Descend (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"descend" |"descendance" |"descended" |"descending" |"descends" |"descent" |"descents"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

So Lord Kṛṣṇa, He descends, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7), just to establish the real purpose of life. When man forgets the real purpose of life, the mission of human form of life, then it is called dharmasya glāniḥ, the disturbance of the occupation of human being. So in that circumstances, out of many, many human being, who awakens, one who awakens the spirit of understanding his position, for him this Bhagavad-gītā is spoken. We are just like swallowed by the tigress of nescience, and Lord, being causelessly merciful upon the living entities, especially for the human being, He spoke Bhagavad-gītā, making His friend Arjuna as the student.

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

They cannot. Consciousness may be pervertedly reflected by the cover of material circumstances, just like light reflected through a colored glass may seem according to the color. Similarly, the consciousness of Lord, it is not materially affected. The Supreme Lord, just like Kṛṣṇa, He says that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ (BG 9.10). When He descends in this material world, His consciousness is not materially affected. Had His consciousness been materially affected, He was unfit to speak about the transcendental subject matter in the Bhagavad-gītā. One cannot say anything about the transcendental world without being free from the materially contaminated consciousness. So the Lord was not materially contaminated. But our consciousness, at the present moment, is materially contaminated. So whole thing, as the Bhagavad-gītā teaches, we have to purify the materially contaminated consciousness and in that pure consciousness, the actions will be done. That will make us happy. We cannot stop. We cannot stop our activity.

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

The Lord is so kind upon the living entities because the living entities are claimed to be all sons of the Supreme Lord. The Lord declares sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). Every living, every type of living entity... There are different types of living entities according to their different karma, but the Lord claims that He is the father of all living entities, and therefore the Lord descends to reclaim all these forgotten conditioned souls back to the sanātana-dhāma, the sanātana sky, so that the sanātana living entity may again reinstall in his sanātana position in eternal association of the Lord. He comes Himself by different incarnations, He sends His confidential servitor as sons or associates or ācāryas to reclaim the conditioned souls.

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

Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The living entities or the Lord, because we are full of consciousness, therefore our consciousness is after happiness. Happiness. The Lord is also perpetually happy, and if we associate with the Lord, cooperate with Him, take part in His association, then also we become happy. The Lord descends on this mortal world to show His pastimes in Vṛndāvana full of happiness. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was in Vṛndāvana, His activities with His cowherd boys friends, with His damsels, with His friends, damsel friends, and with the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana and His occupation of cowherding in His childhood, and all these pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa were full of happiness. The whole of Vṛndāvana, the whole population of Vṛndāvana, was after Him. They did not know except Kṛṣṇa. Even Lord Kṛṣṇa restricted His father, Nanda Mahārāja in worshiping the demigod Indra because He wanted to establish that people need not worship any other demigod except the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

It looks almost equal. Therefore people misunderstand that Bhagavad-gītā is ordinary warfare, violence. But it is not that. It is arranged by Kṛṣṇa because, to fulfill His mission. His mission is paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtam (BG 4.8). That is His satisfaction, not Arjuna's satisfaction, not anyone's satisfaction. It is His plan. He comes, He descends on this planet, in this universe, just to establish the real purpose of religious life and to kill, to vanquish those who are opposing the real purpose of life, human life. That is His mission, simultaneously two things. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtam (BG 4.8).

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Mombassa, September 13, 1971:

Just like from a bag of rice you take a few grains and see, then you can understand what is the quality of rice in the bag and you can evaluate it, price. So if you try to understand yourself, then you can understand what is God. Or other way, if you understand God, then you understand everything. One way is ascending process, one process is descending process. Just like on the roof there is some sound. Now we are here, we are not on the roof, we may conjecture or theorize what is that sound. Somebody will say some cat must be there, somebody will say that some man must be there. In this way, we can go on speculate. This is also one process. This is called ascending process. And descending process means if there is one person on the roof, he says, "This sound is due to this," then that is also perfect knowledge. So we get knowledge from the higher authorities, that is perfect knowledge and that is easier.

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

When these rascals forget that unless he goes back to home, goes back to Kṛṣṇa he'll never be happy, that is the discrepancy of occupational duty. They have come here, kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare (Prema-vivarta), he has come here to enjoy, to lord it over the material nature, and has become entangled. So Kṛṣṇa comes, descends, to save us, to give us shelter at His lotus feet so that we may also become immortal like Kṛṣṇa, full of bliss and full of knowledge. That is called amṛtatva.

So unless we have got our aim, target of life, then what is the value of life? This is amṛtatvāya. Is there any institution, is there educational institution or university or college where this teaching is given, that how you can become immortal? Is there any institution in the world? Throughout the whole world? No. They are simply teaching that you live like animal and die like animal. That's all.

Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Hyderabad, November 30, 1972:

Our process is descending process. We are not trying to understand by the ascending process. Inductive or deductive. We accept the statements of the Vedas. Therefore we haven't got to make much effort to understand a thing. Veda-vacana, śruti, śruti-pramāṇa. There are three kinds of evidences: direct perception, and evidence from the Vedas, and evidence from history. Aitihya. Pratyakṣa, aitihya, śruti. Three kinds of evidences. So pratyakṣa and aitihya is neglected. According to our Vedic system, śruti-pramāṇa, if it is statement, the statement is there in the śruti, in the Vedas, then we accept. We have got a society in India. They call veda-pramāṇa. "We cannot accept without it is not mentioned in the Vedas." That's a, that's nice.

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

If that sound is potent, then it can penetrate even this material sky and go to the spiritual sky and go to Kṛṣṇa directly. That sound is Hare Kṛṣṇa. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāya. I've given that. He has translated very nice, Hayagrīva. Golokera prema-dhana. This is descended from the spiritual platform, Goloka Vṛndāvana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Rati nā janmilo kene tāya. "I have no attachment for these things." I have got attachment for radio sound, or television sound, so many sound, but I have no attachment for the supreme sound which is coming down from the Goloka Vṛndāvana. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene... saṁsāra-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. "In this material world, I am, my heart is always burning on account of so many miseries." Juṛāite nā koinu upāya. "But I could not find out the way how to get out of it. This sound vibration will get you out from the blazing fire of this material condition.

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

He is full. He's self-sufficient, but still, He comes. As it is stated, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). "As soon as there is discrepancies in the discharge of religious principle, abhyutthānam adharmasya, and there is prominence of irreligiosity, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham, at that time, I descend."

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

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

This is called incarnation.

So Lord comes as incarnation for these two purposes: to protect the saintly persons and to annihilate the atheistic demons, and to establish the real purpose of religion. Now, the point was that is the real purpose of religion? That real purpose of religion, now, Kṛṣṇa said that "I descend for establishing the purpose of religion." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya (BG 4.7). Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Duṣkṛtām.

These two things, and the third thing is dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, and for the purpose of establishing the principle of religion. Now, in the last word He says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), that "You give up all kinds of religion that you have manufactured. You simply surrender unto Me." So religious principle means to surrender unto God and nothing more. But that's all.

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

Madhudviṣa: "He is advaita, which means there is no distinction between His body and Himself. Everything is spirit, whereas the conditioned soul is different from His material body. And because the Lord is identical in His body and self, His position is always different from the ordinary living entities, even when He descends to the material platform. The demons cannot adjust themselves to this transcendental nature of the Lord, as the Lord explains in the following verse."

Prabhupāda: Therefore, if we try to understand God by our limited knowledge, it will be a failure. We have to understand God from God. Then that will be perfect knowledge. So this Bhagavad-gītā is the science of God where God is speaking about Himself. And it is accepted by all great scholars, philosophers, and, I mean to say, religionists, everyone. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Therefore there are two kinds of processes to receive knowledge. The Vedic process says, avaroha-panthā, descending process. And the material process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, research. This is āroha-panthā, find out whether this, what is this, what is this, neti, neti, neti, neti, analysis, dissection, and so many. This is called āroha-panthā. Trying to ascend by dint of one's material knowledge. Then spiritual knowledge, you cannot have perfect knowledge... Why spiritual knowledge? Even material knowledge. Now there are so many attempts to go to the moon planet. They are trying to go there by so many ascending processes, sputnik, airplanes, and so many things. Still, we do not know what is this planet.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

So we cannot imagine, you see, that how long year. Such hundred years they live. That is their twelve hours. Similarly, twelve hours night. Similarly, thirty days, one month. Similarly, twelve months equal to one year. Such hundred years they live. So we cannot imagine even, even in the material world, how long a living entity can live even in this material world. So these are acintya. Acintya means beyond our conception.

And what to speak of the spiritual world? We cannot calculate even anything of the material world perfectly.

Therefore the best thing is our process, Vedic process, is to receive knowledge by the descending process. Kṛṣṇa has come from His kingdom, kingdom of God, the Kṛṣṇaloka.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

So Kṛṣṇa is there, His potency is there, everything is there, always available, easily available, provided we are prepared to receive Him. That's all. Kṛṣṇa is already there by His name. Nāma-rūpe kali-kāle kṛṣṇa-avatāra. Kṛṣṇa has descended by His name. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu preached the chanting, that you can become... But the profit is that if you are in offense, even if you do not have the power of appreciation, because Kṛṣṇa is all-potential, simply by chanting in any condition of life you become purified. But the more you have got the power of appreciation the more you get benefit. But immediate benefit is in whatever condition you may be if you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa then the benefit begins immediately without any moment. You have got any question? Yes?

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

Now, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is describing how He incarnates Himself for the benefit of conditioned souls in the material world. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, He descends. The Sanskrit word is avatāra. Avatāra. Avatāra, avatāra. Avatāra means who comes from higher plane down to this material world. He's called avatāra. So sometimes Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes Himself and sometimes He sends His representative also, for deliverance of the conditioned souls.

Now, now the principal religions of the world—Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, and Buddha religion—most of them believes some supreme authority or personality coming down from the kingdom of God. Just like in your Christian religion Lord Jesus Christ, he claimed to be the son of God and coming from the kingdom of God to reclaim you. So this claim of Lord Jesus Christ, we admit.

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

In last night we have discussed that how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He descends, what is the reason of His descending on this material platform. That we have partially discussed last night, that although He is the supreme authority of all energies, although He is unborn, although He is the Lord of all planets or all creation, material creation and spiritual creation, He comes.

ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā

bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san

prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya

sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā

(BG 4.6)

He comes not being forced by the laws of material nature, but He comes out of His own energy. This point we have discussed last night.

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

Abhyutthānam means uprising of unnatural activities or unnatural occupation, which is not for him. Abhyutthānam adharmasya tadā, at that time, ātmānam, self, sṛjāmy aham. Sṛjāmy aham means "I descend or appear." Now, this sequence of dharma is explained in the last paragraph, I mean to say, not last, in the last chapter, sixty-seventh verse of the Eighteenth Chapter. The Lord says that sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "You just give up all kinds of occupational duty or religiosity." We have created all kinds of religious formula. So Kṛṣṇa says that "You give up all kinds of religious formula." But what is to be done? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "You just surrender unto Me."

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

And that is confirmed by Lord Caitanya. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That real constitutional position of the living entity, especially of the human being, is to accept servitorship of Kṛṣṇa. So in other word, when there is discrepancy in the matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, at that time Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa descends. Kṛṣṇa descends.

Kṛṣṇa descends means sometimes He personally descends, sometimes He descends by His incarnation, sometimes He descends as a sound vibration, sometimes He descends as devotee. There are many different categories of His descendance. And at the present moment this Kṛṣṇa has descended in His holy name. You should understand that. Kṛṣṇa kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra. This is the statement of Lord Caitanya, that in this age of Kali, Kṛṣṇa has descended in the sound vibration form. Sound is also one of the form. Just like oṁkāra is the form of Kṛṣṇa. Akṣarāṇām oṁkāro 'smi. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, now, at the present moment, has descended in the form of His holy name.

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

Just like oṁkāra is the form of Kṛṣṇa. Akṣarāṇām oṁkāro 'smi. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, now, at the present moment, has descended in the form of His holy name. His name and He, there is no difference. So why? Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). People are now forgetting his relationship with God. Now this incarnation of Kṛṣṇa in the form of His holy name, this chanting of Kṛṣṇa will deliver all people of the world from this forgetfulness.

This is contributed by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He says that kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra, ihā haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomāra. If you chant or if you associate with the chanting of holy name of Kṛṣṇa, then you will get the highest perfectional stage of life, and we should accept that Kṛṣṇa has descended at the present moment in the form of His holy name. Thank you very much. Any question?

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

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of synonyms) "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself."

Prabhupāda:

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

This is very important verse in the Bhagavad-gītā. Dharmasya. Dharma is translated into English as religion, and religion is described in the dictionary as a particular type of faith. "So actually, it is not that. Dharma does not mean a particular type of faith. Because faith, you may accept some faith, I may accept some faith, another may accept another faith. Then there is no question of preaching. Everyone is satisfied with his own particular type of faith then there is no need of preaching, neither there is need of Kṛṣṇa's coming, descending on this planet.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One-hundred-thirteen. Verse seven? "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bhārata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself." Purport.

