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Sense gratification (Lectures, BG chapters 4 - 18)

Expressions researched:
"gratification of the senses" |"gratifying his senses" |"gratifying me senses" |"gratifying my senses" |"gratifying our senses" |"gratifying senses" |"gratifying the senses" |"gratifying their senses" |"gratifying your senses" |"sense gratification" |"sensual gratification"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "sens* gratification" or "gratification of the senses" or "gratifying senses" or "gratifying * senses" not "material sense gratification" not "for sense gratification" not "engag* in sense gratification"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

If one is unable to control the mind and senses, then he is simply wasting time. And that ātma-saṁyama can be directly practiced by bhakti yoga. What is that? Now the same example can be given, that Arjuna was a fighter. So in the beginning he was considering, "Whether I shall fight or not." That was also ātma-saṁyama. But actually ātma-saṁyama was when he did not fight for his sense gratification. That is. Similarly, when we engage our senses... Because senses means they want some activity. Just like our eyes. If... The eyes want to see something beautiful. The tongue, tongue wants to taste something very sweet. The ear, it wants to hear something very melodious. In this way we have got our different senses. But the yoga system is trying to stop them. Now, just try to understand.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

Prabhupāda: But first of all try to understand this, this cooking... If you are cooking for Kṛṣṇa, that is bhakti-yoga, and if you are cooking for yourself, for your sense gratification, that is karma. The same process. Why don't you take the example of Arjuna? For himself, he was considering, "Whether I shall fight or not." But as soon as he understood Bhagavad-gītā, he decided, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa wants me to fight." That is bhakti-yoga. So you can perform bhakti-yoga by fighting, by cooking, by going to the office, everything, if that purpose is for Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti-yoga. Is it clear?

Devotee: And karma-yoga then?

Prabhupāda: Karma means sense gratification and bhakti-yoga means Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

That is not my duty. That is for myself. And it is for You." So for Kṛṣṇa's pleasure you can become His enemy, you can become His friend, you can become anything. That is bhakti-yoga. Because your aim is how to please Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as the point comes, to please your senses, then you come to material world, immediately.

kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare
nikaṭa-stha māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
(Prema-vivarta)

As soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa and we want to do things for our sense gratification, that is māyā. And as soon as we give up this process of sense gratification and do everything for Kṛṣṇa, that is liberation.

Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

What are the demands of this body? We require to eat something. Eating, sleeping. We require rest after working hard. After eating sumptuously, we require sleeping. Eating, sleeping, and during sleeping we sometimes dream, fearing, or without dream, fearing. So we take protection. While sleeping, we close our doors. So eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating—sense gratification. So to arrange for these necessities of life of the body, the knowledge that we require, that is called mundane knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:

It is a complete spiritual. Unless one is devotee... Devotee means complete spiritual. Any other one, if he's not a devotee, he is material. Karmī, jñānī, yogi, they are all material. They're trying to utilize the material possessions. Karmīs, they are trying to utilize this body for happiness. Whole day, night, they are working like ass for some sense gratification. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "These rascals, unnecessarily they are working so hard like an ass just to get a morsel of food." That's all. Unnecessarily. Everyone is eating four cāpāṭis, but he's working so hard, like an ass. Well, ass also can get his share of foodstuff anywhere. The ass is so fool that he can get grass anywhere. It is for a few pieces of grass only, he's loading on his back so much burden from the washerman.

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

Dharma is my real nature. So when the real nature of the living entities are jeopardized, then, at that time, to make the adjustment, the Lord comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati. And abhyutthānam, whenever there is discrepancy in the natural sequence and natural life of the human being, and there is artificial increase of sense gratification, at that time, when there is too much sense gratification...

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

This is the mission, that āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. These are our material needs. The problem of eating, the problem of sleeping, or shelter, the problem of defense, and the problem of sense gratification. These four problems are common to the human being and to the animals. The animals have also got these problems, eating, sleeping, defending and, what is called? Sense gratification. We have got also those problems. So they are also trying to solve these problems and if we are also engaged in simply solving these problems, then what is the difference between the animals and the human being? The human being... The next line says dharmo hi teṣām adhiko viśeṣaḥ. The human being has got a special qualification by which he can develop the transcendental Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if he does not do that, then he's in the category of the animals.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

The human being has got a special qualification by which he can develop the transcendental Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if he does not do that, then he's in the category of the animals.

So the defect of modern civilization is that we are giving too much stress for simply for solving these problems: eating, sleeping, defending and sense gratification. But as spiritual beings, as spiritual living entities, we have got the necessity of getting out of this entanglement of repeated birth and death, and if we do not care for it, then we shall be missing the opportunity. And Lord Kṛṣṇa comes to teach us how you can utilize your human form of life for the ultimate goal of your life. This material, whole material creation is there just to give you a chance to have your things done nicely. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

"That is first-class religion." What is that? "Where love of God is enthused." That is first-class religion. And if you follow ritualistic processes and your love of Godhead is gone to hell—your love of materialistic life or love of this world is increasing, love of sense gratification is increasing—that is not religion. That is not religion. Test of religion is how much you are increasing your love of God.

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

Just like liquor shop is allowed by the government because there are drunkards. They must drink, but under restriction. You cannot keep liquor or wine more than the necessity. There is restriction. In India especially, there is very strict restriction. So similarly, the Vedic principle is to restrict sense gratification under certain rules and regulations. So the animal sacrifice is also restricted in that way.

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

Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. His theory is, because in India the luxury is to eat something which is cooked in ghee: luci, purī, halavā. So Carvaka Muni says that you take loan from your friends if you have no money and eat as much as possible ghee. Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. And so long you live, you live by gratifying your senses. Here sukham means sense gratification.

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

What is the actual happiness? That is beyond your senses. 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.

Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:

Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. As soon as we begin to ask about the higher nature... That propensity should be awakened. In the lower nature we are busy in the matter of eating, sleeping, defending and sense gratification. So we should not be satisfied, simply remaining in the lower nature. The human life is meant for developing the higher nature. The Vedānta-sūtra therefore says, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now, now we have got the developed consciousness of human body, now, this is the time for asking about the Supreme Brahman. (talking in the background) (aside:) You ask them to speak slowly. At least speak slowly. You go there.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Calcutta, September 23, 1974:

Krodha means when we cannot satisfy our senses in the... We try to satisfy our senses... Just like the jackal. He wanted to eat some grapes, but jumping, jumping, he could not get. Then, in krodha, he says, "Oh, it is useless. It is sour. We don't want." So this krodha, in the absence of sense gratification, there is krodha. Kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ.

So Kṛṣṇa says, man-mayā, "being always absorbed in Me." Man-mayā, mayā, mayā, mayā. Vikārārthe mayārthe.(?)When, just like, one thing is covered with gold, it is called svarṇamaya. Similarly, when... We are now materially covered. When we become covered with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is called man-mayā. Man-mayā, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. How it is possible? Man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ. When you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He gives you shelter.

Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

There are so many yogis and jñānīs. They say that this world is false. Let me retire from it." But after some time he again falls down again to the sense gratification this material world. So what is retirement? Retirement is not required. But what is required that purify your activities. Not to stop your activity but to purify it. Just like when you are diseased it is not required that you should be killed. No. Your disease should be, I mean, cured, then you can work in healthy life. So that is required. Retirement means to become cured from the diseased activities but to place yourself in healthy activities. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Akarma means without reaction to work. The impersonalist ceases fruitive activities out of fear so that the resultant action may not be a stumbling block on the path of self-realization whereas the personalist knows rightly his position as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore he engages himself in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness because everything is done for Kṛṣṇa he enjoys only transcendental happiness in the discharge of his service. Those who are engaged in this process or without desire for personal sense gratification, the sense of eternal servitorship to Kṛṣṇa makes one immune to all reactionary elements of work."

Prabhupāda: That's all. Now any question? Yes?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can you explain, Prabhupāda, once again what action in action and inaction in action?

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

"Just try to glorify the Supreme Lord." With your money, with your intelligence, with your power, with your influence, whatever you have got. Education, departmental knowledge. Try to glorify the Supreme Lord. Then it is perfect.

