Son of God (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"god's son" |"god's sons" |"son of god" |"sons of god"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

Prabhupāda: You do not know that? Oh, he said that "I am son of God." How is that, you are asking for (indistinct). You do not know this? He said himself that "I am son of God." You do not know this?

Child Devotee: Well I didn't really (indistinct). I didn't really..., I didn't, I wasn't thinking about God the father. But don't we all have...?

Prabhupāda: What is that, he said?

Child Devotee: Aren't we all the sons of God?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (2): (to child) You're thinking that Lord Jesus Christ had a relationship with Joseph. Joseph was married to his mother Mary. And so he's thinking what is his, what is Jesus's relationship with Joseph since Jesus is son of God, and Joseph raised him from little boy?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like every spirit soul is son of God, but materially we think that some..., somebody as father. But real father is God.

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

Prabhupāda: What is that, he said?

Child Devotee: Aren't we all the sons of God?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (2): (to child) You're thinking that Lord Jesus Christ had a relationship with Joseph. Joseph was married to his mother Mary. And so he's thinking what is his, what is Jesus's relationship with Joseph since Jesus is son of God, and Joseph raised him from little boy?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like every spirit soul is son of God, but materially we think that some..., somebody as father. But real father is God.

Lecture on BG 1.15 -- London, July 15, 1973:

So one can utilize God's property as much as he requires, not more than that. Then he will be thief, he will be punishable. Just like father's property. Each and every son has got the right to live at the father's protection. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. That is spiritual communism. Whatever wealth is there within this universe, all belong to God, and we are, as sons of God, we have got right to take advantage of this wealth, but not more than what I require. That's all. This is spiritual communism. If you take more, then you become punishable. This is the law of nature.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973:

So as in this body our sense enjoyment should begin from the stomach, similarly, as the tree begins developing luxuriantly from the root, similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), root. So without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without pleasing Kṛṣṇa, you cannot be happy. This is the system. Therefore how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased? Kṛṣṇa will be pleased that... We are all Kṛṣṇa's sons, God's sons. Everything Kṛṣṇa's property. These are fact. Now, we can enjoy taking prasādam of Kṛṣṇa, because He is the proprietor, bhoktā, enjoyer. So everything should be given first to Kṛṣṇa, and then you take the prasādam.

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

So one has to understand that we are neither proprietor nor enjoyer. Bhoktāraṁ yajña... God is the enjoyer. And God is the proprietor. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. And suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29), He's the best friend of everyone. He's not friend only of the human society. He's friend of the animal society. Because every living entity is God's son. How we can be otherwise treating man in some way and animal in other way? No. God is actually perfect friend of all living entities. If we simply understand these three things, then we become peaceful, immediately.

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

This is the process of śānti. You cannot establish... If you think that "I am the only son of God, and the animal is, has no soul, and let us kill," that is not a very good philosophy. Why not? What the symptoms of possessing soul? The symptoms of possessing soul is the same four formulas: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. The animals also busy in these four things; we are also busy in these four things. Then where is the difference between animal and me?

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Pittsburgh, September 8, 1972:

Similarly, if we accept God as the supreme proprietor, then our other problem is solved. Because we are falsely claiming proprietorship of things which belong to God. By falsely claiming that "This land, this land of America, belongs to the Americans; the land of Africa belongs to the Africans." No. Every land belongs to God. We are different sons of God in different dresses. We have got right to enjoy the property of father, God, without infringing others' right. Just like in family, we live, so many brothers. So whatever father, mother gives us to eat we eat. We don't encroach upon others' plate. That is not civilized family. Similarly, if we become God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, then the whole problems of the world—sociology, religion, economic development, politics—everything will be solved. That's a fact.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

Prabhupāda: Yes. He says, "There is God. I am son of God." That is paramparā. Yes. Unfortunately nobody cares to follow Jesus Christ. That I must say. Jesus Christ says, "Thou shall not kill," and Christians are very expert to kill. (laughter) They take pride in bullfighting. This is the position. So it is very difficult to find out a real Christian.

Man: (Spanish)

Hṛdayānanda: He wants to ask something which is not about you. (?)

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

Prabhupāda: God is everywhere. Therefore God's disciples or God's sons are everywhere.

Indian: Why you...

Prabhupāda: So if, in America, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is preached, why you are envious?

Indian: Why?

Prabhupāda: Why you are envious?

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

In this way the whole process from God's side is to put ourself always on the right path. That is the process going on. Now, just like in your Christian religion. Lord Jesus Christ, he claimed himself that he is coming from God as son of God to reclaim to back to Godhead, back to home. That is the mission. Every, every reformer or every great religious leader or God Himself, He comes on this earth to reclaim these conditioned soul to back to Godhead, back to the kingdom of Godhead. That is the whole idea of incarnation. Now, at the present moment... Not at the present moment. Practically always, the people, by material contact they forget their relation, their relationship with the Supreme Lord, their constitutional position.

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

"Whatever forms of life, living entities, you are seeing before you, all of them are born of Me. They are My part and parcel. I am..." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. "I am the father. I am the father." So Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or God, He is the father of every living being. He does not like to see that His sons undergo unnecessary miseries. He does not like to see. Why? If we are sons of God, and what is the position of God? All powerful, all opulence, all wealth, all beauty, all knowledge, everything in full. That is the conception of God. Now, if we are sons of God, then we are very rich man's son. Then why should he suffer? We should not have suffered. But some way or other, by material contact, we are suffering. We are suffering. Now, this suffering, we have become so much accustomed to sufferings that we have taken it granted that these sufferings are nonmaterial.

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

If you commit a murder, you have to repay this murdering sin by your own life. That is, of course, imperfect law, man-made law. Similarly, in God's law also, if you kill any living entity, you have to suffer for that, because in the God's eye there is no question of man or animal or ant or fly or something like that. Every living entity is the son of God. Now, suppose your father has got five sons. One of them is worthless, is doing nothing. And if the other son says, "My dear father, this son, your youngest son, or this son, is worthless. He is doing nothing. Let us kill him," will your father agree? Because he is worthless, will your father agree? No, he will say, "No, no, no. You have nothing to do. He is not harming you. He is eating my, my subsistence.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

His grandchildren and His grandchildren's children were present at that time, and the whole family extended to about ten millions.

So this may be astonishing, but for God is nothing astonishing. If it is a fact that everyone is the son of God... Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā that "In every species of life, in whatever form you may see them, I am the father of all of them." Now, if He is the father of all living beings, just calculate how many living beings there are throughout the whole universe or in the creation. In comparison to that, if He displayed that He had only ten millions of sons and grandsons and grandchildren, that was nothing more. So these are things. Kṛṣṇa was equipped in that way.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

Freely, what freedom? You are already rich man's son. You can enjoy the property of your very, very rich powerful father, and what independence you will enjoy? This is criminality. This is criminality. We are sons of God, part and parcels of God, and God means almighty. So we have got almighty father, and leaving His place, I have come to this material world to enjoy independently. That is criminality. And we are suffering. That is explained here: prakṛti-stha, "being placed in this material world," puruṣa, bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān, "he is enjoying, but enjoying the quality of the modes of material nature."

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

You forced Kṛṣṇa to allow you to come. Just like sometimes a child forces his father. Father says, "My dear son, do not do this. Do not go there." But he insists, "Oh, I must go. I must go." "All right, you go at your risk. That's all. And you suffer. What can be done?" Because you are son of God—God has got independence, full independence, almighty—therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got little independence. So God does not interfere with your little independence. If you persist that "I must go and enjoy independently," so God says, "All right, you can go." This is the position. You have to take sanction. That is a fact. But when you persist, God sanctions.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

He is God. Sākṣād-dhari. How he is Hari, God? No, samasta-śāstraiḥ: "In all revealed scriptures it is explained that 'Guru, the servant of God, the son of God, the preacher, he is God.' " Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ: ** "It is said." Tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ: "Those who are intelligent, they accept like that." Then next line says, kintu. Why he is God? Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya: "He is God because He is very, very dear to God." So as I said, in the absolute word, God and a person very dear to God, he is also God. But he does not think that he is God. He knows that he is servant of God. It requires little intelligence, spiritual intelligence, the Absolute, how the servant of God and God is the same. (break) Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Bombay, March 25, 1974:

So Bhagavān is individual; we are also individual, part and parcel. Just like the father is individual, and the sons are also individuals. We are all sons of God. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke... (BG 15.7). So we are all individual. In the Second Chapter, Kṛṣṇa said that "We all, you, Me, and all the soldiers and the kings who have assembled here, they were existing before as individual, and we are existing now as individual, and in future also we shall exist as individuals." So that is being explained again.

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

Now, now the principal religions of the world—Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, and Buddha religion—most of them believes some supreme authority or personality coming down from the kingdom of God. Just like in your Christian religion Lord Jesus Christ, he claimed to be the son of God and coming from the kingdom of God to reclaim you. So this claim of Lord Jesus Christ, we admit. We, the followers of Bhagavad-gītā, we admit this claim. So there is no difference of opinion between the followers of Hindu religion and Christian religion. In details there may be, according to country, climate and people, in details there may be difference, but that does not make any material difference.

So far devotional service is concerned, now, there are several items for offering devotional service to the Lord.