Prabhupāda: This is a very important verse.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

When God comes or His representative comes, His servant comes, or His son comes, there is necessity. Because it is God's kingdom, as soon as there is too much violation of the laws of God, there will be appearance of God. So in the present age, this hari-nāma, Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa has descended at the present moment in the incarnation of His holy name. Kali-kāle nāma-rūpe. In other ages, God comes to kill the demons, but if God takes the killing process... Of course, at last, when Kalki incarnation will come... That is, of course, long, long after. But at the present moment, God is compassionate. Taking consideration of the people's most fallen condition, there is no process of killing, but reclaiming them simply by this chanting process.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Therefore each and every avatāra, or incarnation of the Lord, has a particular mission, and they are all described in the revealed scriptures. Nobody can be accepted as an avatāra without references to the scriptural indication. It is not a fact that the Lord appears only on Indian soil. He can advent Himself anywhere and everywhere and whenever He desires to appear. In each and every incarnation He speaks as much about religion as can be understood by the particular people under their particular circumstances, but the mission is the same: to lead people to God consciousness and obedience to the principles of religion. Sometimes He descends personally, and sometimes He sends His bona fide representative in the form of His son or servant."

Prabhupāda: So there are some protagonists. They say that God cannot come personally. Why? Why God should be restricted? Is God under your regulation or restriction? Then what kind of God He is? Yes. God can come personally out of His compassion. That is possible. Yes. And He comes. He says here in this verse that "I come." But it is not that somebody will imitate and he will say that "I am God." No. That also not. You have to test actually. That test, if you have got, if you are conversant with the principles of God appearance, disappearance, incarnation, then you can understand who is a pretender and who is actually representative of God, by action.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Purport: "The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the sixth verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage, and therefore he returns to the kingdom of God immediately after quitting his present material body. Such liberation of the living entity from material bondage is not at all easy. The impersonalist and the yogi attain liberation only after much trouble and many, many births. Even then their liberation is..."

Prabhupāda: Try to understand bondage, what is bondage. We are thinking we are very, we are free. We are declaring that "We belong to the free nation" or "free community," or everyone is seeking after freedom. But nobody is free. Nobody is free. Everyone is under the stringent laws of nature. So bondage means to remain under the condition of material laws. That is called bondage.

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

This verse we have been discussing, that the Lord descends out of His own spiritual energy. He descends, appears. Yuge yuge sambhavāmi, in every millennium. And dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. Two things are visible in his characteristics. One thing is paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. Those who are pious, following strictly the rules and regulations of particular type of scripture, to protect such persons, and to vanquish duṣkṛtām, miscreants... Miscreants. Who are miscreants? Miscreants, means just like outlaw. A person may be very nice, well-educated, or wealth. So many qualifications he might have. But if he is an outlaw, then all his qualification becomes damned. Similarly, duṣkṛtām, miscreant, outlaw, those who are not obedient to the laws of nature or laws of God...

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

They will go on making plan-making, it will be frustrated, again plan-making, again frustrated, again frustrated.

So this process is going on because they do not know that their self-interest is that Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that He comes, He descends, with two purposes: paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), to give relief to the pious, to the righteous, and to vanquish the miscreants, and to establish the real religious principle. And what is that real religious principle? That is stated in the last instruction. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is real religion, to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That's all. This is done even by great philosophers. He has to do that.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:

If you try to know Kṛṣṇa, if you try to know Kṛṣṇa, then... Or if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then you, know everything. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. This is the knowledge, to understand Kṛṣṇa.

And Kṛṣṇa also confirms this, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ: (BG 4.9) "Simply if one understands tattvataḥ, in truth, what I am, why I descend, why I become a child of Yaśodā, why I become son of Vasudeva, janma, and why I act, why I take part in the battlefield..."

He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Veda says. The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Why He has to do? He's full, complete. He has nothing to do. He has nothing to aspire. There is nothing wanting. We are working for... Because we want so many things. But He has no want. He's ātma-tṛpta, fully complete. Thus He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Bombay, April 1, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa accepted so many innumerable incarnations, but the Supreme Personality, parama-puruṣa, is Kṛṣṇa. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu, kṛṣṇaḥ svayam, kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat (Bs. 5.39). In spite of His coming in different multi-incarnations, He personally also descends. Kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo (Bs. 5.39). The Supreme Personality. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. This is the prayer offered by Lord Brahmā.

Then again, in the Sātvata Purāṇa the explanation of Rāma is given. Rāma, the word comes from the ram-dhātu, ramante. Ramante means fulfilling desires. So ramante yogino 'nante. Those who are yogis.... Karmī, jñānī and yogi. And amongst the yogis, the bhakti-yogī is the topmost.

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

This is yajana yājana. Śrī-vigraha. This is Śrī-vigraha, Kṛṣṇa's arcā-mūrti. Kṛṣṇa has taken, advented, as avatāra, arcā-avatāra. Arcā-avatāra means made of stone, wood, metal, jewel, or coloring, painting. There are eight kinds of arcā-avatāra. So Kṛṣṇa has consented to descend before us to accept our service in a manner which we can do. If Kṛṣṇa remains in His virāḍ-rūpa, then it will be very difficult to capture Him. Kṛṣṇa remains in virāḍ-rūpa, but He becomes arcā-vigraha, a small deity, so that everyone can worship Him at home. It does not take much time, it does not take much place. To make dress of Kṛṣṇa you can utilize little cloth. Kṛṣṇa is agreeable to accept your service. And offering? Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). At any means you can worship Kṛṣṇa, and that is the business of brāhmaṇa and Vaiṣṇava.

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

Therefore the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there is description of Kṛṣṇa's activities. Because unless one understands what is Kṛṣṇa, he is not interested in the activities of Kṛṣṇa. But those who are devotees, they know that Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's activities are one and the same, absolute. So if we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa.... Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He descends and plays in so many ways. If we simply hear about Kṛṣṇa, then that means we associate with Kṛṣṇa.

Chanting of Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, is Kṛṣṇa. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). These are the statement of śāstra. Kṛṣṇa's name, cintāmaṇi, spiritual. It is not material. You cannot go on chanting any material name, "Mr. John Mr. John Mr. John." You will be tired. But you can go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours; you will never be tired. That is the difference. But they do not understand. And the more you chant, you relish.

Lecture on BG 6.13-15 -- Los Angeles, February 16, 1969:

And our is bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means, the process is the same, target is the same. One is trying to reach the supreme ultimate goal by philosophical way, one is trying to concentrate his mind on the supreme and the other, the bhaktas, they are simply engaging themselves to serve the Supreme Lord so He reveals. One process is to understand by the ascending process. And another process is the descending process. Just like in darkness, if you try to understand what is sun by ascending process, by flying your very powerful airplane or sputniks, just go round over the sky, you cannot see. But the descending process, when the sun rises, you understand immediately. Ascending process—my endeavor, what is called inductive process. Inductive process. Just like my father says that man is mortal. I accept it. Now if you want to study whether man is mortal, you study, you see many thousands of men, whether he is immortal or mortal. That will take so much time. But if you take the knowledge from the superior authority, that man is mortal, your knowledge is complete.

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

His lotus-like face effulgent as the sun and His dress brilliant with earrings and His body flower-garlanded. Illuminating all sides is His gorgeous luster, which is called the brahma-jyotir. He incarnates in different forms, such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha and Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And He descends like a human being as the son of Mother Yaśodā and is known as Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, and Vāsudeva. He is the perfect child, husband, friend, master, and He is full of all opulences and transcendental qualities. If one remains fully conscious of these features of the Lord, he is called the highest yogi. This stage of highest perfection in yoga can be attained only by bhakti-yoga, as is confirmed in all Vedic literature."

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

Avatāra means incarnation. Incarnation, in your dictionary, is "accepting some body"? Is that...? But avatāra... Of course, there are different grades of avatāra. Avatāra means one who comes... The real world is avataraṇa descending. Avatāra means who comes from a higher sphere, higher planet. They are not living entities of this world, this material world. They come from spiritual world. They are called avatāra. So these avatāra grades are different. There are śaktyāveśāvatāra, guṇāvatāra, līlāvatāra, yugāvatāra, so many. So avatāra means one who comes directly from the spiritual world. And incarnation, of course, this avatāra is translated with the word incarnation, but I think real meaning of incarnation means "who accepts a body." Is it not? So that incarnation, everyone accepts a material body. But avatāra, there are avatāra of Viṣṇu and avatāra of devotees also. There are different grades of avatāra. You'll read it in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, which is coming out.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, August 22, 1976:

Śrī bhagavān uvāca. Vyāsadeva could have written śrī kṛṣṇa uvāca, but purposefully he's writing śrī bhagavān uvāca. Because avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). The Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He descends as human being, mūḍhas, those who are rascals, they consider Him just like one of us human beings. Avajānanti. Therefore to avoid the offense on the part of the mūḍhas, he writes bhagavān uvāca. Directly.

Bhagavān means full with six opulences.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Hyderabad, April 28, 1974 :

Why India is not taking this? If you work in your factory, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then what is the loss there? But you will remain always in touch with Kṛṣṇa, smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur. This formula is (indistinct). We shall talk so many nonsense things, but you are not, (indistinct), desiring to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is our fault. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Nāma rūpe kṛṣṇa avatāra. Kṛṣṇa is now descended in His vibration form, Hare Kṛṣṇa, this Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga, because we cannot do anything, therefore Kṛṣṇa has become very easily available in the form of His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is available. You can see Kṛṣṇa, you can touch Kṛṣṇa, you can tlk with Kṛṣṇa. As you may advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is possible. Then, gradually making progress means gradually you will be lover of Kṛṣṇa. That is required.

Lecture on BG 8.5 -- New York, October 26, 1966:

It is full of ignorance and full of miseries and not permanent; temporary. So God hasn't got such body. Therefore sometimes it is said in the Vedic literature: formless. Formless means the form which you can conceive at the present moment, God hasn't got that form. But when He descends like you and me, that is His mercy. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). He comes just to..., being visible to our eyes. Just like this picture. This picture is not... It is not to be taken that He's not God, He is picture. The picture of God is also God. Picture of Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. The sound, name Kṛṣṇa, that is also Kṛṣṇa. But just to give us facility to understand... You do not think that this picture of Kṛṣṇa is painted by some artist's imagination. No. It is not imagination. There is description in the scripture what is the form of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 8.14-15 -- New York, November 16, 1966:

Just, I forget. The purport is that a person, if he tries to understand by his sensual process... This is called sensual, āroha-panthā. Āroha-panthā means trying to ascend, trying to ascend. There are two kinds of ways to understand knowledge. One process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, and another process is descending process. Descending process. What is that āroha-panthā? Āroha-panthā means that "I shall understand what is God by my own knowledge. I don't care for any authority, any books. I'll understand, I'll meditate, I'll think, I'll philosophize, and I'll understand what is God." This is called āroha-panthā. And against this, there is avaroha-panthā. Avaroha-panthā means getting knowledge from the authority.

There are two processes.

Lecture on BG 8.15-20 -- New York, November 17, 1966:

Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Although He has got His abode in the transcendental kingdom, which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana... The Vṛndāvana city from where I have come, this Vṛndāvana is called Bhauma Vṛndāvana. Bhauma Vṛndāvana means the same Vṛndāvana descended on this earth. Just like Kṛṣṇa descends on this earth out of His own internal potency, similarly, His dhāma, or His abode, also descends, the Vṛndāvana dhāma. Or, in other words, when Kṛṣṇa descends on this earth, He manifests Himself in that particular land. Therefore that land is so sacred, Vṛndāvana. But Kṛṣṇa has His own abode. And Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who comes to My abode," mām upetya punar janma duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), "he does not get again rebirth in this material world, which is full of threefold miseries." Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam nāpnuvanti.

Lecture on BG 8.22-27 -- New York, November 20, 1966:

The Lord, You have become so kind to these people of this material world or of this age especially that they cannot have any facility for understanding God." But God has descended in the form, in the sound, in the sound form, transcendental sound form. Simply by vibrating, you associate with God. Simply by vibrating, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. It is so much kindness of the Supreme Lord, that He wants to associate with you. So you should receive Him.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā

mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam

paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto

mama bhūta-maheśvaram

(BG 9.11)

Translation: "Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be."

Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa is not an ordinary man. Therefore Kṛṣṇa warns this. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Mūḍha rascals. To accept God as man and to accept man as God, this is rascaldom. Rascaldom means to accept a man as God and to accept God as man. This is rascaldom. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. We can understand who is an intelligent man and who is a rascal by this criterion. In another place Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ: (BG 7.15) "Mūḍhāḥ, rascals, they do not surrender unto Me." Kṛṣṇa is canvassing... Especially in India He appeared. He is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).

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

There are two process of knowledge. There are some persons who think, "Oh, why shall I hear from him? Oh, I can think. I can speculate. I can manufacture something new of my own group." These are nonsense. This is not Vedic process. Vedic process is hearing, ascending process, er, not..., descending process. There are two processes of knowledge: ascending and descending. Ascending means trying to go high by your strength, and descending means the pure knowledge which comes from up, you receive it. Inductive and deductive process.

