Commit (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"commit" |"commits" |"committed" |"committer" |"committing"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: commit or commits or committed or committing or committer not "commit* mistake*" not "commit* offense*" not "commit* sin*" not "commit* * mistake*" not "commit* * * mistak*" not "commit* * offense*" not "commit* * * offense*" not "commit* * sin*" not "commit* * * sin*"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

So he talked with him that "Why you are implicated in such planning? Kṛṣṇa does not want it." Although Dhṛtarāṣṭra knew that Kṛṣṇa was the Supreme Personality of Godhead... So Dhṛtarāṣṭra said that "I know that what I am planning, that is not good. I know Kṛṣṇa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And He has requested me. But I tell you frankly, I cannot do without it. So when Kṛṣṇa will be pleased upon me, I may be."

So this is the position of the materialistic person. A materialistic person knows that he is sinful. A materialistic person knows that whatever he is doing is wrong, but he cannot check. Just like the thief. A thief knows that if he commits stealing, he will be arrested, he will be punished. He knows. Because he heard from lawbooks, from other sources, and he has also seen that a thief is arrested and he is taken by the police for being punished. So we have got two kinds of experiences: by hearing and by seeing directly. In Bengali it is called, dekhā-śunā. In India it is called. The two kinds of experience: one by seeing, practically experiencing, hand to hand; another by hearing. So one who is intelligent, he gets his experience simply by hearing from the right source. That is nice.

So our process is that we are getting experience about the perfect knowledge, the destination of life, simply by hearing from Kṛṣṇa. So we are the most intelligent person. It is not possible to experience directly, but if one has got intelligence, then simply by hearing and considering and thinking over it, he gets the experience. So those who are very sinful, they get experience by hearing and by direct, directly seeing also; still, they cannot check from sinful activities. So Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, by his sinful activities he became so much fallen that he did not hear anybody's advice, Vidura's advice, Bhīṣma's advice, that "Don't plan like this. They are rightful owners. The Pāṇḍavas, they are rightful owners. They are minor, but don't try to cheat them." But Dhṛtarāṣṭra was...

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:

Sañjaya was addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He's a king. So mahī-pate. Hṛṣīkeśaṁ kapi-dhvajaḥ. Kapi-dhvajaḥ is nominative. So "He said..." Kapi-dhvajaḥ. Kapi-dhvajaḥ is also significant. Kapi-dhvajaḥ, Arjuna, on his... Just like nowadays also, every nation has different types of flags, so Arjuna also had his flag on the... Dhvajaḥ. Dhvajaḥ means the flag. The flag was on the top of his chariot. And it was marked with Hanumān, Vajrāṅgajī, Vajrāṅgajī, Hanumān, who fought for Lord Rāmacandra. He is fighting for Kṛṣṇa. So he is also following the footsteps of Vajrāṅgajī.

Vaiṣṇavism is like that. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. Vaiṣṇava should follow his previous mahājana, authority. That is Vaiṣṇavism. We don't manufacture ideas. We don't commit such rascaldom. We simply accept the behavior or the activities of previous ācāryas. There is no difficulty. There is no difficulty.

So in the fighting principle, Arjuna is fighting for Kṛṣṇa. He is following the previous fighting ācārya, Hanumānji. Therefore he has depicted his flag with Hanumān, that "Hanumānji, Vajrāṅgajī, kindly help me." This is Vaiṣṇavism. "I have come here to fight for Lord Kṛṣṇa. You fought also for the Lord. Kindly help me." This is the idea. Kapi-dhvajaḥ. So any activities of the Vaiṣṇava, they should always pray to the previous ācārya, "Kindly help me. Kindly..." This is, Vaiṣṇava is always thinking himself helpless, helpless. And begging help from the previous ācārya.

Lecture on BG 1.44 -- London, July 31, 1973:

Actually, everyone is our svajanam, because if God is father, as Kṛṣṇa claims, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, if He is the supreme father... Not only He claims, at least, any fine religious system claims, "God is the original father." That's a fact. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvam pravartate (BG 10.8). Everything has come from Him. He is the supreme father. So if Kṛṣṇa is the supreme father, He is father of everyone. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). In all species of life, in all forms of life, they are all our svajana, kinsmen. How it cannot be? Because Kṛṣṇa is the original father. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore a devotee of Kṛṣṇa does not want to commit a little harm to any living entity. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne

brāhmaṇe gavi hastini

śuni caiva śva-pāke ca

paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

(BG 5.18)

Paṇḍita, one who is learned, he is sama-darśinaḥ, equal vision. Not that... Just Kṛṣṇa has equal vision... That picture, Kṛṣṇa, He's embracing the calf. He is not only embracing the gopīs, but He is embracing the calf also, cows also. Sama-darśinaḥ. For Kṛṣṇa the gopīs, the calf and the cows or anyone in Vṛndāvana who has come to serve Him, they are all equal to Him. Somebody wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as calf, somebody wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as cow, somebody wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as gopī, somebody wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as cowherd boy, somebody wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as His father, somebody wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as His mother. These are the different mellows, different tastes.

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

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

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Even if there were victory awaiting them, because their cause was justified, still if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra should die in battle, it would be very difficult to live in their absence. Under the circumstances that would be another kind of defeat. All these considerations by Arjuna definitely proved that he was not only a great devotee of the Lord but that he was also highly enlightened and had complete control over his mind and senses. His desire to live by begging although he was born in the royal household is another sign of detachment. He was fully in the quality of forbearance as all these qualities combined with his faith in the words of instruction of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, his spiritual master, give evidence. It is concluded that Arjuna was quite fit for liberation. Unless the senses are controlled, there is no chance of elevation to the platform of knowledge, and without knowledge and devotion there is no chance of liberation. Arjuna was competent in all these attributes over and above his enormous attributes in his material relationships."

Prabhupāda: Go on. (coughs)

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

That is called sat. And cit. Cit means knowledge. At the present moment we are all in ignorance. We do not know what is the next step, "Whether I am going to live or to die." Everything in ignorance. Therefore this body is also not cit. It is full of ignorance. Then sat, cit and ānanda, that we have got experience... Where is ānanda? Ānanda means blissfulness, joyfulness. There cannot be any joyfulness in this body. There are three kinds of miserable condition of material life: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. So either these three or one or two is always there. Adhyātmika means miserable condition on account of the body and mind. So wherever we go, the body is there. So even if I am very opulent materially with wealth, we are getting experience that even the most rich, richest man in the society, he is committing suicide. Why? He has got every resources to enjoy. Why he is committing suicide? That means there is also no ānanda, even you possess the material things. So there is no question of sac-cid-ānanda in this material condition of life. If you understand what is spiritual life and if you practice how to come to the spiritual life, spiritual platform, as Kṛṣṇa is, then we can become equal with Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda (Bs. 5.1). Otherwise we are in ignorance. This body is not sac-cid-ānanda. (end)

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

Man (1): But, but but... In the West, our theologies have taught us that we no longer believe in heaven, we no longer believe in hell, we no longer believe in a soul. So I think that if you want to generate some sympathy, you had better change your tack. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: No, I... If you do not believe, that does not mean the things become null and void. That is not a fact. Suppose a thief does not believe in the prison house. That does not mean the prisonhouse will be closed. A thief may think like that. That is another thing. But the prisonhouse will continue, and as soon as you commit theft, you will be put there. That's all.

Man (8): I think that there is no point in answering a question with a parable. In point of fact, the things you've been postulating tonight is a denial of observable truth.

Madhudviṣa: Of what truth?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Observable truth.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is truth. (laughter) Anyone who has got eyes to see, he can see the truth.

Man (9): Do you believe in the essential unity of religious paths in such a way that soon people will take to God and yoga?

Madhudviṣa: He said do you believe in any unity between religious paths.

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

So everything has clear conception in the philosophy of Vedic literature, especially they're summarized in the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. So our only request is that you become God conscious. That is the opportunity. This human form of life is the only opportunity to understand what is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God. The animals—we cannot invite cats and dogs in this meeting. That is not possible. We have invited human being. Because they can understand. So the human being has got the prerogative, prerogative to understand. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Therefore it is called durlabha, very rarely we have got this human form of life. If we do not try to understand in this form of life "What is God, what I am, what is our relationship," then we are committing suicide. Because after this life, as soon as I give up this body, I'll have to accept another body. And we do not know what kind of body I am going to accept. That is not in my hands. You cannot order that "Next life make me a king." That is not possible. If you are actually eligible to become a king, nature will offer you a body in the king's house. You cannot do that. Therefore, we have to work to get the next, better body. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:

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

So if we have to prepare ourself in this life for the next body, why not prepare yourself for a body back to home, back to Godhead. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are teaching every man how he can prepare himself so that after leaving this body, he can go directly to God. Back to home, back to Godhead. This is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Tyaktvā deham, after giving up this... (break) ...we have to give up. I may not like to give up this body, but I'll have to. That is nature's law. "As sure as death." Before death, we must prepare ourselves, what is next body. If we are not doing that, then we are killing ourselves, committing suicide. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to save the human kind from being fatally injured by the wrong conception of bodily concept of life. And the simple method is by chanting the sixteen words, or if you are philosopher, if you are scientist, if you want to know everything scientifically, philosophically, we have got big, big books like this. You can either read books or simply join with us and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

