-kathā. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is our mission.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

Just like everybody has got some personal affair and some public affair. Everybody. A man, high-court judge, he may be, as a public man, he may be a different personality in the high-court bench. But at home he's a different person, a different person. In the high-court bench one has to address that person, "My Lord," but at home his wife addressing him by his own name, "Mr. Harry! Harry! Why don't you do it?" Oh, there is no question of "My Lord."

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa has got two nature, lower and higher nature. The higher nature is internal potency. That is His real life. So here Kṛṣṇa says that "I come." Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san: "Because I need not come here. I need not come." Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. Just like if He's the Supreme Lord, why does He come here? Yes, He does not need come here, but if He comes here, we cannot object. We cannot object. We cannot say that He cannot come here. He is free. He is svayambhu; He is fully independent. If He likes, He can come. Just like the example: If the head of the state goes to a prison house, it is not that he as been forced to come there just like other prisoners, but he comes to inspect, to see. It is his du..., it is his liking.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Yes. Marginal energy. Just like the sunshine is always there. Sometimes it is covered by cloud. When the cloud is cleared, then it is directly touching sunshine. Similarly, we are always marginal potency. Now the māyā cloud has covered me. As soon as māyā is over we are in direct, I am in touch with Kṛṣṇa. We are already in touch with Kṛṣṇa. When the sunshine is covered by the cloud it does not mean that the, there is no sunshine. It has become dim. Similarly, we spirit, individual spirit souls, we are bright. But due to the contact of māyā, we are now not free, not free to exhibit our real life, spiritual life. The whole process is how to get free from the clutches of māyā, then full-fledged spiritual life we get immediately. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). All right, let us have kṛṣṇa-kīrtana.

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:

We have got so many miseries. And then adhidaivika. Daivika means miseries offered by the supernatural power. Just like there is earthquake, famine, pestilence, war. So we are always... There are three headings of miseries, and we are, either we are suffering either from the three all, or at least one. There must be. This is the nature of our life in this material existence. But we are trying to make a solution of it. That is our struggle for existence. But that solution cannot be made by our teeny brain. That solution can be made only when we take to the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord.

Therefore the Lord comes Himself just to convince us that "This is not your real life. This material existence, you are suffering. Why you should suffer? You are My sons." Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he also told that "I am the son of God." He's happy. So everyone, you can become similarly happy as soon as you are reinstated in your position. The whole Bhagavad-gītā is meant for convincing me, I mean to say, conditioned souls. We are conditioned. Just like, just like under awkward circumstances we are always, always conditioned life. We are not free. Some condition is there, either state condition or nature's condition or condition left by other living entity or condition laid down by my own body. So we are always in condition.

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

Not sense gratification. But because we are materially absorbed, we think indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur (BG 3.42). Indriya. the senses, always all. To satisfy the senses that is sukh. That is happiness. And those who are a little disgusted with sense gratification, indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ (BG 3.42). They are mental speculators. They write poetries and utopian theories, "This philosophy, that philosophy." In this way they satisfy the mind. But that is also not happiness. Mental happiness. Mano-rathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ. If you become satisfied by mental happiness, then you'll have to come down again. Asato. Asato mā sad-gamaḥ. Real life is: "Don't stay in this temporary world but go to the real world, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). You'll find all these things in Bhagavad-gītā. So either on the bodily plane or on the mental plane you cannot be happy. That is not possible. But if you want to be happy then you have to come to the spiritual platform and engage in spiritual activities, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyam grāhyam (BG 6.21). Atīndriya means above the material platform of sensual and mental activities.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

And loṣṭra means that rubbles. Just like stone rubbles. There are so many rubbles and, er, strewn over the street. Nobody cares for that. Similarly, if others' money is thrown over the street, nobody... He should not care. He should not collect. "Oh, here is some money. Let me take." So mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat, ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. And he should see everyone...

This ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu was preached by Lord Buddha, this philosophy. This one philosophy was, I mean to say, taught throughout the whole world by Lord Buddha, that there should be no animal killing. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. No living entity should be given suffering, even by words. That is real life. Ātmavat... yaḥ paśyati. One who has such vision of life, he is called learned. He is called learned, not by educational qualifications. One who has acquired... phalena paricīyate. Education is understood, how far a man is educated, by his behavior. By his vision of life, it will be estimated, not by the degree. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ. Similarly, here also, here also the word paṇḍita, paṇḍita has been used.

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:

The kṛṣṇa-bhakti, our love for Kṛṣṇa, is there eternally. But on account of our contamination with this material world, we have forgotten our relationship.

Just like a madman, he forgets his relationship with the family. He loiters in the street. He eats anywhere and everywhere and all rubbish things. Although he may have a very rich father, well-to-do family, but forgetting.... Madness means forgetfulness of his real life. So we are now forgetful of our real life. This has been also exemplified by a Vaiṣṇava poet,

piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya
māyā-grasta jīvera haya se bhāva udaya

Piśācī. When a man is haunted by ghosts, as he speaks all nonsense, he cannot recognize his father, mother or relative.... Sometimes he calls them by ill names. On account of being ghostly haunted. Piśācī pāile.

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:

Why should you go and kill animals for the satisfaction of the tongue? That is not allowed. Then you will be again entangled. Otherwise, to keep your body in nice condition, you eat all these things which is meant for the human being. Then you will keep fit and save time for advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And if you become always engaged for sense gratification, go on working, working, working, then go to the restaurant, eat, drink and make your body agitated, then find out liquor and woman, what is this life? This is not life. This is animal life.

Real life is that you keep your health nicely, save time, take ordinary very nutritious food within the jurisdiction of kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). So Kṛṣṇa eats all these things. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, vegetables, liquid things, water, milk, and so many other things, grains. So you offer to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is here. Kṛṣṇa, although He is very virāṭ, universal form, but Kṛṣṇa has accepted arcā-vigraha so that you can serve, you can see, you can touch, and your life becomes successful. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

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

So these indriyas, unless they are purified by becoming without any designation... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a sannyāsī, I am a kṣatriya, I am not a brahmacārī." Because these are designation. Varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. Of course, now we do not know even this designation. We are simply animals at the present moment. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. But human society means to divide the whole human society into these eight divisions, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha. Then it is systematic. But you have to go above that. That systematic division of the society is also sense gratification. That is not real life. That is also sense gratification. But it is systematized.

Just like I have several times said, the marriage is sense gratification, sex life. But somebody may say... They say that "Marriage is legalized prostitution." It may be, but still, there is some control. Although it is called "legalized prostitution," there is no difference between prostitution and married life, but there is some control. People become responsible. By responsible life, they can make advance. Irresponsible life will not help. Therefore loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantoḥ. So our tendency for sense gratification is controlled. Therefore it is called license. Gṛhastha life means a license for sense gratification. But we must know that sense gratification means material life. It may be systematic or not systematic. Sense gratifications means material life. But our aim is to transcend this material life and come to the spiritual life, platform of spiritual life. That is required. So there are so many processes.

Lecture on BG 5.26-29 -- Los Angeles, February 12, 1969:

And nirvāṇa, nirvāṇa, the Buddha philosophy is just above the material conditional life but on the margin of spiritual existence. That is... Nirvāṇa means void of material existence. Nirvāṇa, this impersonal conception is also nirvāṇa. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that this impersonal philosophy is another phase of the void philosophy. Veda... Covered void philosophy. Impersonalism is covered void philosophy. They are all the same. Śaṅkara's philosophy of impersonalism and Lord Buddha's philosophy void is almost the same. Real life, real spiritual life is this Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Vaiṣṇava philosophy, to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. Just like we are sitting here face to face. We are talking, you are hearing. You can have this perfection. That is personal conception of spiritual perfection. Go on.

Devotee: Verses 27 and 28. "Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils—thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, the transcendentalist becomes free from desire, fear and anger. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated (Bg. 5.27-28)."

Lecture on BG 6.1 -- Los Angeles, February 13, 1969:

People want. That is their natural, just like these children. When they see that boys and girls are dancing, the children also dancing. Automatically. This is spontaneous, this is life. And that is our real life in the spiritual world. There is no anxiety. Simply people are dancing and chanting and eating nicely. That's all. There is no factory, there is no labor, there is no technical institution. There is no need. These are all artificial. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta says. The, every living entity, God is ānandamaya, full of bliss and pleasure, and we are part and parcel of God, we are also the same quality. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. So our whole process is to join the supreme ānandamaya, Kṛṣṇa, in His dance party. That will make us actually happy. Here we are trying to be happy by artificial means. And we are becoming frustrated. But if you actually be situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply you revive your original position, joyful, simply joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. These are the Vedānta. Because our nature is ānandamaya. People are, everyone is trying to find out. In this La Cienega Avenue there are so many restaurants, so many things and so many signboards.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

And naturally, he's also thinking to cheat me. So the whole conditional life is the association of cheaters and cheated, that's all. So this is another defect. And the fourth defect is that our senses are imperfect. Therefore all knowledge that we receive, that is imperfect knowledge. A man may speculate, but he may speculate with his mind. That's all. But his mind is imperfect. However he may speculate, he'll produce something nonsense, that's all. Because his mind is imperfect. It doesn't matter that if you add thousands of zeros, it makes one. No. It is still zero. So this speculation process, to understand the Supreme, is nothing but zero. Therefore with all these defects of our conditional life, it is not possible to come to the real life. Therefore we have to take it from personalities like Kṛṣṇa and His bona fide representative. That is real knowledge. Then you'll get perfection.

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

And to turn into ice, solid, that is temporary natural. So there are two kinds of natural. One kind of natural... Just like we have got this body. This is also natural, but it is temporary natural. But we are eternal, and when we get our eternal existence, that is our real natural. Is that all right? So we are now in artificial natural. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We are getting our body and finishing. So we have to transfer from this nature to the other nature, spiritual nature. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Prakṛti means nature. So those who are mahātmās, great soul, they transfer themselves to the other nature, spiritual nature. So if you transfer yourself to the spiritual nature, that is your real life. Now I am in the artificial or temporary nature. 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.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

Just like our parts and parcel of the body, the finger, the leg, the toes, the eyes and ears, they cannot enjoy separately. When the enjoyable things or the foodstuff is given to the stomach, every part enjoys. Similarly, we being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we can enjoy life in cooperation with Kṛṣṇa, not separately.

So this is the actual siddhi to understand, that "I am eternally part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. I can enjoy eternally blissful life in knowledge with cooperation or in the association of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees." That is real life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). Some of them are thinking that by merging into the existence of the Supreme, that is siddhi. That is not siddhi. That is partial siddhi, and it will not exist. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). If you do not engage yourself in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, then you cannot eternally remain in the brahma-jyotir. You cannot remain in the brahma-jyotir. You'll fall down. Therefore we see so many big, big sannyāsīs. They think that "I have become Nārāyaṇa." They address between themselves, "Nārāyaṇa, namo nārāyaṇāya." They have become Nārāyaṇa. But not, they cannot become Nārāyaṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

They are thinking, "This is life." Tātala saikate vāri-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramaṇī-samāje. Vidyāpati, a great poet, Vaiṣṇava poet, he has sung that... We are happy within this material world. How? Suta-mita-ramaṇī-samāje. Suta. Suta means children, and mita means friends, and ramaṇī means woman. So actually, our material life, existing, is society, friendship and love. If there are nice, beautiful women at home, children and friends, we are taking, "This is our life." But that is not life. Real life is to understand what I am, ātma-tattvam. Ātma-tattvam. Without understanding ātma-tattvam, the life is failure. Therefore Vidyāpati sings, tātala saikate vāri-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramaṇī-samāje. We have created this society, friendship and love in this material world for becoming happy. Everyone wants to be happy, because that is his natural inclination. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). As Kṛṣṇa is happy always... You will see. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying His life with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs or the cowherds boys or His father, mother.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). As Kṛṣṇa is happy always... You will see. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying His life with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs or the cowherds boys or His father, mother. That is spiritual, everything. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is ānanda-cinmaya. A similar imitation here in this material world. The same thing, suta-mita-ramaṇī-samāje. But it is false. Just like you see water in the desert. You'll see there is vast mass of water in the desert, and the animal falsely go to drink the water and dies. Similarly, in this material world, this suta-mita-ramaṇī-samāje, what we are trying to become happy, that is like will-o'-the wisp, false thing. Real life is in the society of Kṛṣṇa.