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

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 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

So that constitutional position, which cannot be changed, which is called dharma, in order to pre..., when that is deteriorated by contamination of matter, at that time, the Lord Himself comes as incarnation or He sends some of His confidential servitors. Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he said that "I am son of God." So he's representative of the Supreme. And similarly, Hajrat Muhammad, he also identified himself as a servant. Padat hi bandhaḥ., a servant of the Lord. So this is the position that whenever there is discrepancies in the natural law of our constitutional position, the master, the Supreme Lord, either He Himself comes in incarnation or He sends some representative to inform us what is actually the position of the living entity. So this is explained here by Lord Kṛṣṇa, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7).

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

Simply to understand, as it is stated here, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Karma. His activities.

Just see. He has created sun, He has created moon, He has created everything. How do we claim that this planet belongs to us? It is given to us for living. That's all. Because we are sons of God, therefore we have got right to enjoy the property of God. That is real peace. We are... As a rich man's son, he has got the right to, I mean to say, enjoy the father's property... But if he disobeys, if he becomes disobedient to the father, he is put into trouble. So our position is like that. We do not understand what is God, what we are, what is our relationship with God, what is this material nature, how it is working. These things are actually knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Bombay, March 31, 1974:

As the sons have got right to enjoy the property of the father, similarly, we, all living entities, not only human beings, but trees, planets, animals, everyone, all living entities, sarva-yoniṣu, they are all sons of God, or Kṛṣṇa, and everyone has got right to live at the cost of Kṛṣṇa. And He's also feeding everyone. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. All the necessities of life is being supplied by Kṛṣṇa. In Africa there are millions of elephants. They are also supplied food, at a time, forty kilos. And the ant is also, within the hole of your room... (break) ...according to law. Don't encroach upon others' property. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1). Whatever is allotted for you, that is... Everything is prescribed. Everything is there.

Lecture on BG 6.25-29 -- Los Angeles, February 18, 1969:

That is to see Kṛṣṇa in everything. Not that everything has become Kṛṣṇa. Don't see like that, then you'll be mistaken. Every being is, just like if I see somebody, that this boy is the son of such and such gentleman. That means I see such and such gentleman in this boy. Is it clear? If I see every living being is son of God or Kṛṣṇa, then that means I see God in every beings. Is there any difficulty to understand?

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

Otherwise it will pollute the whole body." So sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ, it is fallen down from the specified place.

So we have fallen down. Being rebelled against the principles of God consciousness, we are all fallen down. So if we want to revive our original position, we must be placed again into that service attitude. That is the perfect cure. Otherwise we shall suffer pain and God will be suffering pain on account of us. Just like if your son is not good, you suffer and the son suffers. Similarly, we are all sons of God. So when we are painful, God is also painful. The best thing is to revive our original Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is natural life and that is possible in the spiritual sky or the Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:

Devotee: He wants to know if Kṛṣṇa is above Jesus Christ.

Prabhupāda: Yes, because Jesus Christ says that he's son of God, and Kṛṣṇa says He's God. Therefore, He's father of Jesus Christ.

Devotee: Any other questions? (break)

Prabhupāda: There is no difference between father and son. Just like there is no difference between you and your father. To become son is not bad, or to become father is not good or bad. Father and son relationship is very affectionate, so there is no difference between father... (end)

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

God must be all-attractive. It is not that God is attractive for one person, not for the other. No. God is attractive for all living entities. Therefore you see the picture of Kṛṣṇa, He is loving the calves and cows, He is loving the trees, He is loving the gopīs, He is loving the cowherds boy. For Him, for God, everyone is lovable object because everyone is son of God. That is stated in this Bhagavad-gītā. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). There are different species of life and different forms of life. Sarva-yoniṣu. "As many forms are there," Kṛṣṇa says... Tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: "Their mother is this material nature, and I am the seed-giving father."

Lecture on BG 7.6 -- Hyderabad, December 11, 1976:

Therefore different forms of bodies are there, but Kṛṣṇa is the cause. Kṛṣṇa... Just like father. Father is the cause of the sons, but the sons may be different. Not exactly all the sons are on the equal pattern. Similarly, we are originally all part and parcel or sons of God. Therefore God's qualities are there in us, very minute quantity, because we are very small. So the quality is there. Just like drop of water from the ocean. The taste is there. The taste of the ocean, salty, is there in the drop of ocean water. There is no difference. Only the difference is quantity... In quality they one one. Quality, that salty taste, quality, that is one. Any drop of the ocean, you can take the salty taste, but the drops may be of different quantity and the ocean is very, very big. This is called acintya-bhedābheda, simultaneously one and different. One in quality.

Lecture on BG 7.11-16 -- New York, October 7, 1966:

Now, the Lord says that the whole world is captivated by the three modes of material nature. And mohitam, and bewildered by the actions and reaction of these three modes of material nature, one has forgotten his eternal relationship with God, or Kṛṣṇa. We have got eternal relationship with God because we are sons of God. How the relation can be broken? Suppose you have got son. Now, he is not obedient to you. That is all right. He has gone out of home. He does not like you. But the relation cannot be broken. When he will be asked, "What is your father's name?" he has to name your..., that "I am son of such and such gentleman." That relation cannot be broken. Similarly, we are all sons of God, Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Melbourne, April 21, 1976:

Is it guaranteed that because one is son of high-court judge, he'll also become a high-court judge? There is no such guarantee. Everyone is individual. We are sons of God, that's all right, but we have got little independence. If we misuse our independence, then we become lower. Kṛṣṇa is perfect, there is no doubt, but we are part and parcel of. Just like another example. There is a fire and there are sparks of fire. The sparks are very little, small fire particle. Sometimes they fall down from the fire and becomes extinguished. The fiery quality is lost. Similarly, we are all parts and parcels of God, but when, by misusing our intelligence, our independence, we come here in this material world to enjoy, our godly qualities becomes lost. Again if you revive, then you go back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on BG 9.15 -- New York, December 1, 1966:

Similarly, any authorized incarnation. But that incarnation will never say that "I am God." "I am servant of God"—that is his representation. He'll never say, "I am God." That makes confirmation that he's representative of God. So he is authority, who does not say that "I am God," but he says, "I am servant of God. I am son of God. I am devotee of God." He is representative, real representative. So we have to hear from him. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. I am just trying to explain to you the process of hearing. The process of hearing.

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

They want to make their economic problem solved by themselves. God is giving them sufficient grains, sufficient fruits, sufficient vegetables, sufficient milk. No, they want to make solution of their problems by killing other poor animals. But they do not believe in God. They do not believe in God that "I am killing poor animals. They are also sons of God as much I am, as we are sons of God. God is maintaining that poor animal. God is maintaining me. Why should I encroach upon others' life?" You see? They have no such sense because they don't believe in God. They have no such faith. This is going on.

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 27, 1966:

"All these living entities, they are My parts and parcels." Just like your son or your daughter is the part and parcel of your own body, personal body. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of the Supreme God. We are all sons of God.

How is it? That is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā in the fourteenth chapter.

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Lord Kṛṣṇa says that, "My dear Arjuna, we find so many species of life, eight, eight thousand, no, eight millions four hundred thousand, eight million four hundred thousands of species of life. All of them, they are My sons.

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 27, 1966:

"My dear Arjuna, we find so many species of life, eight, eight thousand, no, eight millions four hundred thousand, eight million four hundred thousands of species of life. All of them, they are My sons. I am the seed-giving father." He accepts that every living being, either man or beast or ant or bird, everyone, anywhere, they're all sons of God.

And they are suffering here. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). They have, somehow or other, they have come in contact with this material nature, and each and every one of these living entities, they are making, having a hard struggle for existence. But under the spell of the illusory energy, they are thinking we are happy. Although whole day and night, they are unhappy.

Lecture on BG 12.13-14 -- Bombay, May 12, 1974:

You can understand what is the quality of the whole bag. Similarly, what is God, that is not very difficult to understand. Simply you have to study yourself. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). But not that, that you are God. You are sample of God.

Now, we being very intimately connected, because we are all sons of God... Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Kṛṣṇa says aham, "I," "I." "I am the seed-giving father." Not only human society, but there are other societies, animal society, bird society, beast society, vegetable society, insect society, aquatic society. They are also Kṛṣṇa's son, God's sons.

Lecture on BG 12.13-14 -- Bombay, May 12, 1974:

You should not be envious to any living entity. But the present civilization is to become envious, envious. I do not wish to criticize anyone, but this enviousness is the basis... This nationalism means... This is also enviousness. "Why foreigners will come here?" This is enviousness. Why not? Who is foreigner and who is national? Everyone is son of God. Why should you distinguish? But because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this discrimination between man to man, animal to man, and so many discrimination... Even taking from the national point of view, national means anyone who is born in that country. But because one happens to be animal, although it is national, still, it is sent to the slaughterhouse, because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:

We have—manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). In the fifteenth chapter you'll find it, that, who are these living entities, we? Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo: "They are all my parts and parcels." Mamaivāṁśo. Just like father and the son. A father has got many sons. Similarly, we are all sons of God. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7), sanātanaḥ. Sanātanaḥ means eternally. It is not that we are now part and parcel and after liberation we'll become one, or equal, the Māyāvādī theory. No. That is not. Therefore this very word is used, sanātana, eternally. Eternally, we are part and parcel.

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

"This portion is Indian," "This portion is Pakistani," but we do not know that no portion belongs to us; everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa.

For practical purpose, even if we accept that the whole world belongs to Kṛṣṇa, God, and we are sons of God, we have got right to use the property of father, so you can use. But the difficulty is that we are claiming that "This portion is mine, this portion is mine." But if we don't claim like that, everything belongs to God, that is practical communism. If we accept the whole world as the property of God, make God-centered communism... The Russians, they are making the state-center communism. But if you make God center... That is Īśopaniṣad, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "Everything belongs to God."

