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Conditional life (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"conditional life" |"conditioned life" |"conditioned lives"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 6, 1971:

And beyond that covering, there is another sky. We are prisoned here within this universe. We are thinking that we are very free to move in the sky with, what is called, sputniks. But you cannot go beyond your limitation. That is not possible. They are going to the moon planet, again coming back. You see. That is our conditional life, that you are conditioned, packed up under certain regulations. If you violate, then you are punishable. You cannot violate. You have to remain within the conditions of material nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama... (BG 7.14). You cannot violate. If you want to violate the laws of nature, then you will create another difficulty. Another difficulty. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

So the ultimate aim is liberation from this conditional life, bondage. We are conditioned in every way, we can experience. As soon as we are embodied with a material body, immediately we are conditioned. Just like as soon as we enter in some state... Just like we have come from India. I have come from India in your state. So I am immediately conditioned by the immigration department.

So this is the material world, system. As soon as you enter a particular type of body you are conditioned. Just like while walking in the St. James Park the ducks and the swans, when they saw that we are coming near, they immediately dropped into the water. Because the duck is thinking that he's safe in the water.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

That is liberation. We can also, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we can also become without any condition. Just like Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni is traveling in the space because he's liberated soul. He's not conditioned. But because we are conditioned, we cannot travel in the space without the help of some machine or something else. This conditional life is going on anywhere you go within this material world. There are innumerable universes, and each and every universe, there are innumerable planets of different climatic conditions. Just like we find the climatic condition in the moon is different from the climatic condition of this earth. The climatic condition of sun is different from the climatic condition in the earth or from the moon. Every, each and every planet, each and every universe is differently conditioned. That is the beauty of Kṛṣṇa's creation. Keśava tuwā jagat vicitra.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

No advancement. So that inquiry should be there, that "What I am? What I am put into these tribulations of conditional life under the laws of nature?" Unless this question arises in one's mind, he's not a human being. He's animal. Just Sanātana Gosvāmī went to Caitanya Mahāprabhu and although he was minister, very learned scholar, he said, "My dear Lord, people eulogize me as very big man, learned man, minister. But I know that I do not know what I am. This is my position." Grāmya-vyavahāre kaha ei paṇḍita, tāi satya māni. "The people, the ordinary people, common people, they say that 'You are so great scholar, so rich man, minister.' They say like that. But I know that I am fool number one. I do not know what I am." This is the position.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

Little mistake. Otherwise Hitler would have come out victorious. There are many instances, in political field, in sociological field.

So however one man may be great, he must commit mistake. This is called conditional life. There is no man in this world who can say that "I never committed any mistake." Is there any man? No. That is not possible. And he must be illusioned. Illusioned. What is that illusion?

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

Here is your son. Here is your son, lying on the floor. Why you are crying that "My son is gone, gone, gone"? "No, no, no. My son is gone." This is illusion. He was all along illusioned to accept this body as his son. But at the time of death, he can understand that "The body was not my son. The son was a different thing which was within the body." So this is conditional life. Everyone is thinking, "I am this body." Everyone is committing mistake. Illusion and mistake.

Then another thing is cheating. So many rascal philosophers and scientists, they have no knowledge, accurate knowledge, but they are writing books. This is cheating. If you do not know what is what, why you are misleading others by writing books? No. He is making money. So cheating. Cheating, illusion, committing mistake. Three. And fourth: that the senses imperfect. They are gathering knowledge through senses. I see... I want to see personally.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

So because we are cheater in conditioned stage... Because that is my qualification, from qualification. Conditioned life means we must have four disqualifications. What is that? To commit mistake, to become illusioned, to become cheater, and to possess imperfect senses. This is our qualification. And we want to write books and philosophy. Just see. One does not consider his position. Andha. One man is blind, and he is saying, "All right. Come with me. I shall cross over the street. Come on." And if one believes, "All right," He does not inquire that "Sir, you are also blind. I am also blind. How you can help me crossing over the road?" No. He is also blind. This is going on. One blind man, one cheater is cheating another blind man, cheating.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

It is floating in the air just like a swab of cotton. You are explaining "weightlessness," but that's all right. But you float such thing. You can say so many things.

Therefore we should accept knowledge from such person who is beyond these four defects of conditional life. What is that? Illusion, mistake, cheating, and imperfectness. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is that proof. As I told you, that 2,500 years ago, or 5,000 years ago Vyāsadeva wrote about Lord Buddha's appearance. Still, there is appearance of Kalki from this time, henceforward, after 400,000's of years Kalki will appear. And his name, his father's name, the place where he will appear, that is mentioned in the Bhāgavata. That means tri-kāla-jña. Mahā-muni, he is liberated. He is incarnation of God. He knows past, present, future, and everything. That knowledge is perfect. One who knows past, present, and future perfectly, we should take knowledge from him.

Lecture on SB 1.1.9 -- Auckland, February 20, 1973:

"Never sit down in a lonely place even with your mother, even with your sister, or even with your daughter." Balavān indriya-grāmaḥ, the indriya-grāmaḥ, all the senses, especially the sex, is so strong that vidvāṁsam api karṣati, even one is very learned, very well educated, still he is attracted. Therefore our... This is the basic principle of our conditioned life, the sex. We are in this material world... Material world means to get this material body, and material body means subjected to the tribulations of material nature. This is called conditioned life. As soon as you get a material body, you have to undergo the pains of pleasures of this. No pleasures, all pains. You have to undergo, this is subjected. Mātrā-sparśa. As soon as you get a material body, immediately according to the seasonal changes... Just like in London city sometimes you are feeling cold, sometimes you are feeling very warm as the season changes.

Lecture on SB 1.2.3 -- London, August 24, 1971:

They are planning within this... That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as carvita-carvaṇānām. Carvita means chewing the chewed. They see that our previous leaders, they also did like this; it was not successful. Still they are going on in different way. That is not the way. Actually, if you are really anxious to become free from the conditional life, then you have to take to adhyātma-śāstra. You have to take knowledge from spiritual sources. Go on.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972:

We must revive our God consciousness again—that is not very difficult task—and save time, how to reestablish our relationship with God.

Therefore here Sūta Gosvāmī says that yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ. So our business should be always to inquire about Kṛṣṇa, or God, and try to understand, because as soon as you understand God, then your this material conditioned life will be finished. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). You should know Kṛṣṇa, or God, in truth not by manufacturing your own ways, concoction. Scientifically. It is a great science. Yad vijñānaṁ samanvitam. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānaṁ vakṣyāmi yat aśeṣataḥ (BG 7.2), in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sa-vijñānam: "It is science." Yaj jñātvā bhūyo 'nyaj jñātavyaṁ na avaśiṣyate. If you try to understand God, then you have nothing to understand again any more. Every, all knowledge is there. Because God is everything, so you understand everything.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 27, 1971:

Simply due to our ignorance we become conditioned. If we change the ignorance, immediately we are mukta. Immediately liberated. Just like... The same example: you're dreaming that "I am being attacked by a tiger." So the mukti means some way or other if somebody pushes you and you are awakened, no more tiger. Finished. So mukti and conditioned life... The whole world is conditioned because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And as soon as one takes to Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is mukta, immediately liberated. What is that Kṛṣṇa conscious? Now, "Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer. I am not enjoyer. Why I am struggling so hard? Whatever prasāda will Kṛṣṇa give me, that's all." That is mukti. So one can become liberated in one second. In one second. It doesn't take many lives or... But because we are fools and rascals, therefore it takes many, many births. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19).

