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Lectures

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 2, 1973:

So out of such millions of fools who are working hard... They have been described just like asses. The asses work very hard for..., for the washerman, not for himself. He does not work for himself. Therefore the karmīs are called asses, mūḍhāḥ. The ass is satisfied with a morsel of grass and working very hard for the washerman. This is ass's qualification. The śāstras, they have selected some animals: śva-viḍ-varāha-uṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. The... Generally, population, general population, they are just like dogs, śva; viḍ-varāha, the stool-eater, hog. Śva-viḍ-varāha-uṣṭra, camel. And kharaiḥ, and ass. They have been selected. So... Just like... Why they are compared with the dog? Because the dog is searching after a master. Without master, he cannot live. So those who cannot live independently, they are just like dogs. (indistinct) so many things, explanation. Viḍ-varāha. Viḍ-varāha means no distinction of eating. Anything. Any damn thing, any nonsense thing up to stool, they can eat. They, are, they are called viḍ-varāha. And uṣṭra. Uṣṭra means that he's eating his own blood, thorny twigs. The uṣṭra, you know, the kharaiḥ, I mean, the camel, in the desert, there is only thorny twigs.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 4, 1973:

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the short-cut. Just if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious fully, if you are trained up, just after death, you go to Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Immediately.

Woman (2): How does it compare with other movements?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Woman (2): How does it compare with other movements?

Prabhupāda: That you have to judge. What can I say? If you don't want to go to Kṛṣṇa, you can do anything else.

Woman (2): I mean... Are these movements leading to Kṛṣṇa?

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

So to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī's described, describing herewith that he wants to take shelter of the ocean, deep into the ocean, and he doesn't care for the rivers. And the, what is called? Bharavagni (?)? There is some whirling pool in the water. That is compared with the arguments. Sometimes these logicians, they create argumental calamity in the process of devotional service. But Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends that we should not be deviated by the arguments, karmīs, jñānīs and yogis. Let them do their own business. We do not care for them. We give them respect as far as possible, but we don't, don't accept the path of karma-jñāna-yoga. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167).

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 8, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and ācāryas, or holy teachers, who are compared with sharks in the great ocean of nectar, and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers, they give this example that "As all the rivers come down to the ocean, and then business is finished." But our philosophy is not so scanty. We do not wish to mix with the ocean, we want to go deep into the ocean. They give this example, nirākāra. Because ocean is, it is not nirākāra but it is, still they say nirākāra. Ocean is ākāra, we see around place (indistinct). But anyway, their philosophy is that you come to the ocean by different paths, then it becomes mixed. But they do not know, even though you come to the ocean, immediately you'll be evaporated.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

Pradyumna: (reading) "Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the Supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be compared with liberation, and the rivers with all the different paths of liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water, which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information, however, that within the ocean, as within the river, there are innumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the ocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it. The devotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and they do not care for the rivers."

Prabhupāda: This comparison that the rivers, it does matter from which way it is coming down to the sea, when they mix together, they become one. But if this comparison is taken, that the rivers merging into the sea, and when it mixes there is no separate existence of the river, but they do not see analogy. Analogy, according to law of analogy, the points of similarities must be one. Analogy is perfect when the points of similarities are there. Just like we say, "Your face is as beautiful as moon."

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1972:

The snakes, kāla-sarpa, indriya. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī has explained about these kāla-sarpas, snake... Our senses are compared with the snakes. Just like a snake, as soon as it touches somebody, it kills. It is very dangerous, touching by the lip of the snake. Similarly, a, a slight sense gratification is so dangerous, kāla-sarpa indriya-paṭalī, especially in the sex matter. So one... Yogis, they are training the senses how to restrain them from sense gratification, but a devotee, on account of their senses being engaged in the service of the Lord, there is no poisonous effect of the senses. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa. Rathaṁ sthāpaya acyuta. Hṛṣīkeśa. In the Bhagavad-gītā, this word is used, Hṛṣīkeśa. So Hṛṣīkeśa means "the master of the senses."