And if you spoil it or simply sense gratification, the Bhāgavata, Ṛṣabhadeva says, na sādhu manye: "Oh, this is not good. This is not good." "Why it is not good? I am enjoying life. Why it is not good?" No, he says, na sādhu manye yata ātmanaḥ ayam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ: (SB 5.5.4) "If you be engaged in these fruitive activities to enjoy this material world, then you'll have to accept another material body." Karmaṇāṁ siddhim. Another material body. And if you accept another material body, then you'll have to accept again death, again old age, again disease. So what is the benefit? That is not benefit.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

If you simply try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, then the result will be that after giving up this body, no more material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). No more punar janma.

That is required. But they do not understand it. They want quick result for some sense gratification, but implicate himself in the tangle, entanglement of getting again birth and death. That is going on. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the most beneficial welfare activities to the human society because by awakening them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are saved from this danger of repetition of birth and death. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:

That is the basic principle of karma. Kṛṣṇa has begun in this chapter, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13).

That is very essential, the varṇāśrama-dharma. Because we must have the aim of life. At the present moment there is no aim of life. The aim of life is sense gratification. That's all. Indriya-tṛpti. That is forbidden in the śāstras. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Kiṁ karmeti kiṁ vikarmeti will be described. So karma and vikarma, prescribed duties according to qualification, position, occupation, that is called karma. And just opposite, it is called vikarma. Karma akarma vikarma. That Kṛṣṇa will explain.

Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:

So kurute vikarma, we are trained up simply to act, opposite direction. Instead of doing good work, we are educated to do bad work, just the opposite. And that is not good. That is the advice of Ṛṣabhadeva. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. What is that bad work? Bad work means sense gratification. That's all. Anything you do for the satisfaction of your sense, that is bad work. And anything you do for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is good work. This is the division of bad work and good work. The same thing, if you do for your personal satisfaction, it is bad work. And the same thing, if you do for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is good work. We must first of all learn this.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

So therefore our only business is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Yajñārthe karma. This is akarma. Here it is said, akarmaṇa, akarmaṇaḥ api boddhavyam, akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyam. Akarma means without reaction. Here, if we act for our sense gratification, the reaction is.... Just like a soldier is killing. He is getting gold medal. The same soldier, when comes home, if he kills one man, he is hanged. Why? He can say in the court, "Sir, when I was fighting in the battlefield, I killed so many. I got gold medal. And why you are hanging me just now?" "Because you are have done for your own sense gratification. And that you did for government sanction."

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

Therefore any karma, if you do it for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction, that is akarma it has no reaction. But if you do anything for your own sense gratification, you will have to suffer the resultant action, good or bad. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says,

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ
boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ
gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

It is very difficult to understand what kind of action you should do. Therefore we have to take direction from Kṛṣṇa, from the śāstra, from guru.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Bombay, April 7, 1974:

Just like a businessman, he is working very hard, whole day and night, and he gets some profit, say, two lakhs; he thinks that he is very happy, he is enjoying. But actually, he is working very hard. But because he has no knowledge, he is thinking that "I am profiting. I am making profit. This is my happiness." But in the śāstras those who are working so hard simply for some sense gratification... Especially in Western countries we have seen, this is very factual. Even very old man, he is working very hard, very big business magnate, very big politician, working very hard, and at night he goes to the nightclubs, pays $50 for entrance fee, and then he spends for wine and women lots of money. So this is his happiness. Even old man, eighty years old, he is also going to the club. Because in the material world the happiness means wine and women. That's all.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Bombay, April 7, 1974:

So the ultimate goal of life is to understand Viṣṇu. Na te viduḥ.

Not nowadays. Even in... formerly there were persons, they did not know what is the goal of life. Because it is the material world. In the material world the sense gratification program is very prominent. But we do not know that by the program, karma, of sense gratification, we become entangled. Therefore that sense gratification process is regulated. In the Vedas that is regulated.

Just like our sense gratification program is loke vyavāya āmiṣa madya-sevāḥ. These are the very prominent program for sense gratification. What is that?

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

As soon as the cashier thinks, "Oh, I have got so much money. I am the proprietor," then whole trouble begins. This consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness... If we understand that "I am a very rich man. I have got so much bank balance. I can use it for my sense gratification," that is kāma. That is kāma-rāga. But if we understand that "Whatever I have got, it belongs to Kṛṣṇa," then I am liberated person. I am liberated person. This is Kṛṣṇa... You, you'll have the same money under your custody. It doesn't matter. But as soon as you think that "I am the proprietor of this wealth," then you are under the influence of māyā. And as soon as you think that "Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of all these things," then you are free.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

What Kṛṣṇa says, He says for all the time. It does not change.

Just like the verse which we are just now discussing, He says that "It does not matter in whatever occupation you are. Simply you have to change your consciousness. You are now guided by the consciousness of self-interest, of sense gratification." Self-interest. Not exactly self-interest because we do not know what is our self-interest. Rather sense interest, not self-interest, but sense interest. Whatever we are doing, we are doing for satisfying the senses. This consciousness has to be changed. We have to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That consciousness has to be invoked and then our life will be successful. Thank you very much. If there is any question, you can put. Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

In agreement, businessmen doing some business, the agreement, everyone is thinking, each party is thinking, "How much favorable it has become in my side." That is.... I want to cheat you. You want to cheat me. I am dictating, "The agreement should be like this." That means most favorable for my sense gratification. And you are dictating, "It should be like this." We are talking also on that spirit, "my sense gratification."

Kṛṣṇa says something. That is not wanted. My so-called teacher or ācārya... "There are different ācāryas." No. There cannot be different ācāryas. Ācārya is one.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

Everyone is working so hard because the basic principle is lusty desire. "I shall enjoy like this. My wife shall enjoy. My children shall enjoy. My grandchildren shall enjoy. My countrymen will enjoy. My society will enjoy." This is the basic principle of whole modern civilization—expanding the selfish interest. Selfish interest means "my sense gratification." And expand more, "My family's sense gratification." Expand it more: "My society's, my nation's..." This way.

But this is material life. When one becomes this kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ, that is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. Therefore it is described here: yasya sarve samārambhāḥ. The samā... Any attempt.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

This is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate... (SB 5.5.1).

Why you should? Kāma. We require to fulfill our, some desires. That desire means we have to eat something, we have to sleep somewhere, we must have a little sense gratification also, and we must defend. That is allowed. That is allowed. But why kaṣṭān kāmān? Why you should work so hard to satisfy your senses like the dogs, hogs and other animals? That is the Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Be satisfied, plain living and high thinking. That is required. If you miss this opportunity of human life and spoil it like dogs and hogs, then you lose the opportunity. This is the... Bahūnāṁ sambhavānte.

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

That will make us free from the interaction of the activities. So long we are attached to work for sense gratification, so long we shall be under this obligation of reaction.

Now, if we want to get out of the reaction of material activity, then this is the formula given by Śrī Kṛṣṇa: kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ. Kāma means one's sense gratification. "I want to do this thing for my sense gratification." That is materialism. But if I want to do something which will be satisfactory, which will give satisfaction to Kṛṣṇa, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This very simple thing we are discussing in a different way. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is attained by jñānāgni-dagdha-karmāṇam. Yes?

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

If one acts in that way that everything... Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). The Īśopaniṣad says everything belongs to God but God has given me chance to handle these things. Therefore my knowledge and intelligence will be there if I utilize for serving God. That is my intelligence. As soon as I utilize them for my sense gratification then I am entrapped. The same example can be given. If the bank cashier thinks, "Oh, so many millions of dollars at my disposal. Let me something and put in my pocket," then he is entrapped. Otherwise you enjoy. You get good salary.

You get good comforts and do your work nicely for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything should be considered as Kṛṣṇa's. Not a farthing mine. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

Brahman means spiritual. The Lord is spiritual and the rays of His transcendental body are called brahma-jyotir, His spiritual effulgence. Everything that exists is situated in that brahma-jyotir. And when the jyoti is covered by the illusion of māyā or sense gratification it is called material."

