They are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, brāhmaṇa qualification, kṣatriya qualification, vaiśya qualification, śūdra qualification. So... Very nice arrangement, Vedic civilization. Everyone is guided by the superior. The brāhmaṇa guides the kṣatriyas, the kṣatriya guides the vaiśyas, and the vaiśya employs the śūdras. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). In this way, four divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they manage the whole society so nicely. The kṣatriyas, as the kṣatriya's business was to give protection to the citizens, similarly, vaiśya's duty was to give protection to the animals. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44).
Whole human society (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"whole human society"
|"whole of human society"
|"whole of society"
|"whole society"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 1.43 -- London, July 30, 1973:
So if we are actually human beings, manuṣyāṇāṁ... (break) Kula-dharma, this family tradition, is not meant for the cats and dogs. If you live like cats... (break) ...there is no question of family tradition. But if you live, want to live like human being, manuṣyāṇāṁ, then this system must be... (break) ...puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān (CC Madhya 8.58). Catur-vārṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Then society must be divided into four classes... As we have got four divisions in (break) ...brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra must be there. (break) And each one should serve according to his guṇa-karma, quality and capacity to work. Then the whole society is organized... (break) ...will be perfect, there will be peace... (break) ...no war, nothing of the sort, and gradually making progress back to home, back to Godhead. Otherwise it will be chaos... (break) ...become at the present moment.
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 19, 1972:
So here Kṛṣṇa is instructing. First of all, He chastised Arjuna: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "My dear Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but I find that you do not know in which case you have to lament and in which case you have to joyful. That you do not know." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Indirectly, He said that "You are not paṇḍita; you are a fool. Because you are arguing in this way that 'If I kill my brothers, their wives will be widow, and they will become prostitute and there will be varṇa-saṅkara.' " These questions are very nice. If women become prostitute, then the population is varṇa-saṅkara. And varṇa-saṅkara means unwanted children. They become practically nuisance in the society. Narakāyate. If varṇa-saṅkara population is increased, then the whole society becomes a hell. That's a fact. Actually, that is the position at the present moment. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, marriage is there. Without marriage, the population, increase of population, means varṇa-saṅkara.
Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:
So Vyāsadeva, so learned scholar, everyone knows how great scholar he was. He has written so many books. Four Vedas, eighteen Purāṇas, then Vedānta-sūtra, then Upaniṣads. So many things. Recorded, not written, recorded. So such a big scholar was residing... He was guiding the whole society, but he was living very humbly. Even Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he was prime minister, but he was living in a cottage. That is the distinction between Vedic or Indian civilization and the modern civilization. The Indian civilization means they are interested in sat, and others they are interested in asat. Asat means which will not exist. I've already explained. In India, of course, materially, five hundred, five thousand years ago, materially also, India was very opulent. Why five thousand years? Even five hundred years or four hundred years, India was so opulent that Europeans were attracted to go to India.
Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:
So because they do not read Bhagavad-gītā, they do not know how to maintain the whole society, therefore there is now chaos. Therefore it is needed. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. The rāja, the kings, the government, or the government, they must study Bhagavad-gītā. Then it will be nice. Imaṁ rāja... And ṛṣayaḥ. Ṛṣayaḥ will give you... Ṛṣayaḥ means great saintly persons, the brāhmaṇas. They should give to the government men... But who is consulting the saintly persons? Just like we are trying to preach this Bhagavad-gītā. We are trying to give the essence of knowledge. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Mahātmā. The symptoms of mahātmā is that he is always engaged in chanting the glories of the Lord. Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14). The Bhagavad-gītā says that catur-vidhā bhajante mām: "Four classes of men comes to worship Me." Bhajana means sevā. Sevā. So sevā means bhakti. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanam... (SB 7.5.23). These are the sevā formula. So the devotees are engaged in sevā, in service of the Lord.
Lecture on BG 4.10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:
So it is a great science to understand what is that spiritual nature and what is that material nature, and we have published about eighty books of four hundred pages each for understanding what is this material nature and what is the spiritual nature. So at the present moment, the people, the whole human society, is missing this knowledge of spiritual nature. Therefore they are attached to this material nature, and here is a formula how we can become detached to this material nature and come to our original nature, spiritual nature. We are traveling all over the world, but there is no university, no institution, no school, no college where the education of spiritual nature is imparted. There is none. The greatest scientist, philosopher, they see that a man... A great scientist, great philosopher, they are working very nicely, but as soon as that spiritual nature is gone, this material nature body is useless.
Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Bombay, April 2, 1974:
Therefore it is very essential to understand this verse. Cātur-varṇyam, train a class of men. Everyone required. There is intelligent class of men, but there brain is being misused, and intelligent man is being taught technology, how to manufacture machine. This is śūdra's business. This is śūdra's business. Misuse, brain misuse. There must be university where brain is properly utilized. Here is a child or here is a boy. He has good intelligence. Train him as brāhmaṇa. Less than that, train him as kṣatriya, train him as vaiśya.
Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. There is no difficulty. So if you actually want happiness, prosperity of the society, not only of this society, that, whole human society, they must accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and then they will be happy. Thank you very much. (end)
Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Bombay, April 3, 1974:
In the Vedic literature there is no such thing as Hindu dharma or Muslim dharma or Christian dharma or Buddha dharma. These are recent manufacture. Actually, Vedic instruction is to divide the whole human society into four varṇas and four āśramas. That is Vedic dharma, sanātana-dharma. It is called sanātana-dharma. A living entity has got the chance of getting this human... Labdhvā sudurlabhaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29). Bahu-sambhavānte means after many, many births. This present rascal civilization does not know that how with great difficulty we have come to this human form of life after so many evolutions.
Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:
The animals, they cannot follow any rules and regulation. Animal, you ask animal, dog, that "You become a brahmacārī." That is not possible. That is not possible (laughs). It is for human being. These āśramas, the four āśramas and four varṇas, they are all meant for human society, not that it is restricted in a certain area or certain country or certain community. No. It is meant for the whole human society. Bhagavad-gītā is meant for the whole human society. When Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), he never says that "It is meant for India." Where is that? Why they came that the cātur-varṇyam should be in India only? Kṛṣṇa never said that. Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ: "In every species of life, as many forms are there, all of them are My sons." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Kṛṣṇa never says that "I am Indian" or "I am kṣatriya" or "I am brāhmaṇa." Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the father of everyone." Therefore this cātur-varṇya or this karma-kāṇḍa, everything is meant for the whole human society, if not for the animal society. Of course, animal society they cannot follow. That is their degraded position. Labdhvā su-durlabhaṁ bahu-sambhavānte. Therefore śāstra says that "This human form of life is gotten after many, many births," labdhvā su-durlabham. Su-durlabham. Durlabham means very rare to be obtained, and again addition, su, "very, very."
Lecture on BG 4.26 -- Bombay, April 15, 1974:
So these indriyas, unless they are purified by becoming without any designation... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a sannyāsī, I am a kṣatriya, I am not a brahmacārī." Because these are designation. Varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. Of course, now we do not know even this designation. We are simply animals at the present moment. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. But human society means to divide the whole human society into these eight divisions, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha. Then it is systematic. But you have to go above that. That systematic division of the society is also sense gratification. That is not real life. That is also sense gratification. But it is systematized.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 17, 1968:
In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find Kṛṣṇa says that the four divisions of society: brāhmaṇas, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra... That is natural. Somebody is inclined for spiritual advancement, oh, they should be picked up as brāhmaṇas. Now, we are training boys who are spiritually inclined, and now unnecessarily we are being called for military service. Just see, how discrepancy! The foolish person has no knowledge that "This boy is being trained up in higher science. Why he should be disturbed?" But they have no idea. Therefore imperfect. The intellectual persons, those who have got brahminical qualification... These boys are being restrained for being trained up as brāhmaṇa, brahmacārī. They don't take, I mean to say, meat-eating; they don't take part in intoxication; they don't take part in gambling; they don't take part in illicit sex life. So they are being trained as complete brāhmaṇa, the highest intellectual person, purified person in the society. If there is one brāhmaṇa in a family, or one society, the whole family, whole society becomes sanctified.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:
He has come. He came to establish real religious principle. Real religious principle means to accept the codes of Kṛṣṇa. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Nobody can create religious principle. A man cannot create. That is not possible. Any religious system which is created by man, that is not religion. Religion means what is created by God. That is religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣāt. Sākṣāt mean directly. So this Bhagavad-gītā is real religion, because it is directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the benefit of the whole human society. And Kṛṣṇa says also that "If you have got any other faith, religion. you give it up." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). Only one. God is one; religion is one. The process of religion is one, and the activity, who is in God-relationship, his activity's also one. That is oneness. There cannot be any different activities. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is teaching mayy āsakta-manāḥ.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:
It is simply waste of time. The whole world is trying to formulate... The United Nations. How to love the nations, one another. But there is no Kṛṣṇa. Therefore twenty years they are trying to unite the nations, but they are simply becoming disunited, missing the point. They do not know how to unite. If you want to unite the whole human society into one, take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You'll be united politically, socially, religiously, culturally, philosophically, in any way. Because Kṛṣṇa is everything. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Kṛṣṇa is the root. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:
So in Bhagavad-gītā we'll find all the solutions of the human problems, all the solutions. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Unless you divide the whole human society into four divisions, the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra... You must have to divide. You cannot say "classless society." That is useless society. Classless society means useless society. There must be an intelligent high class, ideal class of men to see the "Here is human civilization." That is brāhmaṇa. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma... (BG 4.13). Unless people see the ideal men, how they will follow? Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ, lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). The brāhmaṇa is compared with the brain of the body. Unless there is brain, what is the use of these hands and legs? If one's brain is cracked, madman, he cannot do anything. So at the present moment, because there is scarcity of brahminical qualified men in the whole human society... It is not meant... Brāhmaṇa is not meant for simply for India of Hindus. For the whole human society. Kṛṣṇa never says that the cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13) is meant for India, or for Hindus, or for a class of men. For whole human society, there must be a very ideal intellectual man, so that people will follow. Brain, brain of the society.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:
That is the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. You cannot say that "We can do without brain." Suppose from your body if the brain is cut off, your head is cut off, then you are finished. What the hands and legs will do if there is brain, if there is no brain? So at the present moment there is scarcity of brain in the whole human society. Therefore, it is in the chaotic condition. So there is need, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. The human society, the whole human civilization, must be reformed in this way, that there are intellectual class of men, naturally. There are first-class intellectual class of men, second-class intellectual, third-class, fourth-class, like that. So the first-class intellectual man, they must be brāhmaṇas, in the brahminical qualification, and they must be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then they can guide the whole society in the right way, and there will be no problem. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 22, 1977:
The human society is meant for not only inquiring Brahman but to worship Brahman, Para-brahman. That is human society. So there is necessity of the four classes. At the present moment they are trying to create classless society. That is chaotic society. That is not real society. That is not Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization means when there is classified society begins: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. And without this classification, the whole society will remain in chaotic condition. Just like the comparison is given, mukha-bāhūru. Just like in our body there is mouth, there is ūru, there is leg, there is bāhu. These divisions are required. Mukha means brāhmaṇa, bāhu means kṣatriya, and ūru means the vaiśya, and pāda means śūdra. The body can be maintained when four things are properly maintained. So these things are required, and they should be classified by quality and work. In this way we have to organize society. Then there will be no scarcity of real human being. Otherwise they will remain as animal.
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971:
Just like we offer Kṛṣṇa our obeisances: namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca: "Kṛṣṇa, You are worshipable by the brahminical culture, brahmaṇya-devāya," not by others, "because You are go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca, You are well-wisher of the cows and the brāhmaṇas." Why Kṛṣṇa is not said tiger? Why this prayer is devoid of tiger? Hitāya ca, Kṛṣṇa is always, I mean to say, thinking how to protect the cows and the brāhmaṇas. When Kṛṣṇa appeared on this planet He became a cowherd boy to give protection to the cows. He was tending cows by His personal example. You will read in the Kṛṣṇa book how He was taking care of the cows. Therefore go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. The first prayer is that "You are protector of the cows and the brāhmaṇas." Jagad-dhitāya. "You are well-wisher of the whole universe, but Your special interest is to give protection to the cows and the brāhmaṇas." Why that special interest? Because if the human society does not give protection to the cows and does not cultivate the brahminical culture, then it is cats and dogs society. Therefore it is given. And as soon as the whole society becomes full of cats and dogs, how can you expect peace and prosperity? The dog's business is "Gow gow gow gow! Why you have come here? Why you have entered in our neighborhood? Please get out. Please get out." Not "Please." "Get out." (laughter)
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971:
So this is my demand." "So what do you want?" "That Rāmacandra should be banished immediately and my son should be enthroned." He agreed. He called Rāmacandra, "This is the demand of Your stepmother. Kindly go to the forest for fourteen years, and Your stepbrother will be king." Rāmacandra agreed immediately. "Yes, that's all right, father." This is brahminical culture. Is there any single instance in the history that a king which is going to be enthroned next morning and by the order of his father immediately he goes away to the forest? Therefore there is no harm that we make materially very much advanced, but not like cats and dogs. Take brahminical culture. Then it will be perfect, the whole society. Go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya... That brahminical culture can be established only by understanding Kṛṣṇa. Without understanding Kṛṣṇa, whatever we do, we shall remain simply animals. That's all.
