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We have got this tendency

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Jantuḥ means animal or no intelligence. Those who are jantuḥ, they have got this tendency. Pravṛttir eṣā. What is that? Vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā: sex and meat-eating.
Lecture on SB 1.7.8 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1976:

So what was the qualification of Śukadeva Gosvāmī which induced Vyāsadeva to teach him this saṁhitām? Śukam adhyāpayām āsa nivṛtti-niratam: he has no more attraction for material world. That is the qualification. Nirvṛtti. There are two kinds of life: nirvṛtti and pravṛtti. Pravṛtti means materialistic, karmīs. Generally karmīs, they have got tendency to enjoy this material world. That is called pravṛtti. Pravṛtti-mārga. Pravṛttes tu... Pravṛtti is natural inclination. Anyone who has come to this material world... Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānām. Everyone is in the pravṛtti-mārga. What is that pravṛtti-mārga? The pravṛtti-mārga is these things: sex, meat-eating, intoxication, like that. This is pravṛtti-mārga. Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttes tu mahā-phalām. So the whole Vedic literature is there how to make him stop this pravṛtti-mārga. That is the whole plan. Otherwise there are many instances, loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityas tu jantuḥ. Nitya. A jantuḥ, he's called jantuḥ. Jantuḥ means animal or no intelligence. Those who are jantuḥ, they have got this tendency. Pravṛttir eṣā. What is that? Vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā: sex and meat-eating. Āmiṣa, meat, egg, fish; and madya, intoxication. This is pravṛtti. Loke vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex. Āmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā tu jantuḥ. Jantuḥ means living being, conditioned in the material world, they have got this general tendency. Pravṛtti. You will find in animals, in birds, in beasts, and beastly human being, two-legged beast... There are four-legged beasts and two-legged beasts. Four-legged beasts are the animals—cats, dogs, tigers, etc. Cows, asses. They are four-legged beasts. And there are two-legged beasts, dvi-pāda-paśu. It is not manufactured; it is there in the śāstra. Dvi-pāda-paśu. Dvi means two, and pāda means legged. So any human being who is attached to this pravṛtti-mārga-sex, meat-eating, intoxication, gambling—he is dvi-pāda-paśu, two-legged animals. This is pravṛtti-mārga.

Human civilization means we have got so many animal propensities, and if we can control them, that is advancement of human civilization. Just try to understand. Not that "Because I have got this tendency, let me increase it without any restriction." That is not human civilization.
Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

So śāstra says that "Everyone, every living entity, has got a general tendency for these things: sex life, meat-eating and drinking." Then where is the need of shastric injunction? That shastric injunction is there not to encourage them, but to restrict them. In the human life, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. You have got a tendency for sex life, take for example. This is your tendency. But if you can check it, that is your success. Not that because you have got tendency, you have to increase it. That is not human civilization. Human civilization means we have got so many animal propensities, and if we can control them, that is advancement of human civilization. Just try to understand. Not that "Because I have got this tendency, let me increase it without any restriction." That is not human civilization. Human civilization... That is the distinction between animal and human being. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa jñānena (SB 6.1.13).

A householder, he can also become a mahātmā, provided he has got this tendency that he wants to develop his spiritual life.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:

There are two classes of persons. One is interested for developing material standard of life, and one is interested for spiritual development of life. So a householder, he can also become a mahātmā, provided he has got this tendency that he wants to develop his spiritual life. Then he is mahātmā. And not interested to increase economic development, or persons who are too much attached for enjoyment. Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Dehambhara-vārtikeṣu means persons here in the ordinary men, they are simply interested how to satisfy the bodily needs. That's all. They are called dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. The materialistic civilization means how to keep this body very comfortably. Not only in this life. From their thinking also they accept works of piety, just like charity, religion. How? So next life they may be elevated to the heavenly planets and they can enjoy very long duration of life, association of very beautiful girls, and drink so many beverages. Their only aim is like that, how to provide this material body with all comforts. They are called dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Deha means this body, and bhara, just to maintain this body.

If a ordinary man can take pleasure lying down on the water, closing and lying for hours—we have seen it—so what is the difficulty for the Supreme Lord? You have got this tendency to lie down on water, half on the water, and close your eyes. So where your tendency has come? Your tendency has come because the same tendency is there in the Supreme Lord.
Lecture on SB 7.9.32 -- Mayapur, March 10, 1976:

Nyasyedam ātmani jagad vilayāmbu-madhye śeṣe. Śeṣe: "Lying down on the Śeṣa-mūrti." Ātmanā nija-sukhānubhavo... "He is not obliged, as we are placed in certain condition of life, being obliged." Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). I have got this body; you have got this body. It is not sukhānubhavaḥ. Here it is said that nija-sukhānubhavaḥ. This is called pastime. He is not obliged, but he takes pleasure. Just like sometimes we take pleasure in a swimming pool, lie down and closing our eyes. Who expert swimmer, they're lying down. Why it is not possible for the Supreme Lord? What is the difficulty? Sukhānubhavaḥ. We take that pastime for pleasure, for pleasure, lying down on the water, closing eyes. So when we speak, "The Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu lying down in the Causal Ocean," these rascals, fools, they sometimes criticize, "And how it is possible?" How it is not possible? If a ordinary man can take pleasure lying down on the water, closing and lying for hours—we have seen it—so what is the difficulty for the Supreme Lord? You have got this tendency to lie down on water, half on the water, and close your eyes. So where your tendency has come? Your tendency has come because the same tendency is there in the Supreme Lord. This is the explanation. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jayante. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This is the Vedic... Everything, whatever you see, that is there in the Supreme Being. Why we make love affairs with young girls or young boys? Because the same propensity is there. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). Kṛṣṇa is enjoying in Goloka Vṛndāvana with so many young girls. That tendency to enjoy the company of young girls or young boys is there. Otherwise wherefrom it has come? That is the explanation. Everything, whatever you see, everything—janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1)—that is there.