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura therefore says, kṛṣṇera saṁsāra kara chāḍi' anācāra. If you enter into the society, friendship and love of Kṛṣṇa, that is perfection of life. Not in this false, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). They are separated energy. This is also made by the Kṛṣṇa's energies, but it is separate, reflection, false representa... Chāyeva. Chāyeva means just like shadow. Just like you see your face in the mirror, but it is not actually the face. It is simply... The face is here, and the shadow is there. Similarly, this material world, made of bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhiḥ, they are just like reflection of the real life in the spiritual world.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

Why Kṛṣṇa says? Kṛṣṇa says here that bhinnā. Bhinnā means separated. The example I have already... Sometimes I give. Just like I speak in the tape recorder. When you play, replay the tape recorder, the same voice will come. But that is not myself. That is my separated energy. With my energy I have spoken something, I have vibrated some sound. That is recorded in the tape. When it is played back, it produces exactly the same sound, but still, it is separated from me. Try to understand. This material world is like that, bhinnā, separate. The real life is in the spiritual world. The real life is... Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi: (SB 1.1.1) "The real truth, the Absolute Truth, I am offering my obeisances to the Absolute Truth." So Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. If we want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then, instead of speculating about Kṛṣṇa, better take what Kṛṣṇa teaching Himself. That will be perfect.

So the real understanding of Kṛṣṇa, that this material world is also Kṛṣṇa... But we do not know how to use it for Kṛṣṇa. If we take to that process... Kṛṣṇa's energy should be for Kṛṣṇa's purpose. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Vaiṣṇava philosophy never says that this world is false. Why it is false? It is not false. As the Māyāvādī philosopher says that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. No. Why jagan mithyā? Just like this temple is constructed.

Lecture on BG 7.11-12 -- Bombay, February 25, 1974:

In this way, there are... Why? Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. If you cannot stop the course of birth and death of your children, then don't become a father. This is called religious contraceptive. Remain without children. That is called dharmika life. If you can stop the birth and death of your children... Birth and death means... Because dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). The real soul, the real life is within the body, while... And he's transmigrating. The... Transmigrating from one body to another. That is called death. And when he comes out from one, another body, that is called birth. So as soon as you get—kleśada āsa dehaḥ—this body, full of miserable condition, then you again put into miserable condition of life. Therefore if you can stop your childrens' birth and death any more, then beget children. This is the shastric injunction. And if the father does not know how to stop his own birth and death, then what is the use of producing children? The father should be so sympathetic with the children, with the sons, that he must know what is the pains and pleasure of birth and death.

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

This is not very heroism. Oh, you should have to penetrate the whole material space and then penetrate the cover and then reach the real sky. Yes. And that information is here also in the Bhagavad-gītā. Paramāṁ gatim. That is the superior journey. That you cannot do with your tiny sputniks. It is not possible. That you have to do by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). One who always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if by fortune at the time of death he thinks of Kṛṣṇa, he is at once transferred within a second. That is the process.

Therefore if we at all want to go, that spiritual sky, and attain real life, eternal life, blissful life, and full of knowledge, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ... Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). The Lord has got this body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. We have also that sort of body, but it is very small. Now it is covered by this matter, by this dress, and if we some way or other able to give up this false dress, then we reach that spiritual kingdom, God's kingdom. That is paramāṁ gatim. Yaṁ prāpya: "If you can reach there, if you can achieve that perfection," yaṁ prāpya na nivartante, "if at once you go, you cannot..., no more to come back. No more to come back." Yaṁ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: "That is My superior abode."

Lecture on BG 9.22-23 -- New York, December 8, 1966:

I do not know what next life is mine. I do not know where is the..., who is coming as my son, who is coming, who is going out of the scene as my son. These laws we do not know. But we are chewing the chewed. Evaṁ gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante. Under the spell of this illusory energy, we are captivated by this temporary sense gratification and we have forgotten our real life. So those who are in the sense of his real constitutional, of their real constitutional position, as Bhagavad-gītā started from the very beginning... This very conception, that "I am this body," beginning from, from beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā this is discredited, that "You are not this body." So you have to mold your life in your identification of spiritual existence. So so far the materialist is concerned, they are chewing the chewed. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). The example, which I gave you the last day, that as sugar cane, one has extracted all the juice by chewing, and it is again thrown into the, on the earth and somebody is chewing, so there is no juice. So we are simply repeating the same thing. We do not question whether this process of life can at all give us happiness. But we are trying and trying, trying the same thing.

Lecture on BG 9.29-32 -- New York, December 20, 1966:

That is destruction, that now, in our material conception of life, we are practically destroyed because, destroyed in this way, because as spiritual being, I have got my eternal life, I have got my blissful life, I have got my knowledge, full knowledge, but here I am living in a wretched condition that my life is not eternal, I am not blissful, and I am not in full knowledge. So don't you think that we are already destroyed? We are thinking that "I am very much advancing in civilization," but unless you revive your original life of eternity and full knowledge and bliss, you should know that you are not advancing; you are being defeated by the illusory energy. This is destruction. Destruction of my real life is materialism.

Lecture on BG 13.16 -- Bombay, October 10, 1973:

Amānitvam adambhitvaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam. Mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). These are the process of knowledge, to know. If we remain befooled, ignorant, that we are missing the chance.

Everything we can know. This human form of body is specially meant for that purpose. You can understand what you are, what is this material nature, what is God and how we are related, how things are going on. Everything is there, but we are so foolish that we do not take care. We live like cats and dogs, eat something and sleep and have sexual intercourse and then we are afraid always and then die. This is cats' and dogs' life. Real life is to know, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is real life, human life. One must be inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth, brahma-jijñāsā, not inquiring in the market, "What is the rate of share? What is the rate of rice? No, not for this inquiry. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. To inquire about the Absolute Truth, uttamam, beyond this material nature. Udgata tamam. This material nature is called tama. Tamaso mā jyotir gama. These are the Vedic injunctions.

You have to enter, you have to understand the world of light. This world is the world of darkness. It is simply... We require, therefore, sunlight, moonlight, electric light. Otherwise it is dark. It is called tamaḥ. But there is another world which is full of light. It is so full of light that you do not require the sunlight, moonlight or electric light there.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- South Africa, October 18, 1975:

Especially Vedic culture was there long, long ago all over the world. But now that is finished. Now in India, also, where little Vedic principles were still glowing, that is now being finished also. Nāpi ca ācāraḥ. They are learning from the Westerns how to remain unclean, how to eat meat, how to drink wine, and so on, so on, so many things.

Nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. And they do not know what is truth or what is truthfulness. Or, in other words, everyone is liar. I have seen many big, big gentlemen that for nothing they will speak lies, for nothing, without any profit. They will speak so many lies. Na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. To become truthful is one of the brahminical qualifications. Satyam. That is required. But the asuras, they don't care for. They will go on, telling lies, volumes of lies. They don't mind for it. These are the symptoms. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu. And their life is aimless, not actual life. Real life means with aim. The asuras, they have no aim. They do not know what is the aim, neither they follow. Then? Other symptom?

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

We try to remain young by cosmetic, but that is not possible. Similarly, we want to live forever. The lady doctor was (saying), "Yes, we can extend little more." Then what...? After all, you have to die. Extend little more or little less, you cannot avoid death.

So this birth, death, old age, disease, this is due to this unclean, infected, material body. That we are not concerned, that how to stop this infected material body, how to revive our original spiritual body. That spiritual body is within, but we have no information. Therefore it is said, alpa-buddhayaḥ. The real life is within. We don't take care. Who is taking care of the spiritual... Where is the university? Where is the college where is this training is given that "We are spirit soul. This body is temporary, and the spirit soul business is this so that spirit soul may be purified, no more he accepts this material body"? Where is that education? Therefore alpa-buddhayaḥ: less intelligent. They are simply busy with these bodily necessities of life. There is no education of the real living force. That education you will get—this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Therefore it is unique. It is the education to get people of the human society liberated from the animalistic ignorance. Because those who are under the impression of this bodily concept of life, sa eva go-kharaḥ: (SB 10.84.13) they are no better than the asses and the cows.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, April 18, 1974:

There is process. That is God's arrangement. When there is rain from the sky, the forest fire is extinguished. Similarly, when mercy from Kṛṣṇa comes, your blazing fire of material existence will be extinguished. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā... (CC Antya 20.12). Then real spiritual life begins. So long you are disturbed materially, there is no possibility. But these material disturbances cannot be subsided by your concocted method. It can be subsided by the mercy bestowed by Kṛṣṇa. That is the process. Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. So spiritual life is real life. Material life is not real. Material life is temporary. So everyone can be situated in the spiritual life, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktiḥ (SB 1.2.6), simply by being situated in the devotional service of the Lord. Yato bhaktiḥ. Bhakti required.

So there are many instances in the śāstras. If you refer to the śāstras... Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic literature. You read it carefully. And we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as..., without any malinterpretation. We don't interpret. We present Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and it is working. So I am requesting also in India that you read Bhagavad-gītā as it is. You understand what is the science of God. Your life will be successful.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:

If Kṛṣṇa is happy, then I must be happy. If Kṛṣṇa is jubilant, then I must be jubilant. Wherefrom we get this idea of happiness? Because we are part of Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa dances with the gopīs, we also want to dance with young girls here, in this material world, Why? Wherefrom this idea we have got? The idea is already there, and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have got this propensity. So ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.

But this thing can be purely enjoyed not alone in this material world, but you have to go back to home, go back to Kṛṣṇa, and there is your real life. Kṛṣṇa comes therefore. He displays His rāsa dance in Vṛndāvana to attract these fallen souls, that "If you want enjoyment, why not come back to Me? Here is the enjoyment. Here is the enjoyment, eternal enjoyment. Why you are rotting in this material world and becoming implicated, sometimes as Brahmā and sometime as the worm in the stool? Enjoyment, varieties of enjoyment. Why? Why you are so become fool?" Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, He comes here, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You come to Me. Why you are bothering in this way and suffering?" But people will not hear. That is the difficulty. That is the difficulty. Kṛṣṇa displays what is the standard of happiness with Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:

So this is the real life. Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and execute it. We are opening centers all over the world to give this chance. It is not a whimsical concoction. It is strictly according to the śāstra, without any mistake, authorized. If you take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, you will be happy perpetually.

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

Constantly. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). That is required. Life should be molded in such a way that not for a single moment you are without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real life. That is perfection. Because you have to make your life perfect by satisfying Kṛṣṇa, satisfying God. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). If you want perfection, But if you want again to become cats and dogs, which you have already passed through and now you have come to this human form of body, then you do whatever you like. But if you want to make this life perfect, stop this business of becoming repeatedly cats and dogs and trees and this and that, then this is the process: tasmād bhārata. Ekena manasā. Concentrating fully. Ekena. With one attention. No diversion. Ekena manasā, bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ. Don't be afraid that "If I simply concentrate my mind in Kṛṣṇa, then how other things will go on?" No. Bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ. He is very careful about His devotee. Kṛṣṇa, God, is giving everyone's food, but that is according to karma, according to his quality and position. He's getting food. Just like hog is getting food, but he cannot get more than stool. He cannot claim, "Give me halavā." No, that's not possible. You must eat stool. Because you are, by your karma, you have got this body, hog, you must eat stool.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:

All these inconveniences, and he says that "I am well." Similarly, in our material conception of life, if we think, "I am happy," that is foolishness. That is foolishness. There is no happiness in material life. It is impossible to get happiness. Then we do not know meaning of happiness. Therefore this very word is used, manīṣiṇaḥ. We want to happy, to become by some extraneous, artificial means. And how long it will stand? It will not stand. You'll again come back. Suppose by intoxication you feel happy. Oh, that is not your actual happiness. Suppose by chloroform I am unconscious; I don't feel the pains of operation. Oh, that does not mean that I am out of these pains and pleasures. This is artificial. So real, real pleasure, real life is here, as recommended in Bhagavad-gītā by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Just see. Karma-jaṁ buddhi-yuktā hi phalaṁ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ. Manīṣiṇaḥ means the thoughtful. "They give up the reaction of, of work, being situated in the platform of consciousness. And the result will be that janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ, this bondage of birth and death and disease and old age, he becomes free from that." Then the next life? Padaṁ gacchanty anāmayam. Anāmayam. Anāmayam means where there is no death, no, I mean to say, old age, no birth, no disease. That is possible.