Lecture on BG 1322 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976:

In this way there are eight million four hundred thousand forms of life. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ (BG 14.4). In all the forms of life, as many living entities are there, tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. "I am the seed-giving father of all of them." So every living entity is the son of God. But according to karma they have accepted different forms of life. Some of them are in the water, some of them are the plants and trees, some of them are insects, some of them are birds, beasts.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Hawaii, January 31, 1975:

Therefore when you come to the daivī sampat, then you understand that we all are brothers, universal brotherhood. Not that "The American is my brother, and the American cows are not my brother. Let them go to the slaughterhouse." This is all defective understanding. The real understanding is that "God, or Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme father, and we are all sons of God." This is real under... Paṇḍitaḥ. That is real knowledge. Therefore those who are in real knowledge, sama-darśinaḥ, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 15, 1976:

The basic principle is mistaken. Dehātma-buddhi. The dogs, cats, they think that "I am this body." So same interest, asura. They do not know, neither they try to understand. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Within this body the spirit soul is there. They cannot understand. Therefore their self-interest is mistaken. Real self-interest is that "I am spirit soul, I am son of God, my father is very, very rich, opulent. I have given up my father's association and therefore I am suffering." Otherwise there is no question of suffering. We have got experience. A very rich man's son, why he should suffer? So here Kṛṣṇa says that ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving father of all living entities."

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 15, 1976:

We are busy in solving our temporary problems. Sometimes we want warm; sometimes we want coolness. This is not actually our self-interest. Our self-interest is to understand that "I am son of God. My father is complete in everything. So why shall I suffer?" Does a rich man's son suffer? No. But a rich man's son, if he goes out of home and voluntarily accepts suffering, loitering in the street... Just like we see amongst the hippies. Unnecessarily they have accepted suffering. Similarly, unnecessarily we have accepted sufferings of this material world. If our real consciousness, means Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is awakened, then we become aware of our position, constitutional position. Then we are saved from this repetition of birth and death and go back home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on BG Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Fact is fact. You believe or not believe, fact is fact. (break)

Guest (3): ...belief. (break) ..."I am son of God."

Guest (4) (Indian man): And what about Kṛṣṇa? He says...

Prabhupāda: He says, "I am God." Therefore there is no difference. If Jesus Christ is son of God, and Kṛṣṇa says "God," then where is the difference? If your son comes, "I am son of such and such gentleman," and if you say, "I am that gentleman," then where is the difference? Where is the difference? If I say, "I am Mr. such and such, such and such," and if my son says, "I am the son of Mr. such and such," then where is the difference? There is no difference. Christ says, "I am son of God."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.3 -- Rome, May 27, 1974:

"These rascals do not know what they are doing, rascals. Still, I request You to forgive them." This is Vaiṣṇava. Personally he is suffering, but he is still compassionate. There was an article recently, that Jesus Christ, although he was crucified, he did not die. Yes. He went to Kashmir. Some historical references are there. So actually, when he was representative of God, son of God, how these rascals could kill him? It was a show only.

Anyway, so the devotees, they are so compassionate that titikṣavaḥ, they suffer all kinds of odds in this material world. Still, they try to give the information, "There is God, there is kingdom of God. You are suffering here. Please do this so that you can again come back to home." This is the Vaiṣṇava. Karuṇayā.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). Sarva-yoni, all kinds of species of living entities, all forms, not only human being, but aquatics, trees, plants, insects, reptiles, birds, beasts, animals... There are 8,400,000 species of life in the land, in the sky, in the water. All of them are sons of God. This is universal brotherhood. When we can think all living entities... Because the central point is missing. Central point is God, but we are making central point—somebody is making his own self, his body; somebody is making his family; somebody is making his society, community, or nation; or somebody is making the whole human race. But they are all imperfect. Unless we can make.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Rome, May 24, 1974:

Therefore we find, actually those who are advanced in religious principle, they are all devotee. (break) ...faithful. Just like Lord Jesus Christ-devotee. Similarly, Muhammad also, they were devotee. They never declared that "I am God." Did Muhammad say like that? No. Servant of God. Similarly, Jesus Christ said, "Son of God." So it is very good. It doesn't matter. If we remain son of God or servant of God faithfully, then it is first-class religious system.

But it is very difficult to say, but bhāgavata-dharma, that which is called bhāgavata, simply relationship with Kṛṣṇa... In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will find no other topics except to establish the original relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and therefore it is first class. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaitukī (SB 1.2.6), without any... In the material field... What can be done? Some way or other, although it is..., in the Bible it is said... They go to church for asking bread.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

So two business—paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duskrtam: "To curtail the activities of the demons and to give protection to the saintly person, I descend." Dharma-saṁsthā...: "And to establish dharma, the principles of religion." These are the three business for which Kṛṣṇa, or God, or God's representative—or, you say, God's son—they come. This is going on. So what is religion, then? The religion is obedience to God. Just like law means obedience to the state, and one who obeys the laws of the state, he is good citizen, similarly, the laws given by God, one who obeys the law, he is religious or saintly person. So it doesn't matter what religion you are following. It doesn't matter. If you are actually obedient to the laws of God, then you are religious. It doesn't matter.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

Prabhupāda: No, first of all your question is what is the relationship between Christ and Kṛṣṇa. You inquired this. So Christ says that he is son of God. So he is son of Kṛṣṇa.

Indian man: That was what I thought, but I could not convince them all.

Prabhupāda: You should learn how to convince. (laughter) Without learning, how can you do it? First of all you become a disciple of Kṛṣṇa. Then you can teach. Tad-vijñānārtha... What is that?

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

This is the duty of every Indian, that you should learn Bhagavad-gītā perfectly well and preach it. That is your duty, all Indians. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra janma sārthaka kari' kara (CC Adi 9.41). They do not know it. They know that Christ is son of God. They have heard it. Now convince them that "Yes, there is no fighting between Christian or Kṛṣṇa-ite. One is worshiping the father; one is worshiping the son. So there is no difference."

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

Yes. No, to... God... God and God's son, they are one and different simultaneously. That you, anyone, can understand, that a father and the son... The son is born out of the body of the father. So if the father is spirit, the son is also spirit because the son is born out of the body of the father. So, so far the body is concerned, it is spiritual. But still, the relationship is father and son. It is called acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, simultaneously one and different. Anyone can understand. The child is the father's body. In that way it is one. But a child is the son, and the father is the father. So simultaneously one and different. So Christ is God and not God simultaneously.

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

Otherwise, there was past life. That's a fact. But as we forget daily night body in the daytime and day body at nighttime, so similarly, we are changing our body according to the infection of the quality or material nature, and we are entangled in this material world. Although we are part an parcel of Kṛṣṇa, God, or we ar sons of God, but unfortunately, we have come in contact of this material modes of nature. This is going on.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is the father of everyone. He canvasses, "My dear children, why you are rotting in this material world? Come back."

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

Similarly, the Muhammadans also, they worship the Koran. And similarly, in your Christian also, you worship Bible.

So it is a fact that Lord Jesus Christ is present by his words, Bible. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is present by His words. These personalities, either God or son of God, who come from the transcendental world, they keep their transcendental identity without being contaminated by this material world. That is their omnipotency. We are practiced to say that God is omnipotent. Now, this is His omnipotency. Omnipotency means that He is not different from His name, from His quality, from His pastimes, from His instruction, everything. Therefore the discussion on Bhagavad-gītā is as good as you are discussing certainly with Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.3.26 -- Los Angeles, October 1, 1972:

So just imagine how many incarnations are required to enlighten the people in each and every universe. As we are trying to forget Kṛṣṇa, or God... We are all sons of God. But God cannot forget us, because we are sons. God is trying to reclaim us. He is coming. Kṛṣṇa is coming personally to canvass that "Why you are rotting here? Why don't you come? You just surrender and be happy." "No. I shall work here." "That's all right."

So working, beginning from Brahmā down to the hog, they are trying to be happy by working themselves. But they will not surrender to Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa wants them back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

So, just try to get them liberated from this illusion." This is Vaiṣṇava's duty. Just like Nārada is advising Vyāsadeva, Vyāsadeva is advising his disciple Madhvācārya. He is advising his disciple. This is Vaiṣṇavism. They are not concerned for personal self. Akhila-bandha-muktaye: "Just try to liberate all these conditioned souls." Just like Lord Jesus Christ. For himself... He was son of God. He had nothing to do. God consciousness, he was. He's perfectly... He knows everything. But why he was crucified? Because he wanted to work for others. That is Vaiṣṇavism.

Lecture on SB 1.8.26 -- Los Angeles, April 18, 1973:

God is the Supreme Father. Kṛṣṇa says: ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. "I am the seed-giving father of all living entities." Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). "In whichever form they may live, they're all living entities, they're My sons." Actually that is the fact. We all living entities, we are sons of God. But we have forgotten. Therefore we are fighting. Just like in a nice family, if anyone knows: "Father is supplying us food. So we brothers, why should we fight?" Similarly if we become God conscious, if we become Kṛṣṇa conscious, this fighting will be over. "I am American, I am Indian, I am Russian, I am Chinese." These all nonsense things will be over. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice.

