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Christianity (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"Catholic" |"Christian" |"Christian's" |"Christianity" |"Christianity's" |"Christians" |"Protestant"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

When a man professes to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to the particular time and circumstances of birth, and thus one claims to be a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, Buddhist, or any other sect, and sub-sect, such designations are non-sanātana-dharma. A Hindu may change his faith to become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith to become a Hindu or a Christian, etc., but in all circumstances such change of religious faith does not allow a person to change his eternal engagement of rendering service to other. A Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian, in all circumstances, he is servant of somebody, and thus to profess a particular type of faith is not to be considered as sanātana-dharma, but the constant companion of the living being, that is, rendering of service, is the sanātana-dharma. So factually, we are related in the service relationship with the Supreme Lord.

Lecture on BG 1.1 -- London, July 7, 1973:

So formerly people were religiously trained up. So they could not speak lies in a dharma-kṣetra. That is still the practice. Just like in the western world, the Christians go to the church, they admit, confession, "Yes, I have done it." But that has become a formality. But actually, one should admit in religious place that "Yes, I have done this." But that does not mean you admit and again do it. No. You admit once, then you are excused. But don't do it again.

So here Dhṛtarāṣṭra says, samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1). "All these people, my sons, māmakāḥ..." Māmakāḥ. That means "my sons," and pāṇḍava, "my brother Pāṇḍu's sons." Samavetā, "they assembled." What is the purpose? The purpose is yuyutsavaḥ. This word yuyutsu is still used in Japan. Perhaps you know, yuyutsa, fighting. So yuyutsu, those who are desirous of fighting.

Lecture on BG 1.15 -- London, July 15, 1973:

How we get a different type of body? We have got different types of body. Because according to our past karma, we have created a certain type of body and now we have entered into that body and working according to past karma.

The Christian theologicians, they do not believe in the karma. I was student in Christian college, Scottish Churches College. So in our younger days, the Professor, Dr. W.S. Urquhart. So I heard his lecture, that he did not believe in the karmas. He said that "If I am suffering or enjoying for my last karma, who is the witness? Because some witness must be there that I have done this." But at that time we were not very expert. But this Hṛṣīkeśa is the witness, anumantā upadraṣṭā. Upadraṣṭā. He is simply seeing. So the Christians, they have no Paramātmā idea. Sometimes they say holy ghost. Not a clear idea. But this Hṛṣīkeśa is clear idea. Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīka-īśa.

So this bhakti, devotional path, is meant for satisfying the master of the senses.

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973:

Just like one rascal has manufactured this daridra-nārāyaṇa. The poor man has become Nārāyaṇa, and the goat Nārāyaṇa is killed for their feeding. Not this kind of sādhu. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. A sādhu will not allow any kind of killing. See in the Christian religion, it is first injunction is "Thou shalt not kill." If you want to become religious... They are simply killing, and still, they are claiming "Christian." What kind of Christian? Simply their business is killing. So it is very difficult to find out a Christian, although they are claiming, I am "Christian." It is very difficult. Because their business is killing. And Lord Jesus Christ ordered, first order is, "Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not covet." Who is following?

So sādhu is suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Why he should allow animal killing? They are also living entities, but for their benefit, the so-called sādhu says, "The animal has no soul." What is this nonsense? Animal has no soul? Why? What is the difference between animal and man? What are the symptoms of possessing the soul?

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973:

Imperfect knowledge. Or making adjustment for their own benefit. Now they are making correction: "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not murder." That means it will come to human being. But the actual commandment is "Thou shalt not kill." But these Christian people, they are making some amendment, "Thou shalt not murder." Because murder will apply to the killing of human beings. But Lord Jesus Christ never said like that. "Thou shalt not kill." It is applicable both for human being and for animal or even for trees. Unnecessarily you cannot kill. That is sādhu. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). "Don't kill my brother, but you can kill my neighbors." Not like that. He is not sādhu. Sādhu is kind to all living entities.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to become kind to everyone. Therefore we say, "No meat-eating." Meat-eating means killing the animals. Killing the animals. Why you shall kill animals? You have to take Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aṣnāmi (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa says... Kṛṣṇa is God. He can eat everything, everything. Kṛṣṇa ate fire, you know. There was forest fire in Vṛndāvana. All the cowherds boys they became very much frightened, "Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on BG 2.2-6 -- Ahmedabad, December 11, 1972:

This is not good government. Good government is to see there are... It may be secular government. The secular government does not mean that the whole citizens should be less religious, godless. Secular government should see that even there are many religious sects, just like Hindus or Muslim and Christians, so secular government does not mean that they should neglect. They should see that the Hindus are strictly following the principles of Hindu religion, the Mohammedans are strictly following the principles of Mohammedan religion or... That is government's duty. Nobody should remain unemployed. That is government's duty. There are so many things. They are all described in connection with Mahārāja Pṛthu, one noble king.

So in Bhāgavata you'll find everything. Politics, sociology, religion, culture, philosophy—everything you will find. Vidyā bhāgavata vadniḥ.(?) All kinds of cultural and educational instruction are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on BG 2.2-6 -- Ahmedabad, December 11, 1972:

They want classless society. But in the material world there cannot be any classless society. It is not possible. Classless society can be established in the spiritual world. Just like we are propagating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is classless society. Here you will find Europeans, Americans, Indians, Africans, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, but they have forgotten that they are Hindus, Muslims or Christians or Americans or Indians. They are all identifying, "We are all servant of Kṛṣṇa." This is classless society. This is classless society. There is no distinction. Here a Hindu coming from very respectable brāhmaṇa family and another man is coming from the dog-eater's family. It doesn't matter. As soon as one becomes Vaiṣṇava he is classless society. Therefore it is forbidden, vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. Arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ, nārakī. Just like we should not consider this Deity before us as made of some metal or wood. No. Arcye śilā-dhīḥ. No. Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead standing.

Lecture on BG 2.3 -- London, August 4, 1973:

So for Vaiṣṇava, kaivalyam, to, monism, to merge into the existence of the Supreme, is compared with hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5). And the karmīs... Jñānīs are anxious to merge into the existence of the Brahman effulgence, and the karmīs, their highest aim is how to be elevated in the higher planetary system, Svarga-loka, where Lord Indra is there, or Brahmā is there. That is karmī's ambition, to go to the heaven. They all, except Vaiṣṇava philosophy, in all other literature, all other scripture, means Christian and Mohammedan, their aim is how to be elevated to the heaven.

So heaven is described in the Vedic literature as tri-daśa-pūr. Tri-daśa-pūr. Tri-daśa-pūr means there are 33,000,000's of demigods, and they have got their separate planets. This is called tri-daśa-pūr. Tri means three, and daśa means ten. So thirty-three or thirty. Anyway, tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate. Ākāśa-puṣpa means something imaginary something imaginary. A flower in the sky. A flower should be in the garden, but if somebody imagines the flower in the sky, it is something imaginary. So for a devotee, this heavenly promotion to the heavenly planet is just like a flower in the sky. Tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate.

Lecture on BG 2.6 -- London, August 6, 1973:

That is their purpose. In the Vedic culture, those who are meat-eaters, they have been advised that "Don't eat meat purchased from the slaughterhouse or from the market." Actually, this system was never current anywhere, all over the world, that to maintain slaughterhouse. This is latest invention. We talk with sometimes with Christian gentlemen, and when we inquire that "Lord Christ says 'Thou shalt not kill'; why you are killing?" they give evidence that "Christ also ate meat sometimes." Sometimes Christ ate meat, that's all right, but did Christ say that "You maintain big, big slaughterhouse and go on eating meat?" There is no common sense even. Christ might have eaten. Sometimes he... If there was no, nothing available for eating, what could you do? That is another question. In great necessity, when there is no other food except taking meat... That time is coming. In this age, Kali-yuga, gradually food grains will be reduced. It is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Twelfth Canto.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

So he argued, "No, no, if I fight, my people will die, and their wives will become widow, and they will be adulterated, and then, by adulteration, unwanted population will increase, and who will offer śrāddha?" Śrāddha... There is a ceremony of śrāddha according to Hindu scripture. I do not know whether you have in your Christian religion, but according to Hindu, a dead body is offered some respect every year. Just like death anniversary observed, similarly, in the family, the descendants, they offer some foodstuff after some religious ceremony. That is called śrāddha. And it is believed that that offering goes to the dead forefathers. So that is a family religious ceremony. So Arjuna said that "These people will die. Who will offer that ablution to the forefathers?" So from ordinary point of view, from the point of view of a family man, he argued with Kṛṣṇa in so many ways. And after, at the end, he decided that "I cannot fight. I cannot fight." Then Kṛṣṇa tried to induce him, and he said that "Yes, whatever You are saying, that I am a kṣatriya and I am not doing my duty, this is all right, but My mind is perplexed." So he was at the same time conscious that Śrī Kṛṣṇa only can make a solution of this perplexity.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

So what are these opulences? Wealth is opulence. Then strength is opulence. Then... Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. Strength and fame. Fame is also opulence. Just like Lord Jesus Christ. The whole Christian world knows. Lord Kṛṣṇa everyone knows. Or the, apart from them, President Johnson. Now the whole America and the whole world knows who is President Johnson. Mahatma Gandhi. The famous. So fame is also opulence. And nobody knows me, but he is also a person. He is known throughout the whole world. So this is an opulence. Just like your Rockefellers. They are very rich. So everyone knows in the world. So they are opulent, opulent by wealth. Similarly, somebody is opulent by fame, and somebody is opulent by strength. And so strength is opulence, wealth is opulence, and fame is opulence. And then beauty; beauty is also opulence. If one, one man or woman, is very beautiful, he attracts persons. He attracts. So anything that attracts, that is called opulence. A wealthy man attracts. A strong man attracts.

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

He is the leader eternal. Eko bahūnām... How He is leader? Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That one, singular number eternal, person, He is supplying all the needs of other eternals. These things are clearly said in the Vedas. And actually we are experiencing. Just like in Christian theology, the individual goes to the church and prays God, "Give us our daily bread." Why he's asking God? Of course, this atheist class of men are now teaching them, "Where is bread? You are going to church. You come to us; we shall supply you bread." So this Vedic thought is there also. The Vedas say, eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That supreme one eternal, He's supplying, He's maintaining all other individual eternals. And Bible also enjoins that "You go, ask for your bread to God." So unless God is maintainer and supplier, why this injunction is there? Therefore He is the leader; He is the maintainer. And the Vedas clearly says this is the position. He is the Supreme. And by knowing this one can become in peace. That is the Vedic injunction.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

Prabhupāda: But the question was unity. If you take only the word and the codes of God, there is unity. Otherwise there is disunity. If you say that "State may say that 'Keep to the left.' I will go to the right," that is your decision. But people accept. This is law. Similarly... That is our definition, that "First-class religion is that which teaches its follower how to love God." That is first-class religion. We don't say that Christianity is first-class or Hinduism first-class, or... No. Any religion which teaches or trains one perfectly how to love God, that is first-class religion.

Man (10): Can the human consciousness transcend time?

Prabhupāda: No. Time is unlimited. How you can transcend?

Woman (4): How do you regard abortion? At what stage does the spirit...