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- New Vrindaban, September 7, 1972:

Then what about their knowledge?" They... Kṛṣṇa says, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, "Their knowledge has no value. Actual essence of knowledge has been taken away by the māyā."

So therefore dharma means one should be very serious to get out of this material conditional life. That is real dharma. Nārthāya upakalpate. Not that simply we go to temple or church and ask God for some material benefit. Arthāya, dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). These are called catur-varga. That is... In the Vedic civilization a human body, or human being, is recognized when he's interested in these four things: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. First of all, dharma. Without religious life, animal. What is the value of? Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. Anyone who has no religion... It doesn't matter what religion he's following, he must follow some religion. It doesn't matter whether Christian religion, Hindu religion, or Buddha religion, and this religion. It doesn't matter. He must have some religion.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Vrndavana, October 20, 1972:

Simply if we become engaged for economic development, fulfilling the belly, and we forget our real business, developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is not very intelligent work.

Therefore it is said here, dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. To perform religious..., religiosity means how to get out of this material conditional life, apavarga. Pavarga means hard work. Pa pha. And so much hard work that there is foam in the mouth, phena. Pa pha ba. And vyarthatā. In spite of working so hard, we are confused, baffled. Pa pha ba bha. And still there is bhaya, fearfulness, "Whether it is done, or whether I shall get tomorrow, any food?" Bha. In this way, at the end, ma, mṛtyu. This is called pa pha ba bha ma-pavarga. So to take to religiosity means to get out of this pavarga. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. Not pavargyasya. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na arthāya upakalpate. We go to temple or church or mosque to get some material benefit: "O God, give us our daily bread." The Christians pray like that.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:

This is the beginning. Just like a child learns to eat, little, little. Otherwise there will be no more food. Therefore dharma is required to stop this miserable condition of life. That is real dharma.

Therefore to come to the real point of dharma, transcendental position, in the material conditional life, the dharma, varṇāśrama-dharma... Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Viprādayo guṇaḥ pṛthak cātur-varṇyam. Ya eṣaṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād ātma-prabhāvam īśvaram, na bhajanti vā ajānanti... Puruṣasya āśramaiḥ saha. Tyakta jagṛhe varṇa vipro aday guṇaḥ pṛthak(?). These are the statements of śāstra, that the human society, just to make it real human society, not cats' and dogs' society, there must be varṇāśrama. That is dharma. In the material stage, when we have to take care of this body, there must be this varṇāśrama. That is systematic human society. If there is no varṇāśrama-dharma, then it is cats' and dogs' society. In the cats' and dogs' society there is no varṇāśrama-dharma.

Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Los Angeles, August 19, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Of course, in special cases, that is another... But generally, this is the rule. This is Vedic civilization. So as far as possible, we shall try to avoid this illicit sex, because that is very detrimental for advancing in the path of spiritual life. Therefore our first principle is no illicit sex. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam.

So things are difficult, at the same time very easy, provided we are determined that "In this life, I shall go back to home, back to Godhead." So these are the processes. So? Purport?

Pradyumna: "The conditioned life of a living being is caused

by his revolting against the Lord..."

Prabhupāda: That's all right, no time. Now chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.2.23 -- Los Angeles, August 26, 1972:

"Then, if Kṛṣṇa has become Hari, Viriñci and Hara, three, so I can worship anyone." No. That is hinted here: śreyāṁsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nṛṇāṁ syuḥ. But if you want your ultimate goal, then you take shelter of Viṣṇu—sattva-tanoḥ—not Śiva, not Brahmā. Here, clearly says. If you want... Because your conditioned life is due to your disobedience to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So unless you surrender unto Him, you again become obedient, there is no question of your goodness or your good or fortune. That is not possible. That is explained here. Śreyāṁsi, if you want... Śreyāṁsi means if you want really ultimate benefit of your life, then sattva-tanoḥ. Sattva-tanoḥ means Viṣṇu. You have to take shelter of the form of the Lord who is representing sattva-guṇa, goodness. Not the rajo-guṇa not the tamo-guṇa. If you take to rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, then tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19), then you will be influenced by two qualities, namely greediness and lust. That's all.

Lecture on SB 1.2.23 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972:

That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). This māyā is very, very hard to pass over. Duratyayā. Only means is: mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. This is the verse. Here it is also, the same thing confirmed: śreyāṁsi. If you want ultimate goal, ultimate goal means to get free from the conditional life, repetition of birth, death, old age—then you have to take shelter of Lord Viṣṇu. But people do not know that. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). For temporary benefit they go to worship other demigods. But that is not their ultimate goal. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Antavat tu phalam. If you take any benediction from other demigods, that is antavat. That will be finished. That is temporary. Antavat tu phalam..., tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām. Just like Lord Śiva's name is Āśutoṣa. He's very quickly becomes pleased to offer benediction; therefore generally people go to Āśutoṣa, Lord Śiva.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

Whole Vedic civilization is meant for giving liberation to the living entities from this material bondage. People do not know what is the aim of education. The aim of education, the aim of civilization, perfection of civilization, should be how people should get liberated from this conditional life. That is the whole scheme of Vedic civilization, to give liberation to the people.

So it is said: akhila-bandha-muktaye. Samādhinā, akhilasya bandhasya muktaye, akhilasya bandhasya. We are in conditional stage, perpetually bound up by the laws of material nature. This is our status. And Nārada is giving instruction to Vyāsadeva that "Present literature so that they can become liberated. Don't give them more and more opportunity to continue this conditional life." Akhila-bandha. Akhila. Akhila means complete, wholesale. And who can give this contribution? That is also stated, that atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk. Whose vision is clear.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

Because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, then what is my duty? To serve Kṛṣṇa. There is no other duty. Any other duty I manufacture, that is illusion. That is māyā, any duty I manufacture. So under illusion, I am manufacturing duties. This is called conditional life. So Vyāsadeva is advised that akhila-bandha-muktaye:"People are under illusion, 'I' and 'mine.' So, just try to get them liberated from this illusion." This is Vaiṣṇava's duty. Just like Nārada is advising Vyāsadeva, Vyāsadeva is advising his disciple Madhvācārya. He is advising his disciple. This is Vaiṣṇavism. They are not concerned for personal self. Akhila-bandha-muktaye: "Just try to liberate all these conditioned souls." Just like Lord Jesus Christ. For himself... He was son of God. He had nothing to do. God consciousness, he was. He's perfectly... He knows everything. But why he was crucified? Because he wanted to work for others.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

If you prepare yourself nicely, you get good chance; you get birth in higher planet. Or if you prepare himself, yourself nicely, then you go to Kṛṣṇa even. Now it is your choice. It is your choice. But we must know that "What is my condition." If I am in darkness, I do not understand what is, in what condition I am living, this is conditional life. That's... Everyone can understand. That Sanātana Gosvāmī understood. And we should follow the footprints of Sanātana Gosvāmī.

