Utility

Expressions researched:
"utilities" |"utility"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.21, Purport:

Everything has its proper utility, and a man who is situated in complete knowledge knows how and where to apply a thing for its proper utility. Similarly, violence also has its utility, and how to apply violence rests with the person in knowledge.

SB Canto 1

SB 1.12.34, Purport:

There is no possibility of such methodical chanting of the Vedic hymns by the so-called brāhmaṇas or priests of the present age. The untrained descendants of the twice-born families are no more like their forefathers, and thus they are counted amongst the śūdras, or once-born men. The once-born man is unfit to chant the Vedic hymns, and therefore there is no practical utility of chanting the original hymns.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.4.2, Purport:

There is no utility simply in imitating Mahārāja Parīkṣit and hearing Bhāgavatam from professional men, even for seven hundred years. To take Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as a means of maintaining family expenditure is the grossest type of nāmāparādha offense at the feet of the Lord (sarva-śubha-kriyā-sāmyam api pramādaḥ).

SB 2.9.36, Purport:

There is no utility in the dresses used for covering a coffin of a dead body save getting false applause from the ignorant public. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam therefore says again and again that without attainment of the status of bhakti-yoga, all the activities of human society are to be considered absolute failures only.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.9.42, Purport:

Without possessing affection for the sun, the eyes cannot bear the rays of the sun; or, in other words, such eyes have no capacity to understand the utility of the sun's rays. Similarly, the empiric philosophers, despite their theoretical knowledge of Brahman, cannot utilize the mercy of the Supreme Brahman because they lack affection.

SB 3.26.39, Purport:

Every form that we appreciate has its particular dimensions and characteristics. The quality of a particular object is appreciated by its utility. But the form of sound is independent. Forms which are invisible can be understood only by touch; that is the independent appreciation of invisible form. Visible forms are understood by analytical study of their constitution. The constitution of a certain object is appreciated by its internal action. For example, the form of salt is appreciated by the interaction of salty tastes, and the form of sugar is appreciated by the interaction of sweet tastes. Tastes and qualitative constitution are the basic principles in understanding the form of an object.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.18.6, Purport:

All necessities grown on earth—namely fruits, flowers, trees, grains, animals and animal by-products—were created for use in sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. However, the planet earth in the shape of a cow herein submits that all these utilities are being used by nondevotees, who have no plans for spiritual understanding.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Renunciation Through Wisdom 5.1:

The mundane processes for elevation are, after all, initiated by intelligent human brains. They are like man-made canals: useful for easy transportation from one place to another, but otherwise of limited utility. Human efforts are imperfect, and therefore they keep us in the material world.

Light of the Bhagavata

Light of the Bhagavata 38, Purport:

As there is no chance of rain from the sky in autumn, we shall not immediately have a chance to get a human body again if we spend our conserved energy for sense enjoyment. The senses have their utility for the service of the Lord, and if properly engaged they can reach the highest perfection by being directly engaged in the service of the Lord in His personal presence.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Calcutta, March 9, 1972:

So instead of accepting these blind leaders, we should know who is actual leader. Kṛṣṇa is the leader. We'll, if we take leadership of Kṛṣṇa, then our life is perfect. We could properly utilize the utility of human life. Otherwise we have been mislead.

Lecture on BG 9.34 -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Just like one protects his country because he lives there. Protects his house, protects his property because he has utilization. Similarly, because we have got utility for this body, we give protection. But when the living entity is no longer there within this body, there is no question of protection. It is thrown away.