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

Similarly Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the original consciousness. As soon as it is clouded by material consciousness. What is that material consciousness? That "It is mine. It is for my sense gratification. That is material consciousness." And if you keep yourself always intact that everything is for Kṛṣṇa, then there is no cloud. The cloud is material. Actually there is no material existence. Just like cloud appears in the sky. It remains temporary for a few day or few hours and again disappears. We do not know where that cloud has gone.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

Similarly, material consciousness is the covering of the spirit soul. So as soon as this covering is taken away the bright sunshine is there, the cloud. As soon as the cloud is gone the bright sunshine is there. Then everything is sunshine, light. Similarly, as soon as this consciousness, material consciousness that everything belongs for my satisfaction, sense gratification, that is material. And if you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that is spiritual. The things does not change. Simply the consciousness changes. Just like the sunshine does not change. Simply the cloud changes. It appears and disappears. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

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

There is life without birth and death. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). After giving up this body, no more taking birth again with this material body. There is a life like that. We get this information. Why should we not fulfill this mission of life in this human form of life? Why unnecessarily desire so many sense gratification? This is called tapasya. If one life we have enjoyed the sense gratification.... Sense gratification, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Eating, sleeping, sex life and protection from fearfulness. Now this has been done in so many lives. Why not in this life make a perfect process so that no more death, no more birth, no more disease, no more old age?

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

And we are trying to accept it, practice it and preach it. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Then why we should be interested to purify our existence? Yena brahma-saukhyam anantam. You are after happiness. So this happiness, the temporary happiness, sense gratification, this is not happiness. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21).

Real happiness—beyond this material sense gratification. That is real happiness. So we should search after that happiness.

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

He becomes criminal, and therefore he is put into the prisonhouse. By his own activity. It is not that government wants somebody should live in the prison house and somebody should live outside prisonhouse, free. It is not government's desire. (break) ...enjoyment we act sinfully also, vikarma. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Because we are mad after sense gratification. But in the human form of life one should be sensible. Therefore the university education, school, college, institution, they are meant for human society. There is no such thing in the animal society. And religion. Religion also meant for human society. Why? Because this life is not meant for enjoying senses like the animals.

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

That is the difference. So if we do not develop.... That is the opportunity, human life. In human life there is the opportunity to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Therefore śāstra says that nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke: "In the human society the body is not meant for spoiling in sense gratification like the cats, dogs and hogs." Don't create a hog civilization. That is the warning. What is hog civilization? Hog civilization means there is no restriction of eating, up to the stool. The hogs eat up to the stool. So when in the human society there is no restriction or sex life, that is hog society. Because the hogs, they eat up to stool and there is no sex restriction. They do not know whether mother, sister or daughter, they are..., not matter. You will see it.

Lecture on BG 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974:

And who is cooking for himself very palatable dishes, he is bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā. He is simply eating sins, and he has to suffer. Therefore we have to eat, we have to work, we have to do everything only for yajñāya, not for any other purpose. Then we are entangled. As soon as we do anything for my sense gratification, then we are entangled immediately, goodness or badness, goodness, passion, or ignorance. So there are very complicated laws, but we do not know. That is ignorance. So we have to know what are these complicated laws. That is called jñānāvasthita-cetasaḥ. Ignorant person, they suffer from disease, they suffer from legal action, because ignorant.

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

And vānaprastha means retired life. And the sannyāsa means renounced order. They have no connection with worldly activities. So these are four different stages of human social order. Now, the brahmacārī, they are meant for sacrifice, the students. The students are recommended to sacrifice, especially to sacrifice sense gratification.

The students are... Formerly, they were in the guru-gṛha, spiritual master's place, and they had to undergo severe types of regulation. So a brahmacārī is expected to go to every householder and beg. There was no system of schooling, there was no system for payment. The spiritual master, the teacher, he did not accept any payment in pound shilling pence. That was not accepted because mostly brāhmaṇas, they used to become the teachers. So they were not accepting any salary. The brāhmaṇas are forbidden to accept any service.

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

The student is also given instruction so that before entering family life, he gets complete instruction of spiritual life so that when he enters into family life, he is not just like a cat and dog, so-called sense gratification. They are meant for... Although they live with wife and children, they are meant for spiritual emancipation. This is called āśrama, gṛhastha-āśrama.

So that was the idea. The whole program was aiming at spiritual emancipation. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum.

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

So many "sophies" are there. Somebody putting some theories, this theory, that theory, that theory. Mental speculation. They derives poetry, writing poetry, nice poetry. They are not on the gross platform of sense gratification but on the subtle platform of sense... Mind is also sense. Mind is also sense.

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā: (BG 7.4) "These eight elements, they are also My prakṛti, but bhinnā, separated, separated prakṛti." Prakṛti means subordinate to the puruṣa. As soon as the prakṛti... Generally, we understand that the husband and wife....

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

And how we are trying to be master or enjoyer of this material world? By the senses, by the mind. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. Manaḥ.... Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). "The living entities," Kṛṣṇa says, "they are My part and parcel." So instead of serving Kṛṣṇa, they are trying to utilizing, they are trying to utilize the material nature for their sense gratification. This is called struggle for existence. Prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. Karṣati means hard struggle. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This is going on. And this karṣati means struggling for existence. Because you cannot be happy by this artificial way of life. This is artificial way of life.

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

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.

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

How to get out of the network? How to get out of the ocean? This is... Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This is our position.

So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says this body is the network of ignorance, simply sense gratification. "I shall eat this. I shall eat that. I shall hear this. I shall..." The ear is engaged in hearing nice cinema songs, and the tongue is engaged, going to the restaurant, so many so-called palatable dishes. Similarly, other senses, they are engaged. So the... According to bhakti-yoga system, the first control is recommended to the tongue. That is said, that ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136).

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

"After many, many births, spoiling the life and spoiling the time by satisfying the senses..." Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. So long you will go on satisfying these senses, either your senses—that is centralized senses—or expanded senses, the senses of your family, senses of your society, senses of your country, nationality, these are all sense gratification process, simply extending. It begins centralized, my senses, then my son's senses, then my grandson's senses, then my country's senses, then... It is sense gratification, that's all. There is no other business.

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

"Mahatma Gandhi, you have got position. People accept you as a very pious man. Now you have got your sva-rājya, and you are very fond of Bhagavad-gītā. Let us preach Bhagavad-gītā." I wrote this letter. Unfortunately, a few days after, he was killed. So this is the position. All big, big leaders, they do not want to take relief from this sense gratification business. No. This is the...

Therefore jñāna-dīpite ātma-saṁyama-yogāgnau. Because there is no knowledge, they think the sense gratification extended, expanded sense gratification, will make the world happy. No. That is not possible. Therefore jñāna-dīpite means that by this kind of sense gratification we will not solve the problems. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās teṣāṁ jātā mayi na karuṇā. Karuṇā. "There is no mercy.

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

Kindly engage me in Your business."

This is called jñāna. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). When jñānavān... What kind of jñānavān? After serving the senses of so many people life after life, when one comes to his real knowledge that "This kind of sense gratification will not make me happy. Let me gratify the senses of Kṛṣṇa," that is real knowledge. Jñāna-dīpite. And in another place it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. Jñānavān. That is real knowledge.

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

Actually, my business is to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa, but I am thinking that I shall be happy by satisfying my senses, my family's senses, my country's senses, my nation's senses, and so on, so on, so on. This will make me happy. This is the secret. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You have manufactured so many business of sense gratification. That's all right. Give up this all rascal business. Simply surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Then you will be satisfied. Otherwise there is no question of satisfaction. You go on increasing the area of sense gratification. That will not make you happy.