So he understood that "Although I am minister, although I am very educated..." Educated, what do you mean by educated? He said, grāmya-vyavahāre kahe paṇḍita: "Some, my neighbors, they call me very learned man, my neighbors." Grāmya-vyavahāre kahe paṇḍita. Because he was minister, and he was Sanskrit scholar, Urdu scholar, actually, from scholastic point of view, very educated... So he was born in brāhmaṇa family.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

"Why you disagree that you are not learned? You are learned." Now, he said that tāi satya māni, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "I am so learned that I do not know what is my destination, what is good for me."

This is the position of conditional life. Everyone is thinking that "I am very learned," "I am very rich," "I am very opulent," but if you ask him that "Why you are suffering? Wherefrom you have come? Where you are going next life? What is God? What is your relationship with...," he is silent. He's silent. You ask anybody, any learned professor in the, in the university, these questions, and let him... He will simply answer, "Perhaps," "Maybe," "Like this," "Like that...," no definite answer, because he does not know. This is our conditional life. This is our conditional life, that we do not know our position.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

And that qualification he has got. He has already said that "You have got so many qualifications. So you can do that. And why you are, you shall meditate?" Now, the reason is, urukramasya akhila-bandha-muktaye: "You shall yourself be liberated from all conditional stage of life, and you shall be able to make others also." Unless you become liberated from the conditional life, you cannot make others liberated. You cannot imitate.

Lecture on SB 1.5.25 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:

No, it is not artificial. It is natural. This is actual fact. So we are simply... Because our present, in the present material condition, our heart is covered with so much garbage of different types of body... Just like all of a sudden something comes to your mind. It has no connection. Just like a bubble, comes out. Because so many dirty things are reserved on account of our material conditional life for millions and millions of years. Anādi karama-phale paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Anādi, we cannot... Anādi means... Ādi means the creation. So before this creation. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We are in this material contamination not that in this millennium-before that. Just like millennium after millennium. Nārada Muni was speaking his life before this millennium. So anādi. Anādi means creation. But not only one creation, several creations, we are forgotten, or we are in this material world. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā... We are searching after material comfort, material comfort, sense gratification, in so many ways.

Lecture on SB 1.7.8 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1976:

How misleading these things are, and how people are being misled. You see.

So Kali-yuga is a very precarious condition: no knowledge, ignorance, and no nirvṛtti. Everyone is in pravṛtti. So whatever their condition may be, but if you want actually freedom from this material conditional life, then you should follow ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣaḥ. Ācāryopāsanam. Kṛṣṇa is personally acting as ācārya. He's coming again as ācārya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He has got so many representatives ācārya: Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Viṣṇu Svāmī, so many ācāryas. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). So take lesson from the ācāryas. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is ācārya. Vyāsadeva is ācārya. He's making the next ācārya by teaching him-adhyāpayām āsa, śukam adhyāpayām āsa—so that he is becoming ācārya. So we have to go the ācārya and take lesson.

Lecture on SB 1.7.24 -- Vrndavana, September 21, 1976:

That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not to become a lazy fellow, eat and sleep. No.

So this is dharmasya glāniḥ. But you have to change your angle of vision. In the material conditioned life your aim is how to satisfy your senses. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means you have to work in the same spirit, same vigor, but you have to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual life. Not that to become lazy fellow. The difference is, as it is said by author, Kṛṣṇadāsa, ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā tāre bali 'kāma' (CC Adi 4.165). What is kāma? Kāma means when one desires to satisfy his own senses. That is kāma. Kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare 'prema' nāma. And what is prema? Prema means when you engage yourself for satisfying Kṛṣṇa's senses. Why gopīs are exalted?

Lecture on SB 1.7.24 -- Vrndavana, September 21, 1976:

So in order to teach this lesson to us, the conditioned souls, jīva-loka, Kṛṣṇa, vidhatse svena vīryeṇa, by His own potency... Own potency means, if you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, He has got such potency He can deliver you from this conditioned life, jīva-loka. He can make you purified, mukti. That is called mukti. When you are free from this conditioned stage, this bodily conception of life, then you become free—simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.7.41-42 -- Vrndavana, October 2, 1976:

Nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir na yatir vā. Yati means sannyāsī. So He refused.

So this is false. Even if you become very much proud that you are a very learned brāhmaṇa or very advanced sannyāsī, that is not your freedom. You are not yet liberated. You are still in conditional life. Then? When you become liberated? That is stated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). This is liberation. Gopī-bhartuḥ, the maintainer of the gopīs, Gopījana-vallabha. Kṛṣṇa's business is how to please the gopīs, the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana. As the vṛndāvana-vāsīs, they have no other business than to love Kṛṣṇa, similarly, Kṛṣṇa has no other business than to please the gopīs and the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Gopījana-vallabha. So how...? Why Kṛṣṇa is so much attached to vṛndāvana-vāsīs?

Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:

Just like the child is sitting on the lap of the father. So the child is confident that "I'm secure." So it has no more any second desire. In the material world, because we have not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa we are always wandering helpless. Everyone here feeling helpless. Even though one is millionaire, even though one is president, but he's feeling helpless. This is the position, material conditional life.

Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973:

There is no difference. But the difference is that He gives you protection, and you are protected. Therefore we are worshiping God. This is the difference Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān, nityo nityānām. This is the Vedic injunction. God is also nitya, eternal; we are also eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We do not die. This is our conditioned life. We are changing our body because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa; there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But we are manufacturing different consciousness. And as we are manufacturing different consciousness, we are being contaminated by the particular quality of nature. They do not know that.

Lecture on SB 1.15.44 -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1973:

And anything based on mistaken idea, that will change. You have to correct the mistake. The so-called modern scientists, they are simply correcting their mistake. Therefore they have no real knowledge. Nobody can have real knowledge, because we are imperfect. Our senses are imperfect. That is our defect in the conditioned life. We have got four defects: we commit mistake, we become illusioned, our senses are imperfect, and we cheat. Because our knowledge is imperfect, still, we take the position of teacher; therefore we are cheater—not teacher, but cheater. So the teacher society nowadays is the cheater society. And this modern world is a society of the cheater and the cheated. That's all. Somebody is cheating and somebody is being cheated. This is going on.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:

This is the śāstra's injunction, that if you have to chant, if you have not to chant, means you must chant. Kalau nāsty eva gatir anyathā. You cannot avoid it. If you actually want relief from this conditional life, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), then you must... This is the only means. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Karma-jñāna-yoga, there are different processes of self-realization, karma-jñāna-yoga, but it is stressed, nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva, not karma, not jñāna, not yoga. Simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is required. That is the preaching of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this, this verse of Agni Purāṇa:

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:

Abhayam means fearlessness. One should be... Abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ. There are three necessities, four necessities of conditioned life: eating, sleeping, mating and fearing. So one has to become abhayam, no more fear. How? When you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). If you take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then... Therefore Parīkṣit Mahā..., er, Śukadeva Gosvāmī: icchatā abhayam. Those who are actually willing to become fearless, hero, they must always... Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14). Always chanting and hearing about Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for that purpose, to become abhayam, no more fear. Why one should fear? Kṛṣṇa assures, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31).

Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:

Why we are defending? Because on account of fearfulness. The animal, a small animal, ant, it has got also fear, and the biggest nation, Russia or America, they are also fearful because this is the qualification of conditioned life: āhāra, eating, nidrā, sleeping, and fearing, and mating. So if you want to get yourself free from fearfulness, then Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommends that you have to chant and you have to hear and you have to remember about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the conclusion. Don't try to hear so many nonsense things. Vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (BG 2.41). Just concentrate. If you want to hear about God, there are volumes of literature.