So ascending process is not recommended in the Vedic process of knowledge. Vedic way of receiving knowledge—by aural reception, by submissive aural reception from the spiritual master to the student. This is the way. It is coming.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, September 24, 1973:

Unfortunately, we are neglecting this facility given by nature. Because in India there were so many saintly persons, so many great sages... Even Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He descended on this country, India, Bhārata-varsa. There were kings like Mahārāja Bhārata. There were kings like Mahārāja Ikṣvāku. There was king like Mahārāja Yudhisthira, Parīkṣit, so many. Unfortunately, we are neglecting our own culture. We are now imitating how to become technologist. This is the position of India. Nobody is interested to take this culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously.

But in the Western countries, where they have tasted very well the fruits of material advancement of life... Therefore the young men there, they are not very much interested to live like their fathers and forefathers.

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

Just like we have got a fixed time for the sunrise. Everyone knows that in the morning at 6:30 there will be sunrise. That is certain. Similarly, in the śāstras there is description when Kṛṣṇa comes down, descends in this universe. In one day of Brahmā at the end of Dvāpara-yuga... Brahmā's days are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand becomes one day of Brahmā. So forty-three lakhs thousand times, add another forty-three lakhs times thousand—this is the period after which Kṛṣṇa comes.

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

So why does He comes, that is also described. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8), yuge yuge sambhavāmi. So the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa descends to give us knowledge like Bhagavad-gītā, personally speaking, so that even after disappearance of Kṛṣṇa, you can take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā and, as Arjuna is asking personally, so similarly, all Your question, not only religious...

Of course, when there is something, talks about God, it is taken as religious. So religious, the meaning of religion in the English dictionary is different from what we mean by religion, that in the dictionary it is said, "Religion is a kind of faith." Faith may be wrong or right, but religion cannot be wrong or right. Religion must be correct. That is the meaning of religion. the example is that the sugar is sweet. It is not the question of wrong or right. Sugar must be always sweet.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.3 -- London, August 19, 1971:

That is stated in the Upaniṣads. Two birds are sitting on one tree as friend. One bird is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other friend is simply witnessing. He is friend, He's supreme friend, not so-called friend. Actually He's our supreme friend. He's always trying to get us back to home, back to Godhead. Not only He's sitting within our hearts, but He's descending as Kṛṣṇa.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

He comes and canvasses. What is that canvassing? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "Why you are engaged in so many so-called occupations? You simply surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Visakhapatnam, February 20, 1972, At Ladies Club:

"After departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa, wherein the principles of religions are kept?" Kṛṣṇa appeared for re-establishing the religious principle, dharma saṁsthāpanārthāya. When Kṛṣṇa, or any incarnation of the Lord descends, there are two kinds of missions. One mission is paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). The sādhus, or the devotees, they are very much anxious to meet God, Kṛṣṇa, so He fulfills the desires of the sādhu, and by the way He also vināśāya ca duṣkṛtam. Duṣkṛtaḥ means sinful, impious, to kill them.

So Kṛṣṇa has got two businesses. One, to give protection to the devotee, and the other is to kill the demon. Just like Kṛṣṇa appeared as keśava dhṛta narahari-rūpa, Nṛsiṁha-deva, and Narahari, Nṛsiṁha-deva, one side He was blessing Prahlāda Mahārāja, the devotee, and the other side He was killing his atheist father, Hiraṇyakaśipu. You have seen the picture.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Visakhapatnam, February 20, 1972, At Ladies Club:

So this duality is visible in this material world, but in the spiritual world there is no duality. There is absolute peace and... (break). ...So when He wants to fight, He comes here, because here there are many demons. So His fighting spirit is satisfied. Otherwise, for killing the demon, Kṛṣṇa does not require to descend. There are many agents of Kṛṣṇa. For example, this city, Visakhapatnam, on the seashore, if Kṛṣṇa desires, this whole city can be killed in a second, simply by overflooding the sea, or by storm. He has got many agents, parasya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Or the material agents, Durgā devī, she can all, do all these things. So Kṛṣṇa does not require to descend for killing the demons, but when He feels, just like a rich man sometimes feels to contest with some wrestler, that does not mean he requires it. That is the Kṛṣṇa spirit. He is all-blissful. So when Kṛṣṇa comes, descends, there are many demons. He especially comes for the devotee.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa name and the Kṛṣṇa person. Because Kṛṣṇa is absolute. Advaya-tattva. Advaya-jñāna. So He has descended in this age, kali rūpe, kali yuge nāma rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra. This nāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa, is the sound incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Don't think it is ordinary sound. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura has sung, golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāy. This sound vibration is coming, this is transcendental sound. It is coming from Goloka Vṛndāvana. It is not this mundane sound. Just like in radio you receive sound from other places. Similarly, this sound is received, I mean to say, released from the Vaikuṇṭha. Golokera prema-dhana.

So the sound vibration, Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives it to the people in general. He says that the name, holy name, is as powerful as Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Montreal, August 3, 1968:

Just like at the present age they have no idea what is God. They are asking, "What is God?" and they are proud of their education. Just see. This is the godless result of godless civilization. This is discrepancy of dharma. So at this age, at this stage, when people have forgotten God, when they are speaking that "God is dead," now this Bhagavad-gītā or this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra has descended, just like Kṛṣṇa says,

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

"At that time, I appear." So this is... Kṛṣṇa has appeared in His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between this holy name Kṛṣṇa and the person Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is absolute. There is no difference between His name, between His form, between His quality, between His pastimes, between His abode, between His entourage.

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

This is temporary. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "This is your real occupation. You have got some bodily occupation, some mental occupation, some intellectual occupation, but you have to give up all these things. Simply surrender unto Me. This is your real occupation." Kṛṣṇa says. And Kṛṣṇa descends to teach us this dharma, or occupational duty. He has explained karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga. These are all occupational duties of the body, of the mind, of intelligence. But real occupation... Because soul is eternal. The body is not eternal. Mind also changes according to body, or according to mind the body becomes... So we are contaminating so many qualities of nature, and we are making our concoction, manufacturing our duty. A drunkard, because he has mixed with the quality of drunkards, he thinks, "Drinking is my duty." When you mix with the hippies, then you become like the hippies: "Oh, it is my duty." Unless you cannot stay in the society of the hippies.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

Similarly, religion means the law given by God. Therefore we must know who is God and what kind of law He is giving to us. This is religion.

So from Bhagavad-gītā we understand, Kṛṣṇa or God, says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham: (BG 4.7) "When there is discrepancies in the matter of discharging religion, then I incarnate, I descend." Why?

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ

vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām

dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya

sambhavāmi yuge yuge

(BG 4.8)

So religion is disturbed by duṣkṛtina, demons, and those who are saintly person, they execute religion. So paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. Sādhu means saintly person, devotee of God. They are sādhu.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

So paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. Sādhu means saintly person, devotee of God. They are sādhu. And asādhu, or demon, means persons who deny the authority of God. They are called demons. So two business—paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duskrtam: "To curtail the activities of the demons and to give protection to the saintly person, I descend." Dharma-saṁsthā...: "And to establish dharma, the principles of religion." These are the three business for which Kṛṣṇa, or God, or God's representative—or, you say, God's son—they come. This is going on. So what is religion, then? The religion is obedience to God. Just like law means obedience to the state, and one who obeys the laws of the state, he is good citizen, similarly, the laws given by God, one who obeys the law, he is religious or saintly person. So it doesn't matter what religion you are following. It doesn't matter. If you are actually obedient to the laws of God, then you are religious. It doesn't matter.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

Indian man (1): When you say "He descends," does it mean "got down"?

Prabhupāda: Yes. "He descends," it does not mean that He is absent in His abode. That is God. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). You understand this? Ananta-rūpam. He can expand Himself in unlimited forms. Otherwise how it is possible-īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61)? God is situated in everyone's heart. "Everyone" means within your heart, within my heart, within cat's heart, within dog's heart—everyone's heart. So there are innumerable living entities. How He is situated everywhere? Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35): "He is within this universe and He is within the atom." That is God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

If we apply we apply our vāsu..., bhakti-yoga unto Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa-Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeve bhagavati. So Vāsudeva is not ordinary person, He is Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To show us mercy, He descends. That is His mercy. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7), if you take to devotional service... What is that devotional service? It is also very easy. It is not very difficult thing, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). If anyone comes in this temple, simply (aside:) Sit down. Simply offers a little obeisances, just bow down, māṁ namaskuru. And if you think of these Deities, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, in this way, those who have become devotees, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, you worship. These four principles, if you adopt, that is bhakti-yoga. That is bhakti-yoga. But the bhakti-yoga can be kept active by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Bombay, December 28, 1972:

There are many parties, they are, they are called theosophists and many others, they are trying to understand. So those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by their own knowledge, not from the knowledge of the Supreme... Our process is avaroha panthā, descending process, and the Māyāvādī philosopher's policy or system is ascending policy. I want to understand the Absolute Truth by exercising my mental power—that is called ascending process or inductive process. But our process is deductive process. We, Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). We take it, we immediately take it, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are not going to search out who is the Supreme. Because we are hearing from the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa, then our business is finished: "Here is the Supreme." So this is very natural. You are searching after the Supreme.

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Calcutta, September 27, 1974:

Where is the difficulty? But we shall not agree to, we shall not hear. We shall not act according to the instruction given. And that is our misfortune. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says, etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ: "You are so merciful that in this age You have incarnated, You have descended in Your name." Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. And in the name there is all potencies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). There are multipotencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the potencies are there in the holy name of the Lord. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. Deśa-kāla-pātra. There is no distinction. Anywhere, either in England or in Vṛndāvana or in Calcutta, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Niyamitaḥ smaraṇe. No kālākāla-vicāra, that "This is aśuddha-kāla, this is śuddha-kāla." Anytime. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). You have to chant only Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972:

It's so made easy, but we are so unfortunate that we do not take advantage of this. Etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu laments, "My dear Lord, You are so compassionate and merciful upon us that in this age You have descended in Your, as Your name, and one can chant this name without any regulation, without any regulation." Niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. Any time, any circumstances, one can chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Kṛṣṇa has become so liberal. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi: "My dear Lord, although You are so much merciful upon me, still, I am so unfortunate." Etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam, "I am so unfortunate," durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani na, "I could not be attached to chanting of mantra. Oh, I am so unfortunate." You see? The things have been made so easy, actually, but unfortunate class of men, they cannot take to it.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972:

One cannot challenge the authority of the Supreme and know Him also at the same time. He reserves the right of not being exposed to such a challenging spirit of an insignificant spark of the whole, subjected to the control of illusory energy. The devotees are submissive, and therefore the transcendental knowledge descends from the Personality of Godhead to Brahmā, and from Brahmā to his sons and disciples in succession. This process is helped by the Supersoul within such devotees. That is the perfect way of learning transcendental knowledge. This enlightenment perfectly enables the devotee to distinguish spirit from matter, because the knot of the spirit and matter is untied by the Lord. This knot is called ahaṅkāra, and it falsely obliges a living being to become identified with matter. As soon as this knot is loosened, therefore, all the clouds of doubt are at once cleared off.

Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:

Because everything is, is from the person. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. Rūpam, form. It is not from imperson. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. So we don't theorize. We accept the statement of the Vedas. That is our process of knowledge. Eh? Descending process. We take knowledge from the authority. Of course, the scientists also say they take from authority, but originally, as explained by our Hayagrīva Prabhu, it does not appear that the knowledge was taken from authority. It is theory. Theory, one can put theory of his own, and there are so many theories. But we don't accept theories. We want solid fact.

The solid fact is the Lord created. In the Bible also it is said that God said, "Let there be creation." So it is from the person. Here also, we find the creation begins from the person. In the Vedas it is said, sa aikṣata. Sa asṛjata. Aikṣata, "By the glance, He looked over, God looked over, and He created." The reference is to the person.

Lecture on SB 1.3.22 -- Los Angeles, September 27, 1972:

So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). To kill the miscreants and to protect the devotees, He descends. That is avatāra. They have two business. Not that avatāra means keeping some long beard or having an artificial helmet. Rascals may be allured by them, but those who are sensible, who have got sense, they will see with reference to the śāstra, the avatāra, every avatāra...

We are reading so many avatāras. The activity of that particular avatāra is also mentioned, that "This avatāra will, incarnation will appear accepting such and such person as father and mother, and His activities will be like this." So how any rascal can come out and say, "I am the avatāra, I am the incarnation"? So that some other rascals may believe, but those who have sense, they will not accept.

Lecture on SB 1.3.27 -- Los Angeles, October 2, 1972:

Acyuta-gotra. We Vaiṣṇava, our gotra is acyuta-gotra, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's name is Acyuta. Because we give up our other family gotra. We accept. Actually, originally everyone is coming from Kṛṣṇa. From Kṛṣṇa the Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Brahmā. From Brahmā, the sages, the Manus. In this way, everyone is descended from Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa confirms also in the Bhagavad-gītā,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad-yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

"I am the origin, or seed-giving father." Trees, plants, aquatics, by their karma they have to accept different dress, but as spirit soul, everyone is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7).