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

So that can be begun with sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Because we meet together and talk so many nonsense in political conference, social conference, scientific conference, tongue going on. Day and night, conference is going on. And another business, eating process, sense gratification. If people are asked, "Please come here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," they are not at all interested. And invite him in some political meeting and talk all nonsense. He is very much interested. Yes. This is called māyā. So we have to convert this. Instead of engaging senses for talking nonsense, we have got so many books, so many talks about Kṛṣṇa. Why not take this? You can go on on, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, about Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavad-gītā. Go on talking, and go on eating kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Then self-realization is guaranteed.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

Controlling of senses means... That is also knowledge. Because this materialistic life means sense gratification, so we have satisfied our senses not only in this human form of life, but in other forms of life. So when one comes to the understanding that these sense gratification activities are useless, then he can understand. When one understands that "I have tried to satisfy myself in different kinds of sense gratification..."

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

Oh, immediately he turned: "Yes." So he immediately went back and went to Vṛndāvana.

So these are the points of knowledge. You see? One... When one is struck with that knowledge, that "What I have gained? I have tried life after life, hours after hours, days after days, this sense gratification. What I have got?" this is knowledge. Then searching begins. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

Just like the physician gives us some prescription, and he says that "You do this, and do not do," so we have to follow the do-not's and the do's. In every field of action there are certain don't's and certain do's. So we have to follow. Tat-paraḥ saṁyatendriyaḥ. And result of knowledge is that one should be restrained in the matter of sense gratification. You cannot become progressive in spiritual life if you indulge in unrestricted sense gratification because sense gratification is the cause of our bondage in this material world. And the whole treatment, progressive in spiritual life, is regulated. Of course, we have got senses, and the senses require some satisfaction. That is all right. There is no question of stopping the senses. It is not possible. If you want to stop the work of the senses, that is not possible. Simply we have to purify the senses.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

Similarly, this restriction, do-not... When we make spiritual life progressive, there are certain restriction, and they may seem at the present stage very bitter. Very bitter. But that is the way. We have to accept. Therefore it is called saṁyatendriyaḥ. And if we can make progress in that way, restrained sense gratification and following the rules and regulations, then we are sure to acquire the knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

He was hating: "Oh, I cannot fight. This fighting with my kinsmen, it is not possible. I am not..." He was hating. But when he understood Bhagavad-gītā, he took up that fighting; he gave up his hating. But the result? Na kāṅkṣati: he never desired the result. Kṛṣṇa ordered to fight. He fought. That's all.

This is real sannyāsa, that he does not act for his own account, for his sense gratification, but he works... Never mind. He does not hate an work. "Any sort of work I am prepared to do, and the result I'll have to offer to Kṛṣṇa"—this is called real sannyāsa. So Kṛṣṇa gives the... Jñeyaḥ sa nitya-sannyāsī. Nitya means eternally, not for the time being, eternally. Nitya-sann..., yo na dveṣṭi. He does not hate any kind of work, but na kāṅkṣati: he does not desire for his own, se..., viṣaya, enjoying the result. Nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho sukhaṁ bandhāt pramucyate: Oh, "That sort of sannyāsī is always happy, and he is a liberated person." He's a liberated person.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

Everyone, any highest, I mean to say, highly situated person in knowledge, his main business was how to conquer death. Now, at the present moment that question has become subordinate thing only, how to conquer death. "Let death there be. So long death does not come, let me enjoy and have sense gratification." That has become the standard of civilization at the present moment. But real problem is how to conquer death.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

So long we do not discard this desire of material enjoyment, we have to take our birth repeatedly, either in the human form or in the form of a demigod or in the form of a tiger or in the form of a dog or cat. There are so many forms. They are all different forms in different categories of sense gratification. So one who has developed this transcendental knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he conquers death even in this life.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

"That is distress in the beginning, and that is distress at the end, Kaunteya." Na teṣu ramate budhaḥ: "Therefore those who are intelligent, they refrain from such happiness. Refrain from such happiness." Ādy-a... Ādau antavantaḥ. In the beginning also, for arrangement of sex life, there is so many distress, and at the end also, there is so many distress. So sense gratification, they should be so... So long we are in this material world, there is need, but that should be regulated. That should not be extravagant or unrestricted. Then we call for distress. That is the instruction. That is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Thank you very much. Now if there is any question, you can ask. (end)

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

So diseased condition means contaminated by māyā. This is external. So our philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is not to stop desiring but purify desiring. And how you can purify it? By Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you desire... Just like—concrete example—if I desire a very nice apartment for my personal sense gratification, this is diseased desire. And if I desire a nice costly temple for Kṛṣṇa, that is purified desire. So desire is there. You are sitting here in a very nice room, very cleansed, very good atmosphere. But this desire is purified desire. And if you require similar room for your sense gratification, that is impure desire.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

Vairāgya means renunciation, and phalgu means without any value or little, very little. Why should we give up this world? But the process is that give up the idea of sense enjoyment. That is required. That is real renunciation. I shall not use it for my sense gratification. I shall utilize it for Kṛṣṇa's service. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Go on.

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

Whatever is produced now, welcome. But let it be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then everything will be all right. The same example. Just like Arjuna was a fighter. He was a military man. But he was trying to mix with sense gratification. He was trying... He declined to fight just to make his own sense gratification. What is that sense gratification? He thought that "By killing my kinsmen, my brothers on the other side, I will be unhappy." So my happiness and unhappiness pertaining to this body, that is a kind of sense gratification. So when he was taught Bhagavad-gītā he gave up that process of sense gratification.

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

He remained the same military man. But only difference was that in the beginning he wanted to satisfy his own senses and at the end of studying Bhagavad-gītā, when he became a liberated soul, he engaged the same energy for the sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa.

So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We haven't got to decry anything. Simply we have to change the consciousness. Everything we are now doing in the matter of sense gratification, we have to prepare ourself, we have to train ourself for the sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

Kāma-krodha, how one can be freed? Just see the same example we see that Arjuna, he was thinking of the welfare of his kinsmen, and Kṛṣṇa was asking that "You should fight." And he was declining. So this kind of declining is kāma, lust, his own sense gratification. As soon as he became to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa, then he is freed from his own kāma, own lust. There is no more his own lust. His own lust was that he was desiring not to fight. But as soon as he agreed to the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, he gave up his own lust; he becomes free from kāma-krodha. So kāma-krodha, kāma-krodha, this anger and this lust, that can be... Actually we can be free from the anger and lust when we are actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

The best is that find out the proprietor of that hundred dollar note. Ask somebody, "Have you left something, sir? Anybody?" If one: "Yes, I'm missing one hundred dollar..." "Here is..." That is real service. Similarly, if we understand that everything belongs to God, so that sense will lead me: "No, I am not enjoyer." So my sense gratification, my anger, my lust, all finished. All finished at once, at stroke, if I understand that "Nothing belongs to me; everything belongs to God." If I want to enjoy it, that is illegal, and if I neglect it, that is also illegal. If I say, "Oh, let... Jagan mithyā, this world is false. I don't want it. Let me go to the Himalaya in the jungle," oh, that is also not good. You must try to utilize the whole thing for the purpose of Kṛṣṇa because everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is your duty. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because He is the proprietor.

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

Copper, it is copper. But as soon as it is electrified, you touch it, you get electric shock. There are so many examples. Similarly, if your body is spiritualized, then the material action is no more. Material action means sense gratification. So the more one becomes spiritualized, the material demands become nil. No more material activities.

So how you can do that? The same example: You have to keep the iron constantly with the fire. You have to keep yourself constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then even your this body, material body, is spiritualized. There is a Sanskrit grammatical law which is called māyātpoktaya (?). Marat(?) means, there is a word, just like svarṇamaya.

Lecture on BG 6.1-4 -- New York, September 2, 1966:

So similarly, yaṁ sannyāsam iti prāhur yogaṁ taṁ viddhi pāṇḍava (BG 6.2). "Oh Arjuna." Pāṇḍava means "the son of Pāṇḍu, Arjuna." "You can understand that what is sannyāsa and what is yoga, they are the same principle." They are the same principle how? Na hy asannyasta-saṅkalpo yogī bhavati kaścana. Because without being freed from desires of sense gratification, nobody can become either a yogi or a sannyāsī. Everyone is trying to have some profit out of his activities. There are many yogis, they perform yoga system or teach yoga system for some profit, but that is not the idea of yoga system. Everything should be engaged in the service of the Lord. Everything.