Lecture on SB 1.8.26 -- Los Angeles, April 18, 1973:

"No I have killed one poor man. He had no necessity. There was no need for him in the society. So why should he live?" Will the state excuse me that: "You have done very nice work."? No. That poor man is also the subject of the citizen of the state. You cannot kill. Why not expand this philosophy, that the poor animal—the trees, the birds, beasts—they're also sons of God. You cannot kill. You'll be responsible. You'll be hanged. Just like by killing one poor man on the street you'll be hanged. Never mind it is poor. Similarly in God's eyes, there is no such discrimination. What to speak of God, even a learned man's vision, there is no such discrimination, "This is poor, this is rich, this is black, this is white, this is..." No. Everyone is living entity, part and parcel of God.

Lecture on SB 1.8.28 -- Los Angeles, April 20, 1973:

This is explained by Kuntī, a devotee. The same thing is spoken by the Lord Himself. Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ, ye tu bhajanti māṁ bhaktyā teṣu te mayi (BG 9.29). God cannot be partial. That is not possible. Everyone is God's son. So how God can be partial to one son and, better than the other son? That is not possible. That is our mistake. We write: "We trust in God," but we make discrimination. If you trust in God, then you must be equally kind and merciful to all living entities. That is God consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa says: "I have no enemies, neither I have got friends." Na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.9.1 -- Los Angeles, May 15, 1973:

Every living entity. Even a small ant, a small plant, it is living entity. By its different work, he has got a different dress only. Just like we are sitting so many persons, and we have got our different dresses according to our different choice, similarly, we get these bodies. We are all sons of God. There is no doubt about it. We (are) all spirit soul, either in the human form of body or animal form of body or tree form of body, anything. Sarva-yoniṣu. We are all living entities. But we have got different dresses. That's all. According to karma. This is the philosophy. So we cannot make that "These dressed living entities are important than the other dressed living entities."

Lecture on SB 1.15.22-23 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1973:

We are fighting one another without any knowledge. Why the Americans were fighting with Arabians and the Arabians are fighting? The fighting is going on. The United Nations means fighting settlement arena. That's all. But the fighting is going on. So unless we are self-realized, unless we know that "We are all sons of God; this outward dress is māyā. I am not American, I am not Indian." Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir na yatir vā. He said like that, that... He is taking the varṇāśrama-dharma: brāhmaṇa kṣatriya vaiśya śūdra brahmacārī gṛhastha vānaprastha... So Caitanya Mahāprabhu denied all these: "No, I am a not brāhmaṇa, nor I am a śūdra, nor am I gṛhastha, nor I am kṣatriya." "Then what You are?" Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ: (CC Madhya 13.80) "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa, who provides the gopīs." This is our real identities.

Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973:

All of them are sons. They, whether one is demon or demigod, both of them are sons of God. But what is the difference between them? Just like a father has got two sons or more sons. One son is very obedient to the father, and the other son is not. That is the difference here. God has not made anyone demon or demigod. For God, everyone is equal. Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ (BG 9.29). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "I am equal to everyone." Otherwise, how He is God? He is equal to everyone. But they are creating their own situation and becoming god or demon. So in the human form of life, advanced consciousness, instead of becoming demon, we should become demigod.

Lecture on SB 1.16.8 -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1974:

Why this discrimination, that if a man is murdered or killed, that murderer must be punished? But that law is not permissible in God's law. In God's law, either you kill a man or you kill an ant, you are punishable. You are punishable. You cannot avoid this. Because in the eyes of God, the Brahmā, Lord Brahmā, and a small ant, they are all sons of God.

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Kṛṣṇa says like this, "I am their father." To whom? Sarva-yoniṣu: "In all species of life, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant."

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Jesus said, "I'm son of God," and Kṛṣṇa is God, that's all.

Devotee (3): Is there a spiritual planet where Kṛṣṇa plays the part of one's father?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (3): Is there a spiritual planet where Kṛṣṇa. . .

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is already father for everyone, either in spiritual or material. Father is father. Does it mean, if your father goes somewhere and the relationship changes, you become father and he becomes son? He's always father, either in this apartment or that apartment.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

The father, parents says, "No, my dear child, don't touch it. It is harmful." That is the duty, natural. So this, in this material world, we have come here, we are sons of God, part and parcel of God, and doing all nonsense. So Kṛṣṇa is not happy; therefore He comes, avatāra, avatāra. He comes, "My dear child, why you are doing this?" And He advises, sarva-dharmān parityajya: (BG 18.66) "Give up all this nonsense business. Come to Me. I shall give you protection." But we are so foolish rascal that we are prepared to become servant of the most abominable activities of our senses, but we are not prepared to surrender to Kṛṣṇa and become His servant.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

"There is no ākāra. There is no form." God is the origin of all forms, but the poor God has no form. Just see. This is the conclusion. He is the origin of all forms, yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante, from whom everything is coming out. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Everything... We have also come from God. We are also claimed as sons of God. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). There are 8,400,000 species of life, and they have got forms. They are sons of God. So where is our experience that a son who has got a form, his father is impersonal, no form? Where you have got this experience? If the son has got form and the father is formless, how it can be? What is the reason? Where is the argument? But they are concluding like that.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

He is so perfect and complete. Just like you take the example of the sun. For millions and millions of years, unlimited temperature, light and heat is coming out, but still, it is the same. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate. Similarly, God is so perfect, so complete, that unlimited number of suns and energies... We are also energy. We sons of God, we are also energy. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā:

Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972:

"Lord Jesus Christ will save you. If you don't take shelter of Lord Jesus Christ, then you'll go to hell." So first of all he, "Who is Jesus Christ? What is his number?" That means he, they thought, "Jesus Christ must be one of the workers, and every worker has a number, so what is his number?" So "No, Jesus Christ, he's son of God. So he has no number. He's not worker." Then "What is hell?" Then described, "Hell is very damp, very dark," and so on, so on. So they were silent. Because they are working in the mines. It is always dark and damp. (laughter) (Prabhupāda laughs) So what is the difference between hell and this, what is called, mine? They were silent. But when the priest said, "There is no newspaper," "Oh, horrible!" (laughter) There is no newspaper.

Lecture on SB 2.9.7 -- Tokyo, April 24, 1972:

I pass urine. Mut son, he says, because he's less than mut. Because mut, I pass urine. The obnoxious thing, that is gone away. But it is present. It is present. The bad smell is constantly giving me trouble. Mut karma's there.(?) So these are very instructive. So why this is? Anyone... Everyone is son of God, but one who is acting as real son of God, he is praised, "He is my only son." This idea, not that God is limited to produce only one son. Why? God has unlimited sons. He is unlimited. If an ordinary man can beget hundreds of sons, just like Dhṛtarāṣṭra... There are many instances..., Ṛṣabhadeva. So why God should be restricted to beget only one son? I asked this question in church to some Christian priest, that "God is limited or unlimited?"

Lecture on SB 3.25.13 -- Los Angeles, November 10, 1968:

Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he was crucified. Still, he was so tolerant he, at the time of crucification, he's praying to God, "My Lord, these people do not know what they are doing. Please forgive them." Just see how much tolerant. Titikṣava. This is the first qualification of saintly person or God's servant or God's son. Very tolerant. They have to push on their Kṛṣṇa conscious movement or God conscious movement through so many odds. Through so many odds. Because they are just like the child; he's attracted with playthings.

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

Tamasi mā. Tamasi means ignorance. In ignorance, if you accept somebody as son or wife or friend, that is darkness. It is not actual fact. It is ignorance. Tamasi mā jyotir gama: "Go to the light." Have real friendship, real fatherhood, real lover, real beloved, real son. So if... And another point is that a devotee, real devotee, he doesn't want to be the son of God. He wants to be the father of God. Why? The father means he will simply give to the son. And son means he will simply take. So just like in the Christian philosophy it is said, "O God, give us our daily bread." This is one philosophy. That's a fact. God is giving. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. God is feeding everyone. That's a fact. But a devotee does not want to take anything from God. He does not worship God for his daily bread. One who asks daily bread from God, they are pious, but they are not devotees.

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

They think that it is lying there. It is lying there, but no, that is not the fact. Kṛṣṇa has eaten. And Kṛṣṇa, simply seeing by the eyes, He has eaten. It is a great science. One has to learn.

So we are all sons of God. This is a fact, either I am human being or demigod or cats or dog or tree or plants or insect, anything, all living entities. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu. Sarva-yoniṣu mean "All different forms or species of life, as many living entities there are, they are all My sons." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving father," or "They are all My sons." This is our relationship. Actually, this is our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. And as the father and son relationship means the son may live at the cost of the father... Father has got immense property.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Los Angeles, January 20, 1969:

So what is that infection? That infection, that is stated in the Īśopaniṣad, we read every morning, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). This everything what we see, either in the sky or in the water or outside our vision, everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. So everything God's property. You cannot, even you are son of God, you cannot take anything without God's permission. Just like even your father's property. You'll inherit your father's... That's a fact. But suppose a father has got on the table one thousand dollars. If you take it without his permission, if you think that "It is my father's money," but by law you become a criminal. Your father can prosecute you criminally. That is the state law. Even it is your father's money, even your father is very kind, but if you take your father's money without his permission, then you are a criminal. And what to speak of others?