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

There are already overpopulation. And they can be provided by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. Kṛṣṇa is not limited; He is also unlimited. He can provide unlimited living entities. There is no scarcity of food. So this theory that overpopulation is nonsense. It is also nonsense. There cannot be overpopulation. But there is restriction, by nature. Nature will restrict production of food if there are demons. Nature will not provide the demons. You'll find in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fourth Canto, nature is quite prepared to supply all the foods, but as soon as there are number of demons, because the whole plan is to correct. Just like the criminals are sent to the prison house for being corrected so that they may not again commit criminals. That is the purpose of... Similarly, we are all criminals who are in this material world. The purpose is to be corrected. We wanted to imitate Kṛṣṇa, to become Kṛṣṇa, and therefore we violated the orders of Kṛṣṇa, and that criminality means material life.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

Then one is that "Do you mean to say that therefore a man should be killed?" No. We cannot kill without reason. No. That will be a great sin. But this is a fight. This is a fight for a cause. They are not killers. It is said that a kṣatriya who lays down his life in the battlefield, he at once rises up to the higher planets. You see? Because for right cause, if one lays down his life... Just like so many people, they lay, lay down their life for the cause of the country. Do you mean to say they are sinful or they are going to hell? No, no, no. Those who are laying down for the good cause their life, their next life is very brilliant. But if you commit suicide without any reason and written or without any cause, then you'll be sinful. You'll be sinful. These are... Of course, we get knowledge from this... So,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

So dhīra, one who has got complete knowledge of the constitution of this body, and the constitution of the spirit soul, they are not aggrieved when a soul transmigrates from one body to another. That is the sum and substance of the whole, this verse.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

One can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by His mercy only. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi. Anyone who has received a small particle of the prasādam, mercy of the Lord, he can understand the Lord. Nobody can understand the Lord perfectly. It is not possible because the Lord is unlimited. We have got our senses very limited. Our senses are not only limited, but also imperfect. We commit illusion. We try to cheat. So many defects are there. Therefore simply by exercising our senses it is not possible to understand God.

So to know God, "God is very good, God is great," that is another thing. The science of God... Just like Bhagavad-gītā, by studying Bhagavad-gītā, we know not only "God is great," but we see what kind of God He is, what is His form. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. We have heard in the śāstras that

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

(Bs. 5.1)

Now that īśvara, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, how He appears sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha? Those who are present, of course, they saw the sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, but because not all of them were devotees, they could not understand Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because He appeared just like a human being, so mūḍhas... Mūḍhas means less intelligent, or, in plain word, asses. Mūḍha means ass. So this class of men could not understand Kṛṣṇa, that He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). To take birth either as a dog or as a king, the distress is the same. There is no difference because the dog has to keep itself within the womb of the mother in an airtight condition for so many months, and the man, either he is king or anything, he has also undergo that tribulation. There is no excuse. Because you are taking birth in a king's family, it does not mean that to remain compact within the mother's womb the distress is less, and because he is taking birth in a dog's mother's womb, therefore his is great. No. That is the same. Similarly, at the time of death, the distress... At the time of death there is great distress. It is so strong that one has to leave this body. Just like when the distress becomes very strong, one commits suicide. He cannot tolerate: "Finish this body."

So nobody wants to leave this body, but the distress is so strong that one is forced to leave this body. That is called death. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find that mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am death." And what is the meaning of death? Death means "I take everything from him. Finished. I take his body, I take his association, I take his country, I take his society, I take his bank balance, and everything finished." Sarva-haraḥ. Sarva means everything. Everyone is trying to accumulated big bank balance and big house, big family, big motorcar... But with the death, everything is finished. So that is great distress. Sometimes one cries. You will find at the time of death, in coma, his eye drops are coming out. He is thinking, "I made so many things so nicely to live comfortably, and now I am losing everything." Great distress. I know one friend in Allahabad. He was very rich man. So he was only fifty-four years old.

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

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He says that in school in the material world, if one behaves badly, he has to stay where he is; he cannot progress. But he does not go back. So why...?

Prabhupāda: No, sometimes he is given the down class. Sometimes he is degraded: "Go to the down class." Yes. That is quite natural. (laughter) Eh? Down? So any question?

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He says he doesn't believe that one can go back.

Prabhupāda: He may not believe in the law, but law is law. If somebody says "I can commit some criminal act, but I don't believe in the court's judgement," will it be accepted? You believe or not believe; the law will act. Just like if you infect some disease, infectious disease, if you contaminate, then you must develop that disease. That is the law. So we are contaminating ourself with different laws of material nature, and according to that law, we have to accept the body. The material laws are not under your control; you are under the control of material laws.

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) If also on other planets one has to continue changing bodies?

Prabhupāda: Yes, the planets... There are different planets means different facilities of material convenience.

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) Who is in charge of giving us our next body?

Prabhupāda: God. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati. God, in His Supersoul feature, He is situated in everyone's heart and he is seeing all our activities, and he is awarding the different kind of bodies.

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Manu-saṁhitā, yes.

Viṣṇujana: "...the lawbook for mankind, it is supported that a murderer should be condemned to death so that in his next life he will not have to suffer for the great sin he has committed. Therefore the king's punishment of hanging a murderer is actually beneficial. Similarly when Kṛṣṇa orders fighting, it must be concluded that violence is for the supreme justice, and as such, Arjuna should follow the instruction, knowing well that such violence committed in the act of fighting for justice is not at all violence. Because at any rate the man, or rather, the soul, cannot be killed. For the administration of justice, so-called violence is permitted. A surgical operation is not meant to kill the patient, but is for his cure. Therefore the fighting to be executed by Arjuna under the instruction of Kṛṣṇa is with full knowledge, and so there is no possibility of sinful reaction."

Prabhupāda: This is the distinction between violence and nonviolence. People are very much advocate of nonviolence, but they are committing, according to their estimation, they are committing every moment violence. But from higher standard there is practically no violence and the things which apparently appear to be violence, if it is properly executed... Just like under the order of high-court judge, one body is being executed. So that is not violence. A justice of higher order is not meant for committing violence. It is justice. Similarly, when, under the direction of the supreme justice, Kṛṣṇa, anything is done, apparently, although it appears violence, it is not violence. It is justice. This is to be understood. Go on.

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

Indian: I have seen in other maṭhas, that present before God, it is the proper way to redress our sins. Is this correct? If not, will we not suffer for our sins committed here on earth, or after...?

Prabhupāda: So long we are not on the platform of sanātana, all our life is simply sinful life. Either you think that you are very pious... Real piety means to come to the platform of sanātana-dharma. So if we do not come to the platform of sanātana-dharma from the platform of asanātana-dharma, we are simply committing sins, nothing but. (break) ...come to the platform of Sanātana, then apāpa-viddham. Then there is no more... No papa can touch. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot be free from the contamination of this material world. Then how? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). You can simply become free from all contamination, sinful life, when you are a surrendered soul. Mām eva ye prapadyante. Kṛṣṇa therefore comes to teach us this. He's teaching. He's so much compassionate with our suffering that He's coming personally. Otherwise, what is the purpose of His coming? He's always being worshiped by lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). So He has no business to come here to ask you any food. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aśnāmi (BG 9.26). Is He poor? Still, He says, universal: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam.

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. I am replying you. Prārabdha can be changed. Kṛṣṇa says. Prārabdha means you are enjoying the fruits of your past activities. That is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). Nirdahati. Karmāṇi, the resultant action of your past karma, can be vanquished by Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: (BG 18.66) "I shall give you protection."

Indian (2): Even from punar janma, karma...?

Prabhupāda: Everything. Finished. As soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, everything is finished. But don't commit again. Stick to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you are safe.

Indian (2): Then what was the necessity for the Pāṇḍavas to suffer when they had themselves surrendered to the Lord Kṛṣṇa, and they have suffered?

Prabhupāda: They have not suffered. They have served Kṛṣṇa's purposes. Kṛṣṇa wanted to kill all the demons. They did it. That's all.

Indian (1): One more question, Swamiji. When Lord say that (Sanskrit), that means whatever the sins being committed are going to be committed all by only His will and wish, then why a person should be hated as a cruel person, and to kill him, and why God should take a other and do all these things?

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

"No." Just like a thief, he's praying to God: "My dear Lord, give me some opportunity. I can steal that thing." Kṛṣṇa first of all says, "No, no. Don't do it." But he insists. Then Kṛṣṇa says, "All right. Do it." But as soon as you do it, you become entangled. Why you are doing against the will of Kṛṣṇa? That is your entanglement. Kṛṣṇa says: "Don't do this." Why you are doing that? So Kṛṣṇa is giving you facility to steal others' property, but you become entangled. That is not Kṛṣṇa's responsibility. Your responsibility. Suppose a high-court judge gives sanction that "This man should be condemned to death. He should be hanged," Does it mean the high-court judge is your enemy and hanging you? He has nothing to do to become your enemy or friend. You have committed situation that you should be hanged. He's giving order: "Be hanged." That's all. So your business is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa and act according to His instruction. Then you'll be happy. Otherwise not.

