Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Fish (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.2-3 -- London, July 9, 1973:

Therefore this big, big commander-in-chief Dronācārya and Bhīṣmadeva, Karṇa, they were very, very, big, powerful commanders. Arjuna was nothing before them. Arjuna was just like... Parīkṣit Mahārāja compared that "My grandfather was just like an ordinary fish, and these soldiers, these commanders, (were) just like timiṅgila." Timiṅgila, there is a fish—we get information from Vedic literature—very big fish. They swallow up the whales. Timi. Timi means whale fish. And timiṅgila means... Just like small fish are swallowed up like this. So just imagine how big such fish is. So these commanders, Karṇa, Dronācārya, and Bhīṣma, were compared with the timiṅgila. And Arjuna although very powerful, he was compared with timi. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja admitted "That it was not possible for my grandfather to win over the battle before these big, big commanders. It is only by the grace of Kṛṣṇa he was saved." So the conclusion is if Kṛṣṇa saves, nobody can kill; and if Kṛṣṇa wants to kill, nobody can save.

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

So chemical analysis means one has to test to find out the characteristic. So this I have seen, one doctor friend, he was keeping one dysentery stool in a plate, on his table, I saw. "What is this doctor?" He said, "Oh, it is to be tasted... It is dysentery stool". So they taste it. They have to. They take fish... Everyone, medical men know. So this hog's business is to eat stool, and as soon as he gets fatty, then sex. And that sex has no discrimination. You will see, a hogs, he does not care whether mother, sister or anyone, daughter. It doesn't matter. So this is hog civilization. Simply eating and getting strength of the senses and enjoy it.

Lecture on BG 1.36 -- London, July 26, 1973:

So this is the position. Just see, they were ātatāyinaḥ, aggressor. There is no doubt about it. Because these dhārtarāṣṭrān, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, they insulted Draupadi. Arjuna's wife. There was betting. The wife was betting. So they defeated, they were defeated in the chess play, and the wife was taken by the other party. So Karṇa took the opportunity. Because during Draupadi's svayamvara, Karṇa was insulted by Draupadi. The piercing of the eyes of the fish, Karṇa was greater, what is called, arrowman. So when Karṇa came to touch the arrow for piercing the eyes of the fish, Draupadi objected, objected because she wanted Arjuna to become her husband. But she knew that "If Karṇa comes to this combat, he will be victorious. Then I will have to go to Karṇa." So she was also very intelligent daughter of kṣatriya king.

Lecture on BG 1.36 -- London, July 26, 1973:

So I have given them chance. But actually I am the father. The material nature is the mother." Just like we have got experience, the father injects the living entity in the womb of the mother. And the mother, by her blood, develops the body of the child. Similarly, all these living entities, 8,400,000 species, the... Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). The father is Kṛṣṇa. He has given the seed in the womb of this material nature. And the material nature has given the body. Somebody has got the body of fish, somebody has got the body of tree, plant, somebody has got insect, reptile, somebody bird, sometimes beasts, somebody human being, somebody demigod. But all these materials have been supplied by the mother. It is very easy to understand. Just like the child grows, the mother supplies the bodily ingredients.

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

Just like after leaving this room, you have to enter another room. You cannot say that "After leaving this room, I shall live in the sky." Similarly, after leaving this body, if you go to Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual kingdom, your individuality will be there, but you'll have that spiritual body. When there is spiritual body there is no perplexities. Just like your body is different from the body of the aquatics. The aquatics, they have no disturbance in the water because their body is made like that. They can live there peacefully. You cannot live. Similarly, the fishes, if you take them out of the water, they cannot live. Similarly, because you are spirit soul, you cannot live peacefully in this material world. This is foreign. But as soon as you enter into the spiritual world, your life is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, real peace.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

Now, if you have seen the ocean, there are always millions and millions of drops coming out by the dashing of the waves. You see? That is going on continually. And some of them again falling into the water. They lose their... They lose the drop existence. But that does not mean that that creation of drop is stopped. Even from that example. You see? And because the river waters comes and, I mean to say, merges into the sea water, that does not mean the river, all rivers are stopped. The rivers are there. Another example: now, there are many aquatic animals within the water. They are also... Now, as the drop of the water emerges from the sea water and again merges into the sea water, so that is a nice example, but these fishes, these aquatic animals, they are also born in that water. Nobody has given these aquatic animals from anywhere else. They are... They have taken their birth from that water. They are also born of the water. Just like the drops of the water also born of the water, similarly, these living aquatic animals, they are also born of the water.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Germany, June 18, 1974:

So to become dhīra means not to use this, I mean to say, very important, very useful body, human body, to pass as cats and dogs. That is very dangerous. It is a great loss. Prahlāda Mahārāja instructed this. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. We have to (be) very, mean, intelligent to understand that "I have got this body. Must be after many, many births." That is the evolutionary theory. I can understand that this tree... That is also a living being, but it is standing there for thousands of years. Thousands of years, they are standing. So many Napoleons, so many Kaisers, so many Hitlers came and gone, but the tree is standing. That is a punishment. But that is also a living being. It is also growing. As your body is growing or changing, that body's also growing and changing, unless you pour water on the root of the tree, no eating, then it will die. Similarly, if you don't eat, you'll die. You'll die. There is no difference. It is the simply different methods of living. That's all. The cats and dogs living in a certain method. The human being is living in a certain method. The trees are living in a certain method. The fish in the waters, they are living in the certain method. But the eating, sleeping, mating, defending is there. Is there. So according to the different bodies, they're living differently.