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

Just like the dictaphone. Stop recording cinema songs, record kṛṣṇa-kathā, discussion of Kṛṣṇa. That is utilization properly. So everything has got utility. When it is used for Kṛṣṇa, that is proper utility. When it is used for other purpose, that is māyā.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.23 -- Los Angeles, April 15, 1973:

Therefore a sane man is always conscious that "Whatever I have got in my possession, first of all, this body and senses, they are actually not mine. I have given all these possessions for utility. So if ultimately everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, why it is not utilized for Kṛṣṇa?" That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.8.38 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1973:

So both the bhogīs and tyāgīs, two classes of men, you'll find. Mostly they're bhogīs. They're trying to enjoy anything for his sense gratification utility. And another, when he's baffled, he says, "No, no, we don't require it." Similarly the same example: If one takes that note and says, "Somebody has lost his hundred dollar note, sir." So one who has really hundred doll..., he says, "Yes, yes. I had..." And if you deliver to him, that is real service.

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

This preaching work, this publication of books, literature, magazines, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, everything is to remind you how we are being controlled, who is the supreme controller, how your life can be successful, how you can be relieved from this controlled life, how you can get freedom life. This is the movement. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose; otherwise, what is the utility of this movement?

Lecture on SB 3.26.46 -- Bombay, January 21, 1975:

Our function is going on. But we want to make a very gorgeous place for the Lord. That is the utility of this land: to construct temple for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We have got a tendency to construct house.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-15 -- San Francisco, September 12, 1968:

So ignorance, what is the ignorance? The ignorance we have explained many times, that "I am this body." And everyone is acting on this bodily concept of life. This is called avidyā. Avidyā means ignorance. So avidvad-adhikāritvāt prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam. So there is no utility for atonement if that ignorance, the dirty things, exist in the heart.

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- Mauritius, October 2, 1975:

You cannot say that "This man was useless; it has no utility for the society. Therefore I have killed him." No. That is consideration of the human being. That is man-made law. But God-made laws, any living being, if you kill, the same punishment. But that we do not know on account of our uncontrolled senses.

Lecture on SB 7.9.31 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1976:

We see in the garden so many flowers, different color, different flavor, different utility. But wherefrom it is coming? It is coming from this earth. We do not know even how much inconceivable energies are there within this earth. We do not know. Where is the scientist? They are very much proud of their scientific knowledge. Let them say how many varieties of things are within this earth.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.121-124 -- New York, November 25, 1966:

So what is the utility of this Vedic knowledge? Now, by understanding, by hearing from authorized sources, or by reading from authorized sources, the forgetful living entities will come to his senses. That is the purpose. He will come to his sense: "Oh, my position is this, and I am suffering in this way."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.19-31 -- San Francisco, January 20, 1967:

They stress on knowledge. What is this knowledge? You can talk on any insignificant thing for many years. That is not knowledge. Just like in the present modern civlization, so many nonsense articles without any utility, or volumes of volumes of books are sold in the market. There is nothing, no substance.

Festival Lectures

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

If Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, He is also in the temple. But in the temple I worship directly, and what is the utility? Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. I am not so advanced that I can see everywhere Kṛṣṇa. Who can see Kṛṣṇa everywhere? That is very advanced stage.

General Lectures

Lecture -- New York, April 16, 1969:

That's a fact. That 7 p.m., 16th April, 1969, if you have spoiled, then just imagine how much money you have spoiled, because you cannot get it even in exchange of millions of dollars. Therefore if you have spoiled that point of time without any utility, then you have spent at least many millions of dollars for nothing. That should be our calculation.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on David Hume:

Śyāmasundara: As far as his philosophy of religion, he rejected the idea of absolute matter and the concept of a soul as substance. He rejected the utility of scientific laws, and he rejected moral principles as objective realities. He says all religious ideas are relative. There is no certainty and anything religious may be merely probable but never certain.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That also he says. Therefore religion means love of God. The means may be different in different processes of religion, but ultimately if one develops love of Godhead, that is the prima facie factor, love of God. So if any religious principle love of God is absent, that is simply show, it is not factual religion.

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Śyāmasundara: He says that a man should never become a mere object of utility. In other words, he should not lower his standard just because it is practical at the time.