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:

The material variety is the perverted reflection of the spiritual variety. As it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Fifteenth Chapter: ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākha. This tree, this material world (is) compared with a aśvattha vṛkṣa. The root is up, upstairs, upwards, and the branches and leaves are down, downwards. Why? Because it is reflection, chaya, or māyā. The real tree is in the Vaikuṇṭha planet or in the spiritual world. It is only simply reflection. Just like a tree standing on the bank of reservoir of water, on the bank of a lake or a river, you'll see the tree is reflected downwards. So this description in the Fifteenth Chapter of this material world, downwards... Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākha means this is only a perverted reflection of the spiritual world.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:

This is the, the earth is serving us in śānta rasa. Similarly, we have got our servants. That is dāsya rasa. We have got our friends. That is sākhya rasa. We have got our parents. That is Vātsalya rasa. And we have got our lovers also. That is mādhurya rasa. But it is only reflection. It is compared with the mirage. Just like the desert, there is reflection of water. Actually there is no water. Similarly, all this perverted reflection of śānta rasa, dāsya rasa, sākhya rasa, this is just like mirage. It is simply a reflection. It has no actual fact. Here nobody's friend, nobody's servant, nobody's parent, nobody's lover. It is simply a bondage of some self-interest. The servant is not actually serving the master; it is serving the money which the master gives him. As soon as the payment will be stopped, there will be no more service.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:

Pradyumna: "There are many instances, especially in India, where these Māyāvādī sannyāsīs descend to the material platform again. But a person who is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness will never return to any sort of material platform. However alluring and attracting they may be, he always knows that no material welfare activities can be compared with the spiritual activity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The mystic perfections achieved by actually successful yogis are eight in number. Aṇimā-siddhi refers to the power by which one can become so small that he can enter into a stone. Modern scientific improvements also enable us to enter into stone because they provide for excavating so many subways, penetrating the hills, etc. So aṇimā-siddhi, the mystic perfection of trying to enter into stone, has also been achieved by material science. Similarly, all of the yoga siddhis, or perfections, are material arts."

Prabhupāda: Yoga siddhis, they are simply material arts. Just like one example is given, that aṇimā siddhi, aṇimā siddhi means to enter into the stone. So we see in the Western countries they are boring big, big hills and entering in the stone. So that aṇimā siddhi is being possible, is made possible by modern scientific research.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

Actually, a pure devotee does not aspire after any of these perfections because the happiness derived from devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so transcendental and so unlimited that no other happiness can be compared with it. It is said that even one drop of happiness in Kṛṣṇa consciousness stands beyond comparison with an ocean of happiness derived from any other activity. Thus, any person who has developed even a little quantity of pure devotional service can very easily kick out all the other kinds of happiness derived from religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and liberation."

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1972:

Pradyumna: " 'The Happiness of Becoming One with the Supreme.' Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that if brahmānanda, or the happiness of becoming one with the Supreme, is multiplied by one trillionfold, still, it cannot be compared with an atomic fraction of the happiness derived from the ocean of devotional service. In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya... Prahlāda Mahārāja, while satisfying Lord Nṛsiṁha by his prayers, says, 'My dear Lord of the universe, I am feeling transcendental pleasure in Your presence and have become merged in the ocean of happiness. I now consider the happiness of brahmānanda to be no more than the water in the impression left by a cow's hoof in the earth, compared to this ocean of bliss.' Similarly, it is confirmed in the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā, Śrīdhara Swami's commentary on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: 'My dear Lord, some of the fortunate persons who are swimming in the ocean of Your nectar of devotion, and who are relishing the nectar of the narration of Your pastimes, certainly know ecstasies which immediately minimize the value of the happiness derived from religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. Such a transcendental devotee regards any kind of happiness other than devotional service as no better than straw in the street.' "

Prabhupāda: Go on.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1972:

Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Our devotional service begins from the tongue. People will be... "How service begins from the tongue?" Yes. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayaṁ sphuraty adhaḥ. So the tongue is very good instrument for developing devotional service. If we don't use this tongue in devotional service, then it is compared with the tongue of the frog. Jihvā dārdurikeva. Why? Why? "My tongue is so nice. Why it is compared with the tongue of a frog?" Now, because the frog, crowing, (imitates frog sound:) "caw a kronh, caw ka kronh," that means inviting the snake. The snake cannot see where is the frog, but by hearing the sound, crowing sound, the snake can understand, "Here is my food." So his crowing sound will be stopped as soon it is swallowed up by the snake.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 29, 1973:

Prabhupāda: There is said that so long, bhukti-mukti-spṛhā yāvat piśācī hṛdi vartate. Rūpa Gosvāmī. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi piśācī. It is... They are compared with piśācī, What is called, piśācī? Witch? What is that? Witch, what does it mean by "witch"?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One who flies around bewitching people.

Prabhupāda: What is that witch?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Puts a spell on people.