Lecture on SB 2.1.11 -- Los Angeles, August 1, 1970:

"No more material world. I don't want it." They are called nirvidyamānānām. So the one class is trying to possess and another class is trying to renounce. "I don't want." And another class is akuto-bhayam. Akuto-bhayam. Who is akuto-bhayam? Akuto-bhayam means one who does not fear. And who does not fear? Because fearfulness is one of the items of our conditional life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating. So who is without any fear? That means he's also liberated. He's not in the material platform, transcendental. Who is out of the limits of fearfulness.

Lecture on SB 2.3.13-14 -- Los Angeles, May 30, 1972:

The worldly men, they are duplicatous (?), speaking something, cheater. That is the, one of the qualification of the materialistic man. He must be cheater. There are four defects: commit mistakes, to be illusioned, to become cheater, and imperfect senses. This is called material life, conditioned life. He must commit mistakes. However a great philosopher... We are talking about the philosophers. So many contradictory things they say. Because he's an ordinary man. How he can say the right thing? It is not possible. The right thing can be said only by liberated person.

Lecture on SB 2.3.15 -- Los Angeles, June 1, 1972:

There are very nice verses in Bhāgavatam. Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. This chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, or God, is possible by a person who is disgusted with all these material activities. They can actually chant. That means mukta-puruṣa, liberated soul. It is ... The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the business of liberated soul, not for the conditioned soul. But even in our conditioned life, we chant, we become gradually purified.

Therefore it is recommended that everyone should chant. Never mind. Nama oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣam. Anyone who remembers the Puṇḍarīkākṣa. By chanting, you'll remember. So nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāt (SB 10.1.4). It is the medicine for our, this bhava-roga, repeated birth and ... Such a nice thing. Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt. Not only it is medicine ... Medicine is always bitter.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1969:

We are not proprietor of anything. But in this material world, this is, although it is a property, it is the property of the Supreme Lord... Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to God. Just like everything belongs to government, either in the prison house or outside the prison house, similarly, this material world is just like prison house, conditioned life. Just like in the prison house you cannot change your cell from this cell to another cell. Just like in free life you can go from this home to that home, in prison life you cannot do that. You must stay to your cell. So all these planets are like cells. We are trying to go to the moon planet; that is not possible, not in this way. That way is different. I have explained many times in this meeting. Because we are given a particular cell. Either we are Americans or Indians or Chinese or Russian, we have been given this planet. Live—you cannot leave it by your will.

Lecture on SB 3.12.19 -- Dallas, March 3, 1975:

Similarly, although there are millions and trillions of planets within this universe, you have to live in that particular planet where you are destined to live. That is condition. You cannot go to the sun planet or moon planet. Otherwise what is the meaning of conditioned life? Conditioned life means you are given opportunity to live on this planet, or the other living entities, they have been given opportunity to live in the sun planet. So they cannot come and live here, and we cannot go there and live there. This is called conditioned life. You must live under condition. You are not free. Otherwise they are attempting so much to go to the moon planet. But we are doubtful whether they are actually going. But no benefit has been derived by this excur... Simply you have spoiled your energy, time and money. That is..., means conditioned, that you cannot violate the conditions of the nature. That is not possible. But they are thinking they are free. They can do whatever they like. That is called ignorance, mūḍha, rascal. They are living under condition, but they are falsely thinking that "We are free." Is it not? Where is that freedom? Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). This rascal civilization do not admit this. They are so fool that they are conditioned in every step, and still they are thinking they are free.

Lecture on SB 3.12.19 -- Dallas, March 3, 1975:

If it is below fifty degree, it is intolerable for us. So there are different climates, different temperature. And in Canada they tolerate forty degree less than zero. So it is a question of different condition of life. But we are conditioned: high grade temperature, less temperature, high grade cold. But we can we trained up to any kind of conditional life. That capacity we have got. There is a Bengali proverb, śarīre na mahāśaya ya sahabe taya saya,(?) means "This body is," means, "it can tolerate any condition, provided you practice it." It is not that, that you are under certain condition, and if you are changed, it becomes so intolerable that you cannot live. No. If you practice...

Just like nowadays nobody is going. Formerly they are going to the Himalayan mountain, and there is very cold. And the tapasya... There is practice, method: in high scorching heat the saintly person or sages, they will ignite fire all round.

Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:

Nitāi: "The stage in which the consciousness of the living entity is attracted by the three modes of material nature is called conditioned life. But when that same consciousness is attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is situated in the consciousness of liberation."

Prabhupāda:

cetaḥ khalv asya bandhāya
muktaye cātmano matam
guṇeṣu saktaṁ bandhāya
rataṁ vā puṁsi muktaye
(SB 3.25.15)

Two words, bandhana, bondage, and mukti, liberation. So people in ignorance, dull-headed, mūḍha, they do not know what is mukti and what is bandhana, what is liberation and what is bondage. They do not to know. Just like animals. The animal, he does not know, the dog, that "I am bound up in this dog's body. This is bondage. This is not my life." He does not know. Similarly, a human being, if he does not know what is bondage and liberation, then he's animal. From animal life, this human life is evolved for understanding this: what is mukti and what is liberation.

Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:

There are duties of sannyāsīs or the brāhmaṇa or the gṛhastha, vānaprastha. There are duties.

So in this way Kali-yuga is polluted. Everything is contaminated, polluted. So it is called the ocean of faults. Because the life is meant for liberation. If one is not interested in liberation, simply for sense gratification, that is conditional life. They do not know it. But here it is stated that cetaḥ khalu asya bandhāya muktaye cātmano matam. The consciousness is the main principle, either for conditional life or for liberation. Consciousness. We are proposing Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means liberation. Liberation. What liberation? Liberation means to stop repetition of birth and death. They do not have idea even that birth and death can be stopped. They think it cannot be stopped. Mo... Big, big scientists, they cannot stop. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that you should keep in your front four different types of miserable conditions. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9).

Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:

So one should not think that "I have got millions of millions of years' duration of life. Therefore I am liberated." No. Brahmā, he has got millions and millions of years as one day, twelve hours, our twelve hours. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). So he is also subjected to birth and death. That is conditional life. So we have forgotten this. We Indians, bhāratīya, we have got these advantages, the perfect knowledge given by the Vedic literature, by great ṛṣis, and Bhagavān Svayaṁ Kapiladeva, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. And we are neglecting. We have become so unfortunate. There is a poet has said that ātman dhana vilaye diye bhikṣa mage porer kache:(?) "We have lost our own culture. Now we are beggar. We are going to foreign countries to beg something." Of course, I have gone to foreign countries not to beg, but to give. Others go there to beg: "Give me grain. Give me money. Give me soldier." But we have not gone. We have gone to give them.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

Those who are strictly following the brahminical rules and regulations... Vaiṣṇava also. Vaiṣṇava means he's already brāhmaṇa. So he must follow the rules and... Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam... (BG 18.42).

