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Decorated (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

You simply see Kṛṣṇa nicely decorated in the temple. That is bhakti. You simply prepare foodstuff for Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti. You simply chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti. In this way we can utilize all the senses. We can utilize our hands in collecting flowers, in cleansing the temple. If we haven't got education, ignorant, it doesn't require. Simply engage your senses, hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). Then you become perfect. You have got your senses. Engage the senses for the service of Kṛṣṇa. Then you become perfect. Very nice thing. You don't require to become a very big philosopher, very rich man, very nicely educated, nothing of the sort. Simply you have got your senses. Engage the senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa, your life is perfect. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

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

Svargāpavarga, heaven or the Brahman effulgence, or hell, all these are equal to a devotee. A devotee does not make any distinction because he has always within his heart Kṛṣṇa. So either he goes to hell or heaven, it doesn't matter. You see? If Kṛṣṇa goes with him then it is no longer hell. (laughs) Just like īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). The Lord as Supersoul is in everyone's heart, so He's in the heart of the hog or He is in the heart of the worm in the stool. Does it mean Kṛṣṇa is living in the stool? No. Wherever He lives, He lives in Vṛndāvana. That is His inconceivable potency. He can live everywhere, but He does not live there. He lives in Vṛndāvana. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). So it doesn't matter whether it is garage or anything. If somebody is voluntarily offering that, immediately accept that. We shall sit down there, and fifty people can sit. It is sufficient. We can decorate it nicely. Immediately.

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

So why not in the future? How it is that in the future they'll mix up and become one, homogeneous thing? It is quite reasonable. And this conclusion is like this: just like in two hundred years before, in the month of March, the climatic position was like this. And in 1966 we find in March the climatic position is exactly the same. And in future... Naturally I conclude that in future in March the same climatic condition will be there. In astronomy also, if you find that in March, in such and such date, the sun rising is like this, and actually in the present March, month of March, 1966, we see the same exact time... And the whole calculation of astronomy is made like that. They prepare hundred years' astronomical charts. Hundred years'. How they do prepare? By this calculation, that in the past it was like this, at the present it is like this, so naturally, in future it will be like this. Just like you are speaking of the imminent springtime, that the nature, how will be decorate, how springtime, it will be nice, because you had past experience. So you are foretelling. It is not foretelling. From past experience, you are telling that this will take place. This will take place.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- London, August 21, 1973:

He cannot become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha means home, and vratānām means one who has taken the house or home or this body as everything. Vrata. Vrata means... Just like you are observing this today, a Janmāṣṭamī-vrata, under vow. We shall fast, an austerity. The aim is different from the gṛha-vrata. Gṛha-vrata's aim is how to decorate the home, how to become happy in this home, in this world, in this material world. That is their... So they cannot become Kṛṣṇa conscious. One who has become callous of this material happiness, he can become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Therefore it is said here, yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete. These material things, seasonal changes, so-called happiness, so-called distress, if one is not disturbed... There is no cause of disturbance. This is another foolishness. Why one should be disturbed? Because the so-called happiness or happiness or distress, whatever you are destined to receive, you must get it. You try or do not try, it doesn't matter. Whatever portion of happiness you are destined to get, you'll get it. And whatever portion of... Because this material life is mixture. You cannot get unadulterated happiness or unadulterated distress. No. That is not. You'll get distress and happiness both.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:

I've already explained. In India, of course, materially, five hundred, five thousand years ago, materially also, India was very opulent. Why five thousand years? Even five hundred years or four hundred years, India was so opulent that Europeans were attracted to go to India. Even during the time of Mogul Empire. It was so opulent. Those who have gone to India, you'll find if you visit in Delhi, the Red Fort. Red Fort you'll find there are pictures of birds and trees on the wall and the eyes of the bird is now hole or some parts. Means it was bedecked with jewel. On the wall there was decoration of birds. Just like we paint now. There is also paint. But that is not painting. Set up with stones, and the eyes and other parts of the bird, or trees, flowers, they are bedecked with different types of jewels. Now all these jewels have been taken away when British government was there, and they are now protected in the British museum. So far I have heard. But the jewels were taken away. That's a fact. Anyone can see that. So material opulence and... Of course, in India, it was not considered to have a big tin car or plastic plates. Material opulence means jewels, gold, silk, butter, that is material opulence. Not plastic pots or plastic bucket, plastic cloth. It has no value.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

So a person who is situated on the platform of pure consciousness, he's not disturbed by all these miseries. That is the symptom. He's not disturbed. When... Or... When we are situated in pure consciousness platform, we'll personally understand that "I am not disturbed by all these miseries." People become very much disturbed, agitated, but one who is actually situated in this position of pure consciousness—brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54)—he has no distress. He has no distress. And sukheṣu, sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ. This is the, I mean to say, platform of distresses. And there are sometimes happiness also. Happiness also. Sometimes suppose I get some good foodstuff. Somebody praises me, "Oh, Swamiji, you are very great soul," and so on, so on, so on... So that praising, that praising... Sometimes we are offered some, I mean to say, decoration, some degrees of praises from institutions. These are the signs of our happiness. But one who is situated in pure consciousness, he's neither disturbed by all those distresses, neither he is actually happy by all these designative offerings. You see? Because he knows that these designation... Suppose I have passed my M.A. examination, and in the, in the university, in the convocation meeting, I get the degree and people applauses me; but if one is situated in consciousness, he will understand, "What is this degree? This degree is due to my this body.

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

If you want satisfaction of your self, then you must practice this devotional service. Engage your eyes, engage your ears, engage your nose... Then the arcanā-vidhi... Arcanā-vidhi is to engage all the senses in the service of the Lord. Of course, here there is no such example. But in India there are temples. There are temples in which the Lord is so nicely decorated, big, big temples. Especially in Vṛndāvana there are, where I have my headquarters, there are five thousand temples. Out of that, about seven or eight temples are very prominent and they're very old. And one of the temples is my residence, Rādhā-Dāmodara temple. Now, in, in all these temples the Deity, They are so nicely decorated. Twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours, engagement is, there is. In the early in the morning, early, there will be maṅgala-ārātrika, at four o'clock. The Lord... It is understood that Lord gets, gets up from His sleeping. So the first there is offering of worship which is called maṅgala-ārātrika. Now, then there is bhoga-ārātrika. Then there is dress, dressing of the Lord, decorating the Lord. Then offering foodstuff. Then... And so on, so on. There are so many programs that all the devotees, they are engaged fully. They see nicely decorated. If you want artistic decoration, just apply it to the Lord. See how artistically He's decorated. So that satisfies the demands of my eyes. In every temple nice musical sound is going on. If you there, you sit down for a time, and you hear, and you become satisfied. So the ear is satisfied. The eyes are satisfied. Then you take very nice, palatable, I mean to say, foodstuff, offered to the Deity, and you are offered the prasādam as remnants. So these arrangements are there. And, not only in Vṛndāvana, in every town, still the system is going on. That means our senses, in a different way, they're engaged. They're engaged, spiritually engaged.

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

So Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa proved. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was present amongst ourselves, from the history we can see that... If we have to believe the history, then He was in full in everything. He was full in everything. So far as a householder also, when Lord Kṛṣṇa displayed His capacity as a householder... You will be surprised. Perhaps most of you know that He married 16,108 wives. Sixteen thousand... So somebody may be surprised that "How a person can marry 16,108 wives?" Yes. A ordinary person like us or a little more strong person, that is not possible. But when the word omnipotency is applied... God is called omnipotency, so for Him nothing is impossible. So if we have to believe the history, then Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa married 16,108 wives, and He built 16,108 palaces also, well-decorated, fully equipped, all-marble palaces. And there was no need of light. The palaces were so nicely decorated with jewels that the light focused by the jewels, that will illuminate the house. And another thing—He was present in every house simultaneously. Sixteen thousand wives and sixteen thousand houses—He was present in sixteen thousand expansions by Himself. So that is called opulence. These are the opulences. So Lord Kṛṣṇa was full.

Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

Madhudviṣa: "He appears exactly in His eternal body, uncontaminated by this material world. Although He appears in the same transcendental body, it still appears that He has taken His birth like an ordinary living entity, although in fact He is the lord of the universe. Despite the fact that Lord Kṛṣṇa has grown up from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth, astonishingly enough, He never ages beyond youth-hood. On the battlefield of Kurukṣetra when He was present, He had many grandchildren at home, or, in other words, He had sufficiently aged by material calculations. Still, He looked just like a young man, twenty or twenty-five years old. We have never seen a picture of Kṛṣṇa in old age because He never grows old like us, although He is the oldest person in the whole creation, past, present, and future. Neither His body nor His intelligence ever deteriorates or changes. Therefore it is clear herein that in spite of His being in the material world, He is the same unborn, eternal form of bliss and knowledge, changeless in His transcendental body and intelligence. Factually His appearance and disappearance are like the sun rising, moving before us and then disappearing from our eyesight. When the sun is out of sight, we think that the sun is dead. And when the sun is before our eyes, we think that the sun is on the horizon. Actually the sun is always there. But owing to our defective, insufficient eyesight we must calculate the appearance and disappearance of the sun in the sky. And because His appearance and disappearance are completely different from that of any ordinary common living entity, it is evident that He is eternal in blissful knowledge by His internal potency, and He is not contaminated by material nature. The Vedas confirm that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is unborn, and yet He still appears to be taking His birth in multi-manifestations. The Vedic supplementary literature also confirms that even though the Lord appears to be taking His birth, He is still without change of body. In the Bhāgavatam He appears before His mother as Nārāyaṇa with four hands and the decorations of the six kinds of full opulences. His appearance in His original eternal form is His causeless mercy, according to the Viśvakośa dictionary. The Lord is conscious of all His previous appearances and disappearances, but a common living entity forgets everything about his past body as soon as he gets another. He shows that He is the Lord of all living entities by performing wonderful and superhuman activities while on this earthly planet. The Lord is always the same Absolute Truth, and is without differentiation between His form and self, or between His quality and body. A question may now be raised as to why the Lord appears and disappears in this world at all. This is explained in the next verse."

Prabhupāda: All right. Stop. We shall discuss next. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Very nice. All right. Any question regarding this discussion?

Balabhadra: I thought Kṛṣṇa was sixteen only.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:

So the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā, how it has to be received, that is explained here. It is not to be understood by so-called scholarship. In the Vedic literature we find, nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena. If you're actually interested in ātma-jñāna, self-realization, then you cannot understand by your so-called academic education. No. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena... Or because you are a big speaker, you can speak very nicely, decorating language, therefore you have understood. That is also not possible. The spiritual knowledge has to be understood by the grace of the Supreme Spirit. Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ-labhyaḥ Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23. One who is favored by the Supreme... Here Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Being, God, He's explaining about Himself. So you have to learn about God, or Kṛṣṇa, from Kṛṣṇa, or through the paramparā. As Kṛṣṇa says, evaṁ paramparā.

Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:

Paramparā means Kṛṣṇa explained the knowledge, Vedic knowledge, to Lord Brahmā, ādi-kavaye. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ tene brahma hṛdā (SB 1.1.1). The spiritual knowledge, brahma, brahma-vidyā, śabda-brahma, the Vedic knowledge... Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, the words written in this book, Bhagavad-gītā, although it appears like ordinary letters, they are not like that. It is Vedic vibration. The things which are being spoken by Kṛṣṇa, they are not ordinary language. Had it been ordinary language, how...? Because it was written five thousand years ago. How it is still going on? There are many literatures written by great, great poets within two thousand, two hundred years, three hundred years, or, say, thousands of years. But they are being forgotten. But therefore the character of the Vedic knowledge, they are not material things. They're all spiritual. Why we are giving so much importance to the words of Kṛṣṇa? Because this language is absolute. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's words, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's language, or Kṛṣṇa's words, they are the same. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's forms... We are worshiping Kṛṣṇa's form. That is also Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, are we wasting our time by decorating a doll, a statue, and we are struggling so hard to establish a temple of Kṛṣṇa? No.

Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa does not appear or disappear. Our eyesight changes. Just like we are looking through the window. One horse race is going on. When the horse comes before the window, we can see. And when it passes through, from our eyesight, we think that horse is no longer existing. But the horse is running. This example should be taken. Kṛṣṇa is called nitya-līlā. He is taking His birth, He is fighting in the battle of Kurukṣetra, He's dancing with the gopīs. That is going on eternally in either of the so many, innumerable universes. So the same time...

Just like the change of time. Now it is nine o'clock in the watch. Now, this nine o'clock, this is now night. The morning nine o'clock is still existing somewhere. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's līlā, Kṛṣṇa's pastime, is going on. Everything is going on at the same moment. Therefore His līlā is called nitya-līlā. Nitya means eternal. It does not change. Go on.

Pradyumna: "Actually, the sun is always in its fixed position, but owing to our defective, insufficient senses, we calculate the appearance and disappearance of the sun in the sky. And because His appearance and disappearance are completely different from that of any ordinary common living entity, it is evident that He is eternal blissful knowledge by His internal potency, and He is never contaminated by material nature. The Vedas also confirm that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is unborn. Yet, He still appears to take His birth in multi-manifestations. The Vedic supplementary literatures also confirm that even though the Lord appears to be taking His birth, He is still without change of body. In the Bhāgavatam, He appears before His mother as Nārāyaṇa with four hands and the decoration of the six kinds of full opulences. His appearance in His original eternal form is His causeless mercy, according to the Viśvakośa dictionary. The Lord is conscious of all of His previous appearances and disappearances, but a common living entity forgets everything about his past body as soon as he gets another body. He is the Lord of all living entities because He performs wonderful and superhuman activities while He is on this earth. Therefore the Lord is always the same Absolute Truth, and is without differentiation between His form and self or between His quality and body. The question may now be raised as to why the Lord appears and disappears in His form. This is explained in the next verse."

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

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

But God is Absolute. Therefore there is no distinction between mouth or the leg. If you offer flowers and tulasī on the lotus feet of God, Kṛṣṇa, and if you decorate the mouth of Kṛṣṇa, it is the same bhakti. Because there is no difference of the mouth and legs, provided the mouth is working as mouth and the leg is working as leg for satisfying the Supreme. Then there is no such distinction. As soon as Kṛṣṇa consciousness is absent, a so-called brāhmaṇa is puffed up. 'Oh, I am born in brāhmaṇa family. I am bigger than the śūdras." That is falldown. The real purpose is that either you be mouth or hand or waist or leg, the real purpose is to maintain the body very perfectly. That is real purpose.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

So You first of all taste. Then we shall take." Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. Yes, that's all. Kṛṣṇa eats, and Kṛṣṇa puts again in the same way. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). We are offering Kṛṣṇa, that does not mean that Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is eating, but Kṛṣṇa is so full, complete, that He's leaving the whole thing complete. So people do not even understand these things that we are not loser by offering Kṛṣṇa. We become gainer only. Gainer only. You decorate Kṛṣṇa nicely, you see. Then your desire for seeing beautiful thing will be satisfied. You no more will be attracted by the so-called beauties of the world. You keep Kṛṣṇa in comfortable state, You offer Kṛṣṇa nice foodstuff, you'll eat it. So just like if I decorate my face, I cannot see how it is beautiful, but if I bring one mirror before me, the reflection of my face is beautiful. Similarly, you are reflection of Kṛṣṇa. Man is made after God. So if you make happy Kṛṣṇa, then you'll see that your reflection, you are happy. Kṛṣṇa does not require your service to become happy. He is complete in Himself. But if you try to supply, make happy Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be happy. This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So try to decorate nicely Kṛṣṇa, try to give all foodstuff to Kṛṣṇa, try to keep Kṛṣṇa in all comfortable position. In this way you will reciprocate all the things that you offer to Him. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Upsala University Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

The unlimited enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like we want to enjoy life, family life. We marry one wife. Or, in some countries, more than one wife—two, three, four. But when Kṛṣṇa married, He married 16,108. So... And sixteen thousand wives were given sixteen thousand palaces. And each wife got ten children. And Kṛṣṇa also expanded Himself into 16,108. That is God. For us, it is very difficult to maintain even one wife at the present moment. This is the difference. Just try to understand what is the meaning of this word bhagavān. Bhaga means opulence. This is one of the opulences, richness. When Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, He was so rich that He could maintain sixteen thousand queens in sixteen thousand very costly palaces, made of marble, the furnitures made of ivory, and the beds were made of silk, and each and every room was decorated, bedecked with jewels, glittering jewels, so that at night there was no need of electricity or lamp. These descriptions are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam of Kṛṣṇa's palace, Kṛṣṇa's sixteen thousand wives, Kṛṣṇa's expansion into sixteen thousand forms. This is Bhagavān. Bhagavān means unlimitedly potential. That is Bhagavān.

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

That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa (BG 9.10). Kṛṣṇa says, "Under My superintendence the nature is working." That is the fact. Nature, the matter... Matter cannot combine together automatically. These skyscraper buildings, they are created with matter, but the matter has not come to become skyscraper building automatically. That is not possible. There is a small, tiny spirit soul, the engineer or the architect, who takes the matter and decorate it and creates a skyscraper building. That is our experience. So how we can say that the matter is working automatically? Matter does not work automatically. It requires higher brain, higher manipulation, therefore higher order. Just like in this material world we have got the highest order, the sun, movement of the sun, the heat energy, light energy of the sun. So how it is being utilized? That is stated in the śāstra: yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. This sun planet is also a planet like this planet. As in this planet there may be many presidents, but formerly there was one president only, so similarly, in each planet there is a president. In the sun planet we receive this knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "I first of all spoke this science of Bhagavad-gītā to Vivasvān." Vivasvān means the president of the sun globe, and his son is Manu. This is the time. This time is going on. It is called Vaivasvata Manu period. Vaivasvata means from Vivasvān, the son of Vivasvān. He is called Vaivasvata Manu.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- London, March 9, 1975:

So there is no such facilities at home. Therefore this institution is started. If you are serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you are serious about increasing attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then you should come and live with the devotees. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). And atha bhajana-kriyā. The sādhu-saṅga... (CC Madhya 22.83). Now they are chanting, they are having maṅgala-ārati, they are decorating the Deity, and so many things. Everyone who will associate, you will see. And then he will be inclined to be initiated. This is our practical experience. They will submit, "Please let me be initiated." This is called bhajana-kriyā. Bhajana-kriyā means if he is serious about bhajana-kriyā, how to worship, then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Anartha means we have learned so many nonsense things. They can be summarized in four items: illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, and meat-eating. So anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. If you accept bhajana-kriyā, the activities of devotional service, then these things will be vanished. Then, when you are purified, as I have said, that sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170), when he is free from all these material bad habits, he is mukta. He is liberated. Then ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā, tato 'nartha-nivṛt..., tato niṣṭhā (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Then your faith... Beginning was the faith. This faith becomes established. You can... Nobody can move you. Tato niṣṭhā. Tato ruciḥ. Then you get some taste, how Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sweet. Tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ, athāsaktiḥ. Then attachment. Unless you get taste, how you can be attached to Kṛṣṇa?

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968:

Because man is rational animal. Man is rational. Man is animal, but rational animal. The special gift to man is that he can decide what is good, what is bad. He has got an extra knowledge than the animals. So at the present moment the education system is so bad that it is practically animal education. Animal education means when at the present moment the education system is so bad that it is practically animal education. Animal education means when we are too much interested with eating, sleeping, mating and defending, that is animal education. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending, oh, you'll find in animals. There is no distinction. They have got their own defending measures, they have got their own sleeping measures, they have got their own mating measures. You are mating with your wife in a secluded place, in a nice room, in a decorated room, but a dog is mating on the street, but the result is the same. So to improve the method of mating is not advancement of civilization. That is animal civilization polished, that's all. The animal also, the dog can also defend from other dogs. And if you think that you have discovered atomic energy to defend yourself, that is not advancement of human civilization. The defending measure, that's all. Similarly, you go on analyzing.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

Janārdana: It's not quite finished yet. Recent. It will be much nicer. Arifka(?) is going to paint frescoes on it, so it will be all decorated with opulent frescoes.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Janārdana: The temple area used to be the front part.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Janārdana: The front part...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Janārdana: ...of this area used to be the temple area.

Prabhupāda: Nice. If this... The only difficulty is it is upstair. That doesn't matter. Those who are interested to come, even upstairs they will come. Those who are not interested, even in the downstairs they will not come. Those who are after water, they will find out water. "Where there is a will, there is a way." But those who are not thirsty, for them... How many students are coming per week?

Janārdana: Many.

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

So therefore our duty is to follow the instruction of Kṛṣṇa as it is given. So Kṛṣṇa says, praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu. The oṁkāra, praṇava... oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. The Vedic mantras, oṁ bhagavate vāsudevāya namaḥ. This oṁkāra, this praṇava, is Kṛṣṇa. So anyone who is chanting the Vedic hymns, and as soon as he vibrates this sound, transcendental sound, om, here is Kṛṣṇa. So how we can avoid Kṛṣṇa? Simply we have to know. You have to purify your eyes. You have to purify your ears. You have to purify your hands. You have to purify your legs. In this way, when your senses are purified in every step, in every moment, you will see Kṛṣṇa, nothing but Kṛṣṇa. The purificatory process—just to purify the eyes. Kṛṣṇa is present before you in arcā-mūrti, arcāvatāra, nicely dressed by the devotees. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā **. It is the duty of the devotee to decorate the śrī-vigraha, the form, transcendental form of Kṛṣṇa very nicely so that thousands of people may come in the temple and see Kṛṣṇa. And as you go on seeing Kṛṣṇa and your eyes become purified, then you will see Kṛṣṇa, how nice Kṛṣṇa is. Just like when Caitanya Mahāprabhu entered the Jagannātha temple, as soon as He saw Kṛṣṇa, immediately He fainted because His eyes were prepared to see Kṛṣṇa.

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

In Vṛndāvana there are so many temples, they have become, made a business by showing temple, collecting money. This is not good. There must be... Temple means people should come, people should learn the science of God. That is temple. Not that to make a business of temple. Therefore everything is, not only in India, all over the world, the churches also, they're dwindled. Now, Europe and America, so many churches are for sale. We have purchased so many churches because people have no more interest. There is no education. Temple means spiritual educational shelter. People should come, they should learn what is spiritual life, what is God, what is my relationship with. That is temple. Otherwise, if you simply came... Therefore two processes should be followed: pāñcarātriki viddhi and bhāgavata-viddhi. We follow both. Bhāgavata-viddhi is the philosophical side of religion, and pāñcarātriki viddhi is the worshiping side of temple—how to worship Deity, how to dress, how to decorate, how to offer respect. Mad-yājī. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī (BG 18.65). Temple worship is mad-yājī, worshiping the Deity. So this is the test, this is the test.

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

So this is rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyam. This is the secret, guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya (CC Madhya 19.151). We should take advantage of this rāja-vidyā, devotional service, and take the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa and make our life successful. And it is very easy. It is very easy. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). Su-sukham, very easy and, I mean, very pleasing also, to execute devotional service. Very pleasing. Simply we are doing... What are we doing? We are dressing, śravanaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23), simply chanting about Viṣṇu, Lord Kṛṣṇa. We are hearing about Kṛṣṇa, we are decorating Kṛṣṇa, we are feeding Kṛṣṇa, offering nice foodstuff, and the benefit is coming to us. When you see Kṛṣṇa so nicely dressed, how it become..., how pleased we become. Kṛṣṇa has got many dress, but if you dress and see Kṛṣṇa, you become pleased. You become pleased. Kṛṣṇa does not require your dress or coat. If you offer nicest food to Kṛṣṇa, it comes to you. Anyone can do. What we are doing in this temple, everyone can do at home. Where is the difficulty? No. They'll be engaged in sinful activities, these intoxication, meat-eating, gambling and this thing, that thing. They'll not accept.

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

So it should be understood with all critical study. We don't request you to take it or accept it blindly. So śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam. And pāda-sevanam. Pāda-sevanam means to rise early in the morning, open the door of temple and wipe it out, all the dust, and give some light. The pāda-sevanam. Arcanaṁ vandanam. Then there is foodstuff offered. It is cooked for Kṛṣṇa, and decorate with flower. So many things there are, arcana-vidhi. The Deity will look very nice, and you'll be pleased to see it. We, we want to see very beautiful things. When you see the beautiful Deity, the forms of Lord Kṛṣṇa, you'll forget to see anymore any other beauty. You see? These are the process, very nice, susukham. There is no trouble. Decorate with flower, with dress, with ornaments and see and hear and eat very... You offer very nice foodstuff to Kṛṣṇa and then partake it. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanam (SB 7.5.23). Vandanam means prayer. Of course, if you do not like, if you think, "This is Hindu system. We won't accept. We are Christian," all right, you go to church, sing there. You have got also songs of Bible. You can sing very nicely.