Prabhupāda: More or less, he is a strict moralist. But that is not the highest stage. One has to transcend even this moral principle. That is perfection. Because this moral value is within this material world, moral values, morality, immorality are of this material world. Just like there are three qualities. Morality is on the platform of the modes of goodness.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: That is his imperfectness. What is the use of having communications with other planet? The other planets are also like these. They are individual persons. So what is the utility of communicating with the other planets? What is the utility? What does he mean by it?

Philosophy Discussion on Jeremy Bentham:

Śyāmasundara: A little bit. The first one's name is Jeremy Bentham, and his philosophy is that virtue is defined in terms of utility, and that utility is defined as that which enhances the happiness of men. So that the goal of society, according to the utilitarians, is the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So that is also our aim but that happiness is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat. Ātyantikam. Atyantikam means the greatest happiness. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya grāhyam (BG 6.21). That happiness can be perceived by transcendental senses.

Philosophy Discussion on Jeremy Bentham:

Śyāmasundara: He says that utility is that property in any object whereby it tends to produce benefit, advantage, pleasure, good or happiness.

Prabhupāda: That is nice, this definition also, but if we put to test all our so-called happiness, it will not be possible to come out successful.

Philosophy Discussion on Jeremy Bentham:

Prabhupāda: Therefore to these rascals meat is very good.

Śyāmasundara: Yes, utility.

Prabhupāda: If majority of the people are meat-eater, then meat is very good, full of vitamin. Therefore it is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss. But we have to see what is the standard. Standard is given in the Bhagavad-gītā: that which increases duration of life, which increases strength, which increases feeling of pleasure, they are sattvika. These are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but you cannot see all men in your whole life; therefore it is defective. You cannot study all men; therefore it is defective. Which is not possible by you, if you propose something which is not possible by you, then what is the meaning of this? What is the utility?

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Prabhupāda: Just like ekaś candra tamo hanti. Moon, you will find one in the sky, but stars, millions. But moon is wanted, not the stars, to drive away the darkness. That is our philosophy. You cannot say that there may be many moons. No. That is not possible. Many stars, maybe, which have no utility. They are glittering only. What is called? Peeping?

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Prabhupāda: That he does not know. That he has to learn from us. He may be a big philosopher in the Western countries, but our utility of pleasure he does not know. Our pleasure is... (break) ...incessant. It will not stop. That is the standard of high-class pleasure. That is quality. Here in the material world we have got experience, we get pleasure, but that is transient.

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says also: saced nirartha ksana-nīta kanuhani. Sacet nirartha (?), such valuable time, if it is spoiled without any utility, kanuhani tatho vidhaḥ (?). Then what is the greatest loss than that? So you should utilize this philosophical point of Mr... Sir... What is it?

Śyāmasundara: John Stuart Mill.

Prabhupāda: Sir John Stuart Mill to support our movement. Yes. Write one article that "John Stuart Mill suggests this. This is real utility, and here is real utility."

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Prabhupāda: He says, "I am simply crying just to make a show. I do not love Kṛṣṇa. If there was pinch of love for Kṛṣṇa, then I would have died long, long ago without Kṛṣṇa." This is dissatisfaction. Who can show such kind of dissatisfaction? And who can feel such dissatisfaction? So the best utility is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, from any philosophical point of view.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but now Mao disagrees with the practical utility of Russian philosophy. So where is the stability? And similarly, the Russians don't agree with the Chinese, so what is practical for China is not practical for the Russians. So which one we shall take?

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 14, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Yes. I should feel grateful. "Oh, God has given me this thing, so whatever utility is there, first of all I must offer to God." God has given me this grain to eat, so I must cook and first of all offer to God, and then I shall eat." This is feeling gratitude, grateful.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 1, 1972, Sydney:

Prabhupāda: They have not gone. We have got our tests. I am speaking from the very beginning, "They have not gone." And practically you see, even if you have gone, what utility you have made? They are simply planning, again planning. "We shall get petrol from there. We shall have defense from there." Simply bluffing, simply bluffing.

