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Either you... (Lectures, SB canto 1)

Expressions researched:
"either you"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 27, 1973:

We are reducing. But formerly, they were living so many years. Alpāyuṣaḥ. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ. Prāyeṇa. Almost everyone is short span of life. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. Kalau. In this age, kalau. It is not for a particular nation or party or religion. Everyone is subjected to the laws of nature.

So in this Kali-yuga the duration of life, the span of life will be gradually reduced. Memory will be reduced. Strength will be reduced. Mercifulness will be reduced. In this way... Now, it is a age of reduction. Not increasing. So prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalau asmin yuge janāḥ. People in this age are of short span of life. And manda. Manda means all faulty. All slow. Manda, two meaning. Either you take slow... Actually they are manda. Manda means faulty. So many faults. And slow means slow in spiritual realization. Slow. The human form of life is meant for spiritual realization. That is the distinction between human form of life and animal form of life. The animals are not interested, or they do not know what is spiritual life. But the human form of life with developed consciousness is meant for understanding our identification. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life is meant for inquiring about our spiritual identity. That is real business. So in that line of thought we are manda. Manda means very slow. "All right. We shall take it later on. Now I have got strength. Let me enjoy senses. Then we shall see later on." That is called manda. Not serious.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Montreal, August 2, 1968:

"Kṛṣṇa appeared for reestablishing the religious principles, but after His disappearance, who has taken charge for this department?" That was their question. So Sūta Gosvāmī is congratulating them, that "This question is very auspicious," loka-maṅgalam. Loka means this world, and maṅgalam means auspicious. So first of all he is explaining what is dharma. Dharma is translated in English as "religion," but actually, it does not convey the real import of dharma. As I have many times explained in these meetings, that dharma means some particular characteristic which you cannot change. That is called dharma. Dharma does not mean a particular type of faith. Faith is different thing. Faith is followed blindly or by social custom or something else. Faith is different. But dharma, either you change social custom, country, time, space, it cannot be changed. That is dharma.

So that dharma is enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya: "For the matter of reestablishing the principles of dharma." There is difference of understanding between dharma and "religion," although the Sanskrit word dharma is translated into English as "religion." Religion in the dictionary it is explained as faith, but dharma is different. Dharma you cannot change. In whichever condition you are, you have to follow the special characteristic. And that I have already explained. That special characteristic is that every living entity is engaged in service for others, every living entity. Human being, birds, beasts, animal—every living entity is giving service to somebody else. That is dharma.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Montreal, August 2, 1968:

Then what is our duty? If this relationship is accepted, then what is the duty of the part and parcel? The duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole. Anyone can understand. This finger is part and parcel of my body, so as the body desires, the finger is working. I desire the finger may work here like this; immediately works.

So there is no difficulty to understand what is our duty. Our duty is to serve the supreme whole. But we have manufactured so many duties. This service is there. Everyone is engaged in some sort of service, but the program of service, they are different. Somebody is thinking that "I must render service to my nation." Another is thinking that "I must render service to my society." Another is thinking, "I must render service to my family." So either you take family-wise or bodily-wise or society-wise or community-wise or national-wise or humanity-wise, they are all imperfect unless it is extended up to the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa. Then it is perfect. Any service you do... Service you have to render, either to your personal body or to your family or to your society or to your community, or to the human nation, or to the whole humanity. Service everyone is... Or in the office. That is our characteristic. We render some service. Therefore the Bhāgavata says that "That is complete service." Our dharma means the characteristic duty. That duty is to render service.

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

It doesn't matter whether you are Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Buddha or Jaini or so on, so on. There are so many, hundreds. But the test is yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, whether you have developed your love for God. That is wanted. It doesn't matter.

Just like if you want to be a mathematician, so you may pass from any university, Calcutta University or Delhi University or London University—any university. Mathematics two plus two equal to four everywhere. It is not that in Calcutta University two plus two equal to five, and in London University two plus equal to three. No. Everywhere two plus two equal to five, four. Similarly, dharma means obedience to the laws of God. That is dharma. Either you become Christian or Hindu or Muslim, whether you accept God as the supreme authority and whether you abide by the laws of God, then you are dharmic. Otherwise, it is cheating. If there is no conception of God, if one does not know what is God and what is the order of God, then that type of religion is cheating religion and that kind of religion is completely thrown out from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura said, pṛthivīte āche yata..., pṛthivīte yahā kichu dharma nāme cale. Cale means it is passing on in the name of religion but it is not religion. Because religion without conception of God, what is the meaning of that religion? If that is religion, that is not parā dharma. That is aparā dharma. Aparā dharma. Just like sometimes we take deśa-dharma. Samāja-dharma, gṛha-dharma, and so many things.

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

"My dear Arjuna, whenever there is discrepancies in the matter of execution of real purpose of life..." That is called dharma. Dharma, this word, either you take it "religion" or "duty" or "nature," as you like, but, as explained before, dharma means your actual, constitutional position. It is nothing artificial. The example again I am repeating: just like fire is hot, warm. Fire has light. You cannot separate light from fire or heat from fire. Therefore heat and light is dharma. That is its real religion. So our dharma, living entity, that is defined very nicely by Lord Caitanya. Our dharma, or religion, is to obey the orders of the Supreme Lord, to become, to engage ourself in the loving, transcendental service of the Lord. Whenever this principle is crippled or checked by our material activities...

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. There is no such difference. Materially there is difference. I am Indian, I am person, and my place, India, is different. You are American. This is all designation of this body. So Kṛṣṇa says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7).

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

So in order to hide the secrecy... And later on I saw—this is our practical experience—that debauched husband become a faithful servant of my sister, simply by her toleration. This is practical experience I have seen. So the same thing, sometimes it is happen that a man, man has got a, I mean to say, spirit of controlling. So his wife tolerates, then the..., then there will be no misunderstanding; gradually the family life will be nice. But if in a moment's misunderstanding we prepare ourselves to be separated, that is not..., there is no love. There is no love. So here Lord Caitanya gives the same example that "Either You embrace Me, or kiss Me, or You trample down under Your feet, because You are a debauch, I know, still You are My beloved." This is pure love.

So that is stated here that love of Godhead, not for any purpose. Without any purpose. Ahaituky apratihatā... Apratihatā means without being hampered by any reason. "Oh, I cannot love Kṛṣṇa because I am very poor man." Or "I cannot love Kṛṣṇa because I have no education, I cannot study Vedānta." No. To love Kṛṣṇa, you don't require any material acquisition. No material acquisition will help. So if somebody says, "Oh, I have to bring fruit and flower at least, and incense to the temple, otherwise..." Yes. That is the sign of love. The sign of love is six, six. They are six in number. What is that? You give something to your lover, and you accept something from your lover. If you simply go on giving your lover, and if you don't..., your lover does not give you something, then there is no love. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. Everything is defined in the Vedic literature. Love means one should give and should accept also. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate. One should give the lover eatables and accept eatables from him or her. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca... You should not keep anything secret within your mind, and the lover should not keep anything secret within the mind. If these six kinds of exchanges are there, then there is love. And that love should be without any reason and without being stopped by any material cause.

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

Just like my father had so many opulences. So kindly do not induce me in that way. I am not a merchant that because I have rendered some service unto You, I expect some return. No. Sa vai vaṇik. It is not business with You. I am your eternal servant." Oh, just see. This is pure devotee. Ahaitukī. No reason. "It is my duty." That is occupational duty. "It is my eternal occupation to serve You." These are the highest ideas of pure devotion. Ahaituky apratihatā. Then "You are poor man. How you can serve Me?" No. "You are illiterate. You have no education. How can you serve Me? You cannot understand Vedānta philosophy. How you can know Me? How you can serve Me? You are poor man. You are poor man, you are woman, or you are śūdra." No. Apratihatā. Whatever you may be, either you are poor man or rich man or black man or white man or woman or man, it doesn't matter. Everyone has right to serve Kṛṣṇa. Apratihatā.

There is nothing in the material world which can check one's devotional service. It is so pure and exalted. Ahaituky apratihatā. And if you be situated in such kind of devotional service, yayātmā suprasīdati. Immediately you become happy. That is the standard of happiness. We are seeking, "I may be happy in this way, I may be happy in that way." No. You can simply become happy when you are a pure devotee of the Lord, without any reason. Pure devotion Ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati. Read the purport.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

Therefore śāstra says, deha-yogena dehinām. Our material comforts, standard of material comforts, are already settled up by the body which you have got. Therefore our business is: if you are not in the bodily concept of life, then our business is how to make spiritually advanced. Bodily comforts of life, we cannot improve. That is not possible. We can improve our spiritual advancement of life. That is given to us.

Therefore all the śāstras, all the Vedic literatures, all the great saintly persons, they come. They simply come to give you hint how you can make spiritual advancement of life. They do not come here to say how you can make very comfortable material life. They never say. Either you say Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa or Lord Buddha or Hazrat Muhammad or anyone, all of them have come to give you information for spiritual advancement of life, not for any material advancement of life. That is intelligence. Material advancement of life, you should be satisfied. Whatever God has given you, you be satisfied with that. Don't waste your time, that is not possible. Therefore your occupational duty should be... The highest occupational duty is suggested here, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. If you engage yourself in such occupational duties by which you can increase your devotional service for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:

This has been proved divertedly edited. Actually, devotional service rendered to the Supreme Lord not for my satisfaction, but rendering devotional service to the Lord, the self is automatically satisfied. If I make a motive that "I shall render service to the Lord so that I will be very much satisfied..." No. No. That, that becomes motivated. That "I will be satisfied," that is the first consideration. There should be no motive at all. I may be satisfied, not sati..., that is not my business. But still, I'll have to serve the Lord.

That is the teachings of Lord Caitanya. Āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā (CC Antya 20.47). "Either You embrace or You trample me down or" marma-hatāṁ karotu vā, "make me broken-hearted," adarśanāt... Every devotee aspires to see the Lord. That is natural. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "It doesn't matter. Whether I see Kṛṣṇa or not, it doesn't matter. He may not be present before me for millions of years and make me broken-hearted." If I aspire to see Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa does not come, naturally I become sorry, broken-hearted. But even one is broken-hearted, still, he should not stop devotional service. Not that "I have served Kṛṣṇa for so many days, or so many years, and Kṛṣṇa did not come. Oh, what is the use of it?" No, not like that. One should be confident that...

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

If God is not all-attractive... Not everyone is all-attractive, but God is all-attractive. Therefore, He is called Kṛṣṇa. God appeared as the son of Vasudeva or Nanda Mahārāja, therefore He is called Yaśodānanda, Nandananda, Vasudevanandana. His relationship. Kṛṣṇa enjoys the company of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, therefore He is called Rādhā-ramaṇa. Rādhā-Govinda. So God's name is there according to His pastimes, relationships. So Kṛṣṇa is the supreme name because it means all-attractive. Similarly, here it is name, God's name, Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja. Adha. Adha means defeated. Adha-kṛta. Subdued. What is that subdued? Akṣaja-jñānam. Akṣa. Akṣa means eyes, direct perception. We want... We say sometimes, "Can you show me God?" Akṣa. Or akṣaja means ah, the alphabet, and kṣa, beginning from ah up to kṣa. So all the letters are there. So we make words by combination of these letters. So akṣaja, so within our power, we make so many words by combining these alphabets, but God is beyond that. Akṣaja-jñānam. Either you are beyond the direct perception or beyond your word-making capacity. Therefore God's another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhaḥ-kṛta akṣaja jñānam jata. So adhokṣaja means beyond direct sense perception. That is also nice name of God. God is not understood by speculating our senses.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Calcutta, February 26, 1974:

Ātmā, ātmā means this body, ātmā means the mind also, and ātmā means the soul, and, above that, the Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). So yayā ātmā suprasīdati. Su means very much. Not only prasīdati but suprasīdati, very much. Everyone. The body becomes satisfied, the mind becomes satisfied, the soul becomes satisfied, and the Supreme Paramātmā, He also becomes satisfied. So that is called paro dharmaḥ. Paro dharmaḥ means... Paraḥ means superior, and dharmaḥ means occupational duty. Everyone has got occupational duty. It doesn't matter, either you are a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. Everyone has got occupational duty. That is human society. Human society means when the society is divided into these eight divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Varṇāśrama-dharma. That is Vedic civilization.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, April 18, 1974:

They could enjoy life in their county very nicely. But the name is so powerful. I started this movement simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Still we are going that. So this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is so powerful. You understand or do not understand; if you go on chanting regularly, one day you will come to the platform—you will clearly understand what is the meaning of God. This is Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So our request is therefore that if you want to be situated on the superior platform of understanding the meaning of religion, then this is the only way at the present moment, in this age. Because other processes are very difficult. They cannot... Either you follow Hindu religion or this religion, that religion, everywhere the process is so difficult that people cannot follow it nicely. Therefore the śāstra has given the injunction,

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
(CC Adi 17.21)

In this age any religion you follow, you cannot strictly follow the rules and regulation and process. But if you chant this mahā-mantra Hare Kṛṣṇa... Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam. It has been thrice stressed, and at the end it is said, "only, not any other." Why so much stress? Now, kalau, in this age Kali, the age of quarrel... Kali means with slight provocation we will fight one another. That is Kali. So kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the taste of the water." So you are drinking water, and as soon as you drink, if you think that "Here is the taste of water, here is Kṛṣṇa," is it very difficult? Not at all difficulty. Prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. If you forget while drinking... Nobody can forget. But even intentionally you forget. So how you can check not seeing the sunshine and the moonshine? How it is possible. They say that "Have you seen God?" But why... You have seen also God, because Kṛṣṇa says, prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ: "I am the sunshine." So who has not seen sunshine? So you have to begin seeing like that. Then if you remember Kṛṣṇa, that is also seeing. Seeing, spiritual seeing, does not mean simply to see by the eyes. Spiritual seeing means by chanting you can see, by describing you can see. Because Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. Absolute. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). In either of these items, either you hear of Kṛṣṇa, then you are seeing Kṛṣṇa. When you chant about Kṛṣṇa, then you are seeing Kṛṣṇa. When you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa, you are seeing Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. This is called bhakti-yoga.

Therefore it is said vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7). If you learn how to practice bhakti-yoga, and that is upon Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa... Vāsudeva... And bhakti-yoga therefore says, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Not śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam of the politician. That will not help you. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. If you hear about Kṛṣṇa, if you chant about Kṛṣṇa, if you think about Kṛṣṇa, if you offer worship to Kṛṣṇa, if you engage yourself with some service to Kṛṣṇa, if you offer everything for Kṛṣṇa, you'll see Kṛṣṇa always, twenty-four hours. This is the process. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7).

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:

Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). We have to understand that singular number. God is singular, nitya, eternal, cetana, living. He is also nitya and living entity, but the chief, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. And we are plural number, nityānām, cetanānām. So the... We are plural number, living entities. But He is singular number. Why? What is the difference between these two nityas and two cetanas? God is not dead stone. God is like you and me. He is a living entity, but the chief living entity, singular number. Just like we have got leader. There are many hundreds and thousands of followers, but there must be one leader. You follow any cult, you have to accept one leader. Either you follow this philosophy, that philosophy, it doesn't matter. But you have to follow a leader. But Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader, leader of the leaders.

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjayaḥ (BG 7.7). Leaders there are, gods are, there are. God means controller. There is controller always. So there are many gods. Anyone is god, because he is, somehow or other, he is a controller; a leader also. But we are meaning the supreme leader, the supreme controller. That is Kṛṣṇa. Leader you have to accept. But... Controller you have to accept. But nobody is supreme leader or supreme controller. That is Kṛṣṇa. Every leader is also controlled by some other leader. But Kṛṣṇa is such a leader that He is not controlled by any other leader. That is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat... (BG 7.7). "There is no one superiorly..."

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:

This is our position. Therefore there is dharma. In the civilized human society, there is dharma. Either you take it as characteristic or a faith, but a civilized nation has a kind of dharma, either Christian dharma or Hindu dharma or Muhammadan dharma. Anyone. Dharma means some relationship with God. That is dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam... (SB 6.3.19). That is another definition of dharma: "Dharma means to abide by the laws of God." So everyone is trying to abide by the laws. Mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ sarvaśaḥ pārtha. Sarvaśaḥ pārtha. That is also stated in the Bhagavad... Everyone is trying to approach. Here the ultimate injunction is that dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena kathāsu yaḥ (SB 1.2.8). Viṣvaksena is another name of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:

So by executing the process of dharma, if one does not come to the point of understanding Viṣvaksena, or Kṛṣṇa, then what is that? Now, notpādayed ratiṁ yadi. Rati means attachment. If one is not inclined to hear about Kṛṣṇa after executing his dharma, occupational duties, whatever he may be... Actually, occupational duty is meant, according to Vedic civilization: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Brāhmaṇa has got his occupational duty, kṣatriya has got his occupational duty, vaiśya has got his occupational duty, and śūdra also, occupational duty. So when it is described, dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ, sva means "own." So one must be either a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya or a vaiśya or a śūdra. Or nowadays one may be a medical man, engineer, or a businessman, or this or that. Everyone has got some occupation. Either you take this way or that way. But it is very systematic.

When we think in terms of Vedic civilization—the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—this is very scientific. Because a class of men, very intelligent, very pure, ideal class of men, brāhmaṇa, must be there. That is Vedic civilization. People will see and learn. Because ultimately, human life is meant for elevating to the standard of spiritual consciousness. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So unless in the society there is an ideal class of men, brāhmaṇa, how people will learn it? That is necessary. You cannot say, "Let us all become technologists, śūdras, that you can get money for purchasing wine and meat." But the ideal life is lost. Ideal life is lost. There must be... Just like if you want to keep your body fit for everything, there must be brain. If you say that "There is no need of brain. We simply want legs," so how what is this body? A dead body. There must be the head, there must be the hands, there must be the belly, and there must be the legs. So brāhmaṇa is the head of the society, brain of the society. And the kṣatriyas are the arms of the body. And the vaiśyas, the belly of the body. The stomach and the belly must be kept in order. If you do not eat, if you do not digest your food, the brain will not also work, hand will not also work.

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

And when we are baffled in sense gratification, then we want mokṣa. When one cannot get sufficiently by trying dharma, artha, kāma, economic development and sense gratification, still we are dissatisfied, then sometimes we give up this world: brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, "This world is mithyā, false." That is not actually giving up the, renouncement, giving..., or renunciation. Renunciation means you should give up your process of sense gratification and apply yourself very seriously in the service of the Lord. That is called renunciation.

That is explained in the Eighteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. Karma-phalaṁ tyāgaṁ sannyāsam. Sannyāsa means karma-phalaṁ tyāgam. Everyone is working in this material world to get some result. The result must be there. Either you work piously or impiously, there must be result. So those who are not devotees, they will enjoy the result. So they're entangled. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). "If you do not work for Yajña, Viṣṇu, then whatever you are doing, you are being bound up by the reaction of such work." Suppose you have done pious work. Now you are elevated to the higher planetary system or you become rich man's sons. Because by pious activities we get four things: janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). Janma, to get birth in nice family, rich family, aiśvarya, janma aiśvarya. Nice family means opulent, rich, riches, aiśvarya. Janma aiśvarya śruta, and learning, education also. This is also... Not that everyone is becoming very learned. But one who was pious in his past life or in this life, they can be benefited, nice education also. And śrī, and beauty. These are the results of pious activities. And just the opposite is due to impious activities: no riches, no beauty, no knowledge, no good family.

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

So pious and impious activities, this is going on. Generally, people understand dharma by these. But here Bhāgavata says, "No. Dharma, religious principles, should be executed to nullify..." Hy āpavargyasya. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na arthāya upakalpate. "Not for material benefit." Material benefit... Either you become poor or rich, you have to undergo the tribulations of this material existence. Because you are rich man, you cannot avoid death. Because you are rich man, you cannot avoid hard working. Because you are rich man, you cannot avoid fearfulness. So the same thing is for the poor man. He's also working hard. It may be that he's not getting more money; you are getting more money. But getting more money, you have to work like ass and dog. So you cannot get out of these principles, either you become rich or poor. Generally, they understand that "By becoming religious, I shall be rich." That is fact; you can become. But what is the benefit? Suppose you are rich. Do you think that you will not die? Do you think that you will not be attacked by any disease? Do you think that you will not become old? So what is the benefit? But real religion means to nullify these principles. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya nārtho 'rthāyopakalpate. Not that becoming religious I become richer, I become, I get so many material benefits. No. That is not. But you can say that "We require some money for existence." Yes, that's a fact, that's a fact.

Therefore, our principle is yāvad artham. You can earn honestly as far, as much as you require for maintaining your body and soul together. Don't earn..., don't work hard simply money, money, money, money, sweeter than honey. That is not life. That is cats and dogs life. They're simply working hard, just like ass, mūḍha. Mūḍha means ass. This mūḍha, this word is applicable to the worker, to the karmīs, because they are working very hard. But actually, what he's enjoying? When he lies down, he requires that six feet bedstead. That's all. Although he has got land, what you were saying?

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

"Anyone who has taken birth in India as a human being, he must first of all know the success of life and preach the cult to others, para-upakāra." This is the duty of every Indian, that you should learn Bhagavad-gītā perfectly well and preach it. That is your duty, all Indians. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra janma sārthaka kari' kara (CC Adi 9.41). They do not know it. They know that Christ is son of God. They have heard it. Now convince them that "Yes, there is no fighting between Christian or Kṛṣṇa-ite. One is worshiping the father; one is worshiping the son. So there is no difference." But īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Kṛṣṇa... He says that,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ
tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
(BG 14.4)

He is the father. That's all right. He identifies Himself as being the father, and Christ identifying himself as the son, then where is the difference? There is no difference. Either you learn from the son or from the father, the teaching will be the same. Only a minority is Christian only.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:

Beginning from Brahmā, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16), they are rotating in this way. So dharma means to abide by the laws of God. Just like good citizen means to abide by the state laws. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19).

So here it is said, dharmasya hy āpavargyasya (SB 1.2.9). Apavarga and pavarga. This material life is pavarga. Pa-varga means... Those who are acquainted with grammar... There are vargas, ka-varga, kha-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga. Similarly pa-varga. Pa-varga means pa, pha, ba, bha, ma, five. So pa represents pariśrama, labor, hard labor. This material world, you have to work. Either you are human being or a hog or dog or cat, it doesn't matter. You have to work. And very severe work so that foam will come within your mouth. Pha. Then pa, pha, ba. Ba means vyarthatā, baffledness. And bha means bhaya, always fearful, "What will happen next? What will happen next?" And in this way, ma-mṛtyu, maraṇa. This is called material life. There is no more gain, simply pa pha ba bha ma. That's all. This is material life. And apavarga means just the opposite, to nullify this pavarga business.

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

"Yes, I shall fight You." And He'll kill you. This is (indistinct); this is devotee.

So these are tattva-jñānī, tattva-jñāna, kṛṣṇa jñāna. These are truths. People should devote to understand this tattva-jñāna. But those who are not very advanced, they conclude the Absolute Truth is nirākāra, impersonal Brahman. Or a little advanced than them, the yogis, they see Paramātmā within heart. They, they are also the same truth, advaya-jñāna. But if you want real bliss, if you want to talk with this Absolute Truth face to face, and treat with Him as friend, as son, as lover, that is Bhagavān. Not impersonal Brahman, neither Paramātmā. That will not get. Therefore it is said here, "The Absolute Truth is one." Either you call Him nirākāra Brahman or call you Him localized Paramātmā, He's in my heart, everyone's heart, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). But if you want to take advantage, full association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). Vadanti tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam. This is very important verse. So tattva-darśīs are that, nondual; there is no difference. The same example, that there is the sun planet; there is sun-god, whose bodily effulgence is the sunshine; and the sun globe, localized; and the sunshine. All these three taken together is one light, but the sun-god is different from the sunshine; the sun globe is different from the sun-god. Similarly, this brahma-jyotir is nothing but Kṛṣṇa's personal effulgence. Yasya prabhā. Yasya prabhā (Bs. 5.40), you can, you can say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that He is providing brahma-jyotir." Well, why not? If some creation of Kṛṣṇa, the sunlight and moonlight, is so powerful that it expands all over the universe, so how much powerful is Kṛṣṇa? Brahmano 'ham pratiṣṭha. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the source of this brahma-jyotir." Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11).

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

There is no comparison of their devotion. Because they loved Kṛṣṇa with heart and soul. That is the qualification. That is the qualification. They loved so much Kṛṣṇa that they didn't care for family, for reputation. When they were going at dead of night... Kṛṣṇa's flute was there, and they were all fleeing. Their father, their brother, their husband: "Where you are going? Where you are going in this dead of night?" They didn't care. They neglected their children, their family, everything: "We must go to Kṛṣṇa." So this is required. We must be very, very eager so that... And many gopīs who were forcibly stopped, going to Kṛṣṇa, they lost their life. Just see how much eager they are. So this eagerness is wanted. Then you can see God. Either you become lusty or a thief or a murderer or whatever it may be. Some way or other, if you develop this eagerness, that "I must see Kṛṣṇa," then Kṛṣṇa will be seen.

So here is... The first thing is how much eager you are to see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will respond. If you are actually eager to see Kṛṣṇa... It, the reason may be different, either you are lusty or to steal His ornament. Some way or other, you become attracted to Kṛṣṇa, then your business is successful. Rūpa Gosvāmī has advised that... He says in a poetry. It is on the matter of the gopīs talking. One gopī is advising another gopī that "My dear friend..."

Lecture on SB 1.2.14 -- Los Angeles, August 17, 1972:

Bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya. In India, according to Vedic system, the body is burned after death. They are not so foolish to stock and occupy millions of square yards. No. "Body is finished; just burn it," finish. Why stock it in a tomb and occupy so much space? Practical, you see. So bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya. Bhasmī-bhūtasya means the body being burned, it becomes ashes. So, actually the ultimate form or format of this body are three: either you become stool, or you become ash, or you become earth. Those who are burying underground, after few years the body will become earth. And those who are throwing on the street or on the water, so that body will become stool. Because if you throw on land, some jackals and some animals, some vultures, they will come and eat, and by, after eating, it will be stool. So either ashes or stool or earth. This is the last stage of this body. And we are taking of this stool, ash and earth so much without caring for the real vital force which moving the body. We are very much careful for ash, stool, and earth, not careful of the living force which is moving this body, beautiful body. This body is beautiful, very attractive, very important, so long that spiritual spark is there. Otherwise it is stool, ash and earth. They do not know this.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14-16 -- San Francisco, March 24, 1967:

Now why... One may say, "If I get next life in a very rich family and becomes very rich man and becomes very learned man, very beautiful man, why shall I not take this opportunity?" But intelligent man says that "Even if I get such opportunities, the material miseries are there." It is not that because a child is born of a very rich family, he hasn't got to go into the womb of his mother and suffer the consequence. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). The distress of birth, death, disease and old age equally there, either you become born in a very high family or either you born in a very low family, either you're born in India or you are born in America. This suffering, the four kinds of sufferings are everywhere. Not only India and America, they are in this planet, but even if you go to the moon planet or if you go to the sun planet. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. Even the highest planet. The modern scientist says that if we want to go to the highest planet it will take forty thousands of years. No. Four hundred thousands of years. Something like that they say. By sputnik.

So anywhere you go... Lord Kṛṣṇa says ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). That repetition of birth and death, that will continue. Therefore intelligent person, those who are intelligent, they will take it up: "Oh, why shall I continue this birth and death process? Why not have my eternal life?" If I am, by constitution, if I am eternal, if I am constitutionally blissful and if I am eternally full of knowledge, now I am covered by this material nature, why not take up this process so that this karma-bandhana, this continuous birth and death of transmigration of myself from one place to another, that should be stopped? The Bhāgavata says therefore that yad-anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ karma-granthi-nibandhanam. If one can surpass this chain of birth and death, why an intelligent man should not take up this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

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

Not that completely one becomes perfect. Even prāyeṣu, almost perfect, still, almost, not that completely, abhadreṣu, he has, he's trying to give up all bad habits, unwanted things. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu. How it is possible? Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Not saptāhaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, officially. This is karma-kāṇḍīya. "I sit down for one saptāha in a year, and then 357 days I do all nonsense." No. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. One has to serve bhāgavata.

Bhāgavata means this, one who is related with Bhagavān. Bhāgavata. From bhagavat-śabda, from the word bhāgavata, bhāgavata. So bhāgavata means the grantha-bhāgavata, the book Bhāgavata, and the devotee bhāgavata. So either you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be relished, understood through person bhāgavatam. It is recommendation. Svarūpa Dāmodara, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, personal secretary, he chastised one brāhmaṇa. He wrote something wrong, and after all, he gave him advice that "If you want to study Bhāgavata, then bhāgavata paro giya bhāgavata sthāne(?), try to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from a devotee, not from a professional man who is earning his livelihood by reading Bhāgavata." He must be practical bhāgavata. Then you will gain. Sanātana Gosvāmī has also said that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam. Hari-kathā, amṛta, nectar, but still, although it is amṛta, it is not to be received from the mouth of a nondevotee. One must be practical devotee, pure devotee. When he speaks, you should receive Bhāgavata, the message of Bhāgavata, Bhagavad-gītā from him. Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam. Do not hear. Reject. Professional readers. Reject immediately. Those who are earning their livelihood by the Bhāgavata reading profession, you should immediately reject. This is the injunction. Not that "Oh, here is Bhāgavata. Here is Bhāgavata. I must sit down." No. Sanātana Gosvāmī says no. Śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam.

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

By training, it is possible. Just like, by training, even cats and dogs and tigers, they are also become obedient. That is our practical experience. The tiger in the circus, they play obediently to the orders of the master. So by training, it can be possible. But there are two kinds of training process. One process is scheduled: tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca (SB 6.1.13). Undergoing tapasya, austerity, brahmacaryeṇa... Brahmacaryeṇa means controlling sex indulgence or sex impulse. Brahmacarya means practically no sex life. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena, damena (SB 6.1.13), by controlling the senses, by controlling the mind. Tyāgena, by giving up in charity. So there are gradual process, but there is another process. Another process means this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Either you practice in this way... Just like if you want to go up, there are two vehicles or process. You go step by step, one step after another. Suppose you have to go one hundred steps. So you have to go step by step. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena (SB 6.1.13), practicing. The another process is... (someone making tapping sound) (aside:) Why you are making this sound? Stop it. Another process is the lift. You go by step by step or take the process of lift. Within a second, you come up.

So the bhakti-yoga process is like that. Bhakti-yoga process means if you take to this process, then immediately, very quickly, within a second, you come to the top floor. Otherwise, you have to go by step by step, one step, two step. Although both the process leading to the target, to the topmost floor, the one is very slow and the other is very quick, immediate. Just like another example: if there is fog. You have got experience in your country, sometimes there is fog. You cannot see even a person one yard off from you. So there are so many processes to take precaution in the fog. But somehow or other, if the sun is little strong, immediately, the fog is over. So similarly, to purify ourself... This is the purification process, austerity, penance, controlling sex life, controlling the mind, controlling the senses, giving in charity whatever you possess, everything regulated. This is one process. And the other process is this bhakti-yoga.

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Vrndavana, October 30, 1972:

He takes charge. If we... So there are two processes. Either you can go through the prescribed method, as they are described in the Vedic injunctions... Tapasā, brahmacaryeṇa, tyāgena, śamena, damena (SB 6.1.13). These are the processes. One must undergo austerity, penance, tapasā; brahmacarya, one must be brahmacārī, not unnecessarily using sex life. So tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena vā, tyāgena (SB 6.1.13). Tyāga, renunciation, is required. So this is one process. Another process that if you fully surrender unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa sincerely, then all things are done automatically, immediately. Only by kṛṣṇa-bhakti, one becomes purified, immediately. So that kṛṣṇa-bhakti begins, as we have studied, the previous verses, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (SB 1.2.17). We have to hear patiently, by aural reception. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also accepted this process. This is the process, Vedic process—to hear about Kṛṣṇa.

So naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Nityam. This point we have discussed. The Bhāgavata has to be studied from a person bhāgavata. Bhāgavata-sevayā. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). One has to learn Bhāgavatam from a person you can surrender. Praṇipātena. Paripraśnena sevayā. Two things. There must be service and surrender. And between the two things, surrender and service, there is paripraśna. You cannot ask about spiritual knowledge from a person by challenging. No. That will not help you. Just like Kṛṣṇa (Arjuna). When he was talking with Kṛṣṇa like friend, the problem was not solved. Then Arjuna surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7).

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972:

Anyone who has taken seriously devotional service... Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu vairāgyam (SB 1.2.7). Liberation means knowledge and detachment. Knowledge, full knowledge means that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, and my bodily activities are not congenial for my ultimate goal of life. I must engage myself in spiritual activity." This is called jñāna and vairāgya. When one knows that he is not body, then why should he work hard day and night for maintaining this body? That is knowledge. And karmīs, they are trying to maintain this body. Sometimes karmīs also take to bhakti-yoga. Not bhakti-yoga, so-called bhakti. But their aim is how to maintain this body nicely. That is also accepted. Akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ (SB 2.3.10). Because if you take to bhakti-yoga even for maintaining this body nicely, that is also very nice, because gradually, due to the influence of bhakti-yoga, you will come to the platform of mukta, mukta-saṅga. Bhakti-yoga is so strong.

Therefore śāstra recommends that either you are karmī, either you are jñānī, either you are yogi, you take to devotional service. Your all desires will be fulfilled. That is the injunction.

Lecture on SB 1.2.26 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:

He was appealing to the human being that "You study the contribution of the great sages and make your life successful and go outside, preach this mission." That is going on, under the name of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not a sentimental movement. It is scientific movement. Mumukṣavo ghora-rūpān. We are therefore restricting not to worship any other. Therefore when I started this mission many friends advised me "Why don't you make it 'God consciousness'?" This is bogus, God consciousness. "Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Otherwise, they'll put so many gods. "Here is another god, here is another god, here is another god, here is another god, here is another incarnation, here is another avatāra," all nonsense. Place actual who is God. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Nārāyaṇa-kalāḥ śāntāḥ. So try to understand our mission. Here it is said. We have to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa also says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śa.. (BG 18.66). "Unto Me only. Then you'll be saved." Otherwise you'll go to hell.

So this mumukṣavo ghora-rūpān, we don't advise that you..., either you worship Kālī, or either you worship Śiva, either you worship... Oh, it is all the same. yata mata tata patha. We don't speak all this nonsense. We simply say, "Come to Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be saved."

Lecture on SB 1.2.28-29 -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:

Just like the state can give you laws. There is legislative assembly of the state. They can enact laws. You cannot do at home. You cannot do. That will not be accepted as law. Similarly, our Vedic principle is: "Religion means the codes and the rules and regulations given by God." That is religion. Kṛṣṇa says, God says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is religion. Vāsudeva-paro dharmaḥ. Vāsudeva-paro dharmaḥ. Dharma, here it is said that it should be given by Vāsudeva, or it must be approved by Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeva means son of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. So oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.

So either you perform dharma, either you perform yajña, either you study Vedas, either you work, whatever you do, it must be targeted—the ultimate goal should be Vāsudeva. Then it is perfect. In many places it is explained. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). You may accept any kind of dharma. It doesn't matter. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. But the perfection, how you are becoming perfect in executing your dharma, will be tested how far you have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Everything is very nicely explained in every śloka, in every chapter of the Vedic literature, especially in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ, "Therefore, after saying so many things," dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ... Naimiṣāraṇya, Naimiṣāraṇya... So still Naimiṣāraṇya is there. Naimiṣāraṇya.

Lecture on SB 1.2.31 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

They cannot understand that without spiritual touch, there cannot be any creation. That is their poor fund of knowledge. The Darwin's theory, development, process of evolution, they are childish. They are concentrating on the matter: matter is evolving. Matter does not evolve; matter is dead. It is due to the presence of the spirit soul it evolves. That they do not understand, although actually we are seeing. Just like a child born. If the child is born dead, it is simply dead matter. It does not grow. It is our practical experience. But if the child is living, or the spirit soul is within that body, then it develops. Similarly, the whole cosmic manifestation, this big universe, unless there is, in the center, the Supreme Spirit, how it develops? It cannot develop. Either you take this body or take this universal body—without the spirit being entered within it, there cannot be development. The modern scientists, they have no knowledge. They cannot understand this. They are so poor fund of knowledge. Practically we are seeing every day. This body has developed, your body, my body, how it has developed? Because I, the spirit soul, you, the spirit soul, enter into the matter. Therefore, it has developed. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1).

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

This Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is in everyone's heart. He is also sitting with me in the heart. I, as spirit soul, I am sitting there, and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu as Paramātmā, as guiding Supersoul, He is also sitting in the same position. One is... It is stated in the Upaniṣad that two birds are sitting in one tree. One bird is eating the fruit and the other bird is simply witnessing. So Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu as Paramātmā, He is witnessing the activities of the individual soul. And according to the activities of the individual soul, He is getting the necessary result. He is witness. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is confirmed, anumantā and upadraṣṭā. Upadraṣṭā means witness. Suppose you are doing something. I have nothing to do with your activities, but I can see..., I am seeing what you are doing. So He is upadraṣṭā. And anumantā. Anumantā means the individual soul cannot do anything without the sanction of the Supersoul. Either you may do something good or bad, but it has to be taken sanction from the Supersoul.

Lecture on SB 1.3.8 -- Los Angeles, September 14, 1972:

Vedic knowledge is therefore not seen; it is heard. Therefore it is called śruti. Just like actually we do not understand what is the position of different planets by seeing. But when you hear from authorities, from astrologists, from astronomers, then you can understand, "The sun is so great, bigger." That means hearing is perfect knowledge, not seeing. Therefore Vedic knowledge is received through the ear. To hear from the authorized persons, that is knowledge.

So Nārada Muni created this, thinking of the poor people of this age without perfect knowledge. Why this education is required? Because naiṣkarmyam, without producing fruitive result. What is that work? Any work you do, there must be some result. Either you do good work or bad work, it..., there is work, there must be some result. That is our experience. We cannot do anything which has no result. But if that result is offered to God, Kṛṣṇa, then it is without result. So that work is not stopped. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna's work was not stopped. He was a fighter; rather, he wanted to stop his work. He said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, what is the use of fighting? They are all my kinsmen; let them enjoy. I don't want this kingdom." He wanted to become a gentleman without working. No, that without working is work because he was considering in his own terms. But when he fought on the advice of Kṛṣṇa, that is naiṣkarmya—without result. Because fighting, suppose Arjuna has killed so many persons, so he is supposed to be under so much tribulation because he has killed so many persons. But because that was done for Kṛṣṇa, that is naiṣkarmya—no result; means work which does not produce any reaction. Other work just like in this life those who are working for sense gratification, they are creating another body.

Lecture on SB 1.3.9 -- Los Angeles, September 15, 1972:

So we should take guidance from a perfect source of knowledge, and utilize it for making our life perfect. That is wanted; not that because "I want sense gratification, so let me have complete freedom for sense gratification. That is the idea now, life." No, that is not ideal. As I have several times explained to you that law is meant for human beings. What is law? Law means restrictions. You cannot have sense gratification unrestricted; that is law. Otherwise, what is the meaning of law? Just like when we are driving car, the law is red light, we have to stop. That is law. Because if you unrestrictedly drive your car, there will be accident. Either you will die or somebody will die.

Therefore law is required. How can you say that "Unrestrictedly I will enjoy my senses"? That is chaotic condition of life. The so-called civilization, so-called unrestricted sense gratification allowed in the name of freedom, that is disastrous. One must learn how to control. Controlling the senses, this is civilization. To become cats and dogs, that is not civilization. Dog civilization, cat civilization, hog civilization, camel civilization, this is going on.

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart. It is not that because I am a sannyāsī, Kṛṣṇa is sitting within my heart. No. Kṛṣṇa is sitting in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). And He is sentient. He is perfect in knowledge. So this very act, that one is trying to understand Kṛṣṇa, that makes Kṛṣṇa very pleased. Because he has kindly come here, so Kṛṣṇa is within you, and because you are giving your patient hearing, He is already pleased. He is already pleased with you. And the effect will be that śṛṇvatām sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi. Abhadra means the nasty things which we have accumulated within our heart since time immemorial. The beginning is that "I am this body," this conception. This is animal conception, "I am this body." So due to this misconception of our life, we have accumulated many dirty and dusty things within our heart. So if we hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā, even if we do not understand it, the action will be there. The action will be there. Just like if you touch fire, either you understand it or not understand it, that fire is fire. It will burn your finger. Just like if a child, he does not understand what is fire, but if he touches fire, his fingers or hand will be burned immediately. There is no mercy: "Oh, here is an innocent child. He does not know." No. the law of nature will act. Similarly, kṛṣṇa-kathā, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtana, it is so pious and it is so spiritual that anyone who will hear it, either by understanding or without understanding, the action will be there like fire. So varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ (SB 2.1.1).

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-8 -- New Vrindaban, May 23, 1969:

Brahmā is not born of ordinary father and mother. Brahmā is born of the Supreme Lord, Supreme ātmā, Nārāyaṇa, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Therefore he is called Svayambhū. Brahmā's another name is Svayambhū. Sa vai bhavān veda samasta-guhyam upāsito yat puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ. Now here Nārada's qualification is that "Because you are a great devotee of the original Personality of Godhead, puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ." Śāśvataṁ puruṣam ādyam. Just like Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa, śāśvataṁ puruṣam ādyam. Just like we are singing now, govindam ādi-puruṣam. So purāṇa-puruṣam. Purāṇa-puruṣam, the oldest puruṣa, oldest being. The oldest being is Kṛṣṇa. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣam (Bs. 5.33). These references are all the same, either you take Vedānta-sūtra or you, say, take Brahma-sūtra or you take Brahma-saṁhitā or Bhāgavatam. There is no contradiction, because the same truth is explained in different Vedic literature.

So (Sanskrit commentary:) kiṁ ca yat sanātanaṁ nityaṁ paraṁ brahma ca tac ca tvayā jijñāsitaṁ vicaritam adhītam adhigataṁ prāptam cety arthaḥ. Ātma-bhavaḥ, avyaktam asphutam, he nārada. Tva tvaṁ pṛcchāmi. Ātma-bhavaḥ avyaktaṁ brahma tasya ātmano dehodbhutams tam.(?) "So because you are directly from Brahmā, therefore I am asking you, what is this?" Sa vai bhavān veda samasta-guhyam upāsito yat puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ. Puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ. Puruṣa, the puruṣa... God is puruṣa. God is never female. This is another rascaldom. There are many rascals who think that God is female. "Kālī, Goddess Kālī is God." Goddess Kālī, how can be God? She is śakti. Śakti. Every Vedic scripture it is said that parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Everything is energy. So how God can be... That is the impersonalist. He can think of God, imagine, imagine. It is imagination. The Māyāvādī theory is that God..., there is no God. The impersonal, there is voidness. You can imagine any form. That's all. Sādhakānāṁ hitārthāya brahmaṇo rūpaḥ kalpanaḥ.(?) Kalpanaḥ means imagination.

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-8 -- New Vrindaban, May 23, 1969:

"So you are a devotee of such Personality of Godhead. You are recognized devotee. Therefore I request you to find out what is the defect in me that after inquiring, after doing so many books and literatures, I am not happy. So you..." The same thing, as Arjuna surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, that "The disturbance which I am feeling in this battlefield, that can be solved by You only. Therefore I am surrendering unto You as my spiritual master. No more friendly talks. And You just teach me." So this is the, I mean to say, eternal process. Even Vyāsadeva is surrendering to Nārada. Such a great scholar. Even Arjuna is surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. So why? Either you have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative. Then there is solution. Otherwise there is no solution.

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
(SB 11.3.21)

One who has taken shelter of the Supreme Lord, upaśama, finishing all, I mean to say, material desires... Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). "Vāsudeva is everything." Sa mahātmā. So we have to search out a mahātmā, a person who is simply a surrendered soul to Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, and we have to surrender unto him.

Lecture on SB 1.5.4 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1968:

The Bhāgavata says, "Not that kind of inquisitiveness. Not for any material inquiry." There is no need of asking about any material things which are hackneyed. Jijñāsuḥ śreya. "What is my ultimate goal of life?" That inquiry. Now, everyone knows that "My ultimate goal of life is to accumulate a big bank balance." Generally, we think like that. Or somebody thinks that "If I possess a big skyscraper house and several motorcars, that is ultimate goal of my life." But Bhāgavata says, "Not that kind of inquiries. You do not require to enquire about how to achieve a skyscraper house or several motorcars or very good apartment." Just materialists, as they want. That you may enquire or not enquire. What is destined to you, it will come. It will come. The Bhāgavata says that "Either you enquire..." You go to astrologer, "What is in my fate? Whether I am getting such and such things or not?" You enquire or not enquire, if you are destined to achieve that thing, it will come automatically. Everyone is bound up by the reaction of his past work.

Lecture on SB 1.5.8-9 -- New Vrindaban, May 24, 1969:

Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he says, (chuckling) "Oh, you are trying to go to other higher planets by your karma, by his work? Oh, this is just like horse egg. Huh? Why should you bother yourself?" Horse egg means it has no substance. As, like there is no existence of horse egg, similarly, even if you attain that higher planetary system, what do you gain by that? You don't gain anything, because the four principles of material existence will continue there also. Birth, death, old age, and disease, you cannot stop. You may live for a greater period—that is possible in higher planets. But if you are simply satisfied only by living a bigger span of life, is that very success? Just stop death. That is success. To become very strong in body, that is not success. But either you become strong and weak, you have to die. There is no, I mean to say, excuse, because you are a strong man you will not die. Or because you are rich man you will not die. Because you are... No. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says, it is just like ākāśa-puṣpa, phantasmagoria.

Lecture on SB 1.5.9-11 -- New Vrindaban, June 6, 1969:

We are enjoying this nice body, human body or American body or very beautiful body. But next moment I do not know what body I am going to get. But those who are in the knowledge how transmigration takes place, they can say what kind of body you are going to take next by your activities. We are preparing our body in our present life. Just like we have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our attempt is to prepare for having a spiritual body. That is the whole attempt. And those who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in material consciousness, they'll have also a body, but this material body means full of miseries. Any body you take, either you take the body of king or you take the body of a dog, the body is miserable. It does not mean that when there is disease, only the dog's body suffers, not the king's body. Everyone has to suffer.

So, ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet means..., real meaning is you should give protection to the ātmā, means trying to save this soul, your soul, or yourself, from this transmigration of the body. And the plain truth, very simply truth, is given in Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding what is Kṛṣṇa... That is also not very difficult to understand if you follow the scriptural injunctions. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). He is not ordinary man. His body is sac-cid-ānanda, full of bliss, eternal, and full of knowledge. So is it very difficult to understand? He has given proof that Kṛṣṇa is always enjoying bliss. And Kṛṣṇa's instruction, knowledge, there is no comparison. Bhagavad-gītā and so many other instructions. And He is eternal. Just like the sun-sun is eternal, day and night. It is our adjustment of this planet. So Kṛṣṇa is there. Just like the sun is there always in the sky, but we think, "This is night, this is day." That is adjustment of this planet. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is always there. When He is visible we say that Kṛṣṇa is living, and when He's not visible we say, "Kṛṣṇa is dead."

Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:

So if we become successful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we achieve the greatest success of life, but even if we fall down, oh, there is no loss. Because we are going to get birth in śucīnām, in nice brāhmaṇa family, or rich mercantile family where it is supposed...

Nowadays, at the present moment, there is no brāhmaṇa, no kṣatriya, no vaiśyas. Everyone is a śūdra. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. The situation is different. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has made the thing very easy. Either you become brāhmaṇa or śūdra or kṣatriya or less than śūdra, caṇḍāla, or, or anything, it doesn't matter. Take to this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, and if you stick to this and if you follow the regulative principles, your success is sure. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's gift. And that is confirmed here by Nārada Muni, that "There is no loss even one falls down from Kṛṣṇa consciousness platform." That does not mean we shall fall down. We must be very steady and rigid and with vow, dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Kṛṣṇa says that te dvandva-moha-nirmuktāḥ. How we can become fixed up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam: "Anyone who is completely free from all sinful reaction..." Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. And who can be completely free from all sinful reaction? They are always engaged in pious activities. Such persons... Because if you engage yourself in pious activities, there is no chance of your being engaged in sinful activities.

Lecture on SB 1.5.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1969:

Therefore, generally, Vedic, those who are following the Vedic principles, they become active in the ritualistic ceremony. The idea is they'll be promoted to higher planets and will be able to enjoy better sense gratification. Suppose a man is very rich and he has got ten thousands of years' living condition. Then he thinks, "Oh, how happy I am. For ten thousands of years I shall be able to gratify my senses." So the karmīs are like that. They want actually sense gratification, but they want higher standard of sense gratification. Yes. That is their... We are... Economic development, in this planet. What is this economic development? That means if we get go more money, then we shall be able to gratify our senses more perfectly and more satisfactorily. That is the idea. Actually, either you become karmī or vikarmī, they are all on the platform of sense gratification.

So one is going down, and one is going up. So Nārada Muni says that tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ: (SB 1.5.18) "You should try... One should try to achieve that thing which cannot be gained even by going up or by going down." "Up" means upper planetary system. And "down" means lower planetary system. And Bhagavad-gītā also confirms this: ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ. There are three modes of material nature. "Those who are situated on the modes of goodness, they are promoted to the higher planetary systems." And ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ (BG 14.18). There are seven... According to Vedic information, there are fourteen different spheres of planetary system, seven down and seven up. So we are in the middle. This is called Bhūrloka. Above this, there is Bhuvarloka. Above that, there is Svargaloka, heavenly. The moon planet and similar other planets in the orbit, they are called Svargaloka. Bhūrloka, Bhuvarloka, Svargaloka. Then Janaloka. In Janaloka... Great saintly persons, after death, they go to Janaloka or Maharloka. Then there is Satyaloka, or Brahmaloka. In this way there are seven planetary spheres. Similarly, down also: Tala, Atala, Vitala, Talātala, Rasātala, Pātāla. They are also named, down, down, down, down. The lowest down planetary system is called Pātāla.

Lecture on SB 1.5.22 -- Vrndavana, August 3, 1974:

We are seeing this table. It is wood. But if we know... It is a fact. You know or not know, that doesn't matter. The original cause is Kṛṣṇa. The microphone, the original cause is Kṛṣṇa. These karatālas, the original cause is Kṛṣṇa. This pitcher, original cause is Kṛṣṇa. Everything. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And it is fact. Not that we are imagining. Just like... Take, for example, these material things. Material things, this table. It is... How it is caused by Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). Bhūmi, this earth... Bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā: "That is My energy." So, so bhūmi, the earth, is the cause of the tree, wood, and the wood is the cause of this table. Therefore, originally, Kṛṣṇa is the cause of the table. There is no doubt about it. Anything you take. Either you take this wood or you take this water or this ether or chemical, the original cause is Kṛṣṇa.

Now, to be ascertained, education, that why it is called Kṛṣṇa is the origin. That is research work. How it has been...? Just like I give you the hint of research work that, Kṛṣṇa says that "The earth is my energy, separated energy." And earth is the cause of the wood. And wood is the cause of the fire. Fire is the cause of melting... So many, so many. You can go. So idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ...kavibhir nirūpitaḥ. Describe the attributes of Kṛṣṇa. You can write. Just like you can write volumes of books on this table. If you are intelligent enough, you can make research work on the table. But in that research work, conclude that Kṛṣṇa is the origin. A carpenter can, he can write about Kṛṣṇa, if he's thoughtful. Anyone. Therefore it is said, yad-uttamaśloka-guṇānuvarṇanam. Whatever your profession is there, you know that the original cause is Kṛṣṇa. Now make research work and find out how Kṛṣṇa is the original cause. That is education. That is wanted. Am I right?

Lecture on SB 1.5.22 -- Vrndavana, August 3, 1974:

So this verse is very important thing. And everyone should make research work. But a devotee, one who has concluded, one who has perfectly known that Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything, he hasn't got to do anything. His business is finished. He doesn't require any more to go, undergo severe austerities to find out whether Kṛṣṇa is cause or not cause. Because he has already known. He has already known. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra). No more tapasya. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But if you have got doubt, make research work. You'll have to come to the conclusion. But if you have concluded it, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything," then your business is finished. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But if you have got doubt, then do it. That is your business. Don't be blind. Either you accept here the words of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the original cause of everything." That's all right. If you believe that "Kṛṣṇa says," it is all right. If you do not believe, then make the research and find out. That is perfection. In both ways you'll have to come to the...

Because the fact is fact. Either... Suppose somebody says, "Don't touch fire. It will burn your hand." If you accept it, your father's advice or your teacher's advice, "Don't touch fire," it is as good. And if you want to make research, "No, why shall I believe my father, my teacher. Let me experiment, touch," the result will be the same. Result will be the same. But if you want to make experiment, do it. But come to this conclusion, that Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything. Then your life is perfect.

Lecture on SB 1.5.28 -- Vrndavana, August 9, 1974:

That is spiritual. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāy. Saṁsāra-viṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale, viṣaya-viṣānale. Viṣānale and dāvānale, these things are described about this material world. Just like in... You sung, immediately, saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. So the saṁsāra, this material world, is just like blazing fire, dāvānala, and forest fire. Forest fire means nobody goes to set fire in the forest. It takes automatically. Similarly, we want to live very peacefully in this material world, but that is not possible. There will be fire. And viṣaya-viṣānale. Viṣaya means things which is required for sense enjoyment, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. So either you say viṣaya-viṣānale or saṁsāra-dāvānale, the matter is the same. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, therefore, viṣaya-viṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale, juṛāite nā koinu upāy. If you want to get out of this viṣānala, the blazing fire of poison or forest fire, then we have to take shelter of this hari-saṅkīrtana. Golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāy, saṁsāra-dāvānale viṣaya-viṣānale dibā-niśi hiyā jvale juṛāite nā koinu upāy.

Lecture on SB 1.5.29 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

One who knows Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes. Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. Sarvam iti. Vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ, vāsudeva-parāḥ... There is... Everything to satisfy Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Either you perform sacrifices or you work piously, the aim should be how to satisfy Vāsudeva. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). Just like if you want to keep your body fit and healthy, you must satisfy the stomach. If you satis..., if your stomach is all right and if you supply proper food to the stomach, then whole body will be energized without fail. Similarly, the mahātmā means whose business is to satisfy Vāsudeva. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19).

Kṛṣṇa says, vāsudeva... When Kṛṣṇa is in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, He's Vāsudeva. Kṛṣṇa does not go away from Vṛndāvana. But when He has got other business to do, He does it as Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva is in Mathurā. Vāsudeva is in Dvārakā. But original Kṛṣṇa is in Vṛndāvana. But that does not mean that this Vāsudeva is different from Kṛṣṇa. The foolish person, who cannot study, who does not know what is Vāsudeva, what is Aniruddha, what is Pradyumna, the, the Saṅkarṣaṇa... These are all expansions of Kṛṣṇa. They are not different from Kṛṣṇa. But still, They are not original Kṛṣṇa. There is no... It is not that Vāsudeva has got less power than Kṛṣṇa. They are equally powerful. Advaitam acyutam... Advaita. They are not different. Acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). But the difference is that the... Several times I explained that one candle, you lit up another candle, you lit up another candle, you lit up another, another, millions...

Lecture on SB 1.5.29 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

"This is the first candle, this is the second candle, this is the third candle, this is the fourth candle," like that. Not that because the second candle is lit up from the first candle, therefore second candle is less powerful than the first candle. No, that is not. That is called advaya-jñāna.

Advaitam acyutam. Advaitam acyutam ananta-rūpam. Kṛṣṇa's ananta-rūpam does not make any difference. There is no difference between Rāmacandra and Kṛṣṇa. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Kṛṣṇa is always... When we say "Kṛṣṇa"—Kṛṣṇa with all His expansions, Viṣṇu expansions. So either you worship Rāma or Kṛṣṇa, it is the same. Or Viṣṇu. There is no difference. Therefore advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyam (Bs. 5.33). But still, Kṛṣṇa is the ādyam, original. Ādyam purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Although He is ādyam, purāṇa-puruṣam, the oldest personality, still, nava-yauvanaṁ ca, always young. You have never seen Kṛṣṇa's photograph as old man. No. When He was charioteer of Arjuna, He was great-grandfather at that time. His grandson had sons. He's old man. But you see, just a young man of twenty years old. That is Kṛṣṇa. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). And these rascals, they try to understand Kṛṣṇa...

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 18, 1975:

So our original position is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We are part and parcel of the body of Kṛṣṇa. The brāhmaṇa is the mouth of Kṛṣṇa, and the kṣatriyas are the arms of Kṛṣṇa. The vaiśyas are the abdomen of Kṛṣṇa, and the śūdras are the legs of Kṛṣṇa. Mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ jajñire catvāro varṇā viprādayo guṇair pṛthak. The... Nobody should be hated. Just like in your body your leg is as important as your head, especially of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is advaya-jñāna, absolute. We may make some difference from head to leg. Leg is less important, head is... No. But Kṛṣṇa's any part is as important as other part. So you become the part of... You are already. But if you come to realize that you are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's body, so either you act as Kṛṣṇa's leg or as Kṛṣṇa's head, there is no difference. There is no difference. Here in the material world we have misunderstood that "Because I am head, therefore I shall hate the legs." Why? We first of all offer tulasī and flower to the legs of Kṛṣṇa, not to the head. The bhakti-yoga begins from the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. So how you can say the legs of Kṛṣṇa are inferior than the heads of Kṛṣṇa? This is called anartha. So if we enter into the process of bhakti-yogam, these anarthas will go out.

Lecture on SB 1.7.20-21 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1976:

Dvaite... In the material world, dvaite bhadrābhadra, "This is good, this is bad," it is all mental concoction. After all, it is material world. Either you become very expert in handling these material affairs, very big businessman, Mr. Ford, Mr. this and that, or so many things... (break) ...successful, what is the meaning of this "Successful, unsuccessful"? You have to die. You have to suffer from disease. Just like nowadays the flu is going on. Does it mean that a big man or a rich man will not suffer? When the disease is there, either you are big man or rich man or poor man or small man, everyone has to suffer. So long you will be in the material world, if you do not rectify yourself, śuddha-sattva... Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). If you don't rectify your existence, then this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi will go on (BG 13.9). Then what is the good? Actually, there is no good. 'Ei bhāla, ei manda'—ei saba 'bhrama'.. It is simply mental concoction. So in the material world, even you become very expert to deal with your business very nicely, it is all useless. Ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ. If one does not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, his so-called success in this material world or failure, they have no value. Rather, if by sentiment somebody comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and if for a few days he chants Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, their success, in future at least, guaranteed.

Lecture on SB 1.7.30-31 -- Vrndavana, September 26, 1976:

That is also according to our different forms of life. In one small insect, it may live for few minutes; some of them for few hours, some of them for few days, and some of them for few months, some of them for few years. And this yearly, we live, we human being, we live for a hundred years, and the demigods, they live for ten thousands of years. But wherever you live, either as insect or as demigod, there is no rescue from the process of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That you cannot escape. Either you become a small insect or you become as powerful as Lord Brahmā, you have to die. There is no escape. Brahmā, he has the greatest amount of years to live. His life is... We have calculation in the Bhagavad-gītā, that sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Sahasra-yuga. One yuga means forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand. That is the one daytime duration of Brahmā. Ahar rātri means morning to evening. Morning to evening, that is sahasra-yuga, one thousand times of forty-three lakhs of years. Similarly night. Then day and night becomes one day. Similarly one month, and then twelve months, a year—such hundred years. So there is difference between our hundred years and his hundred years. Similarly, ant's hundred years and my hundred years different.

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

Saṁsiddhi. Never mind what you are. Either you may be sannyāsī or may be gṛhastha or may be brahmacārī or a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya, or vaiśya, śūdra. Never mind. Try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Try to please Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. Otherwise, you are pramatta, mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). So long you shall remain a pramatta, you shall act just opposite function, and you'll be entangled. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. If you do not work for pleasing Kṛṣṇa, then that work will entangle you in the cycle of birth and death.

Lecture on SB 1.7.51-52 -- Vrndavana, October 8, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Jagad avyakta-mūrtinā. This avyakta. The Kṛṣṇa's potency is everywhere. Therefore those who are advanced devotee, they do not see anything else than Kṛṣṇa. Everywhere he sees Kṛṣṇa. And that is a fact.

Kṛṣṇa also teaches that "I am here." If you cannot conceive that Kṛṣṇa is everywhere present, Kṛṣṇa personally gives you instruction, "Here I am." Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). Everyone is drinking water at least four times, five times. So at the time of drinking water, or drinking anything, if you remember Kṛṣṇa then you become purified. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha. That is yoga, bhakti-yoga. If you practice only this. Whatever you drink, you drink something for some taste. So either you drink soda water, or water, or milk, or even wine. Because the Europeans, Americans, they are accustomed to drink wine. But if they follow this instruction of Kṛṣṇa, that "This taste is Kṛṣṇa," then he remembers Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. As soon as he brings Kṛṣṇa in his mind, he becomes a bhakta. So easy. Anyone can become kṛṣṇa-bhakta if he follows the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. There is no difficulty. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. This is the simple process. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ (BG 7.8). This is for ordinary class of men. But if you think that you are very advanced in learning, in Vedic literature, and Vedic mantras, yes, then Kṛṣṇa says, praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu. That praṇava-oṁkāra, oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.7.51-52 -- Vrndavana, October 8, 1976:

So either you become a highly learned scholar in Vedic literature or you are simply an ordinary person, you can think of Kṛṣṇa and you become successful in your life. There is no difficulty. Raso 'ham. If you are ordinary person... Any, every, every person drinks water or drinks something. Let him immediately think of, as soon as he tastes, "Here is Kṛṣṇa." Puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca. A flower, a rose flower, very fragrant. As soon as you smell you can remember Kṛṣṇa. "Oh, this smell is Kṛṣṇa." Actually, that is Kṛṣṇa. You cannot create that smell. It is Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's art. That, puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca, that gandha, that smell, flavor, is within the earth. Wherefrom the rose is coming? From this earth. But still the rose is so fragrant. You cannot take out the fragrance from the earth. Everything is there. Sarva-kāma-dughā-mahī. Everything is within the earth. But you cannot take out. It is Kṛṣṇa. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). He has got this power to exact, to extract puṇya-gandha through the rose flower. You haven't. You may be very big chemist, but you cannot do that. So in this way, if we study Kṛṣṇa, if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your life is successful. That we are teaching. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And the śāstras will help you.

But even if you do not read śāstra, if you always remember Kṛṣṇa, impression of Kṛṣṇa. The temple is made for layman. Even woman, child, if he sees daily Kṛṣṇa here, then he gets impression. He can think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto (BG 18.65). Therefore the temple is there. Everyone should come every day, every morning, or as many times as possible and take the impression of Kṛṣṇa and keep it within your core of heart and think of Kṛṣṇa.

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

This is the mistake of the modern world. Not only modern, this is the mistake of the material world. They do not know that everything belongs to God. That's a fact. We fight, "This is my land, this is your land," but fighting, we die, and the land is there. The land does not go with the fighters. They fight amongst themselves, "This is my land," "This is my land," but the land remains, and the persons fighting, they go away. This is the position. But still we do not understand that the land does not belong to either you or to me. It belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So anyway, just to establish, to remind us, Kṛṣṇa comes, so that "Any land does not belong to you." Bhoktāram, "I am the enjoyer," sarva-loka-maheśvaram, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." That's a fact.

So Kuntī knew it, that "We are..., we fought the battle of Kurukṣetra, but actually Kṛṣṇa is the supreme proprietor." Therefore he is..., she is offering her prayer, namasye puruṣaṁ tvā, "You are puruṣam." Puruṣam means the enjoyer. Kṛṣṇa is not addressed as a, a female. Just like there are, not in your country, in India there are many devotees of Durgā, that they take Durgā as the supreme. Durgā is supreme, the supreme power and energy within this material world. The supreme energy, that is external energy, that is called Durgā. Durgā means "very difficult to overcome." The, everyone is trying to overcome the difficulties of this material world, but it is very, very difficult. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā: "You cannot surpass the stringent laws of material nature." You cannot. This is our struggle for existence. Material nature is offering some difficulty, and we are trying to overcome them. This is called struggle for existence, and this is going on lfe after life. Any life, either human form of life or animal form of life, the struggle is there. There must be always anxiety, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt, because we have accepted this material body, or this material world.

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

To accept this material world means to accept different types of material body, and so long you have got this material body, either you have got the body of a human being or an animal or of demigod, that always there must be fearfulness, anxiety, because we have accepted something foreign. This material world is foreign to the living entities. The living entity is spiritual, so his actual residency is in the spiritual world. But somehow or other he has come in contact with this material world; therefore he is suffering threefold miseries-adhyatmic, adhibautic, adhidaivic. He must suffer. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to get the living entity relieved from this material miserable condition of life, and take him back to home, back to Godhead. That is also Kṛṣṇa's mission. Kṛṣṇa also came to impress that "This is not your place." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. "You are creating so many plans to live here very peacefully, but that is not possible. Therefore you give up all this nonsense plan, just come to Me, surrender to Me, and I shall give you protection." Because He is the father, father wants that the nonsense sons, they want to live independently, but he has no such means, therefore father comes to invite, "Come back." Sarva-dharmān..., vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ. These things are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- New York, April 13, 1973:

So we should take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement according to the śāstra. Śrī... I am very pleased that you are doing nicely, dressing the Deity very nicely. More and more, in this way offer Kṛṣṇa nice prasādam, nice foodstuff, nice dress. Keep the temple very clean. Śrī-mandira-mārjanādiṣu. Mārjana means cleansing. Either you dress Kṛṣṇa or cleanse the temple, the effect is the same. Don't think that "I am a cleanser and he is a dresser." No. The dresser and the cleanser are the same. Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. In any way, be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Your life will be successful. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So by the grace of Kuntīdevī we can understand that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva... Another meaning of vasudeva is that when you come to the platform of vasudeva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Sattvam. Sattva, goodness. First of all, we have to come to the platform of goodness. But here, in the material world, the goodness is also sometimes contaminated by other low qualities, ignorance and passion. So by hearing about Kṛṣṇa, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ.. (SB 1.2.17). Just like you are hearing about Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, try to hear about Kṛṣṇa always, twenty-four hours chant about Kṛṣṇa. In this way, the dirty things will be cleansed. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Nityam means always. Not that bhāgavata-saptāha, official. No, not like that. That is another exploitation. In the Bhāgavata it is said, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Nityam means daily, twenty-four hours. Either you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or carry out the order of your spiritual master. This is also order. Bhāgavata is spiritual master. Vaiṣṇava, he's also bhāgavata. Ācāryas, bhāgavata. Grantha-bhāgavata and person, person bhāgavata. So person bhāgavata or book bhāgavata, you always serve. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18).

Lecture on SB 1.8.29 -- Mayapura, October 9, 1974:

This is the description of paṇḍita. Paṇḍita... And in the Bhagavad-gītā, the paṇḍita is described: paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). This is paṇḍita. Nowadays it has become the custom that unless you have got a university degree, either you may be in knowledge..., māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ, you are not recognized as a paṇḍita. But in the Vedic scripture, the paṇḍita is different person. Anyone... This is the moral instruction by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita.

mātṛvat para-dāreṣu
para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat
ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu
yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ

He is giving the description of paṇḍita in three ways: "One who sees all women except his wife as mother—he is paṇḍita One who takes others' money as garbage on the street—he is paṇḍita. And one who sees everyone, even to the ant, like himself, that 'If I, if somebody pin, pricks pin on my body, I get, I suffer. I feel pain. So why shall I give pain even to an ant?' " Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. In a higher sense...

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Mayapura, October 13, 1974:

Requested as Sutapā and Pṛśni. Vasudeva was Pṛśni in his former life, and Devakī was Sutapā. Sutapā. Sutapā means one who can perform austerities and penance very nicely. Su means nicely, and tapaḥ. So they underwent austerities and penance to get a son like Kṛṣṇa.

So when Kṛṣṇa was pleased with their tapasya, they wanted: "My Lord, we want a, a son like You." "So where is like Me?" Kṛṣṇa is asamordhva. There is nobody equal to Kṛṣṇa; nobody is greater than... Otherwise, how He can be great? If somebody is greater than Him, then how He can be great? Nobody can be greater than Him. That is greatness, either you say in English language or Muhammadan language. Allah akbar: "Allah, the Supreme Being, is the great." We also say, paraṁ brahma. So nobody can be greater than Him or equal. Asamordhva. So they wanted "a son like You." That means somebody must be equal to Him. "Like You" means equal to Him. So who can be equal to Kṛṣṇa? But He can expand Himself with many equals. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself in millions' and millions' forms. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Everything is there. Although He is living in Goloka, still, by His omnipotency, omnipresence, He can be everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-ca... So that Paramātmā, or the Supersoul, is equal with Kṛṣṇa. Not anything else equal with Kṛṣṇa, but the Paramātmā is equal with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore by His expansion, He agreed to become son of Devakī, and there may be hundreds and thousands of Devakī, devotees. He is unlimited. His devotees are unlimited. Their demands are unlimited.

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

So... So we are getting bhava, bhava from that small insect up to the Brahmā. Ābrahma-bhuvana-stambha,(?) ābrahma stambha. Everyone. That is called bhava. There are 8,400,000 different forms of life, and we are finishing one body, entering another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Kṛṣṇa says. Either you have to reject Kṛṣṇa's word or you have to reject all this so-called scientific research. But we have... We are pledged to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We cannot reject Kṛṣṇa's word. So it is accepted that tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Now, Kṛṣṇa says that you have to accept another body. Everyone has to accept. Now, He does not say that "After this body, the next change will be this body." He does not say. He does not say. So... Because that will depend, as it is said here, avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ. Avidyā. The... Every living entity is within this material world under avidyā. Avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate.

There are many potencies of God, Kṛṣṇa. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Many millions. So they have been summarized into three. What is that? The external potency, internal potency, two, and third, marginal potency. The marginal potency and internal potency, they are of the same quality. There are same quality. And there is another potency. That is called external potency. What is that external potency? Now, avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. Viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā (CC Madhya 6.154). Viṣṇu-śakti, the Lord's potency, is parā. That is spiritual. Viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā. And... Viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā... Viṣṇu-śakti. And kṣetrajñākhyā tathā parā. And kṣetrajñāḥ, the living entities... The kṣetrajña is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, idaṁ śarīraṁ kṣetram ity abhidhīyate. And one who knows this kṣetra... Kṣetrajña ity abhidhīyate. These are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. So the living entity is kṣetrajña. So kṣetrajña is also parā. But besides these two śakti, there is another, tṛtīyā śakti, which is avidyā, everything in ignorance.

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

Very nicely explained. Śukadeva Gosvāmī, before speaking Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he's offering his obeisances to Kṛṣṇa. What is that? "I offer my obeisances," tasmai, "unto Him." Subhadra-śravase: "Simply hearing of Him is subhadra." Not abhadra; subhadra. Subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī—yat-kīrtanaṁ yat-smaraṇam. Either you glorify Kṛṣṇa There are so many glorifications. The whole Bhāgavata is glorification. So you have got... This is... This is the glorification by Śukadeva Gosvāmī: yat-kīrtanaṁ yat-smaraṇam. Either you glorify or simply you meditate upon Him... Yat-smaraṇam. Yad-īkṣaṇam. Simply if you sit down in front of the Deity and go on seeing, bas, do nothing, simply see: "How nicely dressed is Kṛṣṇa. How nicely dressed is Rādhārāṇī," simply if you see, it is said, yad-īkṣaṇam, yad-īkṣaṇam. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). If you have no capacity to chant or if you have no such fixed-up mind—your mind is so disturbing that you cannot fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa—then the chance is given: "Here is Deity. You simply see. Simply see." And if you are engaged in the service, there is good chance of seeing always, twenty-four hours. While you are cleansing the floor of the temple or the room, you are seeing. You are dressing—you are seeing. You are bathing—you are seeing. You are offering food—you are seeing. This is the process.

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

Therefore those who are strictly following the regulations of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's living in the spiritual world. He's not in the material world. Just like we are not living in Los Angeles; we are living in Vaikuṇṭha. Yes. That's a fact. It is consciousness. The consciousness... I can give you another example. Just like in this seat there is a bug. But the bug and myself sitting on the same place, but because the bug has no consciousness, therefore he is bug, and I have got consciousness, I am your spiritual master. But we are sitting in the same place. Sitting in the same place. Because the bug has not developed his consciousness, he remains a bug, and one who has developed the consciousness, therefore he becomes spiritual master. But the position is the... Similarly either you remain in the material world or, spiritual, there is no question, if your Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very strong, then you are not in the material world. You are not in the material world.

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:

We are divisioned. Either you take it varṇa, āśrama, or by occupation, anything, there must be some division, not that everyone is the same. Somebody is engineer. Somebody is medical man. Somebody is chemist. Somebody is philosopher. Somebody is brāhmaṇa. Somebody is śūdra. You take. Division must be there. It is not possible to make everyone all the same. That is rascaldom. That is, means, they have no knowledge. Just like the communists. They tried to make one. They failed. That is not possible. Still, they are going on: "Laborer class and the manager class." Why you make two? So if instead of two, if we make four, what is the difference in philosophy? They could not do it. That is not possible. There must be, because Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam: (BG 4.13) "The four divisions is created by Me." How you can nullify Kṛṣṇa's creation? That is not possible. So division may be there. It doesn't matter. That is created by Kṛṣṇa. But still, there can be oneness. What is that? Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Everyone try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Then it is oneness.

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

These four things: "Always think of Me..." Everyone can think of Kṛṣṇa. He is thinking of so many nonsense things. Why not Kṛṣṇa? Here is Kṛṣṇa. If you simply think of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā-Mādhava, then where... Is very difficult thing? Therefore temple is there so that you see Kṛṣṇa always or at some interval, during ārātrika, during maṅgala-ārātrika, during bhoga. So the impression is always within your heart, and you think of. Where is the difficulty? Where is the difficulty? No difficulty. So Kṛṣṇa says, man-manāḥ. And if you have no time to come to the temple, all right, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. You hear the name of Kṛṣṇa. That is not different from Kṛṣṇa. The... After all, impression, either you hear or see, the experience is there. So you can think of Kṛṣṇa very easily. It doesn't require any university qualification. Anyone, any rascal, can do it. It is so easy. It doesn't require high education to think of Kṛṣṇa. Woman, children, anyone...

So satisfy Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa directly says... If you want to satisfy me, then you ask me, "Prabhupāda, what can I do for you?" If I say, "Do this," then I am satisfied. This is the way of satisfaction, making one... So you ask Kṛṣṇa, "Sir, my business is hari-toṣaṇam. So how can I satisfy You?" Kṛṣṇa directly—"Yes, you can satisfy Me. Think of Me." Where is the difficulty? Why so much philosophy, humbug, to understand God? The rascals, they are thinking, "What is God? Can you show me God?" God is here canvassing. The rascals will avoid this by so-called erudite scholarship and this way, "There is no God..." God is there. Why not God? We are giving you the God's name. God, Himself, giving, giving, presenting Himself. And big, big ācāryas, they are accepting. Especially Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is simply attached to Kṛṣṇa. So we have to learn from Caitanya Mahāprabhu how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to become attached. How Caitanya Mahāprabhu is attached to Kṛṣṇa is described so nicely. It will puzzle even the biggest brain of philosopher, how Caitanya Mahāprabhu is attached to Kṛṣṇa. We are now trying to explain in the Antya-līlā.

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

That is spiritual world. Pavarga means accompanied by all these things, and apavarga means just the opposite. Just the opposite. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is anapavarga-vīrya. He shows you the path how you become anapavarga. Nāpavarga, anapavarga. Kṛṣṇa says here, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Why this pavarga, why these five kinds of tribulation? Because you have got this material body. As soon as you accept a material body—it doesn't matter whether President Nixon's body or a common man's body—you have to pass through these pavargas: pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. Either you are demigod or a human being or an animal or an insect or Brahmā—whatever you may be—as soon as you have got this material body, you have to go through these tribulations. This is called material existence. And apavarga means just the opposite. That... For that purpose Kṛṣṇa comes, to give you the path of anapavarga. Nāpavarga... Anapavarga is the path.

So you have to accept. Kṛṣṇa says, very frankly says, "Surrender unto Me, I give you anapavarga." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66), "I shall give you protection." So He is the power for this purpose, and govindam... Govinda means He is the giver of pleasure to the cows and to the senses. Govinda. Govinda, go-dvija-sura-arti-hara-avatāra. Avatāra means incarnation. Govinda, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **, He's the ādi-puruṣa. Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2), He is the original person, even of the demigods, Brahmā, Viṣṇu. People may not misunderstand that Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, they are original. No. Kṛṣṇa says, "They are not original, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara." Aham ādir hi devānām, "I am the original person, above the..., of these demigods also." Therefore, we repeatedly say that we worship that ādi-puruṣaṁ, the original person, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. Not secondary; the first, the first, original person.

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

There is no limit how much they are asking. Therefore they are called sarva-kāma. You go on supplying a karmī; he'll never be satisfied. "More, more, more." You go to so many businessmen—they have got crores and lakhs—but if you want to talk something about Kṛṣṇa, they have no time: "Please take your money, contribution. Let us do business." Because their kāma is never satisfied. Therefore sarva-kāma. And another is mokṣa-kāma. Mokṣa-kāma means when they could not fulfill all the desires in this material world, they, at that time, want to become one with God, that "If I become God, then my all desires will be fulfilled." That is called mokṣa-kāma.

So śāstra recommends that either you belong to the group of akāma or to the group of sarva-kāma or to the group of mokṣa-kāma, tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param (SB 2.3.10), you worship very seriously Paramaṁ puruṣam. Paramaṁ puruṣam means Kṛṣṇa. Bhakti-yogena. Kṛṣṇa cannot be worshiped by any other yoga system except bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible to any other means. There are many other means-karma, yoga, jñāna and bhakti—but if you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then you have to take the bhakti-yoga, no other. Neither... Kṛṣṇa never said that "By jñāna, by cultivation of knowledge, one can understand Me." They can do so. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. By cultivation of knowledge, after many, many births, if that person, searching out the Absolute Truth, by cultivation of knowledge, if he comes in contact with a devotee, then he gets the chance of understanding what is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Los Angeles, May 6, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa is not hungry. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry. He is self-satisfied, pūrṇa. But if His devotee offers Him something with love and affection, then He accepts. So do not think that "We have made such nice, sumptuous plate for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa must eat." No. There is no such thing, "must." You cannot make Kṛṣṇa must. That is not possible. So Kṛṣṇa will see how much you have love for Him. Then He will accept. Otherwise He'll reject. Therefore, it is forbidden, those who are nondevotee, those who are not initiated, those who are not chanting regularly, their offering to Kṛṣṇa will not be accepted. We must be very careful. We must know our position, whether I am sincerely following the principles of devotional service. Then Kṛṣṇa will accept. Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. The real thing is bhakti. So either you offer Kṛṣṇa prayers or you offer foodstuff, everything must be along with bhakti, devotion, love. Then Kṛṣṇa will accept.

As Kuntī, Kṛṣṇa, Kuntī offered prayers... She's a woman. She has not much very learning. But still, whatever she has offered, kala-padaiḥ, according to her, as much, as many nice words could be collected, she has offered... Kala-padaiḥ pariṇūta, worshiped. So worship, for what purpose? Akhilodaya. For the enlightenment of the whole universe. For akhilodaya. By offering prayer to Kṛṣṇa, everything becomes auspicious, akhilodaya. Then Kṛṣṇa, whatever you speak for Kṛṣṇa, it is applicable. Whatever you speak. Because Kṛṣṇa is everything. If you say, "Kṛṣṇa is the noblest man," that is applicable. And if you say, "Kṛṣṇa is the greatest thief," that is also applicable. This is absolute. Because He has stolen so, so much butter, well-known butter thief. So not only that; so many things. If you say, "Kṛṣṇa is the greatest cheater," that is also applicable. And if you say, "Kṛṣṇa is the most benevolent, beneficent," that is also applicable. They're absolute. That is absolute. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), wherefrom everything is coming.

Lecture on SB 1.8.45 -- Los Angeles, May 7, 1973:

So Brahmā says that officially if you study Vedic literature to find out God, to know about God, it is very difficult. It is very difficult. Therefore those who are depending on personal studies, speculation, personal knowledge to understand God, for them, Kṛṣṇa is durlabha, very difficult to find out. It is not possible. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said that "I do not expose Myself." Kṛṣṇa reserves the right of being exposed to anyone and everyone. No. That is not possible. Although the Vedic literature is meant for to find out Kṛṣṇa, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ... (BG 15.15). All knowledge... Vedic, veda means knowledge. So any department of knowledge, you may pursue, the business is how to find out Kṛṣṇa. That is real business. Either you take chemistry or physics or politics or sociology, anything, medicine, everything—all departmental knowledge—the aim is to find out Kṛṣṇa.

That was being done by Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was teaching grammar to His students. So He was explaining dhātu. Dhātu means verb. So He was explaining Kṛṣṇa. Later on, the students, they became little dissatisfied that "Nimāi Paṇḍita simply explains Kṛṣṇa in everything." So the small school was closed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They are described as adhama-paḍuyā. That is in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Adhama, adhama-paḍuyā means, adhama, adhama means very low grade, adhama. And uttama means high grade. Uttama and adhama. And madhyama. Madhyama means via-media. There are three grades in everything, first class, second class, third class. So this class of students, adhama, who are not interested to understand God or Kṛṣṇa, they are third-class student. Adhama-paḍuyā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was explaining during His instruction, Kṛṣṇa. But the adhama-paḍuyā did not like it.

Lecture on SB 1.8.46 -- Los Angeles, May 8, 1973:

It was sure. Kṛṣṇa fights or not fights, because He was on the side of Arjuna, it was sure that He would gain the battle. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yatra yogeśvaro hariḥ (BG 18.78). Where there is Kṛṣṇa, the victory is assured. So in this way there was fierce fighting between Arjuna and Bhīṣma. And Arjuna's chariot became broken into pieces, and he fell down, and when Kṛṣṇa saw that "Now Arjuna is going to be killed," He broke His own promise. He broke His own promise and took one wheel of the chariot and reached before Bhīṣma that "Now I shall kill you." Bhīṣma immediately gave up his weapon. So "That was my promise, that I wanted that either You have to break Your promise or Your friend will be killed. So now You have broken Your promise. So I am giving up. Because it is not expected that I shall fight with You." (laughter) So Kṛṣṇa said that "Yes, I have kept your promise, but I have broken My promise. You decided, you promised..."

So this is Kṛṣṇa's business, to... Bhīṣma was a devotee, great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So he promised that either Kṛṣṇa would break His promise, otherwise His friend will be dead. So he broke His promise. So sometimes Kṛṣṇa breaks His promise, own promise, for the sake of a devotee. Nobody is expected to break his promise, but Kṛṣṇa is so kind, for protection of His devotee He can do anything. He can break His promise also. This is Kṛṣṇa's position. So such Bhīṣma was so affectionate to the Pāṇḍavas. So Kṛṣṇa wanted... Bhīṣma was lying on the bed of arrows, preparing for his death. So Kṛṣṇa wanted that these Pāṇḍavas should go to Bhīṣma and hear his instruction. Therefore, despite His advice to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, that "There was no wrong on your part. You are thinking that you have killed, or for your sake so many men have been killed. That is not... You are not responsible for that. You are not sinful..."

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

Mayā sṛṣṭam means anything created by God, you cannot nullify it, you cannot reject it. That is not possible. You have to accept it and possibly utilize it. Therefore devotees, they take it for granted, even there is distressed condition of life, they take it that "It is created by God. I am now in distress. It is creation of God. So why shall I hate it? Let me tolerate. Let me undergo this distressed condition of life."

Just like some of you are suffering from cough. Now there has been some hygienic law disregarded. So I have caught cold and cough. So why shall I deride upon it? It must be created either you say by bodily nature or by God. So so long it is there, let me suffer patiently. It has come, it will go. That is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā: āgamāpāyinaḥ anityāḥ. Distressed condition, or happiness also, so-called happiness... Here there is no happiness. Everything is distressed condition. But we are so fool that we consider distressed condition as happiness. This is called māyā, distressed condition as happiness. For example, suppose you have to go to see a friend, and nowadays, friend or anything, not less than ten miles. So you have to go ten miles, and then see your friend, and then do your work. So I am taking the trouble of going ten miles to see a friend or thirty miles to see a medical practitioner, but I am very much proud of my car, that I have got a car. I don't consider that although I have got car, still, I have to waste so much time. I have to take so much trouble. And there is every possibility of accidents. So many calamities are awaiting me. But we think that "Now we have discovered this horseless carriage, we are advanced." Similarly, if you study every item, you will find that although you have created by the modern scientific advancement a little comfort of life, side by side, we have created many discomforts. That we do not find.

Lecture on SB 1.9.48 -- Mayapura, June 14, 1973:

So Gāndhārī did it. Gāndhārī... In India still, marriage does not take by canvassing all of a sudden. The father and mother, especially in aristocratic family, royal family, even in Western countries, the father, mother select the husband or wife. Even in England, the Kind Edward VIII, he was intimately in friendship with a common girl. So the state would not allow him that "You can marry a common girl." So at that time the prime minister, one Mr. Baldwin, he said to him that "Either you have to give up the company of that common girl or you have to give up this empire." So out of sentiment, he gave up the empire. Later on he was very sorry. And his second brother, George VI, he... George VI means the father of the present Queen, Elizabeth. So still this is current in aristocratic family, that the husband and wife should be selected by the parents.

So Gāndhārī, she was the daughter of Afghanistan, Ghandahar. Still, the name is there Gandahar. Gandhar. Formerly the name was Gandhar. So Gāndhārī means the daughter of Gandhar country. So when she was informed that her would-be husband is a blind man—Dhṛtarāṣṭra was blind from birth—so immediately she practiced austerity. Voluntarily she closed her eyes with cloth that she would also live as blind. "My husband would be blind. So, although I'm not blind, I must live also as blind." This is the beginning of austerity, Gāndhārī. So Gāndhārī was so faithful, one of the most exalted chaste wife mentioned in the śāstras, Gāndhārī, that in all conditions she followed the husband. At last, when everything was finished in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, no Kaurava, none of the sons or grandsons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra was living, neither of the Pāṇḍavas, still, Gāndhārī was faithfully serving her husband.

Lecture on SB 1.10.1 -- Mayapura, June 16, 1973:

They do not know. They think for some worldly happiness and go to some demigods... That is condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajante anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). They have lost their intelligence, those who go to worship other demigods for some paltry benefit, temporary benefit. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Those who are, brain substance is not very much in good quantity... Brain substance, instead of brain substance, there is cow-dung. Such people go to worship the other demigods. There is no necessity. There is no necessity. Of course, we do not show any disrespect to any demigods. We offer all respect. But we do not accept that Kṛṣṇa and all other demigods are on the same level, as the Māyāvādī says, that "Either you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra or chant 'Durgā Durgā,' 'Kālī Kālī,' it is the same." This is rascaldom. This is rascaldom. Harer nāma. Śāstra says, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam. Śāstra does not say that "You chant this name, that name, any dog's name, cat's name, and it is all right." Śāstra does not say.

Lecture on SB 1.10.4 -- Mayapura, June 19, 1973:

That is the proof. When there was less supply... The Mahārāja Pṛthu wanted to kill Pṛthivī. She explained that "Why you are after me? It is my duty. Now there are only demons. I don't want to give food to the demons. I want to give foodstuff to the devotees." She said. So nature's restriction of supply will be there when people become demons, nondevotees. When people become demons, then nature will stop supply. There will be famine, pestilence. This is the way.

So during the time of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, they were not demons. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira..., Mahārāja Parīkṣit... Mahārāja Parīkṣit, when he wanted to kill Kali, he gave him two chances, that "Either you get out of my kingdom, or I shall kill you." So Kali said, "My lord, I am also your subject. My activities are very heinous. That is my nature. I am meant for that purpose. But I am also your subject. So why you want to drive me away? You give me some place where I shall go if you don't like me." Then he gave him place: yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā, striyaḥ sūnāḥ pāna dyūta yatra pāpaś... "Where there are four principles of sinful activities, namely, illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, you can go there." So Kali could not find a single place where these things are going on. That is the during the reign of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. So he became very much distressed. Therefore, under his plan, he also wanted to drive away Mahārāja Parīkṣit so that he can advance his activities, Kali's activities.

Lecture on SB 1.10.4 -- London, November 25, 1973:

Ah, bhavanti bhūtāni. Annād. Anna means food grains. Either animal or man, they must eat sufficiently. Either you eat grass or you eat rice or wheat or oats, or..., something must be... So they are are called anna. In Sanskrit language it is called anna. Anna means foodgrains. So annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Every living entity lives. Nowadays there are scarcity of foodgrains. Even the human being cannot eat sufficiently. But formerly the kings, they used to maintain elephants. They were supplied very nice cāpāṭis. Do you know that? Still there are kings, they have elephants. Therefore elephant can be maintained by very rich man. If suppose, if somebody comes, he says, "Take this elephant, I give you free," will you take? Will you accept? You know that elephant will devour you, your all your means or income and all family income, because you cannot maintain elephant. (laughs)

Therefore in India sometimes, when, a hundred years ago, some students would come in England, especially London, and make a European, English wife... In old days they are doing that. So people would say that "This man is maintaining one white elephant." Because a European wife means very much expenditure. So one Mr. P. R. Das, he was high-court judge. So he was taking bribe on account of maintaining white elephant. He married one European wife. The expenditure very high. In those days for Indian it was a fashion to get a European wife. So this man married one European wife, and his expenditures was very, very heavy. So high-court judge, he was getting only four thousand rupees, and his expenditure was ten thousand rupees, and therefore he was taking bribe. He admitted.

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

Tāmasika means abominable character. The abominable character means these four things: illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. This is tamo-guṇa, exhibition of tamo-guṇa. So, if you continue to keep yourself in the association of the modes of ignorance, then you are going to become adhaḥ. Adhaḥ means down. Down means there are many other planetary system. Just like upper there are bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, Jana, Mahar, like that, and down also: Tala, Atala, Vitala, Talātala, Pātāla, like that. There is system.

So our only request is that... We don't criticize you because you try to live comfortably in the material... Do that. But don't associate with the modes of ignorance. That is very risky. That is very risky. So at least, either you remain in the householder life or brahmacārī life or, I mean to..., sannyāsa life, you keep yourself always in goodness. Then your position is all right. Otherwise, it is very risky. But these people, the Western people, they do not do that. They keep themselves in the modes of ignorance. That is very risky civilization. So at least you Europeans and Americans, you should know it, and you distribute this knowledge. It is your duty to save them. But these... They do not know it. As soon as there is talk of this goodness and sinful activity, immediately they go away. Immediately. Yesterday that gentleman came, and just when I began to talk about pious activities and impious activities, he immediately left, "I have got another meeting."

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

Śaṅkarācārya says, etāṁ raktaṁ māṁsa-vikāram. (?) He is teaching renouncement, that "Why you are attracted with this beautiful? What is this beauty? It is a combination of stool, urine and flesh and bone. That's all." So he saw, "Here is my beauty. Now you add it with me. Then again I shall be beautiful."

So these are actually knowledge. People are after something false. That is called māyā. Māyā means which is not actually fact, but we are after that. Similarly, this so-called advancement of civilization is māyā. It will be finished at any second, but they do not know. They do not know. It will be finished at any second. Even though we accept it, all right, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: (BG 10.34) "I am the death, and I take away everything at the time of death." Either you take as a philosopher, scientist or rich man, capitalist, as soon as there is death... Just like you see, Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was very powerful, and as soon as Nṛsiṁha-deva appeared, everything finished. Now he is dying. You see? So people do not understand it, that without Kṛṣṇa, without God, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply we are wasting our time, that's all, after false things. Everything will be useless. Today or tomorrow or day after. It will be useless, all useless. Real spirit soul-na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20)—that we do not take care. After finishing this false body, which will exist, the spirit soul, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), which is never vanquished even after the annihilation of this body, we are not taking care of that, wherefrom it has come. People are ignorant, so foolish. They do not know. This is the ignorant, civilization of ignorance. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). They do not know therefore. In ignorance they are committing so many sinful life. For the satisfaction of the tongue, they are killing so many animals. Why? There are so many nice foodstuffs. Why you are committing these sinful activities? They do not know what is sinful activities or pious activities. They do not know.

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

There also it is said that vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa because you are very learned scholar in Vedic knowledge. No. Vedeṣu durlabham, it is very difficult. But adurlabham, He is very cheap unto His devotees. He is very cheap. Like Vidura. Vidura invited Him, and Kṛṣṇa did not to go Arjuna's house..., I mean to say, Duryodhana's house, very palatial building. Vidura, a cottage, so He went there. And Vidura being in ecstasy was offering Him some banana. So he was so overpowered by ecstasy that instead of giving the fruit banana, he was giving the skin, and Kṛṣṇa was eating. So when he came to his senses he saw that "I have given only the skin, and Kṛṣṇa is eating." So this is bhakti. This is bhakti. Kṛṣṇa wants that. Kṛṣṇa can eat anything, either you give the pulp or skin, He can eat anything because He is all powerful and everything is equal to Him.

So real thing is bhakti. So when people become rascals and nonsense and do not care for God consciousness, devotion to God, that is become bhū-bhāraḥ, burdened. That has now become. Now Kṛṣṇa has, because at the present moment in the Kali-yuga... Kṛṣṇa formerly came to kill big, big giant demons like Rāvaṇa and Kaṁsa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, very, very big giant. But that the present moment where is that big giant? They are all poor. There is no... Although by mentality they are all rogues and rascals and demons, but in material condition they are very very poor. That is stated. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). People are so unfortunate that even the bird and beast, they can get their two meals, eating, sleeping, mating; they have got their arrangement. At the present moment a human being has no arrangement what he is going to eat in the morning or in the evening, whether he has got any chance of sex life. These things are preliminary requirement, but nobody is guarantee of these things, they are so unfortunate. They are not getting the preliminary necessities of life, what to speak of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are so unfortunate. So why should come Kṛṣṇa to kill them? They are already killed by the laws of nature. They are already killed, half-killed. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has come in the form of His name. Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

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

Similarly, this is also apartment. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). The spirit soul is within this apartment body. So according to karma, according to payment, one has got American body, one has got African body, one has got Indian body, one has got this body, that body, dog's body, cat's body, tree's body. This is karma. This is karma. This is our real problem. And this human life is especially meant for solving this problem, not the problem of petrol. But they have forgotten this. They are so rascals, the real problem they have forgotten.

Therefore here it is said, dhyāyan na āvarteta yato gataḥ. We are trying to go to the moon planet. But is it sure that you will not die there? "No, no, before going there I shall die. That is happy. Still we shall go." This is their proposal. Either you go to the moon planet or sun planet or any Venus planet, this planet, anywhere within this material world... Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. There are so many planets. The topmost planet is Brahmaloka, Brahma planet, where Lord Brahmā lives. And you know the duration of life of Brahmā. You cannot calculate his one twelve-hours day. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). This is the Brahmā's twelve hours. That is Brahmaloka. You cannot calculate what is the duration of life there. But even if you go there, the problem, death will be there. The problem death will go. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). The problem which is here... Just like the birth-death problem is within the ant society, birth-death problem is there within the animal society, birth-death problem is there in the human society, similarly, birth-death problem is in the moon society or sun society or Brahmaloka society, anywhere in this material world. That is real problem.

Lecture on SB 1.16.1 -- Los Angeles, December 29, 1973:

So there are many important words in this verse. The first is dvija-varya-śikṣayā, "trained by the best of the brāhmaṇas." Dvija. Dvija means twice-born: first birth by the father and mother, and second birth by the spiritual master. That is Vedic civilization, dvija-varya. One must take twice birth. Once birth, father and mother, that is done by the cats and dogs. Any birth, either you take birth as a cat or dog or human being or anything, there requires father and mother. So that birth is not sufficient. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava kavi says, janame janame saba pitā-mātā pāya, kṛṣṇa guru nahe mile bhaja hari ei.(?) In any birth you will get father and mother. It is natural. Without father, mother, how can you get a body? So therefore it is said, janame janame, in any birth. Either human being, or cats, dog, snake, or tree or insect, you will get father and mother. But in every birth you cannot get Kṛṣṇa and guru. That is not possible.

So this birth you can get. This human form of birth you can get. That is the special significance. Father, mother, you can get anywhere. It doesn't matter. But you cannot get Kṛṣṇa and guru. That you can get in this birth. Therefore twice-born. You must get another birth, through the initiation of the spiritual master, dīkṣā. Dīkṣā means initiation. Di means divya jñānam, and kṣa means kṣapayati. From the day of initiation, you simply get spiritual knowledge, transcendental knowledge. That is the special significance of human form of body. Therefore in the Vedic civilization, the classification is made: first-class, second-class, third-class, four-class men.

Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:

Just like we are learning here Kṛṣṇa's service. So Kṛṣṇa's service is here, and if you are perfect, then Kṛṣṇa's service is there after death also, the same thing. Therefore it is said, māra vā jīva vā. One saintly person said to a royal prince, rāja-putra cirañ jīva, cirañ jīva: "Oh, you are the son of a king. You live forever." Muni-putra muni-putra mā jīva mā jīva: "Oh, you are the disciple of a saintly person, brahmacārī, you please die immediately." Just see. Rāja-putra cirañ jīva, blessing rāja-putra, "You live forever." And muni-putra, the son of a muni, or the disciple of a muni, he says, mā jīva, mā jīva: "You don't live, you die. You die." And that thing... That, what is called? This butcher. Butcher, he is advising the butcher, jīva vā māra vā: "Either you..." No. He is advising butcher, mā jīva mā māra: "Don't die, don't live." And to a sādhu, saintly person, he is advising, jīva vā māra vā, two things. So what is the purport? The purport is that this prince, he is enjoying material enjoyment, but next life he will have to become a dog. "So better you live with your enjoyment. Cirañ jīva. Because as soon as you die, you are going to be a dog. So better you live. So long you will live it is good for you." And muni-putra, a brahmacārī, his business is fasting and go to collect for Guru Mahārāja, and then whatever he takes, he offers to the guru. Then the guru says that "You can eat," he can eat. It is hardship, but by this hardship he is now prepared to go back to home, Godhead. So he says, "You immediately die so you can go to Vaikuṇṭha immediately." And the cruel butcher, he is advised, mā jīva mā māra: "You don't live and don't die. Because your living condition is so horrible that every day, morning, you have to kill so many animals and see bloodshed and this. It is a horrible life. Your occupation is very, very horrible. Therefore you should not live. But at the same time, if you die, then you are going to suffer all this suffering yourself. Then you don't die also." So this is the position. And sādhu, those who are saintly person, devotees, he is advised, jīva vā māra vā: "Either you live or either you die, your business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. You are serving Kṛṣṇa now, and after death, you will serve Kṛṣṇa. So there is no question of your death, neither there is no question of your birth." So these are some moral instructions.

Lecture on SB 1.16.8 -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1974:

Otherwise, everything is bad. So-called ethics, morality and law, good and bad, they are all rascaldom. It has no meaning. Because they are punishable. They can avoid the punishment of the law of the state. Just like in the government in every state, there is some punishment if one kills another living entity. Another man, not living entity. There is punishment. The law punishes. If you kill someone, if you commit murder, then you will be punished. This is punishable. But because it is man-made law, therefore it is defective. A man is a living entity, and a cow is also a living entity. Why this discrimination, that if a man is murdered or killed, that murderer must be punished? But that law is not permissible in God's law. In God's law, either you kill a man or you kill an ant, you are punishable. You are punishable. You cannot avoid this. Because in the eyes of God, the Brahmā, Lord Brahmā, and a small ant, they are all sons of God.

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
(BG 14.4)

Kṛṣṇa says like this, "I am their father." To whom? Sarva-yoniṣu: "In all species of life, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant." So if you kill your brother, say, who is not important, will your father approve, "Oh, you have done nice. You are very nice son. You are earning millions of dollars, and this man is useless, this, this boy. So you have killed. It is very nice"? No, father will never tolerate. To the father, the useless son and the earning son, both are equal in affection.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

This is solution, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam: "This is My appearance on this material world, how God appears." Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā. Nobody takes birth. Even we do not take birth; we simply change body. So what to speak of God? God and we, we are qualitatively one. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). But He is the chief living entity. Just like you have got your chief American, means the president of your country, similarly, everywhere must be there, one chief man. Just like in the society, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, you accept me as the chief. So you have to accept one chief. Either you are a political party or social party or religious party or Communist party... Just like Communist party, they have got their chief men. Lenin, Stalin.

This question I asked... (aside:) Don't be sleeping. Professor Kotovsky. I asked him that "Where is the difference of philosophy between your Communist philosophy and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy? You have to accept one chief man, that Lenin or Stalin, and we have also selected one chief man, or God, Kṛṣṇa. So you are following the dictates of Lenin or Stalin or Molotov or this or that. We are following the philosophy or the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. So on principle, where is the difference? There is no difference." So the professor could not answer that. You cannot conduct your daily affairs without being dictated by somebody else. That is to be accepted.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

Everyone. So it is very difficult to find a real Christian. But if you violate the commandments of Christ, then what kind of Christian you are? This is our question. Who will answer this?

So this is the problem. Animal-killing is not within the category of human civilization. When a man becomes civilized, he knows how to produce food. He can till the ground. He can produce food grains. He can produce fruits and flowers and so many things. Even in the animal kingdom, there are different kinds of animals. They do not touch meat-eating even. They do not touch. Every, every animal has to live by destroying or killing another animal. That is nature's law. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. Either you eat vegetable or you eat meat, it doesn't matter. Vegetable has also got life. But there is allotment. Just like the cows or other animals, they do not eat meat, they live on grass. Grass has got (also) life, but because they eat grass life, therefore they will eat meat? No. The allotment. Similarly, human being should be also... There is allotment. For human being, God has given us the foodgrains, the fruits and... Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find. Kṛṣṇa is saying that "Anyone who is supplying Me this patraṁ puṣpam..." Patram means leaves, vegetables, and puṣpam means flowers. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalam, fruits. Toyam, and milk. So why? He is speaking in the human society. He's not speaking in the animal society. Therefore it is already described what kind of foodstuff we shall take. So patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalam. This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We offer to Kṛṣṇa the patraṁ puṣpam—flower, vegetables, grains, milk products—and we take prasādam. This is our movement.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

Sudāmā: Any more question?

Devotee (5): What will happen to the souls who have not become Kṛṣṇa consciousness at the end of Kali-yuga? What does Kṛṣṇa do with them?

Prabhupāda: He'll suffer. He'll suffer. Anyone who does not... Kṛṣṇa conscious means God conscious. The human life is meant for realizing God. So every religious system is meant for giving education about God. That is the system. Either you take Christian religion or Hindu religion or Muslim religion, the idea is to understand God. So therefore, any religion you take, it doesn't matter. If you understand what is God and if you know what is your relationship with God, then you are perfect. (end)

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

So this step is secure, the another step, when you feel it is secure, then you get up, get up this step. This is our practical experience. Similarly, unless our next birth is fixed up, we do not leave this body. At the time of death, by superior authority, what body I'm going to take next, that has to be decided. Then, when it is decided, if he takes little... Because that is for the most sinful person. And for the devotee, it is already decided. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9)— immediately transferred to the spiritual world. Immediately. There is no question of decision; it is already decided. Kṛṣṇa's decision. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Therefore it is said, "A devotee..." Jīvo vā māro vā: "A devotee, either you live or die, the same thing." Why? "You are living, you are serving Kṛṣṇa. When you die, you go to serve Kṛṣṇa. That's all." Jīvo vā māro vā. Therefore they are called jīvan-mukta. The same thing which he will do after death, he's doing the same thing here. Therefore he is jīvan-mukta, liberated even in this material existence. Jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate. Īhā yasya harer dāsye: "One who is always thinking how to serve Kṛṣṇa," jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate, "he's jīvan-mukta." He's already mukta, liberated. Just like in government service there is civil service or administrative service. As soon as you are, you have passed your examination of the civil service, the civil post is ready, immediately. There is no delay; it is already there. Simply you go and take your seat. So what is that examination? Just try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That's all. If you can understand this very fact... So you understand or not understand, if you have firm faith, if you take Kṛṣṇa, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality," then your examination is passed. Just like fire. You understand what is fire or not understand, but if you catch fire, it will act. When you take fire, you do not try to understand what is the chemical composition of fire. Anyone who understands the chemical composition of fire, then takes to fire, that man, and a child who does not know what is the chemical composition, catches the action is the same. If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa through philosophy, science and everything that we have got, that is also the same thing, and if anyone blindly accepts Kṛṣṇa, the same thing. It doesn't matter. Because Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. Yes?

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

Aḥ. Realizing means you can... It is very simple thing, that a living man and a dead man. So you can realize. There was soul so he was living. Now the soul is not there, he's dead. Is there any difficulty? What is the difficulty? Why this man is dead? They may explain, these rascals, in so many ways, but actual, any simple man can understand that there was something, either you call it soul or something else, that is now missing. That soul has now gone. So one minute before, the body was so important, and now, after one minute, the passing of the soul, it is useless. Throw it away. Is it very difficult to understand? That is realization. If you don't realize... Just like a man, sleeping, but he is not sleeping. He's awakened. But a man is calling, "Mr. such-and-such, wake up, wake up." But he's as if sleeping. So people who do not want to realize, there is no realization. Otherwise, it is very simple, very simple. One minute, one can understand, there was something. And then you come to the guru, and guru teaches śāstra. From śāstra, immediately you can confirm. If you are puzzled that what is that thing that is missing so that this living body is now dead body... This is the general impression. Now, just to get it confirmed, you come to guru. Guru will say, "Yes, it is a fact. The soul was there, and now it has gone." So how guru says? Not guru is manufacturing. Guru says on the strength of śāstra. Therefore sādhu-guru-śāstra, three things must be there. Guru must be speaking on the strength of Vedic knowledge, not manufacturing. He's a rascal. Guru cannot become by manufacturing nonsense ideas. He's not guru. He's a rascal. Whatever guru will speak must be evidenced by the śāstra. That is guru. So you go to guru. So guru will say that "Yes, you're right. The soul was there." How it is right? "No, in śāstra." "What is that śāstra?" "In Bhagavad-gītā it is said, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā: (BG 2.13) asmin dehe, this body, there is the proprietor of this body." That is soul. I love this body because I live in this body.

Page Title:Either you... (Lectures, SB canto 1)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:24 of Nov, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=85, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:85