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

So we should understand that we have got a separate business, real business. That is called self-realization, that "I am not this body." This is self-realization. That is being instructed by Kṛṣṇa in the beginning, that "You are not this body." The first understanding, first knowledge, is to understand that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul. I have got a different business." It is not that this temporary actions or activities like as a dog, or as a human being, or as a tiger or as a tree or as a fish, there are activities. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. The same principle of bodily necessities. Eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. But in the human form of life, I have got a separate business, self-realization, to get out of this bodily entanglement. And that is called knowledge. Without this knowledge, anything we are advancing in knowledge, that is foolishness, that's all. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). Śrama eva hi kevalam. Śrama eva hi kevalam means simply working uselessly and wasting time. You cannot check the nature's law.

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

Similarly, you approach Kṛṣṇa. You approach Viṣṇu. You get all the powers because you become under protection. Protection of the... That... Tulasī dāsa has said that in the ocean, the waves of the ocean, if you put one elephant very powerful, very strong, the elephant will be washed away by the waves. But a small fish, a teeny fish, it is swimming against the waves. They take pleasure. The fish, when the waves are coming this way, the fish go in that way. Now see. You put against the waves an elephant. It will be washed away. Why elephant? Any strong thing you give. Even big, big ships, oh, it will be washed away. But a small fish, it doesn't care the waves; it goes against the waves. Why? It has taken the shelter. It has taken the shelter of the ocean. Similarly, all power belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Yatra yogeśvaraḥ hariḥ. But if anyone takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes as powerful as Kṛṣṇa. This is the process.

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

The drop of water is, when mixed up with the ocean water, they become one. That is only imagination. Every water, molecular. There are, there are so many individual molecular parts. Apart from that, suppose you mix up with the water, and merge into the Brahman existence, the samudra, the sea, or the ocean. Then again you'll be evaporated, because the water is evaporated from the ocean and it become cloud and again falls down on the ground, and it goes down again to the ocean. This is going on. This is called āgamana-gamana, coming and again mixing. So what is the benefit? But the Vaiṣṇava philosophy says that we do not want to mix up with the water; we want to become a fish within the ocean. That is very nice. If one becomes fish, a big fish, or small fish... It doesn't matter. If you go deep into the water, then there is no more evaporation. You remain.

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

Sarva-ga. This very word has been used in Bhagavad-gītā. Sarva-ga. You'll find it. Sarva-ga means he can go everywhere. He can live in the fire also. And actually we see that in the air there is living entity, in the water there is living entity, in the land there is living entity. So why not in the fire? Fire is one of the elements like air, water, land. So if in other elements there is possibility of living beings, why not in one? What is the reason? What is the argument? And Vedic literature gives us information that in the fire there is germ also. Just like in water there is germ; in the earth there is germ; in the air there is germ, living entities. Similarly in the fire there is also. And here it is said it cannot be burned. Even it is in the fire, there is no possibility of being burned. So why not in the fire? It requires a different type of body only. That's all. Just like the fish. It has got a different type of body. It is living very comfortably in the water. You have got a different type of body. You are living in the land very comfortably. You cannot live in the water. The fish cannot live in the land. Similarly, in the fiery planet, just like sun, there must be living entities. There must be. You cannot say by any reason that there is no living entities. How you can say? If it is a fact that living entity cannot be burned. Is it not? Just try to understand.

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

Don't take ice cream. (music continues louder in background) (laughs) This is māyā. (laughter) "Come on, come on, enjoy me. Come on, come on, enjoy me." (laughs) As soon as you enjoy, you become entrapped. That's all. Just like fishing tackle. They throw the tackle and invite the fish, "Come on, come on, enjoy me. Come on, come on, enjoy me." As soon as—Ap! (laughter) Finished. Then, (sound imitating fish) "Where you go now? Come on in my bag. Yes, I'll fry you nicely." You see? So these are all explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The fish is losing his life by eating, by tongue. He cannot check the dictation of the tongue; therefore he is losing his life. You see?

Lecture on BG 2.23-24 -- London, August 27, 1973:

So here is another puzzle for the rascal scientists—because they are contemplating that except within this earth, in other planets, there is no life. Because the atmosphere is different, they cannot live there. Now, take for example the sun planet, fiery planet. So naturally, we shall imagine that no living entity can live there: it is fiery planet. But Kṛṣṇa says that nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ. The fire does not burn it. This is quite reasonable because the living entities are there, we can experience. Roughly we see that we are on the land and the aquatics, fishes, they are in the water. I cannot live within the water, neither the fish cannot live on the land, but from my experience, if we think that there is no living entities in water, is it not rascaldom? Similarly, these rascals are thinking from his own point of view. Because he cannot live within the fire or within the water, he's thinking there is no life within the fire. This is rascaldom. To refute these rascals, Kṛṣṇa says, nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ. Even within the fire there are living entities. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "I spoke first of all this Bhagavad-gītā system to the sun-god."