So cleanliness is next to godliness. So the... Actually, our material conditioned life means the mind is covered with dirt, all unclean, dirty things. That is the disease. When we are in the lower stage of tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, these dirty things are very much prominent. Therefore one has to raise himself from the position of tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa to sattva-guṇa. The process is recommended, how to cleanse the mind: śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). One has to hear the kṛṣṇa-kathā. Kṛṣṇa is within everyone's heart, and when He sees that a conditioned soul...

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

In the tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa you cannot. Tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, you remain like animal, like cats and dogs. But when you come to the platform of sattva-guṇa... That you can come by following the principles, and then the attachment... Guṇeṣu saktaṁ bandhāya. Then your conditioned life on account of being attached to the material qualities will be finished. How? Simple thing. Everyone can attain to the platform of sattva-guṇa if he follows the instruction. In the Bhagavad-gītā the same thing is said in different way, these languages and Vedic scriptures.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

If we chant and dance, then the dirty things become cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Cetaḥ khalu asya bandhāya muktaye cātmano matam. Cetaḥ, this heart, is the cause of our bondage, and the heart is the cause of our liberation. When it is dirty, then it is cause of bondage, conditioned life. Conditional life means that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). I take one birth, one body, and I stay for sometimes, enjoy or suffer. There is no question of enjoyment, only suffering. And then again I die. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). And I get another body and again begin another life. Maybe very good life, or maybe cats' and dogs' life, a tree's life. That we do not know. But dehāntara-prāptiḥ. But there is change of body.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

As soon as I die, give up this body—another body. Immediately. Immediately I'll have to enter the womb of certain mother through the grace of the father, and I'll have to develop another body, and when it is fit for working I come out, and again another chapter of my life begins. This is conditioned life.

So the human life is meant for understanding that how we are undergoing this tribulation of birth and death, old age and disease. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand. That is not possible. Therefore for human life so many Vedic literatures are there, not for the cats and dogs. If you don't take advantage of this Vedic literature,... There is no need of education. It is not needed that one has to become very learned scholar. No. Sat-saṅga. Hear. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. You remain in your position, but go to a person who is speaking kṛṣṇa-kathā. Hear him. That's all. Everyone can do that. Where is the difficulty?

Lecture on SB 3.25.21 -- Bombay, November 21, 1974:

There are two things: conditioned life and liberated life. Eight million, four hundred thousand forms of life there are. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Nine lakhs forms of life in the water. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. (aside:) The child may be... Sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. The trees and plants, they are two million. Sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ. And the germs and insects, reptiles, they are eleven hundred thousand, eleven lakhs. Pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam. Then birds, they are ten lakhs of forms. Then beasts, animals, so they are three millions forms. And then human beings, they are 400,000. Very small quantity. Of all the living entities, the human forms, they are very small number, 400,000. Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva. Aśītim means eighty, and catura means four. So 8,400,000 species of forms.

Lecture on SB 3.25.21 -- Bombay, November 21, 1974:

Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini... sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). He sees the animal, the cats and dogs, and a learned brāhmaṇa-sama-darśinaḥ. Samatā means not that brāhmaṇa is equal to the dog. No, not that. But he sees that brāhmaṇa is also a spirit soul, and the dog is also a spirit soul.

So this conditioned life... Dog has got a conditioned life, I have got a conditioned life, you have got a conditioned life. We are all conditioned, under different... And according to the condition, we have got different bodies. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). This conditioned life, different forms of life, we have got daiva-netreṇa, by superior, superior administration. Netreṇa means netṛtva, leadership. So superior leadership. Just like Yamarāja. Karmaṇā, according to my karma, he offers me some body. Daiva-netreṇa. Jantur deha upapatti. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Karma... Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13).

Lecture on SB 3.25.21 -- Bombay, November 21, 1974:

This is called prasaṅgam ajaram. Attachment to the material qualities, we are conditioned. And suppose we have got now human form of body or in a very rich family, that is all right, but it will not continue. You have to give it up. And any moment, by the superior authority, when it is ordered, "Immediately please leave this position," you have to do it. This is called conditioned life. You cannot stay in any status of life for all the days. If you think that "I am American. I am very happy," that... That's all right. You're American, you're happy, or Indian, you are very happy. You have chalked out your plan how to continue happiness. But nature will not allow you to stay. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). As soon as nature will call back, "Please give up this post. Now take the post of a dog,"... Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). "You have acted... You were given the most, I mean to say, exalted form of life, human being... You did not act as human being, you acted as a dog. Now you take the body of a dog."

Lecture on SB 3.25.21 -- Bombay, November 21, 1974:

Human life is meant for how to become free from this process of repetition of birth and death. That is liberation.

So here we have discussed last night that prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pāśam ātmanaḥ. The bondage, conditioned life, more and more tightened. Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). If you do not engage your life in activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness... That is called yajña. Yajña-puruṣa. Yajña means to sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Supreme Person. That is called yajña. (aside:) Go on.

Lecture on SB 3.25.21 -- Bombay, November 21, 1974:

That is also being controlled. That information... You are moving this hand very freely. It can be immediately paralyzed. I am claiming that "I... It is my hand." What is your hand? It can be stopped immediately. Your eyes, it can be stopped.

So we must know that we are conditioned. So this is conditioned life. How you can improve conditioned life? Therefore our business is how to become liberated from all this condition. And that can be done only by sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam. If you...You have got so many attachment for so many things. If you turn all this attachment to a sādhu... Sādhu-saṅga sādhu-saṅga sarva-śāstre kaya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised, sādhu-saṅga sādhu-saṅga sarva-śāstre kaya. In all the śāstras they advise that to associate with the sādhu. Tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. Even Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, a great politician... Bhaja sādhu-samāgamam.

Lecture on SB 3.26.3 -- Bombay, December 15, 1974:

So by our desire we get a particular type of form. It may be human being, it may be demigod, it may be elephant, it may be cat, it may be dog, it may be tree—in this way, in different forms, 8,400,000 different forms, we are trying to enjoy this material world. This is called material conditional life. Because we are failing to understand ātma-darśana. Because the purpose is ātma-darśana. Jñānaṁ niḥśreyasārthāya puruṣasya ātma-darśanam. Ātmā, one should see his real identification: "What I am?" That is the inquiry of a human being. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That when I understand that "I am not this body; I am Brahman," then we should go on inquiring about further about Brahman: "What is the form of Brahman? What is Parabrahman? What is the relationship between Parabrahman and the Brahman? Why Brahman has come to this material world and he has got this material body?

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

And that is spelled by this material nature. And I am identifying myself in that way: "I am this," "I am that," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am American," "I am Christian," like that. Guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. So this is our conditional life. Because Kapiladeva is speaking on the subject matter of ātma-darśana. So if we identify like that, that "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," or "I am cat," "I am dog," then we shall continue this life, this conditional life by the material nature. We shall continue forever. Nitya-baddha. Forever. "Forever" means we cannot calculate how long we shall continue. That is... It is not nitya actually, but because I do not know from whence it has begun, neither I know when it will end, therefore it is called nitya-baddha. Nitya-baddha.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

Nitāi: "Material consciousness is the cause of one's conditional life. Conditions are enforced upon the living entity by the material energy. Although he does not do anything and is transcendental to such activities, the spirit soul is thus affected by conditional life."