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Arjuna was reputed as a great warrior. So he should remain a great warrior. A warrior's business is not to stop fighting on the plea of becoming kind. If you have gone to the warfield and if you practice nonviolence there, this is useless. Why should you go? There is a Bengali proverb that naste bose guṇṭhanam(?), that... In India, the girls, they cover their head. That is the system of married girl's shyness. So it is said that one girl is on the stage for dancing. Now while she is to dance, she's covering the head. What is the use of covering the head? You have come to dance, you dance. Similarly, in the warfield, you have gone there to fight. Where is the question of becoming nonviolent? So things should be done according to the time and atmosphere. In the warfield, there is no question of nonviolence. The war is arranged for committing violence. Where is the question of preaching there nonviolence?

Devotee: I don't know how to exactly word this. It seems like... I didn't quite understand the explanation, but it seems that although the battlefield is arranged for this war, there was almost a test for his principles and for him to renounce his place in the kṣatriya class. This is where I get confused in the Gītā. It seems like this is a very noble thing for him to renounce his place in the caste. I'm not clear here.

Prabhupāda: Renounce what?

Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973:

So śāstra-vidhim is required. So here is one śāstra-vidhim from Parāśara-smṛti. Parāśara was the father of Vyāsadeva. He has got his regulative principles. They're also realized souls on Vedic principles. They wrote so many books. In this Parāśara-smṛti it is said: kṣatriyo hi prajā rakṣan śastra, śastra-pāṇiḥ pradaṇḍayan. Śastra-pāṇi means always with sword in the hand for the benefit of the prajas. He should be so strong. "Oh, you are a thief? You have stolen?" Immediately cut his hand, bas. This one example will stop millions of thieves not to commit stealing. Simply by cutting. Even a hundred years ago this system was prevalent in Kashmir. If a thief is arrested and if he's proved that he has stolen, immediately king will cut off his two hands. Bas, finished. No court witness. And it will go for ten years to find out whether he has stolen. This is government. Therefore, the injunction is kṣatriya hi prajā rakṣan śastra-pāṇiḥ pradaṇḍayan. Always must be very strict. Nirjitya para-sainyādi dharmeṇa pālayet. This is dharma. In the Manu-smṛti it is said that if a man, a murderer, one man has killed another man... Why man? Even animal. He's a murderer. Now murdering is no offense. They are killing daily so many babies within the womb, murderers. That has become a custom. They're killing hundreds and thousands of animals daily in the slaughterhouse. It has become a custom. So now even human being, murder, he's not condemned to death. Is it not?

Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973:

This means everyone is sinful. Everyone is sinful. The government is sinful, the people are sinful. Then how you can become happy? It is a fool's paradise, sinful paradise. How you can be happy? Therefore despite all sorts of education, scientific improvement, brainwash and so many things, people are unhappy. Diseased, unhappy, dissatisfaction, confusion, this is going on. Because everything is not properly done. The government is not strict.

So in the Manu-smṛti, as I am quoting from Parāśara-smṛti, there are smṛti-śāstras. The Manu-smṛti, it is said that if a man commits murder, then he should be killed. Otherwise, he'll suffer in the next life. So many sufferings. So the king's order to condemn a murderer to death is a mercy, is a mercy for him. Because he's saved from future, so many troubles. So the king should be so strict. Not that by compassion. "No. He's murderer. That's all right. He has killed one man. Why he should be killed?" No. He must be killed. This is the law. Here it is also, Parāśara-smṛti, it is said that kṣatriya should be always śastra-pāṇi, and must strictly, as soon as there is any discrepancy, he must take...

Formerly, the judgement was given by the king. Every day, king would sit. Just like we are sitting. So if there is... Formerly, there was no criminal, practically. If there was any criminal, if... It was very difficult to find out a criminal. Because these four things were forbidden. What is that? No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating. So if one follows these four principles, naturally he is sinless automatically. And if the whole population is sinless, then where is the possibility of judging or bringing the criminal? When Kali was awarded four places. He was first of all ordered by Parīkṣit Mahārāja. As soon as he saw that this black man is going to kill one cow, "Oh, who are you in my kingdom? You are trying to kill a cow?" He took his sword, "I shall kill you," immediately. So he fell down.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

So it is the kṣatriya. Kṣatriya means who gives protection the citizens from being hurt by the irreligious person. That is called kṣatriya. Kṣat. Kṣat means injury, and tra means deliver. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. When he saw that a black man Kali was going to kill a cow, so he was going to inflict injury to the cow, and immediately Mahārāja Parīkṣit took his sword, that to give protection to the cow from the injury of black man. So that violence required. Tit for tat. One who is going to commit violence unnecessarily, the king, government, should immediately take the sword and kill that person. That is government's duty. Had it been Vedic culture prevailing now, all these persons who are unnecessarily killing the cows in the slaughterhouse, they would have been killed by the king. "You have done so sinful." So that kind of killing is pious. To give protection innocent citizen or animals from being injured by the rascals, the government or the king should take his sword and kill immediately. This kind of killing is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Not that general killing. You can capriciously kill anyone and give the evidence, "Oh, it is Bhagavad-gītā. It is there." How... See how rascals, they are interpreting. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without interpreting in a rascal's way.

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

We are suffering. Now, this suffering, we have become so much accustomed to sufferings that we have taken it granted that these sufferings are nonmaterial. "Let us enjoy this material life. This suffering..." They don't care for suffering. You see? They want this material enjoyment, which is the cause of his bondage. It is cause of bondage. So they do not want... Just like there are some prisoners who do not like to get out of the prison life. They think it is better to remain in the prison because "I have no responsibility. If I go outside the prison, oh, I will have to search out some work. Oh, that is botheration. Let me remain here." Or even after the termination of the prison life, when he comes out, he commits again some criminal act so that he may be put again into the jail. He has been accustomed. Similarly, he does not take seriously the miseries of prison life. He is so accustomed that he does not take. That is ignorance. That is ignorance. Similarly, those who are in this material world under the shackles of material modes of nature, they have completely forgotten that we have got a spiritual life which is full of freedom, full of knowledge, full of bliss, and we can become exactly almost like God. These things they have forgotten. They think that "If, from the C-class prisoner's life, I can become an A-class prisoner..." Just like in the prison life there are some classes, A-class prisoner, B-class prisoner, C-class prisoner, similarly, our endeavor is going on in this material life to become A-class prisoner. The program is not for getting out of the prison life, but we want to become A-class prisoner. That is ignorance. That is ignorance.

Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:

Should we not think that "We shall stop all this nonsense for good in this life"? Yes. Any sane man, any intelligent man, he should think like that, that "This opportunity, this nice form of human life with civilized, in civilized society, with developed consciousness, I must utilize this opportunity for my spiritual perfection so that I may not suffer life after life these material pangs." This is the determination. Otherwise... The whole thing, just see, controlling, how it is nicely... Dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ. Thinking of sense enjoyment. Dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣu upajāyate. Then I become attached to it. And if my lust is not fulfilled, then I become angry, and by anger, I forget myself. Then my intelligence is lost, and I may commit havoc. I may commit havoc. So actually, those who are serious for spiritual enlightenment of life, they should try, try to control the senses not by force—by regulating, by dovetailing it in relationship with the Supreme Lord. Then my senses will be purified. Purified.

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

(My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.)

Then you become free from all sinful... After all, whatever we are doing, we are committing some sort of, even unknowingly, even unknowingly.

There are recommendation in these Vedas, pañca-yajña. Pañca-yajña means that unknowingly we are killing many living entities. Suppose we are... When we are walking on the street there are many ants who are being killed on the pressure of our shoes. So that is also counted as sin. In God's kingdom, in God's, I mean to say, state. Just like here you have to pay by your life if you kill one man. If you commit a murder, you have to repay this murdering sin by your own life. That is, of course, imperfect law, man-made law. Similarly, in God's law also, if you kill any living entity, you have to suffer for that, because in the God's eye there is no question of man or animal or ant or fly or something like that. Every living entity is the son of God. Now, suppose your father has got five sons. One of them is worthless, is doing nothing. And if the other son says, "My dear father, this son, your youngest son, or this son, is worthless. He is doing nothing. Let us kill him," will your father agree? Because he is worthless, will your father agree? No, he will say, "No, no, no. You have nothing to do. He is not harming you. He is eating my, my subsistence. I am paying for his subsistence.

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

Because he is worthless, will your father agree? No, he will say, "No, no, no. You have nothing to do. He is not harming you. He is eating my, my subsistence. I am paying for his subsistence. Why you should kill him?" So similarly, in this material nature, all these living entities in different forms, they have come for material enjoyment and everything is being supplied by the Supreme Lord. We have no right to kill them. We have no right. According to God's law, if one is conscious... The same thing: Just like the father will never agree to kill a worthless child by the competent boy... No.

So consciously or unconsciously, we are committing. Suppose I am not willingly killing any animal, but unconsciously I am killing so many living entities by my walking, by my so many things. They are called pañca-yajñas in the Vedic... So, and even if we do not kill animals, simply by eating vegetables, they are also life. It does not mean that vegetarians are not killing. They are also killing. The law is that a living entity lives by killing other living entities. That is the law. Those who have got hands, they are killing those who have got legs. Just like man is killing animal. The animal is eating the grass, those who have no legs. So this is the law. But our thing is that we have to offer yajña. Killing of animal does not mean that if a man kills a cow or goat for eating, he is killing, and those who are vegetarian, they are not killing. They are also killing. A vegetable has also got life. So it is not the question of killing. It is the question of offering yajña. It is the question of offering yajña.

Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes and He presents Himself just like ordinary man acting. Why? Just like here in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa is present in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Oh, He had no necessity of presenting Himself in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. But it is for us because we are very much anxious to know where battle is going on, where fighting is going on, where detective is working, where murder is committed. All these literatures attract us very much. Stories and literatures, all these things, they attract very much. In a bookshop you go, if you ask them, "Supply me one copy of Bhagavad-gītā," he will have to find out. But if you ask a bookseller, "Give me some novels," oh, he will present so many things. Because our inclination is like that. We are always anxious to learn these mundane affairs. We have no taste for spiritual upliftment. That taste we have lost.

That is the stage of our present existence—forgetfulness. We do not know how our taste should be created, how our taste should be converted from material to spiritual. That we do not know. Therefore Lord is so kind, Kṛṣṇa, that He creates a battlefield for you so that you may be anxious to know, "Who is fighting with whom? Who is fighting with whom." Because we are always very much anxious to learn stories, so all these Purāṇas...

Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:

So, according to strict Vedic principle, except one's own wife, nobody sit down in a private place with woman, even she happens to be a mother, even she happens to be a daughter, even she happens to be a sister. So much restriction is there. Mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā nāviviktāsano bhavet: (SB 9.19.17) "Either she is your mother, either she is your daughter, either she is your sister, don't sit down in a secluded place alone with woman." So such a stricture is there.

Now, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, at dead of night a woman came before him and she was sitting. She (he) was chanting. So according to this restriction or injunction, she (he) has committed wrong. No. She (He) has not committed wrong because he was trying for her benefit. He was sitting there not with the purpose of sense gratification. He was sitting with that woman with the purpose of converting him (her) for self-realization. He had no other intention. His only intention was: "Well, this poor creature has come to me. Never mind whatever her intention is. And if I am elevated, if I have anything, anything relationship with my Supreme Lord, I must do something good to this poor creature so that her life also may become successful. That was his intention. He had no other intention. Therefore, naiva tasya kṛtena arthaḥ. Therefore for him there is no restriction.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

This is the claim of every human being. Human being... I have several times explained to you. The human being is distinct from animal life in this way, that animal, they do not know what is the aim of life. The human life is meant for realizing, self-realization. If any civilization, that is checking people's progress in the matter of self-realization, that is the most virulent type of violence because people are being checked from the natural advancement of life. This human life is the point when one has to end all the miseries of material existence. That is the aim of human life. If people are not educated to that light, if people are misled in other ways, that is the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called ātma-han. Ātma-han means the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called ātma-han. Ātma-han means suicidal, suiciding.

There is a nice verse that just like this material world is accepted as a great ocean. Now, to cross over a great Atlantic Ocean from New York to, I mean to say, Portugal... Just like Columbus came. Now we have got great big ships, but he had to face many dangers. Just it is very difficult to cross over the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, but if you have got a very good vehicle, ship or anything else, you can very nicely cross over, similarly, the example is given that this material life is a great ocean, and this human body is a good boat. This human body is a good boat for crossing this ocean. And the spiritual master is a good captain. You see? And the instruction of Lord Kṛṣṇa, or a similar instruction, Vedic instruction, are favorable wind. Just like if you want to cross the Atlantic Ocean from New York, if the wind is blowing westward, then your journey becomes very favorable.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

Just like if you want to cross the Atlantic Ocean from New York, if the wind is blowing westward, then your journey becomes very favorable. So the favorable wind is blowing by this instruction of the Vedas, and there are many stalwart ācāryas who are just like the captain, and this human body is just like a good ship.

Now, the living soul who is seated in such a favorable condition, if he does not cross over the material ocean, then he is making suicide. He is making suicide. Sa eva ātma-han. So we have to take advantage. We have to take advantage of this favorable condition to end this miserable material existence. And if anyone does not take the advantage, then he is committing suicide. That is the version of Bhāgavata. Or... Either he is personally committing suicide or any civilization which is checking this process, that is also violent, the most virulent type of violence, because people are misled. So this is the idea of the scriptures, that human life should be utilized only for spiritual self-realization. (end)

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

That you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā. And how Kṛṣṇa says that even if he's externally a little immoral... Of course, a devotee or a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's never immoral. But it may be that due to his past association he may appear to be immoral or he may fall down, fall down. Due to habits, we may sometimes fall down.

There is a story how habit is the second nature. There was a thief, and he went to pilgrimage with some other friends. So at night, when other friends were sleeping... Because his habit was to steal at night, he, so he got up at night and he was taking one body's baggage and tried to pickpocket or take something. But he was thinking, "Oh, I have come to this holy place of pilgrimage. Still, shall I do that, committing theft, my habit? No, no. I shall not do it." So he was taking the bag of one person and was keeping in another place. So in the whole night the poor fellow did like that. But due to his conscience that, "I have come to this holy place. At least, during my stay here I shall not do this stealing business." So in the morning, when all other friends got up, everyone said, "Oh, where is my bag? I don't see!" Another man says, "I don't see my bag." Then somebody says, "Oh, here is your bag!" So there was some row. So they, they thought, "What is the matter? How it so happened?" Then the thief rose up and told all friends, "My dear gentlemen, I am a thief by occupation, but because I have that habit to steal at night, so I wanted to steal something from your bag, but I thought that 'I have come to this holy place. I shall not do it.' So I placed, I might have placed one man's bag in another man's place. So excuse me." So this is the habit. This is the habit. He does not want. He does not want to commit theft. But he has got the habit of doing that. So similarly, here he has decided not to commit theft anymore, but because he's habituated, sometimes he does.

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

Then somebody says, "Oh, here is your bag!" So there was some row. So they, they thought, "What is the matter? How it so happened?" Then the thief rose up and told all friends, "My dear gentlemen, I am a thief by occupation, but because I have that habit to steal at night, so I wanted to steal something from your bag, but I thought that 'I have come to this holy place. I shall not do it.' So I placed, I might have placed one man's bag in another man's place. So excuse me." So this is the habit. This is the habit. He does not want. He does not want to commit theft. But he has got the habit of doing that. So similarly, here he has decided not to commit theft anymore, but because he's habituated, sometimes he does.

So therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "In that condition, one who has decided to stop all bad or immoral habits and just to make his progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even by chance, if he does something which is immoral in the face of the society, that should not be taken account of." Of course, that is by chance. And in the next verse, you'll find, kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā: "Because he has dovetailed himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is sure that he will become a saintly, I mean to say, a pure saint very soon. Very soon."

The example is... Just like the electric fan is going on, and if you put off the switch, you'll see the fan is still going on. But that going on will stop because the switch is already off. Similarly, if one dovetails himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then automatically he'll become a saintly person, automatically. Because his switch is made off. Just like the fan, when the switch is made off, the current supply is stopped. Now... There was a force of running. You may see that it is running for few minutes. But it will stop. Similarly, anyone, it doesn't matter what he is, if he puts himself, dovetails himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he, all his material contamination will be washed off, washed off.

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

"Anyone who has attained the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he attains all good qualities automatically." And harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ: "Anyone who is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness..." When I speak of Kṛṣṇa, you can take it as God.

So in... So a person who is devoid of God consciousness, however he may be qualified from the material point of view, the scripture says that his qualification will not help him in doing things which are not desirable. He'll, he'll, he'll not be prohibited to do things which are not desirable. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ: (SB 5.18.12) "Because he's devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he's sure to commit mischief in this material world."

Now, the next verse is

janma karma ca me divyam

evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti so 'rjuna

(BG 4.9)

"My dear Arjuna, the reason, the mission for which I appear is now explained, that I come here to establish the real constitutional position of the living entity. That is My mission. Now, when I come with some mission there are some activities. There are some activities." So there are some philosophers. They do not agree to accept that God comes as incarnation. They do not believe in this theory. They say that "Why God shall come to this rotten world?" That is their vision.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

So this human body is the only opportunity to understand all these things and make your life successful so that you may not come again for standing up for seven thousand years or ten thousand years. Yes. But the miscreants will not believe this. They think, "A tree, it is another thing. I am perfect." He does not know that every chance there is that you also become a tree.

These are practical examples. You can study. By nature's study you can understand how the miscreants are punished. But unfortunately we have become so dull that even by seeing or by hearing we do not believe them. That's it.

Just like a thief. He sees personally that a man who has committed theft is taken away by the police to the custody, to the prison. He is seeing that, and he has heard the law that "Any man who steals, he will be punished." He has heard it, and he has seen it. Still, he commits theft. Why? He is seeing, and he is hearing. In both ways he is understanding, but still, he is committing theft. That means his heart is not pure.