Devotee (1): Black magic.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.2 -- Mayapur, March 26, 1975:

Now these same two brothers have again descended as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya-Nityānanda. Sahoditau: simultaneously They have appeared. Not that one is appeared, another is not there. No. Both of Them, sahoditau. And They are compared with the sun and moon. The business of sun and moon is to dissipate darkness. The sun rises during daytime, and the moon rises at night. But this sun and moon, wonderful sun and moon, citrau, They have appeared together. But the business is the same, tamo-nudau. Business is to dissipate darkness, because we are in darkness. We, anyone who is in this material world, he's in darkness. Darkness means ignorant, no knowledge. They are mostly animals. "Why they are animals, so civilized men, so well-dressed and university education degrees? Why they are in darkness?" Yes, they are in darkness.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 -- Dallas, March 4, 1975:

This is the solution. To take shelter of the padāmbhojau of Rādhā-Madana-mohana, that is the solution of all problem. And for a person who has taken shelter of the lotus feet, samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam... Pada-pallavam. His lotus feet is compared with the lotus flower. The lotus flower has got petals, and the petal is just like in the shape of a boat. Everyone has got this experience. If you take the shelter of this boat, then we can cross over the ocean of material world very easily. You require some boat to cross over some watery span. So here, if you take one boat and if you want to cross the Pacific Ocean or Atlantic Ocean, it is very difficult. It may not... The boat may not go up to the end. But if you... Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam. If you take shelter of the lotus petal boatlike of... What is that lotus flower?

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1974:

"Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Person, if one compares with Nārāyaṇa with such exalted demigods like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahma...," brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ, "what to speak of other Indra, Candra—they are nothing in comparison to Brahmā. Brahmā is the creator of this universe. So even such creator, even so powerful demigod as Lord Śiva, cannot be compared with Kṛṣṇa." Advitīya. Cannot be compared. That is pāṣaṇḍī. Sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam. So those who are comparing, "All the demigods and Kṛṣṇa, they are on the same level. You can worship anyone," they are all rascals. Because here it is said advitīya, Kṛṣṇa cannot be compared with anyone else. That is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). They may be īśvara. Lord Śiva may be īśvara, Lord Brahmā may be īśvara, but they cannot be parama īśvara.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.80-95 -- San Francisco, February 10, 1966:

The perfection of the other four principles is enjoy to become one with Brahman. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says this brahmānanda is just like a drop in comparison with the ocean. This emotion of transcendental love is compared with the ocean, and this brahmānanda, to become one with the Supreme, is just like a drop out of that ocean. So there cannot be comparison. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that there is no comparison. Brahmandi ānanda yāra nāhe eka bindu. Kṛṣṇa-nāmera phala-'premā', sarva-śāstre kaya. Kṛṣṇa-nāme: "If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, then the result is that you develop full-fledged love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.108 -- San Francisco, February 18, 1967:

That's all." So our calculation of God is always like that. "Kṛṣṇa, He looks like us, just like a man. So what is there? He may be a little powerful than me. All right, He has spoken Bhagavad-gītā. All right. He's little more wiser than us." So we always compare with us. But it is not. He's supreme. We have no idea of the Supreme. Therefore we forget personality. Patiṁ patī... It is clearly stated, pati. Can pati, the husband or proprietor, can become imperson? No. When the conception of pati, husband and proprietor, is there, then He is personal. Patiṁ patīnāṁ paramaṁ parastāt mahān prabhavaiḥ puruṣaḥ.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 8.128 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 24, 1977:

"One who knows Kṛṣṇa specifically, not superficially, but in all details, What is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, he can become guru." Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā about Himself, kṛṣṇa-tattva, about..., the truth about Kṛṣṇa we can understand from Bhagavad-gītā with our intelligence. Just like Kṛṣṇa describes that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Now you study this one line that Kṛṣṇa says, "There is nobody greater than Me." Now you study Kṛṣṇa's life, Compare with anyone and you'll find, "Yes. Nobody is greater or equal to Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.119-121 -- New York, November 24, 1966:

And as soon as I understand that "I am pure spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. He is giving me all protection, and my duty is to love and serve Him," then I am free. At once I am free. The simple formula. How He'll give me...? He's not poor man. He's, He's... What you are? Your human, human being, they are very few. If you compare with other animals, other living entities, you are most insignificant number. Your number is very little, especially for the civilized. If you search out a hole in your room, you'll find millions of ants coming out. Even in your room you'll find. You'll be over-voted. So who is supplying their necessities? Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. In the Vedic language we can understand that one singular entity... God is also a living entity. He's not void. He's just like a person, like you and me.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-142 -- New York, November 29, 1966:

Uddhava was also one of His cousin-brothers in the family. He was a great devotee, Uddhava. He was more advanced than Arjuna. There are different grades of devotees. The first-class devotees were the gopīs, the damsels of Vṛndāvana. Nobody could be compared with their devotional service. So next were Uddhava, then Arjuna. There are different grades of devotees also. So Uddhava was also a great devotee of (the) Lord, and he was also instructed similarly, just like Arjuna was instructed. So the Lord says to Uddhava, bhaktyā aham ekayā grāhyaḥ. Ekayā: simply by devotional service, one, this one method... God is one, and to achieve Him, the process is also one. Just like in your body there are many holes, nine holes, nine holes: these two nostrils, two ear, two eyes, one mouth, and genital and evacuation, these nine holes.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.146-151 -- New York, December 3, 1966:

Therefore they cannot conceive any personal idea of God. The energy is so vast and immense that they are bewildered in the energy. And how such great amount of energy can emanate from a person they cannot conceive, because they compare with their own energy. Because I am limited... I have got this body, I have got my personality, but my energies are limited. But we cannot understand that the Unlimited has got unlimited energy.