Lecture on BG 6.2-5 -- Los Angeles, February 14, 1969:

So my better standard of life does not mean any spiritual realization. A better standard of eating, sleeping, mating, that's all. So this is called fruitive activity. Fruitive activity is also another pattern of sense gratification but it is on the basis of sense gratification. And yoga means connection with the Supreme. When the Supreme is connected, as soon as, just like Dhruva Mahārāja. As soon as he saw God, Nārāyaṇa, the boy was undergoing severe austerities, penances to see God. He saw. But when he saw, then he said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). "My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I don't want to ask anything, any benediction from you." Because what is benediction?

Lecture on BG 6.2-5 -- Los Angeles, February 14, 1969:

Devotee: "Without God consciousness, one must be always seeking self-centered or extended selfish activities. But a Kṛṣṇa conscious person can do everything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa and thereby be perfectly detached from sense gratification. One who has no such realization, must mechanically try to escape material desires before being elevated to the top rung of the yoga ladder."

Prabhupāda: "Yoga ladder." Yoga ladder, it has been compared with a ladder. Just like steps in a big skyscraper house there are steps. So every step is a progress, that's a fact. So the whole stepladder may be called the yoga system. But one may be on the fifth step, another may be on the fiftieth step, another may be on the five hundredth step, and another may be on the top of the house.

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

Tasmāt satsu sajyeta buddhimān. Buddhimān means intelligent person. He must associate with satsu. Satsu means those who are trying for self-realization. They are called sat. Sat and asat. Asat means who are trying for the temporary things. Matter is temporary. My body is temporary. So if I simply engage myself for bodily pleasures, sense gratification, then I am engaging myself to temporary things. But if I engage myself for self-realization, the permanent thing, then I am engaging myself to the sat, or to the permanent. Tasmāt satsu sajyeta buddhimān. "Anyone who is intelligent, he should associate with persons who are trying to elevate themselves for self-realization." That is called sat-saṅga, good association.

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

The first qualification is called vijitendriyaḥ, sense control. Advancement in the yoga system means yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. Yoga means to... Because our whole life is disturbed due to the senses. Senses. This material life means sense gratification. That's all. The sum and substance of materialistic life means sense gratification. Therefore advancement of material science means giving you products for your sense gratification. Unnecessarily, so many things are produced just to satisfy my senses. That is the material advancement.

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

So material life means sense gratification, and spiritual life means detached from sense gratification. So vijitendriyaḥ. Yukta ity ucyate yogī sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ. And when he is in that position of equilibrium, then for him, sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ. Kāñcana means gold, and loṣṭra means, what is called, rubbles of stone. They are the same thing. So sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ.

Lecture on BG 6.6-12 -- Los Angeles, February 15, 1969:

Then you can understand God. So any religious principle which teaches and helps you to develop your love of Godhead. Without any cause. "I love God because He supplies me very nice things for my sense gratification." That is not love. Ahaituki. Without any... God is great. God is my father. It is my duty to love Him. That's all. No exchange. "Oh, God gives me daily bread, therefore I love God." No. Daily bread God gives even to the animals, cats, and dogs. God is father of everyone. He supplies food to everyone. So that is not love. Love is without reason. Even God does not supply me daily bread, I'll love God. That is love. That is love.

Lecture on BG 6.6-12 -- Los Angeles, February 15, 1969:

Yes. This is the sign of advancement. Because here in this material world, the calculation of friend and enemy, everything, is in relationship with this body, or sense gratification. But realization of God or the Absolute Truth, there is no such material consideration. Another point is that here, all conditioned souls, they are under illusion. Suppose a doctor, a doctor goes to a patient. He is under convulsion, he's talking nonsense. That does not mean he will refuse to treat him. He's treats him as friend. Although the patient calls him by ill names, bad names, still he gives him medicine. Just like Lord Jesus Christ said that "You hate the sin, not the sinner." Not the sinner. This is very nice.

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

Desires are not to be sacrificed, but there are desires in the spiritual field, there are sense satisfaction in the spiritual field. That is a different thing. So here it is said, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat (BG 6.21). What is really happiness, tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam, that is transcendental to this experience, empirical sense gratification. Vetti yatra na caivāyaṁ sthitaś calati tattvataḥ. One who does not know this, then certainly he will be agitated in the mind and fall down. So one should know that the happiness which we are trying to derive from the material senses, that is not happiness. I have, several times I recited one nice verse, the description of Rāma.

Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:

A dead body, that's all. His perfection is to find out a carcass, dead body, and to eat, that's all. Similarly we may go up very high education, but what is our objective, what are we seeing? How to enjoy sense, this body, that's all. And advertisement? "Oh, he has gone with sputnik seven hundred miles up." But what you do? What is your occupation? Sense gratification, that's all. That is animal. So people are not considering how they're implicated with this bodily concept of life.

Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969:

And anyone who wants to enter there, he must be pure. That is very natural. That if you want to enter into some particular society, you must qualify yourself. Qualification is to go back to home, back to Godhead, the qualification is that you should not be materially contaminated. And what is that material contamination? The material contamination is sense gratification. Unrestricted sense gratification. That is material contamination. So you have to make yourself free from material contamination. Then you become eligible to enter into the kingdom of God. That process of being freed or being washed of all material contamination, is yoga system.

Lecture on BG 6.40-42 -- New York, September 16, 1966:

This human body can give you the highest perfection. So tūrṇaṁ yateta, be very serious and try for that perfection. Anumṛtyu pated yāvat, until next death comes. But we are not serious. We are not very serious. We are serious about how to make our sense gratification very nicely. That is our seriousness. Human advancement, advancement of civilization means how nicely you can gratify your senses. This is going on. Only to give all sorts of comfort to this body. But actually human civilization means that people should be very serious to have perfection of this human body, spiritual perfection. That is perfect human civilization. That is missing at the present moment.

Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:

You see? That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām, viṭ means stool and bhujām means eater. So the stool-eater's sense gratification is not meant for this human form of life. Stool-eater means these hogs. The hogs sense gratification is not meant for this human form of life. Restriction. Therefore in the human form of life there is marriage system. Why? What is the marriage and prostitution? Marriage system means restricting sex life. Marriage system does not mean that you get a wife, ah, without any payment you go on unrestricted sex life. No, that is not marriage. Marriage means to restrict your sex life. He'll hunt for sex life here and there—no, you cannot do that. Here is your wife and that is only for child. It is restriction.

Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:

So people, one has to understand scientifically these things but they are neglecting. So therefore continuing suffering. They do not care for suffering also. Just like the animals, they are suffering, but they do not care for it. they forget. So practically this sense gratification civilization means animal civilization. A little polished, that's all.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Madras, February 14, 1972:

Śrīdhara Swami has commented upon it, kalaḥ niṣandi rūpa. Any religion which is seeking after some result of action.... Generally we perform religion, dharma-artha. We perform religion for getting some economic benefit, artha. And why artha is required? For kāma, dharma artha kāma. For, for satisfying our sense gratification we require money, and generally we perform religious rites, ritualistic ceremonies, yajña, dharma for getting some economic development. Dharma artha kāma. Artha is required, money is required for fulfilling our sense gratification, and when we are baffled in gratifying our senses... Because here the whole struggle is going on. Everyone is trying to be the "Lord of all I survey".

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971:

"Why? He has passed M.A., Ph.D. and D.A.C., and he's honored..." That's all right, but in spite of all his education, he will create simply havoc in the world. That's all. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12). Because he is hovering over the mental plane, he'll simply create havoc. His education will be utilized for his sense gratification, and he will not care for anything. Just like great scientists have discovered the atom bomb, by scientific research. What is the effect? Now by one drop you can kill many millions of people. That is his advancement of science. "Oh, why don't you create something that people will not die?" That is not... "I can assure death, but I cannot save death. That is not in my power."