Lecture on SB 1.7.13-14 -- Vrndavana, September 12, 1976:

Similarly, when one comes to the stage of Vasudeva... Vasudeva means perfect Vaiṣṇava. Do you think Kṛṣṇa accepts somebody as father, an ordinary man? No. He is perfect Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇa accepts somebody as mother... Who is His mother, father? Nobody can be. He is the ādi-puruṣa. He's original person. Who can become His father, mother? But He accepts, when He descends to exhibit His līlā... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānam (BG 4.7) (break) ...janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). Don't take ordinarily: "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is born of a father, Vasudeva, and of a mother, Devakī. That's all. We know He was born." No. One has to learn who is His father, who is His mother, how He accepts His devotee as father. That is called yo jānāti tattvataḥ. This is tattvataḥ.

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

Sa eva, that ādi-puruṣa, that original person, He comes down, descends in this material world. Jīva-lokasya. This is called jīva-loka. This material world is called jīva-loka because here ātmā, the soul, is covered, conditioned. We have given the meaning, jīva-loka means when the ātmā is conditioned. That is called jīva-loka. There is no freedom. Just like there are so many planets. You have got airplane, but because you have got airplane you cannot go there. Conditioned. You cannot go. They're trying, one, two planets, moon planet or Mars planet. No. You cannot go there, what to speak of other planets. If you want to go there then you have to qualify yourself. Not that because you have got a machine, you can go there. No. That is not possible. Therefore conditioned. Conditioned means you have to fulfill the condition.

Lecture on SB 1.7.25 -- Vrndavana, September 22, 1976:

Pradyumna:

tathāyaṁ cāvatāras te

bhuvo bhāra-jihīrṣayā

svānāṁ cānanya-bhāvānām

anudhyānāya cāsakṛt

(SB 1.7.25)

"Thus You descend as an avatāra, incarnation, to remove the burden of the world and to benefit Your friends, especially those who are Your exclusive devotees and are rapt in meditation upon You."

Prabhupāda:

tathāyaṁ cāvatāras te

bhuvo bhāra-jihīrṣayā

svānāṁ cānanya-bhāvānām

anudhyānāya cāsakṛt

(SB 1.7.25)

So, Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead-sākṣāt, not imagination. Here it is said sa eva jīva-lokasya māyā sākṣād... Here, yes. Tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād īśvaraḥ. Sākṣāt, directly. Not indirectly. Just like we are meeting face to face. It is not that I am imagining. Face to face, sākṣāt. Sa-akṣa. Akṣa means eyes or senses. With senses. Kṛṣṇa cannot be seen with these material senses. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). It is not possible to experience Kṛṣṇa by our, these material blunt senses. It is not possible. We have to make purified. How it is purified? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.7.25 -- Vrndavana, September 22, 1976:

So here it is said, tathā ayaṁ ca avatāras te... Arjuna said that "You have descended to," I mean to say, "lessen the burden of this world." Bhuvo bhāra-jihīrṣayā. There are many instances like that. When Pṛthu Mahārāja was the king, there was no production food production Because his father was a great sinful king, so on account of that there was no production. And Pṛthu Mahārāja wanted... He was a very good king. He is incarnation also. He asked the earth, "Why you are not producing? If you do not produce, I shall kill you." This is mentioned in the Fourth Canto. And mother earth said, "My dear King, why you are angry upon me? It is my duty. When the people become rākṣasas, I'll restrict my supply. Let them starve and die.

Lecture on SB 1.8.20 -- New York, April 12, 1973:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ

munīnām amalātmanām

bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ

kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ

(SB 1.8.20)

"You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and material speculators who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How then can we women know You perfectly?"

Prabhupāda: So Kuntīdevī, she is submissively... This is the symptom of Vaiṣṇava. The Lord, Kṛṣṇa, has come to Kuntīdevī to take the dust of her feet. Because Kṛṣṇa considers Kuntīdevī as her aunt, Kṛṣṇa used to touch the feet of Kuntīdevī. But Kuntīdevī, although she is in such exalted position, practically on the level of Yaśodāmāyi, such a great devotee... So she is so submissive that "Kṛṣṇa, You are meant for the paramahaṁsas, and what we can see You? We are women."

Lecture on SB 1.8.20 -- Mayapura, September 30, 1974:

Nitāi: (leads chanting, etc.)

tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ

munīnām amalātmanām

bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ

kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ

(SB 1.8.20)

"You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?"

Prabhupāda: Tathā paramahaṁsānām (SB 1.8.20). Kṛṣṇa is realized by qualification, and the qualifications are described here. The first qualification is paramahaṁsa. Paramahaṁsa. Parama means the best, and haṁsa means the swans. So there are different types of swans. We have seen. Out of them, the white big swan is accepted the best of them. So this haṁsa, or this swan, has got a qualification special, that you offer them milk mixed with water. So the haṁsa, it will take the milk portion and leave aside the water portion. Every animal has got a special qualification. Just like you'll find the lizard, a very plain wall, polished wall, but they'll go very swiftly. You have no science to do that. You cannot do it.

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

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.

So Kṛṣṇa has come here, has descended, to collect some servant, that is not the fact. If we agree... Instead of becoming Kṛṣṇa's servant, we are servant of so many things. We are servant of our senses, and sense activities. Kāma, krodha, lobha, moha. Actually the whole world is serving the senses, servant of the senses. Godāsa. But if we engage the senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then we shall no longer remain the servant of the senses. We shall be the master of the senses. Because we, we, we shall not allow our senses to be engaged otherwise. That strength we shall get. Then we shall be safe.

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

"let me see how they are doing." It is called pastime. It is his free will. Not that he has become subjected to the prison laws and he has to come to the prison. No, not like that. But if the prisoners think: "Oh, here the governor is also in the prison. So we are equal. We are equal. I am also governor."

The rascal thinks like that. "Because Kṛṣṇa has come, descended, avatāra, so I am also avatāra." This rascaldom is going on. So here it is said: na veda kaścid bhagavaṁś cikīrṣitam. "Nobody knows what is the purpose of Your appearance and disappearance. Nobody knows." So tava, tava īhamānasya nṛṇāṁ viḍambanam. It is bewildering. Nobody can understand what is the real purpose. The real purpose is His free will. "Let Me go and see." He doesn't require to come to kill the demons. There are so many agents that if there is a strong wind, thousands of demons can be killed in a moment. So Kṛṣṇa does not require to come to kill the demons. And He does not require also to come to give protection to the devotee. By His simply will, everything is there.

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

Devotee:

janma karma ca viśvātmann

ajasyākartur ātmanaḥ

tiryaṅ-nṟṣiṣu yādaḥsu

tad atyanta-viḍambanam

(SB 1.8.30)

"Of course it is bewildering, O Soul of the Universe, that You work, though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn. You Yourself descend amongst animals, men, sages, and aquatics. Verily this is bewildering."

Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa is addressed here as Viśvātman, the vital force of the universe. Just like in my body, in your body, that there is a vital force. The vital force is the ātmā, the living being, living entity or soul. So because the vital force, the soul is there, the whole body is working.

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:

Nitāi: "Of course, it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You work, though You are inactive, that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn. You Yourself descend amongst the animals, men, sages and aquatics. Verily, this is bewildering."

Prabhupāda:

janma karma ca viśvātmann

ajasyākartur ātmanaḥ

tiryaṅ-nṟṣiṣu yādaḥsu

tat atyanta-viḍambanam

(SB 1.8.30)

This viḍambanam word, the English translation is almost similar—"bewildering." Viḍambanam, "bewildering."

So this is to be understood, what is Kṛṣṇa, because He descends out of His causeless mercy as human being for reestablishing the principles of religious system.

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Mayapur, October 14, 1974:

And at that time, Kṛṣṇa comes. He says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7).

So at the present moment, the actually it is overburdened by the material activities. So Kṛṣṇa has descended already. Kṛṣṇa has descended already. Nāma-rūpe kali-kāle kṛṣṇa avatāra. Kṛṣṇa has taken His incarnation in the form of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. So if people take to it, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the present situation of the world can be favorable for our living, and atmosphere will change. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for this purpose, to give people relief from all these burdens so that they can peacefully live, understand the value of life, and become spiritualized so they live peacefully in this life and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the mission of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Lecture on SB 1.8.43 -- Los Angeles, May 5, 1973:

Pradyumna:

śrī-kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa-sakha vṛṣṇy-ṛṣabhāvani-dhrug-

rājanya-vaṁśa-dahanānapavarga-vīrya

govinda go-dvija-surārti-harāvatāra

yogeśvarākhila-guro bhagavān namas te

(SB 1.8.43)

"O Kṛṣṇa, O friend of Arjuna, O chief amongst the descendants of Vṛṣṇi, You are the destroyer of those political parties which are disturbing elements on this earth. Your prowess never deteriorates. You are the proprietor of the transcendental abode, and You descend to relieve the distresses of the cows, the brāhmaṇas, and the devotees. You possess all mystic powers, and You are the preceptor of the entire universe. You are the Almighty God, and I offer You my respectful obeisances."

Prabhupāda: So Lord Kṛṣṇa is addressed here as kṛṣṇa-sakha. Although Arjuna is Kuntī's son, subordinate, but she knows that Kṛṣṇa is more intimately related with Arjuna than herself. She knows that. Another kṛṣṇa-sakha means Kṛṣṇā. Kṛṣṇā is the name of Draupadī. So Kṛṣṇa saved Draupadī from insult. She was attempted to be naked by Duryodhana and Karṇa, but Kṛṣṇa saved her. So in that sense also Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-sakha. Vṛṣṇy-ṛṣabha. Ṛṣabha, the chief. The best man is called ṛṣabha.

Lecture on SB 1.8.43 -- Los Angeles, May 5, 1973:

This is rebellious. God gives you a position, and if you want to usurp His power unnecessarily, which you cannot, then you are fool, rascal, you are rebellious. He requires punishment. Punishment. Therefore it is said that avani-dhrug rājanya-vaṁśa-dahana. "Therefore You descend to kill all these rascals who claim Your position, rebellious." That is natural. Just like all subordinate kings. There is one emperor, and there are subordinate kings. Sometimes the subordinate kings claim, "Now we shall not give tax." In India it so happened. Everywhere it so happens. The subordinate kings, zamindars, landholders, sometimes they think, "Oh, why shall I give tax?" Then it is rebellious.

Lecture on SB 1.8.43 -- Mayapura, October 23, 1974:

Pradyumna: Translation: "O Kṛṣṇa, O friend of Arjuna, O chief amongst the descendants of Vṛṣṇi, You are the destroyer of those political parties which are disturbing elements on this earth. Your prowess never deteriorates. You are the proprietor of the transcendental abode, and You descend to relieve the distresses of the cows, the brāhmaṇas and the devotees. You possess all mystic powers, and You are the preceptor of the entire universe. You are the almighty God, and I offer You my respectful obeisances."

Prabhupāda:

śrī-kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa-sakha vṛṣṇy-ṛṣabhāvani-dhrug-

rājanya-vaṁśa-dahanānapavarga-vīrya

govinda go-dvija-surārti-harāvatāra

yogeśvarākhila-guro bhagavan namas te

(SB 1.8.43)

So Kuntīdevī, first of all she prayed that "My attraction for my family..." Two different families, Pāṇḍu and Vṛṣṇi, Pāṇḍu family, the husband's family, and Vṛṣṇi family, the father's family... So woman has got attachment for both the families. She wanted to get relief from this attachment.

Lecture on SB 1.9.49 -- Mayapura, June 15, 1973:

So these are the principles of the state, to see. Therefore it is called cakāra rājyaṁ dharmeṇa. Dharmeṇa, to establish dharma. Cakāra rājyaṁ dharmeṇa. How? Pitṛ-paitāmaham. The king, Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, his father Pāṇḍu, his father, his father... This is the descendance. When Mahārāja Parīkṣit was born and the name-giving ceremony was going on, and all the learned brāhmaṇas, they predicted that this boy would be such, such-and-such powerful like such-and-such king, such-and-such munificent like such-and-such great... That description is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired whether this boy will be loving his prajā like his forefathers. That is the first inquiry. Therefore to follow the tradition of the pitṛ-paitāmaham, forefathers... The kings... Formerly all the kings, they were following the footsteps of their forefathers.

Lecture on SB 1.15.25-26 -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1973:

Our aim is not to produce cats and dogs. There are so many cats and dogs, the world is not happy. Now there is need of producing nice children, sober, gentle, devotee of Kṛṣṇa, good brain, good character. These things are required. So they were not unwanted children, these Yadus. This is a make-show (indistinct) other. They came, they are all demigods, they descended just to fulfill Kṛṣṇa's mission. Kṛṣṇa's mission, Kṛṣṇa came down so all the confidential servants of Kṛṣṇa, they also appeared to help Him in different... So when Kṛṣṇa wanted to go, He wanted to go with the descendants also, who came to help Him. So this is a make-show that the Yadus fought amongst themselves. The real purpose is, Kṛṣṇa wanted to take them away. Otherwise, superficially, when one becomes unnecessarily powerful, disturbs the world situation, he's a burden. He's a burden. That kind of burden is vanquished by Kṛṣṇa's desire, will. There must be some catastrophe like war, pestilence, famine, and everything will be finished.