So this impersonal idea of God is for the less intelligent person, not for the intelligent persons. Those who are, I mean to say, favored with poor fund of knowledge, they cannot conceive about the Personality of Godhead. Therefore we have to approach authorities just like Lord Caitanya.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.154-157 -- New York, December 7, 1966:

It is lotuslike. All planets are round, but that supreme planet is lotuslike. So that is in the spiritual sky, Goloka Vṛndāvana. And from that spiritual planet... Just like the, from the sun planet, the sunshine is emanating profusely. Just like this sun is, is compared with the eye, eyes of the Lord. Not... One eye. Another eye, the moon. It is figuratively stated. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ, unlimited potency, sunlight, is coming from the sun. This material world, we can practically experience. But the sunlight is also emanating from that light which is emanating from that Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is the real light, which is called brahma-jyotir. So in that brahma-jyotir there are innumerable spiritual planets also.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.1-10 -- New York, January 3, 1967:

And prasannātmā. Prasannātmā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. Next stage is prasannātmā. Ātmā. He becomes engladdened: "Oh, I am not this matter." Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the same thing He says: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. This bhava-mahā-dāvāgni... This world is compared with forest fire. It is going on. The fire is going on. So for a realized soul, the fire is at once extinguished. One who is realized soul, that he's not this matter, the fire of this material existence at once extinguished. So Lord Caitanya gave us this opportunity, and the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he's saying that agaty-eka-gatim. Those who have fallen, for them Lord Caitanya is the only hope.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.5 -- New York, January 7, 1967:

Now, I have... We have divided the Vedic literature into two. The knowledge which is coming in disciplic succession, that knowledge is mother, and this knowledge, by memory, with reference to the context of Vedic literature, if you sometimes write, that literature is the sister. That is compared with sister. One is with the mother, and the other is the sister. Purāṇādyā ye vā sahaja nivahās te tad-anugā. So all these Purāṇas, they are called śruti. There are eighteen Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyaṇa, and there are so many, Vedānta-sūtra... They are called... Upaniṣad is Veda; it is śruti. That is the gist of Vedic knowledge. But Purāṇas, they are called smṛti. So this śruti smṛtir, according to Indian theistic scholarship, there are two kinds of literature: śruti smṛti. So there was another devotee of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.6 -- New York, January 8, 1967:

Sometimes it may be that the fishes of the river may go to the ocean, but the fishes of the ocean never comes to the river. Never comes to the river. There is no place for them. This is a crude example. Similarly... And as the ocean is far, far greater than the river-thousands of rivers cannot be compared with the, I mean to say, measurement of the ocean—similarly, thousands and millions of this material world cannot be compared with the spiritual world. The spiritual world is so great that millions of material world taken together, it can be dropped into the spiritual world. It is such great. Therefore material world is called one-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy. And the spiritual world is called three-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.27-31 -- New York, January 15, 1967:

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto. It is very nicely compared with the body of the Supreme Lord and our situation in that partic..., body, in different positions. Now, this verse says that the highly intellectual class of men, they are situated on the mouth of the Supreme Lord. The intellectual persons are considered the mouth of the Supreme Lord. And the next, the administrators, or the protector class of men... Not administrators; practically protector... Kṣatriya means protector. Protector class of men, they are considered to be the arms of the Supreme Lord. And the productive class of men, they are considered as the waist of the Supreme Lord.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.31-33 -- New York, January 16, 1967:

Kṛṣṇa is the original sun; therefore wherever Kṛṣṇa is present there cannot be any ignorance or illusion. Darkness is compared with ignorance, illusion, sleeping, laziness, intoxication, madness; these are all darkness. One who is in the quality of darkness, these things will be visible in his person: too much sleepy, lazy, ignorant. Just opposite, the opposite number of knowledge. So these are called darkness. So if actually one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, these qualities will be not visible in his person. This is a test of progressing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.31-33 -- New York, January 16, 1967:

Just like the sun is so many millions miles away but he is..., sun can be present before us by his sunshine, his potency, sun's potency, energy. Similarly, these are all Kṛṣṇa's spiritual energies, and He is compared with the sun because He is the original sun. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). From the spiritual planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, the glowing effulgence, brahma-jyotir, is coming out. How it is coming out? That we can very easily understand. As the sunshine is coming out, emanating incessantly from the sun disc, similarly the real sunshine, brahma-jyotir, is coming out of the spiritual planet Goloka Vṛndāvana incessantly. That is called brahma-jyotir. Yasya prabhā prabhavato (Bs. 5.40). And due to that incessant shining, all the shining which you are experiencing, even this lamp, even this electricity, fire, moonshine, sunshine, any shining, that is due to that brahma-jyotir.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 34 -- San Francisco, September 13, 1968 :

He is blackish, Kṛṣṇa, and..., but He is so beautiful, all-attractive. Here, of course, in this material world, blackish we do not like; we want fair complexion. But Kṛṣṇa, the original person, He is blackish, but not blackish like this. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-visesa-sobham. His beauty is surpassing many millions of Cupids. You have heard the name of Cupid. He is a very enchanting person, loving person, but here it is descibed, kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ. If you assemble millions of Cupids in one place, still it can not be compared with the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful. Kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam, always playing on flute.

Festival Lectures

Sri Rama-Navami, Lord Ramacandra's Appearance Day -- Hawaii, March 27, 1969:

This is a verse from Brahma-saṁhitā in which the incarnation of Lord Rāmacandra is described. Rāmādi. Not only Rāma, but there are many other, innumerable incarnations. They are compared with the waves of a river. As the waves of the river or the waves of the ocean cannot be counted, similarly, how many incarnations are there of the Supreme Lord it is not possible to count. But out of them, the principal names are mentioned in the śāstras. Therefore it is said rāmādi. Rāmādi means Rāma and also other, many incarnations. And they are existing. Not that one incarnation appeared and it is finished. No. Not like that. Just like Lord Rāmacandra appeared on this planet, say millions of years before. He appeared in the Treta-yuga.

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973:

Our Nārāyaṇa—that is real Nārāyaṇa, exalted—we cannot even compare with that supreme Nārāyaṇa with such demigods like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, what to speak of these rascals. Yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ, samatvena vīkṣeta. Any person, rascal, if he thinks that Nārāyaṇa is equal to Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva... There are Māyāvādīs. They say "Any demigod is as good as Viṣṇu. You can worship any demigod. It doesn't matter. You..." Because their ultimate understanding is that the Absolute Truth is impersonal, and you can imagine any form. It doesn't matter.

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973:

Yes, that's a fact. Asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam. Asita. Asita means black. Asitāmbuda. So black cloud. Ambuda means cloud. Asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam. His complexion is like blackish cloud, but very, very, very, very beautiful. Kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīyam. He is so beautiful that many millions of Cupid cannot be compared with Him, although He is black. So here the same Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-varṇam, although He belongs to the same category of Kṛṣṇa, tviṣā, by complexion, akṛṣṇa. Akṛṣṇa. Akṛṣṇa means "not Kṛṣṇa." So it may be any other color. It may be... There are so many colors.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:

Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtim. Just like same example: in the factory there are ingredients and there are workers. So the ingredients are compared with the material energy, bhūmir āpo' nalo vāyuḥ. They are also the property of the workers, because they are living being, jīva bhūtaḥ mahā-bāho yayedam dhāryate jagat, those who are working for development of this material world. The same example.

Sri Sri Kaliya Krsna Deity Installation -- Lautoka, Fiji, May 2, 1976:

Guru's first business is to deliver the suffering humanity from the forest fire of this material existence. This material existence is compared with forest fire. You know there is fire in the forest. Big forest, nobody goes there to set fire. But automatically there is fire. Therefore this material existence has been compared with the forest fire. Here everyone wants to become happy, but there is fire. Even if we do not want, there is fire, miseries. Because this place, this material world, is place for suffering. It is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This place is for suffering. But under the spell of māyā, sufferings, we have taken as happiness or enjoying.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Address -- Los Angeles, July 8, 1974:

As soon as the children is fit, three to four years, you can send to Dallas. They are taking very much care. And if your children are educated Sanskrit and English, and reads all our books, he is more than any university M.A., Ph.D., more than. The M.A., Ph.D. of the ordinary university will not be able to be compared with that. So rest assured that education, culture, happiness, satisfaction, and next, go to home, back to home, back to Godhead.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Los Angeles, February 2, 1968:

The impersonalist school, amongst them, there are very, very learned scholars. Śaṅkarācārya himself, he was unique scholar. At the age of eight years only, he studied all the Vedas. And not only he studied, he became a critical student, Śaṅkarācārya. He was incarnation of Lord Śiva; therefore nobody can be compared with him.