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

Some of them are thinking these are fictitious. No, it is fact. It is scientific. It is scientific. But people have no interest in these things. They are simply interested in sense gratification. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). This is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They have become mad, simply mad, to gratify senses. But they are forgetting that this human life is meant for making a solution for all the problems of life. They are not interested in that. They are thinking, "By increasing the volumes of sense gratification, that is perfection." That is not perfection. You may improve the material condition of life, but you cannot live here. Just like you have constructed very nice city, Stockholm, or any European city.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- London, March 10, 1975:

So this is the work of the brāhmaṇas. But nowadays the brain is not utilized for understanding Brahman, but for understanding the ways of higher standard of life, sense gratification. Anyway, that is intelligent work. Next the administrative work. Next the productive work. And next the worker, general worker. The same brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, August 9, 1974:

That is cinmaya. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. That is ānanda-cinmaya-rasa.

We have no understanding what is ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. We are accustomed to taste this material ānanda, sense gratification. There are... Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Here, in this material world, the ānanda is sex gratification, sex intercourse. Maithuna. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. This is the most abominable ānanda. This is not ānanda. Although the whole world is mohita... Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair mohitam. This is the ānanda. In the Western world we have seen even old men, seventy-five years old, eighty years old, they are going to the naked dance club, the sex ānanda.

Lecture on BG 7.5 -- Bombay, February 20, 1974:

When we forget to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is material life. And when we serve Kṛṣṇa with love and affection, understanding that we are very intimately related, part and parcel, that is spiritual life.

This is the difference between material life and spiritual life. When one works for his own sense gratification, that is material life. And when works for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction, that is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. It is very easy to understand. We are working, we are servant of somebody. All these people who have gathered here, nobody can claim that "I am not servant." Everyone is servant—servant of the society, servant of the family, servant of the country, servant of dog, servant of cat.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, February 22, 1974:

You want this? I shall give you. Please elect me." Everyone is trying to satisfy the senses. Either of own self... He's giving false promise. Actually, he wants to satisfy his own senses. As soon as he becomes minister, he'll satisfy his own senses. But he's getting elected by promising satisfying..., to satisfy your senses. But the sense gratification is going on. But there is chaos because the point is missing. There is no activity for satisfying senses of Kṛṣṇa. That is the defect of the modern civilization. Therefore one should learn that you are satisfying the senses of others. Try to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa, because there is no more greater authority than Kṛṣṇa. We are satisfying the senses of greater authority. That's all. Or my senses. Because my senses are also greater authority—kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya. These are very strongly dictating me, "Do this." I don't want to do this. My conscience is willing (beating?). But my kāma, my lust, is forcing me.

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

Tapasya means to undergo voluntarily some inconveniences of this body. Because we are accustomed to enjoy bodily senses, and tapasya means voluntarily to give up the idea of sense gratification. That is tapasya. Tapasya. Just like Ekādaśī. Ekādaśī, one day fasting, fortnight. That is also tapasya. Or fasting in some other auspicious day. That tapasya is good, even for health, and what to speak of advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we should accept this tapasya. The upavāsa. There are many prescribed days for fasting. We should observe.

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

He does not know. Kṛṣṇa can be known by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, in truth, then you have to go through this bhakti process, not by your speculative process. Kṛṣṇa is not open to your sensual gratification. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). He cannot be revealed to anyone and everyone. Yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. He's covered. Just like at night we cannot see the sun. That does not mean the sun is not in the sky. This is foolishness. If somebody thinks, "Now we cannot see the sun. Therefore sun is gone, dead..." Formerly people used to think like that. What is that?

Lecture on BG 7.11-13 -- Bombay, April 5, 1971:

While drinking water, besides the..., all around the water jug there are so many animals. When you crush, I mean to say, spices, we kill so many animals. So we are responsible for that. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā you know, bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). If you simply cook for your sense gratification, then you have to take responsibility of all the killing business. But if you offer to Kṛṣṇa and take the prasādam, you become free from the contamination. Similarly, we require to eat, we require to sleep, we require to mate, and we require to defend. If these things are done on account of Kṛṣṇa or as enjoined in the śāstra... Śāstra means, as I have already told you, the orders of Kṛṣṇa or orders of God. Sādhu-śāstra-guru. They are the same thing.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

He has come down to teach vairāgya-vidyā. Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. What is that vairāgya-vidyā? Bhakti-yoga. Our difficulty is that we have been entangled with this material world, because we have been attracted by this sense-gratification in the material world. And vairāgya vidyā means unless you become detestful, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), unless we find a better position, a better enjoyment, we cannot give it up. So this bhakti-yoga means offering the better position, better gratification, better pleasure, so that one can give up this inferior pleasure in the material world. Therefore bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-vidyā, jñāna-vairāgya. Vāsudeve. That vairāgya can be very easily achieved by bhakti-yoga vāsudeva.

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

Rākṣasa means almost man-eaters. Rākṣasa are called man-eaters, more than tigers. They, for their self-satisfaction, they can eat, I mean to say, even, even their own sons. You see? They are called rākṣasas. No shame. "My sense gratification should be satisfied. Never mind. You go to hell." So this is the age. So we, we create a machine that everyone comes and becomes smashed in that machine, and my sense satisfaction is there. Although I'll never be happy by that sense satisfaction. This is going on. You can know this world is now managed by the rākṣasas. Rākṣasa. They don't mind what is happening. They are prepared to sacrifice everything for fulfilling their whimsical nonsense. They are called rākṣasa. Rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva prakṛtiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ. Why they are?

Lecture on BG 9.13 -- New York, November 28, 1966:

These four principles, they are very minor problems. They are not at all problems because automatically these problems are solved, automatically. Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. Viṣaya means this viṣaya, this object of enjoyment, these bodily necessities. Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt: Viṣaya—means these objects of sense gratification—you will have in any form of body.

Lecture on BG 9.18-19 -- New York, December 4, 1966:

People do not know what is their destination of life. The destination of life is to reestablish his lost relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is his destination. Unfortunately, people do not know what is the destination. They are simply thinking, destination of life, to have the greatest amounts of sense gratification. This is illusion. Because we are materially absorbed and materially concept of life means these senses—we have no other information—so we are trying to squeeze out all kinds of pleasure from sense. This is called illusion. They have no other information. They are earning, working very hard, and the ultimate goal is sense gratification. This is illusion.

Lecture on BG 9.18-19 -- New York, December 4, 1966:

The ultimate goal is Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Lord, gati. Gati means destination. Where you are going? Which way you are making your progress? "Oh, that we cannot say. We make progress on sense gratification. The greatest amount of pleasure which we can derive out of the senses, that is our destination." No, the destination is God, Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, of whom we are the parts and parcels. By forgotting, forgetting our relationship, we are struggling.

Lecture on BG 9.18-19 -- New York, December 4, 1966:

What is there? Already all the juice that contained, I have taken it. So this material life experience—chasing after woman and drinking and sense gratification and so many things, spending like anything—we have seen it, but we have not experienced any actual happiness. Still, I am trying to induce my son, my dependent, into that way. The foolish people do not think that "I have already experimented all these things. What benefit, what happiness, I have got?" This is called punaḥ punaś car..., repeatedly chewing the chewed, repeatedly. This is going on. Nobody thinks that "I have already experimented all these things.

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

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.

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

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.

The ultimate purpose of sense gratification and the highest, topmost sense gratification is sex life. So we are trying, chewing, eschewing, you see, extracting. But that is not the process of happiness. The happiness is different. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). Real happiness is transcendental. And that transcendental means that I must understand what is my position and what is my process of life. In this way this Kṛṣṇa consciousness will teach you.

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

You are... You are taking the prasādam. That means the whole thing becomes spiritualized. So in this way we can spiritualize the whole world, whole world, simply by changing our consciousness. We are... We are anxious for peace. This is the process of peace; you change your consciousness. Don't accept anything for your sense gratification. Everything is there. It is supplied by the Supreme Lord. Everything is the property of the Supreme Lord. You are falsely claiming that you are the proprietor. You are not proprietor. How you can be proprietor? Suppose before you came to America from Europe... The land was there. And suppose sometimes you leave this land. Oh, the land will remain there.