So the first thing is to make one's heart purified. And this is the process, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12), by simply chanting, without paying any price, without any loss on your part. Please try to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa and see the result. It is so nice movement. (break)

...take it very seriously that "Here is an animal. Here is a tree. They have also got life. They are also living entities as we are. Simply it is different body. That's all." He has got that sort of body; I have got this sort of body. But the demands of the body are there. Even in cats and dog the eating, sleeping, mating and defending... There is four symptoms of life. The cat also, or dog also, eat; we also eat. They also sleep; we also sleep. They have their sex desires; we have got our sex desire. We want to defend from enemies; they also want to defend from enemies. Similarly, in every species of life we will find these four principles existing.

Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:

So here Kṛṣṇa also give us instruction that vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). There are persons who are too much attached to these material activities. They are called rāga. They are in the atmosphere of rāga. And there are persons who are atmosphere of fear: "Oh, again we have got to..., a personal life?" They are afraid of personal life. They want to make impersonal everything. That is called bhaya. And the first, second... And the third is krodha. They do not believe in any philosophy. "Let us commit suicide. Let us annihilate all this material existence." So we have to surpass. We have to surpass these three stage of attachment and fearfulness and krodha, and anger. When he is disgusted with this life, he commits suicide. That is called krodha, by anger. So we have to surpass all these stages. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says, vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ: "After surpassing these three stages of life," vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10), "one who is constantly conscious of Me," man-mayā, and mām upāśritāḥ, "and accepting the shelter of My protection," mām upāśritāḥ, bahavo jñāna-tapasā, "there were many sages who by culture of knowledge and penance," bahavo jñāna pūtā, "purified by that process," mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ, "they attained My superior nature, My superior nature."

Just like the same example, just like putting the iron rod in the fire, and the iron rod becomes hot, red hot, gets the nature of fire, similarly, if we constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, being transcendental to these stages of bhaya, fear, and attachment, and krodha, anger, if we put ourself, completely under Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it will be very easy to attain the superior nature of Kṛṣṇa. That is the formula given here, that superior, how to attain that superior nature. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10). Mām upāśritāḥ. That is the main thing. One has to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Mām eva ye prapadyante. This very thing, everywhere we will find, this Bhagavad-gītā, that Kṛṣṇa is stressing on His personal feature. Mām eva ye prapadyante: "Anyone who takes shelter of Me..."

Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

Prabhupāda: It (the microphone) is not fixed up right.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "But Kṛṣṇa is only fully realized by His pure devotees. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa is the object of everyone's realization, and as such anyone and everyone is satisfied according to one's desire to have Him. One devotee may want Kṛṣṇa as the supreme master, another as his personal friend, another as his son, and still another as his lover. Kṛṣṇa rewards equally all the devotees in their different intensities of love for Him. In the material world the same reciprocations of feelings are there and they are equally exchanged by the Lord with the different types of worshipers. The pure devotees both here and in the transcendental abode associate with Him in person and are able to render personal service to the Lord and thus derive transcendental bliss in His loving service. As for those who are impersonalists and who want to commit spiritual suicide by annihilating the individual existence of the living entity, Kṛṣṇa helps them also by absorbing them into His effulgence. Such impersonalists do not agree to accept the eternal, blissful Personality of Godhead, and consequently they cannot relish the bliss of transcendental personal service to the Lord..."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "...and they extinguish their individuality."

Prabhupāda: God realization, there are three aspects: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). The Absolute Truth is realized in three aspects—Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Brahman, the impersonal conception of the absolute truth, that is called Brahman. And Paramātmā is localized aspect of the Absolute Truth. And Bhagavān is the ultimate realization, Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:

And that is not the fact. Real fact is that I am sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), part and parcel of the Supreme. The Supreme Lord is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, and I am qualitatively one with Him. I am also, although I am small... Just like a particle of the sea water, that is also salty. That is also salty. The taste of a small drop of sea water is the same as the taste of the big, vast, big ocean of the, Atlantic Ocean. So the quality is the same. Similarly, I may be small. I may be a spiritual atom. My position is that I am spiritual atom, and the Supreme Spirit is all, the greatest, but that does not mean I am different from the quality. I am of the same quality. So I am not void. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).

If by frustration one commits suicide, oh, that is not the end of his miseries. He creates another misery. He creates another misery by committing suicide. Just like here, in the state law, if somebody attempts suicide and takes some poison, and if by treatment of the physician he's all right, he's again under the law, to be punished. Perhaps you know it. After curing him from that poisonous effect, he is under criminal code of the state: "Why you have attempted suicide?" Similarly, in the laws of nature, if you commit suicide, that is another criminal act. So suicidal policy, to end this misery of life, is not all. We must have, I mean to say, greater life.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

There are three things. Karma means prescribed duties, prescribed duties. That is called karma. And akarma, vikarma means doing against the prescribed duties. That is called vikarma. And akarma means something doing which has no reaction. That is not. Of course, in the execution of such work, it appears to be working, but practically it has no reaction. That is vikarma. And that vikarma is when we act on account of the Supreme. That is when we... Kṛṣṇa-karma-kṛt. When we work under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, that has no reaction. Otherwise, karma, one should do prescribed duties, and one should not do which is not prescribed.

For example, for example, just like the state. The state has got some laws. Now, suppose if you commit murder, it will be hang, you will be hanged. That is the state law. So if you again, against the state law you commit some murder, you will be hanged. This is vikarma, and I should be cautious. But when the state orders, itself, that "You go and fight. Kill the enemy," that is neither karma nor vikarma. So similarly, when we act under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, that is akarma. That means that karma, that kind of activities, has no reaction. Otherwise, we shall have to act very cautiously so that I may not be entangled with the reaction of my karma.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

Just like Arjuna, when he first refused to work, refused to fight, that "My dear Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me to fight with my relatives, brothers. I am not going to fight," but from material estimation, this conclusion, this decision of Arjuna, is very good, very good. So materially, from material standing of, standpoint of view, that he is not going to commit nonviolence, violence—he is nonviolent—he's very good man. But from spiritual point of view, it is not so. From spiritual point of view, it is not so. So one has to see. Simply by external features, that one is working and one is not working, that we cannot... What is the standard of work? Under what consciousness he's working. If he's working in material consciousness, then he's being bound up. However good may be that work, he's being bound up.

Now, what is the binding reaction of good material work? Just try to understand. Good material work... Suppose you have done most charitable work, munificent work, and you have started so many, I mean to say, philanthropic institutions. That's all right. These are... From material estimation, these things are very good work. But you are being bound up. You are being bound up. In which way you are being bound up? That these things are called puṇya-karma, pious work. When you do pious work, you get four results. What are the four results? Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. If you do pious work, you can get reaction in four ways. You can get your birth in a very nice family. Just like in the family of a brāhmaṇa, in the family of a rich man. For pious work, one can get his janma. And aiśvarya. Aiśvarya means you can become very rich man by pious work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26). Śruta means you can become very learned scholar. These are the results of pious work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta, and śrī. You can become very beautiful by pious work. These are the results of pious work.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

You dance in a theatrical performance, in a platform. That is also dancing. And here, in this stage, before the Deity, if you are dancing with Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then you are making bhakti, progress. And that dancing means you are becoming entangled in your karma. Because that dancing is sense gratification, vikarmaṇaḥ. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4).

So Ṛṣabhadeva says na sādhu manye: "This is not good." Yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ. Asann api, this body is not permanent. Still, asann api, although it is not permanent, for a few years only, it (is) kleśada, simply full of miserable conditions. Because you have committed, executed vikarma, therefore you have got this body.

It doesn't matter whether it is rich body or poor body. Everyone has to undergo the threefold miserable condition of life. When typhoid is there, it does not discriminate that "Here is a rich body. I shall give him less pain." No. When the typhoid is there, either your body is rich body or poor body, you have to suffer the same pain. When you are within the womb of your mother, you have to suffer the same pain, either you become in the queen's womb or in the cobbler's wife's womb. That packed up situation... But they do not know. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā. There are so many sufferings. In the process of birth. There are so many sufferings in the process of birth and death and old age. A rich man or poor man, when we are old, we have to suffer so many invalidity.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Delhi, November 3, 1973:

The animal is being sent to the slaughter-house; still he is satisfied. He does not know that "I am going to be slaughtered. I am going in these flocks, but I will be simply waiting for being slaughtered." So as the animal goes, the cows are being slaughtered, so the animals are being slaughtered, so everyone without spiritual consciousness, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is to be slaughtered by the laws of material nature. They do not know that. Even just like animal. Even if he is slaughtered, he is not sorry. That is the position of the present human society.

So there is great need of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. People are so fallen. They are reluctant even to hear about this Bhagavad-gītā, where everything is explained. They are living like animals. So it is our duty to awaken them. That is the Vedic injunction. Vedic injunction is to awaken. They are sleeping. Ignorance... Just like when a man sleeps, he is ignorant of everything, what is going on outside. He is sleeping, deep-sleeping. So therefore the Vedic injunction, Upaniṣads says, uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata: "Please get up. You have got this human form of body. Now you get up and get out of these clutches of cycle of birth and death." Unfortunately they have become so dull that they cannot understand. So people should be trained up how to live conscientiously, especially in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will solve the problems of life. Otherwise he is committing suicide. That is the verdict of the śāstra. Now any... (break)

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:

When there is no food, when they are aborigines, they may eat animals, because they do not know how to grow food. But when the human society becomes civilized, he can grow so many nice foods, he can keep the cows, instead of eating the cows. He can get milk, sufficient milk. We can make so many preparation from milk and grains. So we should not desire unnecessarily to enjoy more.