So amongst the impersonalist school, there are many great logicians and high class scholars. But according to Vedic principles, God realization does not depend on material intelligence or scholarship. It is stated in the Vedas, nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyaḥ: "You cannot realize the self simply by arguments or very scholarly speeches."

Lecture -- Seattle, October 7, 1968:

Now when you try to understand what is this sun, you first of all come to the sunshine light. If you are covered with cloud and if you have not known what is sun, that is a different thing. Or even if it is covered, you can go up to the over the cloud and see the sunshine and sun. So the cloud is compared with māyā. So sun is compared with the kingdom of God, and the president of the sun planet is God. This is example. God is far away and He's the greatest. He has created so many millions of suns. But I am giving that example. Now to study the sun, first of all you come to the sunshine.

Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968:

Very nice verse. What is this? It is said, samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam. The lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa is compared with a very nice boat. Boat. Just like lotus flower. His everything is like lotus flower. One who has accepted this boat... Because this material world is a great ocean of nescience, darkness. This is the nature. Just like at night you see, this space is a great ocean of darkness. That is the nature. Therefore it is called tama. This world's nature... Here we require the sunlight, the moonlight, the electricity; otherwise it is dark. By nature it is dark. So you are put into the darkness. There is no light. But there is another nature, which is full of light. Therefore Vedic injunction is tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ: "Don't remain in this darkness.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 30, 1969:

These are attractive features. So if we analyze Kṛṣṇa, we find all these six opulences of attractive men fully present in Kṛṣṇa. So even from historical references, there is not a single person who can be compared with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is all-attractive. And everything that we experience, that is the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). His energies are differently manifested. Similarly, in Viṣṇu Purāṇa also, it is said, parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathaiva akhilaṁ jagat. Akhilaṁ jagat means the whole cosmic manifestation is a display of the multi-energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So because He is fully energetic, therefore He is attractive and the cause of all causes. These are the evidences of Vedic literatures.

Brandeis University Lecture -- Boston, April 29, 1969:

So if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, your self-realization will be possible on the second stage. First stage: you'll realize that you are not matter but you are spirit soul, Brahman; and the second stage is: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni means these material anxieties. It is compared with forest fire. Forest fire means in this material world everyone wants to be happy. That is a fact. Everyone. But some, by some cause or by some way, there is a fire just like forest fire. Nobody's interested to go in the forest and set fire there, but there is fire, automatically. Similarly, this world... Nobody wants war, nobody wants famine, nobody wants earthquake, nobody wants disease, nobody wants death, but these things happening. It will happen. Even if you do not want, you cannot, I mean to say, combat all these, I mean to say, attacks of the material nature.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

Yes. And the next thing is that bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. As soon as your heart is cleansed of all dirty things, then all the problems of material existence immediately solved. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni. It has been compared with dāvāgni. Dāvāgni means the blazing fire in the forest. In this material existence, nobody wants unhappiness, but it comes, forced, by force. That is the law of material nature. Nobody wants that there may be fire, but especially in this country, wherever in a city we go, the fire brigade is always active. You see? Nobody wants fire, but the fire brigade is active. Yes. There is fire. Similarly, nobody wants so many things. Nobody wants death; there is death.

Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969:

Simply come, chant and dance. If... There is a realized practical example, these boys and girls. They began with this chanting and dancing. Now see their faith, their advancement, their knowledge, their temperament, their attitude. So much advanced. You cannot compare with any other group in this world. So easier. So take to this movement; your life will be sublime. Easiest process. There is no charge. There is no fee. We don't charge anything. We don't say that "I give you some secret mantra. You give me some dollars." No. It is open: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." (end)

Pandal Lecture at Cross Maidan -- Bombay, March 26, 1971:

So as the cloudy sky is not different from the original sky, it is simply covered, similarly, this material world is not different from the spiritual world, but it is simply covered. In ignorance we forget Kṛṣṇa. That's all. The forgetfulness is compared with the cloud. That is stated in simple Bengali poetry:

kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

As soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa... Because we are eternally part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be any separation. There cannot be any separation between us and Kṛṣṇa because we are eternally related.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 7, 1971:

They will go in a place where there is very clear reservoir of water, nice trees, nice fruits and flowers, nice birds, mānasa-tīrthas, mānasa-gaṅgā, like that. They will enjoy there. Similarly, this mental speculation, huge, huge books, will be enjoyed by a class of men who are compared with the crows. But glorification of Kṛṣṇa will be enjoyed by a class of men who are called swans or paramahaṁsas.

So Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they are meant for paramahaṁsa-sādhika-caraṇam, for the paramahaṁsas. Those who are duṣkṛtina, miscreant, crows, they cannot enjoy what is the taste of Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna... When He was teaching to him beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā, He said, bhakto 'si me priyo 'si me rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam:

Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972:

This is the definition given in Vedic literature, that "If anyone develops God consciousness, then all the good qualities will develop automatically. And you give him all kinds of education, but if he is godless, it is all useless." That is compared with decorating the dead body. Just like dead body. A dead body is decorated. So it may be a satisfaction for the relatives, but what is the use of it, decorating a dead body? Bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya jātiḥ japas tapaḥ kriyaḥ: "Great nationality, great work, great achievement, minus bhagavad-bhakti, God consciousness, is just like decorating the dead body."

Lecture -- Tokyo, April 29, 1972, (with interpreter):

So this war is just like forest fire. Nobody likes war, but it takes place. So similarly, in the forest, nobody goes to set fire, but it takes place. Therefore this material world is compared with the forest fire. So this forest fire can be extinguished by a different process than the fire in the ordinary way extinguished. Just like in the city, if there is fire, you can take advantage of the fire brigade or you can take advantage of some volunteers carrying bucketful of water. But to extinguish the forest fire, neither you can take the help of the fire brigade nor the volunteer carrying bucketfuls of water. The forest fire can be extinguished when there is rainfall from the sky. Similarly, this misunderstanding of the world—although we are one, but we have divided ourselves in so many groups—this will create forest fire, and this forest fire can be extinguished.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972:

So God is simply observing what I am doing, what I am desiring, and He's giving me opportunity, "All right, you want to do this? Do it, and take experience." And the living entity is enjoying. It is compared with the tree because the living entity's enjoying the fruit of the tree, and the other living entity, Supreme, Paramātmā, He's simply witnessing. Witnessing, and giving you the result of your fruitive activities. That is called karma.

So these things are very subtle matters, and we have got very, very scientific, authorized information of these matters. But people have become so degraded. They do not want to take any information of the soul, of the transmigration of the soul, of God, our relationship with God, what is the ultimate goal of life, why we are put into this miserable condition of life.

Lecture What is a Guru? -- London, August 22, 1973:

Ajñāna means ignorance, without knowledge. That is called ajñāna. So ajñāna is compared..., ignorance, stupidity, is compared with darkness. Just like if you are, if this room, immediately, all lights are off, then it becomes dark. We cannot see where I am sitting, where others are sitting. It becomes a confusion. Similarly, in this material world, we are all in the darkness. This material world is called darkness. It is called tamaḥ. Tamaḥ means darkness. Or timir. Timir means darkness. And actually, it is darkness. Because, because this material world is dark, there is need of sunlight, there is need of moonlight, there is need of electricity. (aside:)

Lecture What is a Guru? -- London, August 22, 1973:

Why? To save him from suffering; to get education. "If my son does not get education, he'll suffer in the future." The same process: to get him out of ignorance, to get him relieved from the suffering. Therefore, guru's business is ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākaya. So sufferings is due to ignorance. Ignorance is compared with darkness. So in the darkness how you can save one? By some light. So guru's business is to take the torchlight of knowledge and present before the ignorant or the disciple in darkness and that gives him, relieves him from the sufferings of darkness or ignorance. This is guru's business.

Lecture on Gurvastakam at Upsala University -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:

Then again live for some time. Then give up that body. Again accept another body. In this way, it is going on. That is called saṁsāra, rotating within this material world.

That is compared with dāvānala. Dāvānala means forest fire. Forest fire. You have got experience. You have seen, might have. In the forest, nobody goes to set fire, but it takes place. Everyone knows it. Similarly, within this material world, nobody wants to be unhappy. Everyone is trying to be very happy, but he is forced to accept unhappiness. This is the position. Therefore it is called dāvānala. Dāvānala means nobody willingly sets fire, but there is fire in the forest. Similarly, in this material world, everyone is trying from time immemorial—even at the present moment.

Lecture on Gurvastakam at Upsala University -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:

It must come from the sky. It must come from the sky. When there will be torrents of rain from the sky, this forest fire, blazing forest fire will be extinguished. So these rains from the sky, it does not depend on your scientific propaganda or manipulation. It depends on the mercy of the Supreme Lord. So the spiritual master is compared with the cloud. Just like from the cloud there is torrents of rain, similarly, a spiritual master is considered just like cloud. Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. Just like cloud takes the water from the sea-cloud hasn't got its own water; cloud takes water from the sea—similarly, a spiritual master brings mercy from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just see the comparison. He has no own mercy, but he carries the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the qualification of spiritual master.