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973:

So there is link. Real religion means to love God. That is real religion. Therefore Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: (SB 1.2.6) "That is first-class religion." It doesn't mean that you follow this religion or that religion. You may follow any religion. It doesn't matter, either Hindu religion or Christian religion or Mohammedan religion, anything you like. But we have to test. Just like a student who has passed M.A. examination. Nobody inquires, "From which college you have passed your examination? You have passed M.A. examination? That's all right." And we are concerned, whether you are graduate, postgraduate. That's all. Nobody inquires, "From which college, from which country, from which religion, you have passed your M.A. examination?" No. Similarly, nobody should inquire, "To which religion you belong?" One must see whether he has learned this art, how to love God.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- New York, March 4, 1966:

So yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke: "One who is identified with this body and one who thinks the bodily offshoots as his own men, and the land from which the body has grown as worshipable," yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile.

Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. Now, in Christian world also, that the water of the Jordan River is sacred is considered. Similarly, Hindus also, when they go to some pilgrimage, they take bath on the sacred river. But one should know that going to the sacred place does not mean simply to take bath in that water. Real meaning of going to a sacred place—to find out some intelligent scholar in spiritual knowledge. They are living there. To make association with them, to take knowledge from them—that is the purpose of going to pilgrimage. Because in pilgrimage, holy places... Just like I, my residence is at Vṛndāvana. So at Vṛndāvana there are many great scholars and saintly persons living.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

"This body is my father, this body is my child, this body is my wife." This is called ignorance. If you study the whole world, during living time everyone will say that "I am Englishman," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." But if you ask him, "Actually are you so?" That... Because this body is Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, because by accident the body is produced in a society of Hindu, Muslim, or the body is born in a particular country, therefore we say, "I am Indian, "I am European," "I am this," "I am that." But when the body is dead, at that time we say, "No, no, the person which was within the body, that is gone. It is a different thing."

Just try to understand how much ignorant we are. We are all in ignorance. This education is wanted because people, by this ignorance, they're fighting with one another. One nation is fighting with another, one religionist is fighting with another religionist. But it is all based on ignorance. I am not this body.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

I have got my own opinion. Therefore sometimes we disagree. Because you are individual, I am individual. And because we are all individuals, as part and parcel of God, then God also must be individual. This is study. As I am a person, so God is also person. God cannot be imperson. If we take God as the original father, supreme father... The Christian religion believes. All other religion believes. And we also believe, Bhagavad-gītā. Because Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4), "I am the original father of all living entities." So if God is father of all living entities and we all living entities, we are individual person, how God can be imperson? God is person. This is called philosophy; this is called logic.

Now, here, in this world, we have got experience that we want to love somebody. Anyone. Even in animal kingdom. A lion also loves the cubs. The love is there. Prema, it is called prema. So therefore this loving affair is there also in God.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 7, 1966:

"The truth of religiosity is very confidential, very secret." So how to know it? Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: (CC Madhya 17.186) "We have simply to see that great personalities, as they have taken up, we have to follow. That's all." Just like in your Christian religion you may not understand all the Biblical injunctions or you may not have the time, but you'll simply, if you follow the ideal life of Lord Jesus Christ, then you get the same result. Similarly, the Muhammadans, if they follow the ideal life of Muhammad, Hazrat Muhammad, so they get the result. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Just like in a unknown path, in a village, especially when there is a field... Now, in, in the city, you can know that "I have come so far" because the streets are numbered and the, you have got the location and there are some symptoms, this house or that house. But in the country, everything, every, every place is of the same similar nature, the same jungle, the same field, the same grass. We do not know where I am going. Or in the sea. Or in the sea. I have got experience. Have you ever traveled in the sea? No.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- London, August 18, 1973:

As soon as this body is burned into ashes, everything is finished. According to Vedic funeral ritualistic ceremony, the body is burned. There are three ends of the body, either to become stool, or to become ashes, or to become earth. Those who are burying the body, just like the Christian, Mohammedans do, the body becomes earth. Everything, from the earth it has come up: "Dust thou were, dust thou beist." This beautiful body, nice body, will become earth. And those who are burning, so their body becomes ashes. And those who throw the body to be eaten by jackals and crows, they become stool. This is the end of the body. We are taking so much care of this body, but the ultimate end of this body is either stool, earth or ashes. So foolish persons who are in the bodily concept of life, they are thinking: "After all, this body will be finished. So so long the body is there, senses are there, let us enjoy.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

Prabhupāda: Yes. He says, "There is God. I am son of God." That is paramparā. Yes. Unfortunately nobody cares to follow Jesus Christ. That I must say. Jesus Christ says, "Thou shall not kill," and Christians are very expert to kill. (laughter) They take pride in bullfighting. This is the position. So it is very difficult to find out a real Christian.

Man: (Spanish)

Hṛdayānanda: He wants to ask something which is not about you. (?)

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Girl Devotee: (translating) At the present, I can't live in the temple, can't live in the āśrama, but I can still see the devotees. What else can I do?

Prabhupāda: You follow the temple procedure. You can remain anywhere. It doesn't matter. What is temple? They are following some rules and regulation. (break) If you are eating something and if you get a better thing, you'll give it up. So when one takes to bhakti means he understands the inferior quality of karma. So you take the superior quality activities and you forget inferior quality. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). This is the Vedic version. When one finds out superior engagement, he gives up inferior engagement.

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- London, August 23, 1973:

And sumanda-matayaḥ. And if some of them, just to become little recognized as very religious, he will accept some rascal as guru, magician, and eat everything, do everything, and become spiritualist, and his rascal guru will say, "Yes, you can eat anything. You can do anything. Religion has nothing to do with eating." It is going on. The Christian people, it is explicitly, clearly said, "Thou shall not kill." But they are killing. Still, they are very much proud, "I am Christian." And what kind of Christian you are? You are regularly disobeying the order of Christ, and still you are Christian?

So everything is going on. Either Christian, Mohammedan or Hindu, so-called. All of them have become rascal. That's all. This is Kali-yuga. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. They have created their own imaginary religious principle, and therefore they are condemned. They do not know. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30).

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- London, August 24, 1973:

Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He said that God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, cannot be understood by the animal killer. Vinā paśughnāt (SB 10.1.4). Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. You'll find those who are animal killers, the so-called Christians and Mohammedans, they cannot understand. They (are) simply fanatics. Cannot understand what is soul, what is God. They have got some theories and they are thinking we are religionists. What is sin, what is pious activities, these things are not understood by them because they are animal killers. It is not possible. Therefore Lord Buddha propagated ahiṁsā. Ahiṁsā. Because he saw the whole human race is going to hell by this animal killing. "Let me stop them so that they may, in future, they may become sober." Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita: Two sides. First of all he was very much compassionate, that poor animals, they are being killed. And another side, he saw "The whole human race is going to hell. So let me do something."

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

Then there is possibility of being transferred to the spiritual world. So long one has got a pinch of desire that "If I would have become like Brahmā, or like king, like Jawaharlal Nehru," then I'll have to accept a body. This desire. Kṛṣṇa is so liberal, so kind. Whatever we want—ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11)—Kṛṣṇa will give you. To take something from Kṛṣṇa... Just like the Christians pray, "O God, give us our daily bread." So is it very difficult task for Kṛṣṇa to give our dai...? He's giving already. He's giving daily bread to everyone. So this is not the mode of prayer. Their mode of prayer... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). This is prayer. We haven't got to ask anything. Kṛṣṇa, God, has made ample arrangement for our maintenance. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). But it is restricted by nature when we are sinful. We become atheists. We become demons. Then the supply is restricted.

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

Śyāmasundara: There are no history books from the West showing Kṛṣṇa used to live in the West, or that He ever was in the West.

Prabhupāda: So... There is history, the Christians believe, God. So Kṛṣṇa is God. So what is the difference? Kṛṣṇa is God. So do they not believe in God? In the Western histories?

Indian: They believe.

Prabhupāda: Then that's all right. Now, they believed in God. Now we are giving that "Here is God." That is the difference only. They believed in God. But they did not know...

Indian: ...there only the Lord existed.

Prabhupāda: What is that? (laughter)

Devotee: So much rascal philosophy.

Prabhupāda: (break)...understand. They... (break) ...God. Now we are giving "Here is God, here is the name and address of God." What is the difference?

Lecture on BG 2.31 -- London, September 1, 1973:

You can say that "You are Hindu; you execute your own system of religion. You are Muslim; you can execute your system of religion. You are Christian; you follow your system of religion. You are Buddhist; you follow your system of religion." But the government cannot be callous that whatever they may follow or whatever they may not do, and government is neutral. No. Anyone, if he is professing himself that "I am Hindu," then it is the government's duty to see whether he is actually executing the Hindu principles of religion. That is secular state. If you are calling himself Muslim, then it is government's duty to see that whether actually you are following the Muslim principles of religion. If you are a Christian, it is the government's duty is to see that you are following the Christian principle of religion. Not that callous, "You can do whatever you like." No. Kṣatriya's duty is to see. The king, government's duty is to see.

Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:

It says if someone gives up his occupational duty and works in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and then again falls down on account of not being complete in such activities, still what loss is there on his part? And what can one gain if one performs his material activities very perfectly? Or, as the Christians say, 'What profiteth a man if he gain the whole world yet suffers the loss of his eternal soul?' Material activities and the results of such actions will end with the body, but work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness will carry a person again to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even after the loss of this body. At least one is sure to have a chance in the next life of being born into human society, either in the family of a great cultured brāhmaṇa or else a rich aristocratic family that will give the man a further chance for elevation. That is the unique quality of work done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

Now, whenever there is any discrepancy, just to rectify, sometimes punishment is given or sometimes the Lord comes Himself, or sometimes He sends His representative, or sometimes He leaves some books of knowledge. In this way the whole process from God's side is to put ourself always on the right path. That is the process going on. Now, just like in your Christian religion. Lord Jesus Christ, he claimed himself that he is coming from God as son of God to reclaim to back to Godhead, back to home. That is the mission. Every, every reformer or every great religious leader or God Himself, He comes on this earth to reclaim these conditioned soul to back to Godhead, back to the kingdom of Godhead. That is the whole idea of incarnation. Now, at the present moment... Not at the present moment. Practically always, the people, by material contact they forget their relation, their relationship with the Supreme Lord, their constitutional position. Now, this, whatever we earn, if not the whole thing, but if at least some portion of our income we engage in the service of the Lord for propagating the teaching of God consciousness, that is engaging our fruitive activities, the result of our fruitive activities, in the service of the Lord.

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samāna. Vedic rituals, every human society has got some scriptures and some ritualistic activities. Never mind whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jews, they have. That is the symptom of human civilization. If you have no religion, if you have no standing, then you are animal. Never mind you accept this religion or that religion, it doesn't matter. But you must have a religion. Otherwise a man is animal. Go on.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Comprehending all kinds of prayer three times a day, taking a bath early in the morning, offering respects to the forefathers, etc. But when one is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is engaged in His transcendental loving service, one becomes indifferent to all these regulative principles because he has already attained perfection of life. If one can reach the platform of understanding by service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, he has no longer the duty to execute the different types of penances and sacrifices recommended in the revealed scriptures."

Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:

Why Kṛṣṇa descends? That is explained by Kṛṣṇa. He comes Himself, He sends His representative, He sends His son, to reform. Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's devotee or Kṛṣṇa's son... Why Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed his life? Just to show that the human society must be God conscious. But unfortunately, people do not take care. They are following, they are calling themselves as Christian, but they're not following the example of Lord Jesus Christ. But they should follow, everyone. A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they also should follow what Kṛṣṇa's devotee and Kṛṣṇa... That is required.

So either Kṛṣṇa or His representative who come on the planet or in this world just to show example how you should live, how you should utilize your human form of life, they have nothing to gain. They are complete. Those who are coming from spiritual kingdom or kingdom of, they have no want. They haven't got to do anything. They are all perfect.

Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:

Those who are engaged in the service of this temple, they are discharging devotional service, pāda-sevanam. Arcanam, those who are engaged in the service of the Deity, they are executing devotional service. Vandanam, those who are offering prayers, they are engaged in devotional service. Just like in Christian church or mosque, they have no Deity, but they offer prayer. That is devotional service.

So everyone, in relationship with God... There are so many formulas. If he follows all the formulas, or some of them, or at least one of them, sincerely, then he'll get perfection. That is the way.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
(SB 7.5.23)

But for all devotional service, the main pillar is śravaṇam, hearing. Without hearing, other processes of devotional service will not be perfect. Therefore hearing is most important. Hearing, according to our Vaiṣṇava philosophy, especially Lord Caitanya's, this hearing and chanting are two main pillars for devotional service. (aside:) Drink water. Yes.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

And you will be glad to understand that this Kristo, it is a Greek word, and it is a perverted pronunciation of Kṛṣṇa, this Greek word. The meaning of Kristo in Sanskrit dictionary and the Greek dictionary always the same, about this word. And from this Kristo the word has got Christo or Christ. So even in Christian world the God's name is there. Jesus the Christ or Jesus the son of Kristo, or Kṛṣṇa.

So Lord Jesus Christ said, "My Lord, hallowed be Thy name." He wants to glorify the name of the Lord. And some people says that there is no name of God. How? If Lord Jesus Christ says "Hallowed by Thy name," there must be name. The name is there, but he did not pronounce it because the people at that time will not be able to understand or maybe some reason, but he says there is name. So we are making this propaganda, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the "Hallowed by Thy name. My Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, let Your holy name be glorified." This is our movement. It is not a sectarian...

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

Why shall I chant the Indian name?" No. It is God's name. God is neither Indian nor American nor otherwise, neither Christian nor Hindu nor Muslim. God is God.

So we are at the present moment rotting in this material world. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthaḥ. That is also mentioned in the thirteenth chapter. It is said that puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthaḥ. Where is that verse? (aside:) I told you to...

Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthaḥ? Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi. Yes.

puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi
bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
(BG 13.22)

Puruṣa. Puruṣa means the enjoyer. Everyone of us sitting in this hall, we have got different mentality to enjoy differently, different dress, different mentality, different opinion, because everyone of us we are individual. So this individuality is both in spiritual world and the material world.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

There is no question of faith. It is not the question of faith. You may have faith in Hinduism; tomorrow you may have faith in Christianism. Or you may have faith in Christianism, tomorrow in Mohammedan. This kind of faith is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is a compulsory. Just like laws of the state. It is not that it is meant for the Hindus, or for the Muslims, for the Christian. It is meant for everyone.

Similarly, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, so it is compulsory to revive our consciousness that we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. It is not a question of faith. Faith you may accept or do not accept but here it is a question of "must." You must revive your Kṛṣṇa consciousness; otherwise you will suffer.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

Indian (3): Can I put a question, sir? I take Christianity as... (break)

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Harikeśa: He says he takes Christianity as Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What do you say?

Prabhupāda: Everything is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is question of degrees. Mama vart..., pārtha... What is that verse? Vartante mānuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ. Everyone is searching after Kṛṣṇa, but they are forward to some step. Suppose Kṛṣṇa is there on the top, and it is one hundred steps. So somebody has covered five steps, somebody has covered ten steps, somebody has covered hundred steps, like that. So everyone is searching after Kṛṣṇa, but there is degrees of realization of Kṛṣṇa. So either Christian, Mohammedan, or any, they are searching after Kṛṣṇa. That's all right. But it is a question of degrees, how far they have gone forward. The last stage is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is the final stage.

Indian (4): Swamiji, is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a development of this, only of our Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

Of course, in your country there is no holy land of pilgrimage. In India there are many holy lands of pilgrimage just like Prayāga, Vṛndāvana, Gayā. You have got, also got. In the water of Jordan the Christian people, they go and they take their bath. Similarly, in India, the River Ganges and the Yamunā, Godāvarī, Kāverī. There are many rivers. So yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. Now, somebody goes to holy land and takes bath only and comes back. Yat-tīrtha, salile. Salile means water. One who has accepted the holy land of pilgrimage—the water only. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu: "But they have no interest with persons who are actually experienced in spiritual consciousness of life." In the holy land, especially in India, you'll find there are many sages and saints, they are living there and culturing spiritual knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.1-2 -- Columbus, May 9, 1969:

Simply we should have to acknowledge. We are getting so many facilities from Kṛṣṇa. He is sitting within your heart, He is supplying you all necessities, He is giving you sunlight, He is giving you moonlight, He is giving you rainy, seasonal rains, fruits, flowers, grains, and you are so ungrateful that you do not acknowledge?

In your Christian Bible also it is said. You go to church: "O God, give us our daily bread." That's all right. Kṛṣṇa is supplying you bread. Otherwise wherefrom you are getting bread? You cannot manufacture bread in the factory, or wheat or rice. You can manufacture some iron tools, that's all, not eatables. But you cannot manufacture nice grains. That is not possible. It is supplied by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān.

So try to understand in this way Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness. Then your dormant relationship with God and Kṛṣṇa will be revived.

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa comes here again... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). Dharmasya glāniḥ. Glāniḥ means when it is distorted. So people are manufacturing, in the name of so-called religion, "This is our religion. This is..." "This is Hindu religion." "This is Muslim religion." "This is Christian religion." Or "This is Buddha religion." And "This is Sikh religion." "This is that religion, that religion..." They have manufactured so many religions, so many religions. But real religion is dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Religion means the codes and the laws given by the Lord, given by God. That is religion. Simple definition of religion is: dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Just like law is given by the state, by the government. You cannot manufacture law. I have repeatedly said. Law is made by the government. Similarly, religion is made by God. If you accept God's religion, then that is religion. And what is God's religion?

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

So sometimes Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes Himself and sometimes He sends His representative also, for deliverance of the conditioned souls.

Now, now the principal religions of the world—Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, and Buddha religion—most of them believes some supreme authority or personality coming down from the kingdom of God. Just like in your Christian religion Lord Jesus Christ, he claimed to be the son of God and coming from the kingdom of God to reclaim you. So this claim of Lord Jesus Christ, we admit. We, the followers of Bhagavad-gītā, we admit this claim. So there is no difference of opinion between the followers of Hindu religion and Christian religion. In details there may be, according to country, climate and people, in details there may be difference, but that does not make any material difference.

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

Now, it is, it is here stated, dharma. Dharma is translated in English as religion, but religion is meant just like a kind of faith. Just like "I am Hindu." "I am Hindu" means I have got faith in the Hindu system of religious functions. You are Christian. That means you have faith in the Christian system of religious functions. So religion, so far English dictionary is concerned, it is described as a matter of faith. But the word dharma, it is not exactly the same meaning, faith. Faith you may change. Suppose I am Hindu today. Now I can invest tomorrow in Christian religion. Or you are Christian. You can become a Hindu. There are so many changes. People are free to accept one faith and give up another faith. That is going on. But dharma does not mean that faith which can be changed. Dharma is a thing which cannot be changed. That means there is something in you, in me and everyone... That is called dharma. That is called... That cannot be changed. And what is that? This is a very fine analysis of human nature.

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

What he is doing? He's rendering service to the people. So he has the same business, as you are rendering service to your boss, and taking some money, then again with the money you are serving your family. So this is, this service... Suppose I am now Hindu. I become a Christian or Muhammadan. That, my real business of rendering service, does not change. So dharma means which you cannot change.

Just like... There are many examples in natural objects. Just like water. Water is liquid. It is not a faith. It is a fact. Water is liquid. You cannot say that water is liquid. If he changes his faith, then he can, it can become solid. No. Liquidity of water cannot be changed. Whenever there is conception, water, if I am blind, so... Suppose somebody gives me, "Take here a glass of water," I know it is liquid. So as the liquidity of water cannot be changed. Now, as soon as you speak of fire, so we understand fire is hot. Now, if you, if you... Can you change that fire becomes cold and still it is fire? No. As... So long it is fire, it is hot. So long it is water, it is liquid. Similarly, everything you analyze.

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

Similarly, sugar. If you take sugar, if it is very hot, "It is nonsense. I want sweet."

So in everything, if you analyze, you'll find some particular quality. That is his religion. That is his religion. So we are living entities. Forget yourself. Forget yourself that you are Christian, "I am Hindu," or Muslim, or Mussalman, or Buddhist. Forget yourself! "I am living entity." When we come to this point, that is called liberation. That is called liberation. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we become free from all these designations, that is called liberation. Liberation means nothing more, the conception of getting free from these designations which we have acquired from the association of material nature.

That is called designation. Because I have got a particular body, therefore I have got so many designations. I call myself a man, or animal, or I have got some name, given by my parents.

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

It is called koravāni. And they can slaughter animals in the mosque. Similarly, in the Vedic religion also, the animals are allowed to be slaughtered in some sacrifice. But no religion, either Muhammadan or Hindu... I do not (know) in detail of your Christian religion, but they do not allow animal slaughter in the slaughter house. There are some particular rules and regulations. Anyway, that is a religious details.

But when India was too much addicted for animal slaughtering under the plea of Vedic sacrifice, the Lord Buddha appeared. Why? They misused the Vedic injunctions. They misused the injunctions of the Vedas. So he, he proclaimed, "No, this animal slaughter should be stopped." He did, he did not agree even with the Vedic injunction. Therefore Lord Buddha's preaching was not accepted. It was... Once it was accepted, whole of India accepted. Under the king, under the Emperor Aśoka, the whole of India became Buddhist.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Montreal, June 13, 1968:

Just like heat of the fire. Without heat, a fire has no meaning. Wherever there is fire, there is heat and light. Therefore heat and light is the dharma or religion of fire. That means fire cannot change its dharma. As this dharma, as we generally understand by the word faith, that we can change. Today I am Hindu. I can become tomorrow a Christian. You are Christian today. You can become, I mean to say, Hindu or Muslim tomorrow. So this faith can be changed, but this dharma, as I explain, that natural sequence, natural occupation or natural intimately connection...

Just like the fire, heat and light. This cannot be changed. Either the fire is in America or the fire is in India or a fire is in Russia, the heat and light is there. That is actually the dharma.

Now here Kṛṣṇa says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7).

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Montreal, June 13, 1968:

Now another point of dharma is, as Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa is describing here, is dharmasya vedoktasya glānir vināśa. Now this is ordinary sense of religion. Just like everyone has got some scripture. The Hindus, they have got Vedic scripture. The Muslims, they have got Koran. The Christians, they have got Bible, Old Testament, New Testament. Similarly, there are many other religious sects, they have got their own scripture. So Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa says that vedoktasya dharmasya. Dharma means the rules and regulations as they are prescribed in the scriptures.

Just like state laws. State laws, there are some rules and regulation in the lawbook, in the statute book of the particular state. Similarly, dharma, another meaning of dharma is, it is the law of God. Maybe differently described in different countries according to different climatic condition or situation. But in every religious scripture the obedience to God is instructed. That is a fact.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa did not come to establish the so-called Hindu religion or Muslim religion or Christian religion. No. He came to establish real religion. Real religion means we have to submit, surrender to the real person. That is real religion. We are surrendering. Everyone has got some idea. He has surrendered there. Either political, social, economical, religious, anything. Everyone has got some idea. And the leader of that ideal is also there. So our business is to surrender. That is a fact. But we do not know where to surrender. That is the difficulty. And because the surrender is mistaken or misplaced, therefore the whole world is chaotic condition.

We are changing this surrender to that surrender. No more Congress Party. Now Communist Party."