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Los Angeles, January 20, 1969:

Similarly, we are all sons of God. That's a fact. Kṛṣṇa says,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Aham. Kṛṣṇa says that "All these living entities in 8,400,000's of species..." He doesn't mean that only human being. The animals, the birds, beasts, trees, everything—all living entities—they are all sons of God. He says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ. The material nature is the mother. Just like in ordinary way, the father and mother requires to give a birth to a child. Similarly, this material nature is the mother. We have got this body from the mother, material nature.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Bombay, December 25, 1976:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa is addressed in the Bhagavad-gītā as Acyuta. Cyuta means falling down, and Kṛṣṇa is acyuta.

So we are parts and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa admits, mamaivāṁśo jīva bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7), ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). We are sons of God, Kṛṣṇa. Not that by imagination; God Himself says. And all śāstra says that jīva is equal in quality with God. That's a fact. Then why we are subjected to this birth and death, old age and disease? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are trying to solve all problems of life, but real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Where is that scientist, where is that education to conquer over birth, death, old age and disease?

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Vrndavana, October 25, 1976:

"Father, they do not know what they are doing. Please excuse." This is suhṛdaḥ. He is praying to God This is sādhu, mahātmā. Suhṛdaḥ praśāntā. Not that... In India there are examples like Haridasa Ṭhākura, Prahlāda Mahārāja. And the Western countries also, Lord Jesus Christ, he is śaktyāveśa-avatāra, God's son. And he tolerated so much. These are the examples of mahātmā. Don't misunderstand that we are preaching that mahātmās are only in India. No. By the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead there are mahātmās even amongst the birds, even amongst the beasts, even amongst the lower than animals. Because this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is going on in different places, in different circumstances. That is God's desire. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). So Kṛṣṇa wants this.

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

That means we are thieves. There is United Nation to formulate peace of the world, but truly speaking, it is an assembly of thieves and rogues. How there can be peace? The people must be trained up to know who is the proprietor. If the United Nation immediately accepts that this whole planet is the property of God and we are simply sons of God, not only human being but also the animals, the trees, the plants... There are 8,400,000 different forms of living entities, and Kṛṣṇa claims, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving father." And we, all living entities, we are sons of the supreme proprietor. Let us enjoy the father's property without encroaching upon other's share. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam.

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

We are also as living entity, as good living entity as Kṛṣṇa or God. God is also living entity, we are also living entity. Just like father and son. The father is also living entity and the son is also living entity. There is no difference so far living conditions are there. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's sons, or God or God's sons. Now, in the Bible, Lord Jesus Christ is described as the son of God. Now, so far I have heard, that it is claimed that he is the only one son of God. Now according to Bhagavad-gītā, every living entity is son of God. Now how to adjust? If the Bible says that Lord Jesus Christ is the only one son, then how these so many innumerable sons can be adjusted? There is adjustment. There is very nice adjustment. One should know it. He is the only one son means one who can sacrifice his life for God, he is real son. And one who is simply taking from father, "Oh, God, give us our daily bread," and He is supplying and eating and enjoying sense enjoyement, he is not real son.

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

So this māyā is law-and-order energy of God. And we, those who have come to this material world, we are all criminal energy now. We are not actually criminal. Just like a man born is not criminal, but by association he becomes a criminal, or by association he becomes a godly man. It is a question of association. Similarly, the spirit soul, as son of God, he is pure. He is as pure as anything. As God is pure, similarly the son of God is also pure. But as soon as he forgets God and wants to become free, or wants to become imitation God... Here in this material world everyone is trying to become an imitation God. God is one. God cannot be two. But here the struggle for existence means that these, I mean to say, living entities who are put into this material world, every one of them is trying to become an imitation God. Therefore there is struggle. I am trying to... Either collectively or individually, everyone is trying to become a certain type of God. What is that God?

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

And patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo, "And you are deliverer of the fallen souls. Therefore I offer my obeisances unto you." It is very nice to offer respect to a godly person. Is described very nicely. Why? Now, patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo. A godly person's business is to reclaim the fallen souls. They cannot see... A godly person sees that "Here is my brother. He is son of God. I am son of God. Without enlightenment, without knowledge of God, he is suffering. So let me give him some knowledge of God." This is godly person's business. He has no other business. He has no business to find out where to eat, where to sleep. Oh, that God provides for him. If God can provide food and shelter for cats and dogs, do you think God will not provide food and shelter for His confidential devotee?

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-8 -- New York, July 21, 1971:

Now what are the countermethods by which they can be saved?" This is the question. This question... Because he is Vaiṣṇava, he is thinking, "Oh, so many living entities are suffering. How they can be saved?" A Vaiṣṇava comes, God also comes and God's son or very confidential devotee also comes. Their only mission is how to save these sinful men who are suffering so much. That is their mission. They have no other mission. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. When Nṛsiṁha-deva met him, he said a very nice verse. I'll quote that verse.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:

I have seen in Calcutta one neighbor, he died out of ignorance. He took too much pakori one day, and they were fried in oil, and the next day he was attacked by cholera and died. So similarly, whatever suffering we are undergoing, that is due to our ignorance.

Actually, we are not meant for suffering. If we are sons of God, who is full with all opulence, why should we suffer? Does a rich man's son suffer anytime? If he suffers, it is due to his ignorance. Similarly, we are suffering, but our ignorance is so strong that we are suffering, but at the same time we are thinking that we are happy. This is the influence of ignorance. Just like last night in the television, that gentleman was talking with me. He said that "We have got good brain and we are utilizing it. So that is better for our advancement of happiness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, May 8, 1976:

Lord Christ also, "Thou shall not kill." Yes, this is the beginning of religious life. If you are accustomed to kill somebody, either man, animal, trees, fish, anything, there is no entrance in religious life. There is no entrance because everyone, every living entity, is son of God. Sarva-yoniṣu. You have read Bhagavad-gītā. Sarva-yoniṣu: in all sorts of body. Sarva-yoniṣu sambhavanti mūrtayo yaḥ. There are different forms of life, 8,400,000. They are all living entities, but according to karma, they have got different bodies. This is the difference. Just like we have got different dresses according to my choice, similarly, we get different bodies according to my choice. This morning we were talking about the sufferers, what is called? The sea suffers?

Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- New York, July 22, 1971:

"Arjuna, all living entities in different species of life..." There are 8,400,000 species of life. They're all sons of God. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. The Lord says, "I am the seed-giving father." Just like in ordinary birth, the father gives the seed, and the mother develops the body. Mother, by her blood, she supplies the ingredients of developing the child in the embryo. That is law's nature. Similarly, we living entities, we are part and parcel of the supreme father. We are very minute. The dimension is also given there in the śāstras: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra, the tip of the hair. Agra means tip; keśa means hair. Just imagine—very small point. And you have to divide it into ten thousand parts. And that one part is the dimension of the living entity, spirit soul, spark.

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- Honolulu, May 12, 1976:

"The cats and dogs and the birds and beasts, they are very nicely eating. They are not stealing anyone's... Whatever he gets by the grace of God, he is happy," this is knowledge. Vimarśanam. Vimarśanam. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything God's property. And we are all part and parcel, sons of God, so the property is for us. It is not for others. Just like father's property is meant for the son's enjoyment. That's a fact. So "If other sons, without any labor, without any endeavor, they can get their food, why I am stealing?" This is knowledge. This is knowledge. "Why I shall steal? There is enough food." But because I haven't got this knowledge that "God is the proprietor. I am His part and parcel, son. So if He has provided food for the elephant, who eats at a time forty kilos, he can eat, and I eat only, say, half a pound, I cannot eat?"

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:

"Then? How I can enjoy? I have to live. If everything belongs to God..." Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā. "Yes, you can enjoy." Just like the father in a family. Father is very rich. Actually, the proprietor is the father, but the enjoyers are the sons. Similarly, whatever there is, it is the property of God. But because you are all sons of God, you have got the right to enjoy the property of the father. There is no denying. But you cannot enjoy the property of your other brother. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā. Whatever the father says, "My dear boy, you enjoy this," you be satisfied with that. Don't try to encroach upon others', other brothers' property. Then you'll be criminal. You enjoy. Kṛṣṇa has give you sufficient. Kṛṣṇa is not poor. Sarvaiśvarya... Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:

As soon as the spirit soul wants to enjoy for himself... Just like many boys gives up the association of the parents and he wants to enjoy this material world in his own way, without the sanction of the father and mother. He has got the right. Similarly, although we are all sons of God, or Kṛṣṇa, we have got the independence to give up His company and enjoy this material world. That is contamination.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

This world is... If you know the father, then you must know the son. Or if you know the son, then you must know the father. So in the religious system, if one knows the son, the further improvement is to know the father. That is required. Otherwise incomplete. If you simply know the son of God, then it is incomplete. If you know the father of the son of God, then it is complete.