Room Conversation -- June 29, 1972, San Diego:

Prabhupāda: And if the murderer thinks that You are very conservative. I wanted to kill you and you did not allow. That is not conservative. That is self-preservation, that is not conservative. Conservative means unnecessarily you catch some rules and regulation without any meaning or without any utility. That is conservative. In Sanskrit it is called niyamāgraha.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 29, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: No, material world we can see that it is useless. Everyone sees. That I am giving, this example. Before, the Romans, they constructed this big, big building. Now what is the value of that? It has no value. Simply it is kept as sentiment, relics. That's all. So this will be also the same thing. So where is the utility? Spiritual, apart from spiritual, what is the value of your material activity?

Room Conversation with Mr. C. Hennis of the International Labor Organization of the U.N. -- May 31, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: Actually, a human being does not require to eat meat. He has got many other substitutes. But still, if he wants to eat, let him eat the less important animals. Just like dog, hog. From the social point of view it has no utility. But why killing cows? It is delivering such a nice nutritious food, milk. Not only milk. According to Vedic system, the cow is so important, even the urine, even the stool, of cow is important.

Room Conversation with Robert Gouiran, Nuclear Physicist from European Center for Nuclear Research -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Yogeśvara: He says, while the ship is existing or while the body's existing, it must be used. It has some utility.

Prabhupāda: That I admit. But you have to accept it that it is temporary.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- July 8, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: Although they are not very big authority, but still through them, you can approach bigger authorities. (break) ...big churches, no use, no utility. (break) ...speak, andha-kañja-nyāya. Andha-kañja-nyāya, you know that, the lame man and the blind man?

Morning Walk -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: General people, they are rascal and fools. If you mislead them, they will be misled. Śūdra, mūḍhas. They are to be educated. Instead of educating them, they are making them more and more fools and rascals. (break) There is utility, but they have no utility. There is some service; they carry some passengers. They are carried nowhere. Simply they mislead.

Morning Walk -- November 20, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: From the utility point of view.

Prabhupāda: Let them exchange. We give them iron. (laughter) Let me...

Dr. Patel: They don't want to. They may use it at some future date.

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are rascals.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Nellore:

Prabhupāda: (break) What is the use of becoming silent? What is the utility?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: For people who are rascals it is a very good idea. Then they won't talk nonsense.

Prabhupāda: Yes. For them it is all right.

Morning Walk -- January 17, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: That I want, that it must be properly utilized. Otherwise you purchase and there is no utility.

Jayapatāka: But Tapomaya, he says that we need more land to be able to feed all the devotees. And every time we're building more buildings, we're just losing land but we're not gaining so much agricultural land.

Prabhupāda: No, no. We can purchase. First of all think that whether we can utilize.

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Superior? That means you have got, you, a separate utility for superior consciousness. So we have to search out what is the end of the superior consciousness.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: But one must know: what is born, it will die. So everything material has got a period of development, then it dwindles, and then finishes. So from this nature's law, we can see this motorcar attraction, utility, it will finish. It will not stay.

'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Devotee: The scientists have a desire to explain things. They like to see that you can explain so many different things. Perhaps it doesn't have any real utility to explain,

Prabhupāda: So, as far as possible, you can give explanation from Bhāgavatam. Otherwise, how you can...

Devotee: So by giving these examples then they might think this has very good explanatory power, and they will therefore accept it, they will (indistinct).

Evening Conversation -- August 8, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: It will be failure. So next time, if they propose, I think people will be hesitant to allow them to. Simply bringing people rocks and sands, without any utility, after spending so much money. How long they can repeat this, "Yes, we went to this planet, rocks. We went to this-rocks."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Yogeśvara: We can continue to rent. Rent is only $175 a month, including utilities. So it is not at all expensive.

Prabhupāda: And it is a very nice house.

Yogeśvara: Yes. House is in good shape. There is enough room.

Prabhupāda: So why not maintain that?

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: You can continue rent for one or two months more and see if there is possibility. Our mission is for every city, every town, every village, and if we can maintain for some utility, that is very good. If you have no men, we cannot linger on there. Otherwise we want to open branches everywhere. That is our mission. (aside:) We have... What is...?

Evening Darsana -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Devotee (3): This is Chinese character scroll. It says, "Books are the basis, preaching is the essence, utility is the principle, and purity is the force." It was translated wholly by myself, and the characters were written by...

Prabhupāda: Is that all right?

Devotee (5): I can read, but I don't write. Ah... That's not purity. It should be... It's not so exact.

Prabhupāda: What did he say in the trans...?

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Money will come. We don't care for these rascals checking. But we must be very sincere. Money is coming, it will come. Kṛṣṇa has given us avenue, these books. We shall sell all over the world huge quantity of books. But they should give us this money, this Tirumala. They are creating anartha, situation which has no utility.

Evening Darsana -- May 9, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: It is there already. But you are blind. You are cheater. You see things, one thing, and you speak another thing. You are cheating. Now, in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā, when Arjuna surrendered to Kṛṣṇa as a student-śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "Kṛṣṇa, there will be no utility by arguing. I know that I am not doing my duty. I am kṣatriya. I am in the active field, and I am declining to fight. This is not good for me."

Room Conversation -- October 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Kīrtanānanda:This will be a utility building for all different kinds of shops where they can make jewelry and cast concrete and carpenter shops and all different shops. So we all thank you very much, because it is only by your grace we have gotten this inspiration.

Prabhupāda: Besides that, whenever you require money, you can ask. He'll give.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to R. Prakash -- Allahabad 22 June, 1951:

I am already in negotiation with an American Federation and if proper work is done, such foreign federation will also help us. The thing is nowadays nobody is blind to any practical work. So as soon as people will find in it a practical utility, surely they will come & join with men & money.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Dayananda -- San Francisco 12 April, 1968:

I am always anxious to open a center there to attract these retired men, and convince them about the utility of Krishna consciousness, but I know also that this retired class of men is very difficult to be convinced because their life-long habit is difficult to be changed. I am rather hopeful with the young boys and girls who are attached to this movement.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Locana -- London 17 August, 1971:

You have to engage your time in that way where you could better be selling magazines and books. That is better utility of your valuable time. Our Krishna Conscious children are not very much after toys and playthings. They are given from the very beginning beads and they are happy chanting in that way.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Yajnesvara -- Bombay 2 January, 1972:

Just like fire is very pure, still there is some smoke. You cannot avoid it. All these things can be rectified when the result is offered to Krishna. Otherwise even though you may do very honest business it has no utility whatsoever.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 14 September, 1972:

I understand that you are having one book festival in Frankfurt this month, and I think Karandhara is coming there to assist you, so try to make our display and exhibition very prominent, and if they will allow us to have kirtana or distribute prasadam, we may also do that. That is a very important occasion so try to make the best utility of it and make our books very widely distributed all over Europe and other places.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 15 July, 1974:

Please accept my blessings. I do not know where your address is, still I am writing this letter to you for urgent business matter. The philosophy discourses we had years ago is now lying without any utility, so all your Godbrothers are very much anxious to publish it.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Bon Maharaja -- Vrindaban 28 August, 1975:

The other day while taking my morning walk from the backside of your land I reached on the main road. So much land is still vacant without any utility. If you can spare all these lands on lease terms we can immediately use them properly. Now when you lease out the lands for some income, I don't think there is any objection by the Trustees.

Letter to Alanatha -- Bombay 13 November, 1975:

Rather, you should make vigorous propaganda for making people understand the utility of the Krsna consciousness philosophy. It is not something speculative. Make your plans, organize, and then execute in order to increase all of our Krsna consciousness programs. This will be better.