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974:

So whole thing, whole world is going on under this bodily concept of life, designation. "I am Indian." "I am American." "I am this." "I am that." So that kind of dharma is not dharma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says at the end of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). The Bhagavad-gītā religion is not Hindu religion or Christian religion or Mohammedan religion. It is the real religion, between the soul and God. The reciprocation, the exchange of dealings between the Supreme and the subordinate. That is called bhakti. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Purified. When you become purified, tat-paratvena, simply by engaging yourself in the devotional service of the Lord... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). These are the verdict of the śāstra. When our heart is cleansed, then we can accept this religion, sarva-dharmān parityajya.. (BG 18.66). This is the religion. To accept Kṛṣṇa, to surrender to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, this is religion.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

It is not ordinary thing. Just like Kṛṣṇa, we observe in India the Kṛṣṇa's birthday. This month of August, by the end of August, there will be Kṛṣṇa's birthday, and every Indian home, especially the Hindus, never mind in whatever sect or division they belong, they observe Kṛṣṇa's birthday. As here in the Christian world you observe the birthday of Lord Jesus Christ, similarly... So janma... Now, here Kṛṣṇa says that "My janma, My birth..." And because there is birth, so there are some activities. Just like we have taken our birth and there are some activities. So this Kṛṣṇa's birth and Kṛṣṇa's activities are transcendental. Transcendental means they are not these material activities.

Now, people will be surprised, "How Kṛṣṇa's activities are transcendental? He's taking part with Arjuna. He's taking part in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Oh, He's born of a father whose name is Vasudeva. And He has got a family. And so on, so on. So just like us." But He says it is transcendental. Transcendental.

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

Religion does not mean to follow some ritualistic process. That helps us to approach. But they are not, I mean to say, primal necessities. That ritualistic process may be different. Hindus may be following a different kind of ritualistic process. The Christian may be following a different kinds of ritualistic process. That does not matter.

Just like the same example, your relationship with the state. You Americans, you follow the state laws, keep the car right, keep right. In India and in England I have seen also, that "Keep to the left." So the process may be different, but the actual obedience to the state is there, either in India, or in America, or in England, or everywhere.

Similarly, religion means love of Godhead. Now, that love of Godhead you may learn under certain process. I may learn under certain process.

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

When people forget love of Godhead, somebody, either Kṛṣṇa, God Himself or His representative comes to adjust things.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is incarnation. They are teaching love of Godhead. We are not teaching some ritualistic process, that "You become Hindu. You become Christian. You become Muhammadan." We are simply teaching, "You try to love God. You have forgotten God. You have declared, 'God is dead.' These are all nonsense. God is there. You are here. You are suffering because you have forgotten God. You try to love God. Your normal life will come back. You will be happy." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

There is nothing, artificiality. So there is no question of sectarianism, that "In this temple the Christians will come" or "The Muhammadans will not come." Anyone. Because we are teaching what? Teaching love of Godhead. Either you become Christian or Muhammadan, Hindu, how you can deny God?

Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:

The Lord appeared as Lord Buddha, being compassionate on the poor animals, unrestricted. So this animal-killing, no religion sanctions.

In your Christian religion also, it is clearly stated, "Thou shall not kill." But who is caring for that? Nobody is caring. They are killing. That killing process is increasing, and there is reaction also. Every ten years you will find one war, killing process upon you. How you can avoid? There must be reaction. You cannot violate the laws of God. As you cannot violate the laws of the state, similarly, if you violate, you have to suffer. You cannot expect peace and you go on killing animals. That is not possible. If you want peace, then you must think for others also. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is God consciousness. How you can kill another animal? He is also as good a child of God.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:

We have to become free from all designations.

And how one can become free? This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I am neither Indian, I am neither American, I am neither white, I am neither black, I am neither Christian, I am neither Hindu, Muhammadan. Caitanya Mahāprabhu described Himself like that. He said, "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya, I am not a śūdra, I am not a brahmacārī, I am not a householder, I am not a vānaprastha, or I am not a renounced order sannyāsī." Then what You are? Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa." This should be my real identification. This is very good identification. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness we address our contemporaries as "prabhu." Prabhu means master. And the real idea is that "You are my master, I am your servant." Just the opposite number.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:

And yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). And one who has got unflinching faith in God, he has got all the good qualifications of the demigods. There are many examples. Just see. You are mostly Christian, you know. Lord Jesus Christ, when he was being crucified, he was begging, "My Lord, these fools do not know what they are doing. Please excuse." Just see how much qualified. Because he is devotee of God.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, so perfect, that if you take to this in your practical life you become perfect immediately in this life. As it is stated here, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply understanding. You have got enough time. You are all young men, young girls. Please try to understand the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and your life will be perfect.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Public Meeting -- Rome, May 25, 1974:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Chanting... We are recommending chanting of the holy name of God. If the Muslim or the Japanese or the Christian, they have got the holy name of God, that is also as good.

Question: I would like to know if the teachings of Kṛṣṇa can be an assistance to a person, an individual, who is interested in healing on a mass basis vibrations.(?)

Prabhupāda: Yes. For the mass of people, this chanting of holy name of God is very easy and very beneficial, for the mass of people. Mass of people do not understand very much philosophy. Therefore the easiest process of realization of God is to chant these holy names, and that will gradually cleanse the mind, and a man will be able to understand what is God.

Question: Then may I ask something else?

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Calcutta, September 23, 1974:

This is animal conception of life. "I am this body." "I am Indian." "I am Hindu." "I am Muslim." "I am American." "I am Christian." "I am Hindu." Like that. This is all bodily conception. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). This conception of life is animal conception.

Just like a dog. He does not know that he is spirit soul. He cannot understand. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. He cannot understand. It is in the human body one can understand that "I am not this body." A human body can understand what is written in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change your body. You do not know what change is going to be happened. But you have to change your body. How? There are so many bodies. Cats, dogs, demigods, and so many others. You have to accept. According to your karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1), by the judgement of superior authority, and according to your karma, you'll get a body.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

Everyone is working very hard. Any business he is doing, he is praying, "O My Lord, give me the opportunity that I may get success in my business." So Kṛṣṇa is giving. That is also very nice.

If a person, desiring some material profit, remembering Kṛṣṇa, that is also welcome. Welcome because he is not atheist. Atheist class men, even for material success, they do not pray to God. But theist class, one who has got background pious activities, he is called theist. An impious, sinful activities, or sinful man, cannot remember even God. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. So to remember even God, even go to God in temple or mosque or church and pray to God, "Give me this benefit,"... Just like Christian way of worshiping is "O God, give us our daily bread." Hindus also go to temple and pray to God that "Give me some profit. I am very poor man." So Kṛṣṇa says that is also welcome. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna, ārto jijñā..., ārto...

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). In the lower nature, everyone thinks, "Oh, I am greater than you." The Hindus think, "Oh, we are greater than Muslim." The Muslim thinks, "We are greater than the Hindus." The Christian thinks that "We are greater than the Jews." The Jews thinks, "We are greater than..." This is material conception. But for Kṛṣṇa there is no lower or higher. Every living being—His part and parcel. He comes here to claim every one of you, "Come on. Come on, My dear sir. Why you are suffering here? It is not for you. Take this chance." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7).

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, but one who does not care for it, they are satisfied by some temporary relief, and they take to other courses. They do not take the leadership of Kṛṣṇa. Kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ. Iha devatāḥ means these material gods.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

Just like if I go to a medical man or a lawyer, we go there for his qualification. We don't ask him, "Well, sir, are you Christian? Are you Jew or Indian or American or a brāhmaṇa?" No. We are concerned with the qualification. It doesn't matter what he is. He may be an American, he may be an Indian, he may be Christian, he may be Jew, he may be Hindu or Mohammedan. Doesn't matter. He's a practiced medical practitioner, so he's a qualified man. I have gone there for my treatment.

Similarly, Lord Caitanya also says the same thing, and Kṛṣṇa also says the same thing. Never it is, He is stressing on birth. Birth is no consideration. Nobody is responsible for his birth. He may be lowborn but what is that? Or he may be highborn. That doesn't matter. But when he comes out from the womb of the mother, he has got his own responsibility. He has to advance his cultural life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is his responsibility. That is his responsibility.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:

Without religious principle, we are cats and dogs because in the cat society, dog society there is no such thing as church, mosque, or temple or synagogue. They live naked and bark. That's all. So if we simply live and try to become naked like the cats and dogs and bark, then where is the difference? Where is the difference? No difference. So we must take to religious system. That is humanity.

You take any religious system, but you must know what is the aim of religion, not that simply profess, "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." But what is the purpose of becoming religious? That you must know. That is intelligence. Simply don't be proud by saying that "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." That's all right. You have got some type of designation. But Bhāgavata says that system of religion is perfect. What is that? Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: (SB 1.2.6) "That religion, that system of religion, is perfect." Sa vai puṁsāṁ paraḥ.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:

"That religion, that system of religion, is perfect." Sa vai puṁsāṁ paraḥ. Paraḥ means perfect, without any defect. What is that? Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: "By which, by becoming follower of such religious system, if you become a devotee of God, that is perfect." He does not say that you become a Hindu or you become a Muslim or you become a Christian or Buddhist or any other thing. It is very liberal, that whatever system of religion you accept, there is no harm. That's all right. But see the result. What is the result? Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Whether you have understood God and whether you have become a lover of God. Then your religion is perfect. Simply for stamping that "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," there is no profit.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Bombay, April 3, 1974:

Similarly, the human society must be divided into four divisions. Not four division, eight divisions, varṇāśrama.

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.

The Darwin's theory of evolution, there is some idea, but it is not clear, not scientific. They are trying to prove that (it is) scientific. That is not scientific.

Lecture on BG 4.24 -- Bombay, April 13, 1974:

That is the difference. But they do not understand. And the more you chant, you relish.

Otherwise these European and American boys and girls, four or five years ago they did not know what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa's name. Now they are chanting all over the world. This is a fact. One priest, Christian priest, he was astonished. In Boston he issued one pamphlet. He said that "These boys, they are our boys. Some of them are coming from Christian family or Jewish family. But before this, before their taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they did not care for anything, Bible or Church or.... Never. Now, how is that these boys are mad after God?"

So therefore it is a fact that Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name, there is no difference. Here in the material world, if you want.... You are thirsty. If you want water, if you simply chant, "Water water water," that will not satisfy you. You require water, the fact. But spiritually, when you chant Kṛṣṇa, you relish Kṛṣṇa. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaḥ.

Lecture on BG 4.34-38 -- New York, August 17, 1966:

Just like... It is practical. When you go to a doctor, medical practitioner, you do not ask, "Well, Doctor, are you American or Indian? Are you brāhmaṇa? Are you Jew? Are you Christian?" No. Oh, he has got the qualification of a medical man, so you surrender, "Doctor, treat me. I am suffering." So there is no question. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given liberal that "Anyone who knows the spiritual science, or the Kṛṣṇa science..." Kṛṣṇa science is spiritual science. Because Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal of spiritual science.

When I speak of Kṛṣṇa, you must remember that I am speaking of God. There are millions of names of God in different parts of the world, but Kṛṣṇa is the supreme name according to Vedic knowledge. So therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended—and His recommendation is accepted by the authorities even at the present moment—

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

So dharma is like that. It cannot be changed. So dharmaṁ hi sākṣāt. What is that dharma? It cannot be changed.

Service. Either you become human being or animal or anything—bird, beast, or American, Indian, or this, that, whatever—if you are living being, then your dharma is service. You may become tomorrow Hindu or Muslim or Christian, but you cannot change your spirit of service. That is your dharma. So dharmaṁ hi sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam. This duty, this eternal occupational duty, is there in every living entity, the service spirit. But the service spirit is now misplaced on account of our conditioned stage. So when it is properly placed, service, that is our dharma.