Lecture on BG 9.7-10 -- New York, November 25, 1966:

In the Vedic literature we understand that these things are so nicely being done as if there are so many plans, so many engineers and so many scientists, they are working. No. The nature is so made by the superior brain of the Supreme Lord, that it is going on automatically. Don't you see a flower, how it is beautifully decorated with paintings? A leaf, just symmetrically... You don't find any change. So this is going on. This is going on automatically. This is God's power. This is God's power. If you have got to paint one picture, one flower, oh, you have to take so much attention, and still, it may not be symmetrical. There may be some mistake. But in nature's way you see how many flowers, fruits and so many things are coming out automatically. Foolish people, they think it is being done automatically. No. Behind this thing there is the brain of Kṛṣṇa, behind everything. And because we do not see how it is being done due to our lack of knowledge, our less intelligence, we think it is being automatically done. No. That is explained. That is explained in the next verse.

Lecture on BG 9.34 -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

No, no. They want to love Kṛṣṇa, but they divert their love to other things. That is the difficulty. If you want to love Kṛṣṇa, then follow this—man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. If you love Kṛṣṇa, then why you are diverting your attention? You are worshiping Deity, you are thinking of loving some woman. That's all. Huh? Why you are diverting? If you love Kṛṣṇa, you are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, just decorate nicely. Why you are diverting your attention? That means I'm not yet convinced that by loving Kṛṣṇa I'll be perfect. That is the difficulty.

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

And he must develop renouncement, vairāgya. Because attachment sometimes leads me to become a tree, to become a mouse, to become a serpent in the same house, attachment. After all, you may decorate your house. You may purchase a nice house. You decorate it very nicely. But you have to leave it. You cannot live here permanently. That is not possible. Either make your country very nice, very nice city, very decorated city, or your house, apartment, wife, children, very nice decorated, but you'll not be allowed to remain.

We don't think that, that "Why you are forced to leave?" That we do not think. But that's a fact. I am living very comfortably with my society, family. "Society, friendship and love, divinely bestowed upon man." There is one poetry. That's all right, but it is so nice, it is so pleasing, but one day comes, "Please get out." Finished. You cannot protest. You cannot say that "I have worked so hard. I have made my country, my family, my house so nice. Why I shall get out?" "No. You must leave." "Oh, let me stay here for some days more." "No, not even a second. You must get out." We cannot consider all these points. We are simply attached. "Oh, this is my country. This is my family. This is my land. This is my kinsmen. This is..." So many. "This is my, my, my, my, my." But if it is yours, why you are forced to get out of these things? What is the answer? Who will answer this? Huh? And there is no certainty.

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

This is the problem of life. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Bhagavad-gītā says that "You may think of yourself as very happy within this material condition. You may think. That is called māyā. Actually, it is not happiness. "I am working very hard day and night to decorate my country, my society, my family, my house. Everything. That is not very happiness, working very day and night. But it is māyā.

I am working day and night very hard, and I am still thinking I am very happy. Natural tendency is that not to work. Therefore as soon as one man gets some money, he wants to live peacefully in a country place, a nice bungalow, without any working, without any turmoil. That is our natural tendency, peaceful. But we are forced to work, especially in this modern world. So many factories, so many work, so many. Unless we work, we cannot get the so-called comforts of life. So for the comforts of life, the so-called comforts of life I shall be able to enjoy, I am forced to work day and night. And I am thinking I am happy. This is called māyā. He is not happy, but he is distressed, but he is thinking, "I am happy." This is called māyā.

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

If you see... A Kṛṣṇa conscious person sees a flower. He sees the flower—creation of God, Kṛṣṇa. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so artistic that he has created this flower by His energy so nicely, so decorately, so good flavor. So it is Kṛṣṇa's thing. Let me offer it to Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

If you become in everything Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your life is successful. That we are teaching. It is a very scientific movement. Actually, that is the position. You cannot create a flower so nicely fragrant, so beautifully made. It is not in your power. But it must have been done by somebody. You cannot say, "By nature." What is this nature? They say, foolish persons say, "It is nature." But you explain what is nature. Nature means God's nature, God's energy. That is nature. God's energy is so fine and so subtle that we cannot see it, how it is working, but it is working. The energy of God is working there.

Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Paris, August 13, 1973:

Even if you think, "All right, there are so many miserable conditions. Never mind. Let me adjust and live here permanently," oh, no, that will also not be allowed. Temporary. You may decorate your Paris city. Napoleon tried and other tried. But you cannot live here, sir. You have to go out. But these rascals, they do not understand. They are decorating, decorating. "Tax. Give more tax. Give more tax. Let us decorate." But how you'll... How long you shall live in this decorated city? Even if you live, if you are so much lover, great nationalist of the country, suppose next life you get the... Because when one has very much attraction for a certain land, then he again takes birth in that land, so if you take your birth not as human being or as a cat and dog or a cow, then you'll be sent to the slaughterhouse. Then what is the use of your becoming nationalist? Your men, for whom you have worked so hard, next life, if you take your birth as a cow, the same men will send you to the slaughterhouse. But these rascals, they do not know what is the mystery.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

For the matter of sense gratification you have to practice vairāgya. Indriya. Our all the indriyas—eyes, tongue, nose—they are very much, I mean to say, affected or attracted. Eyes, always attracted by beauty. "I want to see very beautiful thing." But you can control the eyes when you practice to see the beautiful feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Therefore the Deity should be very nicely decorated so layman like us may be attracted by the beauty of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Gradually, he will forget to see any other beauty. This is the practice of indriyārtheṣu. Indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

So if you want to become philosopher, then philosophically you try to understand what is brahma-tattva, what is Paramātmā-tattva, what is Bhagavān-tattva. Etaj jñānam, this is jñāna. Not these degrees, MA, Phd. These are all decoration of the dead body. If you do not understand what is the value of life, you do not understand what is tattva, what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā, what is God, if you do not become cleansed, if you do not become a devotee, as they are stated, if you have no ācārya, you have no guru, then you are in darkness. Kṛṣṇa concludes here. Etaj jñānam, "All these items described, this is jñānam." Iti proktam. It is accepted, prokta. Ajñānam yad ato 'nyathā: "And just any other thing besides these things, they are ajñānam."

Lecture on BG 13.16 -- Bombay, October 10, 1973:

And at the same time, antike, very near, very near, just like Kṛṣṇa is standing here. One has to understand. Very near. He has kindly come to you, near, so near that you can touch His lotus feet, you can offer Him some foodstuff, you can decorate. He's agreeing, "Yes, I will accept your..." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). And before this, Kṛṣṇa has said, sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat. He has got hands and leg everywhere. In the Vedas also it is confirmed, apāṇi-pādo javana-gṛhītaḥ. Apāṇi-pāda, He has no hands and legs, but whatever you offer in sacrifice, He immediately accepts. How He accepts? How He accepts? That is called dūrastham. Very, very far away; at the same time, antike. Immediately... Provided you know the means. If you know, then you can see. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). That is God's power. He can remain far far, away, but He can immediately be approachable by the devotees.

Lecture on BG 15.15 -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Therefore he's transferring from this eating to that eating, from this sleeping to that sleeping, from this sex to that sex, from this defense to that defense. Because he has no other idea. This is the difficulty. He's thinking that sex life from this person to that person will be nice. But that is not. Sex life by the dogs, by the hogs, or by the man, the same pleasure. As I have repeatedly said, that any nice tasteful eatable, either you keep it in the golden pot or in iron pot, the taste is the same. But he, rascal, does not know. He thinks that "If I put it in the golden pot it will be more tasteful." This is going on. The sex life is the same. He's thinking in the human form of sex in a very nice apartment, so many, so many, decorated, it will change the quality of the sex between dogs and dogs. No, that will not change. The same taste. But because he has no other engagement, better engagement, therefore he's trying to improve these things, the tendency for these things. That is his trouble. He's becoming entrapped. Sometimes he's enjoying as a man, sometimes he's enjoying as a hog, sometimes he's enjoying as a dog, as a demigod, but the enjoyment is the same. But that he does not know. He has to go beyond this, transcend this enjoyment, that information he has no. That is the difficulty.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Los Angeles, August 15, 1972:

There is a story in this connection. It is very instructive; try to hear. One professional reciter was reciting about Bhāgavata, and he was describing that Kṛṣṇa, being very highly decorated with all jewels, He is sent for tending the cows in the forest. So there was a thief in that meeting. So he thought that "Why not then go to Vṛndāvana and plunder this boy? He is in the forest with so many valuable jewels. I can go there and catch the child and take the, all the jewels." That was his intention. So, he was serious that "I must find out that boy. Then in one night I shall become millionaire. So much jewelries. No." So he went there, but his qualification was that "I must see Kṛṣṇa, I must see Kṛṣṇa." That anxiety, that eagerness, made it possible that in Vṛndāvana he saw Kṛṣṇa. He saw Kṛṣṇa the same way as he was informed by the Bhāgavata reader. Then he saw, "Oh, oh, you are so nice boy, Kṛṣṇa." So he began to flatter. He thought that "Flattering, I shall take all the jewels" (laughter). So when he proposed his real business, "So may I take some of your these ornaments? You are so rich." "No, no, no. You... My mother will be angry. I cannot..." (laughter) Kṛṣṇa as a child. So he became more and more eager for Kṛṣṇa. And then... By Kṛṣṇa's association, he had already become purified. Then, at last, Kṛṣṇa said, "All right, you can take." Then he became a devotee, immediately.

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Los Angeles, August 22, 1972:

Prabhupāda: The... It is said, maṇinā bhūṣitaḥ sarpaḥ kim asau na bhayaṅkaraḥ. Snake. Some snakes are decorated with jewel on the hood. So this materialist, however qualified he may be, just like jewel on the head. The śāstra says, "Do you think that a snake coming to you with a jewel on head is not dangerous or ferocious?" He's as dangerous, as ferocious, as the serpent without jewel. Similarly, any materialistic person, however educated he may be, so-called educated, he is simply a snake, dangerous. That's all. He has no qualification. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. One cannot have good qualities unless one is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Read.

Pradyumna: "The harmful, foolish and passionate cannot be devotees of the Lord, however they may advertise themselves as devotees by outward dress. A devotee is always qualified with all the good qualities of God. Quantitatively, such qualifications may be different, but qualitatively, both of them are one and the same."

Prabhupāda: Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:

Upendra: "One who knows these plenary features of the Personality of Godhead knows also Him (Godhead) properly and thus the knower becomes freed from the material conditions of birth, death, old age and diseases as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. In this śloka the subject matter of Mahā-Viṣṇu is summarized. The Mahā-Viṣṇu lies down in some part of the spiritual sky by His own free will and thus He does lie on the ocean of kāraṇa from where He glances over His material nature and the mahat-tattva is at once created. Thus electrified by the power of the Lord the material nature creates at once innumerable universes just like in due course a tree is decorated with innumerable grown up fruits all at a time. The seed of the tree is sown by the cultivator and the tree or creeper in due course becomes manifested with so many fruits. Nothing can take place without a cause. The kāraṇa ocean is therefore called the Causal Ocean. Kāraṇa means causal. We should not foolishly accept the theory of creation by the atheist without any cause. The description of such atheists is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. The atheist does not believe in the creator neither he can give any good explanation of the theory of creation. Material nature has no power to create..."

Prabhupāda: The atheist class of men, they do not agree to accept that this material world is created by God. They give some reason of their own way of thinking, and most of the arguments are "perhaps like this, perhaps like this, perhaps like this." What is this nonsense, "perhaps"? Is that science? "Perhaps"? So they have no sufficient reason that there is no creator. In everything, we find there is a creator. Anything you take. Take for example this table. There is a creator. Somebody has manufactured it. Or this microphone, somebody has created it. Anything you take, you have to find out some creator. And such a vast, gigantic thing, going on so nicely and punctually... The sun is rising punctually, the moon is rising punctually, the fortnight is going on, the season is coming punctually—everything. Why there should be no creator or no superintendent? That answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "Under My superintendence." So if you accept this, then the whole problem is solved. But if we don't accept it, then we have to speculate. But we never to come to the right conclusion, how this creation began. That is not possible to understand by such way.

Lecture on SB 1.5.12-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 11, 1969:

Anyway, Vyāsadeva, Nārada says that "Even jñānaṁ nirañjanam..." Nirañjana means... Añjana... Añjana means ointment or designation, something covering. So nirañjanam. If one is elevated in knowledge, then he becomes free from this designated life. Our material life is añjana life, or designated life. Añjana... Just like we decorate. I think I wrote one article in my Back to Godhead in India, "Decoration of the Dead Body." This material qualification means decoration of the dead body. Actually, the body is dead, but there are certain men who wants to decorate this dead body. In India also, still the custom is in lower class men, when some of their relative die... I hear that here also they do such. They decorate the dead body very nicely. Here also the same system is there?

Lecture on SB 1.5.12-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 11, 1969:

So śāstra says that what is the meaning of this decoration? What benefit the man who is dead, what benefit he's getting? Suppose you make lips very smiling, but actually that man is smiling? (laughter) Similarly, in India also, the cobbler class men, they, during their life, they will dress very wretchedly, not spend money, but after death they will purchase some velvet and cover the body and very nicely decorate, and with band party they'll take, lead the dead body. Aprāṇasyeva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. So it may be very much pleasing to the relatives. Just like the dead body's decorated. The sons of that dead body may see him, that "Oh, my father is smiling." (laughter) But he does not know where his father has already gone. You see?

So this material civilization is just like decorating the dead body. This body is dead. That is a fact. So long the soul is there, it is working, it is moving. Just like your coat. It is dead. But so long it is on your body, it appears the coat is moving. The coat is moving. But if somebody is very much astonished, "Oh, how nice the coat is moving!" (laughter) He does not know the coat cannot move. The coat is dead. But because the man is there who is putting on the coat, therefore the coat is moving, the pant is moving, the shoe is moving, the hat is moving. Similarly, this body is dead. It is numbered: this dead body will remain for such and such time. That is called duration of life. But people are interested with this dead body exactly like the cobbler class or these decorating men. So decoration of the dead body. Aprāṇasyeva... Aprāṇasya means dead. Aprāṇasyeva maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. Loka-rañjanam: "It is very pleasing to the relatives." That's all. Similarly, to get liberation, nirañjanam-nirañjanam means to get out of this so-called decoration of the dead body—one requires to acquire knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.5.12-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 11, 1969:

So Nārada says, naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ na śobhate jñānam alaṁ nirañjanam. (aside:) Before the Deity, not like that. Yes. That "Even there is advanced knowledge for getting liberation, and if there is no mention of acyuta..." Acyuta-bhāva. Acyuta-bhāva means bhakti, acyuta-bhāva. Just like here, in this temple, there is Acyuta-bhāva. Acyuta-bhāva means Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There may be another room in the neighborhood, but the difference between this room and that room: here the atmosphere is acyuta-bhāva, Kṛṣṇa conscious. The other room is not that. Similarly, Nārada says, "Even high, elevated discussions of knowledge, how to get out of this designated or decorated body to self-realization platform, spiritual realization, but if that is acyuta-bhāva-varjita, if there is no mention of Kṛṣṇa consciousness," Vyāsadeva, er, Nārada says, na śobhate, "that does not look very well." Therefore the devotees, they're not very much interested with the dry philosophical speculation because there is no acyuta-bhāva. There is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They, they, they have been described as vāk-cāturyam, simply jugglery of words, Māyāvādī philosophical speculation. There must be acyuta... We have got sufficient philosophy, but it is plus Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the difference, Māyāvāda philosophy and our philosophy. We are discussing also... The Bhāgavata, each line is full of philosophy, each line, practical philosophy. But there is acyuta-bhāva, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the beauty. Bhagavad-gītā, it is full of philosophy, but there is Kṛṣṇa in the center. This philosophy's not dry. Other philosophies, they're simply dry, because that is without Kṛṣṇa. In the... You'll find Buddha philosophy or Māyāvāda philosophy or Jain philosophy, they're philosophy, but simply dry. There is no God consciousness. There is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

Very simple process of awakening Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This ātma-ruciḥ... Ātma-ruciḥ means attraction for the self, or soul. There are ātmā. Ātmā means sometimes this body. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Gross materialists, they think that "I am this body." That is also ātma-ruciḥ. They are busy to maintain this body, to decorate this body, to feed this body, to satisfy the senses of the body. This is also ātma-ruciḥ, because the body is also called ātmā. So this is another ātma-ruciḥ, materialist. Then ātmā means mind also, mental speculation, very much busy in mental speculation. That is also ātma-ruciḥ. And the, the topmost ātma-ruciḥ, topmost means that is real ātma-ruciḥ, to be attracted by the self or Superself. That is ātma-ruciḥ.

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

Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha-vratānāṁ matir na kṛṣṇe. Those who have taken it a vow, that "I shall remain in this family life and improve my condition," gṛha-vratānām... Gṛha-vrata. Gṛhastha and gṛha-vrata are different. Gṛhastha means gṛhastha-āśrama. A man is living with husband and wife or children, but the aim is how to improve spiritual life. That is gṛhastha-āśrama. And one who has no such aim, he simply wants to enjoy the senses, and for that purpose he's decorating the house, decorating the wife, children—that is called gṛha-vrata or gṛhamedhī. In Sanskrit there are different terms for different meaning. So those who are gṛha-vrata, they cannot be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā. Parataḥ means by the instruction of guru or instruction of authority, parataḥ. And svato vā. Svataḥ means automatically. And automatically is not possible even by instruction. Because his vow is that "I shall remain in this way." Gṛha-vratānām. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta. Mithaḥ, not by conference, by meeting, by passing resolution, "If we want to become Kṛṣṇa conscious," that is not possible. It is all individual. I have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa individually. Just like when you go to the sky on airplane, it is all individual. If one airplane is in danger, other airplane cannot save him. That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 1.7.36-37 -- Vrndavana, September 29, 1976:

So there is no impediment to approach Kṛṣṇa because you are a śūdra, or caṇḍāla or woman or vaiśya. No. Everyone can... That facility is there. Therefore our duty should be, "Never mind in whichever position I am posted. Let me satisfy Kṛṣṇa." It is not that... Suppose we are worshiping Deity. That is the duty of brāhmaṇa; but somebody is called that "You cleanse this floor." So he should not think that "I am cleansing the floor; therefore I am lower than the person directly worshiping the Deity." No. Kṛṣṇa's pleasure wanted. If Kṛṣṇa sees that by washing the floor you are doing very nicely, Kṛṣṇa is pleased: "Oh, you are nice." Similarly, one man is decorating Kṛṣṇa with garland and... If Kṛṣṇa is pleased, that is the main point. Not that because you are on the Deity room you are very elevated, and the other man who is cleansing the door, he is not elevated. No. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. They are all equal. In whichever position you are, simply your endeavor should be how to please Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Chicago, July 4, 1974 :

God is not visible to everyone. He is visible—"Here is God"—but those who have not developed the eyes to see God, they think "Here is a doll, and these foolish people are worshiping a doll." No. He is God, Kṛṣṇa. He is Kṛṣṇa. This is called arcā-vigraha. Kṛṣṇa agrees to accept your service. If you want to serve the universal form of God, that is not possible. Where you will get so big dress to cover Kṛṣṇa, if He appears in His universal form.? (laughter) But He is so kind that He has come in a form. Because He is almighty, all powerful, so whatever you can provide, you can dress Kṛṣṇa, you can feed Kṛṣṇa, you can decorate Kṛṣṇa. It is His mercy, to become handy for your service. This is called arcā-vigraha.

Lecture on SB 1.8.22 -- Los Angeles, April 14, 1973:

Devotee:

namaḥ paṅkaja-nābhāya
namaḥ paṅkaja-māline
namaḥ paṅkaja-netrāya
namas te paṅkajāṅghraye
(SB 1.8.22)

"My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus, and whose feet are engraved with lotuses."

Prabhupāda: Lord's feet, there are flags, lotus flowers, chariot. These are the symbolic representations. God is person, but His personality is distinct from our personality. So these specific marks are there on His lotus feet. And paṅkaja-nābhāya, another meaning, paṅkaja-nābhāya means originally a lotus stem came out from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and Brahmā was born in that lotus flower, the origin of creation. So Kṛṣṇa's all parts of the body, as reference to the paṅkaja. Paṅkaja means lotus flower. Paṅka means mud, and ja means generate. Paṅkaja, the lotus flower, is so important. Still, it is generated from mud. So Kṛṣṇa likes paṅkaja very much, lotus flower. So if we see lotus flower, we can immediately remember Kṛṣṇa. If... Just like if you love your child, if you see any garment, a small ship, shoes or any play things, immediately you remember your child: "Oh, this is my child's shoes. This is my child's playing things. This is my garment." So it is the custom of love.

Lecture on SB 1.8.28 -- Los Angeles, April 20, 1973:

Suppose you are engaged in worshiping the Deity, in cleansing the room, in decorating the Deity, in making foodstuff for Deity, everything nicely... So your senses are already engaged. Where is the chance of your senses being diverted? The senses are already controlled. Because my senses, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Bhakti means simply to engage the senses in the service of the master of the senses. Hṛṣīkeśa means master of the senses, and hṛṣīka means senses. So now our senses are engaged for sense gratification. Sarvopādhi, upādhi yuktaḥ. So I am this body. So I must satisfy my senses. This is the contaminated stage of life. But when one comes to the understanding that I am not this body, I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God, so my senses, spiritual senses, should be engaged in the service of the Supreme Spiritual Being. That is wanted.

Lecture on SB 1.8.29 -- Los Angeles, April 21, 1973:

Suppose we create friends. We expect some benediction or some profit from the friend and enemy means we expect some harmful activities by the enemy. But Kṛṣṇa is so perfect that nobody can do any harm to Kṛṣṇa, neither anybody can give anything to Kṛṣṇa. So where is the necessity of friend and enemy? There is no necessity. Therefore it is stated here: na yasya kaścid dayito 'sti. He doesn't require anyone's favor. He's complete. I may be very poor man. I expect some friend's favor, somebody's favor. But that is my expectation because I am perfect. I am not full. I am deficient in so many ways. So I am in needy always. Therefore I want to create some friend, and similarly I hate the enemy. So Kṛṣṇa, His being the Supreme nobody can do any harm to Kṛṣṇa, nobody can give anything to Kṛṣṇa. So why we are offering Kṛṣṇa so much comforts? We are dressing Kṛṣṇa, we are decorating Kṛṣṇa, we are giving nice food to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.29 -- Los Angeles, April 21, 1973:

So the idea is... Try to understand this fact. Kṛṣṇa does not require your nice dress or nice flower or nice food. Kṛṣṇa does not require. But if you give Him, then you become benefited. It is Kṛṣṇa's favor that He's accepting. The example is given: Just like if you decorate the original person the reflection of the person in the mirror, it also appears decorated. So we are reflections. In the Bible also it is said that man is made after the image of God. So our, as Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, we... He has got two hands, two legs, one head. So man is made after God means we are reflections of the image of God. Not that we manufacture, imagine some form according to our form. That is mistake.

Lecture on SB 1.8.29 -- Los Angeles, April 21, 1973:

So if you decorate Kṛṣṇa, so you become decorated. If you satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then you become satisfied. If you offer nice foodstuff Kṛṣṇa, then you eat them. Perhaps those who are outside the temple, they have never imagined such nice foodstuff. But because it is being offered to Kṛṣṇa, we have got the opportunity to take it. This is the philosophy. So you try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa in all respects. Then you'll be satisfied in all respects. This is...

Kṛṣṇa does not require your service. But He kindly accepts. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa is asking you that: "You surrender unto Me." It does not mean that Kṛṣṇa is lacking one servant, and if you surrender then He'll be profited. Kṛṣṇa can create millions of servants by His only desires. So that is not the point. But if you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, you becomes saved. You become saved. That is your business.