So here, in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, there are... In all other religious system, they say that "Our this leader is son of God." Somebody says, "He is... Our leader is a servant of God." So now, because you did not know who is the master, who is the father, therefore gradually it has dwindled. Now we must know.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

"Here is the father of the son of God—Kṛṣṇa. Here is the master of the servant." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So there is no quarrel with other religious system. They know simply the son of God, but they do not know who is the father of the son. That is Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the seed-giving father." Whose father? Sarva-yoniṣu. "In all forms of living entity." Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti (BG 14.4). Beginning from the microscopic living entities up to the Brahmā, the biggest, so Kṛṣṇa claims that "I am the father of Brahmā as well as the microscopic germ." Sarva-yoniṣu.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Surat, December 22, 1970:

The searching process may be different according to the country, climate, but if the ultimate goal is God, then that is accepted as religion. Just like Christian religion. Christian religion, they are also searching after God—Lord Jesus Christ advising, "Be lover of God." He presents himself as son of God. The Muhammadan, Muhammad, he also presented himself as servant of God. In this way, everyone is accepting. Or if anyone is accepting God as the ultimate goal of religious process, that is also Vedic. Because Kṛṣṇa says that vedaiś ca sarvair aham. And a godless scripture, that is not accepted as religion. Therefore in India, although Lord Buddha appeared in India—he was a kṣatriya, and he started some religious principle—it is not accepted because it is not, in the Buddha religion, there is no acceptance of God or soul.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:

Para duḥkha-duḥkhi: he is always unhappy for unhappiness of the people in general, public. That is Vaiṣṇava. Para duḥkha-duḥkhi. Just like in the Western country Lord Jesus Christ, he was unhappy for others. So that is the business of devotee, God's son or God's devotee. That is the duty, that people are suffering on account of proper knowledge, and the most grievous ignorance is without any knowledge of God. That is the most dangerous ignorance. Because human life is meant for understanding God. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. But they do not care to understand God. Then animal life: "Where is food, where is sex, where is apartment, and where is defense force?" this is going on.

Therefore the challenge was that "Now explain what is dharma." So they're explaining. Mind that. They are not educated themselves, but their education is by hearing from the authority. Iti śuśruma. This is real education.

Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, July 24, 1975:

Everything, fully. That little independence is there. As you like, Kṛṣṇa will give you facility.

Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati: (BG 18.61) "My dear Arjuna, the Lord is situated in everyone's heart." Why He is situated there? Because He is the suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). We are sons of God. He is very sorry that unnecessarily we are wandering within this universe and suffering in different types of bodies, and this is going on. So īśvara, He is very well-wisher, friend. He is simply trying to turn His face towards you. That's it. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61). He has given little freedom, so do whatever you like. But He is simply taking the chance, "When this rascal will turn towards Me?" That is His business.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

That is spiritual body. Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7), paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya yuge yuge sambhavāmi ātma-māyayā (BG 4.8). So this is a very subtle point. One has to understand that when God comes or God's son comes or God's representative comes, they do not accept a body like us. They have their spiritual body.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Oh, that you know. What do you ask me? What is Lord Jesus Christ? Don't you know?

Devotee (1): The son of God.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore relationship is father and son. But there is no difference between father and son. Both of them are authorized. Just like your father, and if you are a trustworthy son of your father, then the work done by your father and by you is the same.

Devotee (2): Swamijī, Kṛṣṇa being the cause of all causes, how can (we) use our individuality if we are always under His direction?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Lecture on SB 7.6.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 29, 1976:

We shall require money, yāvad artha-prayojanam, whatever is absolutely necessary, that much money I must get. That is order. That is an order. We cannot take more than what is necessary. This is actually spiritual communism. If everyone thinks that "Everything belongs to God and I am son of God, so I have got right to enjoy the property of my Father, but as much as I require, not more than that," this is spiritual communism, bhāgavata communism.

That is stated there in the Seventh Canto by instruction by Nārada Muni: gṛhastha, householder, or anyone. By nature, you'll see, if you throw one bag of food grains anywhere, so many birds will come.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 12, 1968:

How Just like the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society. What is their endeavor? Their only endeavor is how this Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be spread all over the world. Why they're endeavoring? Because Kṛṣṇa wants it. Kṛṣṇa wants it. God wants it. Why God wants it? Because we are all sons of God. We have gone to dog. Instead of going to God, we have gone to dog. Therefore God is very anxious to reclaim us. He comes therefore in person, Kṛṣṇa. He sends His son, Lord Jesus Christ, or He sends His devotee. He leaves behind Him the books like Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or many other such literatures. Why? To reclaim these obstinate, bewildered sons of God.

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

I am also changing my body from one body to another, one planet to another. But there is no permanent settlement anywhere in this material world. This is our condition.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to be rightly situated in the original consciousness that we are all sons of God, Kṛṣṇa. We have got eternal relationship with Him and He is the richest, the most opulent. As a rich man's son has no scarcity, no want, everything is supplied amply... Just like the Americans, they are... American or many other Western countries, the young men, they belong to a rich nation, so practically they have no want. But still why they are becoming hopeless and confused? Because this material want is not all. There is spiritual want. Unless that spiritual want is fulfilled, unless that spiritual relationship is reestablished, nobody can be happy. So in order to make us happy, Kṛṣṇa says that "Begin with little flower, little water, or little fruit, and try to offer Me."

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

The modern atheist class of men, they suggest that we manufacture a form of God according to our own form. Just like Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā, the picture is there. They allege that we have made a Kṛṣṇa form, maybe very beautiful, according to my form. But actually it is not. The Biblical truth is that man is made after God. Because we are sons of God, therefore God has got two hands, you have got also two hands. Just like your father has got two hands and you have got two hands, so you are made according to the body of your father, not that your father's body is made after your body. This is rationalism. Similarly, God's body is not made according to your body, but your body is made according to God's body. But this body is material; therefore we have to change. When we come to the spiritual platform, we get as good a body as that of Kṛṣṇa, which is eternal, full of bliss and full of knowledge. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:

"This is mine. This is mine. This is mine." This is the cause. Just like the Russians, they have occupied Czechoslovakia. They are thinking, "It is mine." Or somebody is thinking, "It is mine." This is the cause of... Because it is ignorance. But actually, everything belongs to God. If this sense is spread all over the world—"Nothing belongs to anyone but God, and we are all sons of God"—that is the best communism. Everyone—animal, man, everything—everyone has got right to live. Everyone is God's son. And the whole property belongs to God. If this philosophy is taught, then there will be peace. Otherwise there is no question of peace. So bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). And suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. And He is the friend, the sinceremost friend of everyone. Why not? If we are sons of God, who can love more than the father? Naturally, there is affection and love of the father towards children. Don't you find it, how He is providing?

Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Montreal, August 21, 1968:

"It is my country," and fighting, both of them, they are thieves because that land does not belong to anyone. No nation. It belongs to God. If... We can understand, if the United Nation passed resolution that "The whole planet belongs to God; we are sons of God; so let us live peacefully as sons of God," oh, there is no quarrel. But that they will never understand. They'll simply try to divide. Just like some gangs of thieves, they have stolen some property. Now they have come out, and they're dividing, and one of them is asking, "My dear brothers, let us divide piously. Let us divide piously." (laughs) Nonsense. The whole property is impious. So what is the meaning of your piously divided?

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

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

Everyone is interested, but there are persons who have forgotten his relationship with God. Therefore it is the duty of the devotee to enlighten others. That is required. Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he also preached the sense of God, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is the duty of devotee. It is the duty of good son of God, but the..., those who are in the lower status, they have not developed such consciousness that "I have to preach the philosophy of God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others." They are simply satisfied themselves. They go to the church or mosque or temple, offer their prayers in devotion. That's all.

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

The connection is permanent. Your relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God, is eternal, but we have forgotten. So as soon as it is revived, "Oh, I am the part and parcel of the Supreme," or "I am son of the Supreme," then your relationship with other sons of God becomes clear. That is universal brotherhood.

So one who is in the second stage of development, he knows God, he loves God, and in relationship with God, he loves the devotees of the..., he makes friendship with the devotees of the God. Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.254 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1968:

Vedic literature is considered to be the mother. She gives evidence that Kṛṣṇa is the father. Just like mother gives evidence who is your father, similarly, the Vedic literatures is compared to a mother, and the Vedic literature says that Kṛṣṇa is the father. In your Christian literature, Bible, Jesus Christ is accepted as the son of God. He presented himself as son of God. And here Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the father." So there is no contradiction. The son of God also says about God, and the father also says about the God, Himself. The son of God says that "You surrender unto God," and God says, "You surrender unto Me." Then where there is contradiction? There is no contradiction.

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra Lecture at The Family Dog Auditorium -- San Francisco, July 27, 1969:

The Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is so enchanting that anyone can take part in any condition. And if he continues to chant, gradually he develops his dormant love of God. His heart will be cleansed of all dirty things, and gradually he will be freed from the material concept of life, and he will be joyful, and he will see everyone as sons of God, and then he will begin his loving transcendental service to Kṛṣṇa.

So our only request is that you try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is very simple. We are requesting everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and take prasādam. When you are tired of chanting, the prasādam is ready.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973:

And because we are all sons of Kṛṣṇa, therefore every one of us has the right to use (the) father's property. But we should not encroach upon others. This is the formula of peace. Mā gṛdha kasya svidhanam, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to God. You are sons of God. You have got the right to use father's property, but do not take more than you need. That is punishable. These things are stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12), in the Bhagavad-gītā, "he's a thief." If anyone takes more than he needs, then he's a thief. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9).

Initiation Lectures

Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969:

Not that "He is animal, he is man, he is black, he is white, he's this, he's Indian, he's American, he's Chinese." No. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Everyone is spirit soul, son of God, part and parcel of God. This realization. Prasannātmā. He has no enemy. He becomes enemyless immediately, because he sees everyone part and parcel of God, everything energy of God, everything belongs to God, everything enjoyable by God, by Kṛṣṇa. In this way he sees in everything Kṛṣṇa, and nothing else. Prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu... (BG 18.54). That is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. Parām. That is transcendental situation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Initiation Sri Ranga, Romaharsana, Sridhara Dasas -- Los Angeles, July 3, 1970:

You do something like that." (laughter) So then Balarāma said, "All right. You bring his son. I shall empower him and he shall be a great speaker on this Vedic literature." And because his son means he himself... Ātmaiva jayate putra. Son is born, there is no... The father and son there is no distinction. Just like in Bible sometimes it is said the son of God and God is one. That's a fact, because son is expansion of the body of the father. So Romaharṣaṇa's son was Sūta Gosvāmī. This Sūta Gosvāmī's name you have heard. He is speaking Bhāgavatam. So Sūta Gosvāmī was blessed by Balarāma that "You, on behalf of your father..." So their version and Balarāma's action was mitigated in this way. All right. Come one. So you be careful. Huh? Don't be like Romaharṣaṇa. You take the advantage, but don't make, commit mistake like Romaharṣaṇa. (laughter) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then what is your name?

