Instead (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"instead"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: instead not "instead of"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Nor do we know which is better, conquering them or being conquered by them. The sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whom if we killed we should not care to live, are now standing before us on this battlefield (BG 2.6)." Purport. "Arjuna became perplexed in this connection, not knowing whether he should execute the fighting with the risk of committing unnecessarily violence, although it is the duty of the kṣatriyas, or whether he should not and prefer instead to live by begging, because if he did not conquer the enemy, begging would be the only means left for his living. There was no certainty of victory because either side might emerge victorious."

Prabhupāda: These are his causes of perplexities, how he was thinking, that has been tried to be explained. Yes, go on.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.3.9 -- Los Angeles, September 15, 1972:

But we are not even prepared to undergo such a little tapasya, penance. What is that difficulty? We don't eat meat, and instead we get nice other food. So what is the difficulty? If we don't become hogs and enjoy senses like hogs without discrimination of mother, sister and daughter, if we become attached to one wife and enjoy life, what is the difficulty? No, although I have got my wife, I am implicated with others' wives; I have got husband, I am implicated with others' husbands. No tapasya. They are not prepared for any kind of tapasya. They want cats' and dogs' lives. Therefore their next life is waiting, cats and dogs.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1-4 -- Los Angeles, May 24, 1972:

Pradyuma reading purport: Death is inevitable for everyone, intelligent or foolish. But Parīkṣit Mahārāja has been addressed by the Gosvāmī as the manīṣī, or the man of highly developed mind, because at the time of death he left all material enjoyment and completely surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord by hearing His messages from the right person, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. But aspirations for material enjoyment by endeavoring persons are condemned. Such aspirations are something like the intoxication of the degraded human society. Intelligent persons should try to avoid these aspirations and seek instead the permanent life by returning home, back to Godhead.

Prabhupāda: You can read the śloka number 8 also. Dharmārtha uttama-ślokaṁ tantuḥ tanvan pitṟn yajet. (Pradyumna leads chanting of text 8.)

Devotee: Jaya Śrī Guru.

Prabhupāda: Have kīrtana.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Vibration of this mantra will purify. Even if we do not understand the meaning, try to vibrate the mantra.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:

Pradyumna: "Then there is the spiritual world, which is a manifestation of the internal energy. The living entities who are called marginal energies, energy, perform material activities when acting under the inferior, external energy. And when they engage in activities under the internal, spiritual energy, their activities are called Kṛṣṇa conscious. This means that those who are great souls, or great devotees, do not act under the spell of material energy, but act instead under the protection of the spiritual energy."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). They do not act under the influence... Ordinary persons, they see that "Devotees are acting like us." No. Their activities are under the influence of spiritual energy. It, it, it looks similar like the karmīs, jñānīs, but bhaktas are different from karmīs and jñānīs. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). They are not influenced by the tenets of jñāna and karma. They are influenced by activities which can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Anuśīlanam activities, culture. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. So they are simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa activities. Although it looks similar to the ordinary activities. Therefore they misunderstand.

General Lectures

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

Student (8): Would it not be better if intellectual (indistinct) and would it not be better for them to leave the father and devote their status, instead, to the Lord?(?)

Prabhupāda: Of course, in the beginning I said that there is no question of changing your position. In whatever position you are, either you are a student or a lawyer or something else, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and realize yourself. We don't recommend that you change your position. That is not our recommendation. But if you can (be) fully devoted in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is very nice. But don't do it whimsically. There will be a mature platform when you can do that. Just like I was a family man, I was living with my family. I have got my wife, sons, daughters, grandchildren. So in this old age I left them. So I'm not in difficulty although I am alone. I came in your country alone. That's a long history. So that dependence on God, when you actually develop, then you can give up everything, depend only on God. But don't do it by whimsically. No. That will not do. You stay in your position, realize yourself, then time will come when God will dictate you, "You can do..., become free from all obligation." So please join with us in the kīrtana. (kīrtana) (end)

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: Material condition is the four principles of bodily demands: eating, sleeping, sex and defense. This is material condition. So when the human society... Just like at the present moment they are simply interested in these four things, how to eat nicely, palatable dishes, or very nice table, chair and so on and so on. But after all, this is eating. And similarly, living condition. Formerly people used to live very humbly. Now they are living very, very big, big skyscraper building. But that is living. Similarly sex. Formerly also a crude society, also they have sex. The animals, also they have sex. And to make gorgeous arrangement for sex, to make the women easily available or freely available, nicely dressed, this is also simply sex. Similarly defense. Either you defend with crude weapons or you atom bomb, this is defensing.

Hayagrīva: So how are these conditions going to change?

Prabhupāda: Change means along with these primary necessities of the body one should understand what is God, what to do for God instead. That is change. That can be done, simply by training.

Hayagrīva: But how are they going to change in order to bring about a profound spiritual transformation?

Prabhupāda: This is spiritual following. Just like we are doing. We are also not neglecting the bodily necessities of life, but our main business is how to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is not supported by the state or the leaders of the society. They think they are unnecessary because they are animals. So that is the... If the leaders, yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tad tad eva itaraḥ janaḥ (BG 3.21), that is, every leading man accept that this is necessary. Just like we say "No illicit sex." So if the state helps, it can stop immediately.

Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore you should take advice from a man who can give you right direction, so at the end you may not be ashamed; you may be glorious. That is the injunction of the Vedas: tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to be conversant with that science, transcendental science, one must approach a bona fide guru.

Śyāmasundara: His being ashamed before others...

Prabhupāda: Yes. You will be ashamed. If you are not guided by a superior man, you'll be ashamed. But if you are guided by a proper man you won't be ashamed; you'll be glorious.

Śyāmasundara: He says that if a man considers himself as an object, he is afraid to look inside himself, then he will also consider other people as objects. And that is the cause of the basic sickness of the world, that we treat each other as objects instead as persons.

Prabhupāda: That is a wrong conception. Everybody is a person.

Śyāmasundara: What is your remedy for seeing everyone as persons?

Prabhupāda: That is the real vision: everyone is person.

Śyāmasundara: What is the remedy, what is the cure, for seeing everyone as a person?

Prabhupāda: You see or not see, everyone is a person. So what does it mean?

Śyāmasundara: Supposing I want to observe everyone in their personal manifestation, I want to see everyone as a person.

Prabhupāda: You are not seeing everyone as a person?