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

So this civilization, modern civilization, having no information of the soul, it is simply a pack of animals only, that's all. Therefore they do not care what is the resultant action of their activities, they do not care for pious, piety and vicious activities. They take everything... That is asuric civilization. Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca na vidur āsura-janāḥ (BG 16.7). Āsura-jana means these rascals or asuras, atheists, fools, rascals, they do not know pravṛtti and nivṛtti. Pravṛtti means in which subject matter we should take interest, that is called pravṛtti. And nivṛtti means in which subject matter we shall not take interest, or we shall try to give it up. The āsura-jana, they do not know. Just like we have got pravṛtti inclination, loke vyavāya āmiṣa mada-sevā nityasya jantuḥ. Every living entity has got materially... There are two natures, spiritual and material. Materially, the inclination of sex enjoyment and eating meat—āmiṣa, āmiṣa means eating meat, flesh and fish, like that. That is called āmiṣa.

Lecture on BG 2.51-55 -- New York, April 12, 1966:

Our present position is that we are not happy. We are always full of anxieties. That is our present position. Now, here just the opposite word is used that yayā ātmā suprasīdati. If you want to actually, if you want actually to make yourself jolly, full of happiness, then you should search out your occupation in such a way that it will lead you to the devotional service of the Supreme Lord. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Para means the highest, or the transcendent. We are engaged in some, in some sort of activities. Nobody is free from activities. Even a ant, an ant, it is also engaged in activity. And the elephant. Ant is the most, I mean to..., according to our vision, the ant is very small and the elephant is very big. But everyone, beginning from the ant up to the elephant, so far our experience is concerned... There are other big animals also. We have not seen. But we can see from the description of the scriptures that there are fishes in the ocean which is called timiṅgila. So timiṅgila... You, perhaps you know that fish which is called in Sanskrit timi matsya, or whale fish, very big, sometimes hundred feet long. So there are other fishes which is a timiṅgila. That fish swallows up this fish, this hundred-feet-long. Now just imagine what must be the length of that fish's body. You see?

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa says that all these living entities... We are all living entities... Actually, every one of us is spirit soul, living entities. It does not matter whether I am a human being or other than human being, lower animals, birds, beasts, trees or higher celestial beings. There are many varieties of life. 8,400,000. Nine... Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. In the water there are living entities of 900,000 varieties. We simply know that there are some fishes and crocodiles or sharks in the water, but śāstra, Vedic śāstras, they give definite information, how many forms and varieties of life are there within the water: 900,000. How many we have seen? Our scientists, our botanists, how many they have seen? So actually you cannot have perfect knowledge by the experimental method.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: But if you become a fish within the water, you will never be evaporated.

Guest (1): That's exactly my question is.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (1): That I want to go out of this avajñāna cakra.

Prabhupāda: So then you become a fish within the water. Then you will never come out. And if you remain superficially on the water, you will be evaporated.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

And if you superficially merge into God, then you will be evaporated. Bhūtvā bhūtvā praliyate (BG 8.19). You will once mix up, again you will be evaporated, again. You will mix up, again you will be evaporated. If you want to stop this, then you become a devotee. Surrender, like the fish, a small fish within the ocean. Because he does surrender, it is not evaporated. It is never evaporated. Although he is very small fish. So you become a devotee, don't try to merge, serve, then you will never evaporated.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Bombay, March 21, 1974:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "Try to understand this Bhagavad-gītā in this process." What is that? Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "I first of all spoke to the sun-god, Vivasvān." Vivasvān. The sun is there. Nobody knows what is there in the sun. The so-called scientists, philosophers... But there is possibility to talk with the sun-god personally. That is possible. You can also go. You can also talk, provided you become qualified by Kṛṣṇa's grace. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He can go anywhere. It is not that because the fiery planet... Sun planet is fiery planet. The body there, the body is made of fire there. Just like here the body's made of earth. Similarly, there are planets where the body's made of water, the body's made of fire, because these are the material elements. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4). Either earth, water, fire, air... They are all material things. So I may have got a suitable body to live in this material, or this earthly planet. The fish has got a certain body to live in the water. You cannot live in the water. The fish cannot live on the land. That does not mean that it is impossible to live in the water. Similarly, because you cannot live in the fire, that does not mean for others it is impossible. This is foolishness.

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

Just like still animal sacrifice... Not only the followers of Vedas, every religion—animal is killed or sacrificed under certain religious rituals, in the lower stage. In the higher stage there is no such animal sacrifice. Just like this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, there is no ritualistic process as animal sacrifice. But the Vedas, they will include everyone. Suppose one is addicted to fish-eating or meat-eating. So the Vedas do not reject him also. He gives him direction that "You... All right, you can eat meat, but not you can start slaughterhouse. You can sacrifice one goat in the presence of goddess Kālī, and then you can eat." That means restriction. Goddess Kālī cannot be worshiped daily. So at least, he is forbidden to eat daily, meat. That is the idea.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Public Meeting -- Rome, May 25, 1974:

Because we are, by constitutional position, we are spirit soul, any material comforts will not give us actually a favorable condition of life. Just like a fish taken out of the water cannot be comforted by material comfort, er, comfort on the land. Unless the fish is again thrown into the water, any kind of comforts on the land will not make him happy. Therefore as spirit soul, we must take to the spiritual life, and then we shall be happy.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:

Translator: (translating questions from French) Jesus Christ..., it is said that he made the miracle of the fish and ate. So why is it that one should not eat meat?

Prabhupāda: Jesus Christ said, "You shall not kill." Why you are killing?

Translator: But then why did he eat fish?

