What is God (Lectures, BG chapters 7 - 18)

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "what is God" or "what is actually God" or "what is that God" or "what is really God"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 26, 1968:

God will die if you do not supply. And this is the ecstasy of extreme love. So there is such relationship with Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. Rādhārāṇī, the greatest devotee, the greatest lover of Kṛṣṇa. (break) Nanda-Yaśodā, the lover as parent. Sudāmā, a friend, lover as friend. Arjuna, lover as friend. Similarly, there are millions and trillions of different kinds of devotees of Kṛṣṇa. They are directly playing.

So this yoga system, as described herein, bhakti-yoga, it can be practiced by such persons who have developed such attachment for Kṛṣṇa. Others cannot. And if anyone is able to develop such attachment, then the result will be that he will understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, perfectly. However we may try to understand what is God by our different theories or speculation, it is a very difficult job to understand what is God. We may say that I have..., we have understood what is God, but it is not possible to understand God as He is, because we have got our limited senses and He is unlimited. How you can capture the Unlimited with your limited sense? But it is possible.

It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our senses are imperfect always. Even we cannot understand perfectly the material world. Just like we have seen so many planets and stars in the sky at night, but we do not know what they are. We do not know even what is this moon planet. We are trying for so many years, trying to go there in sputnik and... Even one planet. Even we do not know what varieties are there even in this planet. If you go on the sea, if you go on the sky, you are perfectly illusioned. So our knowledge is always imperfect. That we must admit. Foolishly, if we think we have acquired all sorts of knowledge, we have advanced in science, this is another foolishness. It is not possible. So when it is not possible to understand even the material things which we are daily seeing with our eyes and perception, what to speak of spiritual? And the Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the Supreme spiritual form. So it is not possible for us to understand Kṛṣṇa by our limited senses. Then why we are bothering so much for Kṛṣṇa consciousness if it is not possible?

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, September 10, 1968:

So Kṛṣṇa says, mad-āśrayam. This yoga system, bhakti-yoga, is to develop attachment for Kṛṣṇa under His protection. Mad-āśrayaḥ. Just like a friend protects his friend, a master protects his servant, a parent, a father protects his child, or a lover protects his lover, similarly, there is some protectional element. Mad-āśrayaḥ: "Kṛṣṇa is my friend, He'll protect me. Kṛṣṇa is my master, He'll protect me. Kṛṣṇa is my son, He'll protect me. Kṛṣṇa is my lover, He'll protect me." So this, this is called mad-āśrayaḥ. If we take this attitude in either of these attitudes, either friend or lover or son or master, like that, and you develop your attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then asaṁśaya, without any doubt, samagram, in complete..., in full completeness, you can understand what is God. This is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that you have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa in either of these aspects, and you have to develop your attachment for either of these aspects.

Then Kṛṣṇa says that jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ (BG 7.2). Now this knowledge of God is not a sentiment, it is science. It is science. This is scientific. Nobody can deny it. We are not preaching any particular type of sentiment, or any frog's speculation. It is fact. How our relationship with the Supreme Lord can develop, how we are related with Him, these things are fact on philosophical basis. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is assuring Arjuna that "What I'm talking to you is not a religious sentiment, but it is jñānam." Jñānam means it is practical knowledge. Jñānam. Jñānam means theoretical knowledge, and vijñānam means practical knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa says, jñānam. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam: "I am just speaking to you the exact knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with practical demonstration." (break)

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

Suppose if I live eighty years or a hundred years, these seventy-three years I have already died. That is finished. Now a few years I may remain. So we are dying from the date of our birth. That is a fact. So Bhagavad-gītā gives you the solution of these four problems. And Kṛṣṇa here is suggesting, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. If you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa and if you think of Kṛṣṇa always, your consciousness becomes always overwhelmed with Kṛṣṇa thoughts, then Kṛṣṇa says the result will be asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). "Then you will understand Me perfectly, without any doubt."

Everyone is hankering after what is God, what is the nature of God. Somebody says there is no God, somebody says God is dead. These are all doubts. But here Kṛṣṇa says, asaṁśaya. You'll be doubtless. You'll feel, you'll know perfectly well that God is there, Kṛṣṇa is there. And He is the source of all energies. He is the primeval Lord. These things you will learn without any doubt. The first thing is we do not make progress in transcendental knowledge on account of doubts, saṁśayaḥ. These doubts can be removed by culture of real knowledge, by real association, by following the real methods, the doubts can be removed. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness persons, they are not after will-o'-the-wisp, phantasmagoria. No. They're actually making progress to the concrete Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

All the forms of living entity that are manifest, they are all sons of the supreme father, Kṛṣṇa. In other religion, just like Christian religion, they accept the supreme father: "O father, give us our daily bread," they pray in the church. But they do not know the name of the father. That is the difficulty. But one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he knows what is the name of his original father, what does He do, where He lives, what is His personal feature, what is His pastime—everything. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says here, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Everyone is anxious to know, at least (indistinct) men, what is God, what is our relationship with Him, how He looks, where He lives. These are naturally inquisitiveness of any sane man. So here in the Bhagavad-gītā the Personality of Godhead Himself speaks about Himself. We have to simply accept it, that's all. You haven't got to make any research where is God, what is God, where does He live, what does He do. Here is everything.

So unfortunately, God is canvassing Himself personally, and still we are unaware of Him. Why? Because there is one verse which you will see in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Caitanya-caritāmṛta... Here two honorable Justices are present, and I can recite that verse. It is in Bengali. It is said that caitanya-dayā katha karaha vicāra. The author is placing the quantity of mercy as given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu to the judgment of the public. Caitanya-dayā katha karaha vicāra. It is not something we have accepted blindly as faith. No. It is a fact. It is a science. It is an authority. Therefore we place before the Justices for judgment, caitanya-dayā katha karaha vicāra vicāra karite citte pābe camatkāra. If you wait for the judgment, then when you hear the judgment you will find, ah, a great ecstasy you will enjoy. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you kindly try to understand the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement with cool head, I mean, I mean to say right judgment, you will find ecstasy. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa..., to understand Kṛṣṇa is very difficult.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Auckland, April 15, 1972:

So these students are being trained how to become free from sinful activities. They are forbidden not to have illicit sex. These are four pillars of sinful activities: illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā. These are exactly to the injunction of the Vedas. So if we purify ourself... In the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna appreciates Kṛṣṇa, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). How you can approach the pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān without being pavitra? So there is a process to appreciate whether Kṛṣṇa or God has form. Unless we adopt the form, superficially it is not possible. I see otherwise there are... Why so many process of bhajana-sādhana if it is so cheap that we can immediately understand what is God? No. And the Veda says, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That was our system. First of all, they used to become brahmacārīs, to become most obedient servant of the spiritual master before becoming gṛhastha. Celibacy, brahmacārī, then gṛhastha. So these things are all lost now. Therefore the śāstra says,

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

(CC Adi 17.21)

You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra with your tongue. Take prasādam of Kṛṣṇa. You will gradually develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and you will understand what is God. That is the process.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:

There is no benefit. And if you take, simply take religion without basis of philosophy, then it is fanaticism. That's all. So both should be combined. Religion based on philosophy and logic, that is religion. So that combination is Bhagavad-gītā. So here in the Seventh Chapter, beginning, opening chapter, it is said, bhagavān uvāca. You are searching after God. Now here is God Himself speaking. So recognized God by all sages: Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita. And later on by Rāmānujācārya, by Śaṅkarācārya, by Madhvācārya, by Viṣṇu Svāmī, by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and then our Guru Mahārāja. So our method is very simple: evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So we accept this paramparā system. I may not know what is God, but because my predecessors, ācāryas, confirm it, the "Here is Bhagavān," we accept it. That's all. We save so much trouble by mental speculation. We accept the paramparā system. Therefore... And we get the result. So that is the way.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:

He does not see anything but Kṛṣṇa. A mahā-bhāgavata, when a tree, when he sees a tree, he does not see the form of the tree, but he sees Kṛṣṇa. That is mahā-bhāgavata. That we should not imitate. That is the highest stage, perfectional stage. But at least, we come to the middle stage. What is that middle stage? To... We must understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. Perfect understanding. And tad-adhīna, and His devotees. Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśa. Bāliśa means innocent persons. They are un... I mean to... They do not know actually what is God. And dviṣat. Dviṣat means envious. The four classes of men: God, His devotee, innocent person, and envious person, demons. So the person who is promoted to the second stage, he'll deal with these four classes of divisions differently. Īśvara-prema. One should try to learn how to love Kṛṣṇa. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is first class. And tad, īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca, prema, prema, love for Kṛṣṇa, and maitrī, and to make friendship with the devotees. Prema-maitrī. And kṛpā: those who are innocent, one should be merciful. The devotee should be merciful, just to awaken their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And dviṣatsu ca upekṣāḥ: and those who are envious, they should be rejected. These four classes... To try to love Kṛṣṇa, to make friendship with devotees, and to give some service to the innocent public who does not know what is God, and those who are envious, asuras, they should be rejected. The madhyama-adhikārī should not touch the demons. Because maybe, he may turn again, be demon. Therefore one should be very careful to associate with the demons.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:

Yajña, yajña means to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To satisfy. But we do not know... Our culture is meant to... We do not know what is Supreme Personality of Godhead. We do not know what is God. Everything forgotten. If there is, we speak about God, they think that "These people have become crazy. They are, in this modern civilization, talking of God. What is this nonsense?" This is the position. But that is not the fact. God is there. God is there. God is personally canvassing here, Kṛṣṇa. How you can say God is not there? God is there. God must be there. Otherwise, how things are going on? Just like because you are within this body, although you cannot see yourself. We cannot see ourself, where I am in this body. But I am in this body. As soon as I go away from this body, this body's useless. Not even worth farthing. The such nice brain, such nice dress, such nice activity, as soon as I go away, I leave this body... Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As I leave this body and accept another body, this body's useless, immediately. Similarly you are seeing the whole cosmic manifestation, the gigantic body of this material world. So there is something, soul. Just like in this body, there is soul. Similarly this gigantic body has got a soul. That is God. How you can deny it?

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

You have to increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa. This is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not a sectarian religion. It is the fact. Unless the human society takes to this principle of increasing their attachment... We have got... At last, we increase our attachment for dogs and cats.

So attachment is there. Now this attachment has to be employed on Kṛṣṇa. That yoga system, kṛṣṇa-yoga system, is described in this Bhagavad-gītā, Seventh Chapter: mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām (BG 7.1). Asaṁśayam, "without any doubt." In any other process, you cannot understand what is God in full sense. That is not possible. By speculating process... There are so many speculators, theosophist, theologist, philosopher, Māyāvādī. They are speculating about God by... But that, by that process, by speculative process, you cannot understand God. That is not possible. Panthās tu... It is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā:

panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo

vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām

so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve...

(Bs. 5.34)

If you want to know Kṛṣṇa or God by the speculative process, not only for one year, two years... Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi. Not mental speculation, but on the aeroplane running on the speed of vāyu, or air, or mind, the speed of mind, still, by traversing many crores of years, you cannot reach. Still it, it remains avicintya, inconceivable. But if you take to the process of this kṛṣṇa-yoga, or bhakti-yoga, then you can become aware of Kṛṣṇa very easily. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55).

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

There are so many human beings all over the world, Mostly, they're like animals—without culture. Because, according to our Vedic culture, unless one takes to the institution of varṇa and āśrama, he's not a human being. He's not accepted. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. Who is accepting this varṇāśrama? No. Chaotic condition. So in that chaotic condition you cannot understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. Out of many, many thousands and millions of people, one takes to the scientific institute of varṇāśrama-dharma. That means followers of the Vedas, strictly. Out of these persons who are following the Vedic principles, mostly they're attached to karma-kāṇḍa, ritualistic ceremonies. So out of many millions of persons engaged in ritualistic ceremony, one becomes advanced in knowledge. They are called jñānīs, or speculative philosophers. Not karmīs, but jñānīs. So out of many millions of such jñānīs, one becomes mukta, liberated. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). This is liberated stage. One who is Brahman realized soul, he has nothing to lament or nothing to hanker. Because in the karmī stage we have got two diseases: hankering and lamenting. Whatever you have got, if it is lost, then I lament. "Oh, I got this and that and it is now lost." And whatever we do not possess, we hanker after. So for possessing, we hanker, we work so hard. And when it is lost, we again lament and cry. This is karmī stage. So brahma-bhūtaḥ stage... Jñāna stage means he has no more lamenting or hankering. Prasannātmā. "Oh, I am, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. What I have got to do with this body? My business is to cultivate transcendental knowledge, brahma-jñāna." So in that stage, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). That is the test. He has no lamenting. He has no hankering. And he's equal to everyone. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

So in this way, when one is situated, then mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54), then he comes to the devotional platform. And when he comes to the devotional platform, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55), then he's able.

So this Kṛṣṇa yoga is the only process to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhāgavata also it is said: evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). One can become jolly by practice of this bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. Kṛṣṇa-tattva-jñānaṁ jāyate, mukta-saṅgasya jāyate. Unless you are liberated, you cannot understand what is God. In the nonliberated condition, you cannot understand what is God or what is Kṛṣṇa. And if you engage yourself in the bhakti-mārga,

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

(SB 7.5.23)

These are the bhakti processes. Śravaṇam. The first business is hearing. Tad-vijñānārtham. Vijñānārtham. If you want to know some science, you must hear from the authorized person. Similarly our process is to hear from Kṛṣṇa, the most authorized person. Not only our... All the ācāryas. Mostly ācāryas, they advented in your country, South India: Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Śaṅkarācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, all of them. So in your country, in your part of India, they are very fortunate. And they can... Sometimes it is described the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is South Indian literature.

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

What is this rainfall? This rainfall is an arrangement, taking water from the seas and spread all over the surface of the land. But you cannot do it. The sea water you can spread by pumping or by some other means, but that will not serve your purpose. The sea water must be distilled. It must be made into sweetness. Then such rainfall will give you some effect in producing agricultural production and so many things.

So in every way we are dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, we mean the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So here, Kṛṣṇa is teaching Himself, God is teaching Himself, what is God, what is the science of God. You cannot speculate on the science of God: "God may be like this. God may be like that." No. You have to know God from God Himself. Just like you cannot speculate about the position of a very big man. Suppose there is a very big man in your country. If you speculate about him at home, the knowledge is never perfect. It cannot be. Speculative knowledge is never perfect, especially when you imagine something about somebody. That is all humbug; it has no meaning. So God cannot be realized by speculation. But here is a chance wherein God is speaking about Himself, so you can understand what is God.

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

These are the Vedic versions. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇah (Bs. 5.1). We, we are also, because we are part and parcel of God, we may be called as sample God, sample God. Just like in Christian Bible also it is said that man is made after the form of God. Actually that is a... We have got two legs, two hands, this form—this is after God's form. God has also the same form, like human being. It takes some time to understand. It is a great science.

Anyway, our position is, we learn from Bhagavad-gītā that we have to increase our attachment for God, Kṛṣṇa. mayy āsakta. This is the perfect process of yoga system. And if you simply increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then asaṁśayam, without any doubt, samagram, and in fullness, you can understand what is God. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We have got our Kṛṣṇa's form. Just like you see Kṛṣṇa is playing on His flute. Here is also Kṛṣṇa standing with His brother Balarāma. So Kṛṣṇa is sometimes with Rādhārāṇī, so we worship Kṛṣṇa-Rādhā, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in our temple. Those who have not seen—we invite all of you to our temple—there is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity. So this process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to teach people how to increase his attachment for Kṛṣṇa. There are many processes. The beginning of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is śraddhā, a little faith. That is the beginning. Adau śraddhā. Śraddhā means to accept that "This is a nice movement." This a nice movement. Just like you have come here with śraddhā, little faith, that "What these people are making in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? Let us go and see."