Lecture on SB 1.5.23 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

This is the process.

So here, how he became Nārada Muni will be described. But here it is said... One thing is that when you are liberated... Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). You become an associate of Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu. Then you can remember your past lives. Remember your past lives. Just like you can remember your dreams, "I was dreaming like that." So this is all dream. Our, this life, at the present moment, because this body is false, so whatever we are acting, it is just like dream. Just like in dream at night we also work. So this is gross dream and that is subtle dream. But real life is spiritual life. But we foolish people, we are taking this life as permanent life, permanent settlement. It is not permanent settlement. Here is..., Nārada Muni's saying, ahaṁ purā atīta-bhave abhavam. Atīta-bhave. This nature... Just like everything material... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It appears for some time like bubbles in the ocean, few seconds. Again finished. The whole cosmic manifestation in which we are millions and millions of years, it is just like a bubble in the ocean. It is just like a bubble. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 1.5.30 -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974:

This is real life, to go back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Mām upetya. If you go back to home, back to Godhead, that is saṁsiddhiṁ paramām. That is the highest perfection of life. But generally... Generally, almost... Why generally? Almost everyone. Ninety-nine point nine percent people, they want to become happy within this material world. Therefore they are poor, very, very poor. And the mahātmās, they give the knowledge that "This is not life. This is a temporary platform." Aśāśvatam, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This is confidential knowledge. You are trying to be happy... Suppose Brahmā. He lives for many millions of years. Still, it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). That life is also temporary. What is millions of years' duration of life in comparison to the eternal life? So beginning from Brahmā down to the small ant, whoever is within this material world, it is to be understood their understanding is very poor. And the mahātmā, being kind upon these poor souls, they deliver the same knowledge as Kṛṣṇa gives. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam.. (BG 18.66). This is guru's business. Do not manufacture anything. There is no question of... There is no need of manufacturing anything. Simply you speak to the suffering humanity the same thing which Kṛṣṇa says. Sākṣād bhagavatā uditam. This is the business of guru. It is clearly said.

Lecture on SB 1.7.5-6 -- Johannesburg, October 15, 1975:

You want satisfaction. If you want real life, then you accept this, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Here the same thing, anarthopaśa... This business, struggle for existence, "Survival of the fittest," they say. But nobody is fit to survive. Everyone has to die. Nobody, even big, big scientists or big, big philosophers and... They cannot survive. They talk of millions of years, but personally they live only fifty or sixty years. This is their position. They simply cheat people: "Maybe." "Perhaps." "Millions of years." And you are going to live for fifty years. Why talking of millions of years? So this is anartha.

So anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt. If we want to stop this unwanted business... If you don't want, go on with your business: bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Now take this life, this body, of human being or Indian and then American, then cat, then dog, then hog, then tree—so many, eight million—you go on if you like.

Lecture on SB 1.7.18 -- Vrndavana, September 15, 1976:

Vedic instruction you have to take. Otherwise you'll suffer. That is Vedas. Why Veda is there? To give you intelligence. Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila (CC Madhya 20.117). These rascals, anādi-bahirmukha jīva, bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, jīva, they do not know when they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Anādi. Anādi means even before creation. Before creation. Long, long period. So anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa... What is the meaning of these Vedas and Purāṇas? To remind us about Kṛṣṇa. So how we'll understand Vedas and Purāṇas? Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). You have to go to the guru. Why? Jijñāsuḥ śreya... If you want to know the real life, then you have to go to guru. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Then what is the sign, what is the symptom of such guru where I shall get real information? That is also stated. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam, śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. One who is fully aware of the transcendental science or words, śabda, śabda-brahma. Śabda-brahma means Vedic literature. One is completely in awareness of Vedic knowledge. Śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. Niṣṇātam means one has taken a dip in the ocean of this Vedic literature. Niṣṇātam. And what is the result? Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. The Supreme Brahman... Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Brahmaṇi, either of them. But Bhagavān is the best. Or, if you cannot approach Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Brahman is also. Because if one is in Brahman, he has a chance to make further progress.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Los Angeles, April 24, 1973:

So the philosophy of voidism, impersonalism is like that. Mean they cannot, shudder, to think of another life, again eating, again sleeping, again working. Because he thinks eating, sleeping, means on the bed. That's all. And suffering. He cannot think otherwise. So the negative way, to make it zero. That is void philosophy.

But actually that is not the case. The case is that you are in trouble on material condition. you get out of this material condition. Then there is real life, eternal life. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is Aja. Aja means who has no birth and death. So we are also aja. How we can be otherwise? If Kṛṣṇa, I am Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. The same example we can see. If my, if my father is happy, so I am the son of my father. Why I shall not be, I shall be unhappy? This is natural conclusion. Because I will enjoy my father's property as my father is enjoying.

Similarly God is all-powerful. Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful, all beautiful, all-knowledge, everything complete. So I may not be complete, but because I am part and parcel, so I have, I have got all the qualities of God in part and parcel. It is not that... So God does not die. He's aja. So I also will not die. This is my position. And that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that: na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. When He's describing about the soul, Kṛṣṇa says that the soul is never born, na jāyate, na mriyate. And if one is not born, how he can die? There is no question of death. Death is for a thing which has got a birth. If one has no birth, there is no question of death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. So we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa is Aja, we are also aja. That we do not know. This is ignorance. This is ignorance.

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

We cannot be enjoyer. We each can simply be servitor; that is our natural position. Just like a dog, when it serves a nice master, he's happy. Otherwise, it is street dog. Nobody cares for it. Street dog. A street dog has no position. Sometimes they are killed. Similarly, when we live under the full protection of the Supreme Lord, that is our healthy condition, that is our real life. And as soon as we give up this position to be subordinate, to be predominated by the Supreme Lord, then we are bewildered. We are thrown into this, under the control of this material nature, and according to our work we get different bodies. There are 8,400,000 forms of bodies and we get one body after another. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). This is called ever conditioned. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). In this way, we are wandering from one species of life to another, one planet to another. In this way the brahmāṇḍa, this universe is very very big and there is immense opportunity. You become sometimes demigod, sometimes dog, sometimes cat, sometimes tree. In this way, we are wandering.

Lecture on SB 1.14.43 -- New York, April 7, 1973 :

Try to understand our relationship. This is our real, real business, but nobody is interested in the real business. They are interested in superfluous engagement whole day work in the office, then come here, go to the club, go to the football club, tennis club. In this way they have invented simply how to waste valuable life of tis human form. They have invented. They have no sense that how this life should be utilized for stopping this, I mean to say, prime problem, janma-mṛtyu-jarā. They do not know.

So, this Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is giving to the whole world real life, real, what is meant by life. So this..., these are the etiquette. To take care, especially, of brāhmaṇa, old men, children, women and cows. This is civilization. These living entities should be taken care of. Now these rascals they are killing cows and making women prostitutes, and killing the children even in the womb. And there is no question of brāhmaṇa respect, and neither there is the brāhmaṇa culture. Then how you can be happy? Huh? And if there is no brahminical culture in the society, then that society is less than animal society.

Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:

People go to see imitation bark. If you give a sign board that "Here is an expert imitator who can imitate the sounds of all animals," you will purchase tickets ten dollars and go and see how this man is imitating. But you don't care for the real dog who is barking. This is the position. The scientific advance means the imitation barking. That's all. The dog is already there. Everyone can see. The barking is there. But if a scientist can imitate how dog barks, then he's advanced. The already life is being produced millions and millions of lives. Now they are going to check life production. Or we see if a rascal scientist says that "Now I produced one life in laboratory." "Oh, wonderful!" The... Real life they are going to check, and some imitation life he has produced, he gets Nobel Prize. This is going on. This is going on. Simply wasting public money. That's all. The so-called sci...

And now they have failed to go to the moon planet. Now they are trying to go to the Venus planet.

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

These things are all mentioned, how the human society can be peaceful and progressive. These are the qualifications. Not like animallike jumping all day and night. Here in Hawaii we see that children, children and elderly persons also, the whole day and night, simply jumping in the sea. Someone is swimming, somebody is doing something else, somebody is swimming. How they're wasting time. But they have taken, "This is civilization. This is civilization." Human life is so important. So many things are to be learned, neither in the school, college, educational institution, society, nothing of the sort. Just like a dog is also jumping, a man is also jumping. This is going on. But that is not civilization. Real civilization means these things are to be acquired in real life, personal life, then that is civilization. Now, these are mentioned one after another.

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

That is due to this body. But actually I am spirit soul. I am neither old nor diseased, but I have fallen into the condition of material contamination. Therefore I am thinking that I am diseased. This is called māyā. Just like in the dream I am feeling that a tiger is eating me, and I am crying, "Here is a tiger eating me, eating me. Save me." But there is no tiger. This is called illusion, or māyā. But so long we'll have this body just like so long we shall dream, we shall have to suffer the effect, even it is illusion. A man is crying, "There is a tiger." Actually, there is no tiger; neither tiger is eating. But because he is in hallucination, he is feeling the pain. That is actual fact. So the whole process is to stop this illusion, bodily contamination. Then we are in real life. And then we can understand what is love, what is reciprocation of love, everything. That is real, healthy life. So this human form of life is meant for getting out of this illusion to the spiritual life. That we have been discussing. But instead of taking advantage of this human life, if we simply treat ourself just like animals and be engaged with eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating, then we are missing the chance. So long we have got this human intelligence, we should utilize it for the highest perfectional stage of life. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Vrndavana, March 19, 1974:

So real life is to know what is the value of my life, how I have to attain the original position. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). And now I am getting this śarīra, or body, and I am being annihilated one after another. And I am getting one body annihilated, again getting another, next body. This great science is unknown to the modern civilization, and therefore they are considered as pramattaḥ, all madmen, hankering after some temporary happiness. Pramattaḥ. They are called pramattaḥ.

Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Bombay, March 23, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:

Prabhupāda: Yes, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means superconsciousness. Kṛṣṇa You are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Just like father and son. Father knows, "He is my son," and the son knows, "He is my father." So this father, paternal consciousness, is there. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is real consciousness, but we color it with other consciousness. That is polluted. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to purify your consciousness.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
(CC Madhya 19.170)

When you become free from all designations of this world—sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam—and you become purified, without any contamination, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your real business, real life, begins.

Guest (4): Can we solve political problems with this religious basis?

Prabhupāda: Yes. All problems will be solved if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture on SB 2.3.20 -- Bombay, March 24, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:

So yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. As soon as we deviate from the original system, it is naṣṭa, spoiled. So what is the use of giving things which is already spoiled? But it cannot be spoiled if you follow the paramparā system. This is the secret of success. So our only request is that India should not be misled by imitating the Western type of civilization, unnecessarily fighting on political and social... These political, social, there is problem, but that is temporary. Temporary... We must have our interest to the real life. Somebody yesterday was speaking of health. So what is health? If you are going to die, what is the value of your so-called health program? First of all you stop death; then the question of health. Kṛṣṇa said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). First of all come to this position. Then even after the destruction of the body, you are not destroyed. That is health. That is health. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). That is health, not that patchwork: you have got some disease, take some pill and again become diseased. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). That is not health. Here is health.

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

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is actually, factually the movement for unity of the whole world. And that is actually beginning. It is actually being happened. All classes of men, from all groups of men, all religious societies or nation, they are joining this movement. They are joining. Actually there is the possibility. The United Nations could not unite the nations, but if you push on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, all people of different dimensions, of different nations, different religions, they will join. That is required.

So otherwise, we are in the moha, illusion. So it is the business of guru to dissipate this illusion, darkness, and enlighten the student to the real life.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

Mind is, we know you have got mind, you know I have got mind but you do not see. I know you have got intelligence, you know I have got intelligence but you can not see. But how the mind, intelligence carry the soul to another body, how you can see? We see that this gross body is stopped, we say it is everything finished, because we have got gross intelligence, we have no sūkṣma, in Therefore we have to approach guru, just like Arjuna approached guru. And Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa teaching that you are thinking of this body like a rascal. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. He said in a very gentlemanly language, no learned man thinks like that, that means you are a fool. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ, that you are not a paṇḍita, you are a fool. Just try to understand, that real life is for the soul, therefore you should take care of the soul. The whole Vedic language, Vedic education means to take care of the soul. The soul is entangled, embodied, engaged in this material affair, and he is suffering, and to rescue him, to get him out of this material clutches, that is called education.