Prabhupāda: He can eat the whole world, but you cannot do that. You must follow his instruction, "Thou shall not kill." You must have discrimination. You are human beings; you are not cats and dogs. You must have discrimination, what to eat, what to not eat. Because we have to eat some other living entity, it does not mean that I shall eat my sons and daughters. "Discrimination is the best part of valor." So far we are concerned, we are eating certainly vegetable, but not directly. We eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: (BG 9.26) "Anyone who offers Me with love and affection vegetables, grains, milk, I eat." So if there is any sin for eating vegetables, that is Kṛṣṇa's sin, not our sin. We take the prasādam. We are teaching people to eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam. We are not teaching people to become vegetarian or nonvegetarian. That is not our business. After all, we have to eat, so if we eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam... That is stated, yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: "If you accept prasādam which is offered to God, then you are free from all sinful resultant action."

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

Just like a fish, when it is put into the land, it is unhappy, or death. Similarly, if you, the creature of the land, if you are put into the water, you are unhappy. And death. So because we belong to the spiritual nature... As it is explained by Kṛṣṇa, that this material nature is aparā, aparā. Aparā means inferior, not fit for us. Therefore we are unhappy. So long we shall remain in the material nature, we must be unhappy.

Just like this body. This body is made of material nature, and we are within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). So long we have got this body, material body, we must be unhappy. First of all, we must try to understand why we are unhappy. We are unhappy because we are in this material body. And the... What is that unhappiness? It is ending in four principles, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). To take birth and again to die, and so long we live we must suffer from some disease, and we must become old. Plain truth.

Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

Kṛṣṇa has many incarnations. Sometimes He appears in the species of fish. Keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. That does not mean that he belongs to the fish community. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Vasudeva, Vasudeva belonged to the kṣatriyas. That does not mean that He belonged to the kṣatriya community. Then again He was transferred to Vṛndāvana to become the foster son of Nanda Mahārāja. And Nanda Mahārāja was a vaiśya, mercantile community man. So that does not mean that Kṛṣṇa belonged to the vaiśya community. He does not belong to any community.

Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:

Keśava, Kṛṣṇa, appeared just like a fish. He appeared Himself in the fish community. Oh, but that does not mean that He was fish. If you say, if you think that, taking a fish, "Oh, it is the generation of Kṛṣṇa..." Of course, everything is Kṛṣṇa, from another point of view.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:

Although He has set up the principle of varṇāśrama-dharma, but He's not within the varṇāśrama-dharma. Just like Kṛṣṇa takes the incarnation of becoming a pig, but that does not mean He is a pig. Ordinary conception of pig we have got. Or He takes the incarnation of a fish, but that does not mean He's ordinary fish.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Bombay, April 7, 1974:

Just like our sense gratification program is loke vyavāya āmiṣa madya-sevāḥ. These are the very prominent program for sense gratification. What is that? Vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex life. Āmiṣa. Āmiṣa means eating fish and meat. Āmiṣa. And madya-sevā, intoxication. This is the general tendency of anyone who is in the material world. And in the Western world it is very prominent. In our country it was not prominent, but now the program is "Make it prominent. Eat more meat, drink wine, and work very hard." This is the program, going on. The leaders are recommending. So actual, there is tendency already. Āmiṣa madya-sevā, vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā, and if we encourage them more, then they become entangled more and more. The Manu-saṁhitā says, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. That is general tendency. But it has to be minimized, because in the spiritual position there is no such thing.

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

So the nature's law is that to keep up your body you have to kill another body. Never mind it is vegetable or, I mean to say, animal or some fish or something else. You see? Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: "One living entity is the subsistence, life-giving subsistence, for another living being." That is the nature's law. You'll find. Ahastāni sahastānām. The everything has been very nicely discussed in Vedic literature. They have discussed all the points.

Ahastāni sahastānām: "Those who have got hands, they are eating," I mean to say, "living entities who have no hands." That means we are human being, we have got hands, and we are eating animals. They have got only legs; they have no hands. So sahastānām ahastāni: "Those who have got hands, they are eating the animals which have no hands." And apadāni catuṣ-padām: "Those who have no legs, they are being eaten by the four-legged." Just like a cow eating grass. So grass cannot move. It has life, but it cannot move. So and... phalgūni tatra mahatām. Phalgūni, "those who are weak, they are being eaten by the..." Just like we find lizards. In your country you don't find lizards. In India we have got many lizards in the walls. They are eating small ants. Phalgūni mahatāṁ tatra. And in the snake, snake kingdom, you will find the small snakes are being by the big snake. Similarly, in sea water also, you will find small fishes are being eaten by the big fishes.

Lecture on BG 4.27 -- Bombay, April 16, 1974:

Actually, it is very difficult to control the mind. So artificially, by controlling the breathing system, there is the process, but still, it is difficult. As I explained yesterday, even a great yogi like Viśvāmitra, he also failed. There are many instances. There was another, Saubhari Muni. He was practicing yoga system within the water. And as soon as he was little agitated by the fish, he wanted to come out and marry and one king's daughter. He wanted to marry all the eight daughters. So there are many instances like that. It is very difficult to control the mind.