Lecture on SB 1.15.27 -- Los Angeles, December 5, 1973:

Just like we have no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, conditioned soul. Therefore for our understanding, He is so merciful, He descends as arcā-mūrti. This Deity which we are worshiping, that is called arcāvatāra, incarnation of arcā. He's accepting our worship, our prayer, our everything. He has descended just suitable for our handling. That is His mercy. Therefore we should not consider that this arcā Kṛṣṇa is made of stone, as atheists will say, that "These foolish persons are worshiping... Heathens, they are worshiping." No, we are not worshiping stone. We are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. But that they do not know. Kṛṣṇa has appeared before us. Because at the present moment, we cannot see except stone and wood, therefore, suitable for our vision, He has appear in such a way. Otherwise how we can appreciate?

Lecture on SB 1.15.35 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1973:

Otherwise why Kṛṣṇa says, "Give up all religion"? Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), He says in the beginning. Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. "I come, I descend just to reestablish the principle of religion." Does it mean that He came to support Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion? No. He came to reestablish religion. People do not know what is that religion. They have created their own religion. And some rascal swami is supporting, yata mata tata patha. How you can create? Religion is personal? "You can create your own religion and be satisfied"? This is going on. In the name of religion, every rascal is creating his own religion and he is satisfied. He is satisfied, "I have got my own religion." But they do not know. These rascals, they do not know what is the meaning of religion. Religion means to abide by the laws of God, simple definition. Religion. That is religion, to abide by the laws.

Lecture on SB 1.16.5 -- Los Angeles, January 2, 1974:

Now, because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, that instinct must be in me also, in minute quantity. But that must be in me. Therefore we also want to enjoy with so-called lover or beloved or girls or boys, but we are trying to enjoy in a false platform—this material world. Therefore we are becoming baffled. The same enjoyment is, Kṛṣṇa is offering, by His descendance, that "If you want to enjoy like this in the society of beautiful young boys and girls, come to Me. Here it is, reality." But that they will not. That they will make impersonal. Being frustrated in this material platform, they want to make it zero, śūnyavādi, śūnyavādi, being disgusted... Because you cannot be happy in this material enjoyment. So at time it will be disgusting. That is jñāna-bhumika.(?) "So we have tried our best. What is the use of this enjoyment? Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. This is all false. Now let us become Brahman, become one with Brahman." But that is also false. That idea, to become one with the Brahman, that is also false.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

Pradyumna: "The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the sixth verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage..."

Prabhupāda: He's already liberated. If one understands this fact, that why God comes, if he is fully aware of the fact, he's already liberated, immediately. Go on.

Pradyumna: "... and therefore he returns to the..."

Prabhupāda: Because without being liberated, one cannot understand God as He is. It is not possible. Because he has no perfect vision. Liberated means perfect knowledge, perfect vision. That is liberation. Yes?

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

Therefore the very word is used "Bhagavān," because God is all-attractive, Kṛṣṇa is all attractive. So he recommends that Bhagavān, that beautiful Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive, all-powerful, He should always be remembered. Smartavyaḥ śrotavyaḥ. And He should always be heard about His activities.

Kṛṣṇa descends, and He leaves behind Him so many activities. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. Sādhūnām. Paritrāṇāya means to give protection; sādhu, those who are devotees. To give protection to the devotees. And vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: and to annihilate the demons. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya (BG 4.8). Yuge yuge sambhavām. So God comes. So far destruction or annihilation of the demons is concerned, God is not required to come down, because His agents Take, for example, this material energy. It is sufficient. If God wants, this whole city of Los Angeles can be, within a second, overpowered by this water of the Pacific Ocean. Within a second. It does not take much time.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

This is the solution.

That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti... (BG 4.9). Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti. This is the solution. Janma karma me divyam. Kṛṣṇa says, God says, that "If you try to understand Me, what is My position, why I descend, what is My activities, what is..." That is described here, śrotavya. You have to understand. How you will understand? By hearing. God has given you the ear. If you simply hear, if you simply hear... There is no question of education. It is not that one who is not educated, he will not understand what is God. He will understand, because the ear is there. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ: (SB 7.5.23) Viṣṇu, of Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you hear. Therefore we are opening so many branches, just to give people the chance of hearing. And as soon as you perfectly hear, the next position will be to glorify. Just like these European, American boys. First of all they heard. Now they are preaching.

Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

That is a fact. Naughtiness means that child is very intelligent. So in course of time that naughtiness will fructify into intelligence. So here all the godly qualities are misrepresented, perverted reflection. Just like love. Now our worshipable God is Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā, conjugal love perfection. The same love is descended here also, love between boy and girl, but that is perverted. The love is there. The same love is there also. Otherwise wherefrom this girl? Why a girl is attracted by a boy? Why a boy is attracted by a girl? That is natural. That is coming from God, His pleasure potency. But because that love is being manifested with the contamination of this material world, that is perverted. So every quality... That is the, I mean to say, scientific way of studying God. Whatever qualities you have got, you can understand the same qualities is there in God, but your present condition being contaminated with material contact, it is being pervertedly represented. This has to be purified.

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

Unless they are discussed by devotees, such literatures cannot be relished by the higher class of men. So the conclusion is that the Lord is not impersonal in the ultimate issue. He is the Supreme Person, and He has His different activities. He is the leader of all living entities, and He descends at His will and by His personal energy to reclaim the fallen souls. Thus He plays exactly like the social, political or religious leaders. Because such roles ultimately culminate in the discussion of topics of the Lord, all such preliminary topics are also transcendental. That is the way of spiritualizing the civic activities of human society. Men have inclinations for studying history and many other mundane literatures—stories, fiction, dramas, magazines, newspapers, etc.—so let them be dovetailed with the transcendental service of the Lord, and all of them will turn to the topics relished by all devotees.

Lecture on SB 2.8.7 -- Los Angeles, February 10, 1975:

He instructed the sun-god millions and millions of years ago. So Arjuna inquired, "How it is possible that millions of years ago...? Because You are my contemporary. You are of the same age." So Kṛṣṇa said that "Millions of millions of years ago, when I spoke this philosophy to the sun-god, you were also present because you are My intimate friend. Whenever I descend, you are also there. But the difference is that you have forgotten; I remember that I said like this."

So that is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ordinary living being. Kṛṣṇa remembers everything, knows everything. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni: (BG 7.26) "I know everything." That is Kṛṣṇa. But we do not know. That is the difference. Kṛṣṇa is not impersonal. He's also a person, but He is not a person like us, like you, like me. His personality is supreme. Nobody is greater than Him. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. These are the Vedic information.

Lecture on SB 2.9.4-8 -- Tokyo, April 23, 1972:

Pradyumna: "The Lord's order descends in disciplic succession through the bona fide spiritual master, and thus execution of the order of the bona fide spiritual master is factual control of the senses. Such execution of penance in full faith and sincerity made Brahmājī so powerful that he became the creator of the universe. And because he was able to attain such power, he is called the best amongst all the tapasvīs."

Prabhupāda: Nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim: "If you cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then what is the value of your tapasya?" Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim: "And if someway or other, if you approach Kṛṣṇa, there is no more necessity of tapasya." You have already got all the results of tapasya.

Lecture on SB 3.25.14 -- Bombay, November 14, 1974:

Very nice family, brāhmaṇa family. Brāhmaṇa family means Vaiṣṇava family. Brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava, brāhmaṇa-paṇḍita. Brāhmaṇa means he must be learned and he must be a Vaiṣṇava. Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Viṣṇu. Therefore in every brāhmaṇa house there is viṣṇu-pūjā, Viṣṇu-śālagrāma. Still. From descent, I mean to say, generation, it is coming down. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they are supposed to worship Lord Viṣṇu. Not only brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra... Śūdra also. Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate (CC Madhya 8.58). This is statement of Viṣṇu Purāṇa. Varṇāśrama, the execution of duty in the institution of varṇa and āśrama, four varṇas and four āśramas, what is the meaning? The meaning is viṣṇur ārādhyate, Viṣṇu becomes very pleased. That is varṇāśrama-dharma. If you execute as a pakka brāhmaṇa, that means Viṣṇu will be pleased. If you execute your duties as a perfect kṣatriya, then Viṣṇu will be pleased. If you execute your duty as a perfect vaiśya, then Viṣṇu will be pleased.

Lecture on SB 3.25.31 -- Bombay, December 1, 1974:

Tattva āmnāyam. We cannot manufacture tattva. That is improper way of understanding the truth. Generally, the Western philosophers, they try to understand the Absolute Truth by the ascending process. There are two processes of understanding the Absolute Truth. One is called ascending process, or inductive logic, and another process is descending process, or deductive logic. So ascending process is based on speculation, and descending process is based on fact.

This evening we were talking about Bhagavad-gītā, that Bhagavad-gītā is understood by the descending process, as Kṛṣṇa said. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that this yoga system... Bhagavad-gītā is also yoga system. That is bhakti-yoga. Although there are description of karma, jñāna, and the mystic yoga and ultimately bhakti-yoga, but actually it is meant for bhakti-yoga, the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 3.25.35 -- Bombay, December 4, 1974:

One who is twenty-four hours engaged with love and faith in the service of the Lord. To whom? Just like if you want to talk with some big man, then you must have qualification. Is it possible that if you want to talk with the big man here, immediately you like? No. You cannot talk. You must be fit to talk with him. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is ready to talk with you. He has come. He has descended in arcā-mūrti to talk with you, to be visible by you. Now you make yourself ready and fit to talk with Kṛṣṇa. Then He will exchange conversation. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. This is possible. This is a qualification.

So rūpāṇi divyāni vara-pradāni. Divyāni. Divya means divine. Divyāni. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). Divyam. They are not material things. One has to see. So if you say, as it is said, sākaṁ vācaṁ spṛhaṇīyāṁ vadanti, spṛhaṇīyām, very favorably you talk... Suppose if I say, "You have no eyes.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

Pradyumna: The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the sixth verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage, and therefore he returns to the Kingdom of God immediately after quitting this present material body. (break)

Prabhupāda: Janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). How Kṛṣṇa expands Himself, how He appears, what is the nature of His body, these things if you simply understand, then you become immortal. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Just to give the people a chance to understand Kṛṣṇa then he becomes immortal. That is the mission of life. Not that to enjoy sense gratification in a polished way, but the business is the same as the dogs and hogs enjoy. That is being instructed here. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām means the pigs who eat stool.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

This is the method of worship in this Kali-yuga, in this age. What is that? That kṛṣṇa-varṇam tviṣākṛṣṇam: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, descends as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whose complexion is very beautiful." Tviṣā. Tviṣā means by the complexion; akṛṣṇa, not blackish. As Kṛṣṇa is blackish, this incarnation is not blackish. It is just like golden, molten gold. So tviṣākṛṣṇam. And kṛṣṇa-varṇam, "He is Kṛṣṇa," or "always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa-varṇam tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ saṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. And His associates, just like Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu and Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa and many others... So He is always in association of His assistants, who are assisting Him in propagating the saṅkīrtana movement. Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe, nitya-siddha bhoi māne.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Los Angeles, June 27, 1975:

So one may ask, "If it is so difficult to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, so how so many people are becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious? They are not genuine? They are all false? If it is said kecit?" No, they are not false. They are amongst these kecit, amongst those rare persons, those who have become Kṛṣṇa conscious. How? It is due to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has descended to distribute Kṛṣṇa. That is His mercy. So by the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so many people are becoming vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ. But otherwise, it is not possible. Therefore we first offer our obeisances to Guru-Gaurāṅga, by whose mercy we get Kṛṣṇa. This is the system. Adau gurvāśrayam. Now, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so kind. Rūpa Gosvāmī could understand, could understand.

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

What is that activities? That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā... (break) ...janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). You try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Simply try to understand. Don't conclude that "Kṛṣṇa is like us, ordinary human being, maybe little learned more than us, or little power..." No. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By His merciful or causeless mercy, He descends to exhibit His form, His activities, so that he can see. Just like in the Buckingham Palace in London, many people are standing. Sometimes the queen comes and stands on the corridor, and everyone can see. That is queen's mercy, not that because she comes in the audience of so many public men; therefore she is also one of them. This is nonsense conclusion. Similarly Kṛṣṇa, by His causeless mercy if He comes... Some rascals say that God cannot come. Why? Why God cannot come? If He is all-powerful, why He cannot come? Does it mean that God is subject to your dictation that He cannot come?