Lecture on SB 3.25.29 -- Bombay, November 29, 1974:

If you want real life, prasanna... Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). If you take to bhakti, automatically you become prasannātmā. Yayātmā suprasīdati. What is that? Ahaituky apratihatā bhakti. Without any motive. "I shall serve Kṛṣṇa with a motive," that is also good in this sense, that he is pious, he has approached Kṛṣṇa. He is not impious like the atheist, like the nonbeliever. But he is good, although he has approached... Just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja worshiped Kṛṣṇa with a motive. But after being perfect in devotional service he becomes without motive. When he saw actually Kṛṣṇa, he said, "No, no, no. I don't want anything from You." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). "I don't want any benediction." That is bhakti. Ahaituky apratihatā. Not that we shall worship Kṛṣṇa to serve some material purpose. That is also good, because he has come to Kṛṣṇa. Someway or other he has come. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna. That is his piety. Anyone who comes to Kṛṣṇa someway or other, he is very fortunate. He is not ordinary man. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Bhāgyavān jīva means very fortunate person. He comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not ordinary person.

Lecture on SB 3.25.38 -- Bombay, December 7, 1974:

There is love, but this is all temporary. But if you transfer this love to Kṛṣṇa either as your master or the Supreme or as friend or as your son or as your lover or husband, it will never be destroyed. That is permanent settlement. This is to be understood. But the Māyāvādīs, they cannot understand. They think that in the spiritual world there is no more such relationship as master, friend, or father and son, or beloved and the lover. There is no such thing.

But here in the śāstra we see that that is real life. This is not real life. It is shadow. In the Bhagavad-gītā in the Fifteenth Chapter it has been described as shadow. Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam (BG 15.1). Aśvattham. We have got experience of banyan tree. It is very durable. It stands for many, many hundreds of years. Therefore this material world has been compared with the aśvattham, aśvattham tree, very durable and very expansive. It goes on increasing, increasing. That is very nicely described in the Fifteenth Chapter. So it is called ūrdhva-mūlam. Ūrdhva-mūlam means... Here we have got experience: the tree has got its roots underneath, down. But this material world, which is compared with the aśvattha tree, the root is upside and the branches downside. That means it is shadow. We can experience of this tree, ūrdhva-mūlam.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

Suppose a poor man is trying to get out of this condition, poor condition. He becomes a rich man. So that is also purposeless. From poor man to become rich man, it is also purposeless. Because today you are rich man; again you will become poor man. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed, sometimes poor man, sometimes... Practically we see a man in our presence. He was very poor man; he became rich man. And again his everything, business, failed. He again became a poor man. So this kind of poor man, rich man, sometimes Brahmā, sometimes ant, sometimes cats, dogs—this is all purposeless life. Purpose... Real life is eternal blissful life, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). That should be our aim of life.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

With hard labor, you get some food, and then you enjoy sex life. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Material life means to work very hard day and night and get some money and then eat sumptuously. Eat, drink, be merry and then enjoy sex life. That's all. So Ṛṣabhadeva said, "My dear sons, this kind of standard of life is available in the life of pigs." Kaṣṭān kāmān arhate ye viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means stool-eaters.

Then what is human life? If this is not life, then what is real life? That, He recommends, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Sattva, your sattva, your existence, is now impure. It is covered by this material nature; therefore it is impure. So you have to purify. That is real life. And to purify means tapasya. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). That is the way. That is Vedic civilization. That is Vedic civilization, or you may call Indian civilization or Hindu civilization. Actually, it is Vedic civilization. Therefore you will find in India, in the history of India, Mahābhārata, greater India, that many people, they are engaged in tapasya.

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

In our contaminated state, our senses are acting in designation. "I am Indian. I have to work for India. The others must go out of India." Or others are thinking, "Now your visa is finished. Now you can go out. You cannot stay here." This is all due to designation. But real life is designationless. The United Nations is working, but there is not... They are not working on the platform of becoming designationless. They want to keep the designations. They are struggling there to become united for the last twenty years. And the... We have seen in New York the United Nations center. Only the flags are increasing, because unless one becomes designationless, no designation, there cannot be any unity.

Lecture on SB 3.26.27 -- Bombay, January 4, 1975:

So as it is going on in this life, in this span of life, similarly, it is going on life after life, this plan-making business. So the intelligent persons, they should understand that how to stop this unlimited plan-making business. Still there is no solution. That is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is life, athāto brahma-jijñāsā, when one is inquisitive to know the broader plan, Brahman plan. Brahman means the biggest, bṛhatva, the biggest. The biggest plan, if anyone wants to understand, becomes inquisitive, then his life, real life, begins. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So wherefrom brahma-jijñāsā? Brahma-jijñāsā... This ordinary jijñāsā, inquiry, "What is the price of rice today?" or "What is the situation of strike? What is the situation of this, that?" that you can ask from the newspaper or from anyone, friend. But so far brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry of Brahman, then where shall you inquire? Will you go to the exchange market or in the other market? No. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Sa gurum evābhigacchet. That is the injunction of the Vedas, that you must find out guru. Samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. Guru means brahma-niṣṭham. Brahma-niṣṭham. That is the guru's qualification. And śrotriyam, one who has heard from the disciplic succession, he is guru, not anyone, magician, no.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1976:

So we have discussed this verse yesterday. It is very essential that this human form of body is meant for rectifying or purifying our existence. That they do not know, especially in the modern age, that this body is temporary and we living entities, we are eternal and this is our bondage. So long we are within this material body, it is our bondage. Real life is eternal life, without any birth, death, old age and disease. Where is that science? There is no such department of knowledge that how one can live eternally without any disease, without any old age and without any death and without any birth. If there is birth there is death. And between the two, birth and death, there is old age and disease. Where is that scientist who are trying to solve this problem?

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

Anyone who has taken birth in this holy land of Bhārata-varṣa, he has got special advantage. He has got special advantage in this, that he can learn all this Vedic literature, mahat-sevā. Then he makes his life perfect. He understands what is his life, what is the value of this life, why he's suffering, how to mitigate it. This is, these things are required, and when one is very versed and practiced by example, then let him preach all over the world, para-upakāra. Because they do not know. Actually that is happening. By one man's endeavor all these foreigners they're getting real life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have sacrificed everything practically. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is required. That is human life. Otherwise, if we simply work very hard just like the stool-eater hogs, "Where is food? Where is food? Where is sex? Where is..." This is... Therefore this particular name has been mentioned here, viḍ-bhujām. It is very peculiar. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This is the business of the stool-eater hogs. Śāstra sometimes uses very strong language. That is required. Just like if you want to train your children, sometimes you have to slap, you have to chastise for his benefit. That is the... Therefore this very word is used, viḍ-bhujāṁ ye.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:

That is materialistic life. As soon as we get this body, there is birth, there is death, there is old age and there is disease. Therefore if you want real happiness then you have to get free from all these four—miserable life. That is spiritual life. You have to become free from birth, you have to become free from death, you have to become free from old age, and you have to become free from disease. That is real life. "I don't like this" means this is not real life. The real life is different. So if that real life you want, then you have to follow the process. That is being discussed here. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1).

Lecture on SB 5.5.3-4 -- Bombay, March 29, 1977:

The real problem of life is not to adjust things materially, change from one form of government to another form of government. These things are temporary things. It will not give relief. And this fighting between one party with another amongst the politicians or the kṣatriyas or the administrators, they are going on perpetually. That is not a very new thing. So we should not forget our real life. For ruling over to get political predominance, there may be fighting. That is natural. It is going on. Just like the Battle of Kurukṣetra—it is a fighting between two sections of the same family, who will rule over. So there was fighting, but at the same time, they did not lose Kṛṣṇa culture. That is the important point. Similarly, India has got a great culture, background, Vedic culture or Kṛṣṇa culture. Vedic culture means Kṛṣṇa culture, and Kṛṣṇa culture means Vedic culture. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). So study Veda or Vedānta means to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is the purpose. Vedaiś ca sarvair. Veda means knowledge, and anta means end. Vedānta. Vyāsadeva, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, he has given us the Vedānta philosophy. What is the purpose? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:

Lecture on SB 5.5.15 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1976:

There is no pāpa-puṇya. You are immune from pāpa-puṇya because you are God."

So this is going on. But that is not the fact. Fact is different. Therefore, putrāṁś ca śiṣyāṁś ca. Śiṣya... The citizen, they are also śiṣya. Śiṣya means one who is controlled. That is called śiṣya, who is disciplined, disciple. The same meaning. Disciple means one who is controlled, one who is disciplined. So controller is the teacher or spiritual master and the government. So the government rules and regulation, teacher's rules and regulations should be in such a way that the dependent, either the śiṣya or the citizen, they must know that this is not life. This material life is not life. Real life is in the spiritual world. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). That is real truth. And this is... This material world is illusion, illusion, the mirage. We are finding here happiness. Kṛṣṇa says, "No, no, there is no happiness." Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "Why you are finding out happiness here? It is not possible." Kṛṣṇa personally teaching. This is duḥkhālaym aśāśvatam. "If you don't want it, then come to Me." Mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ (BG 8.15). That is mahātmā.

Lecture on SB 5.5.15 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1976:

That was the end. In India we find not that... The great sages, ṛṣis, they wrote so many books, but they used to live in a cottage. Only the kings, the kṣatriya, because they had to rule over, they used to construct big, big palaces. No one else. They lived very simple life, very simple life. Not waste time for so-called economic development, skyscraper building, subways and so on, so on. This was not Vedic civilization. This is asuric civilization.

So we have... People are becoming inclined to karma-sukha(?). So it is a very difficult position to convince them that this is not needed. The real life is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and for that purpose one should undergo austerities, pen... Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). You have to purify your existence. You are suffering. You are not meant for birth and death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. You are not meant for that. Then you are undergoing birth and death and do not know what kind of life you are going to get next life. You have no information. Today you may be very big man and tomorrow you may be a dog. These things going on. They do not know. They simply working hard, making plan to be happy. That is not possible. Therefore it is forbidden. Na yojayet karmasu karma-mūḍhān. Engage them how to acquire Kṛṣṇa's favor. Kṛṣṇa's favor, mad-anugrahārthaḥ.

Lecture on SB 5.5.16 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1976:

We do not know. Kṛṣṇa says that "If you do not come to Me, if you do not accept Me, then," nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, "you will continue the cycle of birth and death." And that means ananta-duḥkham, ananta-duḥkham, one life after one life, one life after one life. This will go on.

So we should be very, very careful that this human form of life should not be wasted even for a moment. That is real life. There is, by, one śloka by Rūpa Gosvāmī. Avyartha-kālatvam (Cc. Madhya 23.18-19). A devotee should always be alert to see, "Whether this time, one moment passed, whether I have wasted it or I have utilized it?" That is, should be, the point. Āyūṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhya svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. This is also material estimation, that one moment of our life cannot be returned in exchange of millions of dollars, even from material point of view. And those who are advancing in spiritual life, how much careful they should be. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī has given the formula, avyartha-kālatvam. Not a single moment may be wasted without chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 5.5.24 -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1976:

"Somehow or other" means the reason is as soon as we become independent, we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, but we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa—we want to become independent. Then immediately we are forced by the illusory energy to come under her and work under her direction. We are born servant, jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It is made for the purpose of serving me. This is the purpose. But when it is diseased When it cannot serve the body, then it is diseased. Similarly, our constitutional position is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa. That is real life. And when you don't serve Kṛṣṇa or deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is diseased condition. And that is called māyā. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare, pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare.

Lecture on SB 5.5.34 -- Vrndavana, November 21, 1976:

These things are there. So He was callous: "Never mind." Although He was the emperor, but when He took the position of avadhūta, without any conception of body, He became like ordinary animals, exemplifying that the, so far the body is concerned, the activities of the body, there is no difference between the lower animals and the higher animals; or, in other words, without spiritual conception of life, simply in the bodily conception of life we are equal with the animals. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ sāmānyam etad paśubhiḥ narāṇām.