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

There are four things: loke vyavāyam... Vyavāya—sex life, and meat-eating. Āmiṣa. Āmiṣa means eating meat, fish, eggs. So, vyavāya means sex. Sex and meat-eating, non-vegetarian diet. Mada-sevā, intoxication. Mithyā sa jantuḥ. Every conditioned soul has natural inclination. Pravṛtti. But one has to control that. That is human life. If you put yourself in the waves of natural inclination, that is not human life. You have to restrict. The whole human life is meant for learning restriction. That is human life. That is perfect Vedic civilization. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). One has to purify his existence.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

They have got natural tendency. That is material world—to enjoy unrestricted sex life, to eat meat, fish eggs, āmiṣa... Āmiṣa-madya-sevā. Āmiṣa means eat meat, fish, eggs. These are āmiṣa. And vegetarian means nirāmiṣa. So āmiṣa-madya-sevā. Madhya means intoxication. Either wine or cigarette, biḍi or gāñjā, bhāṅg, teas, coffees, they are all intoxication. So āmiṣa-madya-sevā and vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex life. You do not require to educate them. In the school, college, the boys and girls are not, I mean, given lesson... Of course now, I think, they are now giving lesson also. But naturally, without any lesson, they know how to do it. Similarly, without an education, one can take to intoxication. So these things are natural. But when we try to stop these material instincts, that is called tapasya, tapasya.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971:

What is the difficulty to understand? There is no difficulty. Just like if you take birth in the sun planet, you have to take a body of fire. There are different planets, and the climatic influence are different, but here the scientists, they are calculating from their own point of view. They do not know that God's creation there are different types of body, different types of atmosphere. Just like the fish. They are living in the water. But you take out the fish on the land, immediately he dies. So your body, you have got a particular type of body. If you are thrown in the water you immediately die. But you can understand that within water there is life, on land there is life, there is body. So when you go to a certain different atmosphere, you have to accept a different type of body.

Lecture on BG 7.4-5 -- Bombay, March 30, 1971:

When we cannot accommodate that how from a person all these material manifestation, the gigantic sky, the innumerable planets with different varieties of energies, how it is possible that it is produced from a person... Therefore, those who are in poor fund of knowledge, they think just the opposite way. Because personally, how it is possible? Therefore they think of the Supreme Absolute Truth as imperson, but that is not fact. Person. We can again study. Just like your body, my body, although it is gigantic... Just like elephant's body... Or there are many other animals. Just in the ocean there are many big fishes. One fish is called timi, the whale fish. It is sometimes as big as one big house. And it is understood from the śāstras that there is another fish which is called timiṅgila. Timiṅgila means a big fish which can swallow up a whale as big as a house. So there are so many big animals and big living entities all over the universe, but all of them are production of a very little spiritual spark.

Lecture on BG 7.11-12 -- Bombay, February 25, 1974:

So everything, analytical study is there in the śāstras very minute, senses and power, who has got. The fish, they have got very good sensation power. Means two miles away, they get sensation there is enemy, "Somebody's coming to eat me." These are all described in the Bhāgavatam. The frogs, they can become in samādhi, situated in samādhi, for many, many years. So these things are not very great things, to have samādhi, to have yogic principles. Even in the animals you will find. I read long, long ago that in the coal mine, while they were digging coals, one frog came out from the coal and jumped over and died. That means the frog was buried within the lump of coal for many, many thousands of years, and he was keeping samādhi. Kumbhaka, kumbhaka-yoga they know. So these are not very extraordinary things. Because after all, living entity is eternal, does not die. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). If, by some process, he lives for some time more, that is not very wonderful thing. The wonderful thing is how to stop this birth and death. That is wonderful thing. Not that I am living, say, for fifty years or hundred years, another man is living for three hundred years. That is not very wonderful thing.

Lecture on BG 7.16 -- Bombay, April 7, 1971:

So in order to advance in spiritual life, we have to voluntarily decrease these demands of the body. That is called tapasya. In our country especially, many great saintly persons, sages, even kings, voluntarily they would give up these demands of the body, not that artificially increasing these demands of the body. That will not help us in spiritual life. So this strī-saṅga, or association with woman, that is a demand of the body. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā. Āmiṣa means nonvegetarian foods. Eating flesh, fish, eggs, these are called āmiṣa. And madya means wine, liquor. So all the conditioned souls, they have got a natural inclination for sex life, intoxication, and eating fish, eat... They have got a natural inclination. Even ants, they have got all these inclinations. Expert psychologists and medical men, they have studied that even the ant, it has got also the same propensities. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā. So when there is legalized, or marriage under religious principle, it is to be understood a sort of concession.

Lecture on BG 7.16 -- Bombay, April 7, 1971:

So the idea is not to encourage, but to restrict. The idea is prohibition, at least in our country. Similarly, when there is allowance for sex life or meat-eating or drinking in the śāstras, they are not meant for instigating that "You go on with this business as much as you can." No. Actually they are meant for restriction. Therefore, for spiritual advancement of life, one has to know these basic knowledge, how we have to lead our life in order to make advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have therefore these restrictions, that nobody can have illicit sex life; nobody can eat meat and fish or eggs, like that; nobody can touch any kinds of intoxication, including smoking cigarettes and drinking tea—they are also intoxicants; and nobody can indulge in gambling. So these things are necessary.

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

Similarly, when as soon as we say "form," we understand this form. Just like I am seeing your form, you are seeing my form. So we understand that God may be a form, and because God also comes in this form also. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā it is said, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: (BG 9.11) "Because I have come in the form of an ordinary human being, they are deriding: 'How He can be God?' " So many scholars, so many philosophers, they deny to accept Kṛṣṇa, God. Why? Because He appears to be just like you and me, a human being. But God can appear in any way because He is all-powerful. He sometimes appears as fish; sometimes He appears as tortoise; sometimes He appears like a boar; sometimes He appears half-lion, half-man. Similarly sometimes He appears man, sometimes He appears as woman.

Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966:

Just like you cannot live in the water with this body. You can make an experiment. You can live there, within water, say twenty-four hours or fifteen hours or sixteen hours. That's all. That's all. But the fish, the aquatic animals, they have got particular body. They are living whole life. Similarly, if you take out the fishes from water and put them on the land, oh, they will instantly die. As you see even in this planet that you have got to make your different kinds of body to live in a particular place, so similarly, if you want to enter into another planet, you have to prepare yourself to get that particular type of body.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 22, 1976:

The living entity, soul, is everywhere. But according to his karma... Just like nowadays people are very fond of diving within the water and swim. This has become a fashion. So next life they are going to become fish. Yes. Because yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). If you at the time of death, if you think of that, how to swim very nicely within the water, that means next life nature will give you a fish life. You get it. That is God's mercy. Why you artificially try to become a fish? You become actually fish. That is nature's gift. So you'll get. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran. This is stated in the Bhagavad... Because whatever we practice in our life, so that concept of life, that imagination, continues.

Just like you dream. What do you dream? Whatever you think always, you dream like that. It is mental activities. So those who are trying to become fishlike, nature offers him a actual body of fish. That is transmigration of the soul. We are desiring different types of desires and we are getting a body.

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

So I was not a scientist, neither I am a scientist. How did I say? I said on the strength of the version in the Vedic literature that it is not possible. You cannot... We are conditioned. We are conditioned to remain in a certain condition, certain atmosphere. We cannot surpass that. Just like we are animals of the land. We cannot go to the water. And the aquatics, fishes, they are animals of the water, they cannot live on the land. Why these rascals are trying to overcome the laws of nature? How foolish rascals they are, just imagine. Any child can understand, but these rascals cannot understand. Their challenge is that "We are trying to overcome the laws." Is it not? That is their challenge. Therefore they are rascals. Narādhama. Māyayāpahṛta-jñāna. They are attempting in something which they cannot perform. Therefore they are rascals. Mūḍha. So better, to become more and more mūḍha, better to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

But you'll find the information exact in number, jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi: "The aquatics, the living entities within the water, there are nine hundred thousands 900,000's of forms." We have got information from Vedic literature. There is a fish which is called timiṅgila. Timiṅgila. Timi means... Timi is also another fish. That is Sanskrit name. The English name is whale fish. It is very very big, just like one small house. And there is another fish which is called timiṅgila. These timiṅgila fish swallow up these whale fish like, like this. (laughter) Such a big fish. These informations are there. Therefore try to understand how much perfect knowledge is there in the Vedas. So similarly, right information is there.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975:

Similarly, not only this human form of body, but there are eight million four hundred thousand different types of bodies. We have explained several times. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi: "In the water there are nine hundred thousand different forms of body." How many do we know? We do not know all the details. We know there are different types of fishes, and say, a hundred thousand we have seen or experimented, the zoologist. But from the Vedic literature we understand that there are nine hundred thousand forms of body within the water.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975:

The trees, these banyan trees, they are making their arrangement how to stand fixed up very strong. Nobody can move. The same struggle for existence is going on. As we are struggling to make our position secure, similarly, the trees are also making their position secure. The cats and dogs, they are also making attempt to make their position secure. This is called struggle for existence. So from this tree, just try to remember that there are nine hundred thousand species of aquatics.

We get information from śāstra. There is a fish which is called timiṅgila which swallows big, big whales just like big fish swallows a small fish. This is struggle for existence.

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

You have seen the sparrow bird. As soon as one, they land, want to eat something, like this, like this. He's afraid. "Is not somebody coming to kill me?" That's all. Everywhere. In the aquatic also. Everyone is afraid for life. But Kṛṣṇa has given them different types of defensive measures. It is learned from the śāstra that the fish, they can, by the waves of the water, they can understand that "Few miles away there is enemy." They can understand. And they become immediately defensive, how to protect. Because this is struggle for existence. I want to eat you; you want to eat me. Jivo jīvasya jīvanam. This is going on. So everyone is afraid. Everyone is taking defense.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

So to begin with knowledge, Kṛṣṇa recommends amānitvam, humility. Because the real disease of material life is that he is not humble. He is always proud. Little possession. Svalpa-mātrena. Just like the big fish in the ocean. They are deep within the water and if you find out a small lake, little water, you'll find small fishes (makes sound) they're doing there. So there is no depth of knowledge. Simply they're perplexed. Therefore this education should be given, how to become humble. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvaṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Paripraśnena sevayā. One has to learn by service, by praṇipāta, praṇipāta means surrender. There is no surrender. Nobody is prepared to surrender. "Oh, why shall I surrender? I know everything." Puffed-up unnecessarily. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says the material disease is that rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś (ca ye) (SB 1.2.19). Rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ means, rajo-guṇa, kāma and lobha. Ignorance.

Lecture on BG 13.15 -- Bombay, October 9, 1973:

This is understood very easily. It is very easy. Just like a fish can live within the water. He has got also his senses. He has got his organs and everything is there, but it is specially made for living in the water. You cannot live in the water with these hands and legs. That is not possible. It is practical. But the fish can live. Because he has got special hands and legs, he is very happy there. He is not happy... As soon as you take it from the water and put on the land, he dies. Similarly, if you are taken from land and put into the water, you'll die. So everything requires special hands, legs. Why don't you understand it? Similarly, to live in the spiritual world, you require spiritual hands and legs.