Lecture on SB 6.1.41-42 -- Surat, December 23, 1970:

So anyone who considers the Deity as arcye śilā-dhīḥ, made of stone, made of brass, made of wood, that is nārakī-buddhiḥ. Arcye śilā-dhīḥ. Śilā. Śilā means stone. So those who are unaware of the Vedic knowledge, they consider that this is idol worship. It is not idol worship. It is directly worshiping the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord has, by His mercy, descended to accept your service. If you want to dress the Supreme Lord, if you take His virāḍ-rūpa, universal form, where is your cloth and how you can dress? Eh? You haven't got so much cloth. In spite of having so many mills, you cannot dress the virāṭ form. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, by His omnipotency, He becomes a smaller just to be handled by you. That is His mercy. Not that... Just like Kṛṣṇa became a small child of Yaśodā. That does not mean Kṛṣṇa has diminished in His power. He immediately showed. When there was attempt to kill Him by the Pūtanā, immediately He showed His Godly power.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- New York, April 9, 1969:

As I have already mentioned that Brahmā is one of the authorities, similarly, he has got the disciplic succession from Brahmā. From Brahmā to Nārada, from Nārada to Vyāsadeva, from Vyāsadeva to Madhvācārya, from Madhvācārya to Mad... I am making shortcut. From Madhvācārya to Mādhavendra Purī, from Mādhavendra Purī to Īśvara Purī, from Īśvara Purī to Lord Caitanya, from Lord Caitanya to Svarūpa Dāmodara, from Svarūpa Dāmodara to six Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, from Gosvāmīs to Kṛṣṇadasa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and from him Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, and from Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, from Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura to Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, from Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī to Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, from Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura to Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, and from Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī my spiritual master, and then we are descended.

Lecture on SB 7.6.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, July 1, 1976:

Playing the parts of playboys in the hands of women, they glide down to the darkest regions of material existence. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Because they are unable to control their senses, they continue a life of chewing the chewed and therefore descend to the darkest material regions. One should give up the association of such demons and adhere to the association of devotees. Thus one will be able to be liberated from material bondage.

Lecture on SB 7.9.6 -- Mayapur, February 26, 1977:

We can have the same facility in this age. It is not that Prahlāda Mahārāja became immediately jubilant by the touch of the lotus palm of the Lord. You can have the same benefit immediately if we become like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Then it is possible. Kṛṣṇa is advaya-jñāna, so in this age Kṛṣṇa has descended in His sound vibration form: kali yuga nama rūpe kṛṣṇāvatāra. This age... Because these fallen men in this age, they are... They have no qualification. Mandāḥ. Everyone is bad. Nobody is qualified. They have no spiritual knowledge. Don't mind. In your Western country they are very much puffed up with material knowledge, but they have no spiritual knowledge. Perhaps in the history, for the first time in the history, they're getting some information of spiritual knowledge.

Lecture on SB 7.9.7 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1977:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja's position is nitya-siddha. Gaurāṅgera saṅgi gane nitya-siddha boli māne. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He came... Not only He, but others also. Just like with Kṛṣṇa so many devotees, they descended. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is nitya-siddha, nitya-siddha friend. When Kṛṣṇa said that "I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god...," imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam... (BG 4.1). That is so many millions of years ago. To clear the matter, Arjuna inquired that "Kṛṣṇa, You are of my age. How I can believe that You spoke this philosophy so many millions of years ago?" So what Kṛṣṇa replied, you know, that "My dear Arjuna, both you and Me, we appeared many, many times. The difference is that you have forgotten. That means you were also present at that time because you are My nitya-siddha friend. Whenever I appear, you also appear. But you have forgotten; I have not forgotten."

Lecture on SB 7.9.7 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1977:

Everything was there, but Prahlāda Mahārāja was not depending on his material circumstances. He was depending on his profound, ecstatic transcendental bliss of devotional service. That is wanted. So that stage immediately we cannot reach. He is nitya-siddha. As I was going to explain, that whenever Kṛṣṇa descends, His nitya-siddha devotees, associates, they also come. So gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe, nitya-siddha boli māne, tara haya vrajabhūmi vāsa. Like that. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura... Just like śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī advaita gadādhara śrīvasadi gaura... So these associates of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they are nitya-siddha. You cannot avoid any one of them and make your imagination, that "I shall simply worship..." (break) Kṛṣṇa has appeared—Panca-tattva. Kṛṣṇa is īśa, and Nityānanda Prabhu, He is prakāśa, the first expansion of God. God has many expansion.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Montreal, August 21, 1968:

And Professor Rowe, a great English scholar in India, an Englishman, professor in Presidency College, he wrote one grammar, English grammar. In our childhood we had to read. He has stated that "Sanskrit is the mother of all languages." Anyway...

So when God appears, incarnates, descends, His business is to protect the devotees, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. That is His first business. Vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: and to kill the unfaithful, miscreants. For them, God does not require to come Himself. Side by side, He does so. If God likes, He can kill thousands of miscreants by one stroke. So that business does not depend on Him, that He would come to kill a demonic person. The real business is to protect the devotees, the faithful. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, kṣemāya bhūtaya utātma-sukhāya cāsya vikrīḍitam: "Actually, You have appeared for these persons, to protect them, for their happiness," sukhāya, "and for their elevation." Just like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or Vedic literature, or any scripture.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Mayapur, February 20, 1976:

That is the difference between the asura and deva. The asura will create a situation which is very, very disturbing to the whole human society. And when there are so many asuras, disturbing elements, at that time the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down, descends, in His incarnation. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).

So Prahlāda Mahārāja, trying to pacify the Lord, that "This, Your incarnation, is for the benefit of Your servants, vidhi-karāḥ." Vidhi-karāḥ means servant. Vidhi-kṛt. Vidhi means law and order, and one who executes the law and order, they are called vidhi-karā. So all the demigods, they are appointed by the Supreme Lord to execute the law and order. Because this material world is a chaotic condition, therefore there is necessity of law and order. In the spiritual world there is no such thing. In spiritual world everyone knows that "The Lord is our master, and we are all servants."

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

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

Sādhu, devotee, he is friend for everyone. Suhṛdam... As Kṛṣṇa is friend of everyone,... Kṛṣṇa says,

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām...

(BG 5.29)

Similarly, His representative is also friend for everyone. As Kṛṣṇa comes, descends to reclaim all fallen souls back to home, back to Godhead, similarly His representative, devotee, he also approaches everyone, tries to get him back to home, back to Godhead. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Even to the animals... Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered a dog. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's party was going to Jagannātha Purī. A dog was follow, following. So that dog was delivered because he followed the devotees. There are many instances like that. What is this? Read it.

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

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

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

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.1 -- Mayapur, March 25, 1975:

Sociology, communism, and this "ism," that "ism," philanthropism, altruism, internationalism, nationalism—many, many duties they have created. That is all material. Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy... (children crying) Stop that children. Out of His causeless mercy, He comes, He descends. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). Glānir, this is glānir. Human life is meant for one thing, athāto brahma jijñāsā, to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth. But instead of doing that, they have created so many "isms." That is their misfortune.

Real business is athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life, nature, gives us the opportunity to inquire about the Absolute Truth. We have got the intelligence. The cats and dogs, they have no intelligence to inquire about the Absolute Truth. The trees, the plants, the aquatics, the animals, the beasts, the uncivilized man—so many, 8,400,000 forms and species of life.

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

They are Absolute Truth. There is no difference between killing and loving. They... Absolute. Those who were killed, you know, they were also delivered from this material bondage.

Now these same two brothers have again descended as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya-Nityānanda. Sahoditau: simultaneously They have appeared. Not that one is appeared, another is not there. No. Both of Them, sahoditau. And They are compared with the sun and moon. The business of sun and moon is to dissipate darkness. The sun rises during daytime, and the moon rises at night. But this sun and moon, wonderful sun and moon, citrau, They have appeared together. But the business is the same, tamo-nudau. Business is to dissipate darkness, because we are in darkness. We, anyone who is in this material world, he's in darkness.

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

What is sinful life? Illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling. Because they are addicted to these things they are duṣkṛtina and narādhama, lowest of the mankind. And whatever knowledge they are acquiring by so-called education, that is false knowledge. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. This is the position.

So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Nityānanda, They came, descended again, being merciful, same Kṛṣṇa. Vrajendra-nandana yei, Śacī-sūta hoilo sei. Same Kṛṣṇa. In a different way they canvassed the same principle. (aside:) You can sit down there. You are sleeping. Don't sleep. Don't show that sleeping. Go there. So this is the darkness. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared to drive away this darkness—same Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's preaching and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching. There is no difference. The difference is that Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is demanding that "You rascal, you surrender unto Me. You are suffering so much. You are rascal. I am your father.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.5 -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975:

The Absolute Truth realized in three phases. The ultimate phase is Bhagavān. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. Bhagavān means full of six opulences. Not as nowadays there are so many Bhagavāns, they have no aiśvarya. But Bhagavān means ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ, full opulences, six kinds of opulence. Then that Bhagavān, Supreme Personality of Godhead, has descended as incarnation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, just to bestow the topmost understanding of loving affairs with Kṛṣṇa. Samarpayitum unnata ujjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam.

In the bhakti platform there are different stages. Spiritually, there is no difference. One in dāsya-rasa and one in mādhurya-rasa, there is no difference. But a devotee likes to serve the Supreme Lord according to his inclination. Some wants to love Him in śānta-rasa, some wants to love Him in dāsya-rasa, someone in friendly, then paternal love, then conjugal love.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.149-50 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:

And Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-brahma sanātanam, not that He has assumed a body like a human being and He is imperson. No. Just like Māyāvādī philosophers, they take it, they concoct like that, that "Ultimately the Absolute Truth is impersonal, but when He descends..." I do not know how the impersonal can be "He." So that theory is refuted hereby because it is the statement of Brahmā, and he says that Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-brahma sanātanam.

Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu says,

apāṇi-pāda-śruti varje prākṛta pāṇi-caraṇa

punaḥ kahe śīghra cale kare sarva grahaṇa

This is the process is describing a spiritual understanding, with reference to the Vedic injunction. Now, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is giving Vedic reference. He says, apāṇi-pāda. This is a reference from the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad. In the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad there is statement, impersonally, but referring to the person, transcendental person.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.149-50 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:

That is confirmed in the Kūrma Purāṇa. Unfortunately the Māyāvādīs, they, either due to their poor fund of knowledge of the śāstras or by their whims, they say that "Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, when comes, or the Absolute Truth when He descends, He assumes, He accepts, a material body." That is not the fact. Kṛṣṇa says, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). It is not that Kṛṣṇa accepts a material body. No. Kṛṣṇa has no such distinction, material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: (BG 9.11) "Because I present myself, descend Myself as a human being, the mūḍhas, or the rascals, they think of Me or deride at Me." The Māyāvādīs, they will never worship the transcendental form of the Lord. They'll not worship. They will worship the imperson. And Kṛṣṇa has said, kleśo adhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām. Of course, impersonal, personal, is the same Absolute Truth.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

That we cannot understand. As soon as there is statement of the Absolute Truth's form, transcendental form, we think that He has a form like us. How it can be? That is quite reasonable. God cannot be possessing a form which is like us. No. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). He descends, He comes down, as He is, ātma-māyayā. He descends, He comes down, as He is, ātma-māyayā. We accept this form given to us by the material energy. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). According to the association of particular type of guṇa, quality, we get a form. But Kṛṣṇa is not within the influence of the material qualities. His form is different.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.154 -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

Practically, they have no intention for utilizing this human form of life. Generally, people, especially in the Western countries, they are simply interested like animal—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That's all. We are also imitating in India. We have also made our business... This is animal business. So therefore mandāḥ, they are not at all interested. As Kṛṣṇa as a devotee descended on this planet, Lord Caitanya, to canvass for Kṛṣṇa, similarly we, the servants of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are canvassing door to door. That is our business. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he has taught us how to canvass door to door for accepting Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What is that? The process is dānte nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipātya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā cāhaṁ bravīmi.