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

When the land was not there, you'll never find. Therefore the land is God's. Why do you claim that "This is my land"? The earth belongs to God. Everything belongs to God. This consciousness should be changed if you at all want peace. If you encroach upon God's property and take it as your own thing and try to utilize for your sense gratification, you cannot expect any peace, cannot expect any peace. Suppose you have stolen something from somebody else and if you want to enjoy, you'll be always in trouble because the police search will be there, and as soon as you are caught, you'll be in trouble. Similarly, the nature is the police agent of God. As soon as you want to gratify your sense by utilizing the property of God, then you'll be in trouble. The nature will inflict miseries upon you.

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

This is destruction. Destruction of my real life is materialism.

So here Kṛṣṇa says, kaunteya pratijānīhi: "Please declare in the world that anyone who has taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness will never be destroyed. He will never go back again to that material life of sense gratification and pull on this material existence full of miseries. He will be taken out. He will be taken out sooner or later. As he has taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will be never destroyed." Our destruction is... You always remember: our destruction means material existence is the destruction of our spiritual existence. Because destroyed does not mean that as spiritual being, I will be nowhere, no. This is my position, nowhere. I do not know. Just like I am being kicked like a football.

Lecture on BG 10.4 -- New York, January 3, 1967:

He is called swami, master of the senses. Generally we are all servants because our constitutional position is servant, subservient. So we are servant of this material nature means we are servants of the senses. That's all. We have got this material body, and the senses are prominent. We are active in material body means we are acting in sense gratification. That's all. So we are practically servant of the senses. And as soon as you become master of the senses, that the senses should not act according to their whims. The senses should act according to your order.

Lecture on BG 10.4 -- New York, January 3, 1967:

And as soon as you become master of the senses, that the senses should not act according to their whims. The senses should act according to your order.

The same example. Suppose there is very nice performance of sense gratification and one wants to go there. But if you can control your senses—"No, not to go there. Come here in this storefront. Hear Bhagavad-gītā." Then you become master. You become master. That is swami. In similar way, if you can control your all your senses... Now, the sense gratification... The most important task for controlling the sense is the tongue. I have several times explained that the tongue is the beginning of all senses.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, December 29, 1972:

They sometimes take medicine. But how it can be done? So drdhya kala aula.(?) So we are under this illusion. This is called māyā. We should understand that we are not this body. We are not this body. Our bodily enjoyment, sense gratification, that is illusion. In another place in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, it is said: sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. Find out that verse. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. We are trying to enjoy life with these material senses, but that is illusion, that is temporary. Temporary and illusion. Real enjoyment is with our spiritual senses. What is it...? Have you got?

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, December 29, 1972:

Body means the senses. The senses. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu parā buddhiḥ (BG 3.42). So we have to transcend this bodily concept of life. Bodily concept of life means sense gratification. That's all. The, the bodily... I am, because I'm thinking I am this body, therefore I must satisfy my eyes by seeing something beautiful. I must satisfy my tongue by eating so many things which are even forbidden in the śāstras. But my tongue wants it. I must take it. So bodily concept of life means satisfying these gross material senses. That is bodily concept of life. But gradually, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by training ourself, how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then our business will be how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

These are very important instructions. Prahlāda Mahārāja says... He was instructing his class friends. He was a five years old boy. And he said, "My dear friends, that the material happiness..." Material happiness means sense gratification. This is material happiness. Everyone is materialistic, or materially advanced, means he has got better facility for satisfying the senses. That is material life. And spiritual life means he does not satisfy his own senses, but he satisfies the senses of God. That is spiritual life.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:

You take this" So... But the owner of the apartment is Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore here it is said: kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). So the living entity's the occupier of this body. And the owner is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa. This body means the senses. We are enjoying with this body means we are enjoying the sense gratification. My eyes, to see something very beautiful. so God has given us these eyes. See nicely. To your heart's content. I want to touch something soft. Kṛṣṇa has given us. "All right, you take opportunity." Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān.

This is the Vedic injunction. That one Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, He is giving us satisfaction. Whatever we want to enjoy. He's given us full facility within this material world. But because we do not know what is actual enjoyment, therefore the so-called enjoyment is turning to be distressed condition.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:

And he's getting recognition, medal, gold medal. And as soon as he comes home, if he kills one person, he'll be hanged. He can say: "My dear sir, I killed so many persons in the battlefield. I was awarded gold medal. Now I have killed only one person. Why you are hanging me?" Because you have done for your own sense gratification. And so many soldiers, it mean, men, you kill in the battlefield, that was the order of the state.

This is same position. Yajñārthe means to act on the order of the Supreme. That is called yajña. Anything which you act for satisfaction of the Supreme, that is called yajña. Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra. Just like in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said:

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Bombay, September 29, 1973:

We do not take anything which has no connection with Kṛṣṇa. We take everything... Just like we are using this microphone. We do not think it is material. Because it is being used for Kṛṣṇa's purpose, therefore it is spiritual. That is the difference between material and spiritual. When you accept it as your own or for your own sense gratification, that is material. And if you accept everything as Kṛṣṇa's and you simply take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, then it is spiritual.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Bombay, September 29, 1973:

So people do not understand these things. Kṛṣṇa therefore explaining that "This body..." Mahā-bhūtāny ahaṅkāro buddhir avyaktaṁ eva ca indriyāṇi daśaikaṁ ca. Indriyāṇi, these ten senses, five senses for acquiring knowledge and five senses for acting, ten, and the mind, ten and one, eleven... Indriyāṇi daśaikaṁ ca pañca cendriya-gocaraḥ. Indriya-gocaraḥ, the object of sense gratification, tan-mātra. Just like rūpa-rasa-gandha-śabda-sparśa. Beauty. Rūpa-rasa, taste. Rūpa-rasa-gandha, smell; śabda, sound; sparśa, touch. These are the objects of enjoyment. Our eyes are there.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

So you have to control the mind. You cannot allow the mind to do anything and everything, but it must be controlled. Sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ. Indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam. Indriyārtheṣu.

For the matter of sense gratification you have to practice vairāgya. Indriya. Our all the indriyas—eyes, tongue, nose—they are very much, I mean to say, affected or attracted. Eyes, always attracted by beauty. "I want to see very beautiful thing." But you can control the eyes when you practice to see the beautiful feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Therefore the Deity should be very nicely decorated so layman like us may be attracted by the beauty of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Gradually, he will forget to see any other beauty. This is the practice of indriyārtheṣu. Indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam.

Lecture on BG 13.14 -- Bombay, October 7, 1973:

That is called karmī. Either in this life... Even those who are performing yajñas for being elevated to the heavenly planet. That is also karma, karma-kāṇḍīya. They are also karmīs. Either for becoming happy in this life or becoming happy... Happy nobody can become; it is illusion. But by sense gratification we think that we are happy. That is the karmī life, on the bodily platform. And the mental platform is little subtle. The philosophers, the poets, the scientists, like that.

Lecture on BG 13.14 -- Bombay, October 7, 1973:

That is mukti. Mukti does not mean that you have got now two hands, and as soon as you become mukta, you'll have three thousand hands. No, not that. Mukti means svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. When we understand that "I am utilizing hands and legs and eyes for my sense gratification. No, this is wrong. It should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service. My hands should be engaged for Kṛṣṇa's service. My hands should be engaged for cleansing this temple. My hands should be engaged for cooking Kṛṣṇa's food." In this way. "My hands should be utilized for writing for Kṛṣṇa, glorifying Kṛṣṇa. My legs should be used for going to the temple of Kṛṣṇa. My eyes should be used for seeing beauty of Kṛṣṇa. My ears should be used for hearing glories of Kṛṣṇa. My tongue should be used for chanting Kṛṣṇa's holy name." That is mukti.