So our real life is spiritual life, not this bodily conception of life. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that anyone who is above the bodily conception of life, he is liberated person. Saṁsāra bandhana Deha-smṛti nāhi yāra, saṁsāra-bandhana kāhāṅ tāra. Deha-smṛti: "I am this body," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya." These are bodily conception of life. One who forgets this bodily conception of life, he is liberated.

Lecture on SB 5.5.34 -- Vrndavana, November 21, 1976:

What is that? "Beefeater's" advertisement, and cigarette advertisement, and cinema advertisement, restaurant advertisement even. Gṛheṣu. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ. Thousands and thousands subject matter you'll find. Here we don't have such newspaper in the Western country. Such a big bunch, at least ten kilos' weight. Is it not? Big, big bunch, throwing. Who will read? But they have the subject matter.

So we have to cease these activities, and we shall consider such activities are no better than the activities of the crows and the cows and the other animals are there. These activities have no value, as the crow or the hogs and the dogs, they are engaged the whole day, activities. But these activities have no value. The human form of life are not meant for these activities. Their purpose is to make these activities and the activities of the crows and cows and lower animals only Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, how to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is bona fide. That is our life, real life.

Lecture on SB 5.6.3 -- Vrndavana, November 25, 1976:

And brāhmaṇa means brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. So these are the beginning, brahmacārī. Brahmacari means who is always in Brahman activities. That is brahmacārī. Or brāhmaṇa means one who knows the Supreme, Supreme Brahman, Parambrahman. So if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then immediately you are liberated. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So if we understand Kṛṣṇa, then we are both brahmacārī or brāhmaṇa, brahma-jñāna, brahma-bhūtaḥ. These words are there in the śāstra: athāto brahma jijñāsā. Therefore the real life is to inquire about Brahman. Inquiring, inquiring, when the conditioned soul... Now it is jīva-bhūtaḥ. So long we are conditioned by the material nature—prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27), bhuṅkte prakṛtijān guṇān—then we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. Otherwise when we come to our real position, that is brahma-bhūtaḥ.

Lecture on SB 5.6.6 -- Vrndavana, November 28, 1976:

Just like a government has got two departments: criminal department and civil department. So the government is the same, but there are two departments. This māyā is criminal department, and Vaikuṇṭha is civil department. Vaikuṇṭha means there is no anxiety, and māyā means always anxiety. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Because we accepted the jurisdiction of māyā, they are asad-grahāt. Asato mā sad gamaḥ. Therefore the Vedic instruction is, "Don't remain in this asat." Oṁ tat sat. "Go to the real life." Jyotir gama. "Don't remain in the darkness." This is Vedic instruction.

So anyone who has accepted this material world as very comfortable... It is not comfortable; it is simply suffering. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). And still, if we want to be happy in this material world, bahir-artha-māninaḥ. These fools, they are trying to be happy within this material world. Material means external energy. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). This is durāśayā, the hope which will never be fulfilled. But this we do not... Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). So unless there is vairāgya, there is no question of happiness. But we cannot attain vairāgya immediately; therefore the vidhi-mārga, vidhi-mārga-bhakti, to rise early in the morning, to attend maṅgala ārati, to offer Deity flowers, fruits, and in this way we shall be engaged twenty-four hours. Then vairāgya-vidyā will gradually develop.

Lecture on SB 6.1.2 -- Honolulu, May 6, 1976:

This is material world. So long one will be engaged in sense enjoyment in different varieties, he will have to remain within this material world. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. We wanted to enjoy this material world; therefore He has given us full chance: "Yes, you enjoy." Kṛṣṇa does not want that you should enjoy this material world. That is not He... Sometimes the foolish men, they say that "Kṛṣṇa has given us this facility for sense enjoyment. Why we shall not take it?" Sometimes the so-called ṛṣis and yogis, they also say, "Yes, when you have got the senses, it is meant for enjoyment. Why it should be stopped?" Yes. Because... Really it has to be stopped. If you want real life of eternal enjoyment, then you have to stop. If you don't stop, then you remain here.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1976:

You find Kṛṣṇa always, wherever He is, He is playing on flute with company, either gopīs or cowherd boy or somebody, somebody. This is enjoyment. And He comes personally on this planet to show His enjoyment life in Vṛndāvana—that place is Vṛndāvana; therefore Vṛndāvana is so important—to invite us that "Why you are not in here? Come with Me. Enjoy with My dance." Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also you see dancing. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityananda śrī-advaita-gadādhara śrīvāsādi... All dancing. Saṅgo-paṅgāstra-pārṣada. So the life is this enjoyment, dancing. That is life, not meditation, "For fifteen minutes' meditation I become God. That's all." (laughter) These are all rascals. Enjoyment is real life. Enjoyment. That enjoyment, not this material world, the sex. No. Above this. Transcendental. That we find information in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- Detroit, June 15, 1976:

That is not happiness. Happiness means spiritual happiness. That is happiness. This material happiness is temporary. That is not happiness, but perverted happiness. It is exemplified just like we are trying to find out water in the desert. Actually in the desert there is no water, but an animal, he sees that there is water in the desert, as we also see. But we are human being. We know in the desert there is no water, it is a reflection of the sunshine. But animal does not know. He's thirsty, he looks after the water in the desert. So this is the distinction between animal and human life.

So by understanding knowledge, real life from sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, by approaching saintly persons, sādhu... Śāstra means authorized scriptures. Sādhu, śāstra and guru, and spiritual master. This is the source of knowledge. And the Vedic injunction is tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to learn that higher transcendental platform of knowledge, one should approach a guru, bona fide guru, who knows.

Lecture on SB 6.1.51 -- Detroit, August 4, 1975:

Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). You have to make zero all material desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam means zero. So zero, that is Buddhist philosophy to make zero, śūnyavādī, to make everything void. No. That cannot be. I cannot make my desires zero. That is not possible because I am living being. I may select what kind of desires I will have. That is intelligence. But desirelessness is not possible. Therefore the next item is that anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (CC Madhya 19.167). You make your material desires zero, void. "Then? What shall I do next? Shall I become void and finish?" No. Then your real life begins. What is that? Anābhilāṣitā-śūnyam jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. We have desires, many types of desires, jñāna and karma. Karma platform is foolishness. Just like everywhere they are very busy, karmī, but they do not know what is the aim of life. That is called karma, acting something and suffering again. This is called karma. And jñāna means one who understands that, by analysis, that "These wrappers, material wrappers, these fifteen, five, five, five—five sense organs, five object of sense enjoyment—in this way twenty-four wrappers, so how I am to get out of these wrappings?" That is intelligence. That is jñānī. But a jñānī does not know that "I get out from this entanglement. Then where I stay?" That they do not know.

Lecture on SB 6.1.67 -- Vrndavana, September 3, 1975:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important, scientific movement. Take to it. Stick to the principles. Don't live uselessly like a tree or cats and dogs. They have also sense pleasure. It is not that because in human life we have got full opportunity for sense pleasures... Well, sense pleasure is offered to the monkeys and pigs and dogs more leniently. So that is means that is life? No. That is not life. This has been discussed in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Bhastrāḥ kiṁ na śvasanty uta, taravo kiṁ na jīvanti. They have been analyzed. No, the real life is Kṛṣṇa conscious life. That is success of life. So some way or other, you have come to this platform of Kṛṣṇa conscious life. Stick to the principle carefully. Don't fall down. Then try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then life is successful.

Lecture on SB 6.2.11 -- Allahabad, January 16, 1971:

And in order to understand this factual position there are so many directions in the dharma-śāstra or religious scriptures. And you'll find here the Yamadūta or Yamarāja will speak, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19).

Really, originally, the, I mean to say regulator of religious principle is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is sometimes addressed as dharma-setu. Setu means bridge. We have to cross over. The whole plan is that we have to cross over the ocean of nescience in which we are now fallen. The material existence means it is ocean of ignorance and nescience, and one has to cross over it. Then he gets the real life. This is not real life. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We are... Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). People are so foolish. They do not take it very seriously because they do not know that they are eternal. That is another ignorance. Bhagavad-gītā begins from this knowledge that living soul is eternal, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). But they are in ignorance. They take it as a matter of fact that "This life, this body, is all in all, and after death there is no more any body, so who cares for sinful activities?" That is another ignorance. And in order to give them direction there are so many religious scriptures in human society. Therefore it is said, dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ.

Lecture on SB 6.2.15 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1975:

"I, the spiritual spark, I am not this matter. I am a spirit soul." That is brahmāsmi. So long we are in the bodily concept of life, that is called jīva-bhūta-mamivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ—conditioned soul. And when one understands ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that is called (SB 4.30.20) brahma-bhūta. There are two words. The conditioned soul is called jīva-bhūta. He is thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am cat," "I am dog," "I am this," "I am that." That is called jīva-bhūta. And in the human form of life, when he studies athāto brahma jijñāsā, when he is inquisitive to understand Brahman, spirit, that is real life. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā.

Lecture on SB 7.5.23-24 -- Vrndavana, March 31, 1976:

So as soon as you engage yourself in pure devotional service without any material desire, without any material designation, immediately you are liberated. Svarūpena avasthiti. That is real situation of our constitutional position. So long we are not engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, that is our opposite number of life, not real life. Real life is when you are fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always engaged. That is life. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. So to be fixed up in that spiritual life we should always engage ourself, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam of whom? Viṣṇu. Of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. Even not of any other demigods, what to speak of ordinary beings. We are engaged in śravaṇaṁ kīrtana from the morning. We take a newspaper and we read what the politician says, what so many nonsense things. We waste our time. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). We should increase our taste for hearing and chanting about Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. That engagement you have fully in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. So stick to these two books or Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Caitanya-caritāmṛta is still far advanced.

Lecture on SB 7.6.2 -- Vrndavana, December 3, 1975:

Why Kṛṣṇa comes? Not only He comes, He sends His so many incarnation. Some of them are svāṁśa. Some of them are vibhinnāṁśa. Everyone is coming here to canvass, to get back the sons back to home, back to Godhead. In different countries, in different atmosphere the business is going on to reestablish the lost or forgotten relationship with God. This is going on.

So here Prahlāda Mahārāja recommended in the first verse, kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha: (SB 7.6.1) "From the very beginning of childhood one should be trained up to act according to the bhāgavata-dharma." That is real life. But instead of bhāgavata-dharma, they have created so many false dharmas. So many. So that is our mistake. Real dharma is bhāgavata-dharma, relationship with God. You may call it bhāgavata-dharma or the occupational duty in relationship with God. That is compulsory. You cannot say that "I do not need it." No. That is compulsory. If you are not in bhāgavata-dharma, then you are misled. That is described, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo atra (SB 1.1.2). Where there is no question of to understand the relationship with God, that kind of religious system is bogus and cheating. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ (SB 6.3.19). This is the purport. Therefore it is said that why bhāgavata-dharma should be learned or one should be trained up in bhāgavata-dharma. Because yathā hi puruṣasya: "Of all living entities..." Puruṣasya iha viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam. Viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇa means the same thing, as you say, "back to home, back to Godhead."

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Vrndavana, December 4, 1975:

They are called Māyāvādī. "Everything māyā. Kṛṣṇa is also māyā." That is Māyāvāda. So these Māyāvādīs are condemned by Kṛṣṇa: na mām... What is that? Mānuṣīṁ tanum... Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā (BG 9.11). These rascals, Māyāvādīs, avajānanti, he thinks Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being, or even if He is God, He has taken a body made by māyā. This is Māyāvādī philosophy. "The spirit soul cannot appear without being dressed by māyā." But that is not the fact, that... A man is diseased, suffering from fever. It does not mean that without fever nobody can exist. That is nonsense. Fever is a symptom for the time being, and feverlessness is the real life. Similarly, somehow or other, iccha-dveṣa-samutthena (BG 7.27), by some desire, we have got this material body, but it does not mean that without this material body I cannot live. That is nonsense. Actual life is spiritual life. Actual life is spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 7.7.25-28 -- San Francisco, March 13, 1967:

Well, unless you have got enjoyment, how can you continue your activities? Do you think that in any activity which you, in which you do not feel happy or enjoy, can you continue that activity? No. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness means the more you become active in Kṛṣṇa conscious, the more you become joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That means your real life becomes revealed, joyful life. And as you become joyful, so you are more energetic to work for Kṛṣṇa. That will give you impetus. It is not a dead, stereotyped thing. It is dynamic force. The more you work for Kṛṣṇa, the more you feel energetic, the more you feel light. It is practical. Ask so many students. They are feeling, yes, joyful. There are so many attraction of material life. Oh, how they can forget? How they can forget? Especially in your country, there are so many facilities of material enjoyment, and how they can forget all these unless they have got some enjoyment? So it is practical. The more you engage yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the more you feel joy, joyer. That is joyful life. In the Caitanya-cari..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam means there is an ocean of joy. Now this ocean is stagnant; it does not increase. But that ānandāmbudhi, the ocean of joy, transcendental bliss, that increases, increases. And there is unlimited space also to allow that increment.