Festival Lectures

They have scientifically studied, the ants are very much fond of intoxication; therefore they eat sugar. In sugar there is liquor, so the... Every living entity has got this tendency, bhāvāya. Bhāvāya means sex life; amīṣa, meat-eating; and mada, liquor. Natural tendency. Therefore the country where these things are indulged without any restriction, that is asura, the country of the asura.
His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:

So pravṛtti we have got, just like we have got tendency-cent percent person has it at the present moment—to smoke. This is pravṛtti. But we say don't smoke, nivṛtti. And if we drink, that is pravṛtti. Everyone, even the ant, he is also drunkard. They have scientifically studied, the ants are very much fond of intoxication; therefore they eat sugar. In sugar there is liquor, so the... Loke bhāvāya nisamadhya sevā nityasta yanto. Every living entity has got this tendency, bhāvāya. Bhāvāya means sex life; amīṣa, meat-eating; and mada, liquor. Natural tendency. Therefore the country where these things are indulged without any restriction, that is asura, the country of the asura. So especially in the Western countries, and now we have also learned. In India, either Hindus or Musselman, drinking was a sin. Now we have got very easily available liquor. Every door there is shop, and every door there is meat shop. So India, there was time that they were all devatās; now we are imitating the asuras. On the other hand, the boys and girls from the asuric country, they are becoming the devotee, devatā. So there is no exclusive right for a country to become devatā or demon. A demon can be turned into the devatā and devatā can be turned into demon, provided he does not follow this pravṛtti and nivṛtti, what is pravṛtti-mārga. Pravṛtti-sambhūtānāṁ nivṛtti tu mahābalam. That is life. "I want to smoke; I have got tendency to smoke," pravṛtti. This is pravṛtti; everyone has got. But if you can stop it, then your life is successful. Nivṛtti.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

They have got so many dance bhavan, and when Kṛṣṇa dances with the gopīs, "Ah, that is bad!" The rascals, they do not understand where you have got this tendency for dancing. Because it is there in Kṛṣṇa. That they do not understand. Kṛṣṇa dancing is bad, and my dancing is very good.
Morning Walk -- December 14, 1975, New Delhi:

Harikeśa: You ask anyone, tell anyone this in America, they'll go, "Oh well we've had difficult times in the past, but we've always pulled out of it." Like the Depression. They always quote the Depression of the thirties. The Depression and they say then there was the war and everything became better.

Prabhupāda: Then what is the academy? Nonsense. They are spending so much money in this kala-kendra, academy, this, that. And no place for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just see. Such a cultural book of knowledge. There is no such institution, Gītā instruction, institute. No. This kala bhavan, this kendra bhavan this... They have got so many dance bhavan, and when Kṛṣṇa dances with the gopīs, "Ah, that is bad!" The rascals, they do not understand where you have got this tendency for dancing. Because it is there in Kṛṣṇa. That they do not understand. Kṛṣṇa dancing is bad, and my dancing is very good. They will put so many questions, "Why Kṛṣṇa dance with others' wives." "And why your are dancing with others wife, fall-down." Just see. Kṛṣṇa's dancing is mythology and his dancing is fact. Although His life is mythology (indistinct). (laughter) (indistinct) Rabindra Bhavan. What they are doing? Such a big house.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

So we have got this tendency, everyone, to possess money, to have very big buildings and so on, so on. You do it for Kṛṣṇa. Then it will be bhakti. Otherwise karma. And karma means to be bound up by the laws of nature.
Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: (Hindi—woman answers in Hindi) Call Pālikā. Just teach her... Take her in the kitchen and teach her how to make tilaka.

Pālikā: How to make tilaka, yes.

Prabhupāda: Tilaka, dvādaśa-tilaka. You just go and learn. (break) What is that? (break) Otherwise there is no death. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Actually there is no death. This forgetfulness is death. We have forgotten: "Who was our father, who was our mother, where I was born?" That is death. And otherwise I am the soul, continuing. Just like in childhood so many things we did, but we have forgotten. The forgetfulness is death. The more one forgets, the more one is dead. Otherwise there is no death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā: "Never takes birth, never dies." Then what is death? Death is forgetfulness. So you can begin now. (break) ...big, big buildings, the same spirit as karmīs are doing. But this desire to construct very big building, when transferred for Kṛṣṇa, that is bhakti. So we have got this tendency, everyone, to possess money, to have very big buildings and so on, so on. You do it for Kṛṣṇa. Then it will be bhakti. Otherwise karma. And karma means to be bound up by the laws of nature.

Page Title:We have got this tendency
Compiler:Alakananda
Created:24 of Jul, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=5, Con=2, Let=0
No. of Quotes:7