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

The other day somebody inquired, "What is the meaning of 'Kṛṣṇa'?" "Kṛṣṇa" means all-attractive. Unless God is all-attractive, how He can become God? So Vṛndāvana life means Kṛṣṇa comes, descends Himself to show what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. So the picture, Vṛndāvana life, that is village life. There are villagers, cultivators, cows, calves—that is Vṛndāvana. It is not a big city like New York, London. It is village, and the central point is Kṛṣṇa. This is Vṛndāvana life. There the gopīs, they are village girls and the cowherd boys, they are also village boys. Nanda Mahārāja is the head of the village, agriculturist. Similarly, the elderly persons and the elderly gopīs, Mother Yaśodā and her other friends—all are attracted by Kṛṣṇa. This is Vṛndāvana life. They even did not know what is Kṛṣṇa. They did not know by reading Vedas, Purāṇas, Vedānta, to understand Kṛṣṇa. But their natural affection was for Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.156-163 -- New York, December 11, 1966:

What is that? Tvam ātmānam akhilātmanām. Ātmānam akhilātmanām. Ātmā means the self, or soul. So we individual souls, we are part and parcel, fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is to be understood as the source of all individual selves. Akhilātmā. Akhila means all. Then jagad-dhitāya: "Now, He has come, He has descended out of His causeless mercy," jagad-dhitāya, "for the benefit of this world, this planet." Dehīva ābhāti. Just like He appears ordinary person. Ābhāti māyayā. Māyā. This māyā is not illusion. This māyā means by His internal potency. By His internal potency, He can appear just like us, but He's not like us. He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.255-281 -- New York, December 17, 1966:

"So all Viṣṇu expansions, they are in the spiritual world, and they all of them reside there. But when they come into this material world, it is called incarnation." Actually, avatāra... This Sanskrit name is avatāra. Avatāra means who comes down from the spiritual world. Avatāri. Avatāri means descends. Descends. They are not born of this material energy. They descend from the spiritual world.

sei māyā avalokite śrī-saṅkarṣaṇa

puruṣa-rūpe avatīrṇa ha-ilā prathama

Now, puruṣa-rūpe, the first incarnation for this material creation, the Mahā-Viṣṇu, sa aikṣata. Simply by His glance, this material world begins its activity.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.298 -- New York, December 20, 1966:

So all these incarnations, especially this līlāvatāra, līlā incarnation, they come, they descend on this material world, to settle up some disturbances by the demons. There are two classes of men in this world, the deva and the asura. Deva means those who are devotees, those who are conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are called deva, gods, demigods. And demigod does not mean that something extraordinary. They are also living entities like us, but they are completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, and therefore they have got unlimited power, and they are entrusted with some of the management of this material world. They are called deva. And the asuras, demons, atheists, they are not entrusted. They are simply meant for creating disturbances.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.367-84 -- New York, December 31, 1966:

So this maintenance performance, opulence, was invested to Pṛthu Mahārāja. He exhibited extraordinary power, how to maintain the citizens, as king and subjects. Paraśurāme 'duṣṭa-nāśaka-vīrya-sañcāraṇa' Paraśurāma... Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Under two, these two missions, the Lord comes, incarnates, descends. And Paraśurāma was supposed to kill the duṣṭa, the wicked kṣatriyas, when they forgot to rule over the world as bona fide kṣatriyas. They..., they..., they were killed twenty-one times, and it is mentioned in the Mahābhārata during that killing process, many kṣatriyas fled from, fled away from India and they settled in other parts of the world, especially in Europe. It is mentioned in the Mahābhārata. So Paraśurāma was especially meant, vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, to kill the miscreants.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.367-84 -- New York, December 31, 1966:

That is called aprakaṭa. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is always there. So sometimes He is manifested within this material world; sometimes He is not manifested. So when He desires to manifest Himself in this material world, rather, when He descends, then He... Prakaṭa-līlā karibare yabe...

ādau prakaṭa karāya mātā-pitā-bhakta-gaṇe

pāche prakaṭa haya janmādika-līlā-krame

So before His coming, some of His devotees, they come first, just to become His father, become His mother, become His family members, like that. Because He does not do anything which is against the process of this world. A man is born out of his father and mother, so He has to take His birth from a father and mother.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.391-405 -- New York, January 2, 1967:

Because the Lord is absolute, therefore His name, His fame, His qualities, His form, His associates, His paraphernalia—everything absolute, nondifferent. God and God's name, nondifferent. God and God's place, nondifferent. And for that reason, when Kṛṣṇa comes, the Absolute, the Vṛndāvana, the place where He descends, that is nondifferent. Actually you can see that, that Vṛndāvana-dhāma, that place is a small spot of land, say about eighty-four miles area, but any person, and however atheistic he may be, and however nonsense he may be, if he goes to that place, he'll feel Kṛṣṇa's presence. Still. Still, simply by going there, he'll at once change his mind that "Here is God." He'll accept it. Still. If you like, you can go to India and you can see, make an experiment. So, although Vṛndāvana is a, is a place for the personalists, now all the impersonalists school of India, they're making their āśrama at Vṛndāvana because they have failed to achieve the sense of God anywhere, they are coming to Vṛndāvana. It is such a nice place.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- Bombay, January 3, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa avatāra... Just like in this brahmāṇḍa there was Kṛṣṇa avatāra in, five thousand years ago, similarly Kṛṣṇa avatāra is going on just like... The same example, as I have given you many times, that the sun, sun, sun planet is there in the sky, but sun is visible when he is in our front. Otherwise sun is there. Similarly Kṛṣṇa is always there, but when He descends, incarnates, He becomes visible to us, exactly like the sun. At the present moment, it is night. Sun is not visible. But in due course of time, say, after eight hours or ten hours, in the morning, the sun will be visible. Similarly there is scheduled time when Kṛṣṇa becomes visible on this planet, on this universe. And there are, there are innumerable universes. They..., therefore He's called nitya-līlā. Nitya-līlā means eternal pastimes. Kṛṣṇa is born as Yaśodā, Devakī-nandana. Immediately He begins to grow. But that birth is taking another planet, another universe. Just like six-thirty, sunshine... It is now visible on this planet, or on this city, but again six-thirty, again, in another city, six-thirty in another city, six-thirty another city.

Festival Lectures

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 7.5 Lecture -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974:

If you don't act for Yajña, Yajña-puruṣa, Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be entangled. So the best thing is if we become wise... Wise means... Kṛṣṇa says that "This is your position. You have to surrender unto Me. You did not surrender unto Me; therefore you are suffering so much in this material world."

Today is Kṛṣṇa's birthday. He descends to give us instruction. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Kṛṣṇa advents Himself... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). This is dharmasya glāniḥ. What is that? When we forget Kṛṣṇa and try to become the master of the world. This is dharmasya glāniḥ. When we want to become master of Kṛṣṇa, that is dharmasya glāniḥ. So Kṛṣṇa advents Himself. This is, today is the auspicious day of Kṛṣṇa's adventing to kill Kaṁsa and to release Vasudeva. This is Kṛṣṇa. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya... Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. Vasudeva, His father, was arrested, put into the prison house.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation of Jayapataka Dasa -- Montreal, July 24, 1968:

Dharma, what this dharma, religion means, the codes given by God. That's all. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Now Kṛṣṇa, in the beginning said that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. "I come, descend, in order to establish religion." Now again at the end He says sarva-dharmān parityajya. He came to establish religion. And in the end He says that "Give up all sorts of religion." What does it mean? That means religion means surrendering unto God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is religion. If there is no such principle... Surrendering unto God, that is religion. Not the rituals. Rituals are superficial. The Bhāgavata says sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). You follow any kind of religion, that doesn't matter. But the test will be how much you have developed God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the test. If that is lacking, then you have simply wasted your time.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Montreal, June 26, 1968:

One group is called āroha-panthā, or research, inductive process. And another method is called deductive process, or avaroha-panthā. The knowledge coming from the supreme source, that is called avaroha-panthā, and the knowledge which is being sought after by using our imperfect senses, that is called āroha-panthā. Ascending process and descending process. So by ascending process, we can never come to the real knowledge. That is not possible, because our senses are imperfect. How we can ascend? Just like people are trying to ascend to the higher planetary system, but the instrument, sputnik itself, is imperfect. How you can go there? You can go 25,000 miles, again come back. Punar mūṣiko bhava. So this is going on. Because we are imperfect in every respect, so therefore we have to receive knowledge from the perfect.

Recorded Speech to Members of ISKCON London -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:

Lord Caitanya's special gift to the fallen souls of this age of quarrel and disagreement is to induce the people in general, the religionists, the philosophers and everyone to take to the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. He informed us that the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead can descend also in transcendental sound vibration, and thus, when you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra offenselessly, we immediately contact Kṛṣṇa and His internal energy, and thus we become immediately purified from all dirty things in our heart.

Our conditional life of material existence is due to dirty things in our heart. Originally we are all Kṛṣṇa conscious living beings, but due to our long material association in different species of life, varying to 8,400,000 different forms of life, we are accustomed to transmigrating from one form of body or another.

Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 11, 1969:

Even Śaṅkarācārya. Śaṅkarācārya is more than one thousand years ago. Śaṅkarācārya's time is just after Buddha's age. Buddha, 2,500. Śaṅkarācārya, about 1,500 years ago. He also accepted. Although he was impersonalist, he accepted, sa bhagavān svayam kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has come, has descended as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī." He has clearly mentioned. Because one may not misunderstand, "This Kṛṣṇa may be different." But he has specif... Just like identification. If you go to the court, you give your identification by your father's name. So Śaṅkarācārya has given identification of Kṛṣṇa by His father's name, by His mother's name. Devakī vasudevāsya. We also say Devakī-nandana, Vasudeva. So ātmavit-sammataḥ. It must be approved by great ācāryas. We are pushing on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness not by whims. It is approved by great ācāryas. We are following their footsteps. That's all. That is our business.

Lecture Engagement and Prasada Distribution -- Boston, April 26, 1969:

Now, especially nowadays amongst the educated circles, they inquire, "What is God? What is God?" You see. But apart from your country or Western countries, in... I have met in many, many large gatherings of universities. Especially, I am very sorry to say, many Indian students ask me that "What is God?" Now, India is supposed to be the place where God descends as Lord Kṛṣṇa, as Lord Rāmacandra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So it is very surprising that Indian students are asking, "What is God?" So this is lamentable in this sense, that people are reducing in their sense of spiritual realization. That is a very regrettable fact. And the Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam: "A man is supposed to be defeated in all his activities if he does not inquire what he is." This statement is also in Bible, you know, that "If one loses his own self and he gains all material prosperity, what does he gain?" Actually, this is the fact.

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

"This incarnation of God, Kṛṣṇa..." Anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau. Kalau means this age, this age of Kali, which is very much contaminated, or the age of quarrel and disagreement. This is called Kali, age of Kali. So Rūpa Gosvāmī says that "In this age of Kali, where everything is disagreement and quarrel, you have descended to offer the highest, topmost love of God." Samarpayitum unnatojvala-rasām. "And not only topmost, but very brilliant rasa, transcendental mellow, humor." Anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau samarpayitum unnatojvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam, hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti: "Your complexion is just like golden, luster of gold. So You are so kind. So I bless everyone..." Gosvāmīs, they can bless because they are master of the senses. "...that this form of the Lord, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, may always remain dancing in your heart."

Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969:

The Kali-yuga, or age of heavy metal entanglement, iron age, lasts 432,000 years, and we're only five thousand years into it. So there is 428..., 427,000 years to go. In a conversation with Swami Bhaktivedanta today, I was inquiring more about the details of the mythology, which are found in a book called the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. He explained that according to Hindu analysis we are five thousand years into the descent from a lighter age, the age of brass, the disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa, an aspect of the Hindu Deity Viṣṇu, preserver, or perhaps the supreme form of the preserver aspect of the universe, of ourselves, or of Viṣṇu. The disappearance of Kṛṣṇa, mythologically or historically, is five thousand years ago. We're five thousand years into the age of iron, and we have ten thousand years in which to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, which is to say, repeating the name of the aspect of the preservation, hope, that particular vibration of dancing joy transcending our cosmopolitical words. We have ten thousand for that play before there is a total descent into one-foot-tall monsters who eat each other up for meat because all the vegetables have disappeared, because DDT has completely geared out any biological life form except mammals who go around eating each other at that point.

Speech to Maharaja and Maharani and Conversations Before and After -- Indore, December 11, 1970:

And from Vivasvān the sūrya-vaṁśa kṣatriyas are coming. From Vivasvān, Vaivasvata Manu, because Manu is the son of Vivasvān the sun-god. And from Manu, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku descended, and he is the original king in the Raghu-vaṁśa dynasty, wherein Lord Rāmacandra took His birth. Similarly, in the Candra-vaṁśa Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared. So from historical reference we see that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears on this earth, in this universe, He takes pleasure to appear in some kṣatriya family. And both Rāmacandra and Bhagavān Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in kṣatriya families, and they acted as kṣatriya. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Kṣatriya king has got two functions.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, February 23, 1971:

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a self-purification movement. The method is vibration of transcendental sound. This Hare Kṛṣṇa, this sound, is not material sound. It is descended from the spiritual world. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name—not different. Abhinnatvāṁ nāma-nāminoḥ. As in this material world there is difference between the name and the substance... If you are thirsty, then if you simply chant "water, water, water," your thirst will not be quenched. You have to get the substance water. But in the spiritual world it is, being absolute, the name and the person whose name we are chanting, they are the same. Therefore by chanting this holy name of God, Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa... Hare is addressing the spiritual energy of the Lord, and Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. So by being in touch with the Supreme Lord and His energy directly, we become purified.

Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972:

"I am American. I go in my country on the right. Why shall I drive on the left?" No. Because it is the state law you must obey. Similarly, dharma is such a thing that you cannot disobey. You must obey because it is the codes given by God. If you are so much respectful to the laws of the state, how much respectful you should be to obey the laws given by God.

So we find in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is real dharma. Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge: "I descend in different millenniums," yuge yuge, "for establishing the real dharma, real religion."

Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972:

So God descends, He comes Himself or He sends His representative, to reestablish the real purpose of religion, whenever there is discrepancies in the matter of discharging real religion. So the real... Kṛṣṇa, when appeared, He said... His last instruction is... In the Bhagavad-gītā, you know, those who have read Bhagavad-gītā. He said, "The most confidential part of religion is this." What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all other processes of faith and religion. Simply surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. Religion means to become purified, to become purified from our sinful activities. So Kṛṣṇa says that "If you surrender unto Me..." When I speak "Kṛṣṇa," you may understand "God."

Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa says, God says, that when there is too much disobedience in the matter of law of the Supreme Lord, adharma, adharmasya abhyutthānam... Godlessness, without any knowledge of God, without any knowledge of the God's order, that is called dharmasya glānir, discrepancies in the matter of discharging the order of God. Tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham. At that time, God advents or descends. He descends personally, He descends by His representative, by His son, or by His name also. Because they are all identical. God, His representative, His name, His form, His activities, everything in relationship to God, that is also God. This evening we are discussing. Actually this world is also God. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaro. Viśvam means the whole universal creation. Because it is creation of God—God has created—therefore the whole universe, the whole creation is also God, although it appears different from God. For example, just like the sun and the sunlight or sunshine.

Lecture -- Bombay, September 25, 1973:

So as He is all-pervading, similarly, His place is also all-pervading. So how things can be changed into Vaikuṇṭha? That is by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ. So the bhaktas, they are also so powerful that by chanting the holy name of God, they make the supreme all-powerful Lord descend in that place. Therefore the statement of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura that ye dine gṛhete bhajana dekhi, se dine gṛhete goloka bhāya... So we can change our home also into Vaikuṇṭha. We can change our home. It is not difficult. Because as Kṛṣṇa can be all-pervading, Vaikuṇṭha is all-pervading. But we have to simply realize it by the authorized process. Everyone, we can change our home into Vaikuṇṭha.

Lecture at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan -- Bombay, October 18, 1973:

So this may be changed in different countries and different laws, but law means which is given by the state. Similarly, dharma means which is given by God. You cannot manufacture dharma. That will not be applicable. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "I descend." Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). What is that glāniḥ? When one forgets Kṛṣṇa, or God, and manufacture his own religion, paśu-dharma, he cannot be happy. That is not possible. Just like if you make your own laws, you cannot be happy. You must obey the laws of the state. Similarly, what is the law of God? That is dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣāt bhagavat-praṇītam. Dharma cannot be manufactured by any man or any demigod or any saintly person or... No. The dharma is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which He says as the last instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). And actually it is happening all over the world.

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:

Devala, and before that, the original ācārya, Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva—everyone accepted Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are searching after whether there is God or there is no God. If there is God, what is the nature? What is the form? Whether He is person or imperson? There are so many questions. And to solve all these questions, the God Himself descends and speaks about Himself, and that speaking is this Bhagavad-gītā. God is speaking about Himself personally, personally present. So you can know Him, you can see Him, what He is, what is His function. Just to mitigate all our doubts, God is present here. And Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning of the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā how you can understand God without any doubt and in complete. That is spoken by God Himself.

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:

"He may be of this standard. He may be like this. He may have so much money." You suggest; another friend suggests. In this way the study of that particular man is not complete. But if the same person kindly speaks and explains about himself that "Sir, I am like this." (aside:) Water. "My position is like this. I have got so much bank balance," that is the way. This is the way of understanding. It is called descending process. And there is another process, which is called ascending process. In Sanskrit it is called āroha-panthā, avaroha-panthā. Āroha-panthā... You want to go, to know about the sun planet or any other. Just like they are trying. They are trying to go there, Mars planet, Moon planet, by rising on the sky by their aeroplanes, sputniks. But they have not been able to understand what is the position of these planets. This is called āroha-panthā. But if somebody comes from the planet and explains everything, then you know it very easily. Similarly, God has come to explain Himself. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā.

General Lecture -- (location & date unknown):

Fourth Chapter the Lord says that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya yuge yuge sambhavāmi. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8), dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya yuge yuge sambhavāmi. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). These things are there in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "Whenever there is discrepancies in the matter of executing religious principles, then I descend or incarnate; I come." Yuge yuge sambhavāmi, ātma-māyayā. Ātma-māyayā. He is not forced to come here. This very word is used, ātma-māyayā. As we are forced to come here by our destiny, karma, adṛṣṭa, which we cannot see We have got different bodies in this assembly-men, women, different features, different mentality. Why? According to different karma in the past.

General Lecture -- (location & date unknown):

And then, according to that result, we accept a certain type of body. So there are many discussions about this karmavāda. But these are Vedic conclusions, according to karma. So this human form of life... I was speaking of the dharma. The dharma... Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says that "I come down, I descend, I appear, for the reason to establish, reestablish"—not establish, reestablish—"to reestablish the principle of religion," yadā yadā hi, "whenever there is discrepancies."

Just like whenever there is misgovernment in the political world, there is some revolution; there is some change. People revolt against the administration that "We don't want this sort of government." As this is natural, similarly, whenever there is discrepancies in the matter of executing religious principle—means the order, or the laws given by God—at that time God Himself comes or His representative comes to reestablish the religious principles according to the climate, country, people.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Prabhupāda: According to Kant, one cannot reach by reason and senses. Avāṅ-manasā gocaraḥ. That's a fact. That is admitted in Vedas: avāṅ-manasā gocaraḥ. Vana means words, mana means mind. Neither by words, neither by the mind one can reach. But it is a fact that he is convinced there is God, so if God speaks, God descends by His causeless mercy and speaks, then you can understand about God.

Śyāmasundara: He comes to that point in a way by saying that he has limited all that we can know to mere phenomena, and he has therefore found it necessary to deny knowledge of God, freedom and immortality in order to find a place for faith. In other words, he says that through the reason and the senses we cannot know anything about God, soul, immortality or freedom, so the rest has to be done by faith.

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Prabhupāda: No. Faith, that is a compromise, you see. That is not fact. But this is good that he admits that we cannot approach the final God by our senses or reason. To have faith, that is also not perfect. Therefore the Western philosophers, they have created different faiths, and religion means faith. Somebody may believe in some faith, others may believe in another faith. But that is not factual. The factual is this: if we are actually convinced that there is God, and God is omnipotent, so by His omnipotency He descends. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). "Whenever there is discrepancies in the process of religious principles," abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham, "when people become irreligious, at that time I descend." He descends for two reasons: paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), for relief of the devotees. Devotees are always anxious to see God, but somehow or other they are unable to see. Of course, they are seeing God, but at the same time face to face(?). So in order to give them relief God descends to be seen face to face. The other reason is that vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: rascals, miscreants, to kill them.

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Prabhupāda: This is to be understood, that however expert logician you may be, this is not possible, by your reasons, by your knowledge, to approach the Supreme Absolute. That is not possible. This process that when God descends Himself and He speaks about Himself, He demonstrates about His pastimes, then it is possible. So the Bhāgavata is the record of God's descents. The whole Bhāgavata is philosophy about God, theology about God, and practical demonstration of God. Therefore anyone who takes to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the process of understanding God through Bhagavad-gītā, therefore it is called Bhāgavata, and it is simply about God. Bhagavad-gītā, God speaks Himself about His activities, and Bhāgavata is the record of God's activities, pastimes, and when He appeared on this earth, just like the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Ninth Canto.

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Prabhupāda: Yes. And there is another process, inductive. Now let us see whether man is mortal or immortal. So go and study. So there are two processes. We say in our Sanskrit language, avaroha panthā, āroha panthā, knowledge coming from up, and knowledge for trying to go up. Ascending process and descending process. So we say that descending process is perfect.

Śyāmasundara: Actually the example you brought out is very good because he says the essential dialectic of all is just this: there is a thesis of being, and an antithesis of nothing. So that, you said man is immortal, that is...

Prabhupāda: Being.

Śyāmasundara: That is being. So the antithesis of that is that man is mortal, or nothing; so how to reconcile those two is...

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Hayagrīva: In The Descent of Man Darwin writes, "The belief in God has often been advanced as not only the greatest but the most complete of all the distinctions between man and the lower animals. It is, however, impossible to maintain that this belief is instinctive in man. The idea of a universal and beneficent creator does not seem to arise in the mind of man until he has been elevated by long, continued culture."

Prabhupāda: Yes. The culture is important. If he gets the chance of cultured association, then he elevates. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). If he, according to his cultural life, he can go to the higher planetary system, he can remain where he is, he can degrade, and he can go back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore culture is very important in human form of life.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Hayagrīva: For teaching Darwinism. For teaching that man descended from the apes.

Prabhupāda: So he was teaching, and the government arrested him?

Hayagrīva: The government, the American government, arrested, yes. The Tennessee legislature arrested him. He was arrested and defended by Clarence Darrow, famous trial lawyer, and the prosecutor was William Jennings Bryan, who was a thrice defeated Presidential candidate. So they discussed evolution and religion and how they could co-exist, and Scopes, who was teaching Darwinian evolution, claimed, "All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship almighty God according to the dictates of his own conscience. No human authority can in any case whatever control or interfere with the rights of conscience, and that no preference should ever be given by law to any religious establishment or mode of worship."

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Hayagrīva: The third type of rebirth listed is called resurrection. Now there are two types of resurrection. He says, "It may be a carnal, that is gross, material body, as in the Christian assumption that this body will be resurrected." That is the Christian doctrine, is that at the end of the world the..., somehow or other, through the miracle of God, the gross body will reassemble itself and ascend into heaven or descend into hell. Somehow survival of the gross body. He says, "On a higher level..."

Prabhupāda: And what he will do in the meantime?

Hayagrīva: I don't know what happens...

Devotee: (indistinct)

Hayagrīva: ...what happens to the material elements. The material elements disintegrate, disintegrate...

Prabhupāda: The material body...

Philosophy Discussion on Plotinus:

Prabhupāda: That's right. There are souls, innumerable souls. Anantāya kalpate. Nobody can count how many souls are there. So all the souls are as described above. They have got the same qualities of the One, in minute quantity, but some of them are fallen. Just like in the fire there are so many sparks, but one or two may fall down from the fire. Others remains in the fire. Those who are not falling down, they are called nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. They are never conditioned. And those who have fallen within this material world for sense gratification, they are baddha. They are called nitya-baddha, eternally conditioned. And eternally means that nobody can estimate how long one conditioned soul within this material world is existing here, because the creation is going on perpetually—sometimes manifest, sometimes nonmanifest. But the conditioned soul without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is continuing to exist in this material world. Before the creation he was there in dormant condition. Again with the manifestation he comes out. This is going on. They are conditioned. And for their deliverance that One, Supreme Personality, comes, descends, sends His incarnation, sends His devotee to call him back to home, back to Godhead.

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Hari-śauri: "Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all. Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy, You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized. You Yourself descend to propagate the transcen..."

Prabhupāda: That is very good example. His father is playing on the stage, and the son is seeing, and another, another friend is seeing, saying, "Do you see your father?" Then "Where is my father?" He, he, he does not recognize his father. Very good example.

Hari-śauri: Then, uh, third verse, "You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit."

Prabhupāda: Advanced transcendentalists, they can understand. Not these speculators with limited sense perception. Finished?

Purports to Songs

Purport to the Mangalacarana Prayers -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

Spiritual master means they must have many followers. They are all Vaiṣṇavas. They are called prabhus, and the spiritual master is called prabhupāda because on his lotus feet there are many prabhus. Pada means lotus foot. So all these Vaiṣṇavas, they are all prabhus. So they are also offered respectful Not that the spiritual master alone, but along with his associates. And these associates are all Vaiṣṇavas, his disciples. They are also devotees of the Lord; therefore they should also be offered respectful obeisances. This is the process. Then śrī-rūpam. The spiritual master is descending from the Six Gosvāmīs. Out of the Six Gosvāmīs, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and his elder brother Sanātana Gosvāmī are heading the list. Śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātam. Agrajātam means his elder brother, eldest brother. Śrī-rupaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitam. They are also associated with other Gosvāmīs, two Raghunāthas, raghunāthān, plural number. There were Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī.

Purport to Gauranga Bolite Habe -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

No amount of material strength can help me in the advancement of spiritual life. We must derive the spiritual strength. Just like we have to take electricity from the powerhouse by directly connecting with the powerhouse. Not the wiring but the electricity. Similarly, this disciplic succession means the strength is descending from the original person through the spiritual master. That is the idea. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura explains that "When Nitāicānd will be pleased?" And the result of such pleasure of Nitāicānd is that one becomes free from all desires for material enjoyment.

āra kabe nitāi-cānd koruṇā karibe

saṁsāra-bāsanā mora kabe tuccha ha'be

(spells out). So by the mercy of Nitāi-cānd, one will get free from all desires of material enjoyment.

Purport to Parama Koruna -- Los Angeles, January 16, 1969:

Lord Gaurāṅga, or Lord Caitanya, They are very merciful incarnations." Saba avatāra-sāra śiromaṇi. "They are essence of all incarnations." The incarnation is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that whenever there is discrepancies in the prosecution of religiosities and there is prominence of impious activities, at that time the Lord incarnates, or He descends on this material world, for protecting the pious and annihilating the impious. That is the mission of incarnation. Every incarnation you'll find two things. Lord Kṛṣṇa, He's so beautiful, so kind, but He is very dangerous to the demons. The demons were seeing Him as thunderbolt and the gopīs were seeing Him as the most beautiful cupid. So in the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). The God is realized in proportion to one's freedom from the demoniac propensities.