Lecture on BG 13.21 -- Bombay, October 15, 1973:

So we are trying to make the situation improved because, after all, as soon as you get this material body, it is suffering. There is no question of happiness. But by the illusory energy, by illusion we are thinking we are enjoying. That is called illusion, māyā. Just like the same example, a hog is eating stool, but he is thinking he is enjoying. This is called prakṣepātmikā-śakti. Not only hog, even in human society, somebody eats the most abominable, most rotten fish; still, he's thinking he's enjoying. We have seen it. Unless he thinks like that, how... If he thinks that, "This is most rotten thing," then he cannot live. The māyā must make him forget that he is eating the most rotten thing. He'll think, "It is very nice." Māyayāpahṛta-jñāna. So this is the consequence of all forgetfulness.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Hawaii, January 31, 1975:

Because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is everyone's property. He is not... Don't think in that way, just like it is stated in the English dictionary: "Kṛṣṇa, one of the Hindu gods." But Kṛṣṇa does not say that "I am the Hindu god." They have made in the dictionary, "Kṛṣṇa, one of the Hindu gods." They have no knowledge about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya: (BG 14.4) "In all species of life." There are 8,400,000 species of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Nine lakh species in the water, and trees and plants, there are two million species. Similarly, insects, sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyayaḥ. Eleven lakhs species, 1,100,000 species of insects, serpents, snakes, like that, gradually developing from water, fish, to... As the water dries up, then they come out as grass, as vegetables. Then grow, different types of trees, plants, creepers. Then gradually develops to become insects, flies. Then develops to serpents.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Hawaii, January 31, 1975:

Just like father gives the seed, impregnates the mother, and the mother supplies the body. The body belongs to the mother, and the spirit soul belongs to... Not be... To the supreme father. But it comes through the material father. Actually the supreme father is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. So Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. Kṛṣṇa is not monopolized. This is a wrong theory, "He is a Hindu god." No. He is for everyone. Otherwise how you Americans, Europeans and others outside India, how you are accepting? Because originally Kṛṣṇa is your father, everyone's father. Mamaivāṁśo jīva (BG 15.7), all living... Not only you, but the animals, the trees, the plants, the insects, the serpent, the aquatics, the fish—everyone the son of Kṛṣṇa. This is daivī sampat.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Hawaii, January 31, 1975:

Paṇḍita means learned, and he knows that "These Americans, these Europeans, these Africans or these Indians or these cows, these dogs and the elephant, trees, the plants, the fish—they have got different dress only, but the soul is the same. The living force within the body, that is the same particle, spiritual particle, part and parcel of the supreme spirit, Kṛṣṇa." This is daivī sampat.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa doesn't want anything else. Kṛṣṇa does not say, "Give Me meat. Give Me eggs. Give Me fish." No. He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. So if you are devotee, you cannot take anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa... I should offer to Kṛṣṇa what He wants. Just like if you want to offer me something, so you inquire that "What shall I offer you? What do you like?" So similarly, if you invite Kṛṣṇa to live in your house or temple, then you should ask Kṛṣṇa, "Sir, what can I offer You?" Kṛṣṇa said, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa said that "You give Me patram, means vegetables, flowers, fruits, and phalam, fruits, and some liquid, water or milk." Kṛṣṇa does not say, "You give Me meat or egg or fish." No. Kṛṣṇa can eat everything, He's all powerful, but He does not eat, although He is all powerful.

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

Then he can surrender unto Kṛṣṇa: vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). These are the process, simple processes. You, we have to simply take it seriously. So therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is prohibiting the four pillars of sinful life. What is that? Illicit sex life. Illicit sex life. And meat-eating. Meat-eating. Meats, fish, egg, everything. Āmiṣa. Āmiṣa-bhoja. Meat-eating. And intoxication. All kinds of intoxication. Not only liquor or LSD, but also tea, coffee, cigarette, everything. Illicit sex life, meat-eating, and intoxicant and gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful life. So we are advocating: "Please give up these four principles of sinful life and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, at least sixteen rounds." You become situated in the transcendental position, and you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa and what is Bhagavad-gītā. Thank you very much.

Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:

That is the difference. You be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then everything will be automatically done. That is wanted. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). If you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you'll see that "Every living entity, not only human society, but the animal society, the bird society, tree society, the aquatic society—all living entities, they're all sons of Kṛṣṇa. Why shall I kill a fish or a cow, or a goat? He's also son of Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- Caracas, February 23, 1975:

Therefore the conclusion is that if we approach God for some material benefit, we may be cheated at some time. Therefore it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita atra kaitavaḥ: "This kind of motivated religious system is completely thrown away from this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Intelligent persons should know that "God is supplying food to so many living entities. Why He shall not supply me?" There are 8,400,000 forms of living entity. Out of that, only 400,000 forms are human body. So eight million means there are fishes, there are trees, there are plants, there are insect, there are birds, beasts, and in this way, eight million. They are getting all their foodstuff supplied by God. This morning we were walking on the, in the park. We saw. So many fruits are thrown on the street. That means the birds have eaten them, and they have thrown so many. So God supplies immense bread or eatable things without any asking. In a African jungle there are hundreds, thousands of elephants. They eat, at a time, huge quantity of food. But still, they are supplied by God. Actually, even from practical point of view—I have traveled all over the world—there are immense place. We can produce foodstuff for supplying food, ten times of the whole world population. So therefore there is no need of approaching God with a motive for material supplies or material satisfaction.