Then it is said here, kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam. Kilbiṣam means resultant action of sinful life. Kilbiṣam. So if we don't desire more than our necessary, then we are not implicated, involved in sinful activity, kurvan api, even though he is engaged in working. While you are working, knowingly or unknowingly, you have to commit something which is not pious, even sinful, but if you simply desire for living properly, then kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam. Our life should be without any sinful reaction. Otherwise we will have to suffer. But they do not believe, although they are seeing so many abominable lives. Wherefrom they are coming, 8,400,000 species of life? There are so many lives living very abominable condition. Of course, the animal or the living creature does not know, but we human being, we should know why this abominable life. It is māyā's illusion.

Even one is.... Just like a pig is living in a very filthy condition, eating stool, and still, he is thinking very happy, and therefore he is getting fat. When one feels happy, "I am very happy," he becomes fatty. So you will find these pigs, they are very much fatty, but what they eat? They eat stool and live in a filthy place. But they think that "We are very happy." So that is māyā's illusion. Anyone who is living in a very abominable condition of life, māyā, by illusion, he is thinking that he is all right, he is living very perfectly. But a person who is on the higher stage, he sees that he is living in a very abominable condition.

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

So Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name, or anything in this world, sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma, that is Kṛṣṇa, because it is energy of Kṛṣṇa. And you cannot separate the energy from the energetic. I have already explained that you cannot separate fire or heat or smoke from the fire, because the three things are emanating from the fire. Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The first code is athāto brahma jijñāsā, "Now, this human life, is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." In cats' and dogs' life we cannot. By evolution process, when you come to human form of life, there is chance of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Therefore when we get this human form of life, if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, then you are committing suicide, ātma-han, cutting one's throat himself. So we should not be ātma-han. Labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte mānuṣyam arthadam. This human form of life is purposeful. Don't waste. That is the injunction of the śāstra.

Therefore there are so many Vedic literatures just to awaken this humanity or human society to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so that they may be relieved from this business of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is required.

So this is brahmārpaṇam. Brahmārpaṇam... Kṛṣṇa is Brahman, Para-brahman. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Arjuna has accepted. Who directly heard from Kṛṣṇa about Bhagavad-gītā and he is experienced about Kṛṣṇa, he expressed.... You will find it in the tenth chapter, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the Para-brahman." Everything is Brahman, but He is Para-brahman. That is the distinction. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma.

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

So in whatever form we may be, either as human being, or as a cat and dog or more than human being, demigod... So whatever forms there are, many thousands... Eighty, eighty lakhs. Eighty-four lakhs, species. Oh. Eight hundred millions of species of life, there are. But all of them claimed by Kṛṣṇa that, "I am their father. I am their father," ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ, "because I am the seed-giving father."

So Bhagavad-gītā, the science of Kṛṣṇa, is not meant for any particular party or particular nation or particular country. It is all meant for everyone, even for the animals. We have to learn this science and preach this science all over the world so that they can be out of the ignorance. They are committing theft. They are committing theft. So we have to save them from the ignorance, from their state of ignorance. This is required.

So we have formed this association, Internal Association for, of, for Kṛṣṇa, International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. And I invite everyone of you, not only in America, from all parts of the world, come and join and learn this Kṛṣṇa science, and preach all over the world that people will be happy. It is the business of the human being not to exploit each other. The human being is meant for doing good to others. Lord Caitanya preached this philosophy. Especially He advised to the Indians,

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra

janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra

(CC Adi 9.41)

He said that "Anyone who has taken birth in the land of India..." Because India is the land of religion. India is the land of philosophy. India has got many, good many asset of this science of Kṛṣṇa and science of spiritual knowledge. So anyone who has taken his birth in India, they can fulfill the mission of human life.

Lecture on BG 6.1 -- Los Angeles, February 13, 1969:

Kṛṣṇa does not say, of course in this chapter Kṛṣṇa will say something about, He never says Arjuna, "My dear friend Arjuna, you don't care for this war. Sit down and meditate upon Me." Have you seen in the Bhagavad-gītā? This meditation means to stop all nonsense work, sit down tightly. But those who are advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they have to work for Kṛṣṇa. Just like child. Simply disturbing. The mother says, "My dear child, sit down here." But if he can work nicely, "Oh yes," mother asks, "My dear boy, you have to do this, you have to do that, you have to do that." Sit down tightly for the nonsense. Not for the sensible. For the nonsense, the more he sits down, at least he does not commit any nonsense, that's all. Negation of nonsense. That is not positive. Here is positive activities.

So negation is no life. Positive life is life. "Don't do this," is no life. "Do this," this is life. But in order to do rightly, there are some things "don't." "Don't" is not life, "do" is life. The whole Bhagavad-gītā is "do." "Do fight for Me." There is nothing "don't." Arjuna wanted, "Don't induce me." And Kṛṣṇa did not like that. "You are speaking like non-Aryan." Kutas tvā kaśmalam idam. Anārya-juṣṭam. "This kind of words are spoken by the non-Aryans." He was accused of being non-Aryan. Anārya. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not mean sitting idly, no. We have the whole pastimes of Kṛṣṇa is full of activities. When you go to spiritual world Kṛṣṇa is always dancing. You have to twenty-four hours dance there and eat there. Where is sit down? There is no question of sit down. Have you heard anything about gopīs meditating? Sit down. (laughter) Have you heard? Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu? What, dancing, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." You see? You are spirit soul, how you can stop yourself silent? That is not possible. Arjuna refused.

Lecture on BG 6.32-40 -- New York, September 14, 1966:

So we don't discourage what is necessity, but we cannot allow illicit things. So these are called vairāgya.

So vairāgya means we have to regulate our life. Unless you regulate your mind... The mind is always agitated, and if we be addicted to all these things, then more agitation will come. If you have got illicit connection with woman, oh, the mind will be always agitated. If we are intoxicated, oh, mind will be more agitated. If you don't take, I mean to say, foodstuff in the goodness, very strong and pungent and animal foodstuff, then our mind will be more agitated. And so far gambling is concerned, oh, sometimes we have to commit suicide. There are history of gambling clubs that when a person loses everything he commits suicide and he is thrown away. I have heard that in Europe there are many clubs. They go for gambling, and they lose everything, whatever, and they commit suicide. And the club proprietor throws him in the street. There is no law. I have heard. Of course, I do not know. You may know better than me.

So if we want to control the mind, then we have to adopt these regulative principles of life. Not that we have to give up, but we have to make regulated. Vairāgya. Then it will be possible to adopt. And the best thing is that engage your mind always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are trying to engage our students twenty-four hours either in this way or that way, this way or that way, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is samādhi, trance, transcendental situation. You can eat, you can enjoy, you can dance, you can see, you can work—all things for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will automatically make you renounced order of life. But if you try to follow this yoga system which was possible in the Satya-yuga some millions of years before, and if you want to adopt that, oh, it is not possible. If you want to be satisfied becoming a showbottle, then that is a different thing. Remain a showbottle. But if you want really actual success, then you cannot adopt that process. Asaṁyatātmanā yogo duṣprāpa iti me matiḥ.

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

Therefore these restrictions. Because our contamination begins from these four kinds of bad habits. But if we check, then there is no question of contamination. As soon as I take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness I become free. Now if I become cautious not to accept these four principles, then I am free, I am continuing uncontaminated. This is the process. But if you think that because Kṛṣṇa consciousness makes me free, so let me indulge in all these four principles and I will get free after chanting. That is cheating. That will not be allowed. Once you are free, but don't do it again. But if you think "I shall do it and make myself free."

Just like in some religious process it is said that you commit all kinds of sins and go to the church and simply confess, you are free. So this doing and confessing, doing and confessing is going on. But here, no. If you are freed, that's all right. But don't do it again. That is the purpose of confession. Confession, if you confess that "I have done these sinful activities," so why should you do again? If you confess that it is sinful, pickpocketing is sinful, take for example. So by confessing you are freed, then why shall you do it again? It requires little intelligence. It does not mean that because by confessing I become freed, I shall go on continuing this and again confess and become freed. No. That's not good. If it is not good, you have confessed that it is not good, then you should not do it again. That is the purpose. Not that you do it and confess, do it and confess, do it and confess. This business is not good. So we should be careful, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that these four principles, if you indulge in unrestricted, then you become contaminated. But if you take precaution in executing these four principles. We don't say that you don't have sex life. You have. But for this purpose, not for this purpose. Similarly you eat but you eat this way, not that way.