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 11, 1976:

Every living entity originally nitya-siddha, but somehow or other, just like Jaya-Vijaya, fell down in this material world, and he was delivered also, both of them were delivered. So although you have fallen in this material world, and suffering the pangs of material existence, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), on account of accepting this material body, still, Kṛṣṇa personally comes, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). This is glāniḥ, discrepancies. We are living this material existence, this is not real life. Real life is to become mahā-bhāgavata. So you cannot become a mahā-bhāgavata all of a sudden, but from kaniṣṭha-adhikārī,

arcāyām eva haraye
yaḥ pūjāṁ śraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

Prākṛtaḥ stage, so prakṛtaḥ stage means just like we are worshiping The Deity, but not only we shall worship Deity but we make advancement. What is that advancement? To become gradually a preacher. That is madhyama-adhikārī, second stage, preacher.

Lecture on SB 7.9.5 -- Mayapur, February 12, 1976:

This is not education, the technical education. Nowadays they are very much fond of technical education. That is temporary. That is not education. Electrician comes, suppose the power has failed, and he manipulates and brings the power, that is technical education, but real education is different. That is to understand the ātma-tattvam. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). Those who are fully absorbed in family life, gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām, they are apaśyatām ātma-tattvam, they cannot see what is real life, what is the goal of life. So here we see Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down immediately. That is real education, Brahmā asked him, "You just try to pacify," immediately he fell down. And Kṛṣṇa immediately became compassionate, sva-pāda-mūle patitaṁ tam arbhakaṁ vilokya.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:

So vipra means just the previous stage of becoming completely a brāhmaṇa. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: "By birth everyone is born a śūdra." Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ: "When he goes to the spiritual master and the spiritual master initiates him, at that time his second birth is there, dvija." Dvija. The birds are called also dvija because they get twice birth. Once they come as egg, the form of birth in the egg, and then, when they come out from the egg and the shell, break the shell and come out, that is real life. Similarly, we are in the egg, within the shell of ignorance. So when we come out from the shell of ignorance, that is our second birth. The first birth is by father and mother, and the second birth is by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. There is also mother. The Vedic knowledge is mother, and the spiritual master is the father. So saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. The spiritual master trains the student gradually. That is called initiation. That is called dvija. Janmana jāyate śūdraḥ: "By birth by the father and mother, everyone is śūdra." It doesn't matter where he takes his birth, not that only India they are brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Everywhere. Cātur-varṇyam mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that these four system of social division—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—they are all over the universe, not that... Don't think that it is in India. Everywhere.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Mayapur, February 18, 1976:

They think like that, but nobody can be master. But the fools, rascals, they want to become master, and when they fail, then they want to become one with the God, the supreme master. This is going on. They are all māyā, illusion. The real life is to remain eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa and offer service to Him to the best capacity. That is perfection of life.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13-14 -- Montreal, August 22, 1968:

These are separated energy. But apareyam, they are inferior. Apareyam itas tv anyā parā. Besides this material nature, this dull matter, there is another nature: prakṛti, parā prakṛti, the jīva. So the real life is to be enjoyed by the Lord. Enjoyed. That means real life is to become eternal servitor. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That is his constitutional position. But by imitation he wants to become the master. And when, iccha, when he develops that desire and envies the Lord, that "Why Kṛṣṇa shall be enjoyer? I shall be enjoyer also," this is icchā-dveṣa-samutthena sarge yānti parantapa (BG 7.27). Sarge means in this creation.

So any living entity who is within this material world, they have come here with that two principles—icchā, dveṣa. Icchā means they want to be happy with material enjoyment and "What is God? I am God." These two things. The whole disease is on these two principles—denying the supremacy of the Lord and to try to be happy by material adjustment. But that is not possible. This is simply disturbing. Simply disturbing.

Lecture on SB 7.9.19 -- Mayapur, February 26, 1976:

So it is the duty of the father and mother to train children in such a way that they will be interested in guru and Kṛṣṇa. Why? By the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa, he'll get bhakti-lātā-bīja. And that is real life. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is real religious system, which teaches the follower how to become a devotee. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Ahaituky apratihatā yenātmā suprasīdati. If you want to make him happy, then you must teach in such a way that he becomes a devotee of the Lord. Then, throughout the whole life, he'll be peaceful and happy. This is required.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:

Because that was his habit. If anyone would approach him, ask him something, the day's income he'll give him, immediately. But he could not live more than one year. He could not tolerate so much renouncement. Because that was material. But these Gosvāmīs, they gave us their ministerial posts, opulent posts and became mendicants. How they lived? Go... That is stated. Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau-sada. They were merged in the ocean of the love affairs of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore this mendicantism, it was external. They were enjoying better things. So unless you enjoy better thing, you cannot give up inferior thing.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the best. Anyone, individually or collectively, you take it. You'll enjoy real life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is real life. And actually, people are accepting. All over the world. Say, four days ago I was in Manila. That was the, my first visit and all young men... In the hotel we held one meeting. The hotel capacity was about eight hundred men. Still, it was overflooded. And they liked this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chanting, dancing. So nice. So it has been proven that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will be accepted in any part of the world. This is India's culture.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, December 27, 1972:

Those who are in goodness of material nature, they're being promoted to the higher planetary systems. Those who are in passion, they are left within this Bhūr, Bhuvarloka. And those who are in ignorance, jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti, they, one who has no systematic life, living like animal, so eating, sleeping like animal, jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ, they go down. This is going on. Out of many millions of living entities, in this way, wandering all over the universe, one who is fortunate, he comes in contact with guru and Kṛṣṇa. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). Beginning of devotional service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So that is real life.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 2, 1973:

So the bhakti-mārga means we want real life, eternal life, and varieties also. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānanda cannot... Variety is the mother of enjoyment. Without variety, you cannot feel enjoyment. That is not possible. Suppose if I simply give you a lump of flour. Will you enjoy? But the same flour, you make kacoris, luci, puri, and this and... Oh, you'll enjoy. The ingredient is the same, but when it variety, it is enjoyable. Similarly, spiritual varieties... The impersonalists, they being fed up with this material varieties, they want to make it zero. But that will not help us. In zero we cannot be happy, because we are by nature, we want to enjoy. Enjoy means there must be varieties. The same flour, but you pick up some different varieties of flour and keep it, oh, you'll enjoy. "Oh, it is very nice." Therefore Kṛṣṇa has given so many varieties.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

If there is some political meeting giving only bluff, lots of bluffs only, and people gather there by thousands and millions to hear the bluff... Because... My Guru Mahārāja therefore used to say that this present human society is a society of the cheaters and the cheated. Somebody is being cheated and somebody is cheater, a combination of two things, cheater and the cheated, because they do not know the real interest of life. And anyone who will speak all nonsense and bluff, he will be very much adored. This is going on.

But actual interest is... Human life should be sober. He should... Therefore the first beginning of real life is to understand that "I am not this body." This is the first lesson. But where is that education? Throughout the whole world, go anywhere. Where is that education that students are being taught that "You are not this body"? There is no education. Then what is the value of this education? To keep them andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), to keep them in the darkness. That is going on. This is the only institution which is giving people real life.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 11, 1973:

So when we go deep into the matter, to inquire about ourself, what is my position, then we come to this understanding, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed to Sanātana Gosvāmī: jīvera svarūpa haya nityera kṛṣṇa dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108). That we have forgotten. Our constitutional position is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is our position. So as soon as we come to this position... The Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu begins from this point. When a living entity, when a person comes to the understanding, without any doubt, that he's eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, then his real life begins. Unless he understands this point, he's still in the hallucination of animal life. Jīvera svarūpa haya nityera kṛṣṇa dāsa. Actually we are engaged as servant always. Here, everyone who are sitting here, every one of us, servant: servant of the society, servant of the family, servant of the community, servant of the country, servant of the nation. In this way, we are servant. That's a fact. And we are serving. Everyone is serving. Nobody is actually enjoying; everyone is servant. That is the constitutional position of living entity. But they are serving hallucination. They are not serving the real fact. The constitutional portion is going on. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Therefore one brāhmaṇa, he approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead that "I have served the whole of my life..." Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

Pradyumna: (reading:) "Foolishly, people who are enamored of the glimmer of modern materialistic advancement are thinking that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for less intelligent men. 'I am better off being busy with my material comforts-maintaining a nice apartment, family and sex life.' These people do not know that at any moment they can be kicked out of their material situation. Due to ignorance, they do not know that real life is eternal. The temporary comforts of the body are not the goal of life, and it is due only to darkest ignorance that people become enamored of the glimmering advancement of material comforts. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has therefore said that the advancement of material knowledge renders a person more foolish because it causes one to forget his real identification by its glimmer. This is doom for..."

Prabhupāda: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he sings, jaḍa-vidyā saba māyāra vaibhava. This advancement of material education means advancement of the snares of the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa. Māyāra vaibhava. Because we are already enamored by the glimmer of this material world. Just like the insects are attracted by the fire. They, with great force, enter into the fire without knowing that he's going to die. His forceful entrance into the fire means his sure death. Actually, we are seeing, especially in the Western countries, this motorcar civilization, when we run on on the motorcar, especially with high speed, it is always we think that any moment danger can take place. (aside:) You remember, you were driving your father's car, eighty miles. So I asked you, "Don't go so fast."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

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

Because Kali-yuga, they are already sophisticated, bewildered, and these people come to cheat, they fall the prey of these cheaters. Sumanda-matayo. Anyone who is preaching something else other than God consciousness, he is a cheater. He is a cheater. Sumanda-matayo. Because real progress of life is to become God conscious. That is the real progress. And without God consciousness, the so-called yogis, so-called meditation... What is this meditation? What is the profit? Simply some bogus propaganda. It has no value. Real progress of life is to know what is God and what is my relationship with Him and how to act in that relationship. That is real life. But they do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know it. They think, "By this yoga practice, I shall be perfect, my material condition will be improved," and so on, so on. They have got their own theories and... But that is not progress of life. There are many rich men, many karmīs. Without practicing yoga, they are having material comforts. So spiritual life does not mean that one is improved in material, conditioned life. Spiritual life means spiritual advancement. But people take it that "Take to religion means to give impetus to our material life." Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). And when they are disgusted, they want mokṣa. Mokṣa means to become one with the Lord. So these things are going on.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.3 -- Mayapur, March 3, 1974:

That is called praṇāyāma. Dhyāna, dhāraṇā, āsana, praṇāyāma, like that. But that artificial stoppage of sense activities will not be ultimately beneficial. Or thinking that my sense activities may be stopped, I become silent, become one with the supreme—that will also not help us. The real philosophy is, the sense activities must be there, but purified. That is real life. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Purified. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. We cannot stop sense activities. That is not possible. Artificially if we stop, even as a big successful yogi or jñānī, it will not act. There are many instances. Just like Viśvāmitra Muni. He was a great yogi. So artificially he was trying to stop the sense activities. But it also failed, the attempt. Later on he met one beautiful woman and he failed in controlling the senses. That is the history. He was the biggest yogi, Viśvāmitra Muni. Similarly, there are many so-called jñānīs also, trying to become one with the Supreme. That is also not possible. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas (SB 10.2.32). Vimukta-māninas, they are thinking that they have become liberated, but that is not the fact. Why it is not fact? Tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Because they did not take to the devotional service. Tvayy asta-bhāvād.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101 -- Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:

Of course, it is not pride, but take from example of my life. I was retired in Vṛndāvana, and at seventy years old I thought that it was to be done: "Nobody did it. Let me try." So I came to America. Today is the tenth anniversary. (devotees cheer) So at least from material calculation, if I had not taken that risk... When I was coming, my friends and others said, "This man is going to die." "Never mind," I thought, "death will come. Let me try." So this activity must be there. That is the begging of Sanātana Gosvāmī, that he said, āpana-kṛpāte kaha 'kartavya' āmāra: "What shall I do?" Doesn't matter what is your age, young man or old man. You must execute the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, paramparā, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and your guru. That is real life of devotional service, to take some responsibility for working and execute it to your best capacity.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.104 -- New York, July 10, 1976:

Real civilization is athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is, Sanātana Gosvāmī, he is asking this question, ke āmi kene āmāya, jāre tāpa-traya. This is real question: "What I am?" So Sanātana Gosvāmī's question is being answered by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "Because you have this inquiry, this is the beginning of human life." So if one is little inquisitive to know what I am, then his real life begins. And if he is kept in the darkness and he remains in the darkness, that "I am this body," there is no value of so-called civilization, education, nothing. It is a very important question, ke āmi kene āmāya. One must be inquisitive. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. He must be conscious that "I do not want all these things, miserable condition of life, and they are enforced upon me. I cannot check them; they are coming. No, there must be somebody superior who's law is being forced." That is the factor. That is religion. Religion means to find out the supreme controller who is forcing everything. That is religion. That is stated in the dictionary. Religion is not some sentiment, some ritualistic ceremony. No. This inquiry about the supreme controller, that's a fact. We see in every step there is a supreme controller, and we are foolishly declaring that we are independent. This is called foolishness. So real religion means to come out from this foolish conception of life, that "There is no controller. We are everything. Whatever we like, you can do. There is no life after death, and there is no life in other planets..." These are all ignorance. Simply fool's paradise. It has no meaning.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-142 -- New York, November 29, 1966:

Any body, any material body, that is meant for miseries, miseries, tāpa-traya, threefold, threefold material miseries, and, besides that threefold miseries, ultimately birth, death, old age and diseases.

So to develop love of Kṛṣṇa means that is real liberation. And that love of Kṛṣṇa begins after many, many births of cultural life. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). When one surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, that is the beginning of his real life. And as he makes progress, then he realizes—I have several times discussed this point—ādau śraddhā. First thing is that "I must get myself out of this material contamination." That is called śraddhā. "In this very life I shall realize." So this śraddhā, this belief and this determination, as you make more and more perfect, you make advance. You make advance. Not as official, not as makeshow, but really... Ādau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅgaḥ. Then, as you are determined, so your taste for associating with devotees... Just like we are now associating with Lord Kṛṣṇa's, Lord Caitanya's, teaching. He is a great devotee. This is called sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Ādau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅga tathā bhajana-kriyā. Then bhajana-kriyā, how to execute. Now Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching. You will gradually know what is the bhajana-kriyā, how to execute devotional service. That we shall come later on. Tato anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. And as soon as your devotional service, prescribed duties, are discharged, you become free from all material contamination. That is the test. Tato anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā. Then you become firmly convinced.

Festival Lectures

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

So this is the problem. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ duraṣśayā ye bahir-artha māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are trying to be happy by the arrangement of these material activities. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām. They do not know that the material nature is so strong that you cannot get out of it unless you are prepared to suffer more and more. If you take to natural life and live peacefully and take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is your real life. And if you simply increase botheration and problems, then you'll have to suffer. That is the position of modern civilization. Actually, superficially we see that material advancement of material science, people have got so many machines, so many facilities. But actually, they are in trouble. Just like I gave you one example: the computer machine. It can work for thousands of men. So thousands of men means the thousands of men must be unemployed. And especially in your country, they are taking advantage of this machine because the salary is If you want to pay to the worker, a big, big salary. So they want to save. They are taking machine, and they think they will save money, so many workers. But the workers are becoming unemployed.

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Avirbhava Appearance Day Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, February 2, 1977:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja advises that hitvātma-ghātam gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanam gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). If you... Real problem is anxiety. And this anxiety will continue so long you are material existent. Therefore the real life is to get out of this material... Hitvātma-ghātam. Ātma-ghāṭam. Ātma-ghātam means killing the soul. This material civilization is killing the soul. That... They have no information of the soul. They do not know how to become peaceful, how to become blissful. They are trying to be peaceful, bahir-artha-māninaḥ, by external material energy. They are thinking by constructing big, big buildings, just like in Bhuvaneśvara they are doing, and having good, very big, big roads and motorcars, that is advancement of civilization. No. That is not advancement of civili... That is increasing their anxiety. There is no solution of the anxiety. There is... Formerly that... I was speaking. There was no university. The university was in the cottage-Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva was writing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and all the Purāṇas in a cottage. The university was there. Who can produce such literature as Vyāsadeva has given? From any angle of vision, from literary point of view, from philosophical point of view—everything, so perfect, every literature, Mahābhārata, Purāṇas, and Vedānta. Veda-vyāsa, he has given.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Mayapur, February 8, 1977:

You are not independent. Nobody is independent. Today you maybe something; tomorrow you may be something. But you must search out your real life. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. That intelligence is given by the Vaiṣṇava. Therefore Vaiṣṇava has got a very great responsibility. My Guru Mahārāja pointed out, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura,

mana tumi kīsera vaiṣṇava?
pratiṣṭhāra tare, nirjanera ghare,
tava hari-nāma kevala (kaitava)

Formerly people used to know that "If I take a mala and sit down in a secluded place..." Of course, that is good; that is not bad. But the real business of Vaiṣṇava is not for himself, but for others. Just like the example given by Rūpa Gosvāmī: nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. Lokānāṁ-hita-kāriṇau, not personal hita-kāriṇau. Personal hita-kāriṇau is not high-class Vaiṣṇava.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Calcutta, February 4, 1977:

You accept the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā, then you'll be happy. If you don't accept, then you will go back again to the cycle of birth and death. Mām aprāpya nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3). So mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani is not good life. Mṛtyu, mṛtyu... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. If you take birth, then you'll have to die, and if you have to die, you have to take birth again. This is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartma. So this is not very good business. That intelligence is lacking. We are simply trying to adjust things for a few years, but we are not taking account of our real life. Our real life is na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is real life, that we do not die. But our brain is so dull that we have accepted janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9) as usual thing. But death can be checked. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If you so desire, you can stop it. There is no difficulty. Very easy. And that is also explained by Kṛṣṇa: janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa. And He's explaining Himself. What is the difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme, Para-brahman, the greatest, and we are anu, very small. Our knowledge is very small, limited. It is not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa, but He is explaining Himself for our little understanding. Whatever we have got capacity to understand, that Kṛṣṇa is explaining. So if you simply take Kṛṣṇa's word, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Here is a chance.

Initiation Lectures

Brahmana Initiation Lecture with Professor O'Connell -- Boston, May 6, 1968, (Glenville Ave. Temple):

And the next initiation is this dvijatvam. Dvijatvam means twice-born. Twice-born one becomes immediately when he approaches a spiritual master, but the sacred thread is offered as the symbol that he has a spiritual master. Just like there is some phase, there is some degree. So this sacred thread is offered after one year. One who has followed strictly the rules and regulation and chanted sixteen rounds Hare Kṛṣṇa at least, so he is given the second chance. The third chance is to offer renunciation. If he wants to completely in the service of the Lord, there is sannyāsa. Just like the other day we were discussing, anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ, sa sannyāsī (BG 6.1). Of course, these are formal regulative principles. Real life is within, how much one is sincere in the service of the Lord. So according to rigid class of Hindus, this sacred thread ceremony, they say it is to be offered only to the person who are born in the brāhmaṇa family. Perhaps you have studied all these things while you were in India. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says no. There is no question of birthright that because one is born in the brāhmaṇa family, therefore he can become brāhmaṇa.

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

That is the next stage. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offense, then immediately the stage will be that you are freed from all material anxieties. That is the test. How I am advancing in chanting will be tested how far you are free from material anxieties. That's all. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-māha-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). Then real life begins. So long you are perturbed by material disturbances, you should know that your spiritual life has not begun. This is confirmed in everywhere. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). Prasannātmā. Bhagavad-gītā says, "When one is Brahman realized..." Brahman realized means one who understands that "I am not this body. I am pure spirit soul, eternal servitor of Kṛṣṇa." Simply understanding that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul," is not enough. That is not sufficient knowledge. Of course, that is good. That is just on the marginal step between matter and spirit. But you have to transcend completely this material existence and come to the platform of spiritual understanding. So for that purpose you have to go further after Brahman realization. Brahman, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54).

Initiation Lecture -- Boston, December 26, 1969:

No. That is going on. Similarly, this rūpam is anyathā. This is not our rūpam, our form. Therefore sometimes in Vedic literature it is stated, "formless." Formless does not mean has no form. Not this form. That is formless. But people with less intelligence, they think formless means there's no form. Formless means not this form. This is anyathā rūpam. This is different from our real form. So mukti means to give up this unreal form and accept your real form. Just like freedom from disease. Get free from the diseased condition and come to real healthy life.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for bringing men to the real life. Always remember this. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). It takes... Just like to cure a disease it takes little time. But if you take to the process of cure, then that is very good. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead says,

api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
(BG 9.30)

Kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati. Those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, even there are some faults, still, they are saintly persons. That is the recommendation of Kṛṣṇa. Because that fault may be due to his past habits, but that is being stopped. Just like you make the switch off, no more electric current will act, but the fan still gives some rounds due to the past force.

General Lectures

Lecture at Engagement -- Boston, May 8, 1968:

Brahma-bhūtaḥ means as soon as you come to the platform of your spiritual understanding, then immediately you get free from all material anxieties. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. You are no more hankering after any profit, neither you are very sorry when there is a great loss. Then you can see everyone on the equal level, and then your relationship or your lost relationship is again established with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then your real life begins.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to begin our real life, and to get free from this temporary life, changing from one body to another. So this is very important movement. Try to understand this movement. We have got magazine, Back to Godhead. We have got publication, we have got our branches in several places in your country. We have got here one branch in the 95 Glenville Avenue. So we invite you that you come. You have no expenditure. We simply request you that you come. You try to understand this movement. It is very scientific movement. It is not a bogus, bluffing. You try to understand with all your arguments, reason, logic, and whatever way you want to understand, we are prepared to answer you. So this is for your benefit. It is not an institution to make some profit. It is just to render service to the whole humanity so that they may understand the scientific knowledge of God and be benefited in this human form of life. That is our program(?), and we present this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement before you. Now it depends up to you to accept it or not.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 18, 1968:

How long you can forget? Sleep—how long you can sleep? Again wake up, again you are in the same position. That is not the way. But if you come to the stage of love of Godhead, then naturally you forget all this nonsense. Naturally. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you find out something more palatable, more relishable, you give up nonsense things which is not so nice to taste.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is such a thing. It is leading you to a standard where going you will forget all this nonsense. That is real life. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as you come that state, then your symptom will be that you are jolly. You are feeling everywhere. There is a... There are many instances. So when you accept this material world in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you'll taste that love of Godhead, even in this material world. Actually, material world means completely in forgetfulness of God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is material world. Otherwise, if you are in full consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, you'll find only spiritual world, even in this material world. Consciousness—it is all consciousness. The same example. Just like the king and the bug is sitting on the same throne, but the bug knows that "My business is simply to get some blood." That's all. The king knows that "I have to rule. I am the ruler of this country." So sitting on the same place, but the consciousness is different. Similarly, if you change your consciousness to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, wherever you are, you are in Vaikuṇṭha. Wherever, it doesn't matter. Yes?

Class in Los Angeles -- Los Angeles, November 15, 1968:

So these are the defects of all other philosophies. They're not defects, but the class of people amongst whom the philosophy was taught, they could not understand more than that. That's all. Just like a patient too much disturbed, he wants some medicine from the physician: "Please stop my disturbance. Kill me. Kill me." Sometimes they say like that: "Give me some poison, kill me. I cannot tolerate." A physician says, "Yes, there is no need of killing. I shall give you good, healthy life." He's so much impatient, "No. I cannot tolerate. Please kill me." So this Buddha philosophy, Māyāvāda philosophy is like that. Kill him "Kill me, please. Make me zero, void." So much frustration. So much disturbance that they want to make it zero. But our philosophy is life, real life.