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

In the human society, it is a prerogative to know God. In the animal society, there is no such question. The human society is meant for understanding what is God. That is the privilege of human being. We come to this form of human being after many, many births. There are 8,400,000 species of life, beginning from water. Then on the land... In the water there are nine lakhs species of life, different aquatics. So in the beginning of creation the whole planet was merged into water. That is also scientifically... Modern science. And from śāstras also, we understand, pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedam, keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare **. So in the beginning there was water. So there must be living entities because living entities are everywhere—in the water, in the air, on the land, within the land, within the water, everywhere. Therefore the living entities are called sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means the living entity can go anywhere. As we are now trying to go to the moon planet, so we may go or not go, but there are living entities in all the planets, in different positions. There are innumerable planets and innumerable universes also. And beyond this material world, there is another nature. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That nature is permanent.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

Because we have to see God. Just like I told you, if you see the sun, then automatically you see everything. You see yourself, you see your neighbor, you see the city, you see the house, you see... Everything you can see when there is sunlight. Similarly, if you can see God, then you can see everything. Kasmin tu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you can understand what is God, then you understand everything. Then why don't you take this process to understand God? That is the prerogative of human life, to understand God. Why you deny the existence of God? How you can deny? You cannot deny. There is a controller, supreme controller. That we have to accept. We are not free. We are being controlled. However we are trying to become independent of any controller, that is not possible. Prakṛteḥ... You are under the control of the prakṛti.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

Rascals and fools, they are thinking that "We are independent." They are completely under the grip of the material nature. Every one of you know. We want to do something; we don't want excessive heat. Why there is excessive heat so that we have to manufacture this fan and air condition, so many things? This is simply struggle against the control of the material nature. This is a fact. And we have to accept this. You cannot deny it. That is described:

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

What is that sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha? Sat means eternal, cit means full of knowledge, and ānanda means blissfulness. But so far my body is concerned, your body is concerned, they are not sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. My body, your body, will not exist. Therefore it is asat. It is not sat. My body, your body is full of ignorance. Therefore, it is not cit. It is acit. And my body, your body is not at all pleasing. There are so many troubles. Therefore it is not ānanda. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's body is different from us. Therefore He is controller. We think, "If Kṛṣṇa has got a body, then He must have a body like us." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). "These mūḍhas, rascals, because I appear before them to give them the lesson about God, what is God, these rascals think of Me as one of them." This is rascaldom. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ (BG 9.11). That sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1) can control the whole material nature—that they do not know. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ.

So therefore it is our duty to understand Kṛṣṇa. What is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa is personally..., God is personally explaining Himself, what He is, and if we accept that, then where is the difficulty to understand God? Why you are making so much research work to find out God? God is canvassing at your door, "Here I am. You try to understand Me. Here I am explaining Myself." "No, no, no. We shall find out God somewhere else." This is called mūḍha. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Narādhama means not even ordinary knowledge of a human being. Lowest of the mankind. We are searching out what is God, and God is canvassing here. We do not accept. Therefore narādhama. Why? Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, because their knowledge has been taken away by the illusory energy. But one who is, whose knowledge has not been taken away... Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was personally instructed by Kṛṣṇa, and how he accepts Kṛṣṇa? He accepts Kṛṣṇa:

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

That process is called yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. You have to accept the yoga system under the protection of Kṛṣṇa personally or His bona fide devotees, representative. Then you will be... Then what will be the result? The result will be asaṁśayam, without any doubt. Now people are educated in all other institution about God, but they are all full of doubts, full of doubts: "What kind of God? What is the nature of God? Whether there is God? Whether there is no God?" So many doubts. But if you accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga system, then you can understand Kṛṣṇa asaṁśayam, without any doubt. And samagram, in fullness, not that partial. Partially understanding of God, that is also understanding, but it will again take time, because unless you fully understand what is God, you cannot go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the formula.

There are different stages or phases of understanding. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). The Absolute Truth is that. It is one, but it is realized into different phases: as Brahman, as Paramātmā and as Bhagavān. So if you understand Brahman, that is also partial understanding. If you understand Paramātmā... Brahman is understood by the philosophical speculation, Māyāvāda philosophy, or jñāna-mārga. Then you can understand partially. Just like to understand the sunshine is partial understanding of the sun. It is not full understanding. Full understanding, if you have got power to go to the sun globe, to see the predominating deity there, Vivasvān, the sun-god, then it is full understanding.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hong Kong, January 25, 1975:

So sun is there, the American people are seeing sun, but on account of the different position of this earth we cannot see the sun. That does not mean there is no sun. The sunshine is always existing. It is shadowed by this earthly planet. Similarly when... Our relationship with God or Kṛṣṇa is always existing, but when there is some intervention, māyā, then we think, "There is no God" or "I am God," like that.

So this misconception of life, that "I am God," "There is no God..." Atheists and voidists, they say like that. The voidists, they say śūnyavādi. They say, "There is no God." And the impersonalists, they say that there is God, but there is no head, there is no leg, there is no hand, there is no mouth, there is no, no, no... Ultimately, what is their God? If God has no head, no leg, no body, no mouth, then what is that God? That is also another way of explaining God as zero. The voidists, they directly say, "There is no God. We don't believe in God." That is understandable. But this impersonal explanation of God, that is not understandable. What is this? "God has no leg, neither God has no head, God has no hand, God has no mouth." Then what is that God? They cannot say.

So this impersonalists and the voidists, they are of the same group, denying the existence of God. But that is not the fact. There is God. The devotees know there is God, and He is Bhagavān. God is called Bhagavān Therefore although it is said here... Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, everyone knows. But in some places in the Bhagavad-gītā it is described as bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān and Kṛṣṇa—the same person. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Bhagavān, there is a definition of the word bhagavān.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- London, March 9, 1975:

Because you are living being, your nature is to forget. But because I am the Supreme Lord, I have not forgotten." Therefore His knowledge is perfect.

And then ānanda. Ānanda means pleasure, blissfulness. He is always... Kṛṣṇa, while He was present on this planet, He showed how to dance with the gopīs. He was always full of ānanda. Here we have got Kṛṣṇa. He is ānanda-mūrti. He is not nirānanda, without blissfulness. He is always with His consort, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. And He is playing flute and Rādhārāṇī is dancing. This is ānanda. So where is our ānanda? We imitate Kṛṣṇa, but we are not able to enjoy because we are in this material body. In this way from Bhagavad-gītā, if we study Bhagavad-gītā nicely, then we can understand what is God. Otherwise you can go on speculating for millions of years or for many, many births, you cannot understand what is God. There are so many societies, theological societies, this, theosophical societies, but what do they know about God? They do not know, neither can know. It is not possible, because they are thinking with their imperfect senses? How you can have the idea of the perfect, of the unlimited, by your imperfect speculation? That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- London, March 9, 1975:

This faith becomes established. You can... Nobody can move you. Tato niṣṭhā. Tato ruciḥ. Then you get some taste, how Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sweet. Tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ, athāsaktiḥ. Then attachment. Unless you get taste, how you can be attached to Kṛṣṇa?

So these are the processes. So Kṛṣṇa is saying, summarized. They are explained by the mad-āśrayaḥ, those who are devotees. So in this way we have to increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa. And when we increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa says, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Now everyone has got some doubt, whether there is God or not, whether God is person or imperson, whether He is something... He has no idea. In any religion you take, ask him, "What do you know about God?" That he cannot explain. Because he is not in the platform, how he can be understand God? That is not possible. It is not... But we are confident what is God, what is His father's name, what is His name, what is His address, everything. No saṁśaya, no doubt. Everything complete. Asaṁśayam. We are confident that we are going to Kṛṣṇa, back to home, back to Godhead. There is no doubt, asaṁśayam and samagram. Sama means full. What is God meant? Asaṁśayam... (end)

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Fiji, May 24, 1975:

We are increasing our attachment for the dog, and where is the attachment for God? People are becoming... Now it has become a fashion to keep dogs and increase attachment for dog. They are ready to kill cows but give protection to the dog. So our advancement of civilization is going in that way. Anyway, this attachment or that attachment, every particular man has got attachment for something, phobia. But that attachment should be turned for Kṛṣṇa. This yoga has to be practiced. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ.

Then what will be the result? Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Asaṁśayam. We have got vague idea of God. We do not know actually what is God. There is saṁśaya, doubts. Somebody is impersonalist. Somebody is localized. Somebody is personalist. But actually, if we ask every man, "What is your conception of God?" I think hardly anyone will be able to explain what is the meaning of God. They have no clear idea. Is it not a fact? Can any one of you give me a clear idea what do you mean by God? No. Therefore if you want clear idea of God without any doubt, asaṁśayam, and samagram... Samagram means full, not partially. The spiritual understanding is partial in this way, brahmeti paramātmā iti bhagavān iti śabdyate. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features, Brahman, beginning from Brahman, then Paramātmā, Supersoul. I think in Christian world they call holy ghost. Anyway, Paramātmā, the Supersoul. And ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is the statement of the śāstra. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). If you want to know, here is Bhagavān.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Melbourne, June 29, 1974 :

So here it is said that asaṁśayam. Asaṁśayam means without doubt. Without doubt. And samagram, samagram means in complete. Those who are philosophers, speculating what is God, what is the Absolute Truth, they cannot know. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-

prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi

jānāti tattvaṁ (bhagavan-mahimno)

na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan

(SB 10.14.29)

One who is, I mean to say, has gotten, who has gotten a little favor of Kṛṣṇa, God, he can understand. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda, one who has got little mercy of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśa, little mercy, jānāti tattvam, he can understand what is God. Little favor; not all favor, a little. Others, ciraṁ vicinvan, they may go on speculating, imagining what is God, "God may be like this," "God may be like that," "God may be like that." So in that way, ciraṁ vicinvan, for many, many millions of years, if one thinks like that, he cannot understand. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa comes Himself, and He manifests His pastimes in Vṛndāvana as cowherd boy—how He is playing with His friends, how He is dealing with Rādhārāṇī, how He is dealing with His parents.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

The family attachment will be polished. If you train your family in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Just early in the morning rise up. You can control your family in that way: "Now get up. Take your bath." Have maṅgala-ārati. Then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, read Bhagavad-gītā. Then take prasādam. Then go to office or work. So in this way, if your mind is in Kṛṣṇa and if you act accordingly, then that is perfection. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended this process, that you stay in your position. There is no question of changing your position. But from that position you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And the easiest process is: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is not at all difficult provided we agree to accept it. Then we can gradually understand "What is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God," and so on, so on. Everything will be clear.

"Everything will be clear" means for the time being our heart is very dirty. We are always full of so many dirty consciousness. It has to be cleansed. This cleansing process is this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). This Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra means the first business is to cleanse the dirty heart. The dirty heart means rajas-tamas. There are three qualities, three modes of material nature: tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, sattva-guṇa. So generally we are in rajas-tamo-guṇa, ignorance and passion. The ignorance and passion, the symptom is greediness and lusty desires. So this is the dirty things.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So it is very easy thing. Simply we have to take to this yoga system, yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ, under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa or His devotee. Then we shall understand what is God in full, samagram. Samagram means full, without any doubt. Other, mental speculators, they are in doubt. They do not know whether there is God or what kind of God He is, what does He do or what is His business, so many things. But these Kṛṣṇa conscious people, they know exactly what is God and where is His address, where is His family. Everything they know, samagram, samagram and asaṁśaya, without any doubt. Not that, "Yes, I have now come to know God, where He lives, His address and His activity, but it may not be," saṁśaya. No. Asaṁśayaṁ samagram. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). So it is not difficult. If we are actually serious to understand what is God, God is explaining here Himself. You cannot speculate upon God. God is explaining Himself, "This is... I am like this." Just like a very big man. If you speculate upon him, "He may be possessing so much wealth, he may be like this. He may be..." No. That "may be" may be or may not be. But if that person explains himself, "My dear Mr. such and such, my position is like this. I am like this," then it is very easy.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So similarly, the conclusion is that when this body will be vanquished, I shall accept another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). This is simple method of understanding the transmigration of the soul. So real problem is that I am eternal, but I am put into such condition that I have to take birth and die, I have to become old and I have to disease. This is the real problem. The modern civilization, they are supposed to be very much advanced. What is the advancement? The real problem is there. You have to accept death. Nobody wants to die, but why death is there? But they are callous. They think, "We have to accept this death" or "This is finished," all vague idea, no real idea.

So if we want to be really learned, if we want to know what is our constitutional position, what is the aim of life, what is God, how we can reestablish our relationship with God, these things are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā very clearly. And if we are intelligent enough, we should take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously. And if you want to understand this movement scientifically, philosophically, we have got hundreds of books, all being accepted by educated circle, very logically and very philosophically written. You read them, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take advantage of this movement and be successful in your life.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

Prabhupāda: So, what is the purpose of reading Vedas? Can you say me? Who can say what is the purpose of reading Vedas? That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). By reading Vedas, any Vedas, you have to understand God. Then it is perfect reading of Vedas. If you do not understand what is God, then what is the use of reading Vedas? Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). Simply waste of time. If you have read Vedas, then give me full information of God. Then I can understand that you have read Vedas. If you have no idea of God, then it is useless advertisement that "I have read Vedas."

Indian man (4): Swamiji, most of our Hindus accept Lord Kṛṣṇa as our Supreme Being, as God. Yet in the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna won't fight his brothers, but Lord Kṛṣṇa encouraged this, to fight his own brothers, to kill his own brothers, to shed blood. Isn't this condoning violence? Yet Hinduism doesn't condone violence. Can you explain why Lord Kṛṣṇa encourages Arjuna to fight his own blood?

Prabhupāda: If you can question the high-court judge why he is ordering somebody to be hanged, then what will be the answer? The high-court judge orders somebody to be hanged and somebody to take degree for one lakh of rupees. Is there injustice? It is the law. The Supreme Lord has to execute the law. So there is no mistake. As there is no mistake in the judgment of the high-court, similarly, what to speak of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. There is necessity. The government, in order to keep law and order, there is violence also. The police sometimes commit violence, the military force. So in order to keep whole thing in balance, sometimes violence is required, and that is not to our whims but at the decision of the Supreme Lord.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

So all these nonsense speculators... We use purposefully "nonsense," because they have no sense, simply speculating. God is unlimited. How you...? Your mind is limited. What you can speculate? "May be like this, may be like that," that's all. "Perhaps it is like this." All simply theoretical. It is never possible to know Kṛṣṇa, God, perfectly and completely by the speculating method. It is not possible. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, or God—when we speak of Kṛṣṇa, God—so then Kṛṣṇa's formula must be followed, as it is said here, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. The principal factor is to become attached to Kṛṣṇa. Attached means become a lover of Kṛṣṇa. Then you can understand asaṁśayam, without any doubt. Without any doubt. Otherwise you will find there are so many hundreds of religious system all over the world. Ask anyone who are their follower, "Do you know what is God?" They'll never be able to answer clearly, because they do not know God. And if you do not know God, then what is the meaning of your religion?

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, you said that if we asked the other religious sects what is God... (break)

Prabhupāda: Nothing to do with any physiological, anatomical. We have to see that we are advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we have to eat something. We have to eat the remnants of foodstuff taken by Kṛṣṇa. Prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. That is our policy. We do not see to the physiological, anatomical condition. That is not our business. That is automatically done.

Devotee (2): Śrīla Prabhupāda (indistinct).

Brahmānanda: He says that according to Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy, the first living being was Brahmā, and in the Christian Bible it says Adam was the first man. So he wants to know if in Kṛṣṇa consciousness scriptures there is any mention of Adam.

Prabhupāda: Why you want to tally with Bible and Kṛṣṇa conscious literature? Do you think that Kṛṣṇa conscious literature has to tally with Bible? There is, that "There is first living being, Brahmā," and Brahmā was also married couple. So you can take it as Adam and Eve. That's all. (laughter) Why do you want cent percent tally? But this nonsense theory, that there was a monkey first of all, (laughter) Darwin's theory, and from monkey, human being has come, this is nonsense. So any other question?

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

Indian man (4): Just now you said we are all part and parcel of God. What would you say is God?