Kṛṣṇa says: ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. You are suffering here. Just like without any shelter. You see so many people loiter in the street, no aim, no life. We go in the beach side. We see so many boys and girls, without an aim, loitering, do not know what to do, all confused. So... But if you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then you'll know: Oh, I have got now shelter." There is no more confusions. There is no more hopelessness. You can understand it very well. And I receive so many letters daily, how they are hopeful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Los Angeles, April 22, 1973:

The other philosophers, they are trying to become dead stones by meditation. "Let me think of void, impersonalism." The, artificially how you can make it void? Your heart, your mind is full of activities. So these are artificial things. This will not help the human society. The so-called yoga, so-called meditation, they are all rascaldom. Because there is no engagement. Here there is engagement. Here everyone is engaged to rise early in the morning for offering ārātrika to the Deities. They are preparing nice food. They are decorating, making garlands, so many engagements. They are going for saṅkīrtana party, they are canvassing for selling books. Twenty-four hours engagement. Therefore they're able to give up this sinful life. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate.

Lecture on SB 1.8.31 -- Mayapura, October 11, 1974:

So where you cannot go unless you accept so many difficulties, that is called durgā, or fort. So this universe, material world, is just like a durgā. You cannot escape. Conditioned souls, you cannot escape. It is very difficult. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī duratyayā (BG 7.14). There are rules and regulations. Just like immigration department, security department-same thing. These are simply reflection of the original function of the supreme government. So this is... Just like prison house. You cannot escape so easily. If you try to escape, then you'll be again punished. So the bhīḥ, the superintendent of police... The original superintendent is Durgā. Durgā means the protector of this durgā, where you cannot escape. So she is also servant of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is said, bhīr api yad bibheti (SB 1.8.31). This Durgā is the fearful personified, but still she cannot disobey Kṛṣṇa's order. That is her position, dāsī. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). The bhīḥ, the fearful feature of Kṛṣṇa's potency, can only excuse you when you are surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, you have to suffer these material pangs. We can understand how we are materially inconvenienced. We are... We have got such a nice house, and we are living on the third floor, so nicely decorated with marble. But the Durgā's agent, the flies, they can go there and disturb you, so much so that you would like to go away from this house. This is our position. So the bhīḥ, the fearful personified agent, can punish you anywhere. You may think that "I am very comfortably situated," but that fearful agent can go anywhere.

Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Los Angeles, April 28, 1973:

Just like we are worshiping the Deity. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. Śrī vigraha, the Deity worship. Ārādhanam, ārādhanam, worshiping. Śrī-vigraha ārādhanam. Śrī-vigrahārādhanam. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya. Nitya, daily. Not that ārādhana after one week or one month. No. Nitya, twenty-four hours. So you should have such program for worshiping the Deity that you may be engaged twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya, nitya-nānā, nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra, dressing, decorating. Daily, new dress, or twice new dress, or four times new dress. As much as you can. Śṛṅgāra. This is called śṛṅgāra. Kṛṣṇa is opulent, the most opulent enjoyer. And we should supply. We should supply by which He can enjoy. Just like if somebody gives me a new dress, so I say: "Oh, it is a new dress. Very nice." So that is my enjoyment. Similarly if you satisfy Kṛṣṇa daily a very gorgeous dress. Just like today I see it is very nice. This kind of dress should be supplied to Kṛṣṇa. First-class clothing, first-class. Everything first-class. No third-class thing for Kṛṣṇa. All first-class. The gopīs must be first class, the dress must be first-class, the eating foodstuff must be first-class, the sitting place must be first-class, more than first-class. That is called: śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. Cleansing the temple as clean as glass, always. Everyone remarks this that our temples are very clean. Yes. Temple means must be very clean. The more you cleanse the temple, the more your heart becomes cleansed. This is the process. The more you dress Kṛṣṇa, you become satisfied. At the present moment, we are accustomed to see my dress. "How costly dress I have got, I become satisfied..." No. When by dressing Kṛṣṇa you'll feel satisfied, that is spiritual satisfaction. That is spiritual satisfaction.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1973:

Oyster. Oyster. The oyster produces pearls, very valuable. If you can collect the oysters you'll get valuable pearls. One pearl, ten thousand dollars. The wealth is there. So formerly people used these pearls, the valuable stones, silk, gold, silver, and decorated the body with nice manufactured ornaments. The beautiful for body.(?) But where are those things gone? Those things are now gone. Now plastic bangles. Advancement of civilization. All these beautiful girls without any ornament of gold, pearls and nice jewels, they have got plastic bangles. Just see the fun!

Lecture on SB 1.9.2 -- Los Angeles, May 16, 1973:

Pradyumna: Translation: "At that time all his brothers followed him on beautiful chariots drawn by first-class horses decorated with gold ornaments. With them were Vyāsa and ṛṣis like Dhaumya, the learned priest of the Pāṇḍavas, and others." (SB 1.9.2)

Prabhupāda: So one very important word is here: sadaśvaiḥ svarṇa-bhūṣitaiḥ. Formerly the horses were used in military division. Horses, chariot, elephants and then infantry. So not one or two, but one division of military phalanx required sixty thousand horses. Akṣauhiṇī. So many horses, so many elephants, so many chariot, and so many infantry soldiers—that will compose one division of soldiers. So "so many" means the, I exactly remember now, sixty thousand horses. So all the horses, when they are required for procession or for going to the fight, were well-decorated with golden ornaments, svarṇa-bhūṣitaiḥ. So just imagine the, all the saddles of the horse, if they are golden ornamented, how many ounces you will require to decorate the horse. And what is the price of gold now?

Dānavīr: One hundred and twenty-eight dollars an ounce.

Prabhupāda: Just see, at least fifty ounce will be required to decorate one horse. And one ounce is $120. So what is the price of fifty ounce?

Devotees: Five thousand dollars.

Lecture on SB 1.9.2 -- Los Angeles, May 16, 1973:

Such sixty-thousand horses, how much it comes? (laughter) Where is that gold? They are very much proud, advancement of material civilization, but instead of gold, we find plastic. (laughter) And the nonsense, they are very much proud of their wealth. Just see. Even they cannot decorate their wives. And woman, they require also ornament. It is psychology. Manu-saṁhitā, it has been recommended that "If you want to keep satisfied your wife, then you must give her good food, good sari and good ornament." This is the system. Therefore during marriage time, the girl is given by the father according to his means, as many saris, nice saris, beautiful costly saris, and as much as possible, golden ornaments. And those who are very rich, they, still in India, they give jewelries, means diamonds, pearls, sapphire, according to means. Those who are richer class, they don't touch gold. They must give jewelry. This is the system.

Lecture on SB 1.9.2 -- Los Angeles, May 16, 1973:

So this kṣatriya, this Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, they also kṣatriyas. So when they were going to see Bhīṣmadeva, they were going there in royal style, with chariots, with horse, and decorated with golden ornaments and the brāhmaṇas, Vyāsadeva and other. All the kṣatriyas, kings, would be always accompanied by hoards of brāhmaṇas. As soon as they required any instruction, immediately consult the brāhmaṇas, and they gave good advice: "Do like this." This is the business of the brāhmaṇa. And the kings, they would not do anything without consulting. Don't think that because there was monarchy, they were all autocrat. No. If the brāhmaṇas would not agree, then they won't do. The brāhmaṇa's community, all saintly persons and learned scholars, brāhmaṇas... There was a committee, and the king would take their advice how to manipulate the political affairs or administration, and they would consult standard books. Just like nowadays the rascals, every day they are changing some law. Somebody told me, where? In Africa, every week there is change of the cabinet, every week. Means so full of rascals. So one rascal will fight with another rascal. So there is no stability of government. All these rascals, politicians, they are trying to occupy the post: "I shall become president, I shall become secretary, and then I shall exploit the state like anything." This is the motive. Their manifestation, that "I am going to give you heaven. If you select me president, then I shall give you heaven within three minutes." (laughter)

Lecture on SB 1.13.10 -- Geneva, June 1, 1974:

So keep this spiritual strength intact. Tīrtha-bhūtāḥ. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni sva antaḥ-sthena. The Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra chanting means keeping Kṛṣṇa always within your heart. This is not... It is not expensive at all. You haven't got to make a very exalted throne for Kṛṣṇa. You can imagine that "In my heart I have placed now a very diamond throne, and Kṛṣṇa is sitting." That is accepted. It is... Actually it becomes. Even within the mind you think that "I have kept one diamond throne, very costly throne, because Kṛṣṇa is coming. He will sit down here," that is not false. That is a fact. So you create such situation within your heart. "Now Kṛṣṇa has seated. Let me wash His feet with the Ganges water, Yamunā water. Now I change His dress to a first-class costly garments. Then I decorate with ornaments. Then I give Him for eating." You can simply think of this. This is meditation. Svāntaḥ-sthena gadābhṛtā. It is so nice thing. Anywhere you can sit down and think that Kṛṣṇa is sitting in your heart and you are receiving in so nice way. They are not false. They are also fact. It is so easy.

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

Jāti, big nation, big achievement, japas tapaḥ kriyā, big activities... Just like you American people, you are big nation. Your activities are very big, considered in other parts of the world. And your tapasya is there. You have earned this, you have made this America so nice by tapasya, by austerity. It has not come out automatically. You have labored hard. That is called tapasya. So this big nationality, jāti, japas, tapaḥ, these hard work, scientific discoveries, they are very nice, but what kind of popularity it is? Bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya jātiḥ śāstraṁ japas tapaḥ. All these are simply decoration of the dead body. I do not know whether in your country it is a fashion. In India there is a custom that low-class men... Just like cobbler. Cobbler is taken as the low..., those who prepare, expert in skin. So they are generally very poor man. Now they have advanced, because now the Kali-yuga is the age of the śūdras. So they decorate the dead body. If a cobbler's father dies, he brings, he spends money.

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

If you decorate a dead body, it may be very fanciful to the people, that "This dead body is decorated with costly garments and flowers and all things." So, but the dead body is dead. It is not enjoying. You can be complacent that "My father, the body of my father or my relative, is decorated so nicely." But factually, if you study scrutinizingly, what is the benefit out of this? What is the benefit? Dead body decoration? But people do that. They are accustomed to do that.

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

So without knowledge of this, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13), just like cats and dogs, they cannot understand how he is moving. That he does not know. If a human being also does not understand that how this body is moving, neither they can discover what it is, then what is this? It may be very so-called decoration of the body. A decoration of the dead body, what is the profit thereof? If you do not know what is the real living force within this body, then if you simply decorate the body, dead body, loka-rañjanam, you may get some applause from ordinary men, but it has no value. It has no value.

Lecture on SB 1.15.21 -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1973:

In Delhi, when I presented in some library my book Easy Journey to Other Planets, so one gentleman met, "You have got, written some book, Easy Journey to Other Planets?" "Yes." "Then we shall go and come back?" "No, why you shall come back?" "No, no, then I don't want." (laughter) The rascal wants to go to other planet and come back. They are doing actually. They are going to the so-called moon planet and coming back. The first aeronautics from Russia, when he was far, far away, he was just looking after, "Where is my Moscow? Where is my Moscow?" You see. This is our intelligence. You may go far away. There is an example. Just like the vulture, they have got a very good eyesight, very good eyesight. You... Seven miles away from the surface, they can see where there is a dead corpse. So they have got good eyesight, but they are searching after dead corpse only. That is their business. These so-called scientists, philosophers, they are very much advanced, but their only business is how to become happy in this planet. That's all. That is their... Not mahātmā. Durātmā. Their mind is not very broad. What is called? Ah? What is the English word? Crippled. Mind is very crippled. Durāśayā. Therefore they are hoping against hope. They will not live here. Still, they are decorating, decorating the dead body. "This is my apartment, this is my house, this is my country, this is my skyscraper building." Painting. And one day, mṛtyuḥ sarva... Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He's challenging, challenging, "Where is your God?" "Ah, here is God! Come on! Finished. Finished. Here is God."

Lecture on SB 1.15.27 -- New York, March 6, 1975:

This is rascaldom, that if you manufacture some way for relief, that is not possible. Because you are imperfect, how you can manufacture? Your senses are imperfect. You cannot manufacture. If you manufacture, then you will simply waste your time. Then real religious life means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19), to abide by the orders of Bhagavān, the Supreme Person. Śrī Bhagavān says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: (BG 18.65) "You simply always think of Me, man-manāḥ, you become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your obeisances. Then you are sure that you are coming back to Me." Very simple method. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa... and here is Kṛṣṇa present. Just offer Him obeisances and worship Him, decorate Him, give Him nice food. In this way you become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. Where is the difficulty? Anyone... We are opening so many temples. Why? This rascal will come, offer obeisances, hear something about Kṛṣṇa, offer something for worshiping Kṛṣṇa, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, So do that. Your life is successful. Thank you very much.

Lecture on SB 1.15.40 -- Los Angeles, December 18, 1973:

So the one process is voluntarily giving up. Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja. He is the king. He is giving up a royal dress. Valayādi. A king is decorated with fine jewelries, bangles and many other, here, here, here. You have seen. Nowadays nobody has seen also how many different types of ornaments there is. They do not know it. Simply plastic plate or a paper plate, and he thinks something. That's all. They do not know what is golden plate, what is silver plate, what is jewelry. All forgotten. All forgotten. And still, they are proud of advancement of material civilization. What you have got? Plastic and paper plates only. That's all. No more ornament, no jewel, no house, no garment, no life—everything is gone. And still, they are proud: "We are advancing in this material civilization." Money. "We have got money." What is that money? Paper, that's all. (laughter) And everyone is cheated. "Take hundred dollars." What is this? A paper. That's all. So it is the society now at the present moment, the cheater and the cheated. Similarly religion. Similarly science. Similarly philosophy. Everything is cheating. Because all of them are rascals, and people are rascals, they cannot protest. They cannot protest.

Lecture on SB 1.16.11 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1974:

Pradyumna: Translation: "Mahārāja Parīkṣit sat on a chariot drawn by black horses. His flag was marked with the sign of a lion. Being so decorated and surrounded by charioteers, cavalry, elephants and infantry soldiers, he left the capital to conquer in all directions." (SB 1.16.11)

Prabhupāda: So each king had different colored horses and differently marked flag on the top of the chariot. Just like Arjuna's chariot was drawn by white horses. Śveta. Śveta means white. And his grandson, his horses are of blackish. Not... Śyāma is not black. Blackish. Swarthy. No, blackish. Turaṅga, jeweled. They have four horses in chariot, and there is a charioteer and flag marked with lion. This lion is not to be considered an ordinary lion. This lion is Mṛgendra or Narahari, Nṛsiṁha-deva. Arjuna's chariot was with flag marked with Vajrāṅga, Hanumānjī, Hanumānjī. Kṛṣṇa's chariot flag is marked with Garuḍa. So these are the distinctive marks. One will understand immediately, "This is such and such king's chariot." That mark is there.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Boston, December 22, 1969:

Just like I was seeing just now the rooms of our gṛhastha, householder, boys and girls. Things are scattered. (laughter) But if you go to another person's, gṛhastha (gṛhamedhī), you will find their apartment nicely decorated, chairs, cushions, and sitting place, but they have no vision about self. And here, although we see that household affairs, their resting place, is not so nicely decorated, but their aim is Kṛṣṇa. So that is the difference between gṛhamedhī and gṛhastha. Gṛhamedhī means they simply want to decorate their apartment and children and wife. That is their end of life. That is all. They have no other business. Apaśyatām, blind of the value of life. Whereas the gṛhastha, he is not blind about the value of his life. He is simply looking forward, how to become successful, Kṛṣṇa conscious. So those who are blind of the point of self-realization, such householders, they have got many subject matter of hearing in the newspapers. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2). Sahasraśaḥ means thousands of subject matters. For whom? Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Such householders who made their aim of life to decorate the apartment. That's all. Work whole day and night, and have good dress, good apartment. That's all. They think this is success. These things are, were before also.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Mombassa, September 13, 1971:

Now these materialistic men, their activities are described here. Those who have no knowledge of the spiritual world or the spiritual self, simply bodily concept of life like animal, they are gṛha-medhī, compact in this idea. If one can decorate his apartment and decorate his children and wife, he thinks he is the most successful man. Or similarly, national, nation, if you can have nice road, nice car, nice skyscraper, and all facilities for material happiness, then we think that we are perfect nation. But the thing is, unless you know ātma-tattva, self-realization, you do not know what is your next life. The next life is there. The next life will depend on your work in this life. You may become very rich nation's son, you may have very good asset, but you are not allowed to stay here. Suppose in America, you have got so many nice cities. But we sometimes come to see your cities and opulence but the fact is that in spite of your development of this national asset, you will not be allowed to stay here. That we forget. And after I leave this place, leave this body, I do not know what is going to happen to me, we are in ignorance. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ (SB 2.1.2), because we are blind.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Paris, June 12, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa, as kṣatriya, proved how much strong He was, how much able He was, that He married sixteen thousand wives, and for each wife, separate establishment, separate servants, separate house, separate palace. Everything separate. Not that "I marry only. Therefore I have no responsibility." Not like that. That is Kṛṣṇa, ideal. He married 16,108, but He had 16,108 palaces, big big palace. And palace all made of nice, what is called, marble, and decorated with jewels. The... Kṛṣṇa's house, there was no need of this light. The jewels were glittering. These are description in the Bhāgavata. And the furnitures were married of ivory. That is Kṛṣṇa's house. And the garden, compound, pārijāta flower. Then is that sufficient? A woman will be satisfied simply with this palace, nice palace, and...? No. He expanded Himself into 16,108 Kṛṣṇas. Each and every wife is able to receive her husband individually. So anyway, you cannot imitate Kṛṣṇa, neither you can do like that, neither you can marry sixteen thousand, but you can marry—that is Vedic civilization—more than one wife. Because every female must be married, so where are so many husbands? So therefore polygamy was allowed, but the man who marries, he must be able to maintain the wife very nicely. That is Hindu, or Vedic civilization. That is kuṭumba, kuṭumba-bharaṇa, maintaining the family.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Paris, June 12, 1974:

This body's nothing but combination of these things. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu (SB 10.84.13). Here, just like dehāpatya-kalatrādi. Kalatra means wife, and thinking this body, "I am..., I am this body." And thinking also that "These, my soldiers, these, my wife, children, and friends and nationals, they will save me." Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). And the land where he has taken birth... Just like everyone is thinking, "I am Frenchman," "I am Englishman," "I am Indian," "I am this," "I am that." So, so "This is my land. I must decorate this land, this Paris City, very nicely. I shall bring something from Egypt and put it here. Then..." (laughter) These nonsense things are going on. Even big, big men like Napoleon and others. And what to speak of others. So... But śāstra says, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ. A little advanced than, than these fools and rascals, they are religious. What is that religion? "Let us go to the holy place." The Christians are going to the Jordan, and the Hindus are going to the Ganges or Yamunā.

Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972:

Big nation. You Americans, you are big nation. But bhagavad-bhakti ... There is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Jāti, big nation. Jāti means big nation. Bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya jātiḥ japaḥ, their activities, tapaḥ, tapasya... They are trying to invent so many nice things, scientifically, mechanically. Or invented machine. Everything. Jātiḥ śāstraṁ japas tapaḥ. Activities, very methodical. On the road there is light arrangement. Everything is all right. But if it is less Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is... What is that? Aprāṇasyeva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. Just like a dead body, if you decorate. A body, dead body, and you apply pomade and nice dress and scent. What is the meaning? Loka-rañjanam. Loka-rañjanam means you may please some of the people, "Oh, how you are decorating a dead body." But it has no meaning. It is useless waste of time. Similarly very nice arrangement, big nation, politics, everything, minus Kṛṣṇa consciousness is like that.

Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972:

So you cannot compete with that. It is not possible. Sometimes you beget two children twice, but that is not competition. The competition is that you make your children God conscious. Give them. They're playing with Kṛṣṇa. At our New Vrindaban, Dvārakādhīśa, he was given by his father toys. I was present. And he did not touch the toys. He said, "It is māyā." (laughter.) Yes. "It is māyā." So everything should be taught from childhood. That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). So in the, from the very beginning there is no teaching, there is no God consciousness; then what will be the result? You may send in a very decorated university, but the result will be hippies. That's all. You cannot expect anything more. You cannot expect. So teach them from the very beginning how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then you'll find nice population, beautiful population, peaceful atmosphere, social condition very nice, systematic, everyone is happy.

Lecture on SB 2.3.20-21 -- Los Angeles, June 17, 1972:

Pradyumna: (reads synonyms, then:) Translation: "The upper portion of the body, though crowned with a silk turban, if not bowed down before the Personality of Godhead who can award mukti, freedom, is a heavy burden only. And the hands, though decorated with glittering bangles, if not engaged in the service of the Personality of Godhead Hari, are like those of a dead man."

Prabhupāda: So you have seen Indian turban—very, very big, made of silk and jewels. Perhaps you can, you have seen the typical turban by the Indian Airways, a big turban. So what is the use of the turban? It is a great burden, you, if you do not bow down before the Lord. Similarly, if you don't engage your hand in the service of the Lord, it is exactly like the dead man's hand. If the dead man's hand, if it is decorated with nice, glittering, golden bangles, what is the beauty? There is no beauty. So we'll discuss tomorrow again. Thank you. (end)

Lecture on SB 2.3.21 -- Los Angeles, June 18, 1972:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam
apy uttamāṅgaṁ na namen mukundam
śāvau karau no kurute saparyāṁ
harer lasat-kāñcana-kaṅkaṇau vā
(SB 2.3.21)

Translation: "The upper portion of the body, though crowned with a silk turban, if not bowed down before the Personality of Godhead who can award mukti, freedom, is a heavy burden only. And the hands, though decorated with glittering bangles, if not engaged in the service of the Personality of Godhead Hari, are like those of a dead man."

Prabhupāda: So bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam. A silk turban with pearl, what is called, decoration, bedecked with pearls, these are the signs of king. Just like we decorate Kṛṣṇa with turban, bedecked with jewels. So this turban is good so long we bow down before the Deity. Otherwise it is a great burden. Although it is made of silk, still, it will be a great burden. The idea is that if we bow down or surrender unto the lotus feet of Mukunda-Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, one who gives liberation—then we can enjoy princely order or richness. There is no harm. But if we are lacking in that capacity to surrender unto the Supreme Lord, and simply we become puffed up with these riches, then it will be a burden. Burden means very soon everything will be lost. Just like you cannot keep the burden, heavy burden, on your head for a long time, similarly, this nice turban, silk turban, will be felt as great burden. This is the law of nature. If you misuse the power and do not feel obliged to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given you the power, then you'll be finished very soon.

Lecture on SB 2.3.21 -- Los Angeles, June 18, 1972:

The legs can be engaged... If you are living in a distant place, engage your legs to come here. That is the engagement of the legs. Eyes should be engaged to see very beautiful Deity, well decorated. Then you'll feel satisfaction. Otherwise, your eyes will draw you to see something nonsense beautiful. So all our senses should be engaged. Then there is no māyā. If you have got good engagement, then there is no scope for wrong engagement. The wrong engagement is māyā, and good engagement is Kṛṣṇa. So try to engage yourself always in Kṛṣṇa's service, and māyā will not be able to touch you. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). If you engage your tongue for talking about Kṛṣṇa, to taste kṛṣṇa-prasādam, then there will be no scope of your tongue for being engaged in nonsense talking, for going to restaurant and take nonsense food. You may... The Māyāvādī philosophy is to stop by force, to make it zero. "My senses are giving me trouble. To... So put out, pluck out the eyeballs."

Lecture on SB 2.3.21 -- Los Angeles, June 18, 1972:

Because they consider this body as self. That is their fault. That is their ignorance. The Darwin's theory, this theory, that theory, simply they are bewildered, thinking this body is the self. The body's developing or evolution ... No. So all our senses should be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is perfection. It is indirectly being said in these verses that if our senses are not engaged in the service of the Lord, then it is dead. Śāvau. Śāvau karau no kurute saparyām. Just like a dead man, he has got his legs and hands, but he cannot employ it for any service. It is now flat. Actually, it is flat, but because within the body there is the soul, who is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, if he does not come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness platform and does not engage himself in the service of the Lord, then his hands, legs, heads, everything is dead body's head. The decoration of dead body. This is the conclusion. Now go on reading.

Lecture on SB 2.3.22 -- Los Angeles, June 19, 1972:

Śrī-vigraha is the arcā, or suitable worshipable form of the Lord, and the disciple should be engaged in worshiping the Deity regularly by śṛṅgāra, by proper decoration and dressing, as also by mandira-mārjana, the matter of cleansing the temple. The spiritual master teaches the neophyte devotee all these kindly and personally to help him gradually in the realization of the transcendental name, quality, form, etc., of the Lord.

Only attention engaged in the service of the Lord, especially in dressing and decorating the temple, accompanied by musical kīrtana and spiritual instructions from scriptures, can save the common man from the hellish cinema attractions and rubbish sex-songs broadcast everywhere by radios. If one is unable to maintain a temple at home, he should go to another's temple where all the above performances are regularly executed. Visiting the temple of a devotee and looking at the profusely decorated forms of the Lord well dressed in a well-decorated, sanctified temple naturally infuse the mundane mind with spiritual inspiration. People should visit holy places like Vṛndāvana where such temples and worship of the Deity are specifically maintained. Formerly all rich men like kings and rich merchants constructed such temples under the direction of expert devotees of the Lord, like the six Gosvāmīs, and it is the duty of the common man to take advantage of these temples and festivals observed in the holy places of pilgrimage by following in the footsteps of great devotees (anuvraja).

Lecture on SB 2.3.23 -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1972:

The nostrils... We smell. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness smelling means we should offer all nice flowers and tulasī on the lotus feet of the Lord. And we shall accept prasādam. The priest will offer, and if we smell that, then our smelling power is fulfilled. That means... These Kumāras, catuḥsana Kumāras, Sanaka-kumārādi, they were first of all impersonalists, but after smelling the tulasī leaves which were offered to the lotus feet of Viṣṇu, they become personalists. So this is an opportunity. If anyone comes, smells the flowers and the tulasī offered to Viṣṇu, tastes the viṣṇu-prasāda, and sees the Lord's form, in this way he develops Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is opportunity. This temple means an opportunity, a process, a simple process. Not simple for ordinary man, but actually it is simple. Anyone can smell the flowers offered to Kṛṣṇa. Anyone can eat the foodstuffs offered to Kṛṣṇa. Anyone can see the Deity so nicely decorated. Anyone can hear Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Lecture on SB 2.3.24 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1972:

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has very critically discussed all these bhāva displays in connection with some unscrupulous neophyte's imitating the above symptoms for cheap appreciation. Not only Viśvanātha Cakravartī but also Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī treated them very critically. Sometimes all the above eight symptoms of ecstasy are imitated by the mundane devotees (prākṛta-sahajiyās), but the pseudo symptoms are at once detected when one sees the pseudodevotee addicted to so many forbidden things. Even though decorated with the signs of a devotee, a person addicted to smoking, drinking or illegitimate sex with women cannot have all the above-mentioned ecstatic symptoms. But it is seen that sometimes these symptoms are willfully imitated, and for this reason Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī accuses the imitators of being stonehearted men. They are sometimes even affected by the reflection of such transcendental symptoms, yet if they still do not give up the forbidden habits, then they are hopeless cases for transcendental realization.

Lecture on SB 2.9.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

So our vision is different. We are not under the control of māyā. At least we should be like that. Then we remain in the transcendental state. Otherwise all these people, those who are not working under Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are under the influence of these material modes. So therefore they are all rascals. They are mistaken. Anyone who is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's a rascal. This should be our conclusion. So any question on this verse? It is very important. Every verse, Bhāgavata, every verse is illumination. (break) Therefore those who are yogis, ramante yoginaḥ anante, (CC Madhya 9.29) they are not desirous of enjoying this creation of māyā. Yoginaḥ anante. They want to enjoy in the association of the ananta, not māyā. Māyā is temporary. However māyā may exhibit in so many ways, it is temporary. This nice city or this nice country, this nice world, decorated—one day it will be finished, all finished. Pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedam **. When there will be inundation, all these planets will be merged into water, finished.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ
piśaṅga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ
sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi-
praveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ
(SB 2.9.11)

"The inhabitants of the Vaikuṇṭha planets are described as having a glowing sky-bluish complexion. Their eyes resemble the lotus flower, their dress is of yellowish color, and their bodily features are very attractive. They are just the age of growing youths. They all have four hands, they are all nicely decorated with pearl necklaces with ornamental medallions, and they all appear to be effulgent."

Prabhupāda: So, still you are not prepared to go to Vaikuṇṭha? If you get this body, if you go to Vaikuṇṭha, four hands, catur-bāhavaḥ, four hands? You cannot see any human being here with four hands. Although Kṛṣṇa is two-handed, but Nārāyaṇa, He is four-handed. Therefore when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes on this platform... You have seen two hands, not four hands. Four hands is not for human being. It is only Brahmā has got four hands, and above him, in the spiritual world, all the inhabitants, they have got exactly the form like Viṣṇu. You cannot distinguish who is Viṣṇu and who is ordinary living being. But Viṣṇu has got some special feature on His chest. So by seeing that, He is recognized by the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:

If you ask somebody... They may have some plastic utensils, but if you ask somebody that "Have you seen pearl, sapphire, or coral, or diamond?" everyone will say, "I have never seen in my life." And still they are proud: "Oh, we are now advanced." What advanced? Simply plastic and paper. I see in Japan, all paper, simply papers. All big, big buildings packed up with papers. I was observing from the train all the big, big... What is the contents? Contents means paper. That's it. The house is made of paper. And Japan is considered to be very advanced, and industrialist. Simply outward dress. Actually nobody has got any wealth. The money is also paper. No pearl, no gold, no silver, nothing. But they are satisfied with papers. That's all. Paper house, paper money, paper book, paper everything. Plastic, paper.

Now intelligent person should be anxious that if Kṛṣṇa says, mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma: (BG 15.6) "If you go to this planet..." Why you are trying nonsensically to go to the moon planet? Suppose you have gone there? What is there? You see piles of dust. That is your explanation. Why don't you try here, rascals, and go, and become so nicely dressed with decoration, ornaments. And all young men. What is that? Sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi.

Lecture on SB 2.9.13 -- Melbourne, April 12, 1972:

Pradyumna: "The Vaikuṇṭha planets are also surrounded by various airplanes, all glowing and brilliantly situated, belonging to the great mahātmās, or devotees of the Lord. The ladies also are as beautiful as lightning because of their celestial complexions. And all these combined together appear just like the sky decorated with both clouds and lightning." (SB 2.9.13)

Prabhupāda: So, there is no scarcity of aeroplanes in Vaikuṇṭhaloka also. It is not nirviśeṣa, zero. The rascals, they do not know what is actually Vaikuṇṭha is or the kingdom of God. And they dismiss everything by declaring, "Zero, without any varieties." Nirviśeṣa śūnyavādi. They have no information; therefore, "zero." But actually that is not. Exactly like this sky, the Vaikuṇṭha sky is there. Like the planets here, there are also planets. As in the sky, outer space, here in this material world big, big...(break) So there also there are many big, big aeroplanes running on.

Lecture on SB 2.9.16 -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:

Pradyumna: Translation: "The Personality of Godhead, seen leaning favorably towards His loving servitors, His very sight intoxicating and attractive, appeared to be very much satisfied. He had a smiling face decorated with an enchanting reddish hue. He was dressed in yellow robes and wore earrings and a helmet on His head. He had four hands, and His chest was marked with the lines of the goddess of fortune." (SB 2.9.16)

Prabhupāda: So full description of God. So four hands... We read in the previous verses that the devotees also were of four hands. So there is no change in the bodily feature. Purport?

Pradyumna: Purport. "In the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, there is a full description of the yoga-pīṭha, or the particular place where the Lord is in audience to His eternal devotees. In that yoga-pīṭha, the personifications of religiousness, knowledge, opulence and renunciation are all seated at the lotus feet of the Lord. The four Vedas, namely Ṛk, Sāma..."

Prabhupāda: (aside:) Rotten. Gone bad.

Lecture on SB 2.9.16 -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:

Pradyumna: "The four Vedas, namely Ṛk, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva, are present there personally to advise the Lord. The sixteen energies headed by Caṇḍa are all present there. Caṇḍa and Kumuda are the two first doorkeepers, and at the middle door there are the doorkeepers named Bhadra and Subhadra, and at the last door there are Jaya and Vijaya. There are other doorkeepers also, named Kumuda, Kumudākṣa, Puṇḍarīka, Vāmana, Śaṅkukarṇa, Sarvanetra, Sumukha, etc. The palace is well decorated and protected by the above-mentioned doorkeepers."

Prabhupāda: So everything in detail you'll find, the kingdom of God, the nature of that atmosphere, the devotees, the inhabitants. Everything is there clearly. So the festival today is murdered.(?) The festival? (sound of heavy rain in background?)

Sudāmā: I don't think it will take place because it is supposed to be held in a large park.

Śyāmasundara: It is very wet. Shall we go to Hawaii today?

Prabhupāda: Yes, why not? (laughter)

Lecture on SB 3.26.34 -- Bombay, January 11, 1975:

So this is very natural. This temple worship is meant for that purpose. Actually, when we see the Deity, immediately our mind become Kṛṣṇa conscious. At least, we think of Kṛṣṇa: "Here is Kṛṣṇa." So that is man-manāḥ. Chanting also, chanting, that is kṛṣṇa-manāḥ, man-manāḥ. In this way you become bhakta. Regularly chanting, you become bhakta. Without becoming bhakta, nobody can chant. So man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. And worship Deity. He has come very kindly to accept your service. You just dress Him, just bathe Him, just decorate Him with ornaments, with garland, with nice thing. So He is ready. Just like a child is ready to accept the service of the mother. The mother dresses the child nicely, and the child accepts. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that... You cannot capture Kṛṣṇa in His virāḍ-mūrti. You can capture Kṛṣṇa in your capacity. So Kṛṣṇa has agreed. So take this chance. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. Worship Him. Why you are denying? It is not difficult, not expensive at all. And in this way, if you follow the process, then your bhāva, your nature, will be changed. You will become a complete devotee.

Lecture on SB 3.26.39 -- Bombay, January 14, 1975:

So the eternal form is Kṛṣṇa, but Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is the origin of material creation, kalā-viśeṣa, He is the expansion of the plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. In this way He is present everywhere. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. He is bigger than the biggest and the smaller than the smallest. Relativity. Now here we are small stature. So Kṛṣṇa is present in a stature so that we can touch Him, we can dress Him, we can decorate Him. Similarly, in other planets... It is relative. The law of relativity is going on everywhere. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān.

Lecture on SB 3.26.46 -- Bombay, January 21, 1975:

So Kaṁsa was always thinking how to kill Kṛṣṇa. That is also Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He was thinking in a different way, how to kill Kṛṣṇa. A devotee thinks how to... (break) One is favorable, and the other is unfavorable. One is thinking of Kṛṣṇa, how to kill Him, and the other is thinking of Kṛṣṇa, how to serve Him. So this thinking, how to serve Him, is called bhakti, not the otherwise. As Kaṁsa was thinking how to kill Him, that is not bhakti. Bhakti means ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Anukūla. Anukūla means favorable. If you think of Kṛṣṇa in various ways favorably—how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to decorate Kṛṣṇa, how to give Kṛṣṇa a nice place for residential quarter, temple, how to preach Kṛṣṇa's glories—in this way, if you think, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. That is first-class bhakti, how to serve Kṛṣṇa. Just like Arjuna he changed his all decision. (microphone rattling) (aside:) You can take it that side. Arjuna was thinking not to fight, but when he heard very minutely, listened Kṛṣṇa's instruction, he changed his decision. "No, Kṛṣṇa wants it. Kṛṣṇa wants this fight, so I shall do this." This is kṛṣṇānuśīlanam, cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not his decision. His decision was not to fight. A Vaiṣṇava does not want to kill anybody. That is natural tendency. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām: (SB 3.25.21) "A Vaiṣṇava is friend of everyone." So Arjuna was Vaiṣṇava, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Naturally, he was not inclined to kill and gain the fight. So he declined, that "I will not fight." But after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, he decided that "Kṛṣṇa wants to fight. He wants me..." Nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin. "He says so far that 'These people who have assembled here, they are already killed. That is My plan. You simply take the credit of becoming victorious over them.' "

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:

Now when the man visited the prostitute's house, she received the man. In India it is system that when you receive a gentleman or lady you must give him sumptuously to eat. So there was many palatable dishes served to the man, and each vegetable and each preparation was put in two pots—one in iron pots and one in golden pots. So he was eating. Now this man asked the prostitute, "Well, you have given me the same preparation in two pots: one in gold pot and one in iron pot. Why? What is the idea?" So she said that "First of all taste it. Then I shall disclose what is the idea." So he was tasting, eating. Then the prostitute asked him, "How do you like?" "Oh, it is very nice." "Then, is there any different taste in the golden pot?" "No. Same taste." "And the iron pot?" "Oh, the same taste." So she replied at that time that "You are so rascal that you want to gratify your senses, but you do not know that sense gratification in poor wife or rich wife is the same. There is no difference of taste, so why you are after a woman by paying this one hundred thousands of jewels?" The idea is... This story is very instructive, and it is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The idea is the same thing... (break) ...sense gratification is the ultimate aim of life, then why so much hard trouble for decorating the process of sense gratification? Why wasting so much time for decorating?

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

Janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Generally people, they're interested how to maintain this body, because they are in bodily concept of life. Just like we pass through the streets, there are so many shopkeepers, and they're all decorating their shop to supply the needs of the body. Cloth shop, tailor shop, wine shop, this shop, that shop, but what are these shops? 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 5.5.3-4 -- Bombay, March 29, 1977:

So that is law. Although it is very simple thing, "Keep to the right," but that is law. Similarly what Kṛṣṇa says... Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we take it for proper utilization of our this great boon of life, human form of life, then we become dharmī, and our life is successful. What Kṛṣṇa says, that is not at all difficult. Even a child can perform. What Kṛṣṇa said? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Very simple thing. Kṛṣṇa says, "Always think of Me." What is the difficulty? Even a child can think of Kṛṣṇa. If he goes to the temple and if he understands from his parents that "Here is the Deity, Kṛṣṇa," it impresses. He understands, "Here is Kṛṣṇa." Because he is simple. So he can also think of Kṛṣṇa: "I went to the temple, I saw Kṛṣṇa very nicely dressed, very nicely decorated. Very nice foodstuff was offered, and I got the prasādam." Where is the difficulty? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. If you go regularly to see Kṛṣṇa in the temple and to remember Him, then you become a bhakta. It doesn't require that you have to pass M.A. examination to become a knowledge... Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). If you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, your all Vedic knowledge is perfect. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra). If you have understood Hari, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tapasā tataḥ kim, then where is the necessity of tapasya? You have achieved the result of tapasya.

Lecture on SB 5.5.8 -- Vrndavana, October 30, 1976:

One bheri enters, then all the bheris will enter, automatically. He does not know that "Where I am entering? I am entering in this way for being slaughtered." But he has no knowledge. This is going on. This is called illusion. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). We, in Hindi it is called (Hindi). When you are married in India, there is some band party, and the bride, bridegroom is decorated like king, and he is on the horseback and is taken. But one who knows, he says that "This rascal is becoming more rascal." (Hindi) So therefore to check him, not to become a (Hindi), gadā, ass, the first education is brahmacārī—don't enter. Don't enter this puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. That is education, that is called brahmacārī. Warning that "It is not good. Better remain brahmacārī," brahmecaratiti brahmacārī. "Remain with Brahman, celibacy. You will be happy." But... That is the first education, brahmacārī. Then one, if he is unable to remain brahmacārī, "All right, take wife, regulated, gṛhastha." Don't remain cats and dogs. That is not human civilization. First of all, education is, "Don't unite. Remain brahmacārī." But if you are not able, "All right, take a wife like a gentleman and live like a gentleman." Ekonari brahmacārī, that is also... If one is satisfied with one woman, then he is also brahmacārī. He is not vyabhicārī.

Lecture on SB 5.5.31 -- Vrndavana, November 18, 1976:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

ati-sukumāra-kara-caraṇoraḥ-sthala-vipula-bāhv-aṁsa-gala-vadanādy-avayava-vinyāsaḥ prakṛti-sundara-svabhāva-hāsa-sumukho nava-nalina-dalāyamāna-śiśira-tārāruṇāyata-nayana-ruciraḥ sadṛśa-subhaga-kapola-karṇa-kaṇṭha-nāso vigūḍha-smita-vadana-mahotsavena pura-vanitānāṁ manasi kusuma-śarāsanam upadadhānaḥ parāg-avalambamāna-kuṭila-jaṭila-kapiśa-keśa-bhūri-bhāro 'vadhūta-malina-nija-śarīreṇa graha-gṛhīta ivādrśyata

(SB 5.5.31)

"Translation: Lord Ṛṣabhadeva's hands, feet and chest were very long. His shoulders, face and limbs were all very delicate and symmetrically proportioned. His mouth was beautifully decorated with His natural smile, and He appeared all the more lovely with His eddish eyes spread wide like the petals of a newly grown lotus flower covered with dew in the early morning. The irises of His eyes were so pleasing that they removed all the troubles of everyone who saw Him. His forehead, ears, neck, nose and all His other features were very beautiful. His gentle smile always made His face beautiful, so much so that He even attracted the hearts of married women. It was as though they had been pierced by the arrows of Cupid. About His head was an abundance of curly, matted brown hair. His hair was disheveled because His body was dirty and not taken care of. He appeared as if He were haunted by a ghost."

Prabhupāda: So God's body is not material. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, prākṛta kariyā māne viṣṇu-kalevara aparādha nāhi ara inhāra para. Anyone considering the body of Viṣṇu or Viṣṇu-tattva, Kṛṣṇa, Ṛṣabhadeva... They are not material body. A further description will be there—even the stool and urine also transcendental.

So we cannot conceive in our present stage what is the difference between prākṛta and aprākṛta. The description in the śāstras we have to accept. Just like practically Kṛṣṇa, when He was in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, He was great-grandfather. His grandchildren also had sons. It is said that the whole family of Kṛṣṇa consisted of about one crore of living entities, Yadu-vaṁśa, very big family. So grandchildren, their children, their children, like that... But still, Kṛṣṇa was looking just like a boy of sixteen to twenty years. That is aprākṛta. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). This is the description. He is the oldest person because... Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). Even Brahma, Lord Śiva, they also are born of Him.

Lecture on SB 5.6.1 -- Vrndavana, November 23, 1976:

So we have to give up this. Ātmārāma means we have to give up for good the dictation of the mind. Then you are liberated. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇanuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). This is Ambarīṣa Mahārāja's example. All devotees, they have no other desires. Vaikuṇṭha. Prahlāda Mahārāja also says, tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ: (SB 7.9.43) "I am simply engaged in describing the powerful activities of Your Lordship." That should be our life. If you stick to this point, then we shall not speak anything except glorifying the Supreme Lord. If we make that point fixed up, we shall not talk foolishly. Simply vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇanuvarṇane. We shall use our legs to go to the temples. We shall use our eyes to see the Deity, how nicely He is decorated, and appreciate. We shall use our hand in cleansing the temple, in playing the instruments, khol, karatāla, for chanting. So, ear for hearing Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, nose for smelling the flower offered to Kṛṣṇa... In this way, hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). When you engage your senses, hṛṣīkeśa sevanam... The senses are not yours, because this body is given by Kṛṣṇa through the agency of māyā. You wanted this thing. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He knows what you are wanting because He is constantly seeing you. He is sitting within your heart, the same tree, two birds. One bird is I am, the individual soul; another bird is Kṛṣṇa. So He knows, and He is giving us, giving me the facility.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:

So unless one has control over these things, over the tongue... Over the tongue means tongue is not allowed to eat anything except Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Tongue is not allowed to vibrate anything except Hare Kṛṣṇa or topics in the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is controlling. Controlling the tongue does not mean that you lock up your tongue. Sometimes in India if you go... There are so many bogus things. One has cut the tongue and has locked it. But tongue cannot be locked. Tongue, any sense, you cannot stop its activities. Simply you have to divert it. Just like my eyes. My eyes want to see very beautiful thing, very beautiful girl, very beautiful dress. So you practice, you decorate the Deity in the temple very beautifully with dress, with ornaments, with flowers, and see. That means your propensity for seeing beautiful things will be satisfied; at the same time, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Your tongue wants to eat very nice things. All right, you get it Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Kṛṣṇa is offered the nicest cooked foodstuff. So you satisfy your tongue; at the same time, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So, Kṛṣṇa conscious movement is so nice, that there is no forceful prohibition of the senses. Even the sense organ, generative organ, that can be used also for Kṛṣṇa. How? If you can beget children who will be Kṛṣṇa conscious, then produce hundred, one hundred children. Otherwise stop producing cats and dogs.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- New York, August 1, 1971:

We don't approve this philosophy. We accept that this is not false, but this is temporary. And because it is creation of God, because He's Absolute Truth, it is also true. Simply we are seeing it otherwise. Just like I'm claiming something within this world as my property. That is false. But this is someone's property—that is fact. That is God's property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Not that the property is false. Just like this house, this building, this nice room, it is so nicely decorated; there is electric light. If somebody says: "It is false," how it is false? It is not false. Why I shall say false? Why I shall discourage the persons who are using this room as for their devotional service, they're making progress...? How we can say it is false? It is not false. The false is when I claim that "This is my house." That is false. That is false. That is my false puffed-up consciousness, that "I am the proprietor, I am the master, I am God." This is false. Just like first of all we want to become a proprietor, then master, then minister, then president, then God. When everything fails, then "I am God." Same tendency is there—that I want to become the greatest. But how you can be the greatest? God is greatest. You are always smallest. That is... That smallest is thinking greatest that is false. The smallness is not false. The greatness is not false. But when the small thinks as great, that is false. That is māyā.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Auckland, February 22, 1973:

Therefore bhakti means sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalaṁ (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam. We have to cleanse the desire. We have to cleanse our seeing. Now our eyes want to see some beautiful thing. Now, if we become accustomed to see Kṛṣṇa beautifully decorated, nicely decorated, nicely dressed, then we forget other, so-called material beauty. So the activities of the eyes, to see beautiful thing, is not changed, but it is purified. That is bhakti. Nothing has to be changed or nothing has to be stopped, but the process has to be changed. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta vairāgyam ucyate. We cannot be desireless. We cannot be inactive. That is also not possible. We must be active—but active for working for Kṛṣṇa. Then it is devotional life. That is being taught in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that it is not simply negation. Simply negation will not help you. There must be some positive occupation. So we say, "Do not do this, but do this." We say, "Do not eat meat," but we say, "Eat Kṛṣṇa's nice prasādam, halavā." So he forgets meat-eating. This is our process. We give immediately alternative. You dance.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Nellore, January 8, 1976:

So this hearing process is recommended, that you should hear from a realized person who is sadācara-sampanna-vaiṣṇava. So who is a bhakta? Because you have to learn from a bhakta, so who is a bhakta? That is also described. So it is stated in the śāstras and the Gosvāmīs as sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam: (CC Madhya 19.170) "Anyone who has no more designation and he is pure from material contamination." Upādhi means so long we think that "I am this body," that means I am decorated with this upādhi. So long we think that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," we are decorated with upādhi. Upādhi-śūnya is described in the Vedas, when one understands ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So there are two Brahmans: Para-brahman and ordinary Brahman. Para-brahman is the Supreme, vibhu, and ordinary Brahman, they are anu. Para-brahman is all-pervading, and Brahman is not all-pervading. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. Kṣetra, kṣetrajña, when He was describing Kṣetra means this body, and kṣetrajña means the soul who knows about his body.

Lecture on SB 6.1.27 -- Honolulu, May 27, 1976:

Similarly, this dead body, this body is dead, already dead from the very beginning, but it is moving on account of the soul. This is knowledge. It is dead from the very beginning. Therefore in the śāstra it is said that... What is that? I am just now forgetting. Oh, aprāṇasya hi dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. Aprāṇasya hi dehasya. Deha, deha means this body. So either it is dead or alive, it has no life. Aprāṇasya hi dehasya. Deha, he is not alive. It is always dead. Simply we understand, because we are foolish rascals, we understand that this body is dead when the soul is away. The body is always dead. So bhagavad-bhakti-vihīnasya jatiḥ japas tapaḥ kriyaḥ. If one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, bhāgavata-bhakti-vihīnasya, then his big nationality, jatiḥ, his achievement, japas tapaḥ, his activities, everything bhagavad-bhakti-vihīnasya jatiḥ japas tapaḥ kriyaḥ, all these things are like decoration of the dead body. Aprāṇasya hi dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. Maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. We are decorating this body with flower, ornaments, nice cloth. How long? So long the life is there. Then it is beautiful. Otherwise no one will do. If you garland... Suppose I become dead and you garland. It may be pleasing to somebody, but what is the value? There is no value.

Lecture on SB 6.1.27 -- Honolulu, May 27, 1976:

So this material civilization, they're decorating this body. So the bodily concept of life is condemned in the very beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā. This knowledge was given to Arjuna by Kṛṣṇa when he surrendered. When he was talking friendly, He did not say. When Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna submitted that "Kṛṣṇa, I'm now perplexed. So how my intelligence can be revived? You know." Arjuna knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so his perplexed position can be solved by Kṛṣṇa. That he knew. Therefore he said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "Kṛṣṇa, no more friendly talks. We are wasting time. Now I become Your disciple, śiṣya." Śiṣya means disciple. "You kindly advise me. I'm surrendering unto You." Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). Spiritual master means you must surrender to him. If you talk foolish, then you will not be benefited. You must submissively hear and accept whatever he says. So when Kṛṣṇa began to teach him as teacher, the first thing He uttered... Anyone can say what He first said?

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- San Francisco, July 17, 1975:

So ūcur niṣedhitās tāṁs te. They are the servants of Yamarāja, vaivasvata. So therefore they are vaivasvata-puraḥsarāḥ. The important assistants of Vaivasvata, Yamarāja, they heard that somebody is warning, "Don't touch." In the previous verse we have learned, vārayām āsuḥ, forbidden, "Don't touch," ojasā, very strongly. So they became surprised, "Who are these persons? They are interfering with our business. We have come from supreme authority, magistrate." Just like police comes with his warrant of magistrate—nobody can check it. If somebody wants to check it, then he will be punished. The whole government force is behind the warrant of the police. Nobody can check it. If there is riot, then government will bring military forces to accept. So this is called ruling. So we are under these rulings. However foolishly we may declare we are independent, that is our completely foolishness. When the warrant is there, you cannot check it. The whole power is behind. Either you become the great scientist or philosopher, when the warrant of death will come from Yamarāja, there is no power to check it. Therefore they were surprised, that "Who is this foolish?" But they saw that the persons, they are coming from Vaikuṇṭha. They had different features, so beautiful, four handed, nicely decorated. So they were surprised.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- San Francisco, July 18, 1975:

So these people never saw, these Yamadūta, such persons with four hands, so decorated, so effulgent. So they were surprised, that "You are so nice." So diśo vitimirālokāḥ kurvantaḥ svena tejasā: "By your personal effulgence, you are illuminating wherever you are standing." Diśa. Kim arthaṁ dharma-pālasya kiṅkarān no niṣedhatha: "You look so beautiful and gentle. Why you are doing this wrong thing? We have come to discharge our duties, and you are forbidding us." Means they could understand that "They are so powerful, they have stopped us to touch Ajāmila's body. If we forcibly do, they can punish us." The Yamadūtas could understand. Therefore politely asking that "You are so gentle, so good-looking, so nice. Why this is your business, that you are forbidding us in discharging our duties?" Kim arthaṁ dharma-pālasya. Dharma-pāla: "We are also acting not whimsically. We are working under the Dharmarāja, Yamarāja, who is justice, how to make judgment against the sinful man. He is appointed for this purpose, and we are just carrying out his order." Then "You look so gentle and highly exalted. Why you are forbidding us? This is very..." kim arthaṁ dharma-pālasya kiṅkarān no niṣedhatha.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1976:

So the Yamadūtas, their description of the body already given. They are not very good-looking. So when they saw the Viṣṇu-dūta—the description of the Viṣṇu-dūta is in the next verse—they were surprised, that "Wherefrom such nice features of the body..." They have been described here, sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ. They saw that their eyes were just like petals of the lotus flower, so beautiful. Sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ. And all dressed in saffron cloth, yellow. Kirīṭinaḥ, with helmet, kuṇḍalino, and earrings. Kuṇḍalino. Lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ. And with flower garland. Just imagine if somebody is very good-looking, with helmet and nice earring, bedecked with jewels, and the helmet bedecked with jewels, and cloth yellow, with garland, four hands. Sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ. All young, not old like me; all young like you. Nūtna-vayasaḥ. Just (indistinct) very young. Sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ sarve cāru-caturbhujāḥ. And four-handed. Here we get two hands, in the Vaikuṇṭha planet we get four hands. Dhanur niṣa aṅgāsi-gadā-śaṇkha-cakra-ambuja śriyaḥ. And each hand is decorated with bow, arrow, sword, and conchshell, and disc. Like that. This is the description of Vaikuṇṭha features.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

So the Yamadūtas, they very politely submitted. They could understand immediately that these persons so nicely decorated, four hands, looking very youthful, all the good qualities... So with due submission, they said that "You look so nice, gentle. Why you are interfering with our duties?" Kim arthaṁ dharma-pālasya kiṅkarān no niṣedhatha. So they accepted the submission. Very humbly they submitted, with great respect. Therefore they were smiling. And the word is used here, tān pratyūcuḥ prahasya idam. When there is argument, dealing, if the words are exchanged very politely, so things go on nicely. So prahasya. Prahasya, now they are challenging, the Viṣṇudūta, that "You are claiming to become the servants of Yamarāja, and he is Dharmarāja, he is authority, and how is that you do not know whom to arrest and whom not to arrest? This man is now free from all sinful reaction. How is that you are claiming to be servant of Yamarāja, Dharmarāja, and do not know?" Therefore they were smiling.

Lecture on SB 6.1.47 -- Detroit, June 13, 1976:

Everywhere, matsarata. Para-utkarṣaṇam asahanam (indistinct). Matsarata means one cannot tolerate other's flourishing condition. Immediately envious. But this system, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is meant for paramo nirmatsarāṇām. One who has learned this art not to become envious. Tolerant. That is the qualification of saintly persons. Kind. Tin... Hm? What is that? Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikaḥ. Those who are preachers, they should be titikṣava. Titikṣava means titikṣa, tolerance. There will be so much insult, inconveniences, against party, everything. We have to tolerate. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇa. At the same time, we have to distribute the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikaḥ. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām, and friend of everyone, there is no distinction. Friend of everyone. Ajāta-śatravaḥ. By their action they'll not create any enemy. Ajāta-śatravaḥ santaḥ, peaceful. Ajāta-śatravaḥ santaḥ sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. These are the decoration of sādhus, saintly persons. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikaḥ. I think this śloka is there in the Kapila's teaching to His mother. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikaḥ, ajāta-śatravaḥ santaḥ, sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇā (SB 3.25.21).

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

So voice should be engaged in vibrating Kṛṣṇa activities. You read Bhagavad-gītā, read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and talk about Kṛṣṇa. Then voice is engaged. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Always engage your voice in chanting or speaking about Kṛṣṇa. The mind is engaged automatically. Then arms, the hands, engaged in cleansing the temple. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira mārjanādau **. This is the advice. This is business of guru, to engage. How the arms can be engaged? You can engage your arms for decorating the Deity, for sewing the clothing, dress, garland. In this way you can engage your arms. Voice in speaking about Kṛṣṇa, eyes to see Kṛṣṇa, how nicely decorated, come to the temple. For coming to the temple your legs will be used. And after coming to the temple, your hands will be used, your eyes will be used, your ear will be used, your tongue will be used. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take prasāda. In this way, if we engage all our senses in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we are victorious. Otherwise, it is not possible. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). We have got our senses. Senses cannot be stopped working, that is not possible. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they stay that stop, nirvāṇa. Buddha philosophy: stop sense activity. That is not possible. That is impossible. Then how we can control the senses? You can control the senses by engaging all of them in Kṛṣṇa's service. Then it is controlled. Otherwise not.

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

Therefore our business is... "Artificially, I shall not see anything." Now how it is possible? You'll see in the mind. Suppose you close your eyes, but there are so many impressions, they will come within the mind. Even if you close your eyes. The so-called meditation means he has closed his eyes but he's thinking of his beloved or his business or something like, something like that. So is not possible. First of all, you have to fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa. Always think of Kṛṣṇa. That is advised by Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. These four principles guarantees, Kṛṣṇa says. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.68). If you simply execute these four things, then Kṛṣṇa guarantees, asaṁśaya, without any doubt you are coming back to me, back to home, back to Godhead. It is so nice. So mind engaged in Kṛṣṇa. Always think of Kṛṣṇa. We are seeing Kṛṣṇa here so nicely dressed, decorated, and immediately there is impression with the mind and you can think the whole day.

Lecture on SB 6.2.5-6 -- Vrndavana, September 9, 1975:

So we have to engage our senses. It is not our senses; it is Kṛṣṇa's. We have forgotten it. I am seeing with my eyes. I am very much proud I can see. But why you cannot see when you are blind? The eyes are there. Because the master has withdrawn the sight power. You can be happy with your decoration of the eyes, but you cannot see. So actually I do not see. Just like I have got this spectacle. The spectacle does not see; I am seeing. Similarly, with my eyes I am not seeing; Kṛṣṇa is seeing. Because Kṛṣṇa is seeing, therefore I am seeing. This is the Vedic version. You will find in Upaniṣad. Because the Supreme Brahman is seeing, therefore we are seeing. Because the Brahman is walking... There are many evidences. Just like this ear. Now I am hearing with this ear. You are also hearing. But when I am unconscious, this ear is there, and you call me, "Mr. Mo..., Mr. Sir, Mr. Sir," but I cannot hear. The machine is there. Why you cannot hear? Therefore the Brahman is withdrawn.

Lecture on SB 6.2.14 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1975:

This is the process. Somehow or other, yena tena prakāreṇa, you think of Kṛṣṇa, you chant Kṛṣṇa's name, you just offer your obeisances, and... This temple is here. There are many temples. What is the process? Process... If somebody comes here, he immediately think of Kṛṣṇa. By seeing Kṛṣṇa's Deity... Kṛṣṇa's Deity and Kṛṣṇa is not different. So even if he thinks that it is some stone Deity, but Kṛṣṇa's stone Deity... Therefore "Kṛṣṇa's," he says—that will benefit him. Some way or other, he is chanting "Kṛṣṇa." "Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma is very nice in this temple." So that "Kṛṣṇa" and seeing Kṛṣṇa, thinking of Kṛṣṇa, chanting Kṛṣṇa Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī (BG 18.65). And if you worship Kṛṣṇa, offer ārātika, bhoga, decorate with flowers Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan mandira-mār...** Even you wash this temple, you get the benefit. Somehow or other, be in touch with this temple, with the holy name, with the Vaiṣṇava. In this way, by constant association-saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ—by association of devotees, you become a Kṛṣṇa devotee.

Lecture on SB 7.5.23-24 -- Vrndavana, March 31, 1976:

So anyway, we should always engage ourself twenty-four hours. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Here it said, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. Sadā means twenty-four hours. We shall mold our life in such a way that... If somebody says, "How it is possible? We have got other business. How it is possible to simply engage in śravaṇaṁ kīr...?" Therefore smaraṇam. Whatever you are hearing, you should remember it. That is very easy. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). And always engage in serving. Just like śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mār janādau **. If you have no engagement, simply cleanse this temple. Tan-mandira-mārjana. That is also service. That is also service. Pāda-sevanam. Arcanaṁ vandanam. Then actually worshiping, decorating, vandanam, offering prayer, dāsyam, sakhyam. In this way remain always engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Then you are to be considered the most learned.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to engage a person in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Just like the temple is Kṛṣṇa's. You wipe out the floors, you decorate it, collect flowers, engage your eyes to hear about Kṛṣṇa, engage your tongue for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So engage your eyes to see the Deity, or engage your legs to go to the temple. In this way, if you engage your senses, present senses for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it becomes gradually purified and you... Kṛṣṇa becomes revealed. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva. You cannot see Kṛṣṇa but when you are anxious, when you are purified, Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself to you. By your eyes or..., if you say, "Kṛṣṇa, please come, I'll see You," that is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is not your order-supplier. He wants to see you, how much you are qualified to see Him. When you are qualified He'll reveal to you. He is everywhere. Simply you have to make your eyes to see Him. That's all. This is the process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. He reveals.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Hong Kong, April 18, 1972:

ust like we come from airport to this hotel. This city is very nice. Not only this city. I am traveling all over the world. There are very very nice cities in Europe, America, and other countries also. It is all right. You decorate this city nice, you make your life very comfortable. But if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then you are defeated. Then you are defeated. That is the instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. Yuddhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). Arjuna did not stop his fighting capacity. He was a kṣatriya. And Kṛṣṇa did not encourage him that you should stop fighting. Rather Arjuna was trying to stop fighting. Kṛṣṇa said, "No. You are kṣatriya. You cannot stop fighting." So don't think that by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious one becomes a vagabond. No. One gentleman talked with me that "Your Vaiṣṇava philosophy has made our country coward." No. You do not know what is Vaiṣṇava. In India there were two great fights. One the fight between Rāma and Rāvaṇa, and the other great fight was between the two, Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas. In both the fighting the hero was Vaiṣṇava. The hero, Hanumānjī, Vajrāṅgajī, who fought on behalf of Lord Rāmacandra, he is a Vaiṣṇava. And Arjuna, who also fought on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, he is a kṣatriya. So they do not know what is Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

Lecture on SB 7.6.2 -- Vrndavana, December 3, 1975:

Viṣṇu is original Lord, or our father. We have expanded. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Every living entity is part and parcel of Viṣṇu, and they are separated. Not separated but given freedom to serve Viṣṇu. To serve does not mean no freedom. It is not dull stone. Every living being... Just like you are trying to serve the cause of Kṛṣṇa conscious. It does not mean that you have no freedom, you are like stone. No. You have got freedom but you are utilizing the freedom how to render best service to Kṛṣṇa. That freedom is required. You must have freedom. Otherwise it is a dull stone. We have constructed this temple with freedom that "The temple should be constructed in this pattern, in this fashion. It should be decorated like this." So it is freedom, but that freedom is not misused. It is used for the service: "How best service we can render?" This is the proper use of freedom. And when you misuse the freedom, then it is māyā. That is called māyā. Therefore our freedom should be how to become fully engaged in loving service of the Lord. Viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam. Yathā hi puruṣasya iha viṣṇoḥ pādopasar... Why? It is still further explained, yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānāṁ priya. Viṣṇu is very dear to us.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Montreal, June 16, 1968:

People are being taught in this way, that "Work very hard day and night, earn money, and enjoy senses, nothing more." So this sort of civilization is condemned. The real civilization is that one has to control. Control. What is the difference between a man and an animal? Now, suppose there is very nice foodstuff. In your country it is not seen. In our India, the foodstuff, I mean to say, confectioners, they very nicely decorate in the street for selling. So one cow is... Here, of course, in the street, cow is also not visible. In India, in the street, there are many cows. They are allowed to move free. And sometimes the foodstuff is there, and the cow immediately grabs the foodstuff and eats half of it. You see? (laughter) Now, there are human beings also. Suppose a man is here. He is poor man, he is hungry, and he wants to eat that foodstuff. But because he is human being, he has got the control. He is not like, I mean to say, cow, that immediately takes up the foodstuff. Even if he is poor, he can beg, "My dear sir, can you spare little foodstuff?" But he'll not... This is human, humanity. Suppose if there is a beautiful girl and one man is attracted, still, he will feel shame to capture that girl. Of course, here I see the boys and girls, they are kissing in the street, and in India it is very uncivil. No boy, no girls will do that because it is a training. It is a training. So by training, one can restrain the senses. And the more you restrain your senses, the more you become slackened for these material shackles.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1976:

So this arca-vigrahaḥ is Lord's incarnation to give facilities to people like us who cannot see God everywhere. For the neophyte devotees, it is essential to worship the Deity. But if we simply worship the Deity without hearing about the Lord, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam—these things are essential—then the Deity worship will be a burden. At a certain point, it will be a burden, and gradually it will be neglected, and the whole thing will be spoiled. So both things should continue: bhāgavata-mārga and pañcarātriki-mārga. Deity worship is pāñcarātriki-vidhi, and bhāgavata-mārga is hearing, chanting, like that. Both of them should be accepted, parallel line. Otherwise, one without the other will be later on troublesome. So you must continue. This temple means not only we shall decorate the Deity very nicely, cleanse the temple:

sri-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-
śṛṅgāra-tan mandira-mārjanādau
yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi... **

So the temple worship should go on, at the same time, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam of Viṣṇu must go on. Two things, parallel. Then it will be done very nicely.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- New Vrindaban, June 25, 1976:

He's so kind, just to accept your service. Don't think that "Here is a doll." No. Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, on the request of devotee, He has come. You should always remember this, that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, personally present." Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu... It requires only advanced sense. When He saw Jagannātha at Purī temple, He immediately fainted, "Here is My Lord." So it is only advanced understanding, but preliminary understanding is that "Here is Kṛṣṇa." Don't think that it is a doll. Even if you think it is doll, but Kṛṣṇa has come to you in the form of doll so that you can see. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa is always present everywhere. We cannot see. Or you can handle. Kṛṣṇa is everything. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has come here to be seen by you, to be touched by you, to be dressed by you, to be decorated by you, to accept whatever you nicely offer with bhakti. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry or Kṛṣṇa has no food at His Vaikuṇṭha? No. He has got. He is supplying everyone food. So He has got everything. We should always remember that He has kindly come for our benefit, so let us be always cautious and very respectful and offering the nicest prasādam prepared with great attention. In this way, if we practice, then our life becomes very successful. Otherwise, we shall be very much attached. Because we are ajitendriya, we cannot control our senses. Very difficult. But if you take Kṛṣṇa prasādam, although apparently we are greedy, but on account of taking Kṛṣṇa prasādam, it is neutralized. Our greediness, by taking Kṛṣṇa prasādam, it is neutralized.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9-17 -- San Francisco, March 31, 1969:

We, about our home, we think, nice decorated home, and the furnitures, the dress, and the animals, the servants, and the brother, the sister, the old father, and so many, I think. So we always think. These are all our bondage. "Out of sight, out of mind." So long we are attached, we are, I mean to say, within the association of these things, we have got very good attachment, but if we go out of this sight, or this association, then "Out of sight, out of mind." To make these things out of sight, out of mind, one is recommended that after fiftieth year one must retire from this family life, and when he is still more advanced, he should take sannyāsa and completely, cent percent, devote his life for cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So he's giving very nice example.

Lecture on SB 7.6.11-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 27, 1976:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: (leads chanting, etc.)

kathaṁ priyāyā anukampitāyāḥ
saṅgaṁ rahasyaṁ rucirāṁś ca mantrān
suhrtsu tat-sneha-sitaḥ sisunam
kalakśaraṇaṁ anurakta-cittaḥ
putrān smaraṁs tā duhitṟr hṛdayyā
bhrātṟn svasṟr vā pitarau ca dīnau
gṛhān manojñoru-paricchadāṁś ca
vṛttīś ca kulyāḥ paśu-bhṛtya-vargān
tyajeta kośas-kṛd ivehamānaḥ
karmāṇi lobhād avitṛpta-kāmaḥ
aupasthya-jaihvaṁ bahu-manyamānaḥ
kathaṁ virajyeta duranta-mohaḥ
(SB 7.6.11-13)

"Translation: How can a person who is most affectionate to his family, the core of his heart being always filled with their pictures, give up their association? Specifically, a wife is always very kind and sympathetic and always pleases her husband in a solitary place. Who could give up the association of such a dear and affectionate wife? Small children talk in broken language, very pleasing to hear, and their affectionate father always thinks of their sweet words. How could he give up their association? One's elderly parents and one's sons and daughters are also very dear. A daughter is especially dear to her father, and while living at her husband's house she is always in his mind. Who could give up that association? Aside from this, in household affairs there are many decorated items of household furniture, and there are also animals and servants. Who could give up such comforts? The attached householder is like a silkworm, which weaves a cocoon in which it becomes imprisoned, unable to get out. Simply for the satisfaction of two important senses—the genitals and the tongue—one is bound by material conditions. How can one escape?" Purport: In household affairs the first attraction is the beautiful and pleasing wife, who increases household attraction more and more. One enjoys his wife with two prominent sense organs, namely the tongue and the genitals. The wife speaks very sweetly. This is certainly an attraction. Then she prepares very palatable foods to satisfy the tongue, and when the tongue is satisfied one gains strength in the other sense organs, especially the genitals. Thus the wife gives pleasure in sexual intercourse. Household life means sex life (yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45)). This is encouraged by the tongue. Then there are children. A baby gives pleasure by speaking sweet words in broken language, and when the sons and daughters are grown up one becomes involved in their education and marriage. Then there are one's own father and mother to be taken care of, and one also becomes concerned with the social atmosphere and with pleasing his brothers and sisters. A man becomes increasingly entangled in household affairs, so much so that leaving them becomes almost impossible. Thus the household becomes gṛham andha-kūpam, a dark well into which the man has fallen. For such a man to get out is extremely difficult unless he is helped by a strong person, the spiritual master, who helps the fallen person with the strong rope of spiritual instructions. A fallen person should take advantage of this rope, and then the spiritual master, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, will take him out of the dark well.

Prabhupāda: So two ways—one way is this entanglement, this kind of happy life, household life. People, 99.9%, they are after this happiness. It is described very nicely in this verse, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). The idea is that this material world, we are entangled with this body and anything belonging to the body. We are misconceiving that "This body I am, and anything in relation with the body is mine." That is going on in different name—family, society, community, nation, so on, so on, country. The basic principle is that "I am this body," and anything in relationship with this body, we are concerned with these two things. There are thousands and thousands of women, but one woman or one man with whom I have got bodily relationship, I think "She is my wife," "He is my husband." This is due to bodily relationship.

Lecture on SB 7.7.28, 32-35 -- Mombassa, September 11, 1971:

So this is one of the process that not only one should serve the spiritual master with faith and love, but he should always think of Kṛṣṇa. The Māyāvādī philosophy is..., they say that "You think of the spiritual master, he is God." That is Māyāvādī. Just like we have been in Surat, there is some Rāma Mandir without Rāma. This is rascaldom. They have placed their photo of spiritual master but no Deity. This is Māyāvādī. Ours is not like that. Ours is side by side. Not only spiritual master, his spiritual master, his spiritual master, along with the Deity. Tat liṅgam, we are calling(?) the form. So tasya liṅgānām mūrtinām. Liṅga means mūrti. The liṅga is sometimes... Some liṅga is also... Just like śrī-liṅga, pūr-liṅga, the feminine gender, masculine gender. So here liṅga also means the mūrti, the form. Liṅga means whether he is a puruṣa, or he is a woman or man, or his form. Liṅgānām mūrtinām. Mūrtinam īkṣaṇa. Īkṣaṇa means seeing. Therefore, the Deities should be very nicely decorated, the temple should be very much cleansed, all-attractive. People may come and immediately become attracted by the Deities, īkṣaṇam, with devotion. That is the system of temple worship. Unclean temple worship or no decoration, no flower, this is useless. If you want to introduce temple worship, that should be properly done so that any man who comes immediately become attracted with the form, īkṣaṇam. That facility should be given to the ordinary man. If he comes and he hears the chanting, the kīrtana, the bell sound, the karatāla sound, in this way gradually he becomes attracted. As we have seen, many students come in this way. They live and they become devotee. So these chances should be given. These chances should be given, according to śāstra, according to Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction.

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 11, 1976:

This is principle, para-upakāra, because everyone is suffering. So in the lower stage, everyone should take part very diligently in the worship of the Deity, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-sṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārj anādau **. One should be engaged, everyone should be engaged, śrī-vigrahārādhanam, with Deity worship. What is that Deity worship? Sri, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra **. To decorate the Deity very, very nicely, śṛṅgāra. Tan-mandira-mārjanādau, and to keep the temple, all through, very clean. This kaniṣṭha-adhikārī should be fully engaged in these things, then he becomes gradually, I mean to say, elevated in the madhyama-adhikārī.

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

So this church building or temple building or mosque building is coming down from time immemorial. People are investing their money, hard-earned money. Why? Uselessly? Nonproductive? No. They do not know. They do not know how much productive that is. Therefore in this godless civilization they have stopped building nice, decorated... In Vṛndāvana there is a temple of Govindajī that was seven-storied. Four stories was broken by Aurangzeb on political grounds. Still, three stories are still remaining. If somebody goes there he'll see how wonderful workmanship is there in that temple. So does it mean that those kings or rich men, they were all fools? Simply at the present moment we are very intelligent? No. They are not fools. That is explained in the Prahlāda Mahārāja's prayers. Naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo. You cannot satisfy the Supreme Lord by constructing a nice temple, but still He is satisfied. Still, He is satisfied. He is nija-lābha-pūrṇo. He is fully satisfied in Himself because He has no want. We are in want. Suppose I am renting one small apartment. If somebody says, "Swamijī, come on. I shall construct a very nice palatial temple. You come here." Oh, I shall be very much obliged. But does Kṛṣṇa, or God, is like that? He can construct so many nice planets, not only one, two, but millions and billions, with so many nice oceans and hills and mountains and forests, and full of living entities. And why He is hankering after a temple constructed by me? No. That is not the fact.

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

Just like if you decorate your face very nicely, how your face has become beautiful you cannot see. You cannot see. But as soon as you bring one mirror before your face, you'll see that in the mirror the reflection of your face is very nicely decorated. The same example is given here. We are reflection. We are reflection of God. Just like in the Bible it is said, "Man is made after God." God is not made after man. That is a mistake. The modern atheist class of men, they suggest that we manufacture a form of God according to our own form. Just like Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā, the picture is there. They allege that we have made a Kṛṣṇa form, maybe very beautiful, according to my form. But actually it is not. The Biblical truth is that man is made after God. Because we are sons of God, therefore God has got two hands, you have got also two hands. Just like your father has got two hands and you have got two hands, so you are made according to the body of your father, not that your father's body is made after your body. This is rationalism. Similarly, God's body is not made according to your body, but your body is made according to God's body. But this body is material; therefore we have to change. When we come to the spiritual platform, we get as good a body as that of Kṛṣṇa, which is eternal, full of bliss and full of knowledge. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

Now here it is said, yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānam. Whatever you are offering to Kṛṣṇa... Practically, we see that we are offering so many nice foodstuffs to Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa, apparently it appears that Kṛṣṇa has not eaten. The prasādam is distributed among the devotees. Similarly, whatever is offered to the Supreme Lord, He is not in need of it, but He accepts it. He spiritualizes it, and it is meant for you. You are gainer. Whenever there is some special function to offer some nice foodstuffs to the Lord, you can take the prasādam, so actual gainer you are. But you are gainer in both ways. You taste very nice foodstuffs, at the same time you regain your spiritual consciousness. So yad yaj bhagavat..., yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānam. Whatever honor, respect, or presentation is given to the Lord, it is enjoyed by Him. It is enjoyed by Him. So how it is so? Just the same example: just like you decorate your face, but you cannot see directly how your face is beautiful. But when you put your mirror before the face, on the reflection you see very nice decoration. Similarly, if you decorate the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa... That is the system of temple worship. Very nicely decorated temple, very nicely decorated Deity, all nice foodstuff offered to the Deity—you will feel enjoyment. The more you do that, you'll feel enjoyment. It is not nonproductive. It is very spiritually productive process. Yad yaj jano vidadhīta. Ayaṁ prabhur īśvara. Īśvara, prabhu means īśvara. Naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo. Prabhu means īśvara. Prabhu means master, controller. If a person is controller, master of a big establishment, so what the laborer can offer him? He is already the proprietor. So here it is said, īśvara aviduṣaḥ akalpād janād mānaṁ pūjām ātmano 'rthe na vṛṇīte. So do not foolishly think that the prescription given in the śāstras that whatever you have got, offered to Kṛṣṇa or offered to God, it is not that God is in want; it is your interest. The more you give to God, the more you become benefited. It is your interest.

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

So what is that desire? Īhā yasya harer dāsye. Anyone whose desire is to engage himself in the service of Kṛṣṇa. So whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness activity is purification of the mind, of the intelligence, of the ego, everything, purifying process. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). The impurification is that upādhi, designation. I'm thinking "I am American," "I am Indian." This is designation. Actually, spirit soul is neither American nor Indian nor Hindu nor Muslim. So one has to get out of this entanglement, material entanglement. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). And how one can become purified? Tat-paratvena, when he identifies himself, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa. I am Brahman, I am pure self. I'm not matter. I'm not this body." This is the stage of purification. And when one is purified, then hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Hṛṣīka means senses. So mind is also one of the senses. There are eleven senses. Five senses gathering knowledge and five senses working, and mind is the center. So mind is also accepted as sense. So hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). When your purified senses are applied in the service of the master of the senses, Hṛṣīkeśa, that is called bhakti. This is the definition of bhakti. So mind required there. You are thinking that "I shall decorate Kṛṣṇa in such a way." That is a function of mind. And as soon as you think that "I shall decorate my such and such person in this way," that is māyā. So mind is there. Sometimes it is acting for māyā, and when it is acting for Kṛṣṇa then it is purified. So in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness nothing has to be eradicated. Everything has to be purified. This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness process.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Mayapur, February 18, 1976:

Dayānanda: "Specifically the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, is always full of satisfaction by Himself. Therefore, when something is offered to Him, it is for the benefit of the devotee. The Lord does not require any service from anyone. The example is given here that if the original face is decorated, then the reflection in the mirror is seen with face decorated."

Prabhupāda: Naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo (SB 7.9.11). Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47). Everything is complete; therefore Kṛṣṇa is God. Everything, whatever we require... We require money, aiśvarya. We require strength. We require influence. We require education. So many things we require. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. Nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥ. Another definition of Kṛṣṇa is He's full with six kinds of opulences. So He's sufficient to fulfill His desire. He doesn't require anyone's service. Just like we are in need of so many things; therefore we require others' help. But Kṛṣṇa does not require anyone's help. Then why He accepts worship? That is the... That is for the benefit of the devotee, not for His personal benefit. Just like Lord Rāmacandra. He... His one wife Sītādeva was kidnapped by Rāvaṇa. Of course, Rāvaṇa cannot kidnap. It was externally, Māyā Sītā. Still, taking for exception Sītā was kidnapped, so Lord Rāmacandra could have possessed many millions of Sītā by His will, but for one Sītā He had to fight with Rāvaṇa and finish the whole dynasty, because Rāmacandra is the ideal king. It is the king's business to chastise such rogues and ruffians. That is king's business. That is for the benefit of Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa means the same Hiraṇyakaśipu. Kumbhakarṇa-Rāvaṇa. First they became Hiraṇyakṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu, the next, Kumbhakarṇa and Rāvaṇa, and the next, they became Śiśupāla and Dantavakra. In this way, because Kṛṣṇa wanted to give them liberation again back to home, back to Godhead, so this killing of Rāvaṇa, killing of Hiraṇyakaśipu, killing of Śiśupāla, is for the benefit of the persons, not for Kṛṣṇa's benefit. He killed them for their benefit.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Mayapur, February 18, 1976:

So if we actually want to serve according to our means, Kṛṣṇa is ready to accept our service. But you cannot think that "Without my service, Kṛṣṇa is starving." No, that is not. Nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥ. He's always complete in Himself. He doesn't require our help. But if we serve Kṛṣṇa, then we become benefited. That is... Yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānam. If you offer respect, Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa's representative, then you'll be respectful. If you don't want to show respect to Kṛṣṇa and His representative, then you'll be derided. Therefore prati-mukhasya yathā mukha-śrīḥ. Prati-mukhasya, original face, original person, is Kṛṣṇa. If you decorate Kṛṣṇa very nicely, then you will be also seen very much decorated. If you... Practically we see. There is no fable. We are offering Kṛṣṇa nice foodstuff, so we are eating this nice prasādam which we never conceived or dreamed, dreamt in our life. Because we are offering to Kṛṣṇa, we become so fortunate to taste this nice prasādam. Kṛṣṇa, nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥ. It is not that if you give a nice plate of foodstuff, Kṛṣṇa eats everything, and you simply see the empty dish. No. Kṛṣṇa eats and again keeps it as it is for... That is Kṛṣṇa. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). The atheist class of men, they think, "We offered so many things. Kṛṣṇa did not eat." No. He has eaten, but He is nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥ. He is not hungry, but whatever you have offered, He has eaten. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Everyone was offering so many things. It was stocked, and Govinda one day informed Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "Sir, people bring so many nice foodstuffs for You. It is stocked. Practically the whole room is filled up, and when they ask me that 'Whether Caitanya Mahāprabhu has eaten my offering?' I say 'Yes, yes, He has eaten.' So I have to tell so many lies, and the stock is there. You do not eat." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "All right, bring them here." So one after one, the whole room was finished. Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate everything. Then He asked him, "Bring more." "No, Sir, only the empty pots are there." "All right, stop." So this is Kṛṣṇa. If you offer Him huge foodstuff, He can eat. And if you can offer Him little flower, fruit and water, that also, He is satisfied. So everyone should offer according to his means, and Kṛṣṇa is ready to accept, not that you have to become a very rich man and you have to offer Kṛṣṇa foodstuff fifty-six times as in Jagannātha Purī the foodstuffs are offered. Not that. He is pleased anyway. But become a devotee. Try to please Him to your best capacity.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969:

It is very nicely decorated. Yes. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. This is the result of sincere devotion. Just like when you give me massaging, I say, "Do like this," similarly, when one is engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, from within He dictates, "Do like this. Do like this." So our business is how Kṛṣṇa will accept our service. This verse we have already discussed, that naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥ (SB 7.9.11). He does not require any ser..., anyone's service because He's complete. There is no want. Unless He's perfect, how He can be Supreme? The perfect means... We have got so many wants because we are imperfect. Especially in this material condition, we have got so many demands, wants, because we are living in an atmosphere which is imperfect. But Kṛṣṇa is perfect, pūrṇam. Pūrṇa-brahma. Pūrṇa-brahma. Another name of the Absolute Truth is Pūrṇa-brahman. Brahman means the greatest, the great and the greatest. And pūrṇa, pūrṇa means complete. Greatest.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969:

Now, today is, this decoration is so nice that... Of course, such kind of decoration is made in India. But if some devotee comes from India he'll see, "Oh, it is very nice. How they have done." How? It is possible because Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Kṛṣṇa is not for the Indians or for the Americans. He's for everyone. Anyone who desires to serve Him, He'll give him intelligence. This is the philosophy. We have to become serious, that "Kṛṣṇa, give me intelligence so that I can serve You very nicely." Oh, Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. And: "Kṛṣṇa, give me facility so that I can forget You." "All right. You again forget." That is also stated in the Sixteenth... Tan ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram andha-yoniṣu: (BG 16.19) "Those who are envious, asuric, demons, I put them in such abominable life that they'll never be able to understand Me." That is the greatest punishment. For a living being, if he forgets God, Kṛṣṇa, in any condition of life, it is the greatest punishment. They're thinking that "We are happy without this nonsense God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness." They are the most condemned, most condemned. I think Lord Jesus Christ has said like this, "If anyone gains the whole world and forgets God and self, then what does he gain?" In the Bhāgavata also it is said, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. We... Everyone is born fool. Just like this child. The child... Everyone knows that child is a fool. Everyone knows.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 18, 1968:

Here Prahlāda Mahārāja is trying to offer his prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya mahi gṛṇāmi. Mahi. Mahi means glorious. His glorious activities. Don't you think His activities are glorious? If... A modern scientist has manufactured one what is called sputnik, and we are advertising in the paper, "So nice sputnik. It is flying in the air and it's going..." And the Supreme Personality has created not only a childish sputnik, but millions and trillions of planets, they are flying in the air. So is not it glorious? But the rascals will say, jagan mithyā: "This world is false." Why it is false? There are so much brain in manufacturing this world, and is it false? Suppose if you decorate this temple and invite some friend, if he says, "Oh, this is all false," is it not decrying or insulting you? You decorate this temple so nicely, you prepare very nice foodstuff, and he says, "Oh, this is all false." Why? That means he has no appreciation. He's prosaic, he's dull, he's a rascal. So therefore devotees, they appreciate, "O God, O Kṛṣṇa, how nice You are. How nicely You have manufactured these trees, these flowers, the sky, the planets, the sun, the moon." And he becomes overwhelmed with joy: "Oh, my God is so great." And the rascal says it is false. (chuckles) You see how much rascaldom? False. Is it false? If you want to construct one building, you have to work hard your whole life, and if I say "It is false," how much insulted you are. So they do not know, they have no idea what is God. Yes.

Lecture on SB 7.9.23 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1976:

We are making our plan that "I shall be happy in this way. I have got this body, so let me make this body very strong, go in the beach and run on the beach to make the body very strong." There are so many other methods to keep the body very strong. Deha, apatya. Maintain the children very nicely. Dehāpatya-kalatra, wife. Decorate the wife very nicely. "In this way I shall be happy. Let me keep my body fit, let my children grow very nicely, wife be decorated with ornaments, with sari, and I will see and will be happy." No. You cannot remain. Even if you arrange like that, you cannot remain. Kṛṣṇa says, "One day I shall come as death, and not only I shall take you out of the scene, but I shall take away all your possessions." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34).

Lecture on SB 7.9.34 -- Mayapur, March 12, 1976:

It is the duty of the guru to engage his disciple in Deity worship, in cleansing the temple, dressing the Deity, decorating the Deity, so many engagements. So everyone should be engaged. If one is not competent to dress the Deity—everyone is competent—he can simply wash the temple and cleanse it. That will also help. There is no difference, that one who is cleansing the floor of the temple and one who is engaged directly in the Deity worship... There is no difference. They are all the same. Don't think that "I am engaged in cleansing the floor of the temple, and he is engaged in decorating the temple. I should be envious." No. There is no question of. Any kind of duty you are engaged... Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). If you cannot do something which is hard for you, you do anything for Kṛṣṇa under the direction of spiritual master, you'll get perfection. It is not that "I have to do this. I have to do that." No. Kṛṣṇa's service is manyfold. If one is unable to take one kind of service, the spiritual master can give him another kind of service. But both the services are accepted by Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 7.9.36 -- Mayapur, March 14, 1976:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: "Then Lord Brahmā could see You possessing thousands and thousands of faces, legs, heads, hands, eyes, noses, and ears. You were decorated with varieties of ornaments and weapons and very nicely dressed. Seeing You as Lord Viṣṇu with Your transcendental symptoms and form, Your legs extending to the lower planets, Lord Brahmā achieved transcendental bliss."

Prabhupāda:

evaṁ sahasra-vadanāṅghri-śiraḥ-karoru-
nāsādya-karṇa-nayana ābharaṇayudhāḍhyam
māyāmayaṁ sad-upalakṣita-sanniveśaṁ
dṛṣṭvā mahā-puruṣam āpa mudaṁ viriñcaḥ
(SB 7.9.36)

So in the previous verse we understood that Lord Brahmā executed severe austerity for hundreds of years just to become purified. Tīvra-tapasā pariśuddha-bhāvaḥ. Bhāva, situation, or nature, bhāva, nature also... So we have a bhāva, nature, at the present moment which is not real bhāva. We have acquired this bhāva on account of long, long years' material association. But this bhāva can be changed. That is spiritual. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī also says bhāva, and another place, in Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ, bhāva (BG 10.8).

Lecture on SB 7.9.36 -- Mayapur, March 14, 1976:

But the Vṛndāvana-vāsī, they are so affectionate, so attached to Kṛṣṇa, they do not want. They do not want to know what is God. They simply want Kṛṣṇa, to love. This is Vṛndāvana. There is no necessity. Kṛṣṇa manifested in so many ways big, big activities in Vṛndāvana, killing daily almost a demon. But still, the Vṛndāvana-vāsī did not accept Him as the Supreme Lord. They thought that some demigod has appeared. They did not know that He is the Supreme Lord. That is another māyā, yoga-māyā. If the Vṛndāvana-vāsī saw Kṛṣṇa that He is the Supreme Lord, then they could not love Him so nicely, because too much opulent conception diminishes natural love. Therefore in the Vṛndāvana there is no such exhibition of Kṛṣṇa's form. But in the material world, just to convince Brahmā that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He appeared, sahasra vadanāṅghri-śiraḥ-karoru-nāsādya-karṇa-nayanābharaṇaya-a yudhāḍhyam. Not only many faces, many ears, many legs, but each of them very nicely decorated. You have seen the picture of Lord Viṣṇu, very decorated, very much decorated. But you'll see Kṛṣṇa, He is decorated with the Vṛndāvana flowers. That is Kṛṣṇa's real form. He does not appear with many hands, many ornaments, many... No. Simple boy.

Lecture on SB 7.9.48 -- Vrndavana, April 3, 1976:

Therefore we should be very careful to take care of the floor, to take care of the throne, to take care of the flower, to take care of the dishes. Everything you should worship like Kṛṣṇa. That is... You cannot neglect anything. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira mārjanādau **. Everything one. You cannot say, "Kṛṣṇa is here, sitting. I can neglect this floor." That is foolishness. You should take as much care to worship the Deity, to decorate the Deity, as much care to keep the temple very, very cleansed. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. You cannot... You cannot say that "He is working on the garden; therefore he is inferior. I am working directly on the Kṛṣṇa altar." No. The person who is working in the garden, Kṛṣṇa's garden, he should be as careful as the man who is worshiping the Deity in the temple. That is wanted. Kṛṣṇa has expanded. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam. Tatam means expansion. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You cannot neglect anything, because everything is Kṛṣṇa. You should worship everything. Don't neglect anything. Kṛṣṇa is everything, varieties. At the same time, He is in His original form. The original form is not there, but everything is Kṛṣṇa. This is simulta... Acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, inconceivably, simultaneously one and different. This philosophy, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy, you should always remember. Don't neglect anything of Kṛṣṇa. Everything should be, every small thing. It is Kṛṣṇa's. It is worshipable.

Lecture on SB 7.9.48 -- Vrndavana, April 3, 1976:

So some friend says that "I have seen a great mass of water, Atlantic Ocean." And how he can imagine what is Atlantic Ocean? He is thinking, "That water may be like this well, three feet. All right, accept four feet. Accept five feet. I can..." These rascals who does not know Kṛṣṇa, they think, "All right, Kṛṣṇa may be a little more intelligent than me. That's all." In this way they are thinking. But here it is called bhūman. Bhūman means all-pervading. Sarvaṁ tvam eva saguṇo viguṇaś ca bhūman nānyat tvad asty api mano-vacasā niruktam. Even if you think that the sky is very, very great, that is also Kṛṣṇa. And if you think the atom is very, very small, that is also Kṛṣṇa. There is no, nothing greater than Kṛṣṇa, nothing smaller than Kṛṣṇa. These are two contradictory things. So simply if... "Kṛṣṇa is simply as big as the sky"—the Māyāvādī philosophy—"He cannot be small like the Deity." That is their mistake. He is as big as the sky and as small as the atom. In the intermediate stage, He is everything. Why He cannot be smaller like the Deity, small Deity, so that I may have the facility to serve Him? I cannot serve Kṛṣṇa when He's as big as the sky. That is not possible. I cannot decorate Him when He shows His virāṭ-rūpa. I think the whole world's, all the mills, they cannot supply cloth. (laughter) But Kṛṣṇa agrees to become very small. With little cloth I can dress Him. And Kṛṣṇa accepts. Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Even little small piece of cloth the devotee is covering Kṛṣṇa and thinking that "I am dressing nicely." Kṛṣṇa accepts that. That is Kṛṣṇa. Yes.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, December 26, 1972:

So what is the difference? This question was put. So our Guru Mahārāja replied: Just like a woman. According to our Vedic system, when the husband is out of home, the women is not supposed to dress herself very nicely. Proṣita bhartṛkā. It is called proṣita bhartṛkā. The system was that one should dress herself in such a way that people can understand what is her position—whether she's unmarried, whether she's married, whether she's widow, whether her husband is away, whether she's a pro..., she's a prostitute, everything. By the dress one should understand. "She is, she is widow," "She has got her husband," "Her husband is now away from home." "Oh, she is a prostitute," "She's not married." In this way. Because she's not to be asked. Simply by the dress one can understand. So the proṣita bhartṛkā. She does not dress herself, she lies down on the floor, does not change her clothes very nicely, does not dress the, comb the hair, proṣita bhartṛkā. And the same woman, when her husband is at home, she take twice bath and dresses herself, applies oil and very nice dress, ornaments, and so many things. Women know how to decorate themselves. But the... There is no difference. Her not dressing herself nicely and dressing herself nicely, it may be considered that bhoga and tyāga. But either of these positions is for center is husband. Center is husband. Therefore bhoga-tyāga is not consideration. If for Kṛṣṇa I have to give up everything, I will give up. And if Kṛṣṇa, I'll have to accept everything, I will accept. This is required. Not the position of bhoga-tyāga, but service. If by giving up everything I can serve Kṛṣṇa well, I shall give it up, everything. And if by accepting everything I shall serve Kṛṣṇa very nicely, then I accept everything. That is required. Ānukūlyena.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972:

The next is: "Pure devotional service is the only means to attract Kṛṣṇa." You cannot attract Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with full opulences. So you cannot attract Kṛṣṇa by your richness, by your reputation, by your education, by your beauty or by your strength or renunciation. No. You cannot attract Kṛṣṇa by all these things, because He's already full. You cannot attract by anything, any opulence, Kṛṣṇa, because He's ātmārāma. But if you offer something to Kṛṣṇa, it is for your benefit. The example is given: just like the original person is decorated, in the mirror the reflection of the person is also decorated. Similarly, if you decorate the Deity gorgeously, you will feel happy. Kṛṣṇa has many devotees, or many things for being decorated. But if you, in the temple, if you offer Kṛṣṇa all nice things, all nice flowers, all nice dress, all nice food, everything, everything, all nice, then you will feel happy. That is your interest. Therefore pure devotional service is the only means to attract Kṛṣṇa. Attract Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa will be happy in this way, that you are doing so much for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has everything, but your devotional service, that sincerity of purpose, will attract. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Do not try to see Kṛṣṇa. Render your service in such a nice way that let Kṛṣṇa see you." When Kṛṣṇa sees you, then your mission is perfect. We cannot see... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136)]. We cannot perceive Kṛṣṇa by our senses, but when our senses are engaged in satisfying Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa sees us. Svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ. And when Kṛṣṇa sees us, then our life is successful. And how Kṛṣṇa can see us? Simply by our devotional service. Otherwise, you cannot satisfy Kṛṣṇa by opulence, by education, by scholarship, by beauty, riches. No. These things Kṛṣṇa has all perfectly. He's full with all these opulences. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). If you want to attract Kṛṣṇa, then be engaged in pure devotional service.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 25, 1973:

Somehow or other, one has to fix his mind on Kṛṣṇa. The great saint Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, although a responsible king, fixed his mind on Kṛṣṇa, and similarly anyone who tries to fix his mind in this way will very rapidly make progress in successfully reviving his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now this sādhana-bhakti, or practice of devotional service, can also be divided into two parts. The first part is called regulative principles. One has to follow these different regulative principles by the order of the spiritual master, or on the strength of authoritative scriptures, and there can be no question of refusal. That is called vaidhi, or regulated. One has to do it without any argument. Another part of sādhana-bhakti is called rāgānugā. Rāgānugā refers to the point at which, by following the regulative principles, one becomes a little more attached to Kṛṣṇa and executes devotional service out of natural love. For example, a person engaged in devotional service may be ordered to rise early in the morning and offer ārātrika, which is a form of Deity worship. In the beginning, by the order of his spiritual master, one rises early in the morning and offers ārātrika, but then he develops real attachment. When he gets this attachment he automatically tries to decorate the Deity and prepare different kinds of dresses and thinks of different plans to execute his devotional service nicely. Although it is within the category of practice, this offering of loving service is spontaneous.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:

Pradyumna: (reading:) "Another part of sādhana-bhakti is called rāgānugā. Rāgānugā refers to the point at which, by following the regulative principles, one becomes a little more attached to Kṛṣṇa and executes devotional service out of natural love. For example, a person engaged in devotional service may be ordered to rise early in the morning and offer ārātrika, which is a form of Deity worship. In the beginning, by the order of the spiritual master, one rises early in the morning and offers ārātrika, but then he develops real attachment. When he gets this attachment, he automatically tries to decorate the Deity and prepare different kinds of dresses and thinks of different plans to execute his devotional service nicely. Although it is within the category of practice, this off..."

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Pradyumna: "Although it is within the category of practice, this offering of loving service is spontaneous. So the practice of devotion, the practice of devotional service, sādhana-bhakti, can be divided into two parts—namely, regulative and spontaneous."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Go on.

Pradyumna: "Rūpa Gosvāmī defines the first part of devotional service, or vaidhi-bhakti, as follows: 'When there is no attachment or no spontaneous loving service to the Lord, and one is engaged in the service of the Lord simply out of obedience to the order of the spiritual master or in pursuance of the scriptures, such obligatory service is called vaidhi-bhakti.' These principles of vaidhi-bhakti..."