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:

Yes. In the absolute platform everything is identical. In the relative world also. Just like anything you take, it is material. So material identity. Similarly, in the spiritual world everything is spiritual. So in the spiritual world God and God's son or God's friend or God's lover, anyone is the... They're in the same platform, spiritual. Therefore they are identical.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 2, 1968:

Child: Well, I thought that in this age you can't meditate, but Lord Buddha, who was God's son, he meditated.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Child: But that wasn't the age of Kali?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Child: It was?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Child: Then how can you meditate?

Lecture -- Seattle, October 9, 1968:

Nobody is greater than God, and we are all children of God. Therefore we are children of the richest man, because who can be richer than God? Who can be powerful than God? And we are sons of God. So... But we have forgotten. Just like a boy, from his childhood he has left his home, very rich father. Loitering in the street, he has no sufficient food, sufficient clothing. So somebody sees, "Oh, this boy belongs to that rich man. He is living in such wretched condition." So the best service to that boy is to bring back to his father. Not that "My dear boy, I know that you are very rich man's son. You have now forgotten. You have no proper eating. I am giving you a morsel of bread. You eat it." That is also a service.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Yes. He is representative of God, son of God. That's all.

Young woman (1): Do you believe in the blessed trinity?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Do you believe in the blessed trinity?

Prabhupāda: I do not know what is that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Father, son, and holy ghost.

Madhudviṣa: Holy spirit.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Holy spirit.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 13, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda, how was it that Lord Jesus was called a son of God? If Kṛṣṇa is usually the son, how come Jesus was the son?

Prabhupāda: Not usually. Kṛṣṇa is father, that I told you. But He becomes son out of His love. Kṛṣṇa is father. Kṛṣṇa's position is father, but He's simply father. So he voluntarily becomes a son also sometimes to taste how to become a son. Son is not His constitutional position. Father is His constitutional position. But He voluntarily accepts to become a son. But who is going to be His father? He is the original father. He is father of everyone. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968:

It is not that it has to be manufactured something new. The relationship is there. Just like a son, he has forgotten his father. He is very rich man's son, but he's loitering in the street, and he does not know. Just like there is a story of Tarzan. So we are all Tarzans. So we have forgotten, you see? So the whole process is to revive. That is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi. "Oh, I am the son of God. Then where is my distress?" So revival, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to free, make free the consciousness from all contamination of material existence. You call it Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness, the same thing. So this is purificatory process, that "I am Kṛṣṇa's, I am God's."

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

So how can you treat others as not your brother? They are also your brother. Even the ant is also your brother. He is in a different class of imprisonment, that's all. A different body. The ant has got also the same punishment—birth, death, old age and disease—as you have got. You are also criminal; he is also criminal. But he is also son of God; you are also son of God. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, then brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), as soon as he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he becomes joyful because he has no more enemy. "Everyone is my brothers." Therefore he has no fear. If I become enemy to you, you become my enemy. If I am friendly to you, you are my friend. So a Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not see anyone as something other than son of God. He sees not that only this, this person, is son of God and that person is not son of God. This is lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Every living entity's son of God; therefore one can love, one can actually have the idea of universal brotherhood, only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not otherwise. Otherwise, they are simply false propaganda.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

"My dear sons, why you are unnecessarily traveling here and making plans to be happy here, nonsense place? You just surrender unto Me. I shall give you all protection." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ: (BG 18.66) "I shall give you all protection." Father is always ready to give son all protection. That is natural. So we are all sons of God. We simply surrender to Him and the business finished. Then where is the mystical and this or that? There is nothing secret. So simply one has to agree. But if the rascal son does not agree: "Oh, why shall I surrender unto Him? I shall remain independent," all right, you remain independent. You remain and suffer. So there is no mystical. Everything is clear.

Lecture -- Boston, April 25, 1969:

So mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). The great personality... So far we are concerned, a great personality is he who is a devotee of God. He is great personality. Just like in your country, you accept Lord Jesus Christ as great personality. He is son of God. Or take him as personality, one of the human beings; still, he is great because he preached God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the test of great personality. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). So in Buffalo I was instructing the younger boys and girls in the college that "You are very nicely situated. Your country is economically very well equipped. You are very good looking. Your education is very nice.

Lecture -- London, September 14, 1969:

Prisoners are condemned, at the same time, given protection by the government. Within the prison walls they are protected. If somebody comes to kill them, government immediately calls for military or police to protect them. But because they are condemned, they are put into the prison. Similarly, all living entities, they are children, they are sons of God. So God is giving them all protection. Kṛṣṇa is giving them all protection. But by misuse of their little freedom, they are misusing, they are misusing their liberty. Therefore they are put into this material world. Otherwise, generally, the protection is there. Any other questions?

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:

That is the injunction of the śāstra. Similarly, striyaḥ sūnā. Sūnā means unnecessarily killing the animals. Just like slaughterhouse. You cannot maintain slaughterhouse in the human society and at the same time you want peace. It is not possible. Every living entity is son of God. You cannot kill even an ant, then you dissatisfy God. Take for example just like a gentleman has got five sons, one of them is useless, doing nothing. But if the expert son says, "My dear father, your this son is useless. Let us kill him and eat," cannibal. Will the father agree, "Oh, yes, yes, this son is useless. You can kill and eat"? Time will come in this Kali-yuga when actually people will become what is called man-eater. Still there are existence man-eaters in Africa. So the human society is coming to that position. Like animal, they will eat their own sons and daughters. So therefore this practice, unnecessarily killing animal, is one of the pillar of sinful life.

Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Christ has already explained. He is son of God. And Kṛṣṇa, we accept He's God.

Guest (2): What does Kṛṣṇa say?

Prabhupāda: God.

Woman (1): Your Divine Grace, I would like to ask you. I know that Kṛṣṇa is very merciful, and He has allowed us many, many births. Do we take these births in a human form all the time, or perhaps do we take a birth in perhaps an ant or a rat or a dog, or will it always be in the human form if we believe in Kṛṣṇa consciousness now?

Hare Krishna Festival Address -- San Diego, July 1, 1972, At Balboa Park Bowl:

Puruṣaṁ śāśvatam ādyam: "You are the Supreme Person." Kṛṣṇa, or the Absolute Truth, is not imperson. He's the Supreme Person. He's Supreme Person. He is the Absolute Truth. And we are presenting Kṛṣṇa before you, and you take it. Most of the Western country, they are Christian. So the Christians believe in Lord Jesus Christ as son of God. But we are presenting the father, God Himself. So there is no contradiction. If there is son, there must be a father also. Without father, there cannot be son. So if you believe in the son, then you must believe in the father also.

Hare Krishna Festival Address -- San Diego, July 1, 1972, At Balboa Park Bowl:

He's not Hindu, He's not Muslim, or He's not Christian. He's God. God is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian. It is bodily designations, "I am Hindu, you are Christian." This is bodily... Just like dress. You have got some black coat. Another has got some white coat. That does not meant we are different because we are in different coat or shirt. As human being, we are all sons of God. We are one. That is the conception. So at the present moment, we have divided the world on account of this shirt and coat. That is not. That is not good. Actually, the whole world or the whole universe belongs to God. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Speech -- New Vrindaban, August 31, 1972:

So many sons go out of father's affectionate home. That is very ordinary experience. So everyone has got independence. Similarly, we are all sons of God, but we are, at the same time, independent. Not fully independent, but independent. We have got the tendency of having independence because God is fully independent, and we are born of God; therefore, we have got the quality of independence. Although we cannot be absolutely independent as God, but the tendency is there that "I shall become independent." So the living entities, we—we are part and parcel of God—when we want to live independently of God, that is our conditional stage. Conditional stage means we accept a body, material body, which is conditioned in so many ways.

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

So we have got that little independence because we are part and parcel of God. God has got supreme independence and we, being part and parcel... Just like you are all big businessmen. You have got supreme independence in business. Similarly, your sons, they have got also some independence, although subjected. Similarly, we, being part and parcel of God, sons of God, we have got little independence. If we misuse that independence, then we become subjected to all these tribulations. But if we do not misuse... As Kṛṣṇa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. So it is up to you. If you want to remain in this world of duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), you can do so. But if you want to get out of it, you can do so. That is up to you. It is not Kṛṣṇa's fault. Kṛṣṇa has given you liberty, little independence, whatever. Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). He's given you chance. You want to do this—"All right, do it."

Lecture -- London, August 26, 1973:

Animals are also accepted as the sons of the Supreme. But they are differently dressed. We are simply changing dress. On account of changing dress, we think that we are dying and taking birth. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just this verse we were discussing this morning. So all living entities are sons of God, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore those who are advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are called paṇḍita, learned. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. A paṇḍita sees equally everyone.

