We are not meant for...

Expressions researched:
"we are not meant for" |"we are not meant to"

BG Preface and Introduction

Every one of us is full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence is in the atmosphere of nonexistence. Actually we are not meant to be threatened by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal.

BG Introduction:

Just what is the Bhagavad-gītā? The purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is to deliver mankind from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Arjuna surrendered unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and consequently this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken. Not only Arjuna, but every one of us is full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence is in the atmosphere of nonexistence. Actually we are not meant to be threatened by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow or other we are put into asat. Asat refers to that which does not exist.

Easy Journey to Other Planets

Aside from human consciousness, there is consciousness in dogs, cats, worms, trees, birds, beasts and all other species. But we are not meant to live in that consciousness.

Easy Journey to Other Planets 2:

The purpose of our developed human consciousness is to understand how nature works. Aside from human consciousness, there is consciousness in dogs, cats, worms, trees, birds, beasts and all other species. But we are not meant to live in that consciousness. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that after many, many births we have attained the human form of body. Now we should not misuse it. Please utilize this human life to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be happy.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

We are not meant for all these miseries. But we have voluntarily accepted these material miseries.

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

We are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore we are not meant for all these miseries. We must know it. We are not meant for all these miseries. But we have voluntarily accepted these material miseries.

And what are these miseries? They are called adhyātmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. Adhyātmika means miseries pertaining to this body and mind. Just like today we are feeling too hot. Why? Due to this body. And next moment I shall feel not very happy. My mind is disturbed. So there are miseries due to this body and due to the mind. This is called adhyātmika. And then again, adhibhautika. Adhibhautika. Some other living entity. Just like here, you are hearing the barking of the dog, "Gow! Gow!" always. So it is sometimes disturbing. So such kind of miseries offered by other living being is called adhibhautika. We have got so many miseries. And then adhidaivika. Daivika means miseries offered by the supernatural power. Just like there is earthquake, famine, pestilence, war. So we are always... There are three headings of miseries, and we are, either we are suffering either from the three all, or at least one. There must be. This is the nature of our life in this material existence. But we are trying to make a solution of it. That is our struggle for existence. But that solution cannot be made by our teeny brain. That solution can be made only when we take to the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord.

We are not meant to manufacture a society of monkeys or tigers or asses and mules.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 17, 1968:

So brainless persons, rascals are on the head of government. How there can be peace? How you can expect peace in the dog's society? The dogs are by nature howling—"How, how, how"—as soon as he sees another dog. So do you mean to say there can be peace? So if you turn human society into dog society, into cat society, into tiger society... Tiger is very powerful. He can kill many other animals. Does it mean it is very important animal? No. It has no use in the society. Undoubtedly, it is very powerful. It has got the good weapons to fight and it can kill many. These are not qualifications for good men or good society. Why you are afraid of a tiger? Why you are afraid of a monkey? So we are not meant to manufacture a society of monkeys or tigers or asses and mules. The asses, they work very hard. Do you mean to say a society of ass will derive any benefit? No. We want human society. Human society. Otherwise, what is the use of becoming human being?

We are not meant for this material world, we have our destination in the spiritual world.

Lecture on BG 8.28-9.2 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

The Lord says that the purpose of all Vedic instruction is to achieve the highest goal of life, back to Godhead. Any scripture of any country, not only of this Bhagavad-gītā, but any scripture, they are aiming simply how to get us back to Godhead. That is the purpose. Take for any ex... Take for example any of the great religious reformers or ācāryas of any country. In your country, Lord Jesus Christ or Lord Buddha. Of course, Lord Buddha, he advented himself in India, but later on his philosophy was broadcast all over Asia. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Hazrat Muhammad—anyone take. Nobody will say that "You make your best plan in this material world and live peacefully." That is a common factor. There may be little difference according to country, climate and situation in the scriptural injunction, but the main principle—that we are not meant for this material world, we have our destination in the spiritual world—that is accepted by everyone.

We are not meant for any stringent rules and regulation or gymnastic or breathing control.

Lecture on BG 8.28-9.2 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

Now, to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the devotional service, you can understand it, how happily it is done. Now, take for example what we are doing here. We are singing, we are dancing, we are taking nice prasādam offered to Kṛṣṇa and chanting and discussing Bhagavad-gītā philosophy. Oh, these are the processes. These are the processes. We are not meant for any stringent rules and regulation or gymnastic or breathing control, so many things, as they are described and they are performed by many different sections. But here it is very easy and happily done.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

We are not meant for going to the cinema or for other sense gratification purposes.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Bombay, December 26, 1972:

We are not meant for going to the cinema or for other sense gratification purposes, but because we have got this body, there is no question that we shall stop eating. We eat prasādam, kṛṣṇa-prasādam, and that is very palatable. Kṛṣṇa-prasādam..., Kṛṣṇa should be offered all first class preparation because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. But if we haven't money to supply Him nice thing, the Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied, as Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ pusaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Kṛṣṇa wants that you offer Him something with devotional love, that's all. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry. Kṛṣṇa is ātmārāma. He is self-sufficient. He does not require. He is producing food for us. That's a fact.