Lecture on BG 13.14 -- Bombay, October 7, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is offering you this mukti. Muktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt. Viraktir anyatra syāt. When you understand that "These hands and legs belong to Kṛṣṇa, so I am misusing them. So long I have misused them. I use for my personal sense gratification or expanded sense gratification." The so-called socialism, nationalism, this ism, that..., that is also sense gratification but it is expanded sense gratification. First of all... (break)

Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:

Because we have got three things to act. We can act with our senses, karma.

So karma, the karmīs are also working, and the devotees are also working, but karmīs are working—their words and mind is differently engaged. Because they are working very hard day and night, but they are thinking of, manasā, sense gratification. Karmaṇā manasā vācā And they are talking only sense gratification. Therefore their mind and words are engaged differently. But one whose mind, words, and activities are engaged in the service of the Lord, īhā yasya harer dāsye karmaṇā manasā vācā, so he may be situated in any position, jīvan-mukta sa ucyate, he is liberated. The same thing is confirmed here. Sarvathā vartamāno 'pi na sa bhūyo 'bhijāyate.

Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Calcutta, February 26, 1974:

This means that it begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of the universe. From there, the whole universe is expanded, with so many branches, representing the various planetary systems. The fruits represent the results of the living entities' activities, namely, religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.

Lecture on BG 15.15 -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Service means you must take order from the master. That is service. Otherwise it is mental concoction. Actually, the servant requests, "How can I serve you?" So when the master orders, "You serve me like this," then you do that, that is service. And if you manufacture your service, that is not service. That is your sense gratification. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. You have to see how he is pleased. Now if he wants a glass of water and if you bring a nice glass of milk, you can say milk is better than water, you take it. That is not service. He wants water, you give him water. Don't manufacture better thing. Just like Kṛṣṇa wanted Arjuna to fight, and he became a nonviolent saint, "No, Kṛṣṇa, I'll not fight." That is disobedience. Kṛṣṇa says fight, you must fight. Don't bring philosophy of nonviolence. That is nonsense.

Lecture on BG 15.15 -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Renunciation means you must first stop your sense gratification. That is renunciation. If you engage in your sense gratification, how you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses? So you have to stop this nonsense sense gratification, you have to adopt the real sense gratification. That is renunciation. Renunciation does not mean you become idle. Renunciation means you have to stop nonsense things and then begin real thing. That is renunciation. The Māyāvādī philosophy is stop everything. Stop everything, what is the gain? Stop nonsense, do something sensible, that is wanted. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), give up everything. Does He say, "And then stop"?

Lecture on BG 16.4 -- Hawaii, January 30, 1975:

The gopīs are going to Kṛṣṇa, being captivated by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, just like a young girl becomes captivated by seeing a very nice boy, or a nice boy is captivated to see the beauty of a girl. These are sense gratification. There is no prema; that is kāma. But the gopīs, they are going to Kṛṣṇa, superficially the same thing, like the young girls are going to a young boy, but they are going for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction, not for their own satisfaction. That is the sublime. Therefore gopīs are so held in estimation even by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ramya kecid upāsanā vraja-vadhu-vargabhir ya kalpita: "There is no better type of upāsanā, worship, than it was conceived by the gopīs." Caitanya Mahāprabhu admitted that the topmost method of worshiping Kṛṣṇa is the type of worship offered by the gopīs. Topmost.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

That Kṛṣṇa immediately said, "No, no, no, don't be afraid." Mā śucaḥ. Mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm. "My dear Arjuna, you don't be afraid. Don't, don't be worried." Why? "Because you have no āsurī." "I am fighting." "You are fighting for Me; therefore you are not asura." Those who are fighting for their sense gratification, they're asuras, but if need be fighting for, for cause, right cause... Of course, everyone thinks right cause; therefore it should be confirmed. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna fought when he understood that "This fighting is right cause, it is sanctioned by Kṛṣṇa." Then it is right cause. You cannot make your right cause. You can not formulate that "This is right cause." That is mental concoction. You must get it sanctioned. That is a principle of daivī life, divine life.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 14, 1976:

Human life is meant for nivṛtti-mārga. We have got so many bad habits. To give up these bad habits, that is human life. If we cannot do that, then we are not making any spiritual progress of life. Spiritual progress... So long you will have a little desire for committing sinful life for your sense gratification, you will have to accept a next body. And as soon as you accept a material body, then you will suffer. Yena.

It is said that nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). These rascals, they are mad. They are committing sinful life simply for sense gratification. There is no need of committing sinful life but for sense gratification they are doing that. So Ṛṣabhadeva says, "It is not good because for sense gratification you have got already this body, and you know, experiencing, that you are suffering threefold miseries, and again you are committing something which will oblige you to accept another body. This is not good. No, this is not good."

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 14, 1976:

That is nivṛtti-mārga. But the asuras, they do not know. Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttim. That this life is meant for nivṛtti-mārga, they do not know. When you say, "Don't do this," they think otherwise.

Payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ. And why they become addicted to sense gratification? Because they are not clean, śaucam. Śauca is the qualification of brāhmaṇa. We are getting sacred thread but we are neglecting how to become, how to remain śaucam, śuci. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). Śuci means first-class brāhmaṇa. So we are accepting sacred thread to become first-class brāhmaṇa, śuci, but we do not know, after eating, we have to wash our hand.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:

Prabhupāda: Then what benefit will be for you? Suppose if I met, now what benefit you will derive out of it? If I say, "Yes, I have met," that what benefit you will get? Why you are asking this question? That you do not know. Then why you are asking?

Japanese man: Maybe sense gratification. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: What is that, maybe...?

Trivikrama: Maybe sense gratification.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is sense gratification.

Japanese man: But actually, other devotees sometimes tell me that you met Indra or...

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:

He is sending to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is giving the best service. So people may say, "Nonsense people. They're doing this, doing that." But he is giving the best service to Kṛṣṇa because he is not accepting a farthing out of this. And these so-called worldly, honest men, they may be very honest, moral, but they are taking everything for their sense gratification. They are dishonest. They are the greatest fraud. Kṛṣṇa's money they are taking for their own satisfaction. The greatest fraud. Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). What is that? Ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). Bhuñjate te aghaṁ pāpāḥ. Stena eva sa ucyate. What is that? Everyone is thief. Everyone is taking Kṛṣṇa's money for his sense gratification, and they are advertising they are very moral. What is that?

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hawaii, February 4, 1975:

That is My energy, but that is inferior energy." Itas tu, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām: "There is another superior energy." What is that superior energy? Jīva-bhūta, the living entity. Jīva-bhūtāṁ yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). That is superior because this superior energy, living entity, he is trying to utilize this inferior material energy for his sense gratification. Dhāryate jagat. Whole world is going on just like a motor car. It is combination of gross material-iron, steel, copper, glass, like that, and cotton, and fiber. The car is combination of some material things, but it is operated or it is manufactured by the man. He is controlling this; therefore he is superior.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

The basic principle of creation is that this material world is the field of activities of the rebellious living entity. "I don't want to serve Kṛṣṇa. I want to serve my senses." That is the whole world, going on. This Hawaiian city or any city, especially in your America, they're very, very busy. So ask them, "What is the aim of your life?" They'll say, "Sense gratification. I shall earn money, eat nicely, drink nicely, enjoy nicely. That is the aim of life." They do not know. Etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya. Their vision is so polluted. Naṣṭātmānaḥ: they have lost their spiritual ideas, spiritual sense or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The highest principle of spiritual sense means Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to understand God. That is mahātmā, mahātmā.

Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:

So it is warning that those who have not undergone austerities, as Ṛṣabhadeva says, that this human form of body... Everyone has got a material body. The cats and dogs and hogs and trees and everyone has got. But ayaṁ dehaḥ nṛloke, especially in the human society, it is not meant for gratifying the senses, working very hard, whole day and night, like the hogs. The very example is given: hogs. Viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means hogs, the stool-eater. The stool-eater, you'll find the stool-eater, the whole day and night searching after stool: "Where is stool? Where is stool?" At night also, you'll find engaged. Day also, engaged. These are the examples by nature. What for? What is the business? Now, eating stool.

Page Title:Sense gratification (Lectures, BG chapters 4 - 18)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:20 of Dec, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=126, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:126