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

So ultimately it is taken religion is the path of vimukti, religion. Because other things are being tried by the animals. The animals also have their ways of getting out of inconvenience. They know how to do it. Just like a bird, he knows that on the land I am in danger. As soon as there is some danger, immediately flies up to the tree. He knows. So everyone knows. You will find in animal kingdom, in birds' kingdom, everyone knows how to protect. It is said, we learn from Bhāgavata that also that fish within the water, they have got so sensitive power that miles away if some enemy is coming, they can understand and they take shelter. Just like a dog can smell from distant place that somebody unknown is coming. So every animal has got special qualifications. Don't think that human being is only intelligent. No. The intelligence for these four things, how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex intercourse, and how to defend, these intelligence are there in every animal. Don't think simply human being has got this intelligence.

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

Now this life, this human form of life is especially meant for enquiring about the absolute truth. In animal life we cannot do. There are big, big animals, tigers and lions and elephants and big, big trees also, they are also living entities. Big, big whale fish within the ocean, very gigantic. Big, big mountains, mountains, they have got also life. But they cannot enquire about God, that is not possible. You can enquire about God in this human form of life, that's all. Therefore in any civilized society, there is an enquiry of God, that is called religion. One may be, or in degrees there may be different. Just like in India, they are also making inquiry. Not now, not at the present moment. They have given up. But hundreds and thousands of years ago. Not thousand, even two hundred years ago, India was so inquisitive about enquiring about God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:

So in the previous verse it has been discussed, what is first-class religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). In the lower animal life, lower species of life, there is no question of religion. We have discussed many times that there is a gradual process of evolution from low..., lower animal life to the human life. Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva. Aśīti means eighty, catura means four, lakṣām, eighty-four lakhs, 8,400,000. Non... To tell...(?) Janma paryayāt. This is the evolution. From lower animals, from fish to plants, trees, insects, reptiles, birds, beasts. In this way, we come to the human form of life, and this human form of life is meant for dharma. Practically also, we see that the state laws, state laws are meant for the human beings. State laws are not for the animals. Animals, they do not require to observe the state laws. Neither they are able to do so. That is the difference between animal and human being.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:

Shastric injunction is that if one wants to become leader, if one is the spiritual leader or political leader or brāhmaṇa, he must give up four principles of sinful life: illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating, fish-eating. He must give up. This is called sādhu-mārgānugamanam. If you don't follow these principles, then how you are following sādhu? If you are intoxicated, if you are fond of smoking, drinking, gāñjā, biḍi, wine, even chewing pān... Pān is also intoxication. Drinking tea. These are all intoxication. So if you are addicted to these habits, how you can be sādhu? Sādhu-mārgānugamanam.

So... But if one, therefore, engages himself, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yoga... Vāsudeve bhagavati. Then you have to follow the devotees of Vāsudeva. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Guru, who requires a guru? Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. One who is inquisitive to learn about the transcendental science, he requires a guru. It is not a fashion that we keep a guru. Just like sometimes we keep a dog. Yes. A pet, pet dog, pet cat. So that is for my sense gratification. Guru, I keep a guru, a poor man guru, and guru wants some money from me. Then guru, śiṣya says, "My dear guru, if I do not eat meat and fish, my health will fail."

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

So ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Anartha, things which are not wanted. Artha means wanted, something wanted; anartha means this is not wanted. So we are habituated to so many things, bad habits. So anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. This is the result of bhajana-kriyā. Anartha. Anartha. Just like these things, as we prohibit—illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling—these are anarthas. They are not required actually. But people are habituated to these things on account of bad association. So if you associate with a really sādhu, if you execute really devotional service, these anarthas will be vanquished. That is the symptom. No more illicit sex. No more intoxication. No more gambling. No more meat-eating, fish-eating, egg-eating. No. That is called anartha.

Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Los Angeles, August 18, 1972:

So you can become dog; you can become god also. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). So you create your body at the present moment. You have got the facility, the human form of body. Now you can make your choice, whether you are going to be dog or whether you are going to be god. Both. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. "Those who are devotees engaged in My devotional service, they come to Me." And when you go to God, you must have a body like God. Just like if you want to enter into the water, then you must have a body like a fish. Otherwise you cannot enter into the water. Similarly, when you enter the spiritual world, then you have a body like God. And if you don't want, if you want to enjoy unrestricted sense, then you take the body of a hog. So nature is open to everyone. You can select your own.

Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

There are different kinds of living entities. Just like you cannot live within the water, within the ocean, but there are other living entities... Just like fish. They live very comfortably within the water. So why should we conclude that there is no life in the sun planet or moon planet? This is not perfect knowledge. From Vedic books we can understand that this moon planet is one of the heavenly planets and people live there. They are demigods. Their duration of life is very long. And one can go to that planet by performing the rituals. They are described. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, yānti deva-vratā devān. If you are serious to go to the planets where demigods live, you can go.

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

Devotee: No meat, fish or eggs, no intoxicants, no gambling or mental speculation, and no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Māyāpur-candrodaya. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's name. (japa)

Devotee: No meat, fish or eggs, no intoxicants, no gambling, and no illicit sex life.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Nitāi-gauracandra dāsa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (japa)

Devotees: Jaya! (break)

Devotee: ...sex, eating of fish, meat or eggs, no intoxicants.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Madana-mohana dāsa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (japa)

Devotee: Richard.

Prabhupāda: (japa) Hm. What are the rules?

Richard: No meat, fish, or eggs, no intoxications, no illicit sex, and no gambling.

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

Prