Diminish (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"diminish" |"diminished" |"diminishes" |"diminishing" |"diminution"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

Similarly, our body is also made in that way: earth, water, fire, air and ether. Air... Air is passing, the breathing. You know. The air is always there. This, this outer skin is earth, and there is heat in the stomach. Without heat, you cannot digest anything. You see? As soon as the heat is diminished, your digesting power becomes bad. So many things. This is arrangement. Now, in this planet we have got this body which is where earth is very prominent. Similarly, in other planets, other planets, somewhere water is very prominent, somewhere fire is very prominent. In the sun planet, the bodies there... There are also living entities, but their body is so made that it is fiery. They can exist in the fire. They can exist in the fire. Similarly, Varuṇaloka, in the Venus, all these planets, they have got different types of body. Just like here you can experience that in the water the aquatics, they have got a different type of body. For years and years together there are aquatic animals, they are within the water. They are very comfortable. But the moment you'll drag it to the land, it dies. Similarly, you are very comfortable on the land, but the moment you are put into the water, you die. Because your body, bodily construction is different, his body, the bodily construction different, the bird's bodily... The bird, heavy bird, it can fly, but it is God's made flying instrument. But your man-made instrument, it crashes, crashes. You see? Because artificial.

So this is the arrangement. Every living being has got a particular type of body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). And what is the nature of that body? Now, here the matter is being explained that how we change our body, how... But, but, but, because that is a difficult problem for us because we are engrossed with the idea of identifying this body with the soul. Now, the first A-B-C-D of spiritual knowledge is to understand that "I am not this body." Unless one is firmly convinced that "I am not this body," he cannot progress in the spiritual line.

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

So you study the life. From the beginning of this body within the womb of the mother, it is simply troublesome. Against my will so many distresses are there, so many distresses there. Then as you grow, the distress grow, grow. Distress is not diminished. Then janma, then old age, then disease. So long you have got this body... The so-called scientists, they are manufacturing very effective medicine, discovery, new discovery. Just..., what is called? Streptomycin? So many things. But they cannot stop disease. That is not possible, sir. You can manufacture so many high-class medicines to cure disease. That will not cure.

Lecture on BG 2.40 - London, September 13, 1973:

Devotee:

nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti

pratyavāyo na vidyate

svalpam apy asya dharmasya

trāyate mahato bhayāt

(BG 2.40)

"In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear."

Prabhupāda: So we have explained yesterday, buddhi-yoga. Buddhi-yoga means bhakti-yoga. So, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Bhakti-yoga, begun, some way or other, it has got great effect. There is story that in the Deity room, a lamp was burning. You know oil lamp has to be watched. Sometimes the wick has to be pushed. So the lamp was almost going to be extinguished. In the meantime a rat came there. He thought that it is something eatable.

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

Now, our affection between ourself is due to this body. Now, I am Indian. I am Indian. Suppose I find some gentleman in the street of New York, an Indian, oh, I am very much anxious to ask him, "Oh, are you Indian? Which province you are coming? I want to..." The affection is there. What is that affection? Due to this body. That's all. Because I am thinking that "My body is Indian, and here, there is another body whose body is also Indian. Oh, let me have some talks with him." This is affection. Similarly, all our affection. There are thousands and millions of women loitering in the street, but there is one woman, oh, with whom I am very much intimately connected because I have got bodily relation. Leaving aside all the women, I call one particular one, "Oh, he's my, she's my wife." Or the wife says, "She's my husband." Why? This bodily relation. So this bodily... One who does not identify with this body, therefore his bodily affection also diminishes. His bodily affection also diminishes.

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

That is called sādhu... Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā. And if there is actually association of spiritually self-realized persons, then he will give you some process of spiritual activities. That is called bhajana-kriyā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ atha bhajana-kriyā tataḥ anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. And as you are more and more engaged in spiritual activities, so, proportionately, your material activities and affection for material activities will diminish. Counteraction. When you engage in the spiritual activities, your material activities diminishes. But just mind that. Material activities and spiritual activities, difference is that... Suppose you are engaged as a medical man. You don't think that "If I become spiritually engaged, then I have to give up my profession." No, no. That is not. You have to spiritualize your profession. Just like Arjuna, he was a military man. He became a spiritualist. That means he spiritualized his military activity.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, and it is being accepted all over the world. We have the greatest sale of our edition, this Bhagavad-gītā. Just three months before I got report. In London, in two months, we sold about thirty thousand copies. And the trades manager of Macmillan Company, he has sent me letter that while the other editions, they're diminishing, this edition is increasing by sale. Why? Because it is presented as it is, without any wrong interpretation. People are appreciating. This is a fact.

So people do not believe that Kṛṣṇa is a historical person, at the same time, He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They think that He is a very learned man or a great politician, or a beautiful man. Like that. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ (BG 9.11). They do not understand the background of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.19-22 -- New York, August 8, 1966:

The whole trouble of the world is that nobody is satisfied. If he's a poor man, if he thinks, "Oh, my income is $100. If I get $400 per month, then I will be very happy." But when he gets $400, he expects, "Oh, if I get $1,000, then I shall be happy." In this way it is going on. Nobody is satisfied. But here it is said, yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. That automatically comes, as we make progress in the matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then our demand for more enjoyment, more accumulation of wealth, diminishes. That is the symptom of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:

Now, what is the purpose of this sacrifice? Now, it is concluded here that sarve 'py ete yajña-vidaḥ. All these different kinds of yajña, they are meant for diminishing our sinful reaction, our sinful reaction. Because we are accumulating many sinful reaction in different births. So if we perform sacrifice, if we perform yoga, that process helps us in diminishing our accumulated, I mean to say, sinful reaction. But so far this harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21), oh, this is the easiest and the most, I mean to say, supreme process. As we have discussed many times, the Lord Caitanya recommends that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

So in any condition, it does not matter that a highly advanced person, educated, learned, rich, or beautiful, or anyone—more or less, according to degree, they are all enjoying or suffering the reaction of their past karma. And, more or less, all the world, they are considered to be sinful. So kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ. Kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ means those who are trying to reduce the reaction of sinful activities. How? By practicing that sense control. Sense control. Practicing sense control. Just like a diseased person. By controlling... By controlling according to the prescription of the doctor, by controlling himself he becomes reduced in the sufferings of the disease. The fever diminishes from 105 degrees to 102, then 100, then 99, then 98—he is cured. Similarly, we have to reduce the temperature. We haven't got to increase the temperature. We are just like in the matter of increasing our temperature. We are thinking that by increasing the temperature we shall be happy. We do not know that by increasing temperature we shall never be happy.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:

Devotee: "In this way, a devotee naturally develops his dormant transcendental knowledge. As he hears more about Kṛṣṇa from the Bhāgavatam and from the devotees, he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord. By development of devotional service, one becomes freed from the modes of ignorance and passion, and thus material lust and avarice are diminished."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This will be the result. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). They become diminished. The whole entanglement of our material life is due to our embarrassement by the qualities of ignorance and passion. So by hearing, these modes of ignorance and passion will be diminished. Then we come to the platform of goodness, and then we come to the platform of transcendental understanding.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

That is stated in the Vedas, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Kṛṣṇa, expanding Himself into millions, still, He remains a Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa. It is not that material thing. If you take a material thing, anything, if you divide it into millions portion, then original form is finished. There is no more. You take a piece of paper and cut it into pieces and throw it all over. Then the original paper is lost. There is no more. That is material. But Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa, He is expanded. Eko bahu syāt. The Lord said, "I shall become many." Many... Still, He is there. Is not because He has become many, therefore His original person is finished. No. That is the injunction in the Vedas, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). He remains still pūrṇa. One minus thousand times one is still one. That is absolute. Absolute Truth means the truth never diminishes or becomes relative or conditioned. That is Absolute Truth.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 26, 1971:

The last verse He says that āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā (CC Antya 20.47). Now lover and beloved, one is anxious to see the other. If the lover sees the beloved, he becomes happy. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "If You make Me unhappy for many thousands of years by Your disappearance, but by not being present before Me, I don't mind." Just see. "I don't mind." Āśliṣya: "You either embrace Me, or You trample Me down with Your feet, You are at liberty, whatever You like." Lampaṭa. Lampaṭa, just like a debauched husband sometimes entreats the good wife and the good wife tolerates. There are many instances, such thing, India still, but that is diminishing.

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

Just like in India it has become. Because they have given up the process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, therefore they are feeling now... Everywhere, not only India, everywhere, because they have given up bona fide śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting about God, it has become a burden and they are trying to sell the temples and churches. So don't stop. If you stop this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, then you have to..., gradually you will diminish in your devotional service. That is called bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga begins from śravaṇam, from hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ. So Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that if we want to know Kṛṣṇa, God, then it has to be known through bhakti-yoga, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Not by other means. Then Kṛṣṇa would have declared that you can understand God by haṭha-yoga, or jñāna-yoga, or dhyāna-yoga, or karma-yoga. There are so many yogic principles.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:

So actually we are creating anarthas. Anarthas means unwanted things. So just like practical example: anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6). If one is engaged in bhakti-yoga practice, devotional service, immediately the anarthas will be diminished. Just like our students. Since they have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... They were all Americans, Europeans. They knew how to increase anarthas, unwanted things. It is confirmed. Immediately they have given up the cinema bill, the club bill, the intoxication bill, the gambling bill, and so many bills. And medical bill also. We don't pay very much medical bill. That's a fact. So actually Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that if one takes to it, immediately he reduces so many rascal anarthas which is not required. Does a man die without smoking? It is anartha, un..., unnecessary. They are habituated by bad association. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate. By bad association, they learn how to smoke, how to gamble, how to eat... Just like, in India, so-called gentlemen, they go to hotel to taste meat, cow's flesh, how it is tasting. I know, personally, some friends.

So these are anarthas. So Sūta Gosvāmī said that if you want to reduce your anarthas, which are not wanted... Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. If you engage yourself in devotional service of the Lord, then immediately, directly, the anarthas will be diminished.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:

But these foolish people, they do not know. Here is the remedy. They won't consult the perfect knowledge, Vedic knowledge. They won't consult. They will manufacture their own ways. That, this is the... Lokasya ajānataḥ. Because these fools, they do not know, how to get out of the clutches of unwanted things. Therefore vidvān, one who knows, vidvān... Vit means knowledge, and vān means one who possesses. Vidvān. So Vyāsadeva, vidvān, the perfect vidvān, lokasya ajānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). Vidvān, Vyāsadeva, has made this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Take shelter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and you know perfectly how you can diminish your unwanted things.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:

So therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). So we have to hear. If we actually want to diminish our anarthas, then we must hear Kṛṣṇa as He's speaking, without any interpretation.

So this is the process of diminishing all dirty things within the heart. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Kṛṣṇa is hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ, within your heart. Vidhunoti. He washes all dirty things. Kṛṣṇa is taking charge of washing your dirty things. Simply by hearing about, you... Why don't you take this opportunity? What is this nonsense? Kṛṣṇa simply says that "You hear about, from Me." Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14). "Always chanting about Me, and hearing about Me." Simple process. But the rascals will not take. They will make humbugs, jugglery of words: "This is meaning, this is meaning, this is meaning." Therefore they do not advance. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The story of anchor. The anchor was not taken, and the whole night they rowed on the boat, and it was where it was there.

Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Los Angeles, August 24, 1972:

In order to maintain this body, we require some material things to eat. Otherwise, as spiritual soul, I or you don't want to eat anything. There is nothing to be eaten. Therefore the eating propensities should be satisfied by eating Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, so that you gradually become spiritualized and your eating propensities may be diminished. Just like the Gosvāmīs. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau **. Nidrāhāra. These are our necessities, sleeping, eating. Nidrāhāra and vihāra, and sex enjoyment. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau, conquered. Conquered. Because in spiritual life there is no need of eating, there is no need of sleeping. That is a different thing. So nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau.

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

This is complete liberated stage. In the previous verse it has been spoken, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ mukta-saṅgasya jāyate. The science of God, bhagavat-tattva, the science of Absolute Truth, becomes manifest to the liberated soul. We find sometimes that one man is posing to have very much advanced in spiritual understanding or a great devotee, but mukta-saṅga..., he's not mukta-saṅga; he cannot give up smoking biḍi. You see. These are the small tests. One who has actually tasted spiritual life, his unwanted things of life would at once diminish. There is no need. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Anartha. Anartha, things which are not wanted, which has no meaning. So mukta-saṅga means no material attachment. That is mukta-saṅga. When one is actually liberated, these are the signs.

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

So there is no brahmacārī. There is no brahmacarya. That means the knot in the heart, sex desire, is more and more increased. It is not decreased. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by practice, one comes to the point of giving up all these unwanted things. Chidyante, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. I have several times explained to you that this knot of the heart is the sex desire. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. Sex desire, mithunī-bhāvam etam. Tayor hṛdaya-granthim. And when they're actually united, that knot becomes more and more tight. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then gradually, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ, that knot, sex desire... That is the test whether one's sex desire has diminished. That is the test. Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Saṁśayāḥ. We are now in hazy conclusion, what is our position. We do not know. We do not know what is God, what I am, what is our relationship. Everyone is speculating. There are, therefore, there are so many parties. The jñānī party, the yogi party, the karmī party. Generally... and within each and every party there are hundreds and thousands of parties. So when one actually becomes free from the knot, or the knot is cut off, the attachment for material desires is cut off, at that time, he can understand what is his position, what is his position.

Lecture on SB 1.2.24 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972:

They do not understand Kṛṣṇa in truth. Therefore they become sahajiyās. Therefore the system is given by Lokasya ajānataḥ vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. Adhokṣaje, the transcendence, when one is engaged in His devotional service, the anarthas will be vanquished. Anartha upaśamam. But when we see that anarthas are not decreasing, they're increasing, that means they're not entering. Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. Anarthas, unwanted things, unwanted things, the so many things we have described. Sometimes we see that they cannot give up even smoking. That anartha is not being diminished. It is increasing. So where is the entrance? Phalena paricīyate. We have to understand by the result. If the result is not very satisfactory, then you must know that progress is not very nice.

Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972:

The scientists, they are very much busy. Just this morning our scientist, Svarūpa Dāmodara, was speaking about an article: the scientists are very much busy that the source of supply is being decreased. Just like petroleum. Petroleum, gas, that is diminishing. Now, whole modern materialistic civilization is depending on the motorcars and aeroplanes, transportation. So if the petroleum supply is stopped, then what will be the condition of the society? Formerly there was no need of going to see a friend thirty miles away, because every friend was within the village. Now, because we have got motorcar, we create friendship with a man who lives fifty miles away. We accept a job fifty miles away. In Hawaii our Gaurasundara was going to attend office fifty miles off. By fifty miles off... In big, big cities like New York, Calcutta, we have seen people are coming to attend their office from hundred miles off. I have seen also in aeroplane there are many people... I have seen in England. Many workers or gentlemen, they are coming from Glasgow to London for working, by aeroplane.

Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972:

In due course of time, everything becomes invisible or unknown. Just like Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā was spoken long, long ago, before speaking to Arjuna. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Therefore, all Vedic knowledge, they are not research knowledge. They are existing always, since the time of creation. These so-called scientists, they are simply wasting their time by so-called research work. There is nothing to be researched. Everything is there. Every knowledge is there. How to make your life perfect, that is also there, but they will not consult this knowledge. They will try to make a research and waste time and waste money, public money, and pass on as great scientist, philosopher, leaders, politician, and mislead people, without any factual knowledge. Now they are thinking, at the present moment, the scientists, that things are diminishing. Actually, they'll diminish. It is already stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It will so diminish that there will be no more wheat, no more rice, no more food grains, no more fruits, and no more milk, no more sugar. It will be finished.

Lecture on SB 1.3.14 -- Los Angeles, September 19, 1972:

So this point is that if the population of the world becomes sinful, demonic, then nature will not supply you sufficient food. She will diminish. We have got experience. In India we have seen, some years there is overproduction of mango. People... Very cheap. Everyone can purchase. And sometimes there is no supply, some year. Similarly, foodgrains also. Some year there is oversupply of foodgrain and sometimes there is scanty supply. Now, this supply of foodgrains, fruits, and everything, even milk... In our New Vrindaban, because the cows feel very safe, they give us sufficient milk. That is our experience. So you keep things in order according to the Vedic injunction, you get sufficient food. There is no question of scarcity. But if you become sinful, demons, then the nature's food supply will be ultimately stopped. You can produce your food in the factory... You cannot do that. You can produce motorcars to consume all the petroleum within the earth, and then you become no petrol. Then throw all these motorcars. Unless you find out some other energy That you can do. You can make things topsy-turvied. But by your so-called scientific advancement, you cannot increase or, I mean to say, stop nonproduction. That you cannot.

Lecture on SB 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972:

This is the proposition, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Otherwise, these changes of Manu, changes of millennium, changes of devastation... In every... Manvantara. At the end of Manu, there is another devastation. Pralaya-samplave, cākṣuṣodadhi-samplave. After the span of life of Cākṣuṣa Manu, there is another inundation. And then again everything comes out gradually and the water dries. Just like you see the Pacific Ocean, it is drying. Of course, we shall not live, but if hundreds years after, if somebody comes here, he will see that the Los Angeles city has expanded and the Pacific Ocean has diminished. This is going on. In this way, one day will be, there will be no Pacific Ocean. And therefore, without water, everyone will die. Simply sunshine, bright sunshine. So then again, as there is after bright sunshine there is cloud and rain, similarly, again there will be rain. Then again there will be water. Samplave, inundation. This is going on.

Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- London, September 12, 1973:

This means that neither the government nor the responsible leaders of the public want such literature, yet it is in the marketplace because the people want it for sense gratification. The people in general want to read (that is a natural instinct), but because their minds are polluted they want such literatures. Under the circumstances, transcendental literature like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will not only diminish the activities of the corrupt mind of the people in general, but also it will supply food for their hankering after reading some interesting literature. In the beginning they may not like it because one suffering from jaundice is reluctant to take sugar candy, but we should know that sugar candy is the only remedy for jaundice. Similarly, let there be systematic propaganda for popularizing reading of the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which will act like sugar candy for the jaundicelike condition of sense gratification. When men have a taste for this literature, the other literatures, which are catering poison to society, will then automatically cease.

Lecture on SB 1.7.9 Excerpt -- Vrndavana, September 8, 1976:

That does not mean you will have to stop your activities. The other part of the activities, they will begin after stopping these material activities. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). One who is ātmārāma, brahma-bhūtaḥ, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am not this material body, no more I have to do anything for this material body. Ātmārāma. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). People are anxious, especially the karmīs, how to maintain this body, but when one comes to the conclusion that "I am not this body," naturally his interest for maintaining the body, diminishes. Practically, it becomes nil. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **, you will find from the behavior of the Gosvāmīs, they practically conquered over the necessities of this body. But that does not mean he has to cease all activities. The Māyāvāda philosophy, they say that when one becomes brahma-bhūtaḥ, ātmārāma, he has nothing to do any more. No. The śāstra does not say that. Śāstra says that when you become ātmārāma, or brahma-bhūtaḥ, your material anxieties, material activities, they become stopped. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), prasannātmā, he has nothing to do.

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

One man who has got to spend 25 rupees, he has got anxiety. But we have to spend 25 lakhs of rupees, but we have no anxiety. Because we have taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Mā śucaḥ, Kṛṣṇa says. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, ahaṁ tvāṁ mokṣayiṣyāmi sarva-pāpebhyaḥ (BG 18.66). "Oh, Kṛṣṇa will take care of me in such a way?" "Yes." "Oh, let me consider." Mā śucaḥ. There is no consideration. You do it immediately. Mā śucaḥ. Why mā śucaḥ? If you... Kṛṣṇa is unable to feed you? Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Why you talk of nonsense, population? There is no question of population. But if you are sinful, if you are godless, then however restrictive means you take... What is that? Sterilization? You have to starve. There is no question of diminishing the population. It is a question how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Otherwise, everything will be finished.

Lecture on SB 1.8.27 -- Los Angeles, April 19, 1973:

The atheist class, they do not approach. They say: "Why shall I approach God? I shall create my wealth, by advancement of science, I shall be happy." They are duṣkṛtinaḥ, most sinful, one who says like that, that: "For my prosperity, I shall depend on my own strength, my own knowledge." They are duṣkṛtinaḥ. But one who thinks that "My prosperity depends on the mercy of God," they're pious. They're pious. Because, after all, without sanction of God, nothing can be achieved. That's a fact. Tāvad tanur idaṁ tanūpekṣitānām(?). That is also statement of That we have discovered so many counter-acting methods for diminishing our distressed condition, but if it is not sanctioned by God, these counteracting proposition will fail.

Lecture on SB 1.8.28 -- Mayapura, October 8, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa, manye tvāṁ kālam īśānam. Eternal time. We are calculating past, present and future, but actually in the spiritual world, there is no such thing as past, present and future. We therefore sometimes question that "Wherefrom God came?" So many odd questions they say. But God is eternally existing. That is the fact. We cannot understand that. Because we are in the material world, we have no experience of the eternity, what is eternity. We have no experience. We see everything as generated, and then it stays for some time, then it is finished. That is our experience. Janma, mṛtyu, vṛddhi. They have... They have made past, present and future, but it is divided into six development. One takes birth, then it develops, then it stays for some time, then it produces some by-product, then diminishes, and then, I mean to say, finished. Ṣaḍ-vikāra. Ṣaḍ-vikāra. This body, ṣaḍ-vikāra. So eternity, eternity means there is no ṣaḍ-vikāra, the six kinds of changes. There is no birth. There is no death. There is no diminishing. There is no by-product. Everything eternal, eternally existing.

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Los Angeles, April 25, 1972:

The Lord says that whenever there is irregularities, dharmasya, of religion, irregularities... Glāniḥ. Glāniḥ means irregularities. Just like you are executing some service. There may be irregularities. Then it becomes polluted. So yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati... Dharmasya glānir bhavati means development of irreligiosity. That means if your wealth is diminished, then your poverty is increased, balanced. If you increase this side, the other side will go up and if you increase that side, the other side... But you have to keep balance. That is required.

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Los Angeles, April 26, 1973:

Devotee:

bhārāvatāraṇāyānye

bhuvo nāva ivodadhau

sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṇa

jāto hy ātma-bhuvārthitaḥ

(SB 1.8.34)

"Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much aggrieved, and that Brahmā, who is Your son, prayed for You, and so You have appeared to diminish the trouble."

Prabhupāda: So Kuntīdevī is describing different statements of different persons why Kṛṣṇa appeared. Somebody says that He appeared on the request of Devakī and Vasudeva. Somebody says He appeared on the request of Brahmā.

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

Nitāi: "Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much aggrieved, and that Brahmā, who is Your son, prayed for You, and so You have appeared to diminish the trouble."

Prabhupāda:

bhārāvatāraṇāyānye

bhuvo nāva ivodadhau

sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṇa

jāto hy ātma-bhuvārthitaḥ

(SB 1.8.34)

So Brahmā's another name is Ātma-bhū. He is born from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu without the help of Lakṣmī. Lakṣmī was there; she was massaging on the lotus feet of the Lord, but the Lord did not take help of Lakṣmī, and He gave birth to Brahmā. Therefore Brahmā's another name is Ātma-bhū, "born from the father directly, without taking the help of the mother." So another name is Svayambhū. Brahmā's another name is Svayambhū.

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

So Brahmā was approached by the earth, mother earth. She felt overburdened by the sinful activities of the demons. So Brahmā approaches Nārāyaṇa, er, Viṣṇu—not directly he can see, but he can stand on the bank of the ocean of milk, and from there he can submit his petition. And Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu gives His order. So once upon a time, when the whole world was overburdened—this is the history of Kṛṣṇa's birth—so the earthly planet approached Brahmā to appeal to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to have His incarnation to diminish the burden of the world. The world is, of course, it is very heavy. We can understand there are so many oceans and so many big, big hills, besides your skyscraper building, and certainly the whole lump of matter is very heavy. But not only this planet, but many other planets, even the sun planet. It is heavier by fourteen hundred thousand times. Still, they are floating in the air by... Why? Because Kṛṣṇa enters in each of them.

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

So this big, big lump of matter, earthly planet, they are actually not heavy, but it becomes heavier when there are demons. Demons means material activities. If there is spiritual activity, it remains very light. And if there is too much material activity and materialistic persons, it become heavier and troublesome. So such time became possible, and therefore the earthly planet went to Brahmā to appeal to Viṣṇu to take His incarnation. So somebody says that bhārāvatāra..., tāraṇāya, avatāraṇāya, to diminish the burden, burden... Just like a bad son is a burden of the father. This has been explained by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita that a stupid son... Ko 'rthaḥ putreṇa jātena yo na vidvān na bhaktimān: "What is the use of getting a son who is neither learned nor a devotee? Useless." Ko 'rthaḥ putreṇa jātena: "Such kind of son, what is the use?" The son who is not a devotee... Two things are required: the son should be a devotee or a learned.

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

So when the system of varṇa and āśrama is destroyed... Just like in Western countries there is no such thing as varṇa and āśrama. Therefore the varṇa-saṅkara, the hippies... That is varṇa-saṅkara. So varṇa-saṅkara... In the Bhagavad-gītā... If the varṇa-saṅkara increases, strīṣu duṣṭāsu varṇa-saṅkaro jāyate. When women become polluted, no fixed-up husband—that is pollution for woman, no chaste, no chastity—then this varṇa-saṅkara will come out. And when the world is overpopulated by varṇa-saṅkara, it will become a burden. Therefore it so became, atheist, varṇa-saṅkara, demons. So it was unbearable by the earthly planet. And it is said, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Therefore mother earth went to appeal, "Please come and save me. I am very much overburdened." Therefore it is said, bhārāvatāraṇāya: "diminish."

Lecture on SB 1.8.35 -- Mayapura, October 15, 1974:

This is a very important verse. Bhave asmin. Asmin means "this," and bhave, "the material world." Bhava means to grow, means... Grow means which has taken birth. That requires grow. In the material world, there are six kinds of changes: first of all birth, then grow, then stay for some time, then producing some by-product, then diminishing, dwindling, and then vanish. These are the six kinds of changes. Just like this body. It has taken birth at a certain date, and it has grown, that the child is growing. And growing, it will stay, not immediately vanish. It will stay. And while staying, it will create some by-product. From this body, so many sons and daughters will come, by-product. Even tree, they produce also, everyone. Then it becomes old, no more strength, and when it is very old, finish. These are called ṣaḍ-vikāra. That is on account of this body.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Los Angeles, May 4, 1973:

Therefore simply renunciation, that "I give up attachment for worldly things," that is not sufficient. Simply renouncement will not help you. It may be a helping process, but that will not help you absolutely. When you increase attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then this renouncement will be perfect. So make renouncement perfect, or, if you increase attachment for Kṛṣṇa, automatically your attachment for this world will diminish. Two things cannot go. Our attachment... Just like a woman, if she is attached to two men, one husband, another paramour—so two things cannot go. The attachment increases for the paramour; otherwise why she accepts a paramour? These are examples there. Although she's working at the husband's place very nicely, but the mind is there to the paramour. Because "When I shall meet him at night, this and that," you see.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

So, of course, we cannot expect that one day we shall be so much attached as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but this preliminary attachment, to think of Kṛṣṇa, there is no difficulty, to think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. He'll be satisfied. He'll be sati... Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). And those who are so attached with Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says, "I'll supply whatever he wants. Yes." So a devotee's opulence does not mean it is due to his karma. It is supplied by Kṛṣṇa. It is never to be diminished because it is supplied by Kṛṣṇa. The karmīs, they get opulence on account of his past karma. But a devotee gets opulence—it is gift of Kṛṣṇa; it cannot be destroyed. It cannot be destroyed. It is gift of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.49 -- Mayapura, October 29, 1974:

Those who have taken, fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, bhakti-bhājām, karmāṇi nirdahati, their karma, nirdahati, means as far as possible the result is diminished or practically made nil. Even it is there, karma-phala, very slight. Just like the example is just like one is condemned to be murdered by somebody by cutting his head, but by Kṛṣṇa's grace he may be saved from cutting the head. Suppose there is some accident by knife in the hand. They are calculated like that. And generally, a devotee is completely relieved from all karma-phala. So ordinarily, we are indebted to so many persons, not only bāla, dvija, gopa, but ṛṣi, and the devatās. We have to take care of it. But if we become fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, sarvātmanā ye śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundam. Not any other demigods. Mukundam. Mukundam means... Muk means liberation. So one who gives liberation. Gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam. So one who takes full shelter of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, then He's freed from all this indebtedness to so many persons.

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

Pradyumna: Translation: "The Supreme Lord relinquished the body which He manifested to diminish the burden of the world. Just like a magician, He relinquishes one body to accept different ones like the fish incarnation, etc." (SB 1.15.35)

Prabhupāda:

rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan

nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu

kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.39)

Govindam, Govinda is ādi-puruṣa. So ādi-puruṣa means the original person. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said by Kṛṣṇa Himself, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7), "I am the Supreme Person." Now there are different forms of God, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). There are different incarnations.

Lecture on SB 1.16.20 -- Los Angeles, July 10, 1974:

So in the Satya-yuga people were very religious, full, four parts full. In the Dvāpara-yuga, then one part was missing, only three parts. Then Tretā-yuga. Satya, Tretā, then Dvāpara. But in the Kali-yuga the one part of religiosity, that is also diminishing. This is one of the symptoms. And another symptom: "Or are you in great anxiety because henceforward the unlawful meat-eaters will exploit you?" The unlawful meat-eaters, they will eat cows and bulls. This is predicted in this verse. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was written five thousand years ago. So at that time the prediction is there that in the Kali-yuga the meat-eaters will be unlawful and they will especially eat cows and bulls.

Lecture on SB 1.16.20 -- Los Angeles, July 10, 1974:

Nitāi: "With the progress of the age of Kali, four things particularly, namely, the duration of life, mercy, the power of recollection, and moral or religious principles will gradually diminish."

Prabhupāda: This is the symptom of Kali-yuga. We have got our practical experience. When I first came in New York, one boy, Nelson, he told me that "Here, even in your front, somebody is being killed. Nobody will take care." I was surprised, how is that? Is that a fact? You say yes?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Ah, just see. So that is predicted, that the moral or religious principle will gradually diminish. With the progress of this age Kali, four things particularly, namely duration of life, duration of life. Everyone knows. The actually standard of duration of life in this age is hundred years. But no. Who is living hundred years? Gradually decreasing. And it will decrease so much, as I have several times said, that when at the end of Kali-yuga or in the middle of Kali-yuga, the duration of life will be twenty to thirty years. Now it is sixty, seventy or fifty or... It is going on. But gradually, it will diminish. That is stated here.

Lecture on SB 1.16.20 -- Los Angeles, July 10, 1974:

Formerly, five thousand years ago, there was no need of books. The students will go to the spiritual master or teacher and... Therefore it is called śruti. The Vedic language is called śruti. Śruti means hearing. It is not reading. Simply, pious students will hear from the right source. Evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Simply by hearing, they will understand everything. They will never forget. But in the Kali-yuga it is not possible. Therefore Vyāsadeva, the whole Vedic understanding, knowledge, he recorded into books. Otherwise before that there was no need of books. The power of recollection will diminish. And mercy. Mercy will reduce. Even in your, in somebody's, in our front, somebody is killed. Nobody will try to help him. What to speak of others, when there is difficulty. Or there are so many. People should cooperate.

Lecture on SB 2.3.20 -- Los Angeles, June 16, 1972:

Similarly, we have got tongue, and we are lecturing all nonsense things, mental speculation, or singing in the dancing club, ho ho, ho ho, like that. So the result is that we are diminishing our duration of life in that way. The opportunity, the human form of life opportunity, is being uselessly diminished. In the previous verse we have learned, āyur harati vai puṁsām udyann astaṁ ca yann asau.. Because the sun's business is to take away your span of life gradually. So same. As the frog is calling (to) his death, the snake, "Please come here, I am here," similarly, these persons who are talking all nonsense without kṛṣṇa-kathā, they are inviting the Yamarāja, "Please come soon. I am here. I am here." This is the position.

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

So if you can simply engage your tongue chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and tasting kṛṣṇa-prasādam, you become perfect. Simple thing. There is no difficulty. Whenever there is time, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. And when you feel hungry, take kṛṣṇa-prasādam and live here peacefully. Don't talk rubbish. Then life is successful. Is there any difficulty We are, we are trying to give you kṛṣṇa-prasādam. We are giving you chance to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is our duty. So you take advantage of it, and make your life successful. Otherwise, it is jihvāsatī dārdurikeva sūta. Dārdurikā. The frogs, frog's tongue, very busy in croaking. But it, it, it is means inviting death, "Please come here. I am sitting here." So similarly, by talking nonsense, we allow our span of life being diminished by the sunrise and sunset, but if we talk about the urugāya-gāthāḥ, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then our life cannot be taken away. It cannot be decreased.

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

This is Kali-yuga, very abominable condition, precarious condition. You cannot get justice, you cannot get nice food, you cannot get nice treatment, your age is diminished, your power is diminished, everything is topsy-turvied. The best thing is to prepare yourself very quickly to go back to home, back to Godhead, and there you become one of them, like these Vaikuṇṭha persons. These are the description already there. So many ornaments. We do not see what is... If you ask somebody... They may have some plastic utensils, but if you ask somebody that "Have you seen pearl, sapphire, or coral, or diamond?" everyone will say, "I have never seen in my life." And still they are proud: "Oh, we are now advanced." What advanced? Simply plastic and paper. I see in Japan, all paper, simply papers. All big, big buildings packed up with papers. I was observing from the train all the big, big... What is the contents? Contents means paper. That's it.

Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:

I think there was a news in the newspaper, Free Press Journal, that the faith in personal God is diminishing. That means they are becoming more foolish. The faith in personal God is diminishing, percentage diminishing. That means people are becoming more and more foolish. That is natural. This is Kali-yuga. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). The more this age of Kali will increase, people will diminish in their bodily strength, in their memory, in their mercifulness, in so many ways. Eight kinds of diminishing, decreasing. Actually, we find, even in Western countries, the present generation, they are not as strong as their father or grandfather. Bodily strength decreasing. Memory is decreasing. There is no mercifulness. Now, at the present moment, if somebody is being killed and you are passing, nobody takes care. "Let him be killed." Because dayā, mercifulness, is diminishing. The duration of life diminishing. The bodily stature diminishing. The memory diminishing. Everything is diminishing.

So because we are diminishing in everything, therefore our God consciousness is diminishing also. Therefore there are news word that "Personal God conception is diminishing." That is natural. Mūḍha. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that one who does not accept the personal God, he is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: mūḍha.

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

Because you hear, go on, go on hearing, chanting, then the dirty things will be diminished. Kṛṣṇa says that hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is also within the heart, and the dirty things are also there. So..., but Kṛṣṇa helps you cleansing. So it is not completely cleansed, but even it is fifty percent or sixty percent cleansed, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu... How? Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Regularly hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. These two processes recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Chant your rounds regularly. Make a fixed-up... We have fixed up only minimum.

Lecture on SB 3.25.38 -- Bombay, December 7, 1974:

Vedic version is that not only Kṛṣṇa's incarnation, but even if Kṛṣṇa, the full, cent percent God, if He is distributed or if He distributes Himself in many millions of form, still, He is there in the same strength. Just like if you take some blood, my energy, out of my body, then after taking some quantity, my body becomes weak. Because so much energy is taken away. But the Vedas says, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). The balance is pūrṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. You take full strength. Kṛṣṇa is ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa, almighty. So you take Almighty, and in millions and millions of units—still the Almighty. That is Kṛṣṇa. So we have to understand Kṛṣṇa in that way. And if we can understand Kṛṣṇa... Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). This tattva you will understand from the Vedic literature, what is tattva. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). So Kṛṣṇa is never diminished.

Lecture on SB 3.26.5 -- Bombay, December 17, 1974:

And that engagement into superior colorful life is devotional life. Just see superior. Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā, susukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). Susukham. Su means very nice, and sukham means happy. The devotional service is so nice and happy. You see this devotional service. You always engage..., you are always engaged in the Deity worship, bring nice cloth. Instead of dressing yourself with nice cloth, dress Kṛṣṇa with nice cloth. Then your desire for dressing nicely will vanish. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Bhakta is satisfied when Kṛṣṇa is very nicely dressed. He doesn't care for his own dress. Therefore this colorful life is diminishing. Here we are trying to become very nicely dressed, to be attractive by others. But when one becomes a Vaiṣṇava, he is no more interested in this colorful life. But he is interested in the colorful life of Kṛṣṇa. He is interested, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. He is satisfied.

Lecture on SB 3.26.18 -- Bombay, December 27, 1974:

The example is given: just that the sun is localized in one place, but he is managing the whole universal affair by his heat and light. That is potency. That does not mean... For time immemorial, sun is supplying unlimited quantity of heat and light all over the universe day and night. There is no stoppage. It is not that sun's heat and light has been stopped because it is night. It is night for us, but his heat and light is being distributed. It is distributed. But still, has the sun has diminished by a small quantity? If it is possible even for the material thing... Sun is nothing but an insignificant material thing. There are millions of suns, millions and trillions of suns. That is admitted even by modern science. So this sun is only an insignificant portion of the sun category. This universe is the smallest. There are many big, big universes, and each and every universe, there is sun, there is moon, there is other things. And all these universes combined together is one fourth energy of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:

So our members especially, I mean to say, those who are inmates, they, and those who are becoming members, ordinary member or patron member, we are giving them books. Please read them carefully. Don't take books that "I am member. It is my duty to take books and keep it in the almirah." No. Read it thoroughly. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. By regular reading of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then our this material contamination becomes vanquished. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). As soon as it begins to diminish, then it will diminish finally, and then you will be situated in your pure, original constitutional position, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhakti-yogataḥ. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). By cleansing the heart we become prasanna-manasaḥ, very jubilant. Bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. Therefore this bhāgavata-dharma should be practiced from the very beginning of life, and it should be studied. We have got so many books. One can read... Whatever already we have got, books, one can read for fifty years continually and get new enlightenment one after another.

Lecture on SB 3.26.42 -- Bombay, January 17, 1975:

This is one sun only—but it is carrying out the order of Kṛṣṇa. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ, unlimited light, unlimited fire, unlimited heat. Aśeṣa. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ. There is no comparison with the sunlight, sun's heat. There is no comparison within this universe. Unlimited. For millions and millions of years it is, from the sun the light and heat is coming out, but there is no diminution. It is the same as it was millions of years ago, and after giving you light and heat for millions of years, the same quantity of light and heat is still there.

So if it is possible for a material thing that after giving unlimited heat and light it remains the same, similarly, the Supreme Lord, by expanding His potency, by His energy, He remains the same. He does not diminish.

Lecture on SB 3.26.43 -- Bombay, January 18, 1975:

Now, the position is how to know God. How to know God. So God know, it is very easy. If you don't chant... Suppose if I say that "By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra you will know God," you may think that "Why shall I chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra? I belong to different religion. Why shall I chant this Hindus' Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra?" Then all right, you do not chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, but you try to understand God in your daily life. What is that? That satisfaction by drinking water. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). Everyone drinks water. Either you become Hindu, Muslim, Christian, you have to drink water. And after drinking water, when you feel satisfaction, as it is said, tāpa apanodaḥ, the tiresomeness immediately annihilated, immediately diminished, satisfies, so that satisfaction is Kṛṣṇa, or God.

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

Who can become guru? Generally a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī, that is, that is, they are forced. Brāhmaṇa is the guru of other varṇas, and sannyāsī is the guru for all varṇāśrama. This is... But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that is social system. If there is a brāhmaṇa, if there is a sannyāsī, one should accept, give preference to him, to accept guru. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "That is not the criterion. One must be well expert, experienced, well aware of the science of Kṛṣṇa. He shall be guru." Not that particularly because one is born in a brāhmaṇa family or one has taken sannyāsa, he is immediately by the dress, or by birth, one can become guru. No. That is going on. Now it is diminishing. Formerly, in India it was the practice.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

This kind of sympathy is not sanctioned. He should suffer so that the reaction of his sinful activities in the past life should be diminished. If he does not suffer, then he will have to suffer more, continue, because he is condemned to suffer so much. If you minimize it now, that does not mean he will not suffer. He will suffer next life. Just like a man is imprisoned, and if your friend or relative is imprisoned, by somehow or other you get him released by hook and crook, so when you are again captured you are again severely punished, both the men. Is it not the law? So how can you give relief to the suffering person who is condemned? If in your state law a man suffering in the prison and if you feel sympathy or you may try to give him release and get him out by some hook and crook means, then both of you will be punished.

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

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. So we have to study like that, that God in any circumstances is God. God is never made. Any circumstances, God is God. God... Not that by meditation, pressing your nose, you become God. No. That is not God. God is God.

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

Devotee (1): A devotee becomes more surrendered because the influence of the modes, the three modes, becomes diminished, or is the influence just changed from ignorance and passion to goodness?

Prabhupāda: The surrender means surrender to whom?

Devotee (1): To Kṛṣṇa and to Your Divine Grace.

Prabhupāda: So that surrender means to accept his orders. The spiritual master trains the disciple in the way of goodness quality. So if you do not abide the orders of spiritual master, what is the use of your surrender? Surrender means ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam. Anukūla, favorable things, should be accepted. And you do not know. Therefore spiritual master will direct you, "This is favorable. This is unfavorable. Don't smoke—this is unfavorable." But if you don't accept the instruction, what is the meaning of surrender? Simply by offering obeisances, falling flat for the time being, that is not surrender.

Lecture on SB 6.2.3 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1975:

So all of them are not sinful. There are many pious men. Sinful men, they are of small number. So one must be very cognizant of justice. Just like in the prison house the number of prisoners are not greater than the number of free persons. That is natural. Although this material world is mixed—sinful men and pious men—still, at least formerly, there were sinful men, less. It is said in the śāstra that in Satya-yuga there was no sinful men at all. All pious men. Then, in Tretā-yuga, one-fourth sinful and three-fourth's pious. And then, Dvāpara-yuga, half and half. And now, in the Kali-yuga, one-fourth pious and three-fourth's sinful. And that will also gradually diminish. And when everyone will be sinful, then there is no more preaching. There is Kalki avatāra, simply cutting the head. That's all.

Lecture on SB 6.2.15 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1975:

Being compassionate on the people of this age, all fools and rascals—they have no good memory—therefore he compiled all these Vedas into writing. Before that, there was no writing. People were so sharp in memory, simply by hearing from the guru, they will remember. Simply. The education and the brain and the capacity was so nice. So that is not possible in the age. Everything is diminishing. The strength, bodily strength, is diminishing. The memory is diminishing. The duration of life is diminishing. Man's propensity to be merciful is diminishing. At the present moment, even in the civilized world, so-called civilized, if one man is being killed on the open street, nobody will go and help him because the tendency for showing mercy to others, that is diminishing. And bodily strength is diminishing. Memory is diminishing. Dharma, the principle of religion, that is diminishing. This is calculated.

Lecture on SB 6.3.20-23 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

Every one of us, anyone who is in this material world, he is sinful. Without being sinful, nobody is here in this material world. If he's not sinful, then he'll be immediately transferred. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. Immediately transferred to the spiritual world. He has... Just like a person who has finished his criminal punishment, immediately he is released from the prison. Similarly, a person who is freed from the resultant action of sinful activities, he immediately becomes liberated. Therefore anyone who is in this material world engaged in fruitive activities... Not the devotees. That is another mistake. The devotees are also here, but they are always in Vaikuṇṭha. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). So anyway, the general process is that instead of, I mean to say, following the religious rituals for diminishing or getting out of the sinful reaction, one is recommended to accept bhakti-yoga, beginning with the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. That is the conclusion.

Lecture on SB 7.6.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 28, 1976:

That is Vedic civilization. Not that unless one is killed, he's not going to retire. Even great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, he was seventy-eight years, and still he would not retire from this... Political life means greater family life. A family man is interested with his family members, and a political leader is interested with the whole, a group of family. The principle is the same. Ordinary family man, he's looking after three, four members of the family, and a political leader is thinking that he's responsible for so many millions of men. The idea is the same: the extended family. But extended or diminished family, sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ, he's thinking, "I have to do something for them." But when death comes, you are unable to do anything, you have to immediately leave the scene, and according to the laws of nature you'll have to accept a body according to your karma. This is the law of nature.

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

But the Vṛndāvana-vāsī, they are so affectionate, so attached to Kṛṣṇa, they do not want. They do not want to know what is God. They simply want Kṛṣṇa, to love. This is Vṛndāvana. There is no necessity. Kṛṣṇa manifested in so many ways big, big activities in Vṛndāvana, killing daily almost a demon. But still, the Vṛndāvana-vāsī did not accept Him as the Supreme Lord. They thought that some demigod has appeared. They did not know that He is the Supreme Lord. That is another māyā, yoga-māyā. If the Vṛndāvana-vāsī saw Kṛṣṇa that He is the Supreme Lord, then they could not love Him so nicely, because too much opulent conception diminishes natural love.

Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:

Now here, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, tataś ca anudinam. Anudinam means "as the days will pass." Then what will be the symptoms? Now, naṅkṣyaty. Naṅkṣyaty means gradually diminish, will diminish. What will diminish? Dharmaḥ, religiosity; satyam, truthfulness; śaucam, cleanliness; kṣamā, forgiveness; dayā, mercifulness; āyuḥ, duration of life; bala, strength; and smṛtiḥ, memory. These eight items, just try to know. First thing is religiosity. As the age of Kali will make progress, people will become more and more irreligious. And they will become more and more liars. They'll forget to speak what is true. Śaucam, cleanliness, that will also diminish. Cleanliness is required.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:

Those who are born in low-grade family... The most regrettable fact is that in India the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, they did not take care of the fallen souls. Once one becomes, somehow or other, a Muhammadan, he has no more chance to come back to the Hindu society. This policy was being followed. And therefore the result is that these fallen souls, whom we call fallen souls, the Muhammadans, they partitioned. Now we are crying. Not only that. I think, from historical point of view, this whole planet was India, Bhārata-varṣa. This planet was called Bhārata-varṣa—not this portion of land. But because gradually the Vedic culture became diminished, they separated from this Vedic culture, as we have got actual experience, and within twenty years the Pakistan is taken away from India.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.118-121 -- San Francisco, February 24, 1967:

There is neither voidness; neither you are God. You are eternal, perpetual blissful, but your blissful is now covered by this māyā. You get out of it, be one with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your life is successful. This is this theory.

hena jīva-tattva lañā likhi' para-tattva

ācchanna karila śreṣṭha īśvara-mahattva

Oh, Caitanya Mahāprabhu regrets that such a great difference between God and the living entity, and Śaṅkarācārya has described that we are God? That means he has diminished the opulence and value of God. Suppose if I call a third-class man "His Majesty," then what is that? This word, "His Majesty," is misused.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.118-121 -- San Francisco, February 24, 1967:

The poor, poverty-stricken man, all these things are for the jīvas, the living entities. Nārāyaṇa is never poor. Nārāyaṇa is never under ignorance. Nārāyaṇa never becomes dog. We become dog. We become cat. You should always... Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore rejects, that "This sort of philosophy propounded by Śaṅkara is a great mistake because he has minimized the value of the Supreme Lord. By making a dog a god, he has insulted God. Therefore this Māyāvāda philosophy is the most offensive activities of the living being." So you should be very, very careful, very careful. Hena jīva-tattva lañā likhi' para-tattva. "And I have just studied the ordinary living entities, and I am speaking of the Absolute Truth? Oh, this is the greatest nonsensical activity." Ācchanna karila śreṣṭha īśvara-mahattva: "By this the glorification of the Lord has been diminished, and therefore it is a great offense."

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.119 -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

So actually, we are experiencing... Not only at the present moment, millions of years ago, when Ṛṣabhadeva instructed His sons... That is long, long ago. Ṛṣabhadeva was the father of Mahārāja Bhārata, under whose name this planet is called Bhārata-varṣa. Formerly this planet was known as Ilavati-varṣa. After the emperor Mahārāja Bhārata, this planet is called Bhārata-varṣa, this whole planet. Bhārata-varṣa means the whole planet. And gradually it is being diminished. Just like in your experience the Bhārata-varṣa, the so-called Bhārata-varṣa is now diminished: Pakistan has gone away.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.106 -- New York, July 12, 1976:

So here the most important word is sad-dharma. Dharma... In the English dictionary dharma is described as a kind of faith, but here it is said, sad-dharma. Sad-dharma. Sat means which exists, which never diminishes. In the Vedic knowledge we get information, asato mā sad gama: "Don't remain in the nonexistentional platform." Sad-gama: "Go to the platform of eternal life." That we can understand, what is sat and what is asat. Sat, cit, ānanda. Sac-cid-ānanda. We describe Kṛṣṇa, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So that is sat. Sat means eternal. And so according to reference with sat and asat, there are two kinds of dharma. I... Several places in my books I have described, dharma means occupational duty, occupational duty.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 33 -- New York, July 19, 1971:

Just like I and my photograph, that is my expansion, but it is not one; it is dual. What service you can take from me, you cannot take the service from the photograph. Therefore it is not advaita; it is dvaita, duality. You may have millions of photographs, but each one of them, they're different. But Kṛṣṇa, He has got millions of forms, they're one. That is the difference. Advaitam acyutam. Acyutam means one who does not fall down. Because he has expanded in so many forms, it does not mean the potency of Kṛṣṇa has decreased. The same thing you chant in the Īśopaniṣad: pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Iso Invocation). Kṛṣṇa is so full, pūrṇa. Pūrṇa means complete. If you take complete Kṛṣṇa from Kṛṣṇa, still, He is Kṛṣṇa. That you cannot understand in the materialistic condition, because if I have got one rupee or one dollar, if I take that one dollar, then it becomes zero. But Kṛṣṇa is so complete you go on taking Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, still, Kṛṣṇa is complete. Advaita acyuta. Acyuta means does not diminish or does not fall.

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 35 -- New York, July 31, 1971:

So when you are thirsty, you require a glass of water, drink it, and when you feel happy you understand that this quenching power of this water is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa realization. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ (BG 7.8). So as soon as there is sunrise, you see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says "I am the sunshine, I am the moonshine." So why don't you try to see Kṛṣṇa? In the Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, there is a big list. Just like Kṛṣṇa says "I am the Lion amongst the animals." Because He took the shape of a lion, Hiraṇyakaśipu, eternal shape. I am the banyan Tree, so many thing. Kṛṣṇa has described in the Bhagavad-gītā. So in the beginning, if one is not fortunate enough to see Kṛṣṇa, although He is sitting in this temple, let him see Kṛṣṇa in this way. If he's not fortunate to come here and to see Kṛṣṇa, take prasādam, and dance in ecstasy, then let his unfortunate condition be diminished by seeing Kṛṣṇa in water, in sunshine, in moonshine, in this and that.

Festival Lectures

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968:

So similarly we're made out of spirit. Qualitatively the same as Kṛṣṇa, but quantitatively many millions of times less. Qualitatively the same, quantitatively different. Fragmental portion. So if we fragmental portions, separated parts and parcels, can serve the source or the whole, then we can be cured of this material disease which is rampant nowadays. And this is possible only by mercy. By mercy alone we can transcend this material existence and know that I am part and parcel of the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa, or God, and I can erase all of my karma and situate myself in pure consciousness. But this consciousness cannot be purified unless there is mercy. And in this age, Kali-yuga, as we know, mercy is diminished to being almost nonexistent. And Kali-yuga is just beginning.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Conversation -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1975:

Prabhupāda: Oh. So what is the position there?

Brahmānanda: Well, I haven't read the letters yet, but she was saying that on the whole Mr. Matri now is diminishing. They have met with his superior in the party, and the superior is very much, he's not happy with Mr. Matri's activities and his reputation, and he says that in the forthcoming election he may not even put him on the election ballot.

Prabhupāda: That will be right punishment for him. Then he will understand. That will be more than death. Yes. Politicians, if they are refused political seat, that is more than death. Just like Kṛṣṇa was advising Arjuna that "You are known as a great hero, and if you don't fight then they will blaspheme you like anything. So that will be more than death. Better die. When they will say nindanti, 'Oh, the Arjuna has become a coward. He could not fight. He will die.' So that blaspheme will be more than death."

Initiation Lectures

Lecture & Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968:

Madhudviṣa: "Number eight: Comparing the holy name to material piety."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now this function is being done. It should not be taken that we are doing something, religious rituals. No. Religious ritual is different thing. This is... Although it appears like rituals, but it is transcendental. It is above all kinds of religion. It is postgraduate study. The process is how to develop love of Godhead. This is above all rel... Religion means, generally, some kind of faith. But it is not the question of faith. It is actually developing, how much you are loving Kṛṣṇa, or God. So it is above all religions. It is not ordinary religion. Religion means... Suppose you are Christian, I am Hindu. As soon as this body is finished, my Christianism or religion, everything is finished. But this love of God will not finish. It will go with you. Any birth you go, it will develop. If you can finish, then you go directly to Kṛṣṇa, back to Godhead, and finish your all material connection. Even if you are not able, then it goes with you. Asset. It is... The bank balance will not be diminished. It will increase.

General Lectures

Lecture on Maha-mantra -- New York, September 8, 1966:

We say that, the example, that because the sun is distributing his heat and energy, therefore you cannot say that there is no existence of sun. Sun is separately existing. In spite of distributing for millions of years heat, the reservation of heat in the sun is intact. It is not diminished. But everyone knows that for millions and billions of years the sun is distributing heat. Nobody knows the history, how long. Your distributing center, the powerhouse, if you fail to supply coal or oil, then after one hour the whole New York City will be dark. So just you can imagine who is supplying the fuel in the heat of the sun so that for millions and billions of years the heat of the sun is in the same temperature.

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

So it is not only in India. Everywhere in this age, everything is degraded, degraded in this sense, prāyeṇa kalau asmin alpāyeṣu yuge janāḥ. The duration of life is diminished. They are not very much active to understand what is self-realization. And if they are, some of them are very much active, oh, he is misled by so many misleading, so-called leaders. So the age is very corrupting. Therefore this Caitanya Mahāprabhu's process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is the best method and the simplest method. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma iva kevalam. Kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). There is no other alternative. In the Agni Purāṇa this verse appears, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma iva kevalam. Three times: "Simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa," kevalam, "only." You cannot offer any other alternative. No. Only. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma iva kevalam. Kalau: "In this age," nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā, "there is no other alternative for self-realization except this." So we have to accept.

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

Last year, no. I think in June I was there. Montreal also we have got. In Vancouver we have got. So as these boys are growing, so we are starting. Bala bari duḥkha kande (?). When the children are grown up, the father's labor diminishes. So all right. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Please join with us.

Lecture -- Bombay, November 2, 1970:

God is eternal, sanātana. We are eternal, sanātana. And there is an eternal place also. This material world is not eternal. The characteristics of this material world is that it appears at a certain date, it continues to stay for a certain period, it develops, then it dwindles and then vanishes. Just like our body, your body, my body: It has got a date of appearance. It is going or changing from one state to another. It will stay for some time. From this body, some by-products will come out, sons and daughters. And then, it will become old, dwindling, diminishing, and then it will vanish. One day it will come, no more this body. Similarly, this material world is also like that. It is a gigantic body only.

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

To become vegetarian or nonvegetarian is not very big business. We do not admit that vegetarians are very much pious and nonvegetarians are not pious. No. Not like that. We say that everyone is impious who is not taking foodstuff offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our view. Anyone. That is stated by Kṛṣṇa. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: "Anyone who is eating foodstuff offered to Yajña, to Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, he is diminishing his volumes of sinful life." Bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt: (BG 3.13) "And anyone who is cooking for himself, not for Kṛṣṇa, then he is simply eating a lump of sinful life." It doesn't matter whether he is vegetarian or nonvegetarian. This is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to eat what is offered to Kṛṣṇa.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 14, 1973:

The characteristics of this material world is that it appears at a certain date, it continues to stay for a certain period, it develops, then it dwindles and then vanishes. Just like our body, your body, my body. It has got a date of appearance. It is growing or changing from one shape to another. It will stay for some time. From this body, some by-products will come out, sons and daughters, and then it will become old, dwindling, diminishing, and then it will vanish. One day it will come—no more this body. Similarly, this material world is also like that. It is a gigantic body only. Whole cosmic manifestation has a date of its creation. It is expanding and it is giving so many by-products. Then time will come which is called devastation—there will be no more rain and everything will dry up. All living entities will die. Then there will be devastating rainfall. Everything will be absorbed in water and then vanish. We have got this information from Vedic literature. So this is not sanātana-dhāma. This is not eternal dhāma. This is temporary. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It comes into existence and it disappears; therefore it is not sanātana-dhāma.

Lecture at Indo-American Society 'East and West' -- Calcutta, January 31, 1973:

Now for lack of knowledge, the United Nations, they're also, the Eastern and Western people have gone to make a solution of the world problems. But they're unable. My next headquarter is New York. I go on the First Avenue. Most occasionally I see there is the United Nations Building. But instead of diminishing the flag, they're increasing. They're increasing. I do not know what is the meaning of this United Nations. Why? Big, big brain, big, big politicians, big, big learned scholars, and they are speaking. But why the nations are not united? It is is, it is simply a show only. Because lack of knowledge. It is due to lack of knowledge. What is that lack of knowledge? Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Everyone is thinking: "I am this body." They have gone to unite together. But their basic principle of knowledge is the same, that "I am this body." American, he's thinking: "I am this body. American." Russian, he's thinking: "I am this body, Russian." And they are fighting. Why the fighting? Due to this body. But if we understand this very simple thing, that I am not this body, everything is united. So the lack of knowledge is there. How we'll be united, culturally or this way? It is not possible. The first lack of knowledge must be eradicated, that why you, why we are missing the point? This is the point.

Tenth Anniversary Address -- Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:

This movement is śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭam. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He appeared on this earth five thousand years ago in Bengal, Navadvīpa, to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, although this movement is not new. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Apparently the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started by Kṛṣṇa Himself in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra five thousand years ago, and He said that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement I spoke to the sun-god long, long years ago." Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). This is avyaya. Avyaya means which is never diminished or destroyed.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Hayagrīva: He further writes on this... He says, "There is strictly speaking neither absolute birth nor complete death consisting in the separation of the soul from the body. What we call birth is development or growth, as what we call death is envelopment and diminution."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is transmigration. That is transmigration. He hasn't..., he is not dead, but he has developed into another body. That is transmigration. Then why does he deny that?

Hayagrīva: So he says, in other words, as soon as the human soul leaves the body, it must immediately...

Prabhupāda: Enters another body.