Prabhupāda:

tad asya saṁsṛtir bandhaḥ
pāra-tantryaṁ ca tat-kṛtam
bhavaty akartur īśasya
sākṣiṇo nirvṛtātmanaḥ
(SB 3.26.7)

So karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu guṇair ātmani manyate. The conditioned soul... We say "conditioned." It was not conditioned, but now it has become conditioned, pāra-tantrya.

kṛṣṇa bhuli' sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha
(CC Madhya 20.117)

This is a statement in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Kṛṣṇa bhuliyā, forgetting Kṛṣṇa, jīva, the living entity, anādi-bahirmukha... Anādi... Ādi means the beginning of the creation, and anādi means before the creation. Anādi. Nobody knows when it has began. The creation... There are many creations. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Just like this body: it is created, everyone knows. It is created by the father and mother. And it will be annihilated in due course of time by nature's way. Similarly, anything material... This whole universe, cosmic manifestation, is also created.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

So we are conditioned soul, but the Supersoul... The Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not admit the existence of Supersoul. They think there is one soul. We are... They speak of our conditioned life as līlā. This is not very good philosophy. One has got the body of a hog, and he is eating stool, and the Māyāvādī philosopher says that it is līlā. God is eating stool; it is līlā. Just see the philosophy! Because we say kṛṣṇa-līlā... Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is dancing with the gopīs or playing with the cowherds boy or becoming the child of mother Yaśodā. We say it is līlā. The Māyāvādī philosopher says... Because they do not two, make two. Their philosophy is one. So the pig or the hog eating the stool, they say it is also līlā. Kṛṣṇa is dancing with the gopīs, that is also līlā, and because they do not make two, therefore... We cannot say, of course.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

That is not. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). Sanātanaḥ means eternally we are vibhinnāṁśa.

So our this pāra-tantrya, dependence on material nature, is pāra-tantryaṁ ca tat-kṛtam. Tat-kṛtam. And we wanted this separation. Therefore it is our conditioned life here. That is our selection. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. When we wanted to enjoy life independently, so-called ind..., because we cannot be independent... We have to become dependent. Either this material nature or the spiritual nature, it is not possible. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). You have to take āśraya, shelter, of either of the prakṛtis, parā-prakṛti or aparā-prakṛti. Aparā-prakṛti is this material nature, and parā-prakṛti is the spiritual nature. So therefore jīva-śakti is called taṭastha. Taṭastha. Antaraṅga, bahiraṅga, taṭastha.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

The scientist also trying to find out means how to exploit the resources of material nature. That is also one kind of worshiping. Because if they are successful in discovering some material energy, new kind of material energy, they get money. Then, by money, they get full advantage of sense gratification. So this is called conditioned life, conditioned by the material..., illusioned by the material... They are trying, discover material advances, and becoming happy by such advancement. This is called material life. This is pāra-tantrya. This is not svātantrya. Pāra-tantrya. Although constitutionally the living entity is svātantrya, asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ, but because we accepted to be satisfied under the control of material nature, that is called pāra-tantrya, and that is called saṁsṛtiḥ. Saṁsṛtiḥ means continuously repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. That is called saṁsāra.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

It is the business of the guru to deliver this disciple, śiṣya, from this blazing fire of saṁsāra, saṁsṛti, bandha, conditioned life, to save him from that position and give him the eternal happiness, brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1).

Lecture on SB 3.26.9 -- Bombay, December 21, 1974:

Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). This is perfection of life. At the present moment we are being controlled every second, every step. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). Every step there is danger. This control means punishment. You cannot expect very good treatment in the prison life. So this is prison life, conditioned life. So you cannot expect any good treatment by the material nature because her business is to punish us. That is the business so that we can enquire that "Why I am being punished?" That is required. That "why" philosophy is very important. That is the beginning of human life. But we are so dull, in spite of being kicked every moment by material nature, that "why" question is not coming, so dull-headed. And we are advanced in designation.

Lecture on SB 3.26.16 -- Bombay, December 25, 1974:

This is Kṛṣṇa's, or God's, influence.

Just like in the prison life we are subjected to the rules and regulation of the prison house on account of disobeying the government laws, similarly, when we are disobedient to the laws of God, at that time, we are put into this material existence under the influence of time, and therefore our conditional life is always fearful. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād īśād apetasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. Everyone is thinking differently, all living entities. Somebody is thinking, "I am Indian." Somebody is thinking, "I am American," "Hindu," "Muslim," "Christian," "black," "white." So many ways we are thinking. Viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. Our real identity is when we understand that "I am not Hindu, not Muslim, not Christian, nor American, nor Indian, but I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." Then there is no more fear. That is fear... Bhajahuṅ re mana, śrī-nanda-nandana-abhaya-caraṇāra...

Lecture on SB 4.14.14 -- November 16, 1971, Delhi:

There is no other duty. Therefore Kṛṣṇa demands, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We have no other duty, just to serve Kṛṣṇa. But when we forget our position, constitutional position, and we try to enjoy this material world, that is called materialistic way of life or conditioned life. So just like drinking. Drinking is not good. Nobody supports. But when a drunkard is persistent to drink, the government gives him some concession, "All right, this man will die without drinking. All right. You can take your liquor from that shop, licensed shop, and you can purchase under such a condition, 'You do not do this, do not do this,' " there are so many regulations. But there is no such restriction for eating rice or dahl, because that is not bad. The bad thing... Just like slaughterhouse. Slaughterhouse is not open to the public. It is done in a secret place so that people may not see. It is ghastly. So anything bad, that is licensed, licensed. Just like sex life. Sex life is also not very good thing.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

This human body is a junction. You can go this way or you can go that way. This way means mahat-sevā, liberation. But people do not understand what is liberation. They are so dull. They have been... Their education system is so rubbish that they do not know what is liberation. Just like cats and dogs, they do not know what is liberation. Liberation means to get out of this false conditional life. I'm thinking I'm this body, which I'm not, and therefore I'm acting on the bodily concept of life and becoming entangled more and more so that I have to accept another body, another body, another body. This is my conditional state of life, and there is so much risk to accept another body. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, tathā dehāntara-prāptir. You have to accept another body. And what kind of body I'm going to get, that I do not know. Now suppose if I get another body in the plant life, a tree. A tree can stand for thousands of years. And if we get that sort of life, how much risky it is to accept another body. It is also possible.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

The same example, just a man is suffering from fever. If his fever is cured, then he gets healthy life. And, when he's in healthy life, he's free to eat, move, and everything of his business. But so long he's not in healthy life, he's restricted by the physician. Similarly, our present existence, conditional life, is due to this material body. I'll not expand my lecture, how we are suffering from this material body, but several times I have explained that this body is subjected to so many conditions. Just like adhyātmika we have got some bodily pains, mental inequilibrium and so many things. That is called adhyātmika, pertaining to the body and the mind, sufferings. Similarly, there are sufferings imposed by other living entities. Similarly, there are sufferings imposed by natural phenomena. So because we have got this body, we are subjected to threefold miseries of life.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

That is svarūpa, eternal, blissful life of knowledge. This is not svarūpa. This body is not eternal, neither it is blissful. It is full of miseries and without any knowledge. So this is not svarūpa. Svarūpa means eternal life, blissful life, and full of knowledge. That is called svarūpa.