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

To make the place nicely cleansed so that devotees will sit down and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā will be discussed, this is called bhāgavata-sevā, serving the Bhāgavata. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā... Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu. The whole difficulty is that our heart is covered with so many dirty things. So by this process, this bhāgavata-sevayā, the dirty things will be cleansed. Not that exactly all cleansed. Even a little portion is cleansed, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu, not fully cleansed, prāyeṣu, almost, then immediately, bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī (SB 1.2.18), immediately you come to the platform of bhakti-yoga. Little cleansed. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Not that... Therefore, we sometimes see that one who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, still, he is committing something wrong. But that is not very, that is not a case of discouragement. You stick to this principle. Kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā. Api cet su-durācāraḥ. We should not willingly do anything wrong. But due to our past habit, if we do something wrong, that we should not be discouraged, But stick to the principle, then gradually you'll be cleansed. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu. Prāyeṣu means almost cleansed, not completely clean. So we don't claim that we have become liberated from all dirty things. There are so many dirty things still. But little clearance will help us to become a devotee of the Lord.

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

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

Indian man (5): Swamiji, there is a school of thought amongst Hindus that condemns idol worship and the concept of avatāra. Would you kindly elaborate on these concepts?

Prabhupāda: Idol worship, that is not idol. Just like if you worship your leader in some picture or some statue, that is not idol worship. That is actually fact. You show your respect to your leader. Similarly, when we worship the Deity of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, it is not idol worship. It is worshiping Kṛṣṇa. The difference is, as we have already discussed, Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. In the ordinary case the picture of your father and the father is different because it is material body. But Kṛṣṇa, being absolute, His form, Deity form, and He, there is no difference. It is Kṛṣṇa's mercy that He comes before you in the Deity form made of so-called wood or stone because we cannot see at the present moment except wood and stone. We cannot see. Just like I was explaining we cannot see even our father, the spirit soul. And how we can see the supreme spirit? So when we worship Deity, it is not idol worship. It is worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa, and the Deity is not different from the person. This is the idea. We have to understand. It is a science. Just like the holy name of the Lord. It is as good as the Lord Himself. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). When we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, this means Kṛṣṇa is dancing on my tongue. Otherwise why these people are chanting twenty-four hours, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa"?

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

"Why I am put into this miserable condition?" Everyone has to admit that he is in miserable condition. He is trying to become happy, but there is no happiness. So how that happiness can be achieved? That chance is in the human being. But if we receive, by the mercy of the material nature, a human being and we do not utilize it properly, if we misuse this benediction as cats and dogs or other animals, then we have to accept again the animal form, and when the term is finished... It takes long, long duration of time because there is evolutionary process. So again you'll come to this human form of life, when the term is finished. Exactly the same example: A thief, when he has finished his term of imprisonment, he's again a free man. But again he commits criminality; again he goes to the jail. So there is cycle of birth and death. If we utilize our human form of life properly, then we stop the cycle of birth and death. And if we do not use this human form of life properly, again we go to that cycle of birth and death.

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

Because they cannot think, those who are materialist, they cannot think that there is another, spiritual world. They, they cannot think. Therefore this zero theory, śūnyavāda, was propounded by Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha propounded śūnyavāda, because the people are so rascal, they could not understand. There was no necessity. There was no necessity. He simply said nirvāṇa: "Stop this nonsense material life." But after material life, what is there, that He did not reveal, because these fools and rascal will not understand. Therefore He did not say. Śūnyavāda: make it śūnya. Just like foolish person suffering from some disease, he wants to kill himself, sometimes commit suicide, because he does not know that after suicide, the policy, there is no stoppage; he will have to become a ghost because you have disobeyed. God has given you certain type of body. You have to stay in that body for certain period. That is obedience to God. If you untimely kill this body, then it is sinful. Just like you are put into prison house for a certain number of months or years. Before that period, if you flee away, then you are again punished. Is it not? Because you did not fulfill the terms of your prison life, then again you become criminal. Similarly, those who kills another body, or those who kill another body, or those who make suicide, they become again criminal. Again criminal. This is the law of nature, but they do not know. Therefore one who does not know the laws of nature, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The prakṛtiḥ, the laws of nature, is going on under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. One who does not know, aśraddadhānaḥ, one who has no faith, puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa aprāpya mām: the result is he does not go back to home, back to Godhead. Then what is? Nivartante: he wanders, he travels within this material world, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Because you cannot avoid mṛtyu. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), this is the law of this material nature. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. But if you want to avoid this mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, then you must be Kṛṣṇa conscious, you must surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Melbourne, April 20, 1976:

Birth, death, old age is meant for this body, and the body is obtained by the spirit soul. The spirit soul is pure; there is no doubt about it because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa or God. So God is pure. Just like gold is gold. And the fragments of gold is also gold, the same quality. But the fragments of gold sometimes becomes mixed up with dirty things. So we are in the same condition. Becoming fragments of God, we are sometimes put into this material world and we are materially contaminated. So this knowledge, rāja-vidyā, most confidential. If we can learn it, then we become pure, completely pure.

Pavitram idam uttamam. Uttamam. Ut mean udgata, transcendental, and tama means this material world, darkness. In the material world the nature is darkness. Just like at night it is darkness. This is the nature of this material world. But it is... There is illumination on account of the sun. So God has created the sun to give us light. Sometimes we have heard that on account of absence of the sunshine they commit suicide. In Switzerland, no, where?

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Melbourne, April 20, 1976:

Scandinavia, they say. So the darkness is very, very disgusting. But this material world is dark. To give us little relief, Kṛṣṇa, God, has given us the sun. The day before yesterday, I think... Yesterday, in the morning, we saw, while coming on the path, how the sun was coming through the sea nicely. Within a second the whole light came. So this is God's arrangement. Don't think that this arrangement... Exactly in the time, six o'clock in the morning, immediately the sun comes out of the sea and gives you light. Because this material world is dark, so in order to give you relief... Otherwise you'll commit suicide. God is so kind, He is giving you light. So uttamam.

So if we can go back to home, back to Godhead, there is no darkness. It is all illuminating. It is stated in the śāstra that there is no need of sun, there is no need of moon, there is no... Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6). In the spiritual world there is no need of sun; there is no need of moon; there is no need of electricity or fire. That is the description. Here in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find. Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ. We cannot imagine how without sun, without moon, without electricity, without fire, one can live. Yes, but there is a world like that. You do not require sunshine. You do not require. They are all illuminated. So that is uttamam. Udgata tama yasmāt, the Sanskrit word, "from which the darkness is completely eradicated."

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Melbourne, April 21, 1976:

Guest (1) (woman): Śrīla Prabhupāda, you were saying about misusing this human form of ours. Is there any gracious defense that makes a soul non-eternal? You were mentioning about Hitler. It seems that he has committed a lot of sins. Would you say that he would still have eternal life?

Prabhupāda: Hitler or anyone, if he does not take advantage of this human form of life for going back to home, back to Godhead, he'll be put into again in the cycle of birth, maybe different forms of body.

Guest (1): I have another question. You were talking about the planets, the planetary systems. The planets in our solar system, are they in the middle planetary systems or the lower planetary systems?

Prabhupāda: What is the question about planetary system?

Gurukṛpā: This planet, where is it situated in the planetary system.

Prabhupāda: You cannot understand it? The whole planetary system is just like a big tree, and there are many fruits. So here, this planet is one of the fruits of the planetary system.

Guest (1): The planets in our solar system, I mean.

Prabhupāda: Yes, astrology. Astrology. There is planetary system. It is the Vedic system. You can see at night. The whole planetary system is moving like this, bunch of tree. And in Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham (BG 15.1). This, it is just like a big tree, and the root is upwards and the branches and fruits downwards. This is the... The Pole Star is the center of this root of this planetary system. So you read our books, Fifth Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You will get full description.

Lecture on BG 9.4-7 -- New York, November 24, 1966:

"So it will not be fulfilled." "No." The old man became still more persistent. "No, my daughter I shall offer you. Who can forbid me?"

So in this way, when they came back, one day the old man proposed to his eldest son that "Your youngest sister should be married with that boy. That I have promised." Oh, the eldest son of that old man become very angry: "Oh, how you have selected that boy to be husband of my sister? He's unfit. He's poor man. He's not so educated. Oh, this cannot take place." He did not agree. Then the mother of the girl, he(she) came to the old man: "Oh, if you get my daughter married with that boy, then I shall commit suicide." Now the old man is perplexed. Then, one day, the boy was anxious that "The old man promised before the Deity. Now he is not coming." So he... One day he came to his house: "Well, my dear sir, you promised before the Lord, Kṛṣṇa, and you are not fulfilling your promise? How is that?" The old man was silent because he was praying to Kṛṣṇa that "I am now perplexed. If I persist in offering this daughter to this boy, now there will be great trouble in my family." So he was silent. So, in the meantime, the eldest son came out and he began to quarrel with: "Oh, you, you plundered my father in the place of pilgrimage. You gave him some LSD or something, (laughter) intoxication. You took all the money from my father. Now you say that he has promised to offer you my youngest sister. You fool!" He began to say like that.

Lecture on BG 10.4 -- New York, January 3, 1967:

The best example is Nārada Muni. He can travel anywhere he likes. Even in this universe we have got a planet which is called Siddhaloka, a planet of the perfect. Not perfect completely, but they are called siddha. Siddha means almost perfect. The inhabitants of that planet, they can travel without any aid of a sputnik or aeroplane from one planet to another. We get this information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. So in spiritual life we have got complete freedom to move, to act, to enjoy. So that spiritual knowledge should be cultivated. That is the best utilization of this human form of life.