The brāhmaṇa is meant for doing the brain work. He will give advice. Just like we, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we, we are not meant for the ksatriya's business or vaisya's business.

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

The brāhmaṇa is meant for doing the brain work. He will give advice. Just like we, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we, we are not meant for the ksatriya's business or vaisya's business, the devotees, but if required they can take. Real business is, brāhmaṇa's business is to know the Vedas, the Brahman, the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth. He, he must know, and he must distribute the knowledge. This is brāhmaṇa. Kīrtayanto. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ. This is brāhmaṇa's business.

So here it is risky. We have come here to enjoy. Actually, we are not meant for enjoying. We are meant for serving.

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

So here it is risky. We have come here to enjoy. Actually, we are not meant for enjoying. We are meant for serving. Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa: (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109) "Our real identity is to serve, to remain under the protection..." We are always under the protection, this way or that way, but we are thinking falsely that we are free. We are not free. Kṛṣṇa is taking care of us. He has allowed us, "All right, you have come here. Try to satisfy yourself, but there are certain rules and regulations." If you break those rules and regulations, for your interest Kṛṣṇa takes measures.

We are not meant for cutting wood and stone. We are meant for understanding our spiritual identity.

Lecture on SB 2.3.24 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1972:

I am one day old means I have died one day. I am seventy-six years old means I have already died seventy-six years. Suppose I live, say, eighty years, ninety years. So I have already died seventy-six years. So death is sure. They say "We are advancing." What is that advancement? Death is sure. You cannot control birth. Birth, death, old age. You cannot stop old age. And disease. You can manufacture nice medicine, but you cannot stop disease. So we have become steel-hearted, steel-framed heart. We do not consider all these things. These are practical. And still, we are under the impression that we are advancing in material civilization. So we are advancing in the art of cutting stone and wood. That's all. This is our advancement. Just like in your country, within two months they can build one wood house. Means expert in cutting wood. This is advancement. Wood-cutter, stone-cutter. But we are not meant for cutting wood and stone. We are meant for understanding our spiritual identity.

We are not meant for serving the laws of material nature.

Lecture on SB 3.25.27 -- Bombay, November 27, 1974:

There are 8,400,000's of forms of life. And that is our service. Just like the dog is barking. He's thinking that he's dog. So his business is barking. That means serving the laws of material nature. Similarly, somebody's serving, somebody's serving in some way someone-variety.

Because we are not meant for this service. We are, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Our main business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. In Vṛndāvana, in Goloka Vṛndāvana, somebody's serving Kṛṣṇa as His friend, cowherd boy. Somebody's serving Kṛṣṇa as gopī, as lover. Somebody's serving Kṛṣṇa as father and mother, mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja. Somebody's Kṛṣṇa's friend as servant, as tree, as water, as flower, as land, as cow's, as calf. So many ways. This is our business. But somehow or other we did not like to serve Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have been put into the service of māyā in three modes of nature. Just like criminal.

We are not meant for eating stool.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:

Whatever knowledge you want to derive, there is in the Vedic literature, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is described as nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ (SB 1.1.3), the desire tree of Vedic literature, and a tree is eulogized on account of the fruit. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the ripened fruit of that desire tree. Just like, God has given our food, nice milk, fruits, food grains, sugar, rice, wheat, so many nice things. So we are not meant for eating stool. But at the present moment we have discovered a civilization that every man is work, is to work very, very hard day and night, and he is satisfied only in sex intercourse. This is the tendency of this material world. For sense gratification one is advised to work hard, day and night, like asses, dogs and hogs.

Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva advises His sons, "My dear sons, do not waste your valuable body, human form of body, like the dogs and hogs." Then what, what is the purpose of human life? If we are not meant for living like the dogs and hogs, then what is the standard of human life? The answer is tapo divyaṁ putrakā (SB 5.5.1). "My dear son, this life is meant for tapaḥ." Tapaḥ means austerity.

We are not meant for giving you any bluff.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

We have got many centers. This is also center, one of the centers. We are not meant for giving you any bluff, that "You give me some fee," or "I shall give you some mantra, and whatever you like you can do, and if you meditate or do that, then you'll become one with God." These things are not our business. We are following strictly the principles of Vedas, the principles laid down by great authorities, and if we accept them, then we'll get the required perfection of life.

We are not meant for death, neither we are meant for birth.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

We are dying every moment. Mṛtyu, death, is sure. "As sure as death." So... But we are not meant for death, neither we are meant for birth. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na jāyate na mriyate vā: "The spirit soul is never born, neither he dies." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The spirit soul, nitya, eternal, śāśvata, inexhaustible... Na hanyate, clearly says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So this death is artificial. Therefore we do not like to die. We do not like to be unhappy. We do not like to be without any knowledge. This is our nature. But because this nature is hampered on material condition, therefore the business of the human being is to cure this disease—birth, death, old age and disease. This is the mission of life, not to waste time, not to waste our life, duration of life, just simply jumping like dog and hog. That is not human life.

We are not meant for suffering.

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

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.