But it is difficult to understand this philosophy, Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Why it is difficult? That is explained, gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha means "house." So vrata means "vow." Just like everyone, common man, anywhere, they are interested with these bodily comforts, nice apartment, nice country, nice state, confident, nice bank balance. These things are their aspiration, no more. Nothing more. First of all this body, gṛha. Gṛha means "house, living place." So I am the soul, I am living, and this body is my first living place.

Lecture -- New Vrindaban, June 7, 1969:

Why don't you take advantage? I am very glad that you have all come, and it will be further our enjoyment and pleasure if you come and join. Please come here, join here. We have got very nice arrangement. We supply prasādam, we have got dancing, we have got chanting. Why you should deny it? (laughter) And if you join us, then gradually you realize what you are, what is God, what is this world, what is your relationship. Then your life becomes successful. You'll not be confused. You will understand what is real life. Simply by the spell of the material qualities you have become covered. But if you come here, if you hear and chant, then gradually... Kṛṣṇa is within you. He is sitting within your heart as a friend, not as an enemy. Kṛṣṇa is always your friend. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). You are searching out friends to talk with, to joke with, to love. Kṛṣṇa is sitting there for that purpose. If you love Kṛṣṇa, if you make friendship with Kṛṣṇa, if you love Kṛṣṇa, then your life will be successful. You haven't got to search out any other friend. The friend is already there. Either you are a boy or a girl, you will find a nice friend within yourself. That is yoga system, when you realize this friend.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

We are proprietor, nationally." That is our mistake. Actually, everything belongs to God. Now, the Japanese claiming that "Japan is our country." Indians are claiming, "India is our country." But nothing belongs either to the Japanese or to the Indians or to the Americans. Everything belongs to God. This consciousness is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If we understand three things only, that God is the only proprietor, Kṛṣṇa is the only proprietor, He is the only enjoyer, and we are simply servant to help Him in His enjoyment... The highest perfection is found in Vṛndāvana. Everyone is trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is real life. That is real mukti. In the Bhāgavata it is said, mukti means hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). Mukti means you have to give up your artificial ways of life and you have to situate yourself in your normal constitutional position. That is called mukti. Mukti hasn't got any other definition. Mukti means just like you are attacked with fever. If your fever is gone, then you are mukta, you are liberated from fever.

Lecture at Bharata Chamber of Commerce 'Culture and Business' -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973:

There are other verses in the Bhagavad-gītā. (break) ...of cousin-brothers, the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas. They met there for fighting. That's a historical fact, Mahābhārata, Greater India. Mahabhārata means Greater, History of Greater India. So everything is there. But we do not take advantage of this great book of knowledge. So we request that everyone should cultivate... Should try to know what he is, what is Kṛṣṇa, what is their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and what is their real life, what is the goal of life. Unless we do cultivate all this knowledge, then it is simply we are wasting our time, this valuable life of human form of life. It is very, very valuable. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad api adhruvam arthadam. Although everybody will die, that's a fact, but one who dies after knowing all these things, he is benefited. His life is successful. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is wanted. Everyone... The cat will die, dogs will die, everyone will die. That's a fact. But one who dies knowing Kṛṣṇa, oh, that is successful death.

Lecture -- Jakarta, February 26, 1973:

Just try to understand. Kṛṣṇa does not enjoy anything. He's Para-brahman. For understanding Brahman pleasure, a person is recommended to give up everything material. And when the Para-brahman wants to enjoy, does it means that He's enjoying something material? This is our nescience(?). This is our misunderstanding. When Para-brahman enjoys, He... But the difficulty is that this Māyāvādī philosopher, they cannot understand that in the spiritual world there is also pleasure. Their foolish brain cannot accommodate. Because here in this material world they have got very bad experience of this material... They want to make the spiritual world as zero or imperson due to less intelligence. But actually, real life, real pleasure, eternal pleasure is there in the spiritual world, not in this material world.

Departure Talks

Departure Lecture -- London, March 12, 1975:

They say that "Enter into the Supreme." You can enter, but what is the benefit? You will be again evaporated. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Because living entity by nature is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), by nature they want pleasure, every one of us. Every one of us, we are struggling so hard. Why? To get some pleasure. Nobody is trying so hard to making suicide. Is anybody there in this material world who is working so hard for ultimately making suicide? No. Everyone is trying to become happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because he wants. That is his nature, sat-cit-ānanda: eternal life, full of knowledge and full of bliss. This is real life. So if we simply accept eternity like the Māyāvādīs, then what about the other two items? Or if we simply live in knowledge... Suppose theoretically I know so many things to prepare-rasagullā, sandeśa, halavā, kachorī—but if I do not practically taste what is halavā, what is kachorī, then what is the use of simply having knowledge? So the Māyāvādī philosophy like that, jñāna, simply knowledge.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Prabhupāda: Yes, unless one understands that he is entrapped, there is no question of liberation. If he's in ignorance that this is the real life... Just like ordinary man, they think this is real life but we are giving education, "No, this is not real life. The real life is Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

Śyāmasundara: Does someone who has been in prison and then he becomes free, does he appreciate his freedom more than someone who has always been free?

Prabhupāda: So, that's very easy to understand. You can apply the same thing in your life. That is not very difficult. Everyone can understand.

Śyāmasundara: So to enhance the understanding of freedom is it, if someone...

Prabhupāda: You come to the platform of freedom.

Śyāmasundara: But say one has always been free. His understanding...

Prabhupāda: No, why? So long as we are entrapped by this material body you are not free.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone is in ignorance due to long separation from God. In the material world the living entity has forgotten his relationship with God; therefore his activities are only sense gratification, like the animals. And when he is given lesson, instruction how to become God conscious, how to love God, that is activity, and that is real life. Otherwise it is animal life. The religion is a kind of faith, sentiment, but when the religious system is understood on the basis of good logic and philosophy, that becomes perfect understanding of God. Without philosophy, religious understanding is sentiment. That sentiment does not help anyone very much. It continues for some time, then people become disinterested in the matter of religion. So religion means, as it is stated in the Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how one has learned to love God. Then it is religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaja means we do not see God eye to eye at the present moment in our physical condition, but still, hearing about Him, we can develop our dormant love for God. That is real religion.

Hayagrīva: Bergson saw the greatest obstacle to this creative evolution to be the struggle with materialism, and he felt that politics and economic reforms cannot help matters.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Hayagrīva: He sees two basic types of religions. One he calls sort of a naive optimism that says "Hurrah for the universe. God's in His heaven, all is right with the world." He calls this "the sky-blue optimistic gospel." And another type of religion, which he calls pessimistic in the sense that these religions recognize the inevitable futility of materialistic life, and they offer deliverance, or mukti, from the fourfold miseries of material existence. He says, "Man must die to an unreal life before he can be born into the real life." So he felt that the comple test religions take a pessimistic view of life on this..., life in this world, materialistic life.

Prabhupāda: Yes, unless one is pessimistic of this material world, he is animal. A man knows what are the sufferings of this material world: ādhyātmic, ādhibautic, ādhidaivic. There are so many suffering pertaining to the mind, to the mind, sufferings offered by other living beings, and sufferings imposed forcibly by the laws of nature. So the world is full of suffering, but under the spell of māyā, illusion, we accept this suffering condition as progress. But ultimately whatever we do, the death is there. All the resultant action of our activities, they are taken away and we are put to death. So under these circumstances there is no happiness within this material world. I have fully arranged for my happiness, and any moment, just after arrangement, we are kicked out; we have to accept death. So where is happiness here? The intelligent man is always pessimistic, that "First of all let us become secure," that we are trying to adjust this material position to become happy. But who is going to allow us to become happy here? This is pessimistic view.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Hayagrīva: He says, "The believer will not let his faith be taken from him, neither by argument nor by prohibitions, and even if it did succeed with some, it would be a cruel thing to do."

Prabhupāda: No. Anything, artificial teaching, that is cruelty. So that is being done by Mr. Freud also. Artificially he is stressing on sex and death and so on, so on, but that is not life. Real life is that to understand the simple truth. Just like..., who was protesting against father conception? That Mr. John, so and so?

Hari-śauri: Freud.

Hayagrīva: Freud.

Prabhupāda: Father. So how he can avoid this father conception? If you mislead people that there is no father conception, that is not education; that is misleading. Father is there, everyone knows this simple philosophy. And if he is misleading them, then that is not philosopher, that is cruelty. A man is naturally believing that there is father and there is father's father, and he is diverting his attention from this natural belief. So this is cruelty. He is committing cruelty to human understanding, simple understanding.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: Very good. Surrender. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). That is real life. Śaraṇāgati, to surrender to God, to accept things which is favorable to God, to reject things which are unfavorable to God, always maintaining conviction that "God will give me all protection," and remain humble and meek, and think oneself as one of the members of God's family—that is spiritual communism. As the Communist they think a member of a certain community, similarly a man's duty is to think always as member of God's family. The same idea I was speaking, that God is the supreme father, material nature is the mother, and anything, any living entity coming out of material nature, they are all sons of God. So practically we see that all living entities coming out, either from land or from water or from the air—everywhere there is living entity—so the material nature is the mother. There is no doubt about it. And we have got experience that mother cannot produce child without connection with the father. So this is absurd to think that without father a child can be born. That is foolishness. Father must be there, and that supreme father is God. This conception of a spiritual family is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness.

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Hayagrīva: Like Comte, Marx believed that atheism was unnecessary because it was negative denial. He felt that socialism is positive assertion. He says, "Atheism no longer has any meaning, for atheism is a negation of God and postulates the existence of man through this negation. But socialism as socialism no longer stands in any need of such a mediation. It proceeds from the practically and theoretically sensuous consciousness of man and of nature the essence. Socialism is man's positive self-consciousness no longer mediated throught the annulment of religion, just as real life is man's positive reality through Communism." So that Communism really has nothing whatsoever to do with religion.

Prabhupāda: No. Our point is that religion is not sentiment. Leadership has to be accepted, either by the Communist or the theist or atheist. There is leadership. So when the leadership is selected and the direction given by the leader, you can take it as some "ism." So religion is the same thing. When we accept the leadership of God and His direction, that is religion. I don't think on principle the Communist can change this idea. The same leader is Lenin or Stalin, and he is giving his direction, and people must follow it. So where is the difference of philosophy? Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is there, His instruction is there, and we are following. So where is the difference in fact?

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: That is... Yes. That is his life, to cooperate with God. That is his real life. But here in this material world he is simply noncooperating. He's simply noncooperating. Unless he is noncooperating, why Kṛṣṇa says that "You surrender unto Me." That is simply noncoop... Anything here, karma, jñāna, yoga, anything... Other animal life, you throw away. Even in the higher level of human life, where karma is regulated, jñāna is there, knowledge is there, and yoga is there, but because there is no surrender to Kṛṣṇa, they will not help you to become happy. So that... Caitanya-caritāmṛta says bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakale aśānta. Aśānta means restless. Restless. Bhukti means karmīs. They want simply sense enjoyment. They are called karmīs. And mukti, the jñānīs, they want mukta, mukti. So they also want something. The karmīs, they want everything for sense gratification. When they fail sense gratification, then one wants mukti. That is also another demand. Another demand. Ordinarily, they are demanding, "Give me nice building. Give me nice motor car, nice wife, nice money, bank balance, give me this, give me this, give me this." Dhanaṁ dehi rūpaṁ dehi rūpapati bhājaṁ dehi yaśo dehi. Dehi dehi dehi. This is karmī. And when he is frustrated, after asking many, many times, even becoming Birla, he is not satisfied, then next he wants, "I want mukti." That is also another demand, subtle demand. And the yogis, they also demanding, "Give me this mystic power. I shall become smaller than the smallest, heavier than the heaviest. I can fly.

Page Title:Real life (Lectures)
Compiler:Mayapur, RupaManjari
Created:06 of Oct, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=115, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:115