Lecture -- London, August 26, 1973:

He's also a person, as you are person, I am person. But the difference is that one person is providing all the necessities of unlimited persons. And we unlimited persons, we are dependent on God. This is our philosophy. Another philosophy is that everything belongs to God; nothing belongs to us. That's a fact. Therefore as sons of God, everyone has got the right to use father's property. But he should not take more than he needs. That is our philosophy. If one takes more than what he needs, then he becomes a criminal. So similarly, we can live very comfortably on this planet, because this planet belongs to God. We should not designate ourself as "Englishman," as "American," as "Indian," as "African," and fight amongst themselves. We should always know that we are all sons of God. The property is God's. We can use whatever we need by the grace of God—the supply is there; there is no question of scarcity—and thus save your time, be peaceful, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

"All the species of life, they are My sons. I am the seed-giving father." So the property is belonging to God, the supreme father, and we are the sons of God. Not only human being. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu: "All species of life." Therefore God has provided for everyone's sufficient necessities of life. For example, just like we are human beings, only 400,000's of species. But other species, they're eight million. Eighty hundred thousand species. In Africa, there are millions of elephants. They eat, at a time, fifty kilograms. Kg. What is that Kg?

Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

Means God is all-attractive by six features: that He is the richest of all, He is the strongest of all, He is the most beautiful, He is the most wise, He is the most renounced order, and He is most famous.

So our position, we all living entities, all the living entities or the human being who are sitting in this hall, we are all sons of God. (someone calls out "No," and there is a little applause, Prabhupāda chuckles) It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that...

Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974:

To accept the real fact, so many big, big brains, politician, but they have no sense to understand that the whole earthly planet belongs to God. It is created by God. It is the property of God. Everything, what is there in this earthly planet, that belongs to God. We are sons of God. Let us enjoy God's property. The son has got right to use. But I should not encroach upon your property or my property, but everything belongs to... Just like in a family. Everything belongs to the father, and the children, whatever father gives, you eat and live peacefully. Similarly, there is immense prospect for produce food for the whole human race on this globe, earthly planet.

Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974:

Yes. God loves you so much that He sends His son to convince you, "Please come to Me." God Himself comes, Kṛṣṇa: "Please come to Me." And what we are doing, servant of God? We are requesting only, "Please be God conscious." So God's propaganda is going on in so many ways to recall all these, I mean to say, bewildered sons of God, those who have forgotten. Naturally... Just like the father. He loves the son more than the son loves the father. Because as father, if one son has gone out of home, madness, he wants to live independently of the father, so he may think like that, crazy. But father, he says that "This rascal has gone. Some way or other, bring him. Let him live peacefully here. I have got immense property. Why he goes outside to live independently?" So that is his mistake, the son's mistake. The father is always anxious to get the son back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974:

Prabhupāda: Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus Christ, is... He is son of God, the best son of God, so we have all respect for him. Yes. Anyone who is teaching people about God consciousness, he is respectful to us. It does not matter in which country, in which atmosphere, he was preaching. It doesn't matter.

Madhudviṣa: (repeating question) St. Francis, the founder of this particular order which we have been invited to speak to, found God in the material world. And he used to address the aspects of the material world as "brother" and "sister." "Brother tree," "sister water," like that. What is your view upon this?

La Trobe University Lecture -- Melbourne, July 1, 1974:

Madhudviṣa: The question was, this man is a follower of Lord Jesus Christ, and he would like to know what our opinion is of Jesus Christ.

Prabhupāda: We respect Jesus Christ as you do. Because he is the representative of God, son of God, and we are also speaking of God, so we respect him with our greatest veneration.

Young man (2): So you're comparing Kṛṣṇa, Buddha, Muhammad to Jesus as the same, and Guru Maharaj-ji too, another Jesus. You're saying that.

Prabhupāda: No. I am not Jesus. I am servant of Jesus.

Young man (2): You're a son of Jesus.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I am servant of Jesus.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975:

Woman: In the Christian Bible it says that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and you can only get to God through him.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Woman: No. What is...? Do...?

Prabhupāda: Yes. We admit that. He is the perfect son, and if you take shelter of the lotus feet of the perfect son, you go to back to home, back to Godhead. That's a fact.

Woman: Is that true of Christ or...

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975:

Woman: Believe that he is the son of God.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Believe or not believe, he is son. And if you are fortunate, you follow his path and you become perfect. You believe or not believe, God is there. Similarly, you believe or not believe, God's son is there, God's devotee is there, everyone is there. God is not alone. Just like if you say, "Now here the king is coming," "the king is coming" means he is coming with his ministers, his commander-in-chief, his secretaries and so many, hundreds of men, soldiers... Similarly, when we speak of God, God is not alone. He has got His sons, He has got His friends, He has got His father, He has got His mother, He has got His beloved, everything. That is God. Yes?

Lecture -- Honolulu, May 25, 1975:

Just like a gentleman—in the neighborhood, he loves all children, but when his own child is in danger, he takes special care. That is not unnatural. You cannot blame him that "Why you are taking special care of your own child?" No. That is natural. Nobody will blame him. Similarly, everyone is God's sons, but His devotee is special. That is God's special attention. Ye tu bhajanti māṁ prītyā teṣu te mayi. So God is giving protection to every living entity, but if you become devotee of the Lord, pure devotee, without any motive, then God will take special care of you. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that we are being harassed by māyā, the material energy, and if we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa then we will be specially protected. Mām eva prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Prabhupāda: Yes. We can construct such city immediately if the League of Nation—they are trying to be united—they come to their right sense, that this planet does not belong to any particular nation; it belongs to God. This simple fact, if they accept and cultivate on this point, then immediately the whole world will be the city of God. But they will not do this. They have gone to the United Nation to settle up all problems of the world, but they keep themselves in the dog's mentality: "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian." But he is not. But if they give up this designation, that "I am American," "Indian" or "Hindu" or "Muslim," "Christian..." We are all part and parcel of God, and the whole planet belongs to God. We are His sons, and we can live peacefully as the sons of father. Father is supplying everything, so we can utilize. Now they, in some country, just like in Australia or New Zealand we find enough cows to supply milk, and in India practically there is no milk. So if the United Nations gives this, accepts this version, that everything belongs to God, so where is the scarcity? It may be in one place one thing is in scarcity, but other place it is enough. So where it is enough, that can be distributed where there is need. Then immediately it becomes city of God. If anyone abides by the order of God and everything produced is divided among the sons of God, then where is the question of scarcity?

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: Sitting in this portion... (break) If I say "This is my portion," and if you are sitting in another portion and you say this is your portion, so by chance if I step in your portion you become angry, or you step in my portion... We forget that we have come here temporarily to sit down. Why shall I demark like this, "This is my portion," "This is my portion"? So the system is already there, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1). The Īśopaniṣad says that whatever is allotted to you, you may be satisfied with that. But they are not satisfied in that way. I am trying to encroach upon your, I mean to say, possession, you are trying to encroach upon my possession. Or we have actually all forgotten that we are all sons of God. This planet is given to us to live, so let us produce according to the methods and eat and live peacefully and remember God. That we are not doing. The Americans, they have got... What is the area of your land?

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: This is religion. Therefore I was talking in this morning that accept God as the supreme father and the material nature is the mother and we living entities, in 8,400,000 forms, we are all sons of God. So everyone has got the right to live at the cost of the father. The father is the maintainer—that is natural—and we are maintained. So every living being should be satisfied in the condition given by God. Man should live in his own condition, the animal also should live in his own condition. Why the man should encroach upon the rights, living right of other living entities like the animals? No. Nobody should encroach upon other's right. Everyone is son of God. Let him be maintained by the orders of God. That is ideal life, family life. All living entities are the members of the same family. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that kṛṣṇera saṁsāra kara chāḍi' anācāra: just live in the family of Kṛṣṇa without violating the rules and regulation. Then it is family life. Or without violating the orders of God.

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Śyāmasundara: He is a Christian religionist. He's a Christian religionist. They give importance to suffering. "Christ suffered for us, so we..." He says that to abstain from sin means suffering, we are suffering.

Prabhupāda: That is also wrong theory. If Christ is God, or God's son, then why he should suffer? God is subjected to suffering? Then what kind of God He is?

Devotee: They say that he did not suffer for God; he suffered for man.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, if there is no suffering, then where is the question of suffering for God or suffering for man?

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 Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is one sense correct. Because we are fallen condition and we are sons of God, so we are suffering. God is very much compassionate; therefore He comes personally to teach us: "You rascal, why you are rotting in this material world? You surrender to Me and go back to home, back to Godhead, you will be happy." Therefore He is consulting. Otherwise why He comes from Vaikuṇṭha? Everyone, just like a son is rotting in his own way, but the father comes: "My dear son, why you are rotting in this way? You come home. You have got state. You will live there comfortably." But he does not come. That is his misfortune.

Hayagrīva: Now, Alex...

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: God's, God's becoming concerned about a..., us is natural, because we are sons of God, but at the present moment we are disobedient; therefore you are conditioned by nature. So we are suffering, and God being the supreme father, He feels for. He is not suffering, but He feels, as a devotee feels for these conditioned soul. Because he is servant of God, he knows that God feels for these conditioned soul; they are suffering. That Kṛṣṇa also gives recognition to the devotee, na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). The devotees who are trying to preach the gospel, the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā, he is the most dear devotee to Kṛṣṇa, He says, because he is acting on behalf of God to deliver these rascals, conditioned soul.