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Ahmedabad, December 14, 1972:
Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. Generally, whole human society, especially at the present moment, nobody cares for perfection of life. They do not know what is perfection of life. Just like animals, they do not know what is perfection of life. They think perfection of life: to gratify the senses. "We have got these senses. Let us..." Because they have no idea that there is life after death. Therefore their only proposition is, "Now we have got this life and we have got these senses. Let us enjoy it to the fullest extent." This is their perfection. But actually, that is not perfection. Perfection means, self-realization means to know that ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am not this matter; I am spirit soul." To understand this. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54).
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, March 29, 1971:
Now, how to make perfect, perfection of life, siddhi? That is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gelā, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa kailā (CC Madhya 20.117).(?) Because we have all forgotten Kṛṣṇa, that is our miserable condition of life. We are all forgotten about Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is teaching us personally. Five thousand years ago, He personally appeared and teaching us, we forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, the whole human society. Kṛṣṇa is teaching everyone. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa is teaching only in India and to the brāhmaṇas or the Hindus. Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is being accepted by everyone all over the world. It is our duty. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says it is the duty of all Indians to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement for para-upakāra, all over the world. That is our business. So manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). The siddhi means when one takes to the daiva-varṇāśrama principles.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:
Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. The aim of life is to understand Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are trying to become happy in the bahir-artha, in the external energy of God, material energy. And the so-called leaders, politicians, philosophers, scientists, they're all blind. They do not know what is the aim of life. Still, they are leading the whole society.
- na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
- durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ
- andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
- te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ
- (SB 7.5.31)
Uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Uru means very strong, and dāmni means rope. Just like if I tie you with very strong rope, it is very difficult to open it, and you are put into difficulty. Similarly, we are in this material world uru-dāmni baddhāḥ, tied very tight with the laws of material nature. And we are declaring still, "I am free. I am independent, I can do whatever I like." This is called imperfection. So long we are in the bodily concept of life and think ourself that we are free to do anything, whatever we like, we are in ignorance, darkness, tama. Tama means darkness.
Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:
So all these facts have been very widely described and discussed. So we should be very careful to accept the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā as it is. If we do not accept, then Kṛṣṇa says aśraddadhānāḥ. One is not interested in this type of occupational duty, dharma means occupational duty. So dharmasyāsya parantapa. Asya dharmasya. What is this dharma? In the end of Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is dharma. This is real dharma. And anything except this, is bogus, cheating. This is real dharma. Kṛṣṇa came, He said that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Hm? Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. To reestablish the religious system. Yuge yuge sambhavāmi, "I come." He comes. So, or He sends His representative, His son or His devotee. His servant. In this way, Kṛṣṇa is trying to enlighten the whole human society.
Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 22, 1976:
So therefore Kṛṣṇa said that "One who does not take care of My instruction," aśraddadhānāḥ, "no faith..." Aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣāḥ (BG 9.3). Puruṣa means any man, any human being, living being, but a human being because otherwise who will hear Kṛṣṇa? The cats and dogs will not hear. That is not possible. They have no capacity. But you are all human being. Either you are Australian or Indian or American or..., you can hear Bhagavad-gītā. There is no doubt about it. It is a question of explaining in your language. So we are trying to do that. The Bhagavad-gītā, the message of Bhagavad-gītā, is not sectarian. Don't take it like that. It is science how to make the whole human society peaceful and happy. It doesn't matter whether you are Australian, American, Indian, or African. And practically we see—we have got branches all over the world. Those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are happy. So take it very seriously. Don't neglect it, that "It is a sectarian religion of the Hindus or..." No. Kṛṣṇa is not for the Hindus.
Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 27, 1966:
Therefore tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. You should rise up to the occasion, how to serve God. And this is the greatest necessity of the present day civilization. People are suffering due to Godlessness, and, if you want to serve the people, your society, your country, the whole human society, then try yourself, best, try your best, you just rise up to the occasion of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and just spread this philosophy to the world. There will be happiness, there will be peace and everyone will be, blessing (?).
Thank you very much. If there are any question... (end)
Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, September 24, 1973:
Therefore those who are actually intelligent, they should not neglect this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is the greatest welfare movement for the whole human society to make people God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, without which there will be so many troubles. It is already there. So everyone is trying to enjoy the prakṛti, the material nature. Therefore the question is prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva kṣetraṁ kṣetrajñaṁ eva ca. This is material nature and anyone who is trying to enjoy this material nature, he is called puruṣa. Purusa means enjoyer and prakṛti means enjoyed. Just like in ordinary life we see a man is supposed to be enjoyer and the woman is supposed to be enjoyed, similarly, prakṛti is feminine gender and puruṣa is masculine gender. Anyone who is trying to enjoy, he is puruṣa. It doesn't matter, outwardly he's dressed as man or women; if he has got the desire to enjoy, that is called puruṣa. And his object that is enjoyed, that is called prakṛti.
Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:
Similarly, according to the capacity, one is ordinary servant, one is manager, one is clerk, one is this and that. That, That's all right. Similarly, according to our particular quality, one may be a brāhmaṇa, one may be a kṣatriya, nor be a śūdra, or vaiśya. It doesn't matter. But the whole society, if they are engaged in satisfying Kṛṣṇa, that is perfection. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not that we are asking everyone to become a sannyāsī like me, and give up everything. No. That is not our program. You act as a brāhmaṇa, as a kṣatriya or a vaiśya or a śūdra. It doesn't matter. But you try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is the program.
Lecture on BG 13.19 -- Bombay, October 13, 1973:
How can you avoid? If you simply say that "Let there be all heads," that cannot. Or "Let there be simply legs." That is cannot that cannot be. There must be the heads, the legs, the hands, the belly. Similarly, the whole society should be divided into that way and they should work cooperatively. The central point. Just like this head, leg, hands, they are working cooperatively for the benefit of this body, whole body. Actually for the benefit of this belly. Because we are all working now for eating without eating we cannot live. Then it is after sleeping, then mating the, then defending. First there must be arrangement for eating. So, practically the stomach is the king in this bodily arrangement, the stomach.
Lecture on BG 1322 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976:
So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a humble attempt to awaken the whole human society to this spiritual knowledge and act according to the instruction of spiritual life and be happy and be prepared for the next life. The perfection of next life is to become free from the laws of material nature. That is the highest perfection. Saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ. That can be possible when you go back home back to Godhead. That is not very difficult at the same time. Janma karma ca divyaṁ me jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Very simple thing. You simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Why Kṛṣṇa comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). What is dharmasya glāniḥ? What is dharma? Why does He come? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Who is sādhu, who is duṣkṛta? These things are to be studied.
Lecture on BG 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:
Then Kṛṣṇa says, that how the brahminical class should be educated. This should be taken very seriously by educational department of all countries. And it is the duty of the government to see that every man according to his quality is working, is employed. Not that... Secular state does not mean they should be callous about the quality and work of the citizens. There must be department of practical psychology to see the students, in which class he belongs to. Either he belongs to the first-class, brāhmaṇa class, or second-class, the kṣatriya class, administrator class, and the third-class, mercantile, or business man, and the fourth-class, śūdras, worker. If education is given according to the quality and position, then there will be complete system in the whole human society. Take the same example. Just like your body, if your head is working nicely, if your hand is working nicely, if your stomach is working nicely, if your leg is working nicely, then the whole body is to be considered as healthy and working nicely. If any part of this body, either head, leg, or arms or belly, does not work nicely, then the whole body becomes diseased.
Lecture on BG 18.45 -- Durban, October 11, 1975:
Then I have got guṇa, but I do not practice it. Suppose I have passed medical examination, but I do not practice. Then nobody will call me a doctor sir. I must practice. I must cure patient. Then I will be known as medical practitioner. So guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, not only quality but also practice. So what are the guṇas? The guṇas are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there. Simply we have to study thoroughly and understand it thoroughly. Then the whole human society will be in peace and they will make progress not only in this life but in the next life also. Therefore it is said, saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ. Sve sve karmaṇi nirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ. What is that saṁsiddhi?
- mām upetya punar janma
- duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
- nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
- saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ
- (BG 8.15)
That is saṁsiddhi. The saṁsiddhi means, perfection of life means, that this life we shall act in such a way that next life, after giving up this body... We have to give up this body, but we should not give up this body like cats and dogs. That is human civilization. The cats and dogs, they also give up their body. And if we also give up our body like cats and dog that is not success of life. That is failure of life. Prahlāda Mahārāja has said that durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam. Durlabham. This human form of life is durlabham. Durlabha... Duḥ means difficult, and labha means gained. After many, many millions of years of evolution process we get this human form of life. That is the nature's. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). We are being carried by the laws of nature. So this human form of life is very durlabha, very rarely gotten. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma.
Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:
So as soon as you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Just like in this old age, we are traveling all over the world to do benefit to the people because we are hankering that people should become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Don't you think that we are serving the people everywhere? We are not sitting idle. So anyone who will be really Kṛṣṇa conscious, he'll not be idle. He'll serve the whole human society, everywhere. Not only human society, the animal society, everyone. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person will not allow an ant to be killed. But the so-called humanitarians, they're sending ten thousand cows daily to the slaughterhouse. What is the benefit? They do not know what is beneficial work, what is humanitarian work. But a Kṛṣṇa conscious person will think, "Oh, why these animals should be sent to the slaughterhouse?" That is the difference. You be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 27, 1971:
So this means at the present moment the whole human society has become animal. That's all. Their behavior is also like animal. Behavior is also like animal. And gradually, in this age people will become more and more animalistic. And they like to become animal. They say that "We are going to nature, to remain naked, without any polished behavior. Lie down... Just like cats and dogs lie down in street, I'll lie down." They are thinking this is ideal. So just see that so much expenditure on education, university, father-mother's care, state care, but they are becoming cats and dogs. And they are taking it as advancement. Dharma artha. Artha must be on the basis of dharma. And kāma. Kāma means sense gratification. And last, at last, mokṣa, liberation.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Rome, May 24, 1974:
So there was no need of this democratic meeting, but there was meeting of the first-class brāhmaṇas. For the benefit of the whole human society they used to meet sometimes, and that meeting is still continuing in India. It is called Kumbha-melā. Kumbha-melā. Recently this meeting took place in Haridwar. All the saintly person used to come and in four places: one at Prayāga, Allahabad, one at Vṛndāvana, and one at Haridwar, and another at Rāmeśvaram, something like that. Four places. So similar meeting was held at Naimiṣāraṇya. Naimiṣāraṇya, that place is still existing, very nice place.
Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:
So about them it is said, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. They were very big, big leaders of the maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means big, big leaders of the society, because they were ministers, all zamindars. All big, big businessmen they used to see, they used to visit, because minister's business... So he was associating with highly aristocratic families and societies, but they gave it up. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati..., sadā tuccha-vat. Tuccha-vat means very... We are seeking after aristocratic society's association, to become big man, but these Gosvāmīs, although they were ministers, they decided, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati..., sadā tuccha-vat. Then what did they become? Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau: "For the benefit of whole human society, they took the mendicant's dress." Just like in our political movement, Mahatma Gandhi also took the mendicant's dress, loincloth, these Gosvāmīs also... That is Indian culture.
Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Los Angeles, August 16, 1972:
So when you come to the system of varṇāśrama, this is by nature. It is creation of God, just like in your body there are four divisions—the brain, arms, belly and legs divisions. So how can you avoid? This is natural. Unless you have got brain, if your head is cut off from the body, then what is the value? It is dead body. Similarly, at the present moment there is no brahminical culture. There may be very strong arm department, there may be very well-equipped economic department or labor department, but because the head is not there, it is a dead body. Therefore the whole society is suffering; there is no brāhmaṇa, or the head. We are creating brāhmaṇas so that the society may be saved. We are not creating rascals; we are creating brāhmaṇas. So if you all are responsible, if you know your duty, try to save the society, especially in your country, America. By God's grace you have enough of everything. And you have got intelligence also, otherwise how you are coming? Unless you are born of intelligent father and mother, how you are taking this?
Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Vrndavana, October 24, 1972:
The whole aim of life is to achieve the favor of Viṣṇu. Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. That is the Ṛg-Veda mantra. To reach Viṣṇu. But they do not know the goal of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know. Anyone, or any society who does not know the aim of life, they are in the darkness. Actually, at the present moment especially, the whole human society has missed the point. They are trying to be happy by material adjustment. By social adjustment, by political adjustment, by economic adjustment, or by religious adjustment, they are trying to make the whole human society happy, but Bhāgavata says, durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. This is something which is beyond the fulfillment of hopes. This hope will never be fulfilled. Durāśayā. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Because they have accepted the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, bahir-artha.