Cornerstone Ceremonies

We are not meant for exploiting others.

Cornerstone Laying -- Bombay, January 23, 1975:

We are not meant for exploiting others. That is not our mission. Actually that is being done. Everyone goes out of India. They go there to exploit. But it is for the first time that India is giving something to the outsiders, this spiritual knowledge. And the proof you can see. We are giving, we are not taking.

General Lectures

It is social convention that if you want to speak truth, you speak truth very palatable, flattering. Don't speak unpalatable truth. But we are not meant for that purpose.

Lecture to College Students -- Seattle, October 20, 1968, Introduction by Tamala Krsna:

It is social convention that if you want to speak truth, you speak truth very palatable, flattering. Don't speak unpalatable truth. But we are not meant for that purpose, social convention. We are preacher, we are servant of God. We must speak the real truth. You may like it or may not like it, that a godless civilization cannot be happy in any stage. That is a fact. Therefore we have started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to awaken this godless civilization, that you try to love God.

We are not meant for giving people false information. We are trying to give you information from authoritative scriptures, Vedas.

Lecture at International Student Society -- Boston, May 3, 1969:

We are not meant for giving people false information. We are trying to give you information from authoritative scriptures, Vedas. And if you are fortunate enough, you will take this information, try to understand by your reasoning, by your logic, and adopt it, and your life will be sublime. Your life will be successful. Otherwise you will be put into the cycle of birth and death and going on, and sufferings will continue.

We are not meant for material realization.

Lecture Excerpt -- Boston, May 5, 1969:

We are not meant for material realization. We are meant for spiritual realization, the human form. So that we should take advantage of. That is the mission of human form of life. If we miss this, then we are committing suicide.

We are not meant for exploiting.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, March 31, 1971:

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu says,

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra

janma sārthaka kari' kara paropakāra

(CC Adi 9.41)

We are meant for doing welfare activities to the whole world. We are not meant for exploiting. We have something to give to the whole world. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

We are not meant for cheating anyone.

Room Conversation with Tripurari -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: We are not meant for cheating anyone. We have no business. But to lead one to Kṛṣṇa consciousness we may say something sometimes. So that is not cheating.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

We are not meant for the civilization of the hogs and dogs.

Interview with Trans-India Magazine -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: The hog has no discrimination of sex—either mother or sister or anyone. So this sort of life, working day and night for stool, and then as soon as the body is strong, find out sex, never mind whether mother, sister or anyone... This is not human life; this is hog's life. Do you think it is human life?

Interviewer: No.

Prabhupāda: So we are not meant for that civilization. We are meant for the civilization by which one can understand his position, constitutional position, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Therefore our activities are different from the hogs and dogs.

1967 Correspondence

We are not meant for learning something new for the service of the Lord.

Letter to Murari -- Vrindaban 3 August, 1967:

Murari is another name for Krishna; therefore one who is pledged to become the servant of Krishna is called Murari Das. I am so glad you are playing music for Krishna. It is a great service of your talent. Anyone's special talent should be engaged in the service of the Lord, and thereby becomes successful in his life. I think that you can go on playing on your guitar and make it successful for Krishna kirtana. You do not require to learn freshly about sitar. We are not meant for learning something new for the service of the Lord; but we have to engage whatever talents we have already got. Our life is short but any type of education is great and long; so the best part of valor is to utilize properly whatever qualifications we have got for the service of the Lord.

We are not meant for living peacefully in a secluded place.

Letter to Subala -- San Francisco 16 December, 1967:

My Guru Maharaja never liked to open a Branch preaching center in a place where there is less population. We are not meant for living peacefully in a secluded place. We are meant for recuiting Krishna's eternal servants and therefore a better populated place. Of course we don't neglect the villagement but our first preference is to the cities.

1968 Correspondence

We are not meant for moving anyone's sentiment against animal slaughter.

Letter to Rayarama -- Los Angeles 19 November, 1968:

Regarding propaganda against animal slaughter in BTG. Please do not print any picture showing how a cow is being murdered in our BTG. This will pollute the whole atmosphere. We are not meant for moving anyone's sentiment against animal slaughter, we are neither Buddhists or Jains, whose main propaganda is against animal slaughter. Even the so-called vegetarians who do not take Krishna prasadam are as much sinful as the non-vegetarians. Our propaganda is different, to make people Krishna Conscious, which automatically makes them sympathetic against any kind of animal slaughter. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, one living entity subsists on the life of other living entities, either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. But we are neither of them. We are not vegetarian nor non-vegetarian. We are transcendental. We are concerned with Krishna Prasadam.

1969 Correspondence

We are not meant for presenting any literary masterpiece.

Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 13 February, 1969:

We are not meant for presenting any literary masterpieces, but we have to inform people that there is a fire of maya which is burning the very vitality of all living entities, and they should guard against the indefatigable onslaught of material existence.

1972 Correspondence

We are not meant for giving performances.

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Los Angeles 25 June, 1972:

So far your road-show is concerned, we are not meant for giving performances, we are simple kirtana men. There must always be kirtana going on wherever we travel, and nothing else.