Prabhupāda: That we have explained, what is God. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). You have to become God conscious. Then you will understand what is God. It is not a so trifle thing you ask me and, one minute, you understand God. That is foolishness. You have to study the science of God. God is not so cheap.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

Out of many thousands of men, one wants to become perfect, and out of many millions of perfect men, one can understand God. So God is not so cheap thing. Therefore Kṛṣṇa recommends,

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha

yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ

asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ

yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu

(BG 7.1)

If you want to know God without any doubt, completely, then you have to adopt this yoga. So first of all come to the yoga. Then speak of God understanding. It is not so cheap thing.

Indian man (5): Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the oldest teaching of God, or Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is mayy āsakta-manāḥ. That is explained.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:

The yoga system which is known as bhakti-yoga... Everyone is trying, not everyone, at the present moment, practically nobody wants to understand what is God. Everyone is busy to fulfill the desires and necessities of the body.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow and kharaḥ means ass. So according to Vedic culture one who has accepted this material body as self... Ātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. This body is a combination of matter, and the living force within this body is not this combination of matter; it is the spirit soul. That one has to understand before coming to the platform of spiritual life. So long one is attached with this material body it is not possible to understand what is spiritual life. If one continues to be attached to this material body he is no better than go-kharaḥ, cows and asses, animals.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:

So there are so many things to learn and to understand what is God and what is Kṛṣṇa. God means Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. God means nobody is equal to Him and nobody is greater than Him. That is God. There is no completion that in this quarter there is one God and in another neighborhood there is another God. Just like it has become a fashion, so many Gods, competition is going on. No. There is no competition. God is one. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate, na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. That is God. So because God is complete in knowledge, therefore we have to take knowledge from Him, not from the persons who have got incomplete knowledge. That knowledge is not perfect. We must take knowledge from the person, we have to take knowledge from the person:

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

We have to approach. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). We have to approach a superior person, guru, and take knowledge from him. The most superior person is Kṛṣṇa. You may doubt others, that may be, but when you come to Kṛṣṇa, that is perfect knowledge. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1).

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 22, 1977:

Last night some gentleman questioned, "What is God?" Bhagavān, especially in our country, Bhāratavarṣa, Bhagavān personally comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). So Bhāratavarṣa is not an ordinary country. It is puṇya-bhūmi where Bhagavān comes. So in this land at the present moment our young men are inquiring what is God. Here Bhagavān comes personally, He leaves His instruction, He's accepted by the ācāryas, and our young men have become so much advanced in education that they're asking what is God.

So we should understand what is the situation at the present moment. So why this has happened? It has happened because we are making progress towards animal civilization. Because in the śāstra it is said,

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

Anyone who has got this bodily conception of life and in relation to the body the family, country, society, we are thinking they are our kinsmen... And bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, the land which the body is produced, we are taking that land as worshipable. And when we go to the holy places... Just like people come to Jagannātha Purī. They take bath in the sea water, salile, salile, but do not associate with experienced men who are advanced in spiritual consciousness—such person is nothing but cow or ass or animals. Therefore the question has been raised, "What is God?" We shall be careful, at least in India, that we may not glide down more and more to the animal platform of life. (aside:) Why they are being driven away? Let them sit down. Ask them to sit down. That's all. Let them sit down. They'll simply hear. That will also benefit. Anyway...Let them sit down. Even they cannot understand, if they hear the voice they will be benefited.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 22, 1977:

A dog is enjoying sex life on the street, and the king is enjoying sex life in the palace. But the pleasure is the same. Similarly defense. If you attack one animal, he knows how to defend himself. He has got also nails and jaws. A tiger or a dog or a cat, if you attack he knows how to defend himself. We may defend with atomic weapon, but the business is the same, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ...

The particular business of human being is stated in the Vedānta-sūtra: athāto brahma jijñāsā. So these four principles of life, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam, there is no difference. Only difference is a human being can inquire about what is God or what is Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is the only business of human life. So a cat, a dog cannot inquire about Brahman, but the gentleman inquire about what is God. Because he is human being he could inquire like that. So there is no cause of disappointment. At least our young men in India, at least still inquiring. That is the culture. "What is God?"this is the beginning of human life, when one inquires about Brahman.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 22, 1977:

Simply by becoming devotees of Vāsudeva, vāsudeva-parāyaṇa, everything can be adjusted. When Rāmānanda Rāya answered Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the systematic society of human being, Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejected. He said eho bāhya āge kaha āra. So Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied, quoting from other verses from śāstra, karma-tyāga, sannyāsa. In this way, step by step. But when he said that sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ... When Rāmānanda Rāya said that "It doesn't require of any change. Simply if people giving up his own endeavor to understand what is God, what is life. Simply if he remains humbly and hears from the real authority, then by hearing only he can conquer Ajita." Ajita is Bhagavān.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving chance to everyone to hear from the authoritative sources, from the śāstra. Sādhu śāstra guru. These are authorities. So instead of hearing from the unauthorized persons, means... sādhu means who speaks on the basis of śāstra. Guru means who speaks on the basis of śāstra. They're sādhu guru śāstra. And śāstra means the statement of authorities. That is śāstra. Just like Bhagavad-gītā. It is śāstra because it is spoken by the supreme guru, Kṛṣṇa. So who is guru? At the present moment so many unauthorized persons are presenting themselves as guru. But you should be very careful. Guru, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128).

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 22, 1977:

Prabhupāda: So you can analyze. Karṣaṇa you cannot understand the meaning? Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. Kṛṣ-karṣati. Yes. Kṛṣṇa means attractive, all-attractive.

Indian: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: And besides that, you do not know Kṛṣṇa? That is the difficulty. That our people have become so degraded that they are asking what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa—although Kṛṣṇa, God, is appeared here and left instructions. This is our position. There is a Bengali word, ṣaṭ-khaṇḍa rāmāyaṇa sītā karbaba.(?) He has studied Seventh (indistinct) of Rāmāyaṇa, now he's asking who's father is Sītā. So this is the position. We are born in the country where Kṛṣṇa spoke everything, and now we are asking what is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa, what is God. This is the position. Very degraded position. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34).

Indian: God..., or God is behind this manifestation. I am in delusion. This phenomenon...

Prabhupāda: Yes. God is behind this manifestation. But one should be intelligent enough to understand who is the person or what is that which is behind this manifestation. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is answered. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Behind this everything there is a person or there is a thing which is the source of everything. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam: "These foolish rascals do not know that behind this manifestation, I am there."

Indian: Then you have to these names and forms?

Prabhupāda: Why forms?

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

Of all the yogis, the yogi who is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa with love and faith... It is not very difficult. Kṛṣṇa says, "He is first-class yogi." So how to become the first-class yogi, that is described in this Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says personally. If you want to understand God, it is better to understand from God Himself. Instead of speculating what is God, better to understand God from the words of God.

So Kṛṣṇa is accepted by the... Just like Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is the compiler of all Vedic knowledge. He accepts Kṛṣṇa, (as) the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Later on, all the ācāryas—Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya—they have all accepted Kṛṣṇa. So far our Vedic culture is concerned, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here it is also said, śrī bhagavān uvāca. So He is teaching how to become first-class yogi in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is His teaching. He is saying, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Mayi, "unto Me," āsakta, "attachment." The Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga means to increase the attachment for Kṛṣṇa. That's all. We have got attachment for something, every one of us. So everyone has got attachment, either for His family, either for some friend or for some house or some hobby or for some cats, some dogs. There is attachment. That is not to be learned. We cannot... There is no need of explaining what is attachment. Attachment is there, existing in everyone's heart. He wants to be attached to somebody else or he... Everyone wants to love somebody else. Love does not mean oneness. Love must be two, the lover and the beloved. So attachment is there. That is natural. Everyone knows. Now, this yoga system, Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga system, means to increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa. That's all.

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

Asaṁśayam means "without doubt," and samagram means "in completeness." Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām. Kṛṣṇa says... Mām means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi: "As you can understand, please try to hear from Me." Kṛṣṇa is speaking personally. So if we accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as instructed by Kṛṣṇa Himself, then we understand what is God without any doubt. Asaṁśayam and samagram, in completeness. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu.

In our present position, with blunt material senses, with four defects, it is not possible to understand what is God. We have got four defects in this material condition. We commit mistake, every one of us; we are illusioned; we accept something for something for something. So to commit mistake, illusioned, and our senses are imperfect. The knowledge we gather through our senses, that is imperfect because our senses are imperfect. Just like we see every day the sun with our eyes, but because our senses are imperfect, we see the sun like a disc, although it is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth. In this way, if we analyze our senses, it will be found that our senses are imperfect. By the imperfect senses speculating, that is not perfect. Therefore all the speculators, they, so-called scientists, philosophers, they put forward theories: "Perhaps," "It may be," like that. That means it is not perfect knowledge. But if we receive knowledge from the supreme perfect God, that it is actually perfect. Our process is like that.

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

So here also, it is said, jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam: "I am speaking to you this knowledge which you can practically experience." Not theoretical simply. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ (BG 7.2). Aśeṣataḥ means "without any reservation, as far as possible." "As far as you can understand, I am explaining." Yaj jñātvā, "If you understand this," na iha bhūyaḥ anyaj jñātavayam avaśiṣyate... "If you can understand this knowledge with practical experience, then there will be nothing to know anymore." That means your knowledge is complete, perfect. In the Vedas also, it is stated that yaj jñātvā, kasmin tu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you simply try to understand what is God... Not try to understand. If you understand scientifically what is God then you understand everything. Because God is everything. God is the central point of everything. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. These are the Vedic versions. "From whom all this material cosmic manifestation has come into being." In the Vedānta-sūtra it says janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Absolute Truth is that from which everything has come down. So if you understand the Absolute Truth, kasmin vijñāte, sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati, then you can understand all other departments of knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ: "Explicitly, elaborately I am saying." Yaj jñātvā, "If you understand," na iha, "in this world," anyat bhūyaḥ, "again," anyat, "anything else," jñātavyam avaśiṣyate, "there is anything remains to understand. Everything is understood."

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

That's all right, very good. But you stay here. But you cannot stay. That is your problem. If you can solve that problem... "Yes, I have constructed nice place, nice city, nice country, and everything is nice, but I will stay and enjoy," but that is not allowed. Then where is your perfection? This is the problem.

So Kṛṣṇa says therefore, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). There are many persons, they are trying to attain that perfectional stage of life by jñāna-yoga, dhyāna yoga or haṭha-yoga. There are many processes. But there is no system... Or there is system, but people are not interested. What is that system? Yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). Nobody is trying to understand what is God. They are trying to understand so many things, but that will not solve their problems. But nobody is trying to understand God. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). Out of many thousands, millions of persons, one may try to attain perfection of life. And out of such persons who are trying to attain perfection of life, some may understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is trying to speak about Himself in the Seventh Chapter especially.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes, consciousness is according to the body. Just like when you were a child, your consciousness was different because you had a different body. In your childhood you might have talked so many nonsense things. Your father, mother did not care. "He is a child." But if you talk such nonsense things now, then you will be differently considered. Because the body is different. So consciousness is there according to different types of body. So in this human form of body we have got our consciousness very developed. Now we should utilize this consciousness to understand what is God, what is our relationship with God, and act accordingly. Then we become perfect. But if we do not take advantage of this human form of life, we keep our dog's consciousness, eating, sleeping, mating only, then we do not know what kind of body we are going to get next.

Swedish man (2): If I come in contact with Kṛṣṇa movement now, will that in my next life get me a human body?

Prabhupāda: Not only human body. We are getting... You have got already the spiritual body. Now it is covered by this material body. So if you develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are not going to be covered by material body again. You keep in your spiritual body, so that in spiritual body you go to the spiritual world and live with Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest perfection.

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

Yes. If you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even though you cannot finish it properly, still, you get the chance of getting a human, a higher standard human form of life. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). One who could not finish this yoga system of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he gets his life again as a human being in very rich family or in a very pure family. So at least human body is guaranteed, even one fails to complete the Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because he gets another chance. To get birth in a rich family means he has no economic problem. He can completely engage himself to understand what is God. But people are not doing that. As soon as he gets birth in a rich family, he thinks that "For nothing I have got so much money. Let me engage in sense gratification." No guide. Otherwise there is a chance. Similarly, in a pure brāhmaṇa family also, the family is already enlightened. Just like the children of our students. From the very beginning they are getting chance to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is a very good chance. From childhood. Fortunately, we got such father and mother. So two alternatives. If a Kṛṣṇa conscious person could not complete the course, then he gets another chance. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Yoga-bhraṣṭa, means one who falls down... But there is no cause of falling down if we are strict. Just like if a student is studying nicely, he will pass his examination. Where is the difficulty there? If he neglects, he may fail. But even if he fails, then he gets the chance of getting a human body. Otherwise there is no guarantee. Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change this body. But what kind of change? That will depend on your work. You are being educated with the expectation of being situated, posted in some nice occupation, but that occupation will depend on your work in student life. You may become a high-court judge, you can become a great engineer, you can get so many things, or you could not get anything, such post. That will depend on your work. Similarly, this life is preparation for the next life. So best thing is that you prepare, heart and soul, for going back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the highest perfection of life. Our students are being taught in that way, highest perfection of life.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

Then next item is cheating. Cheating means with imperfect knowledge one takes the place of a teacher. And the last deficiency is that our senses are imperfect. It is not independent. Still, we are very much proud of our senses. For example, atheist class of men, they say that "Can you show me God?" He does not think whether he has got any power to see. So far our eyes are concerned, we can see so long when the conditions are fulfilled. Just like we are speaking. As soon as the light will be off, we cannot see one another. So what is the value of these eyes? You simply see under certain conditions. You simply smell under certain conditions. You can hear under certain condition. So therefore your materialistic life is conditional life.

So with imperfect senses, we cannot understand what is God. The only sense is very, I mean to, usable, just is this ear. Just like man is sleeping, and some enemy has come to attack him or to kill him. So still he's nicely sleeping. But if some friend cries, "Mr. such and such, wake up, wake up! Here is enemy. He'll kill you, kill you!" He can rise up. So when all other senses are useless, the ear can work. Therefore, to understand God, we have to use this ear. And we have to receive the sound vibration and it will act.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

Those who are trying to speculate and understand the Absolute Truth, they can realize up to impersonal Brahman. So generally, speculators means big, big philosophers. They can understand that impersonal Brahman. These impersonalists are generally known as jñānīs. Jñānīs means the wise men or persons who are very much aware of everything. So they can understand the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. But there are other class who are called yogis. The yogis can understand the Paramātmā feature of the Absolute Truth. Paramātmā means the Supersoul who is situated within everyone's heart. And the personal feature of the Lord is realized by the bhaktas, or the devotees.

So the jñānīs and the yogis, they cannot understand perfectly what is God. God is transcendental, sat-cit-ānanda, combination of eternity, knowledge and blissfulness. So if we realize the Absolute Truth partially, simply the eternity knowledge, that is called brahma-jñāna. And when one is further advanced and he realizes the Absolute Truth as the localized aspect, Paramātmā, or Lord Viṣṇu within anyone's heart, by the yogic practice, that is called paramātma-jñāna, or knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Actually, the objective is one, but different degrees of understanding. One example can be given in this connection. Just like the sun globe and the sun-god and the sunshine. The sunshine is also light, and there is temperature, and the sun globe is also light, and there is temperature, and within the sun globe, there is the personality known as sun-god, that is also light and temperature. But all this light and temperature, there are degrees.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

Well, it is not rejecting; it is reforming. The Catholic religion also teaches love of God, or love of Christ. So if I say the truth, it will not be very palatable, but this movement is reformation. But another thing is Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, or whatever you may be, everyone accepts there is God. So we are teaching not to formally accept there is God, but know what is God and love Him. So those who are interested for higher knowledge of God, they'll take it. The point is simply officially to accept God, There is God, know. You know what is God, what is His..., what He is doing, what He is acting, what is His name, what is His address. Everything you know and try to love Him. That we are teaching. So those who are actually serious to know about God, they'll come to this movement. And those who simply know God officially: "There is God. That's all," that is different thing. That is also good. But if you want to know more, then you have to take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are therefore presenting these books, eighty books, four hundred pages each, and just to explain what is God. So it is a great science. Any intelligent man will appreciate. And we are getting good response. Especially in America, big, big university, college, professors, they are now purchasing. We have proposed to publish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in sixty volumes, but we have published only fourteen. But still, the big, big professors, they are giving us order, forward order, for all the sixty volumes. As soon as scholarly people, they read these books, they'll welcome this movement all over the world. Is that all right, or any more? Any more questions?