Lecture on SB 1.2.14 -- Los Angeles, August 17, 1972:
Similarly, everyone has to work. Therefore there must be systematic work so that whole society may develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the ideal or the goal of life. Without program working... Just like I was hearing that in Japan they are very much, the people have very much liking for working, but, by law, they are being prohibited, "Don't work." So this civilization has been created that they do not know anything more. They are not taught that working is not our main business. Our main business is, as it is stated, hari-toṣaṇam. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). We have to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Or God, whatever you say. But they do not know what is God.
Lecture on SB 1.2.14 -- Los Angeles, August 17, 1972:
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give some benediction to the whole human society. It is not a sectarian so-called religion, sentiment. No. It is a scientific movement. Scientific movement... If you say, "Why you are interested to save the human society?" That is Kṛṣṇa's business. Kṛṣṇa wants, God wants, that "All these living entities, they should come back home, back to Godhead. Why they are suffering?" Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes personally.
Lecture on SB 1.3.14 -- Los Angeles, September 19, 1972:
So there was such a time because Pṛthu Mahārāja's father was a demon. He stopped all religious activities. Therefore people became demonic, and there was restriction of food supply. Then Pṛthu Mahārāja made arrangement, and there was sufficient foodstuff. Dugdhemām oṣadhīr viprās tenāyaṁ sa uśattamaḥ. Since Pṛthu Mahārāja arranged the whole society to be religious, to be God conscious, everything become beautiful. This can be done even now. If people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, the whole world will become beautiful, Vaikuṇṭha, without any anxiety. That is possible. Because that is nature's law. Just like if you become criminal, the state police force will always harass you. You cannot get out of it. He'll harass you. But that is expensive job for the government. Because it requires extra police, extra management, extra everything. But if the people become honest, God conscious, so many expenditure will be reduced. And money will be saved for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness or for Kṛṣṇa's service. Then the whole world will become exactly as it was in the Pṛthu Mahārāja's day.
Lecture on SB 1.5.9-11 -- New Vrindaban, June 6, 1969:
On the contrary, this is a kind of literature very nicely written, metaphorical, and poetry, everything. But there is no question of glorifying the Lord. That is compared with, just like the same place, where the crows will take pleasure. On the other hand, other kind of literature, what is that? Tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api (SB 1.5.11). A literature presented to the people, to the public for reading, which are even grammatically incorrect, but because there is glorification of the Lord, it can produce revolution. It can purify the whole human society. My Guru Mahārāja, when he was selecting articles to be published in The Harmonist, if he sees simply that there is, several times the writer has written "Kṛṣṇa," "Lord Caitanya," like that, he passes immediately: "All right. It's all right. (laughter) It is all right." That so many times he has uttered "Kṛṣṇa" and "Caitanya," so it is all right.
Lecture on SB 1.5.22 -- Vrndavana, August 3, 1974:
That is kṣatriya business. Brāhmaṇa's business, teaching. And vaiśya: till the field, agriculture, get your food. Now, where is dependence? Only a śūdra, he cannot take up all these things. "Give me some service, sir. Give me some service." In the modern education, they... The more and more industries increasing, there śūdras are being trained up. Technology. Technology means he must get some service. Otherwise, useless. Simple life, teaching, brāhmaṇa; and kṣatriya, give protection; and vaiśya, till the ground. This is... Where is the question of scarcity? The scarcity is that nobody's doing his real duty. Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). And people are exploiting. There is competition, dissatisfaction, fight. So many things, sinful activities. The whole society is polluted. Actually, the whole human society is now conducted by the śūdras. But śūdras cannot run on government. That is not possible. Because that śūdra, your Nixon, is a śūdra, he is exalted post, therefore everything is not in order.
Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:
Yes. Perfect society is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you accept Kṛṣṇa as the center... Just like in a family if you accept the head of the family, your father, as the guiding principle, the family's happy. And if you disrupt with the opinion of the father, somebody goes away, somebody's not happy, the family is disturbed. Similarly, if you agree with the instruction of Kṛṣṇa and God, the whole human society will be peace and prosperity. If you don't agree, disagree, don't agree, disagree, then it is disruption. The instruction is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. You take it, you agree to it, and you become happy in this world and next world. (end)
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 23, 1975:
So if we continue this process, not to become envious... That is animal nature, dog's nature, hog's nature. Human nature should be para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. One should be very unhappy by seeing others in miserable condition. So everyone is suffering for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our only business is to awaken his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and the whole world will be happy. Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje, lokasya ajānataḥ. People have no knowledge about it. So we have to push on this movement. Lokasyājān..., vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So another name of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is bhāgavata-dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma. If we accept it, then the whole human society will be happy.
Lecture on SB 1.8.41 -- Los Angeles, May 3, 1973:
But these rascals, they do not know, they do not believe that there is next life. As I have told you many times, that Professor Kotovsky in Russia, he said, "Swamiji, after this body's finished, everything's finished." Just see. He's a big professor. He's saying like that. Our scientists also... They have no knowledge. Still they're passing as scientists, philosophers, and misleading persons. This is our greatest grief. Therefore I am requesting you all: just make a plan to face these rascals and defeat them. They are misleading the whole human society. Now the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should take this turn. They may not think that these boys and girls, so-called Kṛṣṇas, they are sentimentalists, chanting and dancing. That is, of course, the ultimate goal. But they do not understand. They think that we are simply sentimental. We are the greatest scientist. We are the greatest philosopher. We are the greatest humanitarian. They should know that. (aside:) Who is standing there? Hmmm.
Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Mayapura, October 24, 1974:
So anyone who is being educated, anyone who is engaged in research work for the benefit of the whole human society... Idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā ca buddhi-dattayoḥ (SB 1.5.22). Or somebody is giving in charity, opening hospital, schools, or other good, good purposes. Ca buddhi-dattayoḥ. So why they are doing that? What is the purpose? The purpose is avicyutaḥ arthaḥ. Avicyuta means infallible, and artha means purpose. Avicyutaḥ arthaḥ kavibhir nirūpitaḥ. It is ascertained, the purpose. Why one should be engaged in research work? Why one should be engaged in getting good education? Why one should perform charity, or why one should be intelligent? This is higher-class activities. So what is the purpose? The purpose, it is said, kavibhir nirūpitaḥ: "By high-class scholars, they have ascertained."
Lecture on SB 1.8.47 -- Mayapura, October 27, 1974:
This is sneha. Everyone is thinking. Even the lower animals, they are also thinking of giving protection to the children. I have got personal experience in Kanpur, I was sitting in my room, and one monkey was outside the door with his (her) kitty to take something out of my eating. But by chance the small kitty entered through the bars of the window within the room, and I saw the mother became almost mad immediately: "Oh, my son has gone inside, and it will not be allowed to come again." Anyway, I managed to push the small kitty to go away; then she was relieved. So this affection for children, for wife, for family members, increase, then to society, to country, even to the whole human society. There are so many persons. They have given their state (estate) for benefit of the whole human society. There are many, many philanthropists, charitably disposed men. They do that.
Lecture on SB 1.9.49 -- Mayapura, June 15, 1973:
So our this movement is not for the kṛpaṇas. It is meant for the brāhmaṇas. We want to become ourself brāhmaṇa, and we want to make others also brāhmaṇa. Because there is need of brāhmaṇa at the present moment. The whole human society is now running by the śūdras, all śūdras. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. In this Kali-yuga, everyone is a śūdra. Maybe born of a brāhmaṇa family, but because he has no culture... The first culture is garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. If garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not observed even in a brāhmaṇa family, he becomes immediately śūdra. This is the statement of the śāstra. So nobody is observing garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. Therefore, according to śāstra, everyone is a śūdra. Now because everyone is śūdra, therefore he cannot be trained up as brāhmaṇa? No. He can be trained up. Caṇḍālo 'pi dvija-śreṣṭho hari-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ. If that śūdra or caṇḍāla can be turned into a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, hari-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ, then under training he can become better than brāhmaṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.15.28 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1973:
Actually that is a fact, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. The example I have given many times. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. So the finger is always happy when it is attached to this body. It is very practical. Try to understand. If the finger is cut and separated from this body, then it will be called somebody's finger. Everyone will see the finger falling on the ground. Somebody will say, "Yes..." Somebody, if he knows that it is that man's finger. But this finger is useless. It is simply name "finger." That you have to understand. The finger's value is so long it is attached with the body. As soon as it is separated from the body, it is useless. You can call it finger. Similarly, our societies, human society is divided into so many departments. Generally, it is divided into four classes-intelligent class, administrative class, productive class and worker class, the whole human society. There are certain men who are very intelligent. They are scientists, philosopher, writers, thinker. There are so many department. So similarly, there are politicians, diplomats. Similarly, there are industrialists, agriculturalists and general worker. They are neither intelligent nor administrator, nor producer, but simply worker. You give them some money and they are satisfied. So that is natural division of a society. And you call it by different names. But scientifically the division is already there.
Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:
So we are all illusioned because we accept this body as self. "What you are?" "Oh, I am American." "Why American?" "Because this is American body." But I am not this body. So... But we accept. It is going on. This illusion is going on. Mistake is going on. And in spite of becoming illusioned and mistaken, I am posing myself as great scholar, philosopher, scientist. Therefore cheater. But I do not know the things because I am already illusioned and I commit mistake. And still, I am proving that "I am theologician," "I am scientist," "I am philosopher." Then change again. I say today something and tomorrow something else, because I am mistaken, illusioned. I must go on speaking like that, nonsense, today something, tomorrow something. And this is going on (as) advancement. What is this advancement? If you do not know something as real, you say something today, and tomorrow you say something, the same mistake, again, day after tomorrow, you say something, where is your knowledge? There is no knowledge, but still, he is posing to be man of knowledge. He is getting Nobel Prize. This is called cheating. And people are, those who are cheated, they are accepting this cheating knowledge. Therefore the whole human society is full of cheaters and cheated.
Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:
So human civilization means gṛhastha, not gṛhamedhi. If you become gṛhastha, then you are nice. Then you are advancing towards self-realization. That is required. Because the cats and dogs cannot become gṛhastha. That is not possible. If you say... If you have got a dog, you get another female dog, "My dear dog, you get your wife, live peacefully, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." "No, sir, it is not possible because I am dog. Because I am dog, therefore I cannot be satisfied. I must find out another illicit sex and create trouble," then phat! He engages. Then fight. That is Kali-yuga. Unnecessarily create, by illicit sex life, enemy, and then become killed and finish your life. That is called gṛhamedhi. You require wife. That's all right. Take wife. There is no scarcity of wife. Live peacefully. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. "No, I have got my wife; I want another. I want another." Like dogs. Yes. So the dog civilization cannot help us. This will not help us. Human life is meant for something else. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām (SB 5.5.1). Everything is discussed in Bhāgavata. Therefore we request the whole human society to read these valuable books, valuable. Oh, they are missing the opportunity. Let them read these books. Then life will be successful.
Lecture on SB 1.15.50 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1973:
So when there is śāstra sanctioning for this eating, sleeping, mating, that means to restrict. Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttes tu mahā-phalā. This inclination is natural, but when there is regulative principle, that means to restrict. Because the whole human society is supposed to be advanced in the art of detachment, jñāna-vairāgyam. That is perfection. First of all knowledge, perfect knowledge, that "I am not this body. I am simply wasting my time taking care of this body, but I am different from the body." That is natural. Suppose you are sitting in some place. If you know that place does not belong to you, then why should you take so much care? You are sitting there for some business. Finish, and go. Similarly, if one is in knowledge, full knowledge, that "I am not this body," that is called jñāna. Then why he should be bothering so much for this body which is going to be, as I explained yesterday, either ash, or stool or earth? This is the last stage of this body.
Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:
So, there is a process how to appreciate, how to become qualified to appreciate, and that system is called varṇāśrama-dharma, to divide the whole human society into four classes of men: the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. And those who are not regulated, they are pañcamas, below the śūdras. So the, our subject matter was unlawful meat-eaters. So even the śūdras, who are meat-eaters, they're lawful meat-eaters. What is that lawful meat-eating? Lawful meat-eating is... In any religion, formerly, even the Muhammadans or Hindus or the Jews, they used to kill one animal as sacrifice. They used to kill. Not in the slaughterhouse. Even up to date, those who are strictly religious followers... Suppose the Muhammadans. There in the Koran, the injunction is that "You should sacrifice one animal in the mosque." The Jews also, they sacrifice animal in the synagogue. I have read one book, Lord Jesus Christ, when he was a young boy he was very much shocked when he saw that animal-killing is going on in the synagogue. Therefore he differentiated from the Jews and he started his own religion, Christian religion.
Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1974:
So everything should be regulated. But in this age there is no regulation, there is no knowledge. Less than animals also. They have sex life at a certain period of the year, not always. But human being has become so low-graded that... And that is due to Kali-yuga. Therefore it is very lamentable. Everything is topsy-turvied. It's no regular. It is the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy that we are reforming the whole society very simple way-chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. You see. It is so nice. You see? The examples are here. It is no story. Simply by chanting. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended,
harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
There is no other alternative. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Everything will be reformed. Life will be polished and everything will be successful. This is ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Human life, he is also a soul. Animal is also a soul. Everyone. But the human form of life is meant for God realization, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is Vedānta-sūtra. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Not only human being, everyone. But everyone less than human being, they cannot inquire about the Absolute Truth: "What is the aim of life? What is the Absolute Truth? What I am? What is my relationship?" These things are the subject matter for discussion in the human form of life.
Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Delhi, November 4, 1973:
Everything is there. But we have become so unfortunate, led by rascal and fools leaders, that we are missing the opportunity of this human form of life where we can solve all the problems of life, and the indications are there, here in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that "I give you order. You, every one of you become a spiritual master." "Oh, I have no qualification. How can I become spiritual master? It requires high knowledge, Sanskrit understanding." "No, you don't require anything. Simply you speak kṛṣṇa-upadeśa." What is kṛṣṇa-upadeśa? Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). You simply go door to door and say, "Please surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Then you are spiritual master. I have done this. What I have done? I have gone to your country to say this thing, that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You surrender; you become perfect." That is being done.
So it is not very difficult to become spiritual master. Simply you have to become very serious and sincere to the service of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ: (SB 2.1.1) "Oh, it is very nice." Loka-hitam: "It will be beneficial to the whole human society."
Lecture on SB 2.1.1-2 -- New York, April 19, 1973:
Ordinary man, he thinks only of himself, or expanded himself, for family, for community, for society, for nation. These are all expanded selfishness. Expanded. When I am alone, I am thinking of my benefit only. When I am little grown up, I think of my brothers and sisters, and when I am little advanced, I think of my family. Little advanced, I think of my community. Little advanced, I think of my country, my nation. Or I can think of the whole human society, internationally. But Kṛṣṇa is so big that Kṛṣṇa includes everyone. Not only human society, animal society, bird society, beast society, tree society—everything. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving father of all these forms." There are 8,400,000 different kinds of forms. Kṛṣṇa claims "They, all of them, are My part and parcel living entities, but they are now covered by different dress only. But they are living entities." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness vision.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Mombassa, September 13, 1971:
So here it is said apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). One who has no information of the spiritual world, they are interested in these newspaper and magazines. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Gṛheṣu means they have an impact of understanding. This is my body. Or this is my society. Or this is my community. Or this is my nation. Or this is my humanitarian. They can expand. But what is the... Even if you take the whole human society, what is the value? If you take all living entities, there are so many other living entities. Not only human beings, there are animals, thirty thousand species of animals. Not thirty thousand, thirty hundred thousand. Similarly, twenty hundred thousand species of living entities who are called the trees, plants. So where is the knowledge of all this? Suppose if one is naturalist, what knowledge he has got? He can study a thousand species of plants and trees, but there are two millions of plants and trees. Just try to understand how much meager a small quantity of knowledge you have got. It is practically not possible. But at least one must know that this material world, this material body is not myself. At least this self-realization should be there. Otherwise, we remain animals.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:
We are interested in that tattva, that ātma-tattva, soul, ideal. So to understand this ātma-tattva one has to become just the opposite number of these materialistic persons. The materialistic persons, they are interested only in sense gratification, materialistic persons. Or mental speculation. They are materialistic. There are so many big, big so-called sādhus, saintly persons, simply busy on mental speculation. They are not perfect. And those who are busy in understanding the bodily concept of life, they are also materialistic. The difficulty is that these, these materialistic persons, in different forms, they are accepted as the leaders. They are accepted as leader, as politician, as sociologist, as philosopher, mental speculator, or so-called incarnation of God, and magician, yogis, so many things. They are leading the whole society at the present moment. Therefore people are in chaotic condition.
Lecture on SB 2.3.2-3 -- Los Angeles, May 20, 1972:
And they're fighting just like cats and dogs, they fight, "I am cat, you are dog. You are dog, I am cat." That's all. So this challenge, that "You are all rascals," it is a very strong word, but actually that is the fact. That is the fact. It is a revolutionary movement. We are challenging everyone that "You are all set of asses and cows and animals, because you have no knowledge beyond this body." Therefore it is said... In this purport, I have especially mentioned. "Because they have little knowledge of spirit soul, all of them are not intelligent." I have spoken with big, big professors. In Moscow, that gentleman, Professor Kotovsky, he said, "Swamiji, after death, there is nothing. Everything is finished." And he's one of the big professors in the country. So this is the defect of modern civilization, that the whole society is being governed by cats and dogs, actually. So how there can be any peace and prosperity? It is not possible. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ.
Lecture on SB 2.9.14 -- Melbourne, April 13, 1972:
You Write books on this principle, that they are sticking to their so-called religious principle, so if anyone giving up his own religious system or occupational duty..." Religion means this sva-dharma. Sva-dharma means that the whole human society is divided into four classes—brāhmaṇas, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—in different names maybe: intelligent class, administrative class, mercantile class, and laborer class. It may be in different names, but these four classes, division, is there all over the world in different names. So sva-dharma means, intelligent class means they are interested in philosophy, in religion, in uplifting the human society to the proper position. That is intelligent class. And administrator class means they are interested in giving protection to the people. Now it is under nationalism. And give them protection from the enemies, from thieves, from rogues. That is the duty of the kṣatriya. Kṣat. Kṣatta means injury, and tra means one who protects or liberates. "One who protects a human being from being hurt by others"—that is called kṣatriya. And brāhmaṇa means one who knows Brahman, the Absolute Truth. And vaiśya means those who know visampati, the economic problem. And śūdra means laborer. So each word has got meaning. So everyone has got his particular type of occupation, either as intelligent class of men, or as the administrator class of men, or as vaiśyas, traders, or merchants, or as a laborer. Everyone has got.
Lecture on SB 3.25.3 -- Bombay, November 3, 1974:
So one has to learn how to describe the Absolute Truth, Bhagavān, how He's acting, how He's merciful, how He is so kind to the living beings that He comes personally. He's more anxious to give us education, enlightenment what is the goal of life. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). And He leaves the literature, He leaves His devotee, He leaves His follower, the paramparā system. Take advantage of this. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for giving the whole human society this advantage of understanding what is the Absolute Truth. It is not a bogus thing. It is actually this anukīrtaya. Anukīrtaya. We are not manufacturing our philosophy. There is no business. Why shall I try for..., unnecessarily waste our energy for manufacturing? There are so many things to be learned which is already there in the Vedic literature. Just try to learn and distribute it. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.
Lecture on SB 3.28.20 -- Nairobi, October 30, 1975:
So this is the way, not whimsically accept any rascal as avatāra. No. That is not the process. Or any rascal as God. This rascaldom has killed the whole human society to become atheist. You should be very, very careful of these rascals. As soon as somebody says that "I am God," you shall immediately take him as dog, not God. So God is not so cheap. In the Brahma-saṁhitā the description of God, Kṛṣṇa, is given, and it is said there,
- yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
- jīvanti loma-bilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
- viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.48)
Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, His plenary representation is Mahā-Viṣṇu. And what is the description of Mahā-Viṣṇu? Yasya eka niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya. From one exhaling of the breath, then... Yasyaika niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48), all these innumerable universes. We are seeing... We are in one universe. There are many millions of universes. That we cannot see. We are within this universe compact. We can see it is packed up, just like a ball. But there are many such. So all these different universes controlled by one Lord Brahma, they are coming during the exhaling period of Mahā-Viṣṇu's breathing. That is God. Who can imagine Him? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). And universes are coming from the, what is called? Hole?
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- London, August 30, 1971:
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to give the whole human society the direction how he can enjoy unlimitedly. Yena śuddhyet sattvam. Ramante yoginaḥ anante. Really, those who are yogis, they enjoy. These Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, people, they are also yogis, bhakti-yogīs. They are the best of the yogis. As we see in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the chapter in which Sāṅkhya yoga has been explained, the conclusion is, yoginām api sarveṣām: (BG 6.47) "Of all the yogis..." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā: "One who is thinking within himself about Me, Kṛṣṇa," mad-gaten... śraddhāvān, "with faith and love," bhajate mām, "engaged in My devotional service," sa me yuktatamo mataḥ, "he is the first-class yogi. He is the first-class yogi." So we are preaching in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, "Everyone should become a first-class yogi. And when one becomes a first-class yogi, perfect yogi, then ramante yoginaḥ anante, then they enjoy eternal, blissful life of knowledge.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Johannesburg, October 20, 1975:
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is reminding the whole human society that "Don't lose this chance of getting a human body." You must properly utilize it. And how it is to be utilized? That is stated here by Ṛṣabhadeva: tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvam śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). Sattvam, our existence, is now polluted. Therefore we are getting this material body and changing this material body. And as soon as we get a material body, then our miserable condition begins. In this material body nobody can say that there is no miserable condition. It is full of miserable condition. There are three kinds of miserable conditions: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Adhyātmika means pertaining to the body and pertaining to the mind. There are so many miseries. Otherwise... The other day Swami Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa was telling that in this country there is maximum number of suicide. Is it not? So, why one commits suicide unless he feels bodily position very uncomfortable, mental condition very disturbing? So this is called adhyātmika, pertaining to the body and mind. There are many troubles.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Johannesburg, October 20, 1975:
This is human intelligence. Therefore he requires to live a saintly life. It is not possible, of course, that everyone should become saintly. That is not possible. Therefore in the Vedic civilization it is prescribed, varṇāśrama-dharma. Varṇāśrama-dharma. Varṇa means four classification of the society, and āśrama means four division of spiritual life. The society, it is not meant for any particular nation or particular community. It is meant for the whole human society. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The human society should be divided into four groups. What is that? The first-class men. There are first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class men. We have got our experience. Not that everyone is equally intelligent. No. There is difference of classification or intelligence or genuineness. There are so many things, division. So here also you have got division, classification. That is natural.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3-4 -- Bombay, March 29, 1977:
So we have got such vast knowledge for achieving the goal of life. It is India. Why should we neglect? Why we should become so foolish that forget our real purpose of life and engage in will-o'-the-wisp struggle for existence, which will never be successful? Why this misconception of life? At least, there must be this institution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in India so that not only the Indians, but all outside India, they should come and learn what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (applause) So it is already explained. We are trying to develop this institution in Bombay. Bombay is the best city in India, and people are also very advanced, enlightened. So let us combine together and develop this institution for the whole human society. That is our ambition. It is not for any sect or any creed or any particular class of men. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). It is for the human society, and we have got this opportunity of human body. A Bengali poet sings, hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu. Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā viṣa khāinu. "My Lord, I have wasted my this valuable life, human form of life, because I did not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Lecture on SB 5.5.7 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1976:
You can say, "I am pouring water on this leaf, on that leaf, on that..." It will take... You cannot. There are so many leaves in the tree, it is not possible individually, you can do it. But if you put the water, pour the water on the root, it is very easy, and all the leaves, and twigs, and flowers, and fruits, they get nourishment. That is wanted. Yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ, prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇām (SB 4.31.14), and by offering food to the stomach, all the indriyas, senses, they become vigorous or strong. Similarly, sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā, if you satisfy Kṛṣṇa, acyuta ijyā, then the whole society, whole community, whole living beings, everyone will be satisfied. If you simply push on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, then all different activities of the human society will be very, very, nicely performed. Or if you do this nationalism, communism, it will never be perfect.
Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- Honolulu, May 9, 1976:
If such wife is at home and mother is not there... This is ideal Indian happy home. But in your country it is very rare, you see. But this is the standard of happiness. So if there is no mother and there is no good wife, then araṇyaṁ tena gantavyam, immediately he should give up that home. Araṇyam: he should go to the forest. "Why forest? In the city, I have got very nice home, nice building." No. For a person who has no good wife, neither mother, for him, yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gṛham. For him either this home or the forest, it is same. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu had these two greatest attachment at home, very affectionate mother. You have read about Śacīmātā is... Because He was the only... Out of his (her) ten children, only Caitanya Mahāprabhu was the living child of Śacīmātā. So naturally she was very, very affection to his (her) son, and this Viṣṇupriyā, wife, very, very affectionate, beautiful, young—but He gave up. This is called vairāgya-vidyā, no attachment. Although there is reason of attachment, but He had no attachment.
- tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita rājya-lakṣmīṁ
- dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam
- māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad
- vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam
- (SB 11.5.34)
He left home for the benefit of the whole human society. This is vairāgya-vidyā.
Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:
The brāhmaṇas should give advice to the kṣatriyas, to the government, and the government, according to the nice good advice, should maintain the state. In this way there will be peaceful condition of the society. Therefore there is the institution of varṇāśrama. Cātur-varṇyaṁ māyā... Kṛṣṇa says, "I have made this varṇāśrama for the benefit of the whole human society, although I don't belong to any varṇa, āśrama." Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do, but to maintain the human society very peaceful, advancing in spiritual knowledge, this varṇāśrama is required. Therefore sometimes I become very eager to start a varṇāśrama college. We have nothing to do with varṇāśrama, we Kṛṣṇa..., But we want to see that the whole human society is peaceful. That is our mission. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. This is the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and those who are servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they should also desire how to do good to the whole human society. A Vaiṣṇava is not only interested for his own benefit. His own benefit is already done as soon as he has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet.