So we do not know that we are now living conditional life, virupa, which is not my svarūpa. This is the science that svarūpa can be perceived, can be realized. That is described in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūta. Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), spiritual realization, that is also not svarūpa. That is the beginning of self-realization.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2), every one of us, we are thinking as puruṣa, enjoyer. That is the fight between, going on. Just like in Western countries, the prakṛti, the woman, they're also fighting, "We have equal rights with the man." So this is going on.

So this is all conditional life, the so-called puruṣa life, or so-called prakṛti life. Unless we have got real enlightenment, what is our real, constitutional position? That we can learn only by the association of mahat, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). That is the Vedic process, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). We must take shelter.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:

Dehambhara-vārtikeṣu, they are simply interested in maintaining this body, that's all. This is only business in the big, big cities, you'll find that business is going on, how to maintain this body. There is advertisement, as you look just like a human being, not some, something advertisement. So that is going on. We, our business at the present moment in conditioned life, nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night we sleep, and vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ. Vyavāyena means sex. At night our business is to sleep, and to indulge in sex. In this way we are wasting time, night. And daytime, divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā (SB 2.1.3). And in the daytime, we are very busy going this side, that side. Why? To get some money, div ā ca artha ihayā. Desiring where I shall get money? Where I shall get money? Divā cārthehayā, and as soon as I get money, I spend it, kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā, to maintain our family. So where is time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness? There is no time sir.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-15 -- San Francisco, September 12, 1968:

Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he said that "I have already described the different kinds of hellish conditions. So unless one atones his sinful life, one has to suffer such hellish conditional life." Tasmāt puraivāśv iha pāpa-niṣkṛtau yateta mṛtyor avipadyatātmanā (SB 6.1.8). Therefore it is everyone's duty that before you meet death, you atone your sinful activities. And what is that example he's giving? Doṣasya dṛṣṭvā guru-lāghavaṁ yathā bhiṣak cikitseta rujāṁ nidānavit (SB 6.1.8). Just like when one is diseased, if he does not make proper treatment immediately, that disease may increase and cause fatal. Everyone knows that, that when he's diseased... So diseased condition means sinful condition. Diseased condition means suffering, and suffering means sinful, reaction of sinful activities. So the prescription is that as one goes to the physician, similarly, for treatment of his disease—otherwise it may prove fatal—similarly, one should atone the sinful activities as they are prescribed in different scriptures. That is the prescription.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Denver, June 28, 1975:

This business will be stopped. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Somehow or other, if you become fit to go back to home, back to Godhead, yad gatvā, then you haven't got to come back again. But they do not understand that this material conditional life is always miserable. They have accepted, "It is very nice." Animals. Animals Just like in the slaughterhouse, livestock godown, there are so many animals, and they are going to be slaughtered. Everyone knows. They also know, the animals. But on account of their animal quality, they cannot do anything. Similarly, we are also put into the slaughterhouse of this material world. It is called mṛtyu-loka. Everyone knows that he will be slaughtered. Today or tomorrow or fifty years after or a hundred years after, everyone knows that he will be slaughtered. He will die. Death means slaughter. Nobody wants to die. The animal also do not like to die. But they are forcibly killed. This is called slaughter. Similarly, who wants to die?

Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Chicago, July 7, 1975:

That is a good business. Kṛṣṇa will recognize. Anyone who is pushing on this movement, he is immediately recognized. Because Kṛṣṇa wants... We are all sons of Kṛṣṇa. He wants us back to home, live with Him comfortably, without any disadvantage of conditional life, freedom. Kṛṣṇa wants. Therefore he comes: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). That dharmasya glāniḥ means... Dharma means religious. Glāni means pollution. What is that? We are manufacturing so many rascal type of religion. This is dharmasya glāniḥ. But real religion is as Kṛṣṇa says. What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is religion. Religion means the order of Kṛṣṇa. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). You cannot manufacture religion. Religion means you carry out the order of God. That is religion. That is religion.

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976:

This is called yoga practice. So we have to catch again mind: "Why you are going there? Come here. Think of Kṛṣṇa." Then that is practice. That is called yoga. You cannot allow the mind. And when you can control the mind... Generally, we are controlled by the mind. That is the position of our conditional life. Baddha-jīva, mukta-jīva. Liberated soul and conditioned soul. What is the difference? Conditioned soul means who is becoming conditioned by the mind or controlled by the mind, he is conditioned soul. And liberated soul means who is not conditioned by the mind. Mind says, "Why not smoke one cigarette?" And when you'll be able to say, "No cigarette!" then you've controlled the mind. Mind will say always for some sense gratification. But when you control the mind, then you are liberated person. Therefore the svāmī, svāmī means controller or gosvāmī. Svāmī does not mean you simply stamp over your name "Svāmī." No, svāmī means the controller of the mind.

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976:

That is success. That after giving up this body... This body means the combination of the so many, twenty-four elements. So long we'll be entangled within this network of twenty-four elements, it is called conditioned life. And mukti, liberated, means no more entanglement. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpam. We are now entangled in these twenty-four elements, and mukti means we are not entangled. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpam. Because we are entangled, we are thinking otherwise. "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this," "I am that," "I am that," "I have got so many duties." These things. But when one understands that these so-called duties and entanglement of these twenty-four elements of matter, "I do not belong this. I am aloof, I aloof," this understanding is called brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). At least theoretically if we understand, then our duty changes. Prasannātmā, fixed up.

Lecture on SB 6.1.64-65 -- Vrndavana, September 1, 1975:

On account of this sex relationship, the man or woman is bound up. Hṛdaya-granthi. Granthi means knot, and hṛdaya means heart. So the man is thinking of the woman, and the woman is thinking of man. Hṛdaya granthim āhuḥ. Then we require material possession. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This is our material, conditional life.

So this man, although he was being trained up as a brāhmaṇa, his attention was diverted all of a sudden by seeing one śūdra and śūdrāṇī embracing, kissing, talking. So that became his meditation. Instead of meditating on Viṣṇu, he began to meditate on that śūdrani. Svayam eva toṣayām āsa. In the first verse, tan-nimitta-smara vyāja-graha-grasto vicetasaḥ. He became mad, vicetasa, bewildered, as if haunted by ghost. Tām eva manasā dhyāyan. Always meditating, "How shall I get that woman? How shall I please that woman so that she may satisfy my lusty desires?" Therefore tām eva toṣayām āsa: "His only business was how to please her." Now they require money. So he was not earning money, but pitṛyeṇa, whatever money he inherited from the father's earning...

Lecture on SB 6.2.16 -- Vrndavana, September 19, 1975:

We are put into certain condition; therefore it is called conditional life. Suppose you are very pious man. You are not killing any man or any cow—we are very careful—but still you have to kill. What is that? Because we are walking on the street. You have seen. You are killing so many ants. The position is like that. Even if you do not wish to kill, even if you are very pious man, still you have to kill, unconsciously or consciously. The world situation is like that. Anyone who has come here, he must commit sinful activities. As soon as you get this material body, then you must have to commit sinful activities, even if you are very careful. It is not possible. Therefore śāstra says, padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām: (SB 10.14.58) "Every step there is vipadā." You cannot be excused. Because you are killing one ant unconsciously while walking, your name is noted. Your ticket is immediately there: "Oh, you have killed so many ants." The law is so nice. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). Automatically it is recorded, automatically, and you have to suffer.