That dharma is directly from the Supreme Lord, bhagavat-praṇītam. It cannot be manufactured by any man or any demigod or any somebody else, no. It is eternal. And that is taught in Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "My dear Arjuna, the most confidential knowledge I am giving you, that you give up all your occupational duties. Simply surrender unto Me." This surrender process is dharma, is your business, and nothing more, That's all.

Lecture on BG 5.3-7 -- New York, August 26, 1966:

So one who is trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, He has got special favor. (aside:) I'll answer later. He has got special favor.

So sāṅkhya-yogau pṛthag bālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ. So any, any type of spiritual realization, they are different forms. "You are, you are Hindu? Oh, I am, I am Christian." "Oh, you are Christian? I am Muhammadan." So these conceptions, that "I am different from you," that is not for the learned. The learned one is hankering after the Supreme Truth. Never mind. Either you go through Bible, or go through Bhagavad-gītā, or go through this Koran, that doesn't matter. What is the aim of your life? If your aim of life is to understand the Absolute Truth, then there is no difference. But if your aim is something else, then you find some difference from Bhagavad-gītā to Bible, Bible to Koran, Koran to something else. So Kṛṣṇa says that sāṅkhya-yoga. Either you take sāṅkhya-yoga or sāṅkhya or this karma-yoga, anything, there is no difference. Because the, everything is trying to give you the ultimate Absolute Truth.

Lecture on BG 6.6-12 -- Los Angeles, February 15, 1969:

Because you are uneducated, therefore you cannot realize God, no, that is not. Because you are highly educated, therefore you can realize God. No, that is not. He's unconditional. Apratihatā. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. In the Bhāgavata it is said, that is first-class religious principle.

Bhāgavata does not mention that this Hindu religion is first-class or Christian religion is first-class or Mohammedan religion is first-class or any other religion. We have created so much, so many religions. But Bhāgavata says that religious principle is first-class. Which one? Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That religion which helps you to advance your devotional service and love of God. That's all. That is the definition of first-class religion. We do not analyze that this religion is first-class, that religion is last-class. Of course, according to, as I have told you, that there are three qualities in the material world. So according to the quality, the religious conception is also created.

Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:

The disease is this body? Because this body is not meant for me, it is not my body. Just like your dress. You are not the dress. But we are differently dressed here. Somebody red color, somebody white color, somebody yellow color. But that color, I am not this color. Similarly this body, I am white man, black man, Indian, American or this, Hindu, Muslim, Christian. This is not my position. This is all diseased condition. Diseased condition. You are trying to get out of the disease.

That is yoga system. To connect again with the Supreme. Because I am part and parcel. The same example. Somehow or other the finger is cut off and it is falling on the ground, it has no value. My finger, when it is cut off and it is lying on the ground, it has no value. My finger, when it is cut off and it is lying on the ground, it has no value. But as soon as the finger is joined with this body, it has got millions and trillions of dollars value. Invaluable.

Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969:

Somebody burns this body, somebody buries or somebody throws it for being eaten by the animals. The three system in the human society. Just like in India, Hindus, they burn the body. So the body is transformed into ashes—means earth. Ash means earth. Those who are burying the bodies of their forefathers, the body turns into dust, as the Christian Bible says, "dust thou art." This body is dust and again turns into dust. And those who are throwing for being eaten by the animals and birds, vultures, just like in India you have got the community, Parsee community. They do not burn, neither they bury. They throw and the vultures immediately comes and eat. Then the body turns into stool.

So either it will turn into ashes or into dust or into stool. This beautiful body, which you are soaping so nicely, it will turn into three stages, stool, ashes, or dust. So the finer elements means mind, intelligence and ego. That is altogether it is called consciousness. That will carry you, the spirit soul, small particle of spirit.

Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:

Devotee: In the case of Christians, some of them worship Jesus Christ.

Prabhupāda: That is bhakti-yoga. Because they accept God. Unless you accept God there is no question of bhakti-yoga. So Christian religion is also Vaiṣṇavism because they accept God. Maybe in the, some stage different from this. There are different stages of God realization also. The Christian religion says "God is great." Accept! That is very good. But just how great God is, that you can understand from Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But there is acceptance that God is great. That is therefore that is beginning of bhakti. You can apply that bhakti. Even the Mohammedan religion. That is also bhakti-yoga. Any religion where God is the target, that is applied in bhakti. But when there is no God or impersonalism, there is no question of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means bhaja jayukti bhaja-sevayā(?). Service. Service means three things: the servitor, the served, and service. One must be present who will accept service. And one must be present to render service. And in the via media, the process of service. So bhakti-yoga means service.

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

Kṛṣṇa said that mamaivāṁso jīva bhūta: (BG 15.7) "All the living entities, they are My part and parcel." In another place Kṛṣṇa said, aham bīja-pradaḥ pitā. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). All the forms of living entity that are manifest, they are all sons of the supreme father, Kṛṣṇa. In other religion, just like Christian religion, they accept the supreme father: "O father, give us our daily bread," they pray in the church. But they do not know the name of the father. That is the difficulty. But one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he knows what is the name of his original father, what does He do, where He lives, what is His personal feature, what is His pastime—everything. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says here, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Everyone is anxious to know, at least (indistinct) men, what is God, what is our relationship with Him, how He looks, where He lives. These are naturally inquisitiveness of any sane man. So here in the Bhagavad-gītā the Personality of Godhead Himself speaks about Himself.

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

And just like these people, they were not born in India. They are not Hindus. They are not Vaiṣṇavas. Their forefathers never heard what is Kṛṣṇa, neither they heard. How they are taking? It is the process. That process we are giving to everyone without any discrimination. We have got students from all communities: Hindus, Muslim, Christian, Parsis, and Africans. The process is so perfect. If you take the process, you will also understand. So for this teaching this process, we are opening center here. You all Indians, your chance is first. So why don't you cooperate and learn? It is open to everyone. It is not a secret thing. So I invite you on Tuesday. (aside:) At what time we are going to...?

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Diego, July 1, 1972:

I give up the speculative process and I become humbler, as you advise. Then what is My next duty?" Next duty is: namanta eva, being humble, san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām, you should approach a person who is a devotee, and you should hear from him. Sthāne sthitāḥ. You remain in your place. You remain American. You remain Indian. You remain Christian. You remain a Hindu. You remain black. You remain white. You remain woman, man, whatever you are. Simply you lend your ear to the discourses given by realized souls. This is recommended. And when you hear, then you contemplate also. Just like you are hearing me. If you contemplate that "What Swamiji said...?" Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Śruti-gatām. Śruti means just receiving through the ear. If you contemplate and try to understand with your body, mind, then gradually you'll... Because your aim is self-realization. So self means Superself. The Supreme Lord, He's the Supreme Self. We are part and parcel.

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

He appeared five thousand years ago, during the Battle of Kurukṣetra, before that, and still He's famous. Not only famous in India, but He's famous all over the world. In each, every language, the "Kṛṣṇa" word is there, dictionary. He's also stated as "Hindu God." But Kṛṣṇa is not Hindu god or Muslim God. He's God. God is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian. God is God. So Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān. Svayaṁ Bhagavān. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). There are... There may be many Bhagavāns, but Kṛṣṇa is the original Bhagavān.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
(Bs. 5.1)

So Kṛṣṇa says, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. We have to increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa. So how we can increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa unless we know Kṛṣṇa, at least something about Him? Just like a girl becomes attached to a young boy when she knows about something about that boy. The more she knows, she becomes attracted.

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

Unfortunately, the impersonalists, they have no idea of the form, form of the Lord. Because they're impersonalist, they do not accept any form of the Lord. But there is the form of the Lord. Form of the Lord, there must be. God is accepted as the supreme father. In Christianity also it is accepted, the supreme father. In every religion He's accepted the supreme person, supreme father, supreme master. So how He can be accepted as imperson? From logical point of view... Just like you are a person, your father is a person, his father is also a person, his father is also a person. Go on, even you do not know your topmost forefather, you know it that he was a person. Similarly, the supreme father, the father of all fathers, how He can be imperson? Logically you cannot conclude. He must be a person. And that is the Vedic version also. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.

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

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

Anyway, our position is, we learn from Bhagavad-gītā that we have to increase our attachment for God, Kṛṣṇa. mayy āsakta. This is the perfect process of yoga system. And if you simply increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then asaṁśayam, without any doubt, samagram, and in fullness, you can understand what is God. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

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

They are with me for the last two, three or four years. Now they are... You detach them from Kṛṣṇa consciousness if you have got any power. You cannot do that. Even you bribe them or, no, what you can do? Their father, mother, their countrymen can give you enough. They are all rich men's sons. But they cannot give up Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even the Christian priests, they regret that "These are our boys, and they never came to church. They never liked to understand what is the idea of God. Now these same boys, they are after, mad after God. What is this movement?" They are surprised.

So there is a process. If we adopt that process, then everyone can become mayy āsakta-manāḥ, Kṛṣṇa āsakta-manāḥ. We have to accept the process. That process is called yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. You have to accept the yoga system under the protection of Kṛṣṇa personally or His bona fide devotees, representative. Then you will be... Then what will be the result?

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

That is realization of Brahman, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. The Vedic injunction is just to understand that I am not this body. If anyone is under the concept of this body—"I am this body," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am American," "I am Indian"—in this way, with the bodily concept of life, we are thinking we are different from one another. At the same time, we desire that there may be unity of the human society, of the human being, and we can live peacefully. That is very desirable thing. That is the thing we require to understand. But so long we are on the bodily concept of life, this goal cannot be achieved.

Unless we have got spiritual understanding, we'll have to present ourself with this bodily designation. This is designation: "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Bengali," "I am Sindhi," "I am Punjabi," "I am American" These are all bodily conception of life.

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

No. Therefore if you want clear idea of God without any doubt, asaṁśayam, and samagram... Samagram means full, not partially. The spiritual understanding is partial in this way, brahmeti paramātmā iti bhagavān iti śabdyate. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features, Brahman, beginning from Brahman, then Paramātmā, Supersoul. I think in Christian world they call holy ghost. Anyway, Paramātmā, the Supersoul. And ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is the statement of the śāstra. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). If you want to know, here is Bhagavān. In many other places,

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
(Bs. 5.1)

Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. There is nothing accidental. Everything is there as cause and effect. That is clear idea.

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

So our request is that you take knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā and act accordingly. It doesn't matter what you are. Bhagavān is for everyone. God is God. Just like gold is gold. If gold is handled by Hindu, it does not become Hindu gold. Or the gold is handled by Christian, it does not become Christian gold. Gold is gold. Similarly, dharma is one. Religion is one. There cannot be Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion. That is artificial. Just like "Hindu gold," "Muslim gold." That is not possible. Gold is gold. Similarly religion. Religion means the law given by God. That is religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ na vai vidur ṛṣayo manuṣyāḥ (SB 6.3.19), like that—I just forget—that "Dharma, this principle of dharma, religious system, is ordained or given by God." So God is one; therefore dharma, or religious system, should be one. There cannot be two.

So that one religion is given in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). To surrender to God the great and to abide by His instruction, that is called religion. It may be that the Hindus may be following the same principle in a different way or the Christian may be following the same principle in different way. That is called deśa-kāla-pātra.