Prabhupāda: Neither attachment nor detachment. That is the primary stage. One has no very much attachment in the material affairs, but at the same time, he has no strong detach..., attachment for devotional service. This marginal state is called, what is that? Vaidhi-bhakti. Means he is offering devotional service under the instruction of the spiritual master as a professional. He has not developed the spontaneous love of God, Kṛṣṇa, but he is obliged to serve under the instruction of the spiritual master. And that is the first stage of vaidhi-bhakti.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 28, 1973:

Therefore one, one who, even coming from low-grade family, if he has become Vaiṣṇava, then he's no longer in the worldly society. He's transcendental. Brahmā-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). One who is engaged in pure devotional service, he's in the Brahman platform. He should not be neglected. Vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ, arcye śilā-dhīr, guruṣu nara-mati, vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. These are warned. One should not consider the Deity as made of stone, arcye śilā-dhīr. Śālagrāma-śilā. If somebody says, "What is this, a stone chip, or stone ball?" No. These are warned in the śāstra. Vaiṣṇave... Ja... Similarly, to consider a Vaiṣṇava as belonging to certain caste is as abominable as to think that the Deity is made of stone. Everyone knows it is made of stone. But are we worshiping the stone? We are spending so much money for decorating stone? No. Because we have no eyes to see, we see stone. Kṛṣṇa is not stone. Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. He can appear in any way, any form, as He likes. That is His mercy. Because we cannot see except stone. Similarly, therefore He appears as stone. But He's not stone. If we think that it is stone, then we are gone to hell. You see. No. Arcye śilā-dhīr. Similarly Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava should not be considered that "Here is American Vaiṣṇava," or "brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇava," and "śūdra Vaiṣṇava." No. Vaiṣṇava is Vaiṣṇava. There is no more distinction. Just like Ganges water. So many sewage ditches, water coming, mixing in Calcutta. Everyone knows. But nobody says, "Oh, it is Chhitergar Paper Mills sewage water." No. That is Ganges water. Everyone takes bath, without any objection. Everyone is taking water and giving, bringing to the Deity room. Nobody distinguishes that this, with this water, so many mill water has been mixed up. Therefore it is rejected. No. Similarly, when one becomes Vaiṣṇava, never mind from which family's he's came. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). One should not distinguish, "Oh, here is American Vaiṣṇava. Here is a European Vaiṣṇava. How can I eat with them?" This is not... Vaiṣṇava should be respected. Sad vaiṣṇavaḥ śvapaco guru.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973:

Therefore this arcana-mārga, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārj anādau yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi **. This is the first duty of the spiritual master, to engage the devotees in arcana-mārga. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya. Cleansing the temple, dressing the Deity, decorating with flowers, ornaments and... So that devotees, as soon as (they) see smiling Kṛṣṇa, pleasing Kṛṣṇa, they become pleased. They become pleased by seeing Kṛṣṇa pleased. They do not want to be pleased independently. That is not devotee. Devotee's pleasure is seeing Kṛṣṇa is pleased. Kṛṣṇa is also pleased when He sees the devotees are pleased. This is competition. This is competition. Kṛṣṇa wants to see that His devotees are pleased, and the devotees want to see that Kṛṣṇa is pleased. Dui lāge hura huri (?). This is the competition going on between Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. By Rādhārāṇī, seeing the Rādhārāṇī's beauty, Kṛṣṇa becomes pleased, and Rādhārāṇī, when She sees that Kṛṣṇa is very pleased, She becomes pleased. She becomes more beautiful. And Kṛṣṇa wants to see. In this way there is competition. This is rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau (CC Adi 1.5). This is the exchange of Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the manifestation of pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.102 -- Baltimore, July 7, 1976:

So in this way the whole world is going on under a gross atmosphere of ignorance. There are so many things to be discussed. Just like we do not know what is the problems of life, how life comes into existence. We see a child is born, but we do not know wherefrom the life came. The lump of matter of the child is not the child. If the child takes birth dead, without life, it has no value; it is a lump of matter. You throw it immediately. But if it has a life, then we take care of it, we raise it, give him food, give him breast milk, and so much care. The life is so important. But nobody cares to know what is this life, where it begins, wherefrom it comes, what is the destiny. No question. Similarly, if we... We are seeing every night so many planets. We are making tiny attempt to go to moon planet or some other planet, but there are, we see there are so many millions and trillions of planet. What about their situation? We have made our calculation from here that they are simply decoration; there is no life. No, there is life. There is life, but we do not know it. So yesterday our scientist, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Dr. Svarūpa Dāmodara, was speaking that in the history of human society, actually these two things are ignorance: what is the beginning of life and what are these planetary systems.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.112 -- New York, July 20, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa śakti... Everything is Kṛṣṇa's śakti, potency. There is no doubt about it. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate iti matvā (BG 10.8). Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). Vasudeva is everything. That is Kṛṣṇa. But He's working in so many ways. So many ways. How it is working? That is stated in the Vedas: svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. He has got so unlimited potency that things are being done as if naturally, without any endeavor. But the background is Kṛṣṇa. Just like we see one flower growing, very small flower. The stem is very fine, and the flower is decorated even in their different colors. But it is not ordinary thing. If you are a painter, if you paint such a flower, it will take so many days. But it is coming. But don't think simply that it has come automatically. No. There is no such thing as automatically. Same as you, when you paint a flower, you have to employ so much energy, so Kṛṣṇa has also do that, the same energy. But it is because it is so natural for Kṛṣṇa, svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Simply by His willing, it is happening.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.142 -- New York, November 30, 1966:

Then he was (going to) Vṛndāvana. He saw another beautiful woman because he was practiced to that habit. So he was going behind. Although he determined, "Now I am going to Vṛndāvana," on the way he was again attracted by another woman. So he followed that woman. That woman belonged to a respectable family. So he came, and the woman said to her husband, "Oh, this man is following me. Please ask, 'What is the idea?' " So the husband asked, "My dear sir, you appear to be very nice gentleman, and you belong to very aristocratic family. From your appearances I understand. What do you want? Why you are following my wife?" He said, "Yes, I am following wife because I want to embrace her." "Oh, you want to embrace? Come on. Embrace. Come on. You are welcome. Come on." So the wife also... She (he) ordered, "Oh, here is a guest. He wants to embrace you and kiss you. So please decorate yourself nicely so that he may enjoy." So the wife also followed the instruction of the husband because wife's duty is to follow the instruction. And when Bilvamaṅgala came inside before the woman, he said, "My dear mother, will you kindly give your hairpins?" "Yes. Why?" "I have got some business." Then he took the hairpin and at once pierced his eyes: "Oh, this eye is my enemy." And he became blind. He became blind. Then all of them... "That's all right. Now no more I shall be disturbed."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.164-173 -- New York, December 13, 1966:

Now those sixteen thousand girls prayed to Kṛṣṇa that "We are kidnapped." They were all king's daughters. They were also all princesses. "But because we are kidnapped, so nobody will marry us." That is the system. Once a girl goes out of the home, it is very difficult for her to be married in the society. Still that system is going on in India. Unmarried girls, young girls, they cannot go out unless she is married. If she goes out and if she passes some night with other boys, then no more place in the society. So those girls prayed to Kṛṣṇa that "Because we are kidnapped by this Narakāsura from our father's custody, now nobody will marry. So You become our husband. Otherwise there is no other way." So they appealed, they cried, and Kṛṣṇa accepted: "Yes. I will accept you all, My wives." Therefore He brought those sixteen thousand girls. But what kind of husband? He is God, not an ordinary husband. So He constructed sixteen thousand palaces for all the wives and equally all decorated houses. They are described that the houses did not require any external light. It was all bedecked with jewels. And in sixteen thousand forms He used to live with each wife. That is God. You see?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.330-335 -- New York, December 23, 1966:

Now, kalau, kalau, "in this age," especially meant. Now, how to worship Him? Does He require any grandeur, any throne or any decoration? No. Nothing. Anywhere and everywhere you can worship Him. How? Saṅkīrtanaiḥ, this chanting. Keep the picture of Lord Caitanya with His associates, this, as picture we are painting, we have got, and any part of the world, you sit down and go on chanting, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma... So no expense, no nothing. This is the recommendation for this age. Therefore this picture and this sound vibration should be preached all over the world. And rest assured there will be peace and prosperity. This should be the mission of this society, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is Lord Caitanya's mission. He ordered,

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
(CC Adi 9.41)

Para-upakāra means "do good to others." "You are born in Bhāratavarṣa. You are not meant for exploiting others. You are meant for doing good to others." That is His mission. Para-upakāra. Para-upakāra means "Do good to others." It is specially mentioned, bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra. Bhārata-bhūmite, in this land of Bhāratavarṣa, one who has taken his birth as a human being... Human being. "I am not talking," Lord Caitanya said, "I am not talking of others, less than human being. Anyone who has taken his birth as human being..." Janma sārthaka kari. Janma sārthaka. How? How to make your life perfect? Now, just you become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.395 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976:

So we are going to open this temple. Those who are in charge, they must take care of the temple. Cleanliness. Tan-mandira-mārjanādau. The more we have got men, engage them. And do not think that temple cleaning and Deity worshiping are different. Do not be envious, that "This person has been given the in charge of decorating the Deity, and I have (been) given to wash the temple where there are not Deity." No. It is the same thing. There is no difference. It is spiritual. In spiritual... Just like either you worship Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet or you offer a garland to Kṛṣṇa on His head, it is the same thing. It is no such thing as "This is head, this is tail." No. This is absolute conception of... So Bhagavān, His līlā, His form, His pastimes, His place, they're all Bhagavān. Even higher, those who are highly elevated devotees, they do not see even this material world different from Bhagavān. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetara. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada Muni says. The whole universe is Bhagavān, although it appears different from Him. Bhagavān ivetara. So actually everything is Bhagavān, but it is not this Māyāvāda philosophy, that because everything is Bhagavān, there is no Bhagavān. No. Everything is Bhagavān, and still Bhagavān is there. Kṛṣṇa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam (BG 9.4). Māyā, a person is there. Otherwise, there is no use of the word māyā. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam. Vaiṣṇava philosophy is that this material world is expansion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the Māyāvāda philosophy is that because God has become everything, there is no more God. Nirviśeṣa. That is called nirviśeṣa—without understanding the beauty.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.19-31 -- San Francisco, January 20, 1967:

So the Bhāgavata says, simply to understand "This is not Brahman, this is māyā, this is not Brahman," if you go on speculating and without any interest for devotional service or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then teṣām eṣa kleśala eva śiṣyate. So their advancement in self-realization is simply troublesome. Troublesome. They simply take the trouble of discriminating that "This is māyā, this is Brahman. This is false, this is reality." Because they have no other engagement. For a devotee there are so many engagements, but the Māyāvādī philosopher takes it for granted that these devotees' activities... "They are cooking for Kṛṣṇa or they are offering prasādam to Kṛṣṇa, they are decorating Kṛṣṇa, or they are singing for Kṛṣṇa, glorifying Kṛṣṇa—these are all mayic activities," they say. Because this bhakti-mārga is not appealing to them. They simply want to... Similarly, the bhaktas also say that "You are simply wasting time. Real thing is Kṛṣṇa. Just engage yourself in the service of Kṛṣṇa." They also say, "Kṛṣṇa is also māyā." According to them, Kṛṣṇa is also māyā. And Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā says that they are fools. How? Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā. Mūḍha means "The fools, they minimize Me. They decry at Me." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritaḥ (BG 9.11). "Because I come as incarnation, therefore the fools, they consider..., or they deride at Me." Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto. They do not know the background of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mama bhūta-maheśvaram. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the Supreme Lord." They do not know.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1970:

We are conditioned because our superior position than the matter, we are misusing. How we are misusing? We have forgotten that, although I am superior energy than the matter, but still, I am subordinate to God. That he is forgetting. The modern civilization, they do not care for God because people are superior than matter. They are simply trying to exploit matter in different way. But they are forgetting that we, either we may be American or Russian or China or India, we are all subordinate to God. This is the mistake. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, and they want to enjoy this material world. This is their disease. Now our duty is to invoke their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that "You are superior." That's all right. But you are subordinate to Kṛṣṇa. You cannot enjoy, but you can... Just like we have decorated this temple not for our sense gratification. What is the difference between our students and ordinary man? They are also decorating their apartment very nicely. We are also doing the same. But the purpose is different. We are doing the same, but the purpose is different. We are doing it for Kṛṣṇa, and they are doing their for their... So our superiority is that either I am trying for decorating my personal apartment, I am trying to decorate this temple—my superiority is there because I am utilizing matter for my purpose. But when it is utilized, his intelligence is applied to utilized this matter for Kṛṣṇa, then his life is successful. The superior intelligence should be utilized for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇārthe akhila-ceṣṭā. Then your life is successful. Then the same superior energy, if you apply it for your sense gratification, you'll be entangled and anxiety. And then you'll have to change your body, one after another. That is going on.

Festival Lectures

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

So similarly, the other qualification, nobody can be stronger than God, nobody can be wiser than God, nobody can be more beautiful than God, and nobody can be more renouncer than God. So here Rāmacandra, Lord Rāmacandra exhibited the quality how He renounced the whole kingdom simply on the order of His father, His obedience to father. He could have argued with His father, "My dear father, you, simply for keeping your promise and actuated by the dictation of a woman, you are doing this. Let us stop it. Everyone is expecting that tomorrow My coronation will be there, and they love Me so much." Because He... Just like Kṛṣṇa was so much loved, similarly, Lord Rāmacandra was the life of the people. They were very much expecting that Rāmacandra was going to be enthroned tomorrow. So how they were celebrating, how they were decorating the whole city. Everything. He never argued. He accepted immediately: "Yes, father. I am ready."

Sri Vyasa-puja -- London, August 22, 1973:

So it is not very difficult. One may not think that "I am not qualified to become guru." No, you are qualified if you follow strictly the paramparā system. Then you are qualified. That's all. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā... And what is the difficulty? Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "Don't feel any difficulty." Because as spiritual master, what you have to do? Yāre dekha, tāre kaha, 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Whomever you meet, you simply speak to him the instruction which Kṛṣṇa gives. What Kṛṣṇa instruction gives? That is also very easy. What is that? Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Kṛṣṇa says "Just become My devotee, always think of Me, offer Me obeisances, and worship Me." So here is Kṛṣṇa. If you simply think "Here is Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity," you may be fool number, rascal number one. That doesn't matter. But you are getting impression of this Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, think of Him: "Oh, how nicely Kṛṣṇa is decorated." This much. No erudite scholarship. Simply... Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. Here is Deity. Worship Him nicely as it is regulated principle. Even you are not worshiping, simply think of Kṛṣṇa, "Here is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa." Impression. What is the difficulty? As soon as you see Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, you get some impression. Think of that impression. Where is the difficulty? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. "Worship me." If you have got opportunity, worship. If you are initiated, worship here. Or you install Deity at home, as our Kṣīrodakaśāyī Prabhu is doing. Everyone can do it. Where is the difficulty? Now ask him how he is happy. The whole family is happy. Not only he. But his wife, his children, everyone is happy. Practical. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). And if you cannot do anything, simply come and offer your obeisances: "My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am so poor, so unfortunate, I cannot do all these things, but I offer my humble obeisances unto Your lotus feet." That much also. If you do this, you become spiritual master.

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

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching this pravṛtti-mārga, nivṛtti-mārga, both. "You do not do this" or "You do this." "Do this" means rise early in the morning, maṅgala-āratrika. Of course, you must sleep, but not sleep like cats and dogs, animals. Simply sleeping means waste of time. The more you reduce sleeping, then you become perfect. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. All the gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, they conquered over these things. What is these things? Nidrā, sleeping; āhāra, eating; and vihāra, and sense pleasure. This is called sannyāsa life, reducing sleeping, reducing eating. This is pravṛtti-mārga. We think "If I can eat voraciously like an elephant, then my life is successful." No. That is not success of life. If you can do without any food, that is successful. That is success. This is called nivṛtti-mārga, but that is not practical; therefore if we promise that we shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, that is tapasya. If you don't go to the restaurant and eat anything nonsense, that is pravṛtti. But if you want to stop that restaurant-going, then you take Kṛṣṇa prasādam; kṛṣṇa borā dayā moy kori bāre jihvā joy sva-prasāda-anna dilo bhāi. Kṛṣṇa is ready, so many nice, palatable dishes; you take and stop this restaurant-going. This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa does not say "Bring something from the restaurant" or this or that. He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: anything, little leaf, little flower, little water. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry, but Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has come to you, so that you can touch Him, you can dress Him, you can decorate Him, you can offer Him, you can live with Him as servant, as friend, as son, as lover. In so many ways, Kṛṣṇa is giving you chance.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Evening -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971:

So our temple is very nice. Just like this temple, you see practically how they are managing. Here, of course, we have no facility. But in other temples we have got very nice decorated. There is chandelier and... If you see, we have got pictures. It is very nice. So this movement is increasing, and our branches are increasing, practically, every month one branch. And these boys are doing very enthusiastically. So why not spread this movement in India? It is India's culture. Why Indians are lacking? That is my... I have brought them to show you example. This is a genuine movement, Kṛṣṇa. People are harassed, "Where is God?" Kṛṣṇa, here is God. Why don't you take Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). And Kṛṣṇa's order is there in the Bhagavad-gītā: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām... (BG 18.65). Why you are misusing this Bhagavad-gītā? You take it very seriously, and let there be a successful world movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And people will be happy. Actually, that is the peace formula.

Sri Sri Rukmini Dvarakanatha Deity Installation -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969:

Similarly, by this process, chanting process, by regulative process, you are becoming warmer, warmer, warmer, warmer. And when you fully become red hot warm, then your body is as good as Kṛṣṇa's. So we have to keep ourself always in the fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness; then everything is all right. (laughs) Otherwise, it will become dull and it will be simply idol worship. That's all. That is the difference between idol worship and Deity worship. If there is no life, then it is idol worship, hedonism. And when there is life, feeling, "Where is Kṛṣṇa? Here is Kṛṣṇa. Oh, I have to serve Kṛṣṇa, I have to dress Him, I have to serve Rādhārāṇī, She is here. Oh, I must do it very nicely. And as far as possible decorate Her to the best capacity." In this way, if you always feel Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you are fire. The same example, keeping with the fire. And if you think it is a brass-made doll, I mean to say, idol... Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). If you think this is a brass-made idol, then it will remain a brass-made idol to you forever. But if you elevate yourself to higher platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Kṛṣṇa, this Kṛṣṇa, will talk with you. This Kṛṣṇa will talk with you.

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

So therefore, guru's business is to deliver the disciple from the suffering condition. Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. So one who has got this mercy from the Supreme Lord, and he can deliver his guru. guru's out of many other businesses, one business is śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā **. To establish temple for regularly worshiping the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā. And to worship the Deity very nicely, to decorate, to dress, to cleanse the temple, to offer nice foodstuff, distribute prasādam these are the activities of the temple. Unfortunately, people are in so much ignorance that they have forgotten everything. They're living like cats and dogs, animals. So this is a great opportunity that you are going to open a nice temple here. So not only open temple but you take part yourself How to decorate the Deity, how to cleanse the temple, how to offer nice prasādam, how to distribute prasādam, how to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

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

So the opportunity has come by the endeavor of our Mr. Punja. He's to be known as Vāsudeva dāsa henceforward. His wife, Bhagavati, and his mother . So my request is, I of course I am traveling all over the world. It may not be possible for me to see you very frequently. But I expect to come again and again. But I entrust the matter to you all. I'll send help also as far as possible. Now you have to take care of your own business, this temple, and always remember that according to your capacity you can serve the Lord. It is not that one who is worshiping the Deity, decorating the Deity, offering arotik, he's in better position than the person who is cleansing the temple. Both of them equal. In the spiritual world there is no such distinction. Absolute. As here there is distinction between higher grade and lower grade service, in the spiritual world there is no such thing. Everything is spiritual service. So that you realize one after another.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Address -- Los Angeles, February 9, 1975:

This process... I am very glad that you are following despite all impediments. The Deity is nicely decorated, and the Deity is worshiped, and He's pleased upon you. Be blessed. Continue this process, don't deviate, strictly follow the regulative principle, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa at least sixteen rounds, and you'll be happy. There is no doubt about it. You can experience. It is not an imposition. Don't leave this process. Then, in this life, you will be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. It is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa.

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

To understand Kṛṣṇa is very, very difficult, even for the siddhas, those who have attained perfection of life. Kṛṣṇa said, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). First of all, out of many, many millions of person, one endeavors to become siddha, perfect. That is also not very easy, siddha. Siddha means perfectly self-realized. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is siddhi. That is the siddhi of human life. The dogs', cats' life, they cannot understand that "I am Brahman," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. They think, "I am dog."

Arrival Lecture -- Dallas, March 3, 1975:

So I am very much pleased to see the atmosphere here. Education means Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is education. If simply we understand that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person. He is great, and we are all subordinate. So our duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa," these two lines, if we understand, then our life is perfect. If we simply learn how to worship Kṛṣṇa, how to please Him, how to dress Him nicely, how to give Him nice foodstuff, how to decorate Him with ornaments and flowers, how to offer our respectful obeisances unto Him, how to chant His name, in this way, if we simply think, without any so-called education we become the perfect person within the universe. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It doesn't require A-B-C-D education. It requires simply change of consciousness. So if these children are being taught from the very beginning of their life... We had the opportunity of being trained up by our parents like this. So some way or other, they have come to... (break) Many saintly persons used to visit my father's house. My father was Vaiṣṇava. He was Vaiṣṇava, and he wanted me to become a Vaiṣṇava. Whenever some saintly person would come, he would ask him, "Please bless my son that he can become a servant of Rādhārāṇī." That was his prayer. He never prayed for anything. And he gave me education how to play mṛdaṅga. My mother was against. There was two teachers-one for teaching me A-B-C-D, and one for teaching me mṛdaṅga.

Arrival Talk -- Calcutta, March 22, 1976:

So I must first of all thank you for decorating Rādhā-Mādhava so nicely. So we are coming from Māyāpur, from the birthplace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is combination of Rādhā-Mādhava. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted that in every town, every village of this globe, this cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be preached. And it was given to the Indians: bhārata bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila jāra. It was the duty of the Indians. But in one sense, Bhāratavarṣa means this planet. Formerly there was one flag, Bhāratavarṣa, and the capital was Hastināpura. Gradually the control of the Pāṇḍavas declined. Up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the whole world was Bhāratavarṣa. Now it has become a tiny land, peninsula. So in that sense, anyone who is, who has taken birth on this planet, it is the duty of him to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, you European boys and girls, you have taken very seriously, and Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased upon you. Unfortunately, Bhāratavarṣī is not interested. Here we see side by side the two wings of this house. The one room is interested in making money, and one room is interested in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is the position. We are... Indians, we are neglecting this movement. That is not very good. Recently I had the chance to travel in the villages of Bengal. Oh, it is so pitiable, full of... They have given up this culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have not profited. They have not profited. But unfortunately the leaders, they think that by development of industries they'll be able... No. That is not possible. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā (SB 5.18.12). If you become godless, then you have no good qualification. Everything is finished. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā manorathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ. These rascals, godless people, they will simply manufacture plan. Manorathena: by mental concoction. "Now this, we have made this plan. It will be very nice." But no. That is not possible.

Arrival Lecture -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

At that time we shall speak, but this much I must express, my obligation that you are worshiping the Deity so nicely. That is my great happiness, and that is your happiness also. The more gloriously you worship the Deity, decorate the Deity as gorgeously as possible, the more gorgeous you will be. That is the secret. The materialistic, they are trying to dress themselves very gorgeously, and gradually their dress is being taken away by māyā, and voluntarily they are becoming hippies. Because they did not try to dress Kṛṣṇa, therefore māyā is taking their dresses. So the secret of success is that if you give nice... Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Simply you have to collect them and offer for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi tapasyasi yat yad aśnāsi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). This is the secret of success, that whatever you do... It doesn't matter what you are doing. You are businessman, you are a lawyer, you are engineer or... Something must be done for earning one's livelihood. That is a fact. Without karma, without working, you cannot keep your body and soul together. That's a fact. So in the human form of life the motto should be that "Whatever I do, whatever I earn, it must be given to Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi tapasyasi yat... (BG 9.27). Everyone is doing something.