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- Mauritius, October 2, 1975:

And why they are doing so? Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti: "Simply for sense gratification." There is no higher aim, only sense gratification. The śāstra says, na sādhu ayam: "This is not good." Why? Because on account of our sinful activities we have already got this painful, miserable, conditioned life, this body, and if we still go on like that, then again we shall get such body and suffering. This is sense. This is jñāna. Every one of us, we are trying to be happy without any suffering. That is the aim of life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). We are living beings, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Our nature is to become happy, pleased, joyful. But this is not the way of becoming happy, joyful, and enjoy pleasure. This is not the way. The way is different. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:

Some way or other, complete it, and let me decide not to commit again any criminal acts so that I may be put again into prison life." This is intelligent. Similarly, we should be educated how we have been put into this material conditional life and how we can get out of it and then again in our spiritual life we can go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be the aim of life. But na te viduḥ: "They do not know." Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatim. The progress should be towards Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, back to home, back to Godhead. They do not know. Why? Because durāśayā. They are thinking that "We shall make adjustment in this material life, and we shall be happy."

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Vrndavana, December 7, 1975:

Every moment is so valuable that if we lose one moment we lose so many hundred thousands of dollars. That they do not understand.

So how time can be utilized very nicely, that was also explained yesterday, mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. Just to take shelter of Mukunda. Mukunda means who can deliver you from this conditional life. He is called Mukunda. That is the whole thing. Kṛṣṇa comes... The whole Bhagavad-gītā teaching ultimately ends with this order, mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the ultimate. But because people have become deviated, fallen, they do not know what is the aim of life, what is the goal of life. They are simply wasting time. Vimara-cetaḥ (?). Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "My Lord, I am not very much anxious for me because I have no trouble. As I have learned to chant Your glories, so anywhere I am happy simply by glorifying Your activities.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Because the conditioned souls here in this material world, they have all misused their independence... Anyone, beginning from the highest planet down, beginning from Brahmā down to the small ant, everyone has misused his independence. This conditional life, this material body, is due to that. Therefore our reactions of that misuse is going on life after life. Now, Kṛṣṇa says that "If you surrender immediately, then I take charge of you." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just give up all your other engagements. Just surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "I shall give you protection from all reaction of your misuse of independence."

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 4, 1968:

And so far knowledge is concerned, you will get it automatically. You will get all knowledge. Our material conditional life is simply due to ignorance, and when you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the full moonlight of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all knowledge, will be at your feet. Everything you will know. Vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam. And ānandāmbudhi-vaṛdhanaṁ: then you increase the ocean of transcendental bliss. The ocean. The ocean never increases, but the transcendental ocean of bliss increasing daily, daily, and you enjoy it. Ānandāmbudhi-vaṛdhanaṁ sarvātma-snapanaṁ. Sarvātma-snapanaṁ. Just like when you take your shower bath or a dip into the ocean, you feel fully comfortable, similarly, by taking your dip into the ocean of bliss of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will feel fully refreshed, fully refreshed, without any doubt. Paraṁ vijayate śri-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. Therefore Lord Caitanya gives, "All glories to the saṅkīrtana movement, Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 12, 1968:

Even in the animals, you have experienced that so many animals, they are living in such a miserable condition, but still, he does not like to give up this body. But the pain is more felt by God than the living creature in this conditioned life. So it is always... There is always endeavor on the part of God to send His representative; He comes Himself, He gives book.

So anyone who takes up this endeavor on behalf of God to reclaim these conditioned souls back to Godhead, back to home, he is considered the most intimate devotee, dear devotee of the Lord. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, na ca tasmād manuṣyeṣu kaścid me priya-kṛttamaḥ. If you want to become very dear to Kṛṣṇa or God, then try to take up these missionary activities. What is that? Spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:

Just like a drop of ocean water and the vast mass of water, quantitatively they are different. Qualitatively they are one. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa has knowledge and you have knowledge, but the quantity of Kṛṣṇa's knowledge and your knowledge is different. He is full of all knowledge. You are almost full of all knowledge, but not exactly like Kṛṣṇa. And especially in your conditional life you are covered. All your knowledge is covered. Even that fragmental knowledge is also covered. Therefore you are in illusion. Because we are fragmental, therefore we are subjected to be covered by the illusory spell. Just like the sky and the sun. Sometimes there is covering by cloud. The cloud covers a few miles or the cloud covers the eyes of living entities like us, but the cloud does not cover the sun or the whole sky. That is not possible. But a fragmental portion of the sky is covered by cloud, and because we are very teeny, if the cloud is spread only for ten miles we think, "Now the sun is covered." The sun is never covered.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:

Just like this morning you have news that the Russians have captured Czechoslovakia. How much distressed they are. I heard from the newspaper that several of them were crying. So this is the position. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadam (SB 10.14.58). Every step, there is danger. The material conditional life is so obscure that every step. Therefore the first-class process of yoga is this bhakti-yoga. Simply you turn your attention to this vibration and chant it according to your capacity. It does not require any pre-education. Prahlāda Mahārāja said yathā manīṣam. Yathā manīṣam means "as far as it is in my power." So you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa as far as in your power. That means you can chant whenever it is possible. It is not that you have to go to a temple on a particular time and chant. No. While you are walking, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Practically we see, when we pass on the street, some of the children, seeing us, say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on SB 7.9.16 -- Mayapur, February 23, 1976:

Dayānanda: "O my Lordship, You are so kind upon the fallen souls. O the most powerful, insurmountable by anyone else, on account of my resultant action of activities, I have been put into the association of asuras, and therefore I am very much afraid of my condition of life within this material world. Of course, if You become very pleased upon me, I am waiting for that moment when You will call me to take shelter under Your lotus feet, which is the ultimate goal of life for being liberated from this conditional life."

Prabhupāda:

trasto 'smy ahaṁ kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra-
saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāṁ praṇītaḥ
baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama te 'ṅghri-mūlaṁ
prīto 'pavarga-śaraṇaṁ hvayase kadā nu
(SB 7.9.16)

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was not afraid of the fierceful features of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. He was not fearful. But question may be asked, "You are not afraid of anything? You are seeing so fierceful appearance, nṛsiṁha-mūrti. Everyone is afraid. And even Lord Brahmā; Lord Śiva; goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī; and other demigods—everyone is afraid of, but you say that 'I am not afraid of Your, this horrible feature.' " Nāhaṁ bibhemy. This verse we have discussed, "I am not afraid."

Lecture on SB 7.9.28 -- Mayapur, March 6, 1976:

"My Lord, Nṛsiṁhadeva, I am now so competent. Give me Your service directly." No. Tava bhṛtya-sevām: "First of all give me the opportunity to serve Your servant." This is Vaiṣṇavism.

So why it is required to serve Vaiṣṇava? If you want to get relief from this conditional life, then you have to serve Vaiṣṇavas. Chādiyā vaiṣṇava sevā, nistāra payeche keba. This is the... "Who has got," I mean to say, "liberty from this entanglement of material existence"—chādiyā vaiṣṇava sevā—"if you do not serve a pure Vaiṣṇava?" Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). This is everywhere. If you want liberation from this material entanglement, then you must take to mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). You must. There is no alternative. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). "If you are actually interested to inquire about the transcendental subject matter, you must accept a guru." Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta.

Page Title:Conditional life (Lectures, SB)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:28 of Apr, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=84, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:84