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

The dogs and hogs, they are busy whole day and night to find out, "Where is food? Where is food?" But the human life is not meant for that purpose. The dogs and hogs, they do not know that food is supplied by God, everyone's. That is the Vedic information. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. God is supplying food to everyone. Therefore in the Christian method it is prayed, "O God, give us our... O Father, give us our daily bread." That is very good idea. But even if you do not ask, the food is there. We should understand, because the animals lower than human being, they do not go to church or to temple to ask for daily bread, but they get their bread. The elephants, they eat at a time 40 kg in this African forest, but they are getting their daily food twice. And the ant, it is satisfied with one grain. It is also supplied food. There are 8,400,000 forms of living entities. They are all getting their food without going to the church or to the mosque or praying to the Lord.

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

Indian man (4): Swamiji, we are living in a world where new thoughts, new ideas are being disseminated with by saintly people. But as we have read that the Vedas were the first book of knowledge handed to mankind. Now what I would like to know is... The Christians have Bible as their book, the Moslems have the Koran as their book, and the Hindus have the Vedas as the book. Why should we not go back to the Vedas rather than accepting, notarizing the interest in many other scriptures, the Bhagavad-gītā or the Rāmāyaṇa for instance? But the sages, four ṛṣis, who first gave them, and Vedas were given to us at the beginning of God's creation. Why don't we go back to Vedas, and then we will know the Bhagavad-gītā also?

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

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

Otherwise it is not possible. So that thinking, you can revive. There is relationship with you, with Kṛṣṇa. So you have to revive that relationship. It is not artificial. Just like these European, American boys, Kṛṣṇa was unknown to them. They are coming from Christian, Jews. So what they had to do with the Kṛṣṇa? They had nothing to do, but why they are mad after Kṛṣṇa? They are no longer mad after anything. They have given up everything. Simply for preaching in your country, they have come here. They have not come as a businessman to exploit African resources like other Europeans. They have come to distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why? Why the responsibility they have taken? Because they have learned to love Kṛṣṇa. This is the basic principle. Anyone can understand. Otherwise, do you think they are poor men? They have come here to earn some money? They are not poor men. The Americans are the richest country.

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

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

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

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

Devotee (3): Śrīla Prabhupāda, when we are preaching to Christian people or to Muslim people, is there advantage in being familiar with their scriptures or simply Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?

Prabhupāda: We are not preaching to Christian or Hindu or Muslim. We are preaching to human being. We do not see, "Here is a Christian. Here is a Muslim. Here is a Hindu. Here is a white man. Here is a black man." No. Every living being, his duty is to understand God. This is our preaching. This is our preaching, that "You are living being. You are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. This designation, that 'You are Hindu,' 'You are Muslim,' 'You are Christian,' 'You are this'—these are all designations. Actually you are living being, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore your main duty is to understand Kṛṣṇa." This is our preaching. We are not going to convert Hindu into Muslim, Muslim into Christian. No, that is not our... That is not our business. He may think that he is Christian, he is Hindu, he is Muslim, but we think that he is a spirit soul, part and parcel of God.

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

Prabhupāda: If one is learned paṇḍita, he does not see Hindu, Muslim, Christian. I went to America, I did not go there to turn the Christian to become Hindu. No, I never said that. Did I say, any, anyone, that "You are Christian. You become a Hindu"? No, never I said. That is not my business.

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

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

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
(BG 7.3)

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

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

Why does He appear? Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati..., tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham, dharmasya glāniḥ (BG 4.7). What is that dharmasya glāniḥ? Disobedience to Kṛṣṇa's order. That is dharmasya glāniḥ. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya. Dharma is one. As God is one, similarly dharma is also one. There cannot be many dharmas. There are many dharmas practically we see: Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma, Buddha dharma, this dharma, so many dharma. But real dharma is one. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Para means transcendental. These are material dharma. "I am Hindu," "You are Muslims," "You are Christian," "You are this," "You are that." These are, means an attempt to raise oneself to the platform of real dharma. But real dharma is one for everyone. What is that? Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is transcendental dharma. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6).

Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:

These Europeans and Americans and other countries also, they are accepting Kṛṣṇa not as a Hindu god. Of course, in the dictionary it is so written, "Kṛṣṇa is the name of a Hindu god." But people of the world, they are accepting that He is the God. God is one. There cannot be any Hindu God or Muslim God or Christian God. God is for everyone, for the human society and less than human society, animal society. There are 8,400,000 species of life, and all of them are supposed to be the offspring, sons of Kṛṣṇa.

So we are talking about Bhagavad-gītā. Last night we talked from the Seventh Chapter, the first verse. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ.

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
(BG 7.1)

So in order to understand asaṁśayam... Asaṁśayam means "without any doubt." At the present moment we have got many doubts whether actually there is God or not. In Europe and America, when I first went there in 1965, I was informed even by some clergymen that "God is dead."

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

Swedish man (1): I may ask you, you see, that this foundation is a Christian foundation, and I wonder what is your personal opinion about the main figure in the Gospel, Jesus Christ.

Prabhupāda: I do not know much about him. What is that? You know? Anybody knows?

Haṁsadūta: The main feature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Guest: No, Jesus Christ.

Haṁsadūta: What is your opinion about his main teaching?

Prabhupāda: Yes. But main teaching, so far we read Bible, Jesus Christ said, "Thou shalt not kill." But they are, you are, everyone is killing. That's all. The first commandment is violated. It is clearly said, "Thou shalt not kill." But when I ask any Christian, "Why you are killing?" He cannot give me any satisfactory answer.

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

Translator: So his question is that how can Catholic people, without rejecting their own religion, take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Well, it is not rejecting; it is reforming. The Catholic religion also teaches love of God, or love of Christ. So if I say the truth, it will not be very palatable, but this movement is reformation. But another thing is Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, or whatever you may be, everyone accepts there is God. So we are teaching not to formally accept there is God, but know what is God and love Him. So those who are interested for higher knowledge of God, they'll take it. The point is simply officially to accept God, There is God, know. You know what is God, what is His..., what He is doing, what He is acting, what is His name, what is His address. Everything you know and try to love Him. That we are teaching. So those who are actually serious to know about God, they'll come to this movement. And those who simply know God officially: "There is God. That's all," that is different thing.

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

Anyone who is acting on the bodily concept of life, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13), they are no better than the cats and dogs. That is going on all over the world. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am this"—bodily, all bodily. "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fat," "I am thin." That's all.

So that jñānam, theoretical, and vijñānam, sa-vijñānaṁ vakṣyāmi, Kṛṣṇa will teach, "Take this jñānam." The most perfect personality. So this is our business. But do we...? We don't care for Kṛṣṇa. We do not know Kṛṣṇa and what to speak of taking knowledge from Him. The knowledge is there, but we are so fool that we do not take knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā. We manufacture our own knowledge. This is called māyā. Māyā is so strong that she'll not allow to take real knowledge from the real person, but we shall read volumes of books who are defective with their four kinds of imperfectness, namely they commit mistake, they are illusioned, they are cheater and their senses are imperfect.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, March 29, 1971:

A simple method. And nobody is checked or barred: "You are not Hindu. You cannot chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." No. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). It doesn't matter whether he is a Hindu or Muslim or Christian or this or that. One has to learn the science of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā, as it is. Then he becomes a spiritual master.

These boys, this boy and girl just now married, I am sending to Australia. The boy has come from Australia, the girl has come from Sweden. Now they are united. Now they are going to maintain our establishment there in Sydney. Just now I am sending them within two or three days. They will take care of the temple and they will preach also. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is expanding by their help. I am alone, but they are helping me. They are my gurus. I am not their guru, (applause) because they are helping me in executing my Guru Mahārāja's order.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, February 18, 1974:

At the present moment, being conditioned by the material nature, every man is working under the impression that "I am this body." "I am Indian because I got this body from India." "I'm American; I got this body from America." All bodily concept of life. Or "I'm Hindu because I'm born of a Hindu family," "I'm Christian because I'm born of a Christian family." These are all bodily identifications. When one goes above the bodily identifications, that is called siddhi. This is the explanation of siddhi. In the bodily platform, nobody can attain perfection. He's animal. Those who are in the bodily concept of life, those who are thinking that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddhist," they're all animals.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, February 18, 1974:

So modern civilization, everyone, mostly, they're under the bodily concept of life and they're fighting like animals, because that is animal life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa instructs at the end that "You Hindus, Muslims, Christians, this, that, kindly kick out all these conceptions of religion." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Because that is not religion. This is bodily concept of life, the business of ass and cows. "So you give up this business." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge: "I come down just to reestablish the principles of religion." What is that religion? Not this Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion. Those who are thinking that we are preaching Hindu religion—no. We are not preaching Hindu religion. Therefore while registering the association I purposely kept this name, "Kṛṣṇa Consciousness," neither Hindu religion nor Christian religion nor Buddhist religion. Kṛṣṇa does not belong to any sect. Those who are thinking that we are sectarian, they're wrong, because Kṛṣṇa does not belong to any sect. He says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu. Sarva-yoniṣu, sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ. Yoniṣu, not only human society. Yoni means forms of life, or species of life; sarva-yoniṣu.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, February 18, 1974:

You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, sitting in your parlor and speculating on your so-called educational qualification. That is not possible. That is not possible. You must surrender. You must surrender. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām... (BG 18.66). You must give up all these idea that "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I'm Indian," "I am American," "I am white," "I am black." These designations, you have to give up. First qualification: sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Upādhi, these are all designations. So you have to give up these designations. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). You have to become Kṛṣṇa-ite and pure. Tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Then, when you are purified, not designated, not covered by your material designation, at that time, the senses are purified. When you engage your senses to the service of the Lord, that is called bhakti.

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

And not only that, Bhagavān, God, means Kṛṣṇa. And if I give the name of "God" instead of "Kṛṣṇa," they will bring forth so many competition of Kṛṣṇa. That is not our purpose. Kṛṣṇa means God. If God has any perfect name, that is "Kṛṣṇa." Because "Kṛṣṇa" means all-attractive. God cannot be attractive for certain person. God cannot be Christian God or a Hindu God or Muslim God. God is equally attractive for Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddha. That is real God. And if Hindu has manufactured some God, Christian has manufactured some God, that may be God partially, but not the Supreme God. The Supreme God is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Parama means supreme. God... You are also god, I am also god, and every one of us, god. Why? God means controller. So controller, every one of us is a controller to certain extent, not the complete controller. But Kṛṣṇa means the complete controller. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Controller... You may be controller; I may be controller; he may be controller; but not controller like Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Bombay, February 19, 1974:

What is this body? The five elements, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca. Eight elements. Earth, water, fire, air, and sky, the mind, intelligence and ego. Ego, false ego. The false ego is that "I am this body." Ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." These are all false ahaṅkāra. Neither I am Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian nor American nor Indian. I am living entity.

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
(BG 15.7)

Kṛṣṇa says that "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel, but they are struggling hard against these material laws." Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). By mental concoction he's creating a situation and he's getting that type of body. Otherwise, why there are so many varieties of body?

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

He says that he is finished because he'll never be able to advance in devotional service, and that is the ultimate goal of life. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). After realization of Brahman, when he is actually on the Brahman platform, then the symptom is na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he has no more lamentation and no more aspiration. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Then he can see everyone one equal level. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Because he does not see the outward body, he does not see that "Here is a Hindu, here is a Muslim, here is a Christian, here is an Indian, here is American, here is black and here is white." No. He sees within, within, introspection.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, April 1, 1971:

He is so kind that He is sitting in your heart as your friend just to help you, how you become liberated from this material contamination. Why you do not take this advantage? Every sane man should take advantage of this instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, but rightly, as it is said. Then anywhere he may be, it doesn't matter, he is a liberated person.