If we do not utilize this human form of life for spiritual cultivation, then we are practically committing suicide. Ātma-han.

There is a very nice Sanskrit verse that... Just like you have to cross a great ocean. Now, if you want to cross Atlantic Ocean from New York to England, then you must have a very nice ship and a good captain and the atmosphere very favorable. Then it is very easy to cross. So that example is given in a Sanskrit verse, nṛ-deham ādyaṁ su-labhaṁ su-kalpam. Now, to cross this ocean of material existence... This is ocean. It is compared with ocean. Bhava-sāgara. Sāgara means ocean. So to cross this ocean you have got very nice ship. What is that? Nṛ-deham. This human form of life. Nṛ-deham ādyam. It is very nice ship. And su-labhaṁ su-labhaṁ su-durlabham. Su-labham means this kind of ship you cannot get always. It is an opportunity.

Lecture on BG 10.4 -- New York, January 3, 1967:

And you have got this nice ship. And guru-karṇa-dhāram. And if you have got a nice spiritual master who is captain, good captain, who can help you to ply your ship on the same. So nṛ-deham ādyam su-labhaṁ su-durlabham. And atmosphere is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, created by the Supreme Lord by delivering you the message of Bhagavad-gītā. So you have got very good atmosphere. Just you compare in the same way: If in Atlantic Ocean there is no wind, there is no hurricane, and you have got a very good ship and very good captain, now take this opportunity of crossing. If you don't cross, then you are committing suicide. Oh, very nice.

So these are the opportunities of developing your knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and spiritual culture. And the advantage is that as soon as you become fully conscious of your constitutional position, then you are freed from this material entanglement. This is called jñānam. Jñānam asammohaḥ. Don't be very hesitant. Asammohaḥ means if you want to acquire some knowledge, you should acquire it maybe slowly but acquire it very surely, step by step. Don't be impatient. Asammohaḥ. Not that blindly accepting something and thinking that "I have got all knowledge. Finished." No.

You have got developed consciousness, you have got intelligence, but that intelligence, consciousness, depends also on your mode of living, on your mode of behavior. Therefore one has to become a brāhmaṇa, sāttvika, in the modes of goodness. Then you will be patient, patient, śānta, peaceful. If you become hesitant, then you cannot. This is called asammohaḥ.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:

That was advised by Ṛṣabhadeva: nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). All these foolish rascals, being mad, they're acting against the laws of nature. Vikarma. Vikarma means against the laws of nature. That is vikarma. Karma means prescribed duties. And akarma means doing something which will have no effect. Three things are there. Karma, vikarma, akarma. Karma means prescribed duties. If you want... Just like you want to do business, you must do according to the rules and regulations, license of the government. Then you make profit, be happy. That's another thing. But if you act vikarma, against the rules and regulations of the state, you commit theft or this or that, then you'll suffer. Vikarma.

And akarma means you act in such a way that you become liberated. Akarma. You are not bound up. That akarma is yajña, yajñārthāt karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). If you act for Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, then you are not, I mean to say, liable of the responsibilities of karma. Because you are doing everything for Kṛṣṇa. Just like Arjuna did. Arjuna was thinking that "If I kill my grandfather, the other side, then I shall be merged into the sinful activities. He's my superior. He's my guru. And he's my..." In this way, he was thinking. Actually it was so. So he was declining to fight. Because that was karma. But when he decided to fight on the order of Kṛṣṇa, that is not karma. That if there is any sin, that is... It may be transferred to Kṛṣṇa.

Just like if you kill a, some animal with your stick, the stick is not responsible. You are responsible. Similarly if I become a stick and instrument in the hands of Kṛṣṇa, then I am not responsible for any karma. Otherwise, I am responsible.

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

"What poetry you write? What is the subject matter?" No subject matter. No subject matter. (laughter) This is pāgal, Pāgal means "mad." Piśācī pāile yena mati-cchana haya māyār grasta jīvera sei dāsa upajaya. Piśācī, ghost. Ghostly haunted. A person, when he becomes ghostly haunted, he speaks all kinds of nonsense. So māyā grasta jīvera sei dāsa upajaya. Those who have come to this material world under the influence of the external energy of Kṛṣṇa, māyā, they are all madmen.

It is not śāstra, it is the opinion of medical science also. The medical science. In India there was a case, a murderer. So his pleader, lawyer pleaded that "This man, when committed this murder, he was insane." So the judge called for the civil surgeon to examine him whether he has got such tendency, insanity. So he gave evidence, "My lord, so far my knowledge concerned, I have tested so many men, everyone is insane. It is a question of degree. Now if you consider that he was insane, you, that is your business to punish him, or not punish him. But so far my knowledge is concerned, I have studied so many men and I have found they are all insane." Actually that is the position.

What does it mean, insanity? When his brain is not acting nicely. That is insanity. So anyone who is in this material world, they are against God consciousness. That is the sign of insanity. He's under the strict regulation of God, still he defies, "There is no God. There is no God, I am God." This is insanity. Piśācī pāile yena mati-cchana haya. So how these different types of insanity is visible, that will be explained, Kṛṣṇa. Tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yadṛk ca. Not one kind of body or one kind of insanity, different types of insanities. Yac ca yadṛk ca yad vikārī. This vikārī means transformation.

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

That is Īśopaniṣad, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "Everything belongs to God." And everyone has, that is stated in the śāstra, that everything belongs to God, everything is property of God, and we can utilize. We can use that. Yāvad artha-prayojanam. As much as we require, we can take.

Just like the birds and beasts. They are living on nature's condition. The bird will go to a tree and eat some fruit, but not more than he requires; neither he will take the fruit at his home to stock for next day or for making black market. No. We have created all this nonsense situation by claiming God's property as ours. This is the mistake. But the rascal leaders, they do not know what mistake they have committed in the beginning.

Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). Everything belongs to God. Therefore everything should be employed in the service of God. This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy. We do not take anything which has no connection with Kṛṣṇa. We take everything... Just like we are using this microphone. We do not think it is material. Because it is being used for Kṛṣṇa's purpose, therefore it is spiritual. That is the difference between material and spiritual. When you accept it as your own or for your own sense gratification, that is material. And if you accept everything as Kṛṣṇa's and you simply take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, then it is spiritual.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 14, 1976:

Those who are rascals, fools, if you speak something valuable for his life he'll not hear you. He'll become angry. The example is given, payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. Just like if a snake, if you ask the snake that "I shall give you daily a cup of milk. Do not commit this harmful life, biting unnecessarily others. You come here, take a cup of milk and live peacefully," that he will not be able. He... By drinking, drinking that cup of milk, his poison will increase, and as soon as the poison is increased—it is also another itching sensation—he wants to bite. He'll bite. So the result will be payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. The more they starve, that is good for them because the poison will not increase.

The nature's law is there. And as soon as one sees a snake, immediately everyone becomes alert to kill the snake. And by nature's law... It is said, "Even a great saintly person, he does not lament when a snake is killed." Modeta sādhur api sarpa, vṛścika-sarpa-hatyā. Prahlāda Mahārāja said. When his father was killed and Nṛsiṁha-deva was still angry, so he pacified Lord Nṛsiṁha, "Sir, now you can give up your anger because nobody is unhappy on account of my father being killed," means "I am also not unhappy. I am also happy because my father was just like a snake and a scorpion. So even a great saintly person is happy when a scorpion or a snake is killed." They are not happy if somebody is killed. Even an ant is killed, a saintly person is unhappy. But a saintly person, when he sees that a snake is killed, he is happy. He is happy.

So we should not follow the life of a snake, pravṛtti-mārga. Human life is meant for nivṛtti-mārga. We have got so many bad habits. To give up these bad habits, that is human life. If we cannot do that, then we are not making any spiritual progress of life. Spiritual progress... So long you will have a little desire for committing sinful life for your sense gratification, you will have to accept a next body. And as soon as you accept a material body, then you will suffer. Yena.

It is said that nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). These rascals, they are mad.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:

That is childish. You must give solid reason. Chance, you can say anything as chance. Everybody can say like that. That is not reason. When you bring in chance, that is not logic. That is not knowledge. If somebody says, "By chance, I have come in this world," that is not logic. I must have my father. I must have my mother. And on account of father-mother being united, I am... This is scientific. "By chance I have dropped from the sky here," (laughter) this is not logic. This kind of logic is vague only. That is no... It has no value. Do you give any value to this logic, nonsensical logic? No sane man will accept, "by chance." When you are caught and you are convicted, then if you say, "By chance, I became convicted"? By chance? No. You committed theft, you were arrested, there were due judgment, and the judge has given you punishment. You must suffer. It is not a chance. And if you say, "By chance, I am now convicted," that is not chance. There is no question of chance. This is a false logic, chance. Nothing takes place by chance. That is sound reasoning. Chance means ignorant. One who does not know, he says chance. That is ignorance. That is not knowledge. Knowledge is different thing. So they are rascals, you can say. This kind of logic, "I have not seen. It has come by chance. There was a chunk," these are all nonsensical proposition. There is īśvara. This is sound knowledge. As you conclude by seeing the arrangement in the Tokyo city there is government, similarly, if you are intelligent enough, then you can understand there must be a controller. That is theism. That is knowledge.