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

Translator: She would like to know if our religion can bring something more than the other religions.

Prabhupāda: There is one religion. One who knows God, he is religious. One who does not know God, that religion has no meaning. Religion means to understand the order of God. That is religion. But if you do not know what is God, and how you can hear His order? So religion without understanding God philosophically and logically is sentiment. And philosophy without understanding of God is mental speculation. So when philosophy and religious sentiments combine, that is called religion. Otherwise, it is not religion.

Bhagavān: Have kīrtana?

Prabhupāda: Yes. (end)

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Hyderabad, April 28, 1974 :

Now, why this jñānam required? Because our mission of life is to... You can not understand with your foolish brain what is God. That is not possible. They are trying to understand God by the limited senses. How you can understand? We are defective in so many ways. First of all we commit mistakes, and we are illusioned, we try to cheat others, and our senses are imperfect. So, how you can understand with your limited senses, with so many defects? That is not possible. Therefore you have to understand God from God Himself, or from His representative. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Mad-āśrayaḥ: "directly under My direction, or under the direction of My representative." You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa if you remain under your personal intelligence. Everyone says that "I shall understand this by my own dint of knowledge, by speculation." That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa says that you have to understand. Here also it is the same thing said, jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam vakṣyāmy aham, "I shall speak to you." So this is the secret of success, if you want to understand God, what is God. Everyone, there are many philosophers, scientists, they are trying to understand God by research, but that research will not help you. You have to understand directly from God, or from God's representative. That is the way.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968:

Here it is said that manuṣyas teṣāṁ śāstra 'dhikara yajñānāṁ sahasra-madhye. Now, what I am, what is God, what is this material world, how it is working, these things are business of an educated man. A foolish man cannot take. Therefore śāstra adhikāra. Śāstra means one has got some knowledge in the śāstras, in the books of knowledge. As soon as we find out one who has got books of knowledge, knowledge in books, or śāstra, the quantity will be at once reduced. In this quarter if you find out how many noneducated people are there, oh, you'll find many. And as soon as you want to find out how many M.A.'s are there, at once the number will be reduced. Similarly, there are many men, but if you want to search out some man who is trying to make perfection of his life, at once the number will be reduced. And out of them Just like so many transcendentalists, swamis, yogis there are. If you count amongst them who wants to understand God, who has got the knowledge of God, at once the number will be reduced. Again.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that out of many, many thousands of people, somebody is interested for making perfection of his life. And out of many, many thousands of men who are actually trying to make perfection of their life, you'll find somebody—or you may not find out—who knows God or Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He comes Himself to be known by everyone. And He's so kind also that before His departure from this material world, He leaves behind Him this Bhagavad-gītā so that you can know from His personal talks what is God. So if you read Bhagavad-gītā rightly, as it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, not foolishly interpreting nonsensically, but as it is, as it is... Call the spade a spade. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Don't interpret this version with your foolish interpretation, but accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And by His acts, by His sastric knowledge, wisdom... Everyone accepted previously, all the ācāryas.

So we have to follow the footprints of the ācāryas. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We cannot understand higher things unless we follow the footprint of great personalities. Just like even in the scientific world, the law of gravitation. You do not know anything about law of gravitation, but Sir Isaac Newton, he said that there is law of gravitation. You accept it. That's all. That means you follow a great personality. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa should be accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead not by whims. But He has been accepted like by personalities like Lord Caitanya, Rāmānujācārya, Śaṅkarācārya, great personalities who are guiding the destiny of spiritual world. Therefore you have to accept in that way.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968:

There is no question of unlimited, but at least it becomes purified. First of all purify. Then the limit of senses will be also extended. Just like if your eye is defective. So you cannot see; you require the help of glass. But if the disease of your eye is cured, oh, you can see without glass. But that does not mean that you can see for hundred miles. But at least you can see perfectly. You don't require the help of glass. Similarly, so long your senses are impure, you are completely in ignorance, you do not know what you are, what is this world, what is God—simply in darkness. Just like dull stone. Ignorance means dull stone. So if your senses are purified, at least you can know who is God, what you are, what is this world, what is your relationship. These things will be revealed. Not that you can become the supreme controller. No. That is not possible. Purifying the senses means at least you can know your self, you know the controller, know the controlling system. These things will be revealed.

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

Asaṁśayam, without any doubt. If we speculate about God, that will never be sufficient. Not even we can touch the precincts of the knowledge. If we want knowledge without any doubt, asaṁśayam, samagram, and complete, then we must hear from God Himself. This is very easy to understand. By hypothesis, by speculation, you cannot understand anything. It must be known scientifically, and this science can be understood if a person knows the science. So who can know God better than God Himself?

Therefore our process is—we have repeatedly explained this—that we do not speculate about God. Just like there are so many others, theosophists and theologists, they're speculating what is God. They don't accept... God personally explaining, they would not accept. They would simply speculate. This is their disease. When God is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā... Rather, they will mislead the readings of the Bhagavad-gītā in different interpretation, but they will not accept what is being taught by God Himself. This is their misfortune. "Why shall I accept Kṛṣṇa as God?" Although He has proved Himself when He was present by the qualification which God needs...

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

To become God is not easy thing. There are some qualification, yesterday we discussed, that He must be the richest, He must be the most powerful, He must be the most famous, He must be the most learned, He must be the most beautiful, and He must be the most renounced. This is the definition of God. A poor man, begging from door to door, he cannot become God, as it is misconceived, daridra-nārāyaṇa. Why Nārāyaṇa can be daridra? What is this nonsense? He is the richest. He is the richest. And why He can, He will be daridra? The argument is forwarded that "God is in everyone's heart; therefore everyone is God." What is this argument? Everyone's heart, God is there. God said, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Where God says that because īśvara, the Supreme Being, is situated in everyone's heart, therefore everyone is God? What is this argument? Where Kṛṣṇa says that because īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61), therefore everyone is God? Is that very sound argument?

So this is going on. They do not know what is God, and still, there are so many incarnations of God. And foolish people accept that "Here is an incarnation of God." He does not know what is God, and he accepts, "Here is incarnation." We do not do so. If there is incarnation of God... That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Their activities are mentioned, wonderful activities. We accept Lord Rāmacandra as God, Lord Kṛṣṇa as God, Caitanya Mahāprabhu as God, because They are mentioned in the śāstras, all the incarnations, even this age. One may say that "Lord Rāmacandra is accepted God, Lord Kṛṣṇa is also accepted, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is the greatest devotee of God, but..." There are some persons in the Nimbārka-sampradāya, they put this argument. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu's name is there in the śāstra, many Upaniṣads, especially in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in the Kali-yuga this incarnation of God should be worshiped. What is that description?

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:

They're thinking like that. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. So why they are...? Now, if they have become liberated, so advanced, and feeling that they have become Nārāyaṇa, so what is the objection? The objection is ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvāt (SB 10.2.32). They do not know what is Nārāyaṇa, these rascals. Śaṅkarācārya admits, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṇa is not a being within this material world." That is Nārāyaṇa. And they have become Nārāyaṇa, namo nārāyaṇāya. Nārāyaṇa is so cheap thing? Therefore śāstra says, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. These rascals, they are thinking they have become Nārāyaṇa, but they do not know what is Nārāyaṇa. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Why they do not under...? Tvayy asta-bhāvāt. They never tried to understand what is really God. They thought, "God is very cheap thing. Everyone can become God." So therefore they have become vimukta-māninaḥ.

Real mukti is described in the Bhāgavata. Mukti means muktir hitvānyathā rūpam. Muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. When one is cured of his madness and he is situated in healthy state, that is called mukti. So here in this material world everyone is mad. Somebody is thinking, "I am king." Somebody is thinking, "I am minister." Somebody is thinking, "I am president," "I am this," "I am Nārāyaṇa," so on, so on, so on, all madmen, all madmen, because it will be finished. His so-called conception of becoming this and that will be finished within few years. But he is eternal. He is thinking the temporary situation of becoming an American, Indian, or minister, or president, or this or that, how long it will stay? It will stay, say, ten or fifteen or fifty or hundred years. That's all. But he is not for hundred years. He—nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). But the rascal does not know. He is thinking, "By chance, I have become minister or president or this or that. For some years this is my position." Dehātma-buddhiḥ. So that is the difference between mukti, mukta and bandha, bondage and liberation.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:

...human being is the life where one can understand what is God. It is not stated here jīvanam, the living entities. There are, we have several times explained, many types of living entities. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. The aquatics, they are also living entities. There are 900,000 forms of body within the water. They are also living entities. And... Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Sthāvarāḥ means living entities who cannot move—trees, plants, herbs, grass. They cannot move. So they are two millions. So in this way you come to the human being. They are also living entities. There are 400,000 different forms. We can see here. We are human being, but we have got different forms, different color.

So this is the variety of creation. So out of all these living entities, the human form of living entity is very important. So that is the life wherein we can understand what is God. Therefore in the human society there is some process of understanding God which is called religion. Religion means a process by which we can understand what is God, what is our relationship with Him, and what is our duty towards Him. So therefore it is said, these human beings who are actually trying to fulfill the mission of human life... To fulfill the mission of human life means that we living being, spirit soul, we are now entangled within this material body. This is our problem. Really the... To understand the position of the living being is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā does not begin with some utopian ideas of humanitarian work. No. Śrī Kṛṣṇa wanted Arjuna to understand in the beginning that "First of all, you understand your constitutional position, what you are."

To know ourself, what we are, that is siddhi, not to be busy with the bodily comforts of life which are being executed by the cats and dogs and hogs. The hog is whole time engaged how to maintain his body, how to have nice sexual intercourse, and how to eat anything he likes. You will find the hog life, practically. In our country, in India, in the villages the village hogs they are loitering whole day and night, "Where is stool? Where is stool?" So if human life is meant for that purpose, from early in the morning till one goes to sleep, simply find out where is money, "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?" then where is the difference between this pig life and the human life? If human life is meant for that purpose, "Where is money? Where is money?"... Of course, for the human being the money is very sweet; similarly, to the hog the stool is very sweet. So it is the question of sweetness, not the matter. Taste. So he finds good taste in stool, and we find good taste in money.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:

Then our life is perfect. We must know our position, what is the perfection of life, what is Kṛṣṇa, and what is my relationship with Kṛṣṇa. In this way, if we understand, that is our perfect life. Kṛṣṇa is describing that. Because in this chapter He says, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Kṛṣṇa is ready to give us instruction, asaṁśayam, without any doubt. Anyone who is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, ask him any question like this. He will give full answer, without any doubt. That is the perfection of life. We must know kṛṣṇa-tattva. The same thing I was explaining yesterday. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). You try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Simply try to understand and study Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is giving about Himself. You haven't got to speculate just like so many theosophists and philosophers and theologists, and they are trying to speculate to understand what is God. Why you are speculating, wasting your time? Why not take full knowledge here? Everything is ready. No, that they will not take. They will speculate. So let them speculate. They will never be successful. But if you want success, you Kṛṣṇa conscious men, then you read Bhagavad-gītā thoroughly and understand and try to understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly. You'll understand because Kṛṣṇa is giving His own identity, identification, what He is. Then where is the difficulty? And if you understand Kṛṣṇa, you become perfect. You become perfect, So perfect that... Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). If you understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, then immediate benefit is that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). You have to give up this body. It is a fact. But after giving up, this is your last material body. No more material body. Your spiritual body.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:

Why they do not surrender? Now, because duṣkṛtina, always acting sinful activities, duṣkṛtina, and mūḍha, rascal. He does not know his own interest. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Mūḍha, rascal. And then narādhama. Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. "This human body was given to him by material nature to understand Me, to surrender to Me, but he will not do this. Therefore lowest of the mankind." "No, he is so educated." No, this is nonsense. If he does not understand Kṛṣṇa, what is the meaning of education? There is no education. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Why these things are...? Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. He's defying Kṛṣṇa, defying God, "What is God? I am God." This is the position.

This is the position always of everyone who is in this material world, and especially in this age, Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga, they are all first-class fools. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10), prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. The Kali-yuga is very difficult yuga. In ignorance they fight, quarrel, only fight, quarrel. Kali means fight. Therefore it is called Kali-yuga. So in this age especially, the inhabitants, they are manda. Manda means all bad. Nobody is good. And sumanda, matayaḥ. Everyone has got his conception of perfection—all bogus. Sumanda-matayaḥ. Why this is? Manda-bhāgyāḥ: because they are unfortunate. Everyone does not know what he shall eat next morning or in the evening. Everyone is in need. Scarcity all over the world. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ. And still, they are disturbed, so many. Especially with the increase of Kali-yuga, people will be disturbed by two things especially. What is that? Scarcity of food and taxation. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. God is explaining what is God. That is real knowledge. If you speculate on God, it is not possible. You cannot understand. The God, Kṛṣṇa, in the beginning said, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Samagram. Samagra means whatever... Or samagra means complete. So whatever subject for study and knowledge there is, God is the sum total of everything, one. God is the sum total of everything. Therefore He begins to explain Himself that...

First of all, because we have no information of God but practically we see the vast land, the vast water, ocean, the vast sky, then fire, so many things, material things, material things also mind... Mind is also material. And then ego. Everyone is thinking that "I am something. I am..." Kartāham iti manyate. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. This false ego. This ego means false ego. And there is pure ego. That pure ego is ahaṁ brahmāsmi, and the false ego: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am this," "I am that." This is false ego, ahaṅkāra. So at the present moment... Not at the present, always, we are surrounded by all these things. That is our beginning of philosophy: wherefrom this land came? Wherefrom this water came? Wherefrom the fire came? That is natural inquiry. Wherefrom the sky came? How the stars are situated, so many millions and millions? So these are the inquiries of the intelligent person. That is the beginning of philosophical life. Therefore those who are thoughtful human being, gradually they are inquisitive of understanding the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975:

"I am this," "I am that." This is false ego, ahaṅkāra. So at the present moment... Not at the present, always, we are surrounded by all these things. That is our beginning of philosophy: wherefrom this land came? Wherefrom this water came? Wherefrom the fire came? That is natural inquiry. Wherefrom the sky came? How the stars are situated, so many millions and millions? So these are the inquiries of the intelligent person. That is the beginning of philosophical life. Therefore those who are thoughtful human being, gradually they are inquisitive of understanding the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.

So Kṛṣṇa is there, and Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself, "I am like this." But unfortunately we'll not understand Kṛṣṇa, but we'll try to speculate what is God. This is our disease. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself; God is explaining Himself. We shall not take that statement, but either we shall deny or we shall accept God without any head and leg and so on, so many things. This is our disease. Therefore in the previous verse it has been explained,

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

Out of many millions and millions of persons, actually they are serious to understand, "What is the aim of life? What is God? What is my relation..." Nobody is interested. Just like... Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Everyone is interested with this bodily conception of life like cats and dogs. This is the position. Not only now, always, this is the material condition. But somebody, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu, out of millions, one tries to understand, to make his life perfect. And out of such perfection...

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975:

After brahma-jñāna... Sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers they say, "By bhakti one gains brahma-jñāna, and one becomes liberated, merged into Brahman," and so on, so on, because they say, "Bhakti is meant for the less intelligent class of men." Their accusation is like that. No. That is not the fact. Bhakti, kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, in the lower stage of bhakti, that is also higher than the Māyāvāda philosophy. In the lower status of bhakti means that arcā-vigraha, anyone, any person, he does not clearly understand what is God, but by the instruction of the spiritual master one is engaged in the service of the Lord. This morning we have explained the Deity worship. Here is God. Here is God, factually, but He has no realization that here is God. That is called kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, in the lower stage of devotional service. But if he accepts even theoretically that "Here is God," then he becomes more advanced than the Māyāvādī who are thinking of God without head and leg, nirviśeṣa-vādī.

So therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that one who has undergone the training by a Māyāvādī philosopher, his life is finished. Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). He says that he is finished because he'll never be able to advance in devotional service, and that is the ultimate goal of life. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). After realization of Brahman, when he is actually on the Brahman platform, then the symptom is na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he has no more lamentation and no more aspiration. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Then he can see everyone one equal level. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Because he does not see the outward body, he does not see that "Here is a Hindu, here is a Muslim, here is a Christian, here is an Indian, here is American, here is black and here is white." No.

Lecture on BG 7.5 -- Nairobi, November 1, 1975:

So there are many evidences in the Vedic literature that the spiritual energy is different from the material energy. And if you understand spiritual energy, then you can understand what is God, because spiritual energy is the sample of God. Sample of God. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that mamaivāṁśaḥ. Here it is said, jīva-bhūta. What is the jīva-bhūta? He is jīva-bhūta, the living entity. Mama eva aṁśa: "They are My part and parcel, minute particle of Me." Just like father and the son. Son is part of the father bodily, not spiritually. Spiritually he is part of Kṛṣṇa, and materially he is part of the body of the father. So we are not talking of the material. That is going on, of course, but this understanding, Bhagavad-gītā, is completely spiritual understanding.

So this jīva-bhūta, that is controlling the material nature. But if you ask, "What is this mat..., er, spiritual energy?" Living entity, that is already explained. Still further it is said in the Fifteenth Chapter that these spiritual energies, jīva-bhūta, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Kṛṣṇa says, "These jīva-bhūta, living entities, they are My part and parcel." That means if you try to understand what are these living entities, then it is, being part and parcel, you can understand God. Just like a big volume of rice boiling. You take one rice and you press it in the hand; you can understand the whole rice pot is now ready. Similarly, if you thoroughly understand this spiritual entity, you can understand what is God. Just like you take a drop of ocean water and analyze it chemically, the combination. Then you can understand what is the whole sea water. It is very easy. At least you can understand composition.

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

If you don't accept in this life... But if you are sincere to understand what is God, then you'll have to wait for many other lives. Life after life, you have to struggle. And then, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, if you come in touch with a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then you'll understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That is the beginning, teaching of Kṛṣṇa. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. Out of many, many millions of persons, one is trying to make his life perfect. Everyone, mostly, 99.9%, they are blind. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. They are being led by blind men. They are blind, and they are led by blind men. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know that the ultimate goal of life is to understand Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, and go back to Him. That is the goal of life. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). That is being taught in the Bhagavad-gītā. This is the goal of life. But they are misled. They are captivated by this material energy. That will be explained in this chapter also. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ, mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam (BG 7.13). They have been bewildered by the three modes of material nature. They are not trying to understand Kṛṣṇa. They are not trying to follow the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are in difficulty. The whole trouble is due to this ignorance. Therefore there is great necessity for broadcasting this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. There is great necessity.

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

This is the version of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrama eva hi kevalam. Simply laboring. Simply uselessly laboring. If you do not awaken your Kṛṣṇa consciousness by studying the Vedas, by studying Bhagavad-gītā, by studying Bhagavad... Simply Bhagavad-gītā. This is the essence of all Vedic literature, although it is ABCD, beginning of spiritual life, spiritual understanding. Unfortunately, people do not understand even the ABCD of this Bhagavad-gītā. And what to speak of becoming graduate and postgraduate? This is the difficulty. If we try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, at least we understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. God is explaining Himself. And we are searching after God, making sear... There are so many institutions. In Oxford University there is a big research department. But here God is canvassing. He's explaining. There was a great controversy. What is that professor?

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:

Some has got some idea, others have got other idea, but so far we are concerned, we are fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. And that is rightly. Because Kṛṣṇa is supported not only by the Vedas and by the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, and authorities like Vyāsadeva, Asita, Devala. And Arjuna, who heard Bhagavad-gītā personally from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he also admits. All the ācāryas. Even Śaṅkarācārya, although he was impersonalist, he admits, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ. Nārāyaṇa... He also admits that "Nārāyaṇa is not a person of this created material world," nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. And he admits also, kṛṣṇas tu..., sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ, "He has appeared as the son of Devakī and Vasudeva." He admits.

So Kṛṣṇa is admitted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all authorities. There is no doubt about it. And Kṛṣṇa personally confirms, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior being than Myself." So where is the difficulty to understand what is God? There is no difficulty. But if we are obstinate, if we do not try to understand what is God, that is a different thing. But everything is there. So we should take it for acceptance that nobody is superior than Kṛṣṇa. Bhāgavata says, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Brahma-saṁhitā says, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So it is concluded. There is no controversy. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya, mayi sarvam idaṁ protam: (BG 7.7) "Everything is in Me."

Lecture on BG 7.8 -- Bombay, February 23, 1974:

Because impious persons... Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpam. Impious persons cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. But one who is free from impious activities, yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām... Puṇya-karma. This hearing is puṇya-karma. Janānāṁ puṇya, te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 7.28). If you simply hear. There is no... If you understand, it is very good. Even if you do not understand, the vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the reading of Bhagavad-gītā, simply chanting, you'll be purified. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi... (SB 1.2.17).

So we cannot understand what I am, what is God, what is my relationship with God, what I have to do in that rela..., we cannot understand these things because we are enwrapped in sinful activities. That is also stated in the... Here. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). So in the material world, every one of us, more or less, are duṣkṛtinaḥ. More or less sinful. So it is very difficult for us to understand Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. I have already explained. Therefore we have to take advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And wherever there is a chance of hearing about Kṛṣṇa, we should take the opportunity. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And learn from the... It is not our manufacture. Kṛṣṇa says. Learn how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Simply you try to understand Kṛṣṇa in every step of life. In every step of life. They will be all explained in this chapter, how you can perceive Kṛṣṇa. The beginning is tasting. Everyone drinks water or drinks something else. So try to taste the liquid, thinking that "This taste is Kṛṣṇa." You see in the morning the light of sunshine: "Here is Kṛṣṇa." In the evening you see the moonlight: "Here is Kṛṣṇa." There is sound always, especially in a city like Bombay. It is full of sound. So whenever you hear any kind of sound—sound is the vibration of the sky—you remember: "This sound is Kṛṣṇa." Śabdaḥ khe. And whenever you meet any person very exalted, very extraordinarily able, you understand that "This ability is Kṛṣṇa's mercy, vibhūti."

Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:

That means he is a brāhmaṇa. Or "This man is very good administrator." That means he is kṣatriya. "Oh, this man is very good industrialist, merchant." That means he is vaiśya. "This man cannot do anything." He is śūdra.

So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ: "By these three qualities, everywhere, all over the universe..." You must know whenever Kṛṣṇa says something, it is nothing limited. Universally true, He says. When He says sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4), He claims to be father of all living entities. Even the animals, even the aquatics, even the trees, plants, worms, birds, beasts, this human being, that human being—all He claims. He's the father of everyone. So similarly, tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ, mohitaṁ sarva-jagat: "The whole world is," I mean to say, "illusioned or covered by these reactions of these three qualities." And we are under the spell of that illusion; therefore we cannot understand what is God, what is God. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat, mohitaṁ nābhijānāti: "Because they are now illusioned, under the spell of the intermixture of these three qualities, they cannot understand Me, Kṛṣṇa." Mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam: "I am the supreme eternal being. Oh, they cannot understand."

Lecture on BG 7.9-10 -- Bombay, February 24, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person. Kṛṣṇa is the original of everything, original source of everything. That is the verdict of the... Therefore Arjuna accepted; sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava: (BG 10.14) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, whatever You are saying, I accept Him, accept all these in toto, not deducting, not giving my own commentation." This is the way of studying Bhagavad-gītā. So if you study Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as it is said in the..., and if you accept it, then your life is successful. Otherwise, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām (Bs. 5.34), you'll never understand what is God or what is ultimate source, what is Absolute Truth.

So the Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic literatures because, after all, Vedic literature means vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15), to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the purpose of Vedic study. So the Supreme Personality Himself is giving the knowledge of the Supreme by Himself, personally. Therefore we are preaching this Bhagavad-gītā as it is, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And the easiest method is to chant Kṛṣṇa's name. Easiest method. It is recommended. It is not our manufacture. It is said. When Mahārāja Parīkṣit learned all the defects of this Kali-yuga, then he was little disappointed, "How these men or the persons...?" Men means human beings. "How they will be relieved from the miserable condition of materialistic life in this age of Kali?" Because it is all defective.

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

Here is a chance." If you do not understand that "Here is a chance to get me free out of this entanglement," if you don't take the chance, are you not the lowest of the mankind?

So the lowest of the mankind, the fool, the impious. Now, you can say, "Oh, they are all degree holders at the university, M.A., Ph.D., B.A.C., and you are calling him the fool?" Yes, still. "Why?" Māyayāpahṛta-jñānaḥ: (BG 7.15) by the illusory energy of the Lord, all their knowledge has been taken away. Why? Because the knowledge is meant for to understand what is, "What I am? What is this nature? What is God? Why I am suffering? Is there any remedy?" These are knowledge. And the knowledge to manufacture a motorcar, to manufacture a radio, a television, and something for sense enjoyment, this is not knowledge. This is the plundered knowledge. The knowledge was given to understand the problems of life, but it is being misused in manufacturing something which will satisfy my senses. That's all. That is not knowledge. They are thinking that this is knowledge. What is their knowledge? Do you think when there was no motorcar people could not go from one place to another? All right, some facility. That's all. But that is also becoming a problem. When everyone will have a motorcar, there will be no place to drive motorcar. You see?

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

So now these two class and another class, jijñāsu. Jijñāsu means inquisitive. Just like an intelligent boy is very much inquisitive to understand. He asks always his parents, "Oh, mommy, what is this? What is this? What is this?" So mother explains. Similarly, one who is intelligent... These boys, these children who inquire, they are very intelligent boys. They will come out very intelligent in future. These are the signs of intelligence, the inquiring boy. So similarly, there are persons who are very inquisitive. They are studying. Just like the scientists, they are making research. Similarly, when one makes research what is God, what is God... Now, scientifically, with great intellect, one tries to understand what is God, oh, he is also good. He is also good. He is making proper research. Yes. Then the distressed and the person in want and the inquisitive and jñānī. Jñānī means who has understood his spiritual constitutional position. He is called jñānī, man in knowledge. He also inquires, he also becomes, he also goes to God. Maybe personal, impersonal conception, but he is trying to take shelter of the ultimate truth, Absolute Truth.

So these four classes of men, they are called sukṛtina, they are called pious because they are after God. And those four classes of men, they are impious, they are fools, they are lowest of the mankind, and their knowledge is plundered, and they are demons—they cannot take shelter. So these two classes of distinction are always there. Not only now, from time immemorial, so long the history of this creation is there, material world, there have been so many atheists and so many... But in the ancient days their number were very small. Now they have increased. So these two classes of men are always there. So it is better that we should, even we have been in a different way... This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is open for everyone, and we can take advantage of it, and that is... Will you read that prospectus? Where is that prospectus? Yes. (break) It is not Supreme Truth. It becomes a category. (end)

Lecture on BG 7.15-18 -- New York, October 9, 1966:

Apart from these classes of men, the four classes of men who come to God, just like ārta, distressed, inquisitive, arthārthī... Arthārthī means poverty-stricken. And jñānī means philosopher. Now, out of these four classes, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate: "Out of these four classes, men, one who is philosophically trying to understand the nature of God with devotion, with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is viśiṣyate."

Viśiṣyate means he's specially qualified. He's specially qualified. Priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ. The... "For a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, at the same time philosophically trying to understand what is the nature of God, so he is very dear to Me," Kṛṣṇa says. "He is very dear to Me because he has no other business than to understand what is God." Others, just like a distressed man, he is in distress, but because he's pious, therefore he believes in God, he goes to the churches or to the temple or to the mosque and prays, "My dear Lord, I am very much distressed. Kindly help me." But the difficulty of this person is that God does not require to be prayed for, asking anything. He is... He is pious, he is distressed, but at the same time, he is foolish. Why he is foolish? Because he does not know that "God is with me, within my heart. He's sitting along with me. The soul and the Supersoul, both of them are sitting together. And God knows everything about me. So I do not require to pray from God to get me out of this distress. He knows everything. Why shall I pray?" He leaves everything to God. He does not pray. He prays..., he prays to glorify the God, "How great You are," not for his personal interest—"O God, give me my bread. Give me my dress. Give me my shelter." That is also good. He is better than the person, that mūḍha, the foolish, the atheist and the lowest of the mankind. He's far better. Even he is going and asking in the church, "O God, give me my daily bread." But at the same time, he is less intelligent because he does not know that "God is with me, and He knows everything about me."

Lecture on BG 7.18 -- New York, October 12, 1966:

The two birds means one, the Supersoul, and other, the individual living entity. So by yogic process, by concentrating our mind, focusing our mind to the Supersoul, one can experience that partial, plenary expansion of the Lord, Supersoul. Just like in the... The same example can be given, that the sun, at noontime, if you inquire thousands and thousands of people scattered over thousands and thousands of miles away, everyone will say that "The sun is on my head." Similarly, the Supreme Lord is also represented by the Supersoul conception in everyone's heart. Not only in everyone's heart, but even in every atom He is represented. So that realization is the second stage. And the third stage is to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore it is said here that these stages... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Bahūnām means after many, many, many births. Spiritual realization is not achieved in one birth. If one is fortunate, oh, he can achieve in one second. He can achieve in one second. But generally, it takes many, many years and many, many births to realize what is God, what is the Absolute Truth.

Lecture on BG 7.18 -- New York, October 12, 1966:

"I am the origin of everything." Just like Vedānta-sūtra says that the Absolute Truth is that from whom everything is born or everything emanates. So in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, the Lord says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: "I am the origin of everything." So if you believe that Kṛṣṇa is the..., or the Supreme Personality of Godhead is everything, and if you surrender, if you worship, then the whole thing, whole account, is closed in one second. But if you don't believe—"Oh, I want to see what is actually God is"—then you have to go by stages: first realization, this impersonal Brahman effulgence; then second realization, the Paramātmā; and then, in the third stage, you realize, "Oh, here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So that will take time. So... But one has to continue. If one gives up the research work just after making a few steps advance, oh, that will not help. One has to go on, go on with it with steadiness, that "What is God? I shall see." That is called jñānī, jijñāsu, philosopher, inquisitive.

So out of those inquisitive and philosophers, if they continue this research work, what God is, then there will be a time, after many, many births, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19), not immediately, but after many, many births. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān. Jñānavān means those who are in knowledge—not fools—those who are in actually in knowledge, jñānavān. Jñāna means knowledge, and vān means one has got knowledge. So he's called jñānavān. Jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. He, by..., by the end of his research work, he finds that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the destination. He is the root of everything. And when he understands fully by his philosophical research, then what does he do?

Lecture on BG 8.5 -- New York, October 26, 1966:

As you are understanding about the sun by authoritative statement of the geometry, that this sun globe is so great, so many hundred thousands greater than the... But you are seeing just like a disk. So how to get the knowledge of the sun? By receiving through the ear. That's all. Simply you have to receive the knowledge from the authority. It is not that practically you are experimenting by going to the sun, that it is so great and so long, so broad. That is not possible. You have to receive such knowledge through authority. That's all.

So even for material understanding which is beyond our sense perception we have to receive knowledge from authority. Similarly, we cannot understand what is God. But from the authoritative sources we can understand that God is so great. Just like in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated that yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48)—that you see this universe, and in each universe there is a predominating demigod which is called Brahmā, or jagad-aṇḍa-nātha, the master of the universe. That master of the universe is living, only taking the duration of breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Just like you are breathing, inhaling and exhaling. So when Mahā-Viṣṇu exhales, innumerable universes come out. And when He inhales, all these universes go into His body. So just imagine how great He is, how big He is. That is not conceivable with our limited sense. But if we believe, then you get the perfect knowledge. There is no doubt. If you don't believe, there is no other way. You cannot understand what is God, or what is His length, what is His breadth.

Lecture on BG 8.14-15 -- New York, November 16, 1966:

Brahmā is praying Lord Kṛṣṇa in this way, that "A person," jñāne prayāsam udapāsya, "giving up the futile endeavor to understand the Supreme by one's limited knowledge..." Give. Give up this attempt. Jñāne prayāsam. Jñāne prayāsam means that the theosophists, the philosophers, they are trying years after years, life after years—"What is God? What is God? What is the Absolute Truth?" Just like we throw sputniks—"How much the space is length and breadth?" This is frog philosophy. Just like several times I have recited: A frog is measuring the length and breadth of Atlantic Ocean. You see? A frog, whose life is within the well, three feet, three cubic feet, measurement, he's trying to measure what is the length and breadth of Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Similarly, our attempt to measure how far this outer space is—just like that, futile. And what to speak of this, speak of this space, our measurement of our limited knowledge... With the limited knowledge, if we want to know how far, how much long and short is God, it is a futile attempt, futile at... It is not possible. So Bhāgavata recommends, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya: "Just give up this nonsense habit, to measure the Supreme." It is not possible.

So jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. A person who has taken this determination, that "It is futile. It is useless to try to understand what is God by my limited knowledge," he's a..., he's an intelligent man who takes this decision. So jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva: "Just become submissive. Just try to understand your position that you are very insignificant segment in this material world or in the creation." Namanta eva: "Just become submissive." Jñāne prayāsam: "Giving up this endeavor to understand the Supreme by one's limited knowledge and just become submissive."

Lecture on BG 8.14-15 -- New York, November 16, 1966:

So similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa also says that tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ. Sulabhaḥ means "I am easily available." God is not easily available. It is very difficult. "But for a person who is constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," the Lord says Himself, "for him, I am easily available, easily available." So why don't you take up this process? There is another nice verse in the Brahma-saṁhitā that... Just, I forget. The purport is that a person, if he tries to understand by his sensual process... This is called sensual, āroha-panthā. Āroha-panthā means trying to ascend, trying to ascend. There are two kinds of ways to understand knowledge. One process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, and another process is descending process. Descending process. What is that āroha-panthā? Āroha-panthā means that "I shall understand what is God by my own knowledge. I don't care for any authority, any books. I'll understand, I'll meditate, I'll think, I'll philosophize, and I'll understand what is God." This is called āroha-panthā. And against this, there is avaroha-panthā. Avaroha-panthā means getting knowledge from the authority.

There are two processes. Now, out of these two processes, the āroha-panthā, one who is trying to understand the Supreme by his own limited knowledge, for him, it is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā,

panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo

vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām

so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.34)

Now, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ. By the ascending process, if anyone makes progress with the speed of mind and speed of air... You, you know the speed of mind, how it is powerful. You are sitting here, and you can think of thousands and thousands and thousands of miles away immediately. Just see the speed of mind. Similarly, the velocity of air is very thousands of miles in a second, velocity of air. So the example is given here that if anyone traverses on the path of ascending process with the velocity of mind and air... Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vat...

Lecture on BG 8.21-22 -- New York, November 19, 1966:

That understanding will gradually be developed, and it will be..., the truth will be revealed to you if you go on with this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma... This is simple process, very simple process. Even children can take part in it. Even a child of six months took part in it. Perhaps in the last meeting you have seen. There was a small child, sitting on the lap of his father, and he was also (claps) joining. You see. Because automatic. A dog will dance, a cat will dance, a child will dance. There is no necessity of preliminary qualification for understanding, because it is from the spiritual platform. It is from the spiritual platform.

So this simple process will reveal before you what is spiritual kingdom, what is God, what you are, what is this material world, why you are conditioned, what is the remedy. Everything will be... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). Gradually, step by step by step by step.

So avyakto 'kṣara ity uktaḥ: "It is in the Vedic literature it is said that that spiritual world and the spirit, everything is nonmanifested, but still, that is eternal, eternal." We have to see through the books of knowledge. We have to believe. And it will be revealed, if you follow. Just like you purchase a ticket for going to India, some India Airline or Pan American Airline, you purchase. But why do you purchase? You can disbelieve. So what is the evidence that I shall go to India by purchasing the ticket? But still, with faith, because people are going there, the company's running, under certain circumstances, you create some faith, "Yes, it will take me." And actually, when you purchase ticket and sit down on the plane, ah, next morning you get down. So you have to be... But faith, why you are accepting that faith? Because it is a company which is authorized, which is recognized, and therefore you are creating faith. Faith you must have. Without faith, you cannot go a step forward, even in your ordinary life. But faith, what faith? Ah, the belief and faith should be in the authorized, authorized place. That is the process. Faith we must have. Without faith, we cannot make progress, but not blind faith, but to accept something which is recognized.

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

Does not envy. Just like the Lord says, "I am the proprietor of all planets." Somebody may say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is claiming the proprietorship of everything. How is that?" Because in the material world we are always envious. If somebody is greater than me, I am envious: "Oh, he's..., in that way, he has so much progressed." We are envious. This is the disease of material world, envious. So we are envious of God also. When God says that "I am the proprietor," we disbelieve it.

So here this very word is used, anasūyave. Arjuna is hearing from Lord Kṛṣṇa without any enviousness. He's accepting what does He say. This is the way of understanding. We cannot understand by our mental speculation what is God. We have to hear, and we have to accept. Otherwise there is no way to understand what is God. So God says that "Because you are not envious, therefore, I speak to you about the most confidential part of knowledge." Jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitam. Vijñāna-sahitam means this knowledge is not theoretical, but it is scientific. Whatever knowledge we get from Bhagavad-gītā, we should not think that it is sentimentalism or fanaticism. No. They're all vijñānam, science. Jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitaṁ yaj jñātvā: "If you become well versed in this confidential part of knowledge, then the result will be mokṣyase aśubhāt." Aśubhāt. Aśubha means inauspicious. Our stage of life, our existence in this material world, is aśubha, inauspicious, always miserable. Mokṣyase: "You shall be liberated from this miserable life of material existence if you understand this knowledge."

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

Now, this process of knowledge or this process of activity which we are trying to propagate as Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Knowledge means, the topmost knowledge means Kṛṣṇa consciousness according to Bhagavad-gītā. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that a person who is learned, who is actually in knowledge, his symptoms will be that he has surrendered unto God. That is the symptom of knowledge. So long we go on speculating about God but do not surrender, that is not perfection of knowledge. Perfection of knowledge is bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births' mental speculation, philosophical speculation, when one understands what is actually God, God, then he surrenders there. He surrenders there." So long we do not surrender, we cannot understand God. So bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. The Lord says, "One who is actually in knowledge, that knowledge is achieved after many, many births, not all of a sudden."

Of course, if we accept that "God is great. Let me surrender," then we can accept in a second. But our present position is to become envious of any greatness. So we are also envious of God: "Why shall I surrender unto God? I am independent. I shall work independently." These things are there. Therefore for rectifying these misgivings we have to wait many births. And Lord says, "After many, many births, one who is actually in knowledge, he surrenders unto Me. He surrenders." Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19).

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- New York, November 22, 1966:

The fire does not allow any concession for the child. It will act as fire. Similarly, we do not know how this material world is going on, what are the laws, who is the controller, how it is being controlled. Due to our ignorance, we act in some way, but nature is so stringent that it will never excuse you, either you do it knowingly or unknowingly. Just the same example: the child does not know that the fire will burn, but if the child catches the fire, the fire will not excuse because it is child. Therefore ignorance is the cause of suffering.

And one should be put into proper knowledge. Proper knowledge means to know things as they are: "What I am, what is this world, what is God, what is our relation." These things we should know, not that simply becoming a technical expert or some departmental expert, we become a man of knowledge. That is not knowledge. Here is knowledge. You should know what you are and how you act. And this knowledge can be achieved in this human form of life, not in the animal form of life. Therefore, to give you knowledge, to give you proper direction, there are so many scriptures in all parts of the civilized world. They should not be neglected. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kṛṣṇa bhuliyā jīva, er,

anādi bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gelā

ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila(?)

The meaning of this stanza is that people are forgetful since time immemorial about his relationship with the Supreme Lord. Forgetful. Bhuli' gelā. Bhuli' gelā means he has forgotten. Ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila. Therefore Lord has sent so many representatives to give them these literatures, these scriptures.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

Anyone, he may be a ordinary man, he may be so-called swami or maybe so-called yogi or so-called leader, but our test is whether he's Kṛṣṇa conscious. One test. If he's not, then he's a rascal. That is our challenge. How we are challenging? Because we have got the test. Just like in the chemical laboratory, this test paper. Perhaps most of us will know, that urine test paper. If there is sugar, immediately the color of the paper will be different. If there is no sugar, it will remain neutral. Similarly, there is test paper. What is that test? That test is, Kṛṣṇa says, the supreme authority says, that na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. So anyone who is not surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, he must be duṣkṛtinaḥ. Duṣkṛtinaḥ means he has got brain, but his brain is being utilized for sinful activities. So duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, and rascal who does not know anything—what is God, what I am, what is this world—he's a rascal. He's animal. Mūḍhāḥ means ass. As ass does not know what is God, what I am, what is this world, what is our relationship, what is this universe, nothing, no knowledge—mūḍhāḥ—and narādhamāḥ, narādhamāḥ means human being is especially meant for understanding this philosophical aspect of life, but one does not care. He is simply acting where to eat, where to sleep and where to get woman, and that's all. That's his business. This is mūḍhāḥ. This is the business of hogs and dogs. So therefore, mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtinaḥ, narādhamāḥ, these description was there.

So our test is there. If one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he must be within these division: narādhamāḥ, mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtinaḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. And one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, then what he is? Aahh, sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

You cannot do so. You cannot take other's money. You'll be debtor. Therefore gradually, because this class of men are developed at the present moment, they have become... In Vṛndāvana there are so many temples, they have become, made a business by showing temple, collecting money. This is not good. There must be... Temple means people should come, people should learn the science of God. That is temple. Not that to make a business of temple. Therefore everything is, not only in India, all over the world, the churches also, they're dwindled. Now, Europe and America, so many churches are for sale. We have purchased so many churches because people have no more interest. There is no education. Temple means spiritual educational shelter. People should come, they should learn what is spiritual life, what is God, what is my relationship with. That is temple. Otherwise, if you simply came... Therefore two processes should be followed: pāñcarātriki viddhi and bhāgavata-viddhi. We follow both. Bhāgavata-viddhi is the philosophical side of religion, and pāñcarātriki viddhi is the worshiping side of temple—how to worship Deity, how to dress, how to decorate, how to offer respect. Mad-yājī. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī (BG 18.65). Temple worship is mad-yājī, worshiping the Deity. So this is the test, this is the test.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 23, 1976:

So to maintain the millions and millions of universes by His one portion, Paramātmā, He is spread. He is called Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. It is a great science. God expands Himself in so many ways, and for the material world He is expanded as puruṣāvatāra: Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He's expanding like that. Causal Ocean.

The Causal Ocean, He is lying there, sleeping within the ocean, and from His breathing the universes are coming out. This is God. Because He is in a sleeping condition, that is expansion of God. That is not original God. Original God is Kṛṣṇa. But he can expand Himself. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). That is God. Just have some idea what is God. So as Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, He is sleeping within the ocean, and as soon as there is question of sleeping, there is breathing also. The bubbles, the bubbles are expanding as universe. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). So breathing means exhaling, inhaling. So when the breathing, air is coming out, innumerable universes are coming into form, and when He is inhaling, then all of them becomes annihilated. This is material world. Material world means it comes into existence at a certain date, it remains for some time, it gives so many by-products, and it expands, and then dwindles, then finish. This is material, everything. Your body is like that, my body is like that. The whole universe is like that.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 23, 1976:

The same example: The sunshine is not different from the sun, and because the sunshine has entered within your room it does not mean the sun has entered in your room. If you try to understand, then you'll understand that God is everywhere; still, He is not everywhere. This is His inconceivable power. Therefore, if we want to worship God, then we have to worship His form, His name, name, form, quality, pastime. Then we shall realize that God is person, Supreme Being, and He has got all the propensities as we have got. Because we are part and parcel of God, we can study God's personality from our personality, just like we can study the father by the symptoms of the son—this is crude example—similarly, whatever propensities we have got, wherefrom the propensity is coming? It is coming from God.

Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "Everything is emanating from God." The original source of everything is God. So when we study our self minutely, that "what is our position?" Or by studying ourself we can study the nature of God. The difference is only that He is huge, the great, we are small particle, but the qualities are the same. You take a drop of the ocean water. The chemical composition is the same. The taste is the same. So that is the difference between a living entity and God. We are a small sample of God but God is great. If we understand this philosophy, then it is not difficult to understand what is God, and then we can establish our original relationship. And if we act accordingly, then our life is successful. Thank you very much.

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:

So last verse we have discussed. Kṛṣṇa said... When we speak, "Kṛṣṇa," you should understand "Kṛṣṇa" means God, the Supreme Being. "Kṛṣṇa," the etymological meaning is "the all-attractive." Without being all-attractive there is no meaning of God. It is not that God is attractive only to certain class of men. No. God is attractive for all classes of men, unless he is animal. Animal does not know what is God and what is the attraction of God. He does not know. But human being, in the human society, at least in the civilized human society there is a certain idea of God. Either you follow Christianity or Vedic principle of Mohammedan religion or even Buddha religion, there is conception of God. There is an attempt to understand God. That is human society. Therefore, according to the capability or country and the people, the conception of God may be a little different from one another. But the attraction for God is there. There is no doubt about it. So God appears in three fundamental features: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.

Lecture on BG 9.10 -- Calcutta, June 29, 1973:

What is the (this) sea and ocean? That is perspiration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has got such potency, unlimited. Unlimited potency. So where is the difficulty to understand that when Kṛṣṇa says: ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8), "I produce everything..." The chemists, the scientists, they're beginning from chemical, but wherefrom the chemical came? That came from Kṛṣṇa. If some chemicals come, come from an insignificant lemon tree, how much chemicals can come from Kṛṣṇa?

Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. It is a simple common sense affair to understand that matter comes from life. And the Supreme Life is Kṛṣṇa. The Supreme Life is Kṛṣṇa. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). These are the versions of the Upaniṣads. Kṛṣṇa, or God... What is God? God means the Supreme Person. That's all. Just like I am person. You are also person. You may be bigger in quality, in opulence, than me. And somebody else may bigger, may be bigger than you. Somebody else bigger than him. So similarly you go on, searching after who is the biggest? Then you come to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is person. Simply go on searching. As we search. Here is a big man, and here is a bigger man. Here is another biggest man. So go on, go on, you go up to Brahmā. Then after Brahmā, Brahmā is also not the ultimate. Because from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we understand: tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1).

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

Just like we direct, a big businessman, he is sitting in his room alone, but he is directing the whole factory, whole business, everything. That is being done. Although Kṛṣṇa is in Goloka Vṛndāvana, He has nothing to do... Why God has something to do? Then what kind of God He is? Here we see practically a big man, a big minister, a big prime minister or president, he is also sitting, giving direction. He has nothing to do. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa also, He has nothing to do. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying. Just like you see Kṛṣṇa's form, He is enjoying with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. He has nothing to do. That is confirmed in the Vedic literature: na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Why God should be busy doing something?

So paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. They do not know what is God. Although God is appearing before them. We have got the name of God, the fame of God, the pastimes of God, the demonstration of His different energies of God. Everything is there. Still, we are searching after God, and unfortunately we are manufacturing a man-god. Therefore we are mūḍhas. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Here is God, accepted by all ācāryas. Not that by sentiment. There are ācāryas in India. Actually, practically, our whole civilization is guided by the ācāryas. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. We have to accept ācārya.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

In India, our culture, Vedic culture, depending on ācāryas. Even we differ, we Vaiṣṇavas... There are Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, and there is Māyāvādī ācāryas. So Śaṅkarācārya, he is Māyāvādī, impersonalist; still, he accepts Kṛṣṇa, (as) the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ devakī-nandanaḥ. He has written in his commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā. He accepts. Nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt, sa bhagavān nārāyaṇaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. He has accepted. And what to speak of Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya and other ācāryas. Latest ācārya Kṛṣṇa, er, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, five hundred years... These ācāryas are thousands of years ago, they appeared. Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared near about five hundred years ago. He accepted Kṛṣṇa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And we are followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda: "One who is ācāryavān, one who is following ācārya, he knows things as they are." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda.

So unless we become ācāryavān... That is the Vedic instruction. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). We cannot understand God, what is God. We cannot make research (because) we do not know what are the symptoms of God, although everything is described in the śāstras. Here also, in the Bhagavad-gītā, the indications are there. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). "There is nobody superior than Me." So this is the shortcut definition of God. Just try to find out a person... God is also a person, but He is the most superior person. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is the chief amongst the living beings. Nityo nityānām. He is the wisest of all wise men. Cetanaś cetanānām. What is the difference between God and us? The difference is that He is the maintainer and we are not maintainer. This is the difference.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

So one cannot take all these things. No intoxication. No illicit sex. Unless you have got connection with woman by marriage tie, there cannot be any sex life. These are the pillars of sinful life. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā. Striya-sūnā-pāna-dyūtaḥ yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā. If you actually want to make progress in spiritual life, you must accept at least these four principles. This is tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa tyāgena, śauca, satya-śaucābhyām (SB 6.1.13). These are the tests, the prescription.

So to become purified, one must be purified of this material existence. Then he can understand what is God. Then he can serve God. With these material senses it is not possible to serve God. That is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). These indriyas, the present indriyas, contaminated by material existence... You cannot understand by simply hearing about God. Therefore you have to purify yourself. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). This is the definition given by Nārada Muni, how one can become a devotee, how one can be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. This is the formula. What is that? Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam, first condition: One has to give up all designation. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am śūdra," "I am this," "I am that." These are all designations of the body, but we are not this body. So if we can give up this bodily designation, that is called sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam. Then one has to become purified on the standard of devotional service.

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

How we can recognize God? Some supernatural power, evidence of authorities, scriptural evidence. These things are required. So so far Kṛṣṇa is concerned, every authority has accepted Him as God. And when He was present, His activities were superhuman. And from the evidence of Vedic literature, He is God. Then, in spite of all these evidences, if you don't believe Him, then it must be considered that āsuraṁ bhāvam, that "I shall not believe. Whatever evidence you give, and whatever, I mean to say, activities you may show, I'll never believe You God. Finished." Then that is helpless. So avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Besides that, one must have the eyes to see God also. God cannot be seen with our imperfect senses. So the whole bhakti process, bhakti-yoga, is the process of purifying the senses to take, to understand what is God, what is spirit, what is soul. It requires... Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā (CC Madhya 19.167).

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

Simply, this bhakti-yoga is the process of purifying, purifying. As soon as you purify your power of seeing, power of hearing, power of tasting, power of touching, all these... We have got our senses to taste, to acquire knowledge. But if the senses are blunt, then we cannot understand what is God. But therefore you require regulative principles to understand what is God. That regulative principle must be undertaken. And the easiest regulative principle is this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you regularly chant with devotion, without any offense, then this very simple process will help you to purify your senses and you will appreciate presence of God, and God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness will develop in you.

So paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśvaram (BG 9.11). People, they do not know what is the inconceivable power and potencies of God. Therefore they think, "God might be somebody like me." They cannot understand God.

moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo

mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ

rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva

prakṛtiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ

(BG 9.12)

So why they cannot understand? Moghāśā. Moghāśā means whatever they are aspiring, whatever they are desiring, that will be baffled. Moghāśā. Just the karmī... Karmī means the fruitive actor. They are always hoping, "Something better, something better, something better." There is no limit where they will stop. So much money, so much bank balance, so much money, so much... Still... So moghāśā. Mogha means they are hoping to be very happy at a certain point, but that point never comes. That point never comes. Moghāśā. This means moghāśā. Because he does not know "what is the ultimate point of my satiation." Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). People, they do not know... Who are, I mean to say, enamored by the external beauty of this illusory material energy, they cannot understand that what is the aim and objective of life. They cannot understand. Therefore moghāśā.

Lecture on BG 9.15-18 -- New York, December 2, 1966:

Even in the whole material world is under first-class, second-class and third-class. The first-class is mode of goodness, the second-class is mode of passion, and the third-class is mode of ignorance. Simi..., in every department, more or less, there are three classes.

So amongst the persons who worship the Absolute Truth not directly as the Personality of Godhead but as ahaṅgrahopāsanam... Ahaṅgrahopāsanam means taking himself as the Supreme. This we have already explained, that taking himself as the Supreme means, as the part and parcel of the Supreme, if we study myself, then I can understand also what is God. The only difference is: quantitatively, God is great and I am small. Otherwise, so far quality is concerned, that is one. So this ahaṅgrahopāsanam, that is number one. Then next upāsanā, next worship, is ekatvena pṛthaktvena (BG 9.15). Pṛthaktvena means pantheism. Just like there are persons who are worship any demigod as God. Their opinion is that there are different forms of God. So any form we accept as God and worship, we shall be benefited. We shall approach the highest perfection. That is another section. So this can be adjusted that God is everywhere. That... There is no denying this fact because by His energy, He is everywhere.

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

Prabhu means the master. And sākṣī. Sākṣī means witness. God is sitting within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, means Supreme Lord, is sitting in everyone's heart. So He is witness. Whatever you are doing, He is witness. He is giving you facility to do whatever you like, but at the same time you may forget. Suppose I wanted to do something in this life. This is not fulfilled. And next life, when I get another body, so God reminds me. "Well, you wanted to do this. Why not experiment?" That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am seated in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "From Me there is remembrance," smṛti, "there is knowledge and there is forgetfulness also." So what is that, God making one person forgetful and another person encouraging? Why? Because I wanted like that. Because I don't want to revive my relationship with the Supreme Lord. Whenever I speak of God, oh, some person becomes: "Oh, what is God? Swamiji, what you are speaking, God?" They don't want God; so God gives him that "Forget Me. Yes, you forget and suffer." And one who wants God... Just like some poor students are trying to reestablish his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Oh, Kṛṣṇa gives him too: "Yes." So therefore His business is to make you forgetful because you want to forget. And when you are advanced, if you want know... If you want to establish, reestablish your relation, He will encourage you.

Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967:

If you find out such person, then surrender there. Praṇipāta. And try to serve him, try to please him, and question him. The whole thing will reveal. You have to find out such an authoritative person and surrender unto him. Surrendering unto him means surrendering unto God because he is God's representative. But you are allowed to make questions, not to waste time, but for understanding. That is called paripraśna. These are the process. So everything is there. We have simply to adopt it. But if we don't adopt the process and simply waste our time by intoxication and speculation and all nonsensical activities, oh, that is not possible ever. You'll never understand what is God. Because God is not understandable even by the demigods and by the great sages. What is our teeny efforts?

So these are the process. And if you follow, asammūḍhaḥ, asammūḍhaḥ, if you follow the principles and slow but sure, asammūḍhaḥ, without any doubt, if you make... That is the... Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. If you follow, you'll understand, yourself, "Yes. I am getting something." It is not that you are in blindness, you are blindly following. As you follow the principles, you'll understand.

Lecture on BG 10.8 -- New York, January 6, 1967:

This is foolishness, that without knowledge of the root, you want to love the branches. Your body. You love your body. Why do you supply your food in the stomach? Why not to the eyes, to the ears, to the nose? Why not individually, every finger, every hand, every part, every hair? No. As soon as you put the foodstuff to the stomach, the energy is at once distributed everywhere. Similarly, universal love means to love God.

They do not know the technique. Just this man, this hunter, he loved God, and he became lover of the ant automatically. There was no need of separate education that "You love this ant, you love this cow, you love this tree, love this country, love this man, love white man, black man, this man..." No. As soon as you love God, and you understand what is God, then you love everything. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

People are accepting Bhagavad-gītā as something Indian or Hindu, but actually it is not. It is universal. Kṛṣṇa says that there are so many forms of living entities. There are 8,400,000 different types of bodies. "And all of them are My sons." So if you love Kṛṣṇa, then you love white man, you love American, you love European, you love Indian, you love cow, you love dog, you love serpent—everything.

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

He is neither envious to anyone nor friendly to anyone. This is general. But there is special significance. Ye tu bhajanti māṁ bhaktyā: "Persons who are engaged in devotional service with love and faith," teṣu te mayi, "I have got a special intimate relation with him."

It is not partiality. Just like if a gentleman has got five sons, and out of the five sons, those who are very obedient to the father or one of them, two of them, naturally the father is inclined to them. That is not partiality, that "Why the father is inclined to some sons and other sons, indifferent?" That is natural. As we have got this natural instinct, similarly, God has also the same instinct. If we study ourself analytically, we can understand what is God. Because we are the sample of God. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Sample.

Just like if you take one drop of water from the seawater, you can understand what is the chemical composition of the whole sea. It is not very difficult. Similarly, if you study yourself, what are your inclinations, propensities... There are so many things. So everything, what you have got, the same thing God has also got. The difference is that you are like a drop of seawater and He is vast sea. That's all. Big quantity. Quantitatively, we are different, but qualitatively, we are one. The same quality.

If you take... If you are cooking rice, you take one grain of rice and you press it, if you see that it is now soft, then the whole rice is cooked. The sample. There is a bag of rice. You take a few grains, sample. 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.

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

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna: "Those who are pious, whose background is piety, such persons, divided into four classes..." Ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī, four classes. Ārtaḥ means distressed, and arthārthī means in need of money. Ārto arthārthī. Or some material benefit. And jñānī, one who is searching after knowledge. And jijñāsuḥ, inquisitive.

These four classes of men, if their background is life of piety, they go to God to pray, "My Lord, my Lord, give me some money. I am very poor. I am very distressed. Kindly mitigate my distress." Or jñānī, they are searching after actually what is God. Or inquisitive, simply inquiring what is God. So there are four classes. Whose background is life of pious activities, they go to God. And those who are...

There is sukṛtina. Sukṛtina means those who are background is pious activities. And just opposite number, duṣkṛtina. Those background is impious activities, sinful activities. Such persons, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15), the lowest of the mankind, full of sinful activities. Narādhama. Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. Why lowest of the mankind? Because mankind means those who are interested to understand God. That is mankind. Otherwise "dog-kind." The dogs and asses, they are not interested to know what is God. It is the prerogative of the human being to understand what is God. Therefore a man who has got this human form of body does not inquire about God, he is narādhama, the lowest of the mankind. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ. And rascal, ass. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15).

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

"Nobody is better expert or craftsman than God." Adhika, sama: "neither equal to Him, nor greater than Him." Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate: (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport) "His energies are working in so many ways," svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca, "that it appears that he has got perfect knowledge and perfect workmanship." Everything is perfect.

You see. Either a flower or anything, nature's product, it is perfectly done. In this way you have to develop your God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There are books. There are explanations. There are teachers. So the human life is meant for this purpose, to understand how God is working, what is God, even what is His name, where does He live, what is our relationship with Him, how things are being managed. These are...

Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra says that "This life is simply meant for inquiring about the Supreme." That's all. The animal cannot do it. So simply if I waste our time just like the animals... The animals' life is simply busy for four things: eating, sleeping, mating, and defense. That's all. They do not know anything more than that. So human life, if we simply... Of course, so long we have got this body, we have to be seeking after eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. But not that we shall waste our time simply for these four things. There is a fifth platform which is brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry about the Supreme. And there are information, perfect knowledge. If you want to consult, you want to take it, then your life will be perfect.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Paris, August 11, 1973:

This is one point: that I am not this body, I am not this material world. I am a spiritual identity, part and parcel of God. Qualitatively we are one. As God is spirit, so I am also spirit. But His body is very big, gigantic, the universal body, which Kṛṣṇa showed to Arjuna, the virāṭa-rūpa. But my body is not gigantic. It is small. Maybe we call the elephant's body gigantic or similar other animal's body, but still God's body is still more gigantic. You cannot compare. Eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā you'll know how gigantic body has Kṛṣṇa. So as I have got this body but my spiritual identity is very small, if we study in this way, it is very easy to understand what is God, what I am, what is this world. Just like I am not this body, I am within the body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). I am the proprietor of the body.

But what is my magnitude? Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). You just take the top of the hair and divide it into ten thousand parts. That one part is your identity. So in these material ideas, we cannot understand that such a small particle, smaller than the atom, has got so power. Therefore, because it is so small, these so-called rascal scientists, they cannot find it, where it is; therefore say, "There is no soul." The rascals will not admit their inefficiency to know and still they will say, "no soul." And if there is no soul, then how it is working? They have no even common sense.

Similarly, as I am very small, smaller than the atom, and I am living within this body and my body is working so nicely. My brain is working so nicely. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is also, according to our conception, Kṛṣṇa is person, individual, but He has got a very gigantic body. This is the material world, material expression. That is expressed in the next verse: kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi. I am also kṣetrajñam. As you are knower of your body, the bodily pains and pleasure you know, I know. I do not know your bodily pains and pleasures. Neither you know my bodily pains and pleasure. But Kṛṣṇa says that kṣetrajña, kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi: "I am also kṣetrajñam," means "I also know the field."

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

Therefore, all living entities are Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. It is foolishness to say that other living entities, other than the human being, they have no soul. It is foolishness. They have got soul. Every... Even the ant has got soul, even the microbe has got soul, even the germ has got soul, everyone has got soul. But they have got different types of body only, outward. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yac ca yadrk ca. How they have got different types of bodies? So these, subject matters are very subtle things.

But there is no facility for studying this subject matter in the university or any educational institution. Therefore they are called mūḍhas. They do not understand what is God. Who was telling me? Some Bengali professor came here, and he said, "I am agnostic." Who told me just now, in the car? So mostly the so-called educated circle, they are agnostics. They do not believe in God, they do not believe in the soul, and still they are passing on as educationists, learned scholars, professor. This is the pity. Therefore one should learn from Kṛṣṇa, this education system at the present moment, you cannot learn anything positively. They are all vague.

Here Kṛṣṇa says, try to understand, each and every body, tat kṣetram. Why one soul has got a godly body and one soul has got dog body, one soul has got very beautiful body, another soul has got very ugly body? So one has got nails and jaws, one has very nice beautiful hand, fingers. There are varieties. Kṛṣṇa says that sa ca yo yat prabhavaś ca. Prabhavaś ca. And each body has got a different type of influence. Each type of body. This is God's creation.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975:

So anyway, this is knowledge, that "I am occupying this body, I have got this body according to my desire, and this desire has been fulfilled by God. God is with me, with you. He is within your heart. He understands what you desire. You have come, we have come in this material world to satisfy our different desires. Therefore, there are so many different forms of body." Now you can calculate also. What is that? There are three qualities within this material world. You know, everyone. Some are in goodness, and some are in passion, and some are in ignorance. In the animal or in the vegetable kingdom, in the human society, you will find these three types of men.

Take our human society. Some of them are very good men, very truthful, very honest, very learned, and knows what is God. You find such men also. And you will find also very much passionate. And you will find also men like cats and dogs, no knowledge, blind. So there are three types of men. Why? Because there are three qualities or modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Now, you mix up these three qualities with another three varieties of qualities. Just like the painter, they mix up different colors. The original color is blue, yellow and red. Now, you mix up these colors. You can... Hundreds and thousands of colors you can make. It requires expert handling. Similarly, originally these three qualities, goodness, passion and ignorance. Now, three into three equal to nine, and nine into nine equal to eighty-one. So we get immediately account for eighty-one varieties, and each variety is thousand and millions. Therefore eight million four hundred thousand, that is calculated.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

"One should not be falsely proud, one should be very much meek and humble, and try to receive knowledge from self-realized persons. If one continues, follows these principles, then one day he will find that God, who is ajita, who cannot be conquered by anyone, who cannot be known by anyone, God realization..."

Because God realization is not an ordinary job. It is very difficult. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that "Out of many, many thousands of men, one may be interested how to make perfect this human form of life. And out of many, many thousands of perfect persons, one may know actually what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa." So God is unconquerable, cannot be conquered, or He cannot be understood by your puffed-up mentality that "I can know Him." No. God can be known by the meek and humble who is submissive and who takes the shelter of a God-realized person and tries to hear from him. Then Rāmānanda Rāya... Not Rāmānanda Rāya, it is a quotation from Bhāgavata. Then the result is, although God is unapproachable by our limited knowledge, He becomes jita. Jita means He becomes conquered—simply by this position.

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

Unfortunately, we are not taking advantage of these prerogatives of human life. We are simply engaged like cats and dogs for utilizing our life: eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. Āhāra-nidrā-bhayaṁ maithunaṁ ca samānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. These demands of the body, eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, that is there in the animal life. Then where is the difference between the animal life and human life? Unless you become inquisitive to know, athāto brahma jijñāsā.

Therefore Vedānta-sūtra says that this life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, tattva-jijñāsā. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. In the Bhāgavata also says. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is awakening the dormant inquiry of the human society to inquire "What I am? What is God? What is my relationship with God? Why I have come here in this material world? What is the reason? Why I am suffering? I don't want to die, but why death is forced upon me?" These are the questions to be solved in human life. Not the economic development. There is no question of economic development. Everyone is taken care by the mercy of God. Just like we are human beings. We are only four hundred thousand species, forms. But out of eight million four hundred thousand species, the eight millions forms of life, birds, beasts, they are taking (taken) care. There is no economic development program. They are eating very nicely. In Africa there are millions of elephants. They are eating very nicely. There is no question of scarcity of food. So why don't you think like that? Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (1.5.18).

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, September 30, 1973:

So every sampradāya has got his commentary on the Brahma-sūtra. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says here, brahma sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ (BG 13.5). Unless a sampradāya, the four sampradāyas, they do not comment on the Brahma-sūtra, he'll not..., that sampradāya is not accepted. And if you do not accept the sampradāya..., sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ.

If you do not take your initiation mantra from the sampradāya, then it is useless. Now, there are so many apasampradāya. They do not come in disciplic succession, but becomes guru, teacher. Therefore everything is topsy-turvied. Nobody has got fixed idea what is God. Everyone has created his own philosophy. The whole thing is now confused.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa specifically mentions, Brahma-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ (BG 13.5). The sampradāya must have understanding of the Brahma-sūtra, Vedānta-sūtra. So all the sampradāyas, they have got their commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra and... Even Śaṅkarācārya. But his commentary is not accepted by the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas because he has tried to derive some meaning, interpretation. But there is no question of interpretation. When the things are clear, in the Brahma-sūtra, all the sūtras are very clear. So you don't require any interpretation. You can expand, explain very elaborately. That is another thing. But you cannot go beyond the sutra.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says, māyāvādī bhāṣya sunile haya sarva nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). Māyāvādī bhāṣya means Śaṅkara, Śārīraka-bhāṣya of the Brahma-sūtra. If you hear the Śārīraka-bhāṣya, then you'll be doomed, you will be Godless. Therefore it has been forbidden by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. All the Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas, Rāmanujya Sampradāya, Madhvācārya Sampradāya, they all, I mean to say, disagree with the commentary of Śaṅkarācārya, Śārīraka-bhāṣya, Brahma-sūtra.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973:

That Mahā-Viṣṇu is partial representation of Govinda. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So this is called knowledge. One has to know what is God, what is the nature of God. So one has...

The first qualification is amānitvam. Don't be puffed up with your false knowledge. Having this little degree from the university, you are thinking that you have become so learned, you don't care for God even. This is nonsense. Therefore first qualification to get progress in knowledge is amānitvam, amānitvam. Don't be proud falsely. Our present education is simply teaching people how to become falsely proud. Just like here is, Bhagavad-gītā is going on. They are falsely proud: "Oh, what you have to learn here? We know everything. We know everything. We are M.A., Ph.D., that's all. We have finished already this." Therefore the first thing is amānitvam, pridelessness. Go on reading the purport.

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

That is tattva-jñāna. Truth. What is that truth? Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti. To understand about Brahman, to understand about Paramātmā, to understand about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is tattva-jñāna.

So if you want to become philosopher, then philosophically you try to understand what is brahma-tattva, what is Paramātmā-tattva, what is Bhagavān-tattva. Etaj jñānam, this is jñāna. Not these degrees, MA, Phd. These are all decoration of the dead body. If you do not understand what is the value of life, you do not understand what is tattva, what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā, what is God, if you do not become cleansed, if you do not become a devotee, as they are stated, if you have no ācārya, you have no guru, then you are in darkness. Kṛṣṇa concludes here. Etaj jñānam, "All these items described, this is jñānam." Iti proktam. It is accepted, prokta. Ajñānam yad ato 'nyathā: "And just any other thing besides these things, they are ajñānam."

So you compare. You call any educated person. Just like I told you several times, that that Professor Kotovsky, big man in Russia, he said "That there is no life. After finishing this body, everything is finished." Just see how much ajñānam. He does not know. So the whole world is going on under ajñānam. If they accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, there is chance of having jñānam. Otherwise they remain in ajñānam. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 13.15 -- Bombay, October 9, 1973:

So we do not know actually in truth what is God; therefore with our material conception we think that God is nirākāra. God is not nirākāra. He has ākāra, but we have no power to see Him. And because we have no power to see Him, therefore God takes the form like this. He's God, He's not different from God, but He's visible to our blunt eyes. Therefore we say sometimes, "It is idol." He's not idol. We are not worshiping idol, stone. Just like some rascal says that "If by worshiping stone, God is available, then I can worship the mountain." Pathar pūjā ke hari mile meita puje pahar(?). So this rascal does not know that this is not worship of pathar. It is worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally, but to show us mercy, because we cannot see the Supreme Personality of Godhead with these blunt eyes, He has assumed the form of a stone. This is called arcā-mūrti. It is His mercy.

Therefore śāstra says arcye śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. One should not... One should avoid these things. When arcā-mūrti, the Deity worship in the temple, if one thinks it is made of stone, it is made of wood, that is very offensive. One should not think like that. God is omnipotent, all-powerful. He can accept your service even in this form, but because He has assumed this form, don't neglect it that "It is stone." Then it will be offensive. It is to show you mercy, arcā-mūrti.

Lecture on BG 13.15 -- Bombay, October 9, 1973:

He's simply exposed, He can reveal Himself, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234), when one engages himself in the devotional service beginning with the tongue. The devotional service begins with the tongue. Now, it is also another astonishment. Service with the tongue. Yes. Service with the tongue means if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that requires tongue. And if you simply take kṛṣṇa-prasāda, that requires tongue. With these two business of the tongue you can realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take kṛṣṇa-prasāda, and gradually you'll understand what is God. Therefore this word is used, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Because by using the tongue you develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, love for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

And Kṛṣṇa being satisfied with you love... Because real thing is bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. Here we are offering a little food, little leaf, little flower. But what is the essence? What is the value of flower? Value, there is practically no value. But yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. The real value is that the flower is offered with devotion, the food is offered with devotion.

Lecture on BG 13.16 -- Bombay, October 10, 1973:

So jñeyam. Kṛṣṇa is explaining the subject matter of knowledge. First of all Kṛṣṇa has explained the process of knowledge. Amānitvam adambhitvaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam. Mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). These are the process of knowledge, to know. If we remain befooled, ignorant, that we are missing the chance.

Everything we can know. This human form of body is specially meant for that purpose. You can understand what you are, what is this material nature, what is God and how we are related, how things are going on. Everything is there, but we are so foolish that we do not take care. We live like cats and dogs, eat something and sleep and have sexual intercourse and then we are afraid always and then die. This is cats' and dogs' life. Real life is to know, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is real life, human life. One must be inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth, brahma-jijñāsā, not inquiring in the market, "What is the rate of share? What is the rate of rice? No, not for this inquiry. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. To inquire about the Absolute Truth, uttamam, beyond this material nature. Udgata tamam. This material nature is called tama. Tamaso mā jyotir gama. These are the Vedic injunctions.

You have to enter, you have to understand the world of light. This world is the world of darkness. It is simply... We require, therefore, sunlight, moonlight, electric light. Otherwise it is dark. It is called tamaḥ. But there is another world which is full of light. It is so full of light that you do not require the sunlight, moonlight or electric light there.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- Hawaii, February 2, 1975:

That we can perceive. When the soul goes away from the body, we can understand, "Now the soul has gone; the body is dead." So you can perceive; you cannot see. It is not understandable by speculating your gross senses. You cannot... If you want to see what is mind, what is intelligence, what is soul, what is Supersoul, that is not possible to see by your these blunt eyes, conditional eyes. Everyone is very proud of his senses. Somebody says, "Can you show me God?" But have you got the power to see God first of all? So these things are not very intelligent questions and answer. You have to practice according to the direction of the śāstras.

Just like here is Bhagavad-gītā. You follow the direction. You will understand what is God, what you are, what is this world, what is our relation between ourself, what is our condition, how we can get out of this miserable condition. Everything you will find. In the beginning a small child cannot understand what is mathematic, but if he studies mathematic science, he one day becomes a very big mathematician, the same child. Similarly, this spiritual science, every one of you can become spiritually advanced provided you study the science. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not a bluff sentiment. It is a great science. Those who are actually studious, they can understand the science perfectly if they study all our books. We have got twenty volumes books like this already published. And we propose to publish seventy-two volumes, how to understand God. So God is not so cheap thing, that "I have become God; you have become God." It is a great science. So those who want to understand God scientifically, philosophically, let them read these books. That is our presentation, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

And those who are unable to read all these books for any reason it may be, then it is a very simple method: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is so sublime. If you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then you understand clearly what you are, what is God, what is your relationship with Him, what is this world. Everything will be clear. That is the advantage of this fallen age.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- Hawaii, February 2, 1975:

They are thinking these buildings are waste of money, unproductive creation. "If we manufacture a skyscraper building, immediately there will be some income. But if I construct a gigantic temple, it will be simply waste of money." They are thinking like that. That means the standard of understanding God is finished. Not to speak of constructing new churches, but... We are practically purchasing many churches. They are vacant. I have seen in London. Hundreds of churches are vacant. Nobody goes there. Nobody goes there.

So one priest was surprised in Boston that "These boys, they are our boys. They are Christian boys. They are American boys. So previously they were not coming to the church. They did not care for God or to understand what is God. But why they are mad after God now?" That's a fact. These boys, you American boys, you were not interested. But why you are so interested and you are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world? You are not foolish. I have not bribed you. But why you are doing that? So this is a fact that we have got intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That's a fact.

Just like father and son. They are intimately related. It may be the son has gone out of home for many years, but as soon as he meets his father, again the same love between father and son revives. It does not mean because the son was out of home for many, many years, there is no need of awakening the love of father and son. Similarly, in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. The love between Kṛṣṇa and ourself... It doesn't matter where we are. All living entities, especially the human being, especially the civilized human being, those who have got sense, they can revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness very easily by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So that is our request, that you are very intelligent boys, American boys. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Try to revive your relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Then you will be happy; otherwise not. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:

Just like just now two big directors of this Dai Nippon Company came to see me. We have got business with them. So they are meeting so many problems for printing work. They are maintaining about 200,000 people to carry on their business, huge establishment, huge responsibility. But there are problems also. So this material world is full of problem. One who understands, he is called sura, or civilized man. And one who does not understand, he is called asura. Asura, not sura. Aryan, non-Aryan. So amongst the suras, those who can understand the problems of life, there is a system which is called religion. And what is the purpose of religion? Religion is to understand what is God. That is religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19).

So all over the world the civilized man has got some religion. It may be professing the Vedic religion, somebody the Buddhic scriptures. Just in your country, most of you, you are Buddhists. There are similarly Mohammedan scriptures, Christian scriptures. But in each and every scripture there is rules and regulation to follow to become more and more aware of the topmost principle, the original cause of all causes. That is, means, religion. So one who does not care to understand this philosophy, they are called asura. And one who understands this philosophy of life, they are called sura or devatā, god, demigods, they are called.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:

"You rise early in the morning. Take your bath." He must be clean immediately. He rises early in the morning, evacuating. He takes his bath. Immediately becomes cleansed, śaucam. Sattvaṁ śaucaṁ śamo damas titikṣā. These are the qualification of brāhmaṇa or the suras. But they do not know it. Therefore we are training, "Rise early in the morning. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Have maṅgala-ārati." This is ācāra. This is ācāra. By practicing this, you can see the distinction between ordinary men or our men. Anyone, practically you will see. In America they are surprised. Although they are Americans, they inquire, "Are you Americans?" Because there, in America, there is no such thing. Any inquisitive person inquires. The priest said that "These boys, they are our boys, and they never came to church to inquire about what is God. Now they are mad after God. What is this?" Because they have become suras by training. By training. So asuras can be turned into suras. There is no difficulty. Provided they abide by the rules and regulation, orders of the spiritual master, they can be suras. Because they do not know... Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. They do not know what is satyam. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). Therefore we are teaching them Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi, the ultimate truth. They do not know what is satyam. This is the movement, to give them education to understand what is the Absolute Truth, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi, to teach them how to behave in life, how to become purified in life. This is very scientific movement. If anyone wants actually to become sura, the perfect man, they must join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then his life will be successful. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hawaii, February 3, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa says... Kṛṣṇa did not say Bhagavad-gītā to the loafer class. Kṛṣṇa said rājarṣi. Arjuna was a rājarṣi. So there are... Because king would take responsibility. If the head man is taught very nicely everything about society, economic development and religion, if he is taught very nicely, then he can, I mean to say, introduce the ideas in the country. Therefore there was monarchy. The king would learn from the brāhmaṇas how to rule over the citizens. That was perfect. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. Rāja and ṛṣi. Or rāja means king and ṛṣi means saintly person. So either the ṛṣis did know or the kings did know. Or a king who is not less than a ṛṣi, he could know and he could rule over. That is the Vedic injunction. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. But without being rājarṣi, without being highly qualified, nobody can understand.

Therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to purify the people in general to the brāhmaṇa stage. Then they'll be... you'll be able to understand. Otherwise, na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ (BG 16.7). If he's not clean, if he has..., he does not know how to behave, it is difficult. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is still more kind that "Never mind whatever you are. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you become purified." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. It doesn't matter whether what you are. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you'll be purified. Then you'll understand everything, what is God, what you are, what is your relation. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

So there should be educational department to create first-class men by all these qualities. How to become controller of the mind, how to become controller of the senses, how to become cleansed, bāhyābhyantaram, inside clean and outside clean. Śaucam, titikṣā, how to become tolerant, tolerant. One should be not agitated by a single cause. Tolerant, and similarly, simplicity. He should be so simple. It is said simplicity: even the enemy inquires from him some secret thing, he'll say, "Yes, it is like this." Simplicity. And jñānam full knowledge. Full knowledge, what is this world, what I am, what is my relation with this world, what is God, what is my relation with God. Everything full knowledge. And vijñānam, vijñānam means completely application of the knowledge of life. And āstikyam, āstikyam means full faith in transcendental literature, that is called also āstikyam, and full faith in the existence of the Supreme Lord. Āstik... These are the brahminical qualifications. So those who are claiming to become first-class, learned men in the society, they must have all these qualifications. This is Bhagavad-gītā's teaching. The second-class man, what is that?

Page Title:	What is God (Lectures, BG chapters 7 - 18)
Compiler:	Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:	14 of Apr, 2013
Totals by Section:	BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=112, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:	112