īhā yasya harer dāsye
karmaṇā manasā girā
nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu
jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

Anyone who is trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and being Kṛṣṇa conscious he is trying to serve Kṛṣṇa sincerely... He may be situated anywhere. It does not matter, he is Indian or Hindu or Mussulman or Christian or this or that. Simply if he thinks of Kṛṣṇa always in the process as described here, he becomes liberated.

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

That is irreligious. So here it is stated that dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu. Therefore, for sex life, dharma is marriage. In the human society there is marriage. In the animal society there is no marriage. They indulge in sex life any way, because they are animals. But in human society, either Hindu society or Muslim society or Christian society or any society, any civilized society, there is the marriage. So the marriage, sex life by marriage, is religious, and sex life without marriage, that is irreligious. So here Kṛṣṇa says that "Sex life," dharmāviruddhaḥ, "which is not against religious principle, that is I am."

So there is no harm to become a householder. It is not that... I am a sannyāsī; I have given up household life. And one person who is a householder... There is no difference, provided it is on the principle of religion. I am a sannyāsī. I am forbidden to make any association with women. I cannot talk even with woman in a lonely place. That is forbidden. I cannot talk with a woman.

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

The pious is he who follows the scriptural injunction, and impious is he who does not follow. Every civilized nation, every civilized man has got his scripture. May he be a Christian, may be a Hindu, may be a Muhammadan or may be a Buddhist. It doesn't matter. But everyone has got his authority, book of authority, scripture. So one who does not follow the scriptural injunction, he is outlaw. He is punishable. Duṣkṛtina. And mūḍha. Mūḍha means fool number one. These people do not go to God. These qualified peoples—duṣkṛtina, means impious; mūḍha, fool number one; and narādhama, and lowest of the human kind; and māyayāpahṛta-jñāna, and bewildered of his knowledge; and āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ, and atheistic mentality. These people. One who has developed.

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

They thought by breaking the post boxes they are finishing the post office.

So these are foolishness. They are not jñānī. One who has got real conception of God, they have no quarrel with each other. All the history of religious fight, Hindu-Muslim or Christian-non-Christian, they are all ignorant. They are all ignorant. One who is in the knowledge, he knows that God is one. God cannot be Hindu. God cannot be Muslim. God cannot be Christian. God is God. He has no material qualification. It is our conception that "God is such and such. God is such and such." That is imagination. That is called iconographer. So they are not jñānī. They are not man in knowledge. Man in knowledge is different. He knows that God is transcendental. Just like even Śaṅkarācārya, the impersonalist, he said, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. And in the morning also we have discussed the point that one who knows God transcendental, above this material qualities, he knows.

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

Guest (3) (young man): I, I... I'm talking about, from a Christian point of view...

Prabhupāda: No, don't put any question from any particular... You try to understand the philosophy. If "two plus two equal to four," that doesn't matter whether he's a Christian or Hindu or Muslim. Two plus two equal to four everywhere.

Guest (3): All right. Well, the point is that you say or members of the society say that "I am not this body," and in Christianity this is my body and this is my blood.

Prabhupāda: "This is my blood." You are not blood. That is all right.

Guest (3): Right.

Prabhupāda: "This is my blood," you can say, just like I say, "This is my body." But you are not this body. If I say this, "My microphone," does it mean that I am microphone? Why do you put this question?

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

Prabhupāda: That is up to you. You may accept or not accept. There are different kinds of dresses in the shop. Why you have accepted this kind of dress? But you must be dressed. That is wanted. You may make your choice in a different way than myself, but you must be dressed as a gentleman. Similarly, worship of God must be there. Either you do it in Christian way or Hindu way, that doesn't matter.

Guest (3): All right, well, then does that mean that you assume or propose that the world would all become one in one religion?

Prabhupāda: Yes, God is one, and if you worship God, then it is one.

Guest (3): All right, but then men differ in different...

Prabhupāda: Differ? That I have already explained that there are so many dresses. You have got particular dress. You like it. But that does not mean that you are not dressed.

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

Guest (3): I don't say... No, I wouldn't go about... But the point I'm trying to make is that you call God Kṛṣṇa. Christians call God by whatever name they call God. (laughter) The point is...

Prabhupāda: Christian? Christian have... I don't think that they have any particular name of God.

Guest (3): All right, then Christ...

Prabhupāda: So if you, if you get... Suppose you have heard the name of the..., "There is a president," but if you hear from somebody, "The president name is this," so what is the harm? You become advanced in knowledge. Suppose you go to a country. You know that that government has got a president. But if somebody says, "The president's name is this," then where is the wrong there?

Guest (3): Nothing wrong.

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

There are 8,400,000's of species of life. Out of that, only 400,000 species of life are this human body.

So Lord Caitanya says, "Out of these 400,000 species of life, some of them are civilized. And out of many civilized persons, they are actually devoted to the scriptures, not all." Some of them, they agree that "I belong to Christian religion," "I belong to Hindu religion," or "I belong to Muhammadan religion," but at the present age, mostly they simply claim that "I belong to this religion" but do not believe in the scripture, mostly. So those who are believing in the scriptures, they are mostly attracted by pious, philanthropic activities. They, some of them, those who actually believe that charity is very good thing, and... Religious means these three things: yajña-dāna-tapaḥ. Yajña-dāna-tapaḥ. Yajña means sacrifice, dāna means charity, and tapaḥ means penance. Just like brahmacārī. It is tapasya. Tapasya. A sannyāsī, it is tapasya. Tapaḥ.

Lecture on BG 9.2-5 -- New York, November 23, 1966:

Decorate with flower, with dress, with ornaments and see and hear and eat very... You offer very nice foodstuff to Kṛṣṇa and then partake it. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanam (SB 7.5.23). Vandanam means prayer. Of course, if you do not like, if you think, "This is Hindu system. We won't accept. We are Christian," all right, you go to church, sing there. You have got also songs of Bible. You can sing very nicely.

So smaraṇaṁ vandanam. So there is no difference between this process and that process. Simply we are teaching that "Become God conscious." God is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian. He's God. And we are also not Hindu or Muslim or Christian. This is our bodily designation. We are all pure, part and parcel of the Supreme. As God is pure, so we are also pure. So we have fallen in this turmoil of this material ocean, and there is tossing of the waves. So we are suffering.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 22, 1976:

So where is the difficulty to understand? Plain thing. Plain thing. But we are stubborn. We do not wish to understand. This is not a sectarian; this is a science. If a child becomes a boy, is that sectarian? The Hindu child becomes a boy, Hindu boy, and the Christian child becomes a Christian. That is outward, Hindu, Muslim, Christian. But within this body... I am Hindu or Christian because I have got this body from the Christian father-mother, Hindu father-mother. But that is body. I am not this body. Therefore we have to understand first that "I am not this body. Therefore I am not Hindu, not Muslim, not Christian, not black, not white. I am pure spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi.

This is the first basic knowledge. This is not sectarian. This is a basic knowledge, you believe or not believe. If a child says, "No, no, I don't believe that I shall become a boy," But you believe or..., you must have to become a boy.

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

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

Lecture on BG 9.15 -- New York, December 1, 1966:

San-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtāṁ jīvanti, lives, sthāne sthitāḥ. Sthāne sthitāḥ means keeping himself in his position. Sthāne sthitāḥ. Just like you are hearing Bhagavad-gītā. Some of you are medical man. Some of you are engineer. Some of you businessman. Some of you clerk. That doesn't matter. You keep yourself in your position. You remain as American. You remain as Christian. It doesn't matter. But there is no harm in hearing Bhagavad-gītā. There is no harm. You'll get knowledge. You'll get knowledge. You'll become better Christian. You'll become better American. You see? It is not the purpose, that we are trying to convert American into Indian, or Indian into American, or Christian into Hindu. That is not our mission. We are just preaching the science of Kṛṣṇa, or science of God, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So everyone can learn this science. Just like when you go to college there is no question of whether a man is American or Indian or African.

Lecture on BG 9.15 -- New York, December 1, 1966:

Ajita means one who is unconquerable. So that unconquerable becomes conquered. How? By this process. What is that process? Just submissively hear and try to assimilate it nicely. That's all. So God is neither Christian or Hindu or Muslim or anything. God is God. If you hear Bhagavad-gītā submissively, with your arguments and... The first thing is you must be submissive. You should not think yourself that you are a... Do not be puffed up with false knowledge. Everyone, we should think that we are ignorant. We should have to receive knowledge. That should be the first step by me(?). And receive knowledge, and try to assimilate it, and try to apply it, apply it with your body, with your mind, with your intelligence. Then the, you'll understand God so nicely that although God is unconquerable, you'll conquer Him. You'll conquer Him, by this simple process. So therefore śravaṇam, hearing, is so important.

Lecture on BG 9.34 -- New York, December 26, 1966, 'Who is Crazy?':

Even in your own country, even there are democratic party or conservative party and this party, that party. Worldwide is also the capitalistic party, the communistic party. In our country also there is congress party. So party's already there. Socially also, oh, we are Christian, I am Jew, I am Hindu. Of course, this is religiously. And socially also. In India, there is very social party. So you cannot avoid this partyism. All ladies and gentlemen who are present here, I ask you, do you not belong to any party? Can you deny that "I don't belong to any party"? Oh, everyone belongs to some party.

Now spiritualism, spiritualism means that we should identify ourself as God's party. That's all. That is spiritualism. They ask so many things, that, why the materialists are called crazy by the spiritualists? Oh, that is also partyism. These materialists also call, say to the spiritualists, they are crazy.

Lecture on BG 9.34 -- New York, December 26, 1966, 'Who is Crazy?':

Now just see. Take any common man. Not yourself, not myself. Any common man. If you ask him that, "What you are?", he'll say... His conception is that I am this body. Everyone will say. He'll give you some description that, "I am Christian." "I am Hindu." "I am Mr. Such and Such." "I am Mrs. Such and Such." Everything, whatever he or she will say, that is all due to this body. All due to this body. Everyone. When you say, "You are American," that means this is the body. Because by accident, by something, by some reason, you were born in this land of America. That is also another artificial name. The land is neither America nor India. The land is land. But we give some designation, "This is America." We make some boundary. This is United States of America. This is Canada. This is Europe, and this is Asia. This is India. So this is our name, but actually was there any history that the land is American, or the land...? Say, four hundred years before, or five hundred years before, was this land was known as America? You have named it, America. Say, some thousands of years before was this, this, the continent which is known as, I mean, Europe, can you trace out history, that it was known as Europe? They are all designations.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Paris, August 10, 1973:

And that is called religion. Religion does not mean the so-called rituals. That is formalities, they're also required, but the real purpose of religion is to abide by the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is religion. So you may become... You may be a Christian, you may be a Muhammadan, you may be a Hindu, or Buddhist. It doesn't matter, whatever you may be. Whether you are abiding by the orders of God. Then you are religious.

Not that God, or God's representative says: "Thou shalt not kill." And I go on killing in the slaughterhouse. And when asked why I am killing, I give my, some interpretation of my own. This rascaldom is going on. Nobody's religious. Because nobody's following the orders of God. Neither... Anybody... Māṁ ca vetti na kaścana. Kṛṣṇa says that: "I know past, present, future, everything." That is confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1).

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

Father knows what is the needs of the children. He automatically supplies. And if the children become disobedient, the father is not satisfied. He may do as duty, to give them some food, but he is not satisfied. The same relationship with our relationship with God.

You know, those who are Christians. You pray in the church, "O Father." So God is actually the father. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said, "Father." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Pitā means father. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. So actually, God supplies everything through the material agent. That's all. Just as God supplies, the father supplies the money in the hands of the mother and mother expends for the children, similarly, God is the supreme father of the whole living entities, and the material nature is the agent of the Supreme Lord, and she produces food for you.

You may have tractors, you may have very good arrangement for producing food, machinery, but still, if the land or earth does not produce food, your, this tractor or all other arrangements will be failure. So after all, we should know the supply of things are in the hands of the material nature. And material nature works under the direction of God.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Hyderabad, April 19, 1974:

You cannot accept government laws in a way, that "I may believe or I may not believe." That is not law. Law means you must believe it. That is law. If you don't believe, then you will be punished. That is law.

Similarly, religion means, as it is described in the English dictionary that it is a kind of faith... Faith I may accept. Suppose Hindu faith or Christian faith. So you may accept or not accept; there is no compulsion. But religion does not mean like that. Religion means you must accept. You believe or don't believe. It doesn't matter. You must accept. That is religion. And what is that religion? That religion... From Bhagavad-gītā we find, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is religion.

Why Kṛṣṇa says, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge: "I come down on this planet or in this universe for reestablishing the principles of religion"? Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. Then what is that dharma? That is not Hindu dharma or Muslim dharma or Christian dharma or this dharma or that dharma. No. Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not come down to teach a sectarian type of dharma. There is one dharma. What is that one dharma? To surrender to the orders of God. That's all. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is dharma.

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

So how to study them? Kṛṣṇa is explaining. Tat kṣetram. Tat kṣetram means that kind of, that body, there are so many. Tat kṣetram yac ca yadṛk. How they have attained different types of body? The soul is there. Soul, we have already explained, is the kṣetrajñam. But except the followers of Vedic knowledge, nobody knows. Just like the Christian people they say there is no soul of the animals. And how is not? Kṣetrajñam. Soul is there, everywhere, but they have got their different types of bodies. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, tat kṣetram. Tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yadṛk ca. How they have got different? Kṛṣṇa has already explained in the fifteenth chapter, they are all Kṛṣṇa's part and parcels.

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

"I am not this body. I am neither Indian, nor American, nor Russian. I am part and parcel of God. Therefore my business is to serve God." This is called bhakti. When you are self-realized... That is definition of bhakti. Sarva upādhi-vinirmuktam. You have to get yourself cleansed from all these designations, that "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am American," "I am this," "I am cat," "I am dog." These are all designations because I am pure soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. And these conceptions are designation. So you have to be educated how to become free from the designation. That is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170), that when we become free from the designation...

It does not mean because I become free from the designation, therefore I become zero. No, I remain because I am spirit soul, eternal. I may become sometimes American, sometimes Indian, sometimes cat, sometime dog, but that is change of designation or body. But as spirit soul, I am eternal. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). These things are all clearly stated.

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

And philosophy without religious conception is mental speculation. These two things are going on, not combined. All over the world there are many so-called religious systems, but there is no philosophy. Therefore the so-called religious system does not appeal to the modern educated persons. They are giving up religion, either Christian, Muslim, Hindu. Simply formalities, rituals, they do not like. They want to know everything on the basis of philosophy. That is Bhagavad-gītā.

Bhagavad-gītā is based on philosophy, this system, Kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Bhagavad-gītā means Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, devotion to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā, the teaching is man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is Bhagavad-gītā. "Always think of Me." Kṛṣṇa conscious, pure and simple. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65).

Lecture on BG 13.22-24 -- Melbourne, June 25, 1974:

Those who are lower grade living entities, there... This is the struggle. One living entity is the food for another living entity. That is lower grade life. In the higher grade life, no, they cannot kill anyone for eating purposes. Therefore in the Bible the First Commandment is "Thou shalt not kill." But all these Christians, they are violating the First Commandment. That is their business. Simply engaged in killing, big, big slaughterhouse.

And they give the example that "Others are eating vegetable, that is also killing." Yes, that is also killing. But that I have already explained, that because one living entity is foodstuff for another living entity, that does not mean you shall eat your family members or any human being. No, there must be discrimination. But so far we are concerned, we are not killing anybody for eating purposes. We are eating kṛṣṇa-prasāda, foodstuff which is offered to Kṛṣṇa and then we eat.

Lecture on BG 13.35 -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

Prabhupāda: In the beginning of this chapter, Arjuna inquired,

prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva
kṣetraṁ kṣetra-jñam eva ca
etad veditum icchāmi
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava

Yesterday evening, those gentlemen who came from Protestant Church?

Yogeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So they're talking about what is knowledge. Yes. This is very good question, what is knowledge. So Arjuna wanted to know this knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. Knowledge means to understand this body and the soul. Kṣetra-kṣetra-jña. Kṣetra means this body, and kṣetra-jña means the owner of the body. Just like if you study your body... "What is this?" Just like we ask any child. Sometimes we play with the child. We ask, "What is this?" He'll say, "My hand," or "My head." So even the child can say that the hand is different from him. We also say, "This is my hand," "This is my leg," "This is my head." We never say, "I head," or "I hand." No. "My hand." It is very simple thing.

Lecture on BG 13.35 -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

They are producing coffee. That is not the local men. The Britishers who have gone there, They are producing coffee, tea, and keeping some cows for slaughtering. This is going on. In Australia, also, I have seen.

Even some priestly class. They invited me, received me, received me very well. So one of the priests, he inquired that "Why our Christian religion is dwindling? What we have done?" And actually, that's a fact. I have seen, in London at least, the churches are for sale. Nobody's going to the church. Some of the churches have been taken for making go-down, storehouse or some factory. Many hundreds of thousands... In London there are many churches. Churches are there in New York also, other places. Formerly, people were religious. It doesn't matter whether one constructed temple or church. It doesn't matter. There was prayer to the Supreme. But now people are forgetting.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. What is bhakti? Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to become purified, sarvopādhi-vinirmukta. At the present moment we are encumbered with different types of designations. "I am Indian," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this," "I am that." They are all upādhis. But when one comes to the understanding that "I am eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is liberation. That is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Being identified with Kṛṣṇa's interest, he becomes nirmalam. That is mukti. Nirmalam means mukti. So long we are contaminated we are not mukta; we are conditioned. And as soon as we become nirmalam, that means mukti.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Hawaii, January 31, 1975:

Everyone is suffering. Somebody is in ignorance. Although he is suffering, he is thinking that he is very well. This is called māyā. Māyā means you are accepting something which is not. This is called māyā. Mā yā: "What you are accepting, that is false." This is called māyā. So we are accepting, "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am black," "I am white," "I am thin," "I am fat." So this is māyā. So when we give up this māyā conception of life, that is mukti. You may remain in the same body, but if you are not under māyā, bodily concept of life, that is called mukti, liberation.

So therefore it is said, daivī sampad vimokṣāya. Mokṣa, mokṣa means liberation. If you develop this daivī sampat, then you become fit for becoming liberated because our... What is the position? Why we are suffering? Why we are dying? Why we are taking birth? Why we are becoming old? On account of this material body.

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

So but He is the beginning of everyone. Just like my father is the beginning of my body. Father is the cause of the beginning of my body or your body, everyone. So therefore He has no beginning, that He has no father, but He is the supreme father. That is the conception, Christian conception: God is the supreme father. That is fact because He is the beginning of everyone. Janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "Whatever has come into being, that is from Kṛṣṇa." That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). The devatās... This brahmāṇḍa is the creation of Brahmā. He is called one of the demigods. So Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānām, "I am the beginning of the devatās, demigods." So if you study Kṛṣṇa in this way, then you become daiva, divine. Divine.

Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for educating everyone to become divine. That is the program. So what is the gain by becoming divine?

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

They are all moving. Seasonal changes, day and night, everything is going on. This is perfection. So those who are in divine nature, they can understand all these things. That is called daivī sampat.

In other philosophies they can say... The Christians say, "God is great." The Muslim also say that allah akbar. That is also same meaning. The Vedic literature also says, Brahman, Parabrahma. Brahman means the greatest. Bṛhatvāt bṛhannatvād iti brahma. Brahman means because it is very, very great. And not only great, it is becoming greater and greater. Bṛhannatvāt. So the great understanding, greatness understanding, of Kṛṣṇa or the Absolute Truth is accepted everywhere in civilized human society. But how God is great, that you can find in the Vedic literature. Simply to know God is great...

Just like everyone knows that he has got a father. That is not difficult.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- Hawaii, February 2, 1975:
This is not sentiment.

People are..., try to understand that this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is Hindu movement: "Kṛṣṇa is one of the Hindu gods." But that is not the fact. Kṛṣṇa is God. God is God. God cannot be Hindu God, cannot be Muslim God, cannot be Christian God. God is God. Just like gold. If the Hindus deal gold, that does not mean gold becomes Hindu gold. Or the Christian deals in gold, that does not become..., the gold becomes Christian, or Muslim. Gold is gold. Similarly, God is God, the great. Now, if you study how His greatness expands... Just like here is one example.

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
(BG 18.61)

Very simple. Īśvaraḥ, that God, in His Paramātmā feature is sitting within everyone's heart, your heart, my heart, everyone's. God is... You haven't got to find out God somewhere else.

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

Not to speak of constructing new churches, but... We are practically purchasing many churches. They are vacant. I have seen in London. Hundreds of churches are vacant. Nobody goes there. Nobody goes there.

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

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

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

Dvau bhūta-sargau loke daiva āsura eva ca (BG 16.6). There are two kinds of men throughout the whole universe. There are men in other planets also, they are very highly elevated. They are therefore called devas, or demigods. The moon planet, the sun planet... There are many other heavenly planets.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

Similarly, we may be foolish—we do not know; we cannot understand who is the original father—but there must have been the original father. That is God. That is God. Where is the deficiency to understand this fact?

Therefore, accepted, God is accepted as the original father. The Christian, they go to the original father: "O Father, O God, give us our daily bread." So we also accept. That is the godly conception. That is the beginning of religious conception. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). What is dharma, religion? It is the codes given by God. That is dharma. Just like the state, the government, gives law: "You have to do like this. Keep to the right." You have to keep your car to the right. This is law. You cannot say, "Why not to the left?" You cannot say. Then you are criminal. Similarly, there are codes and description in the śāstra what God wants.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:

God and the living entities, they're... Both of them are living entities, being. But what is the difference between God and living entities? The living entities are maintained by God, and God is the maintainer. That is the difference. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. We cannot maintain ourself. God maintains. Therefore, according to the Christian principle, they go to the church to beg bread from God.

Actually that is the fact. That is the fact. We are not independent. We are dependent on God in so many things. God has engaged the servant, the sun-god. He's also demigod. He is working under the order of the Supreme Lord. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. In the Vedic literature we get information of the sun-god on the sun planet. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. The sun-god, or the sun planet, is the eye of all other planets. Because unless there is sunshine—you may be very proud of your tiny eyes—you cannot see.

Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:

What is this? What these poor animals have done? Because you are not Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you are discriminating in this way, that the human society should be given protection, the animal society should be slaughtered. Is that very good? Is that good consciousness? Just like the Christian people say that the animals have no soul—because they want to eat meat. Christ says, "Thou shalt not kill." They interpret in a different way. So you can make your own mental concoction, but if you require to be right person, you have to take direction from the authorities. That is required. (break)... without being Kṛṣṇa conscious, anyone who wants to serve, he serves himself only. You see? These leaders, they... Of course, they give that "We are going to serve the country..." Factually, if we study scrutinizingly, he's serving himself only. (laughter) That's all. (break) Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Page Title:Christianity (Lectures, BG)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:17 of Aug, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=130, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:130