Lecture -- Honolulu, May 25, 1975:

Just like Kṛṣṇa was on the chariot of the Kurukṣetra battle, Arjuna. Arjuna was facing enemies, big, big enemies like Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Dronācārya, and many other who were very very powerful. Arjuna was nothing before them. They are compared with timiṅgila, timiṅgila, a big fish which swallows up the whale fishes. So Mahārāja Parīkṣit said that "Although they were timiṅgila-like, they could kill thousands of Arjuna, but still, because You were protecting him, sitting on his chariot, they were killed; Arjuna was not killed."

Departure Talks

Departure Lecture -- London, March 12, 1975:

Just like especially in the Western countries you have got newspaper, big, big bunch of newspaper, but not a single line is there about Kṛṣṇa, not a single. So for the devotees this kind of literature is compared with the garbage. Tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham. Just like vāyasam, crows. The crows gather together where? Where everything nuisance thrown away, they gather together. You will find. That is the nature amongst the class of bird. Where all nasty things are thrown away, the crows will gather. The another bird, swans, they will not go there. The swans will gather in a very nice garden with clear water, lotus flower, and birds, and singing. They will gather there. As there are... By nature, there are different classes of animals, even in the birds, beasts. "The birds of the same feather flock together."

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Ludwig Wittgenstein:

Prabhupāda: So that is evidence that this body is false, the soul is true. That is our statement. Body is false. Just like this, this (indistinct), this sweater, this is false. It has got a hand but it is false hand. The real hand is within, within the shirt, that is real hand. Similarly, this body also. It is compared with dress. The dress is false. The man who puts on the dress, he is true. Similarly, the soul is the truth and the body is false. If you want to make distinction between false and true, then this is the distinction: the soul is the truth, the body is false.

Śyāmasundara: He says that philosophy is that mental activity which seeks to analyze or clarify the meanings of scientific propositions.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: That is already stated, that the only happiness in this material world, maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukham. Ādi means the basic principle is maithuna, sexual intercourse. And now there are some maithuna-ādi. Or you can take it that one is very happy—just like one gentleman proposed to (indistinct), "Give me a son." But that is also maithuna-ādi, by sexual intercourse. He is thinking that "I will have a son and I will get him married; he will also begin maithuna-ādi—and a grandson." So the whole system, this materialistic way of life, just like Bhāgavata is saying, yan maithuna gṛhamedhi sukham. This is happiness. (indistinct). Suta means son and āpta means friend. (indistinct) wife, mother, sister, they are enjoying this life. (indistinct), that's in the desert, one drop of water. The desert requires an ocean of water, but in the whole desert if there is one drop of water, you can say, "Here is water." But what is the value of water? What is the value of this water? You can say, "Here is water." Similarly, this sexual pleasure society, there is some pleasure, but what is the value of that pleasure? That is compared with one drop in the desert.

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: No. That is not organic life. The soul appears in different ways. One of the ways is by fermentation, perspiration. So rock and water, when it is decomposed there is fermentation and there is possibility of soul taking advantage and come out with a body. In any case, from matter life never comes. It is compared with... Taṇḍula-vṛścika-nyāya. A vṛścika, a scorpion, is coming out from rice. Actually, a scorpion down lays eggs within the heaps of rice, and by fermentation of the rice, heating, the egg, I mean to say, produces a small scorpion, and it comes out from the rice. So foolish people, they think that the heaps of rice is the cause of producing a scorpion. So many things come like that, but that does not mean the matter is producing life. If matter is producing life, the modern science, so much advanced, so let them prove in the laboratory, mixing some matter, life is coming.

Philosophy Discussion on Origen:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is called Bhakti-mārga. The Absolute Truth is manifested in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Bhagavān is the personal feature, and Paramātmā feature may be compared with the Holy Ghost when situated in everyone's heart. And Brahman feature, everywhere. By His energy He is present everywhere. So the perfection, highest perfection of spiritual life, is to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the person, personal feature of the Lord, and engages himself, the living entity engages himself in His service. Then he is situated in his original, constitutional position, and he is eternally happy and blissful.

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas:

Prabhupāda: Yes. (indistinct) Material world means temporary, and some philosophers, like the Māyāvādīs, they say it is false. But we Vaiṣṇavas, we don't say it is false, but it is temporary illusion. It is reflection of the spiritual world, but there is no reality. Sometimes it is compared with the mirage in the desert. There is no water in the desert, but sometimes, by reflection of the sun, it appears that there is water. Similarly, in the material world there is no happiness, but the transcendental bliss and happiness existing in the spiritual world is reflected here, and those who are less intelligent, they are after this illusory happiness, forgetting real happiness in the spiritual life.

Page Title:Compared with... (Lectures, Other)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:25 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=59, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:59