Arrival Lecture -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

This is the resolution passed in the Naimiṣāraṇya big meeting, that... Everyone is working according to his capacity. Of course, in the Vedic conception a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, or brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa—this is the division. So in the meeting in the Naimiṣāraṇya the conclusion was that ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā. The president addressed all the learned brāhmaṇas and scholars assembled... Because Kṛṣṇa consciousness is meant for very first-class men, not for the loafer class. In the Bhagavad-gītā this is clearly said, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Not for the loafer class. But a loafer class man can become rājarṣi by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the secret. As the rājarṣi becoming... By materialistic way of life, a rājarṣi becoming as a loafer class... Just like you see, so many kingdoms were there, Moghul Empire, British Empire, Roman Empire, and so many empires were there. Where are those empires? Finished all. That will finish. It will not stay. Now the so-called kings, the emperors, they are now practically beggars. So if we do not decorate Kṛṣṇa, if we decorate our personal body, then gradually it will be finished. You'll be forced to become naked, what to speak of decoration? This is the way of nature. But if you try to decorate Kṛṣṇa, then without decoration you'll be worshiped; you'll be beloved. And this is the secret, just opposite. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi (BG 9.27).

Arrival Speech -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1976:

Now, if you study the lower grade of life, they are having all these things without any plan for economic development. Lower grade, just like animals, say, other lower grade... Lower grade means less than the animal or the aquatics, the plants, the insects, the birds, then come to the beast, then come to the human form of life, civilized. Uncivilized, then civilized. In this way there is a gradation. So this happiness, sense gratification, that is already there. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām. The sense gratification is there in different bodies, but the standard may be different. Standard means our calculation; otherwise, the standard is also the same. The sex life between dogs and sex life between human beings, the pleasure is the same. There is no change. There is no change. You don't think that when the dogs on the public street enjoy sex life their standard is lesser than our sex life in a very nice decorated apartment, and so many things, nice dress, nice bedding. No. The pleasure is the same. Just like if one has got typhoid fever. It is not that the poor man will suffer more than the rich man. No. The fever temperature is the same. The doctor, after taking temperature, he will say the temperature is the same. It does not mean that because the rich man has got typhoid fever, his suffering is less than the typhoid fever for the poor man. No. That is not possible.

Arrival Lecture -- Calcutta, February 4, 1977:

Prabhupāda:

śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-
śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau
yuktasya bhaktaṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **

So who has decorated?

Abhirāma: Pūrṇaprajña dāsa.

Purnaprajñā: My wife and I...

Prabhupāda: Very good. So this is the injunction of the śāstra, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā **. They... She should not stand before the Deity. Little back.

Hari-śauri: Ask her to stand to the left of the Deities.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (Bengali) So this is the duty of all disciples under the guidance of the spiritual master, to decorate. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra **. Śṛṅgāra means decoration. Amongst the various paraphernalia of worshiping the Lord, the śṛṅgāra is very essential, śṛṅgāra and tan-mandira-mārjanādi, and cleansing the temple. The more you cleanse the temple, the more you decorate the Deity, more your heart becomes cleansed and you become spiritually decorated. So cleanliness is next to godliness. And after cleansing, taking bath regularly, keeping the temple very neat and clean and worshiping the Deity, dressing, decorating, ornamenting... These are the general process. So if we follow the process regularly, then we gradually become advanced in spiritual consciousness, material world and spiritual world. Material world means dirty things and spiritual world means clean.

Wedding Ceremonies

Paramananda & Satyabhama's Wedding -- Montreal, July 22, 1968:

This last verse... It is not last. It is the third of Brahma-sūtra, Brahma-saṁhitā. Ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī-ratnaṅgadaṁ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam (Bs. 5.31). This verse... There are about one hundred verses in the Brahma-saṁhitā, and this verse, I think, about thirty-eighth verse... So description of Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The picture is here. So Govinda is not impersonal. And it is distinctly stated here that ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī: (Bs. 5.31) "The Lord is decorated with flower garland, and He has got a flute in His hands." And praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam: "And He is engaged in transcendental, conjugal love, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa." So this love which is in our experience within this material world, man and woman, it is not unnatural. It is in God also there. And the Brahma-sūtra, Vedānta-sūtra, in the beginning says that "Who is Brahman, the Supreme Person or the Absolute Truth?" Athāto brahma jijñāsā, questioning "What is that Absolute Truth?" The answer is janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything emanates." Very simple definition. That means the fountainhead of everything, the source of everything. Therefore here in this material world we see that the attraction for man and woman, woman's attraction for man, man's attraction for woman, is so prominent. Not only in human society, but in other than: animal society, cat society, dog society, bird society, there is always the attraction, man and woman, or male and female. Why? The answer is in the Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Because it is there in the Absolute Truth. Without being present in the Absolute Truth, how it can be manifested in the relative truth?

General Lectures

Lecture -- Montreal, June 26, 1968:

So actually, if we dissect our body, then the beauty things, they are within, some stool, some urine, some intestines, some brains, some muscles, some blood. These will be found. This is called māyā. But that stool, urine, muscle, brains, and intestines are so nicely decorated that it can attract you. It has got a full attraction, both for the boys and the girls. Bhāgavata has done nice that the illusion of this world is that attraction. What is that attraction? False attraction. The man is attracted by woman, woman is attracted by man. And the business is going on. Especially in this country, I see the girls are attracting by their bodily features in so many ways. You see? So similarly boys are attracting girls by so many features, especially by nice motorcar and so many things. So in every society, according to the standard of living, according..., these attractive features are going on. In birds, beasts... And when they are united... Everyone is trying to attract others. A girl is trying to attract another boy, the boy is trying to attract another girl. These attracting features is going on. And as soon as they are actually attracted and joined together, the illusion becomes doubly knotted. Tayor mitha hṛdaya-granthim āhur. Hṛdaya-granthim means everything is within the heart. If I study, "Oh, what is this attraction?" if I understand how it is simply combination of blood, stool and urine and intestine and muscle and skin and hair and nails, then if I study philosophically, so what is there? Have I got any attraction for all these things? No. So it is all false. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), that if we clarify our heart, then we become liberated. So this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting process is clarifying.

Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:

No. You should read Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. This is only a preliminary division. In the spiritual platform, everything is absolute. If you read Bhagavad-gītā, you'll find the same proposition as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is not that because you are studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that you haven't got to study Bhagavad-gītā. It is not like that. You read these literatures and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, follow the rules and regulations and live happily. Our program is very happy program. We chant, we dance, we eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam, we paint nice pictures of Kṛṣṇa and see them nicely decorated, and we read philosophy. So what you want more? (laughs)

Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is from Back to Godhead, which is a monthly publication that we put out in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There's an article in it called "Superconsciousness," by our spiritual master. "Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest yoga performance by trained devotional yogis. The yoga system, as it is stated in the standard yoga practice formula given by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā and as recommended in the Patañjali yoga discipline, is different from nowadays—practiced haṭha-yoga as it is generally understood in the Western countries. Real yoga practice means to control the senses, and after such control is established, to concentrate the mind on the Nārāyaṇa form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original absolute personality, the Godhead, and all the other Viṣṇu forms, with four hands, decorated with conch, lotus, club and wheel, are preliminary expansions of Kṛṣṇa." Should I wait a second? Wait for them to leave?

Prabhupāda: This will go on. They are not comfortably seated.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969:

So God created. Try to understand what is the position of God. God created means before the creation, God was there. Just like if you say that "Mr. such and such has constructed this building," that means before the construction of the building, Mr. such and such was living, was existing. So "God created" means God is not one of the beings who were created. He is beyond creation. Therefore one great stalwart ācārya of India, Śaṅkarācārya, whose name you might have heard, he says, nārāyaṇaḥ para avyaktāt, avyaktāt anya-sambhavaḥ: "Nārāyaṇa, God, the Supreme Lord, He is beyond this creation. He's not one of the created beings." You try to understand. God said, "Let there be creation," and there was creation: "Yes." His word is sufficient. His word is sufficient. You can take practical example. In your country you can understand this nice example. During the fall, all of a sudden, all the leaves of the tree, they fall down. There is no more leaf. And again, during the beginning of spring, the, immediately everything becomes green. Now, how this is happening? If you decorate one tree, if you want to take out all the leaves of a tree, it will take months together. And if you want to decorate one tree without leaves, it will take months together. But you can see that within a few days all leaves are fallen down, and within a few days all leaves are coming out. So why don't you believe that simply by word of God there may be creation, there may be destruction? That is sufficient. He doesn't require any engineering. Simply that vibration is sufficient. Śabdāt pravṛttiḥ.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

In this material world there are consideration of pious activities or impious activities. By pious activities one gets very good family, birth in very good family, and nice education, beautiful body, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). Four things: birth either in good nation or in good family, janma; and aiṣvarya means wealth, richness; and ṣruta means education; and śrī means beauty. So this is the consideration of material pious or impious. And impious means just the opposite: birth in abominable species of life, just like cats, dogs, hogs, or uncivilized people, ugly feature, no education. These are consideration, pious or impious. But either you become pious or impious, you cannot get out of these stringent laws of nature: birth, death, disease and old age. So we are educating our students to practice how to revive his old, the eternal constitutional position to serve the Lord. This is our practice. Just like here you can see the boys have decorated the sitting place of the Lord, how nice, with flowers and candles. It is not very expensive, but it is so beautiful that immediately it attracts. You see? So everyone can practice at home. Is it very difficult task, to gather some flowers and some leaves and decorate and have some picture or statue of the Lord, offer Him some fruits, flower? Everyone can do this. And by doing this, he gets the highest perfection of life: no more coming into this material world and suffer all these nonsense. This is our practice.

Lecture -- New York, April 16, 1969:

So the thing is that we should be very careful to utilize our life. This duration of life, it should not be squandered away for nothing, without any profit. Of course, the Western people they are very busy making profit, undoubtedly. Economic development, that's very nice. But economic development is not actual advancement of civilization. Economic development means the material comforts: a better standard of eating, better standard of sleeping, better standard of sex life, and better standard of defending. But we have got another. We are not this body. Better standard of living, sleeping, mating, is meant for this body. But I am not this body. That is my first proposition, that I am not body. I am not this room, apartment. If I simply decorate this room with all my energies, forgetting about myself, then that is not very good intelligence. You decorate your body, decorate your room, decorate your dress—that's all right—but take information of your soul also. Lord Jesus Christ said that if after achieving everything one loses his self, then what does he gain? The same thing is also in the Bhāgavata. There is no difference between the instruction of Lord Jesus Christ and Bhāgavata, but Bhāgavata is very elaborately described. And Lord Jesus Christ gave you in nutshell. Just like he gave you the information of the kingdom of God. Now, what is that kingdom of God, how it is being conducted, what is the situation, that you will find here. That is the difference.

Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Bombay, March 17, 1971:

There is a story in the Bhaktamarg grantha that one paṇḍita was reciting Bhāgavata and he was describing Śyāmasundara. Mother Yaśodā was decorating with all jewels very nicely to go with his cowherd boy friends, with the calves and cows. Śyāmasundara. And in the forest of Vṛndāvana. So, one thief was also hearing that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So he thought it wise, "Why not go to Vṛndāvana and get all these ornaments from these boys? (laughter) They are all boys, so either I can kill them or somehow or other cheat them, get these ornaments." So, that's a long story (indistinct). So, with that spirit he went to Vṛndāvana to find out Śyāmasundara to exploit Him, to take all the ornaments from Him. When he actually went to Vṛndāvana, he was finding out, "Where is Śyāmasundara? Where is Śyāmasundara?" Śyāmasundara came and, "Here I am." So, first of all he was (indistinct), "My dear boy, You give me all these ornaments I will give you nice thing." He said, "No, I cannot give you, my mother will be angry, no." (laughter) In this way then he decided that I shall take forcibly. In this way simply by the association of Śyāmasundara he became a devotee. That is the fact.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

So if I forget my business and I become busy with my apartment, is that very sound knowledge? I have come here to execute some business. I have got my temple here. There are devotees. They want to see me. I want to see them. They want to take something, spiritual knowledge, from me, and my duty is to impart. This is the business. But if I simply become engaged how to decorate the apartment where I shall live and forget my business, does it mean that I am very intelligent? No. Therefore that is called ignorance. I forget my real business; I become engaged in some business which is very temporary. I am here for two days. I shall live in an apartment. It may be very nice or not very nice—that is not very important thing. For two days I can live anywhere, even underneath a tree. That does not hamper my business. But I must be very serious about my business. That is intelligence. If I forget my business and simply engage myself how to decorate the apartment, or simply thinking how I shall live here comfortably... Just like I saw one advertisement while coming: "Comfortably living in (indistinct) begins here." I saw.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

So we are contemplating to live in this material world very comfortably. That has become our business. That is very much manifest in your Western countries. They are always busy how to live comfortably in this world. But they forget that one day will come, however secure and comfortable we may make our country or home, we will be kicked out: "Please get out immediately." You cannot say that "I have not finished my decoration of the apartment. Let me stay here for some days." No. The death is so cruel that one day, all of a sudden, it will come and say, "Please get out immediately." So if I could not finish my business during that time, and if I am kicked out, then just imagine how much loss we suffer and what kind of fool we are. The modern civilization, they do not know this. They think that "This body has come out all of a sudden by accident"—and the body means the senses—"and let us enjoy the senses to the best capacity. That is perfection of life." The whole world, especially the Western country, their ideology, philosophy, is this, hedonism. "Enjoy this life very comfortably, as nicely as possible." But that is a great defect and great mistake. Those who are in gross sense enjoyment platform, it is very difficult for them to understand.

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

So it doesn't matter whether you are Christian or Hindu. People must be raised to God consciousness scientifically. Otherwise it is doomed. It is not progress. It is already doom. They are simply inviting war after few years. In America, in New York, there is United Nations. They are spending millions of dollars every month, but they cannot stop war. Simply the flag is increasing. That's all. Because it is godless. They may talk all big, big words in the assembly, but at heart they are all dishonest, politicians. And God consciousness means cleansed heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). "I am servant of God." That is wanted. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). 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." That's all. What is the use of decorating the dead body? Because actually this body is dead. As soon as the soul is away from this body, it is a lump of matter. So when the soul is off from the body, if somebody decorates that dead body, what is use? It is simply concoction. That's all. Therefore according to Vedic system, as soon as a body is dead, there is no question of decorating. Immediately burn it and finish. Make it into ashes. That's all. The body has no importance. Real, the soul is important, the living force. So we have no education about that living force, and the original living force is Kṛṣṇa, or God. So we have no information. So therefore this education is very, very essential, at least at the present moment. You may educate in any way—Christian way, Hindu way, Muslim—but educate all the people about God consciousness. Otherwise there is doom.

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

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is on a different platform than this matter. It will be easier to understand that distinction between living body and dead body. So we are talking of the living portion of our existence. The living portion... We have got a living force within this body. Everyone can understand. As soon as that living force is out of this body, this body has no longer any value. It is thrown away on the street. So without any knowledge of the living force within this body, if we simply take care of our body, it is just like decorating a dead body. So do not take this movement as a sectarian, religious movement. It is practically a movement to bestow the essential knowledge of life to the human society.

Public Lecture -- Konigstein, Germany, June 19, 1974:

No desire. No material desire. Simply think of how to push on this movement. That desire and no other desire. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). No material desire. Śūnyam. Make zero all material desires. Simply desire, "How shall I push on? How shall I serve Kṛṣṇa? How shall I decorate this?" Therefore we have given so many engagements, to divert the desire. Desire cannot be stopped. That is not possible. Those foolish persons are: "Become desireless." That is not possible. Desireless means I am dead. No. Purify desire. Purify desire. You have got the desire for driving motorcar. Just drive motorcar for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (laughter) You see? This is the... Change the quality of the desire. Desire cannot be stopped. That is not possible. I want to eat very nice foodstuff. All right, eat remnants of foodstuff. We offer Kṛṣṇa the best food. That is the regulative principle. Kṛṣṇa also should be offered the best foodstuff, and you take the remnants. Kṛṣṇa is not so hungry that He is... He is taking, but He is leaving also. That is Kṛṣṇa's eating.

Lecture Excerpt -- London, July 25, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa conscious person are no more interested. Why not interested? They are disgusted. Why disgusted? No, because it is full of danger. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). Here everything appears to be very nice, but every step there is danger. So the Kṛṣṇa conscious person knows it, that although it is decorated very nicely. The New York is a big city. Twenty-four hours, "dungdungdungdungdungdung-guggugguggugguggug"—fire, always fire. Every minute there is a fire case. Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura's description of this material world as blazing fire... We see big, big cities in America, always in blazing fire. Still, they like this kind of life. But one who is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are no more interested, no more interested. They are interested back home, back to Godhead. Back to Godhead. Therefore our magazine is Back to Godhead. They are no more interested in front. They are going back to... (laughter) Therefore this name was given, Back to Godhead. They are trying: "No more we are so foolish. To go forward, material civilization..." And where you'll go? You are packed up within this universal atmosphere. Just like they are running for the moon planet, for the Mars planet. And where the rascals running, they'll come back.

Lecture Excerpt -- London, July 25, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa is providing another good house, so there is no discouragement. But go on executing your routine work. I am very glad to see that you are taking care of the Deities very nicely. Whenever I come, I see. This is very encouraging. And the more you keep the Deity very nicely decorated, then your heart will be cleansed of all dirty things of this material world. Tṛṇād api... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). That is wanted. And if we keep our core of heart cleansed from material dirty thing, then māyā will not be able to overcome us. So keep in that spirit. Never mind if sometimes, occasionally, there is some difficulty. We have got examples of devotees. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Prahlāda Mahārāja had to face so many difficulties. They didn't care. So God consciousness means you have to face difficulty but you should not be discouraged. You must go on with your business, and then success is sure. There is a verse in this connection. Tat te 'nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam (SB 10.14.8). When there is difficulty a devotee thinks, "It is a good fortune that Kṛṣṇa has given us some difficulty to counteract my previous bad action." So in this way, if we live, then mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk. If one is not opposed by all these difficulties and with determination he goes forward, then for him going back home, back to Godhead, is guaranteed. Dāya-bhāk. Dāya-bhāk means it is hereditary or herent.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- London, July 25, 1976:

Gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha, there are different meanings of gṛha. Especially gṛha, we mean the home, house. Gṛha-vrata and gṛhastha, they are two different. Gṛhastha means although he is in gṛha, household life, his purpose is to go back to home, back to Godhead. They are called gṛhastha. And whose only purpose is to live at home-decorate the home, decorate the wife, decorate the children and make money to live very comfortably—they are called gṛha-vrata or gṛhamedhi. They are not gṛhastha. Gṛhastha means although he's living with wife, children, family, but his purpose is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, how to go back home, back. They are called gṛhastha. So gṛhasthāśrama is as good as other āśramas. There are four āśramas. Vedic civilization means four varṇas and four āśramas. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. So those who are not following this principle of varṇāśrama-dharma, living like cats and dogs, they also live with wife, children. That sort of living is called gṛha-vrata. Gṛha-vratānām. Matir na kṛṣṇe: "They cannot become Kṛṣṇa conscious." Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. Why? Now, adānta-gobhiḥ. Go means senses.

Departure Talks

Departure Lecture -- London, March 12, 1975:

So this is one of the items, to learn how to decorate the Deity, śrī-vigraha. Śrī means goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī. Kṛṣṇa is always associated with Lakṣmī. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the original goddess of fortune, and as all other Viṣṇu-mūrti, Nara... Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Kṛṣṇa is always existing—tiṣṭhan means existing—with many other forms simultaneously: Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha and Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu. So Viṣṇu and Nārāyaṇa is... There are many expansion. You have seen on the cover of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There are different planets, and each and every planet there is the predominating Deity, Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu. They have got different names. So He is always associated with His eternal consort as well as devotees, many thousand, millions, in the spiritual world. In the material world... The creation of the material world is one-fourth demonstration of the whole creation, and this is one of the universes.

Departure Lecture -- London, March 12, 1975:

So śrī-viṣṇoḥ śravaṇe parīkṣid abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane. Parīkṣit Mahārāja got liberation simply by hearing. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he got liberation simply by chanting. And similarly, Prahlāda Mahārāja, he got liberation simply by memorizing, smaraṇe; Lakṣmījī, simply by serving the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is in the absolute platform. There is no relativity. In the temple worship, as there are so many different duties—one is worshiping directly the Deity, decorating the Deity, and the other is washing the temple—it does not mean that the one who is cleansing the Deity, he is less important than the person who is in the temple room, Deity room. No. Because it is absolute. The Deity... As the Deity is important, similarly, the floor of the temple is also important, same importance, because absolute. So in executing our devotional service we are engaged in different duties. Somebody is cooking. Somebody is decorating the Deity. Somebody is cleansing the floor. Somebody is going to sell books. Somebody is doing something. Everything—nirbandhe kṛṣṇa sambandhe, in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Because the relationship is there with Kṛṣṇa, then every activity which you are doing, that is complete. There is no such material distinction. Just like here in the material world somebody is sitting in the office chair and somebody is cleansing the office, so the cleaner is supposed to be lower than the officer, but in the spiritual world there is no such distinction. The officer and the cleaner, they are of the same importance. That is even Kṛṣṇa, with Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual world.

Departure Lecture -- London, March 12, 1975:

And, on the other hand, na tad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo pragṛṇīta kar..., na pragṛṇīta karhicit, tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham. To the devotees, a literature, a so-called literature, very nicely written, with decorated words, metaphorism and these things... Tad-vāg-visargo, na tad vacaś citra-padam, very nicely, literally very nicely decorated, na tad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo na pragṛṇīta karhicit, but there is no mention about Kṛṣṇa and His glories... 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 Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Hayagrīva: Concerning the purpose of prayer, he writes, "The true relation in prayer is not when God hears what is prayed for, but when the person praying continues to pray until he is the one who hears what God wills."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's very nice. He becomes qualified to understand God and to talk with God, to take direction of God. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti (te)
(BG 10.10)

Our ultimate goal is to give up this material world and go back to home, back to Godhead. So this being ultimate goal of life, if we offer prayer to the Supreme Lord... Not only prayer. Prayer is one of the service. This is also nine. There are different, nine kinds of service:

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

Vandanam. Prayer means vandanam. So this is also service. Either you take all the nine different items, or you take some of them, or at least one of them, then you will make progress in spiritual life. So some of them offer prayers, just like Christians, Muhammadans, they offer prayer. So it is as good as the Hindus give service in the temple, decorates the Deity, cleanses the temple and offers food. In this way they are engaged. This is called arcanam. Arcanam is also devotional service as well as offering prayer. So by this devotional service one makes progress in spiritual life, and when he is sincere in his service, then God is within him, He takes charge of him and gives him instruction how quickly and swiftly he can approach God. So this is fact. Our... He is not hankering after our service. He is complete in Himself. He doesn't require anyone's service. But if we offer service to Him, then we become purified, and... (break) ...complete purification. We can talk with God, we can see God, we can take His instruction, as Arjuna is talking with God, personally taking His instruction and acting according to His instruction.

Philosophy Discussion on Benedict Spinoza:

Hayagrīva: He writes, "God is free from passions, nor is He affected with any emotion of joy or sorrow. Properly speaking, God loves no one and hates no one, for God is not affected with any emotion of joy or sorrow, and consequently he neither loves nor hates anyone."

Prabhupāda: Yes. He is called ātmā-pama (?). He doesn't require anything from anyone. He is complete. But if anyone offers Him something out of love, it is his benefit who is offering something to God. God doesn't require anything. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā God says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: (BG 9.26) "A devotee, out of his love, even he offers Me a little leaf, little water, little flower," tad aham aśnāmi, "I eat that." So God is fully satisfied in Himself. Why He desires a patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam from a devotee? It is not for His benefit. But if he begins to offer something out of love, then his love begins with God. He gives him the chance. So offering to God does not mean God is benefited. It is benefit of the devotee that he begins to offer, and if he gradually develops that love, then his life is successful. So it is a chance. God does not require anything, but the giver, whatever he, he gives to God, it is for his own benefit. Just like the example is given, the..., if your face is decorated, then the reflection of the face in the mirror is automatically decorated. So we are reflection of God. If God is decorated then we become decorated. That is the idea.

Page Title:Decorated (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:23 of Feb, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=181, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:181