Lecture on SB 6.1.17 -- Denver, June 30, 1975:
So this science is unknown to the rascal civilization, how to utilize things for the best purpose. So in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Vaiśyas... First-class men, brāhmaṇa; second-class men, the kṣatriya; third-class men, the vaiśyas; and fourth-class men, all others, the worker class, śūdras. So the first-class men, the brāhmaṇa, they should give instruction, nice instruction, so that the whole human society will profit. By seeing the character of the brāhmaṇa, the behavior of the brāhmaṇa... Śamo damaḥ satyaṁ śaucaṁ titikṣā kṣāntir eva ca, jñānaṁ vijñānam. A brāhmaṇa is not, never recommended, a brāhmaṇa will make some trade or become a engineer. No. Śamo damas titikṣā, these are the qualification, characteristics, of brāhmaṇa. And śāstra says yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ puṁso varṇābhivyañjakam, tat tenaiva vinirdiśet (SB 7.11.35). When there is characteristics of a brāhmaṇa, then you should accept him as a brāhmaṇa. Not whimsically. Similarly, kṣatriya, he must be very strong and chivalrous and never be go, I mean, fly away from battle. They should come forward when there is some battle, riot.
Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- San Francisco, July 20, 1975:
So we should follow that principle, that we should not be packed up. Sometimes we find in Vṛndāvana they say, "No, no, I have taken vow. I am not going out of Vṛndāvana." Of course, the Gosvāmīs did not get out of Vṛndāvana, but they preached. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. They were always engaged in writing books, nānā-śāstra, various śāstra, scripture always studying, and taking essence of the śāstra and presenting to the world people. Why? Sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau: just to establish real religious principle, nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau, with scrutinizing thinking over and giving to the people. This is Gosvāmīs' business. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Why? Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau: for the benefit of the whole human society. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau mānyau śaraṇyākarau. Therefore one should take shelter of the Gosvāmīs. That is Gosvāmī.
Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- Detroit, June 12, 1976:
Otherwise, society will go to hell. Who will guide? Just like in this body there must be the head. Otherwise, what is the use of these hands and legs? There is no use. Who will give direction? They are now trying to make classless society. Therefore they are bringing the whole human society into ruination. It cannot be done. There must be classes. Just like in my body there are four divisions: brain, arms, belly, leg. So they are required. Leg is also required, hand is also required, belly is also required. Similarly, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī—varieties. And when the varieties center around Kṛṣṇa, it becomes beautiful. Kṛṣṇa center, and the circle, rasa dance, it becomes very beautiful.
Lecture on SB 6.1.48 -- Detroit, June 14, 1976:
So therefore he can give judgment within a second. After death those who are sinful they are taken to the Yamarāja's. Just like in the criminal court, those who are criminals, they are taken there. Thieves, rogues, cheater—not ordinary persons, honest persons—they are not taken there. Similarly, only a few number of the whole human society. Now in the Kali-yuga it is increasing. In the Satya-yuga, Satya-yuga, there was no criminal. Everyone was paramahaṁsa. Then, in the next yuga, Tretā-yuga, seventy-five percent paramahaṁsa, first class; twenty-five percent this third class, fourth class. And then in the Dvāpara, half and half. Now in the Kali-yuga, seventy-five percent all rogues and thieves. Maybe twenty-five percent, that is also decreasing. And with the advancement of Kali-yuga, it will be practically nil. This is advancement of Kali-yuga.
Lecture on SB 6.1.62 -- Vrndavana, August 29, 1975:
So it is a great science. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is most scientific movement to get the whole human society from the pitch of darkness. Gṛham andha-kūpam. Gṛham andha-kūpam. The Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father, "What you have learned most...," I mean to say... I forget. Yes, "The best thing, what you have learned?" He said, hitvāndha kūpaṁ, hitvātma-ghātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). Tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. The same thing. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. The materialistic persons, they are always in anxiety. Tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehinām. Dehinām means not only human society.
Lecture on SB 7.5.1, Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 12, 1973:
So in the human form of life, this is the main question. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. "What is my relationship with God? What I am? Why I am suffering in this material world? Is there a solution?" This is the business of human form of life, not to imitate the animals, how to eat nicely, how to live nicely, how to have sexual intercourse nicely and how to defend. These are animal propensities. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narānām. The animals are also doing the same business, whole day and night. Therefore Bhāgavata says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye: (SB 5.5.1) "This human form of life is not meant for to work so hard like hogs and dogs simply for sense gratification." The aim is only sense gratification. In the modern civilization they have no other aim. They do not know "What is God, what is my relationship with God, what is the ultimate goal of life, how shall I work in this material world?" These questions are rejected. It is very abominable condition of the human society. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important to enlivening the whole human society to his real position, constitutional position. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109).
Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:
They misunderstood Him. But Lord Caitanya, by His grace, by this saṅkīrtana movement, He very easily distributed this love of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is called namo mahā-vadānyāya: "My dear Lord, You are the most magnificent, munificent personality, incarnation, because," kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53), "You are distributing kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, the most important thing, the goal of life." And that was the mission of Lord Caitanya. He said, kalau, in this age, when everything has become topsy-turvied, there is no more chance for systematizing the whole human society. It is lost. The regulating processes are lost now, and neither it is possible to reintroduce it. It is not possible. People have become so much degraded that it is not possible. Therefore direct method. Direct method: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will revive your old consciousness. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:
Your national feeling go to hell! You pay us. Then we work." So nobody has any faith. Simply he has faith in sense gratification. That's all. "You satisfy my senses. Then you are very good. Otherwise, go to hell." That's all. This is the position. And therefore they are denying the topmost head of Catholic Church, "We don't care for your instruction," because they have become faithless. And that is not their fault. It is fault of the heads of the churches. They did not teach them properly. They were satisfied simply by money. That's all. They did not try to teach them. Now what is the use of teaching? They have gone out of hand. The same thing: if you want to bend bamboo, do it while it is green. And when it is dried, oh, it is not possible. So now the whole society is faithless, godless, very precarious condition. So this process, our process, we don't impose any difficult rules and regulation. Please come here and chant with us and dance with us. At least, there is no loss on your part. If you think there is no gain, but at least there is no loss. So I should request you to come and join with us in our kīrtana. Then everything gradually will be clear. Any other question?
Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Mayapur, February 20, 1976:
So, distinction between deva and asura. Brahmādayaḥ, beginning from Brahmā... Lord Brahmā is the supreme prajā-pati. From him, marīcy-ādi, ṛṣayaḥ, all great ṛṣis, they were born. Then, from them, other demigods—Indra, Candra, Varuṇa... So these devas, they are not like the asuras, disturbing elements. That is the difference between the asura and deva. The asura will create a situation which is very, very disturbing to the whole human society. And when there are so many asuras, disturbing elements, at that time the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down, descends, in His incarnation. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).
Lecture on SB 7.9.35 -- Mayapur, March 13, 1976:
Just see how much the human society has degraded. One side, they're killing their own child, and after killing it, they're cooking it, and it becomes a very good delicacy. Just see. So this is the surety of become a pig, less than a pig. You see? But they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). This human life was meant for understanding Viṣṇu, God, but they did not use it. So thus, try to understand how much important is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, how we are trying to save the whole human society from their irresponsible life.
Lecture on SB 7.9.44 -- Delhi, March 26, 1976:
So this is another stage, and other stage is a devotee taking all risk, preaching for the benefit of the whole human society. He is called goṣṭhy-ānandī, increasing the number of devotees. That is preferred by Kṛṣṇa. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, ya imaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati: "Anyone who is engaged in preaching this confidential science of Bhagavad-gītā," na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścid me priya-kṛttamaḥ, "nobody is dearer to Me than he is." So if you want very quickly recognition by Kṛṣṇa, go on preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even if it imperfectly done, but because you are sincere in your capa..., whatever capacity you have got, if you preach, then Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased. I have seen practically. In my Guru Mahārāja's day there was a paper, Dainika Nadiyā Prakāsh. It was being published daily, a piece of paper, just like I was publishing Back to Godhead.
Lecture on SB Lecture -- Melbourne, May 19, 1975:
You don't think that all men are of the same intelligence or same category. No. Still there is intelligent class of men. Just like those who are scientists or philosophers, religionists, they are supposed to be first-class men. But unfortunately, now nobody can recognize who is first-class and last class. So for proper management of the whole society the first-class, second-class, third-class men must be there. Just like in your body there are different parts of the body. The head, the arm, the belly, and the leg. This is natural. So without head, if we have simply the arms and belly and legs, it is a dead body. So unless you are guided, the human society, by the first-class men, the whole society is dead society. There must division according to cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma... (BG 4.13), not by birth, but by quality. So anyone can be trained up first class, second class, as he likes. That is called civilization. Some men should be trained up as first-class men, some men should be trained up as second-class men, and some men should be trained up as third-class men, and balance, who cannot be trained up, they can assist the other three higher class. That is called śūdra.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:
One can become successful in the mission of his life in India. Because the India, the real knowledge, Vedic knowledge, is there. All the sages and great personalities of India, Vyāsadeva... He compiled all these Vedas for the enlightenment of the whole human society. So especially those who are born in India as human beings, they should take advantage of this knowledge. They should not manufacture knowledge. The knowledge is already there. Simply one has to take it. Just like Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there already. We have to take it, accept it, and apply it practically in life, and distribute the knowledge throughout the whole world. This is the mission of India.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 24, 1972:
Pradyumna: (reading) "The basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone else. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an animal like a tiger has this loving propensity, at least in a dormant stage, and it is certainly present in the human beings. The missing point, however, is where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy. At the present moment, the human society teaches one to love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing point is Kṛṣṇa, and the Nectar of Devotion teaches us how to stimulate our original love for Kṛṣṇa and how to be situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life. In the primary stage, a child loves his parents, then his brothers and sisters, and as he daily grows up, he begins to love his family, society, community, country, nation, or even the whole human society. But the loving propensity is not satisfied, even by loving all human society. That loving propensity remains imperfectly fulfilled until we know who is the Supreme Beloved. Our love can be fully satisfied only when it is reposed in Kṛṣṇa. This..."
Prabhupāda: There is a nice example in this connection. In the pond, reservoir of water, if you drop one stone, it becomes a circle. The circle increases, increasing, increasing... Unless it comes to the shore, the circle increases. Similarly, our loving propensity increases. In the primary stage, a child whatever he gets, he puts into his mouth. Anna-brahman. Then gradually, as the child grows, sometimes he distributes to his other brother or parents, the love increases. In this way, self-centered, then family-centered, then community-centered, society-centered, nation-centered, international centered... So this increase of our loving propensity will not be satisfied unless it reaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We love. The loving propensity is there. Even we have no family... Sometimes we keep pets, cats and dogs, to love. So we are, by nature we used to love somebody else. So that somebody else is Kṛṣṇa. Actually, we want to love Kṛṣṇa, but without information of Kṛṣṇa, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our loving propensity is limited. Within certain circle. Therefore we are not satisfied. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. That love affair, loving propensity, is eternally existing, to love Kṛṣṇa. Just like Dhruva Mahārāja, when he met the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he became fully satisfied. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42).
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 4, 1973:
Yes. If the whole society takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everyone will be happy. If the government men, the politicians, they become Kṛṣṇa conscious... But it is very difficult. As soon as they become Kṛṣṇa conscious, they'll not be able to do all these heinous activities. So it is very difficult, but the fact is this, that... Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, when he was king, people were so happy that even there was no extreme cold and extreme heat. Neither they were any disturbed with anxieties. These are stated in the Bhāgavata. If the king, if the government men, they become devotee, then automatically the prajās will be happy. Why they are hankering after Rāma-rājya? Because the head of the kingdom is the purest. So in a, in our Bengali language, it is said that if the king is sinful, the whole kingdom becomes lost. And if in the family, if the housewife is sinful, then the whole family becomes lost. It is a common saying. So the difficulty is that nobody... We are grudging against government. So many complaints we have got. But there is no question of grudging against government; because we are not Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa conscious, therefore we are electing our representatives, fools and rascals. How we can expect good government? You become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you elect your representative, Kṛṣṇa conscious, and the government will be all right. You'll be happy.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 4, 1973:
Pradyumna: "In the primary stage a child loves his parents, then his brothers and sisters. And as he daily grows up, he begins to love his family, society, community, country, nation or even the whole human society. But the loving propensity is not satisfied even by loving all human society. That loving propensity remains imperfectly fulfilled..."
Prabhupāda: When Vyāsadeva finished his all scripture writing, all the Vedas, Purāṇas, even Brahma-sūtra, he was not happy. He was not happy, and his spiritual master, Nārada, came, inquired: "Why you are not happy? You have done so much work." So he could not explain. He said, "I, I do not find why I am unhappy. But because you are my spiritual master, you can say." So he indicated that "Because you did not describe about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore you are not happy. Now you try to describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead, particularly." And therefore he wrote this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You'll find this in the Third Chapter of the First Canto. Hmm.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:
So yad yad ācarati śreṣṭha lokas tad anuvartate, tat tat eva itaraḥ janaḥ (BG 3.21). According to this formula, if the leaders of the society takes this movement little seriously... They should take, because this is the only movement which can bring in peace and prosperity and happiness to the whole human society. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
- sarva-loka-maheśvaram
- suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
- (BG 5.29)
People are after śānti. This is the formula of śānti. We have to accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme enjoyer. Not we are enjoyer. At the present moment, all our activities are going on, self-centered: "I am enjoyer. I am leader. I am bhokta." No. This is wrong. Kṛṣṇa is bhokta. Kṛṣṇa is leader. Kṛṣṇa is the friend. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This news, this idea, should be spread all over the world. Then automatically, very easily, all the nations will be united. Because Kṛṣṇa consciousness acceptance means ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 12, 1972:
So we have become crippled. Therefore we are talking this, that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is killing our Hindu principles." No. It is really, actually Vedic principle that one should be learned, and he should distribute the knowledge for paropakāra. That is brahminism. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye (CC Madhya 6.254). Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. These are the statements in the śāstra. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. These Gosvāmīs, they compiled this... Rūpa Gosvāmī compiled this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu not for the study, a few selected persons. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau: for the benefit of the whole human society. And actually that is happening. We have translated this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu in English, and we have got the greatest sale of this book. Everyone is picking up. It is a study book in the Temple University of United States. They like it. So it is required. We have got so much treasure-house of knowledge. They should be, each and every book should be..., at least, Vaiṣṇava literature, Bhāgavata literature, should be translated into English and distributed all over the world. That is lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, to benefit the whole human society. Not to remain crippled within a boundary. That is not brahminism, that is not Vaiṣṇavism.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:
Prabhupāda: This is the statement exactly. Everyone has to do his duty. Otherwise, simply by name, I have become a great devotee, but if I do not do what is enjoined in the śāstras or the spiritual master, then that is simply false, puffed-up position. Go on.
Mādhavānanda: "They are out of touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead because they are not Kṛṣṇa conscious. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is intended to set the whole of human society in proper condition so that everyone will be happy and take profit from developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa instructed Uddhava that by following the injunctions of the social and spiritual orders of human society, one can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as a result of such satisfaction, the whole society gets all the necessities of life amply and without difficulty. This is because, after all, the Supreme Personality of Godhead maintains all other living entities. If the whole world performs its respective duties and remains in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no doubt that all of its members will live very peacefully and happily. Without wanting the necessities of life, the whole world will be turned into Vaikuṇṭha, a spiritual abode. Even without being transferred to the kingdom of God, by following the injunctions of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and prosecuting the duties of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. all human society will be happy in all respects."
Prabhupāda: Now what is the argument against this? (aside:) Why don't you open this? All, open all fans.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:
Open the doors. Open, fully open. Now we say simply by developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness every member in the society, human society, will be happy. This is our proposal. Now discuss on this point, whether actually people will be happy or unhappy. What is the counterargument? It should be understood by threadbare discussion, how Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can make the whole society happy. This is the proposal. Now those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, what argument they will forward against this proposition? Yes.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.2 -- Mayapur, March 26, 1975:
Suffering there is. As soon as you get material body, there is suffering. It may be a king's body or it may be a cobbler's body, it doesn't matter, the suffering is there. But because these people are māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, they are accepting suffering as pleasure. This is called māyā. He's suffering, but he is thinking it is a good pleasure. Just like the pig. He's eating stool, and he's thinking he's enjoying life. This is called ignorant. He does not know that he's suffering. Māyā has given his body to suffer, but even in the pig's body, he's thinking that is enjoying life. This is called māyā. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam (BG 7.13). This is called illusion. Illusion. Everyone in this material world, they are suffering in different grades. Just like in the prison house there are different grades of prisoner: first class, second class, third class. But if the first-class prisoner thinks they are enjoying life, that is ignorance. He should know that he's in the prison house. In the prison house where is there enjoyment? It is all suffering. Maybe first-class suffering, (laughter) but it is suffering. So they are all in the darkness, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu appeared to dissipate, tamo-nudau, to dissipate this darkness of the whole human society. That is Their kindness.
Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.11 -- Mayapur, April 4, 1975:
So you all, boys and girls, those who have come from America, I am very much thankful to you. But don't be less serious. Be very serious. And another thing I'll request especially to the Americans, that America has got good potentiality to save the world, so if you preach very nicely in your country... And not all of them will be interested, but if a section of men in your country, you can turn them to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, it will be great benefit to the whole world. But the aim is the same, punar-janma-jayāya: to gain victory over this process of birth, death and old age. This is not fiction; this is fact. People are not serious. But you can teach your people; otherwise, the whole human society is at risk. They are like animals, without any... Especially this communist movement is very, very dangerous—to make a big animals. They are already animals, and this movement is making big animals.
Festival Lectures
Gundica Marjanam Cleansing of the Gundica Temple, Lecture (the day before Ratha-yatra) -- San Francisco, July 4, 1970:
The whole human society is suffering for want of good brain. (break) ...created a nonsense democracy. A carpenter is called to fight? A cow slaughterer is called to preside over the meeting? What is this? One must be fit for the business. If you want to make one king, he must be just like royal, ideas, always thinking of the welfare of the citizens. Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja. The whole business was how the people will be happy. When Parīkṣit Mahārāja was born, the child, it is the Vedic system as soon as a child is born, immediately expert brāhmaṇas, astrologers, are called. Automatically, they... That is called jāta-kriyā. There is a function. There are ten kinds of functions. From the point of begetting a child up to the point of death, there are saṁskāras, or reformatory process. By that process a human being is made perfect. That is called daśa-vidha-saṁskāra, ten kinds of processes. This upanayana, this initiation, offering the sacred thread, that is also out of those ten processes.
Ratha-yatra and Press Conference -- San Francisco, July 4, 1970:
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the greatest boon to the human form of life. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was present, He advised this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement in the shape of Bhagavad-gītā. Unfortunately, there are many scholars, academic scholars of Bhagavad-gītā, but because they do not come in the disciplic succession from Kṛṣṇa, they misinterpret the real sense of Bhagavad-gītā and mislead the whole human society to the darkest region of ignorance.
Ratha-yatra and Press Conference -- San Francisco, July 4, 1970:
This is open for everyone, not ordinary or extraordinary. Anyone can come and chant with us and take advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Unfortunately, the elderly people, they do not think that it is necessary. That is the difficulty. Rather, we invite not only these boys and girls—their fathers, their grandfathers. Let all of them come and scrutinizingly study this philosophy. We have got hundreds of books. It is the, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is understandable even by the child and even by the greatest philosopher of the day. Recently I had some talks with Dr. Stahl on this high level understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if philosophers, scientists, thinkers, they come to me, we can convince them how this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is important for the whole human society. Yes.
Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973:
So actually if we are anxious for peace and tranquillity in society, then we must be very serious to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is our request. Don't take it neglectfully, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This movement can solve all the problems of life, all the problems in the world. Social, political, philosophical, religious, economical—everything can be solved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, we request those who are leaders—just like His Excellency is present here—you should try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is very scientific, authorized. It is not a mental concoction or sentimental movement. It is most scientific movement. So we are inviting all leaders from all countries: try to understand. If you are sober, if you are actually reasonable, you'll understand that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the sublime movement for the welfare of the whole human society. That's a fact. Anyone may come. We are prepared to discuss this subject matter. Kṛṣṇa bhūliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare.
His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:
So my Guru Mahārāja, in the paramparā system, Kṛṣṇa comes also, that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). This is dharmasya glānir. One does not know what is his duty, aim of life—everyone. Ninety-nine point nine percent, this is dharmasya glanīr, dharmasya glānir. Tadātmānam sṛjāmy aham: to teach the rascal people to understand what is his duty, what is his aim of life. So not only Kṛṣṇa comes, but also His representatives also come. Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He leaves book, He leaves representative, and He comes Himself. In so many ways He is trying to give us the benefit. Asura: we do not take the advantage, and continually suffer, mūḍhā janmani janmani (BG 16.20), birth after birth we suffer. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so beneficial that He wants to benefit the whole human society how to stop this process of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. So my Guru Mahārāja also came for this purpose, and we are also trying to follow his footsteps, and we are teaching our disciple to do the same thing. Evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo vidhuḥ (BG 4.2). So this is not a new movement, or some invented "ism". It is old, at least four, five thousand years. What Kṛṣṇa spoke, the other followers also spoke the same thing, and we are also speaking the same thing. It is up to you to take advantage of it or not.
Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Avirbhava Appearance Day Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, February 2, 1977:
That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction. He was asked by his father, "My dear son, what you have learned, the best thing from your teachers?" So he replied, "My dear father..." He never said, "My dear father"; He said, "My dear best of the asuras." Asura-varya. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). The whole human society is suffering, at least suffering from one disease—anxiety. Ask anybody. Take one small ant and take the big elephant; take the President of United States or take one street beggar. Ask him, "Whether you are free from anxiety?" Nobody will say, "No." "I am full of anxiety." That's a fact. So why they are anxiety, in, full of anxiety? That Prahlāda Mahārāja had replied, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. Because we have taken asad-vastu, that will not exist... Everything, whatever you have got... Our, this body will not exist. And this is the main platform of our existence. In the material world, so long the body is there, you exist.
His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Mayapur, February 8, 1977:
So actually this logic is coming to be true, there is now agitation. People are feeling the pressure of this movement, and in Europe and America there is opposing party. But don't be afraid. Take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously. It is not a national movement or some social movement. It is the movement to uplift the position of the whole human society. So that was the mission of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Somehow or other we are taking it little seriously. Let all the Americans, Indians, especially young men... Don't misunderstand these Europeans and Americans C.I.A. Don't be mad, crazy fellow. They have taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have nothing to do with politics. And you also, young men, you also join on the basis of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and do something philanthropic for the whole human society. (end)
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Arrival Lecture -- Paris, July 20, 1972:
So our only request is that do not take this movement as a religious movement. It is the movement of the soul. It is very scientific, based on authority. And practically we are seeing, we are getting good response all over the world. We have got over hundred branches. Even Africa we have got many branches. Canada, Europe, America, Australia, New Zealand—everywhere. So our only request is the leaders of the nation, the scientist, the philosopher, may kindly take some interest in this movement. We can talk with them. We have got many literatures, big, big books, scientifically explained, philosophical explained. So our only request is that you come forward and try to understand this philosophy and spread for the benefit of the whole human society.
Arrival Address -- New York, April 5, 1973:
Now, so far our movement is concerned, you know, more or less, about our movement. But you should know that this is the most scientific, authorized movement in the human society, because the movement is based on the authority of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the benefit of the whole human society. Do not take Bhagavad-gītā or Kṛṣṇa as something sectarian—"Hindu God," "Hindu scripture." No. It is meant for everyone. These names, "Hindu," "Muslim," "Christians," or "Buddhist," these are the designation of the body. Actual religion is different. Actual religion means to understand God and to develop your love for God. That is actual religion. It doesn't matter through which religion you develop your love for God, but the test is, you are first-class religionist if you have developed your dormant love of God. So this movement is meant for awakening the dormant love of God. So the subject matter is very serious. We are distributing the subject matter in so many books. We have already big, big books, about twenty books, and small books also. Just now one book published, "Rāja-vidyā, the King of Knowledge." There are different kinds of knowledges. But as there are different types of citizens but in the state there is a king or the president, similarly, there are different types of knowledge, but we are distributing the king of knowledge, God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Arrival Address -- New York, April 5, 1973:
So this life is not very congenial to the human society. The chaotic situation of the present human society is due to that there is no intelligent class of men. This is our challenge. The so-called scientists, so-called philosophers, they have no intelligence. Therefore the whole society (is) in the chaotic condition. So these boys and girls, American boys and girls, they're being taught, instructed to become first-class, intelligent man. This is the movement. But without intelligence... Just like your brain, if he, if brain is crazy, your body may be very strong, but that is useless because there is no brain. So at the present moment, especially in this Kali-yuga, there is lack of intelligent class of men, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is creating some intelligent class of men. And if other class of men follow their instruction, then the whole society (will be) peaceful, and they'll be happy in this life and they'll be happy in the next life. This is the sum and substance of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Those who are interested will kindly come to our temple here in... We have got so many temples, and we have got our temple here also, New York. And there are preachers also. We have got good preachers. And educated boys and girls. We have got books. So my only request is that you take some interest, active interest in this movement, try to understand it, and if you cooperate, the whole human society will be happy.
Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974:
The active principle is everything. From His energy, material energy, this huge gigantic material man..., cosmic manifestation is there, from His energy. And we are also His energy. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). The five material elements are also Kṛṣṇa's energy, and we living entities, we are also. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā, jīva-bhūtaṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). Everything is explained there. But the mūḍhas, these duṣkṛtinas, the narādhamas, they cannot understand. Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. Why? Because cats and dogs cannot understand this philosophy. But a human being can understand. He has got the brain. Nature has given the fertile brain, but they are misusing it, duṣkṛtina, only for sense gratification. The brain was given to understand God, but the rascal is using for illicit sex, meat-eating, drinking, and gambling. This is the position of the whole human society.
Arrival Lecture -- Calcutta, February 4, 1977:
So we must know all these principles of our life, and Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the guide. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means we are guided by Kṛṣṇa personally. Everyone can be guided. Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction to the whole human society in the Bhagavad-gītā. So we can take advantage of it. Kṛṣṇa is guiding personally. So there are two ways of accepting Kṛṣṇa's guidance. You accept the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā, then you'll be happy. If you don't accept, then you will go back again to the cycle of birth and death. Mām aprāpya nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3). So mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani is not good life. Mṛtyu, mṛtyu... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. If you take birth, then you'll have to die, and if you have to die, you have to take birth again. This is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartma. So this is not very good business. That intelligence is lacking. We are simply trying to adjust things for a few years, but we are not taking account of our real life. Our real life is na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is real life, that we do not die. But our brain is so dull that we have accepted janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9) as usual thing. But death can be checked. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If you so desire, you can stop it. There is no difficulty. Very easy. And that is also explained by Kṛṣṇa: janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa.
Initiation Lectures
Initiation Lecture -- Los Angeles, July 13, 1971:
You are very nice boy. And India's condition is not very satisfactory at the present moment. They are misled. So I came here with that purpose also, that "This movement I cannot start. They will not accept. But if I go to America, if the Americans accept and they preach, then they will be accepted." So that position has somehow or other come, so you together... It is not meant for either for American or Indian; it is meant for the whole human society. They are suffering grievously for want of this consciousness. So every one of us has got a great duty to broadcast this knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhagavad-gītā... Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on Bhagavad-gītā. It is very widely read all over the world. Simply the rascals, they have misinterpreted. Now we have to give the right interpretation and present what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our duty. So I know that you'll soon return to India, so Lord Caitanya and Lord Kṛṣṇa is giving you a great responsibility. Try to serve them to your best capacity. Thank you. So this is your beads? Yes. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture at Sannyasa Initiation -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:
So, but this foolish civilization, they do not know it. It is our duty on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wants it. Lord Caitanya wants it. Therefore, success or no success, that doesn't matter, Kṛṣṇa will help us, but it is our duty to enlighten the whole human society with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. They do not know what is God, therefore they say that God is dead, there is no God, God is impersonal. So many theories they have got. Actually, they have no idea what is God. On the other hand, against this propaganda of godlessness, we are giving directly God. Here is God, Kṛṣṇa. We give His name, His father's name, His address, His activities (laughter), everything. So these rascals may be informed at least. This is our duty. Try your best, and be blessed by Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya.
Wedding Ceremonies
Paramananda & Satyabhama's Wedding -- Montreal, July 22, 1968:
Our first principle is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and other things, secondary. Putrārthe kriyate bhāryā. If you can produce nice children, Kṛṣṇa conscious children, it will, you will do greatest service to the human society. Because the human society is producing children like cats and dogs, the whole human society is in trouble. How you can expect peace and prosperity in the society of cats and dogs? Therefore there is necessity. There is necessity to produce children of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to train them from the very beginning. You will be all glad to know that some of our students, very small boys in San Francisco, they are being trained, and they are making wonderful progress. So there is no fault of these hippie boys and girls. They have not been trained. Not only here, every part of the world, the educational system is not very satisfactory. From the very beginning of their life they are allowed to mix freely, and they are allowed to enjoy sex life unrestricted. This is neither good for their health nor for education. So therefore we are getting now the result of education: communists and hippies. So people, those who are guardians of the society, should take serious note of it and make life very regulated.
General Lectures
Speech to Indian Audience -- Montreal, July 28, 1968:
Lord Caitanya instructed this verse. He gave us eight verses, known as Śikṣāṣṭaka. Śikṣa means "instructions"; aṣṭaka, "eight." This Śikṣāṣṭaka poetry, containing eight verses, are very valuable, and they were given by Lord Caitanya for understanding of the whole human society. It was not meant for any particular country or particular society, but it was meant for the whole human race. Lord Caitanya entrusted His countrymen, who are known as Bhāratīyas, to distribute this message througho ut the whole world, in every village and every town.
Speech to Indian Audience -- Montreal, July 28, 1968:
Now, if you put to this test of intelligent class of men, hardly you will find one in thousand or one in million. Therefore the present social structure is practically without any intelligent class of men, or without any head. At the present moment the whole society is going on by manufacturing some schemes that "This scheme will be successful for the proper execution of our human activities." But another man gives you another plan. Therefore in the political world there are so many "isms," and they are fighting with one another. That means there is no standard intelligence. I differ from you; you differ from me. Now, nobody knows who is intelligent. So by this analytical study we can understand that at the present moment there is need of intelligent class of men. Not that everyone should be intelligent, but even a small percentage of people, if they become intelligent, with these qualifications—truthful, clean, and controlling the mind, controlling the senses, simplicity in behavior, and tolerance, knowledge, application of knowledge in practical life, and full faith in God... That, these nine symptoms, brahma-karma svabhāva-jam... (BG 18.42). The intelligent class of men is called brāhmaṇa, according to Vedic literature.
Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:
We are teaching people to love Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Our program is to love, to place your love in the proper place. That is our program. Everyone wants to love, but he is being frustrated on account of his love being misplaced. People do not understand it. They are being taught, "First of all, you love your body." Then little extended, "You love your father and mother." Then "Love your brother and sister." Then "Love your society, love your country, love the whole human society, humanity." But all this extended love, so-called love, will not give you satisfaction unless you reach to the point to love Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be satisfied. Just like if you throw a stone on some reservoir of water, on a lake, there immediately begins a circle. The circle expands, and expanding, expanding, expanding, when the circle touches the shore, it stops. Unless the circle reaches the bank or the shore of the reservoir of the water, it goes on increasing. So we have to increase. Increase.
Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, March 31, 1971:
This Bhārata-varṣa name was after the king Mahārāja Bhārata, the son of Ṛṣabhadeva. Before that, this planet was known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa. And after the king Mahārāja Bhārata—he was a great king—he also left his kingdom at the age of twenty-four years, very young boy, for searching after spiritual realization, self-realization. That is the way of Vedic culture or Indian culture. Not that up to the last point of our death we shall stick to the worldly affairs. The Vedic culture divides the whole society into four social orders and four spiritual orders. The four social orders is division of intelligence. The most intelligent class of men are called the brāhmaṇas. And next than the brāhmaṇas are the kṣatriyas. It is all calculated on the basis of intelligence. There are different kinds of people all over the world on account of more or less intelligence. So brāhmaṇa means the most intelligent class of men. The scientists, the poets, the philosophers, like that. The religionists, they are called brāhmaṇas. And the administrator class is called the kṣatriyas, and the productive class are called the vaiśyas, and the laborer class, or the working class, is called the śūdra. That is natural division.
Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:
Therefore Kṛṣṇa again, in the form of a Kṛṣṇa devotee, Lord Caitanya, He came. He taught how to love Kṛṣṇa. Premā pum-artho mahān. That is the philosophy of Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa-prema. You have to increase your love for Kṛṣṇa. We have got our love, dormant love, but that love is now being distributed in so many ways, and we are spoiled, we are frustrated. But if you concentrate your love, oh, upon Kṛṣṇa, then you will not only love Kṛṣṇa; you will love the whole human society, whole living entities. That is Kṛṣṇa philosophy. So the process is very easy, given by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam (CC Antya 20.12). You will increase ānandāmbudli. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. In this present age, in this Kali-yuga, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā, very simple. You may remain a family man. You may remain a renounced man. It is very difficult in the present age. Practically, sannyāsa is forbidden in this age. So you remain (in) your position. But our only request, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and gradually you will be emancipated, liberated. You will get your light. Everything will come one after another.
Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972:
But this Kṛṣṇa name means "all-attractive." He attracts everyone. That is the real name, all-attractive. You have seen Kṛṣṇa's picture. He is attractive to the animals, cows, calves, birds, bees, trees, plants, water, in Vṛndāvana. He's attractive to the cowherds boy. He's attractive to the gopīs, He's attractive to Nanda Mahārāja, He's attractive to the Pāṇḍavas. He's still attractive to the whole human society. Therefore, if any particular name can be given to God, that is Kṛṣṇa. And Parāśara Muni, a great saint, father of Vyāsadeva, who compiled all the Vedic literatures, his father, Parāśara Muni, He gave definition of God:
- aiśvaryasya samagrasya
- vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
- jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
- ṣaḍ iti bhagaṁ ganā
- (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)
By these six opulences, one can ascertain what is God. What are those opulences? That He's the proprietor of all riches. Here, we have got experience, one rich man. One may be very rich man, but nobody can say that he is the richest, there is no other man who is not richer than him. Nobody can say. But Kṛṣṇa, when He was present, those who have read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the history of Kṛṣṇa... We have described in our book, Kṛṣṇa. He had 16,108 wives. And each wife had a big palace, made of marble, bedecked with jewels, the furnitures made of ivory and gold. The descriptions are there. So in the history of the human society, you cannot find out any person who had 16,000 wives and 16,000 palaces. Not only that, it is not that He used to go to one wife's house one day, or one night. No. He was present in every one house personally. That means He expanded Himself in 16,108 forms. That is not very difficult. If God is unlimited, then He can expand Himself in unlimited forms; otherwise there is no meaning of unlimited. If God is omnipotent, He can maintain 16,000. Why 16,000? He can maintain 16,000,000's still, it is imperfect. Otherwise there is no meaning of omnipotency.
Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:
So if we try to follow the already perfect statements in the śāstras, and if we apply in the, our practical life, then the whole human society will be perfect. Otherwise, if we do not follow the instruction which is perfect, already there in the śāstras—we manufacture or concoction—the social order will never be perfect and there will be always a confusion. And that is going on. I have seen. I have traveled all over the world, especially in America. They're the richest country, but there is a confusion now. The younger section, they do not like to live like their father or grandfather. They want a different body, different life. They, they are joining this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement because they are in search of such thing, perfect thing. They are fed up with this materialistic way of life. Therefore... It is not that I am playing something magic; it is the need of the present-day situation, present-day civilization, that people want Kṛṣṇa consciousness, spiritual advancement.
Lecture at Bharata Chamber of Commerce 'Culture and Business' -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973:
So culture means that one should know what is the aim of life. Without understanding the aim of life, a man without aim is ship without, a ship without rudder. That is an English proverb. So at the present moment, we are missing the goal of life because there is no head department. The whole human society is lacking now real brāhmaṇas who can give advice to the other departments. Just like Arjuna was fighting. He was a military man. His business was to fight. He was engaged in his business, but he was taking at the same time advice of, the advice of the Brāhmaṇa deva, Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture at Bharata Chamber of Commerce 'Culture and Business' -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973:
So the brāhmaṇa department, or the adviser department, is described in this verse: namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. The first thing is taken into consideration, go-brāhmaṇa. Why these two things are stressed upon? Because in a society where there is no brahminical culture and where there is no cow protection, it is not human society. So in a chaotic condition, any business you do, it will never be perfect. But in a systematized, systematic, cultural society, you do business. That is perfect. That is the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, Bhāgavatam. In a meeting in Naimiṣāraṇya, where many learned scholars and brāhmaṇas assembled, and Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī was giving instruction, he said: ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. The varṇāśrama is stressed. The Vedic culture means four varṇas and four āśramas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra; brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Unless we take to this institution of varṇāśrama dharma, the whole society will be in chaotic condition.
Lecture -- Jakarta, February 26, 1973:
So we are spreading this sanātana-dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, throughout the whole world, not on the superficial platform of this bodily concept of life. We are teaching everyone that "You are not this body." Actually we are not, but it is because we are, at the present moment, we are educated as first-class rascals and fools, we are thinking that "I am this body." This is the defect of the modern civilization. But actually what Kṛṣṇa is trying to instruct Arjuna... Arjuna means everyone. He's not simply talking with Arjuna. Arjuna is simply via media. He's talking to the whole human society, intelligent class of men, that "We existed, we are existing now, and we shall exist also in the future." This is called sanātana, eternity. So na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ: "In the future we also shall exist." Now we should consider what is the problem now: I was present in the past, I am now present in the present, and I shall exist in the future. Then what is my problem? The problem is why I am changing this position of eternity? I am sanātana. I am eternal. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is the real existence, that I am Brahman. Brahman means eternal.
Lecture -- Jakarta, February 27, 1973:
So therefore those who are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Just like all kinds of impediments. They are (indistinct) sādhus. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). Kṛṣṇa says, "Nobody is dearer than him who is preaching," because he has to face so many impediments, so many obstructions. And he has to face (indistinct). Therefore it is said, sādhu, munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'ham: (SB 1.2.5) "Oh, your question is very nice." Sādhu, munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam. "We have put this question, but it is loka-maṅgalam." When you discuss this question and answer, it becomes very much auspicious to the whole human society. Loka-maṅgalam. Bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam. Why loka-maṅgalam? Yat-kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśno, because it was questions about Kṛṣṇa; therefore it is loka-maṅgalam, auspicious. Anyone who is hear about Kṛṣṇa, how is that simply by hearing (break) ...hear. Hearing is also so auspicious. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If you hear, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ... When Kṛṣṇa sees that you are hearing about Kṛṣṇa, immediately you become pious.
Speech -- Vrndavana, April 20, 1975:
That will help them, both ways. Therefore this movement has become important and interesting. Our books are being purchased by the topmost class of man. Big, big professors in the universities, they are giving standing order. The books which are not published, they are putting standing order. Here our one sannyāsī is present, Satsvarūpa. He is visiting the libraries, universities, professors, and we are getting very good response. So don't take it as a sectarian movement. Don't misunderstand this movement as a CIA movement. These are all foolishness. Do you think that the Americans are so fools that for propagating their CIA movement they will become Vaiṣṇava and chant and dance? The Americans have become so fools? No. They have taken it very seriously. They are not CIA, not American nor European. They are Vaiṣṇavas; they are servant of Kṛṣṇa. Don't misunderstand them. And try to cooperate and help this movement for the benefit of the whole human society.
Subha Vilasa Home Engagement -- Toronto, June 19, 1976:
Similarly the foolish human beings, as Prabhupāda aptly mentioned the other day to these professors who came to visit him, the dog is running with four legs, here and there, very, very busy, and the human being also he's running, but he's running in an automobile with four wheels. But he's thinking that his running is superior to the dog's running. Why? He's very busy running here and there for the same activities, and the dog is running with four legs. The activities are the same. So without culture the running in the car and the running of the dog is the same. So this Kṛṣṇa culture is now being spread all throughout the world. It's giving people to see how actually human life should be lived. And the temple is a place where practically we can set an ideal example of human life for the whole of human society. Therefore we're greatly indebted to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 19, 1977:
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for saving the whole human society. The present moment... Not in the present. In this material world always the attempt is to defy the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At the present moment the so-called scientists, their only business is how to defy the supremacy of God. Naturally our, this movement has to face many impediments because at the present moment the whole world is practically godless. Even in our country, in India, where Bhagavad-gītā was spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, even here also the same attempt is going on. Big, big scholars, big, big politicians, they take Bhagavad-gītā in their hand as if he is a great authority in Bhagavad-gītā, but they are presenting commentation just to defy Kṛṣṇa.
Philosophy Discussions
Philosophy Discussion on David Hume:
Śyāmasundara: He says that morality consists of values which the individual formulates for himself, as a matter of personal opinion. In other words, I can do whatever my conscience dictates.
Prabhupāda: So another man can also say "what my conscience dictates." So there is a difference.
Śyāmasundara: But in society, moral values are based upon the opinion of the whole society. In other words, my moral values are relative to public opinion.
Prabhupāda: When the majority opinion is something, you have to accept it. That is democracy.
Śyāmasundara: But still he says it's up to the individual whether to accept or reject it. This is where you were talking about the left side of the road and the right side of the road, that even though the law is there as agreed upon by society, still it's up to me whether I want to follow it or not. It's matter of my personal opinion.
Prabhupāda: If you don't follow, then you'll be punished. That will be the effect. You'll be punished. Therefore, the conclusion is that your independent thinking is not absolute; it is also relative.
Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:
Śyāmasundara: Their idea is that they can make xerox copies of whatever type of personality they like.
Prabhupāda: That's right; xerox copy means the original sample is already there. So what is the credit there?
Devotee: There may be only one very, very intelligent person, but by their method they may think that they may create a whole society.
Śyāmasundara: I'll read you some of their predictions. They're very frightening. They say by 1980—that's eight years from now—that they will be able to create synthetic life in the form of artificial viruses which will be used to cure some forms of genetic diseases. Artificial life. In eight years they say they will have artificial life.
Prabhupāda: And that artificial life?
Śyāmasundara: Small viruses or living organisms, very small. But by the year 2000 they say they will be able to keep...
Prabhupāda: 2000!
Śyāmasundara: Yes. That's twenty-eight years from now. They say that they will be able to deep-freeze embryos, that means unborn babies, as insurance against nuclear holocaust and for interplanetary colonization. In other words, they can send these unborn babies in frozen form to other planets and have an arrangement for them to be born and grow in the spaceship and then go out.
Prabhupāda: Don't waste your time with these rascals.
Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:
Śyāmasundara: So the choice between a good and a bad action should be practiced to reduce evil, not just theoretical. That's his idea. That's his point.
Prabhupāda: Yes. No theory. This is practical. Now, as a big machine, the screw is a part, so if every part works nicely, the machine goes nicely. So if we understand... Just like I think last night I was explaining mukha baho rūpa divya: the gigantic body, the brāhmaṇa class, they are the mouth. So one must do the duty of the mouth. The mouth speaks, vibrates and eats. So our proposition is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Then the mouth duty, the brāhmaṇa's duty, is performed. Similarly, the kṣatriya's duty—again we come to that varṇāśrama-dharma. So everyone is factually part and parcel of God and executes his prescribed duty, then it is perfect.
- varṇāśramācāravatā
- puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān
- viṣṇur ārādhyate puṁsāṁ
- nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam
- (CC Madhya 8.58)
If you want to satisfy the Supreme Lord, then you must execute the functions as they are prescribed in the varṇāśrama system. Then everything is all right. The same example: If all the parts of a machine is in order, working, it will make no trouble. If one of the screws, I mean, is slack, or it has fallen down, then another part is dislocated, that whole work is stopped. So we should consider in that way, that we are all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So according to part and parcel, you must execute your duty—as brāhmaṇa, as kṣatriya, as vaiśya, as śūdra. And the brāhmaṇa being head, he should give the direction. Therefore he is considered the guru of other varṇas. But he... Because if there is no head, no brāhmaṇa, then the whole thing is disturbed. And that is the position at the present moment. Actually there is no brāhmaṇa, or scarcity of brāhmaṇa. So others are not guided properly. Therefore there is chaos in the whole society. So we require to create some brāhmaṇas, and others should understand to abide by the direction of the brāhmaṇas. Then the whole society will be in order.
Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:
Śyāmasundara: He says that this egoism, or this desire, is crushed through love and sympathy for others.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Without love, nothing can sustain. If I do not love Kṛṣṇa I cannot surrender. It is not possible. Just like a small child, he is naturally surrendered to the parents because there is love. The child loves also the parents. So without the basic principle of love, the more you love, the more the surrender is also perfect. Just like a small child, you slap the child, he's crying, yet crying also with the words, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy," because there is love. Even in distress the child cannot forget. That is natural. Similarly, when you remain fully surrendered to the supreme will, either in distress or in happiness, that is your happiness. That is real happiness. This condition cannot be without love. In any condition, you remain surrendered. It cannot be done without love. When there is lack of love, this kind of mentality cannot develop: "In any condition I shall remain surrendered." Just like you are; you are, a whole society is carrying my order, not because I am superior person. There is love. Without love you cannot do so. You have got some bit of love for me, therefore you carry my order. Otherwise it is not possible. And I cannot also. You are foreigners, you are. Americans, I came from another country, I have no account. I cannot also order you: "You must do it, otherwise I will chastise you." Because there is love. It is a connection of love. I can also become bold enough to chastise you, but you also, what, in whatever condition, you carry my order due to the basic principle is love. And our whole philosophy is love. We are just trying to learn how to love Kṛṣṇa, that's all. So without the basic principle of love, these things cannot be conceived.
Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:
Hayagrīva: Yes.
Prabhupāda: There is Supreme Person, and we should be all obedient servant to Him. Then the society will be in order. That, that is responsibility. God gives us some duty, and if we carry that, that is our responsibility, and that makes the whole society perfect. That should... In the beginning if we reject God, so then it is chaotic. So religion means to avoid this chaotic condition, and in order, fulfilling the responsibility given by God, we make progress, and finally we live with God personally. That is our eternal right.
Hayagrīva: His final point is that..., is, "To be man means to reach toward being God, or, if you prefer, man fundamentally is the desire to be God."
Prabhupāda: So he, at last he accept there is God. (laughter) Otherwise what is the meaning of going to God? Yes, he is trying to deny God when there is God. Unless there is God, where is the question of accepting or denying? He is denying in the other way; that means there is God.
Devotee: As soon as he mentions God he's proved there is God.
Prabhupāda: No, as soon as he denies God, there is God.
Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:
Śyāmasundara: By what they call method of reinforcement. Supposing... He says that men have become too free, so our whole society, culture, is ruined because men are too free.
Prabhupāda: No. We are not free. We, according to our Vedic civilization, we are controlled by the Vedic knowledge. We are not free.
Śyāmasundara: He says that, in a way. He says that everyone is conditioned by their environment.
Prabhupāda: No. We are conditioned by nature, not by environment. Just like there is excessive heat, excessive cold. He is conditioned by nature. You cannot avoid it. So where is his..., molding this environment. You cannot make winter season into summer season or summer season into winter season.
Śyāmasundara: No. But he says you can train a man to accept certain values by reinforcing, rewarding them when they are right and punishing them when they are wrong.
Prabhupāda: That means there are living conditions, he wants to make them further conditioned.
Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:
Prabhupāda: The defect is that these programs are being forwarded by some rascal. Therefore they are defective. If they would have been forwarded by perfect man, then you would have actual (indistinct). Now one rascal is forwarding some program, another rascal next time (indistinct) this is true. So this is going on in Western world. Because according to Bhāgavata we belong to the category of dogs, hogs, camels. So what is the benefit of a dog's program and (indistinct) by camel's program. If they are on the, basically there is nothing but dogs, hogs, camels and asses, then suppose dog has given some program and the camel says, "No. This program is better than this one." And the ass comes, he introduces another program, "This program is better than this program." So either of these programs, because they are made by dogs, hogs, asses and camels, they cannot be perfect. Take a program from a real human being. Then it is perfect. The defect is there. One philosopher is proposing something, another philosopher is proposing something... That is (indistinct) especially in the Western countries, they are doing so independence (?). But the Vedic civilization there is no independence. They must follow the Vedic injunction. As I have said several times, the Vedas says that the stool of cow is completely pure. They do not argue that "Formerly you say that the stool of animal is impure. Now you are saying that the stool of animal, cow, is pure. So how can we accept?" There is no such thing. The Vedas says, even it is stool, but the Vedas says the stool of cow is perfectly pure. Yes. No contradiction. Our presentation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is like that. But Kṛṣṇa says, "(indistinct), as it is." There is no question of altering or changing according to circumstances. We know Kṛṣṇa is perfect. Whatever He has said, it is all right, in all conditions. That is our belief. We do not deviate. So similarly, if the direction is taken for training from the perfect, that is the best. And if the direction is taken from the process of (indistinct) philosophy, hogs, dogs, and asses, and camels how can you take? (indistinct) something, (indistinct) something, (indistinct) analysis something, so the whole society will be (indistinct).
Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:
Hayagrīva: But it's ambiguous in this way. It says, "Outside the enactment of duty we can not know anything else of God."
Prabhupāda: So what is that, I am asking, what is your duty? We have got definite duty. We divide the whole human society into division. That is called varṇāśrama-dharma. Socially, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and spiritually, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Now the..., it is so that whatever you are doing, you must do it in one of these eight principles. So there are eight principles; there are duties. So if you act accordingly to the position, say gṛhastha, you have got a position, or a sannyāsa, you have got a position So sannyāsī means this; gṛhastha means this. So if you follow that principle, then you are doing duty. But if you have no standing, then what is your duty? That is very common sense. If you go to work in a big office, so the master of the office gives you duty, "You do this. You are dispatcher." Or "You are clerk, you are this, you are...," then it is duty. And the, if you engage, go to the office, now "Simply let me do my duty," so "What is my duty? Shall I sit down on the clerk's bench or on the superintendent bench, or on the What is my duty?" Duty must be given, that "This is your duty." Where is that indication?
Hayagrīva: It's not in here.
Philosophy Discussion on Auguste Comte:
Hayagrīva: Here is his conclusion and the last point. He says, "The whole effect of positive worship will be to make men free...," excuse me, "The whole effect of positive worship will be to make men feel clearly how far superior in every respect in the synthesis founded on the love of humanity to that founded on the love of God." In other words, love of mankind is superior to love of, of God, or what is known as God.
Prabhupāda: The humanity, love of humanity means to raise the humanity to the real understanding of the goal of life. If the humanity or the whole human society kept into darkness as to what is the goal of life, that is not serving humanity, to keep them in darkness. But to enlighten them with knowledge, the ultimate knowledge is understanding of God and our relationship with God and activities in that relationship, that is real humanitarian work. Otherwise, if we keep the humanity in darkness, only within the jurisdiction of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, or that is, that means to keep them in, in the animal atmosphere. But to teach the humanity about real knowledge, that he is not this body, he is soul, the soul is within the body and the nature of the soul, the necessity of the soul, the goal of soul—these things, if actually taken into hand to enlighten the humanity—that is real service to the humanity. And to keep them in darkness in the animal propensities, that is no service to the humanity.
Hayagrīva: So that's the end of Comte. (end)
| Page Title: | Whole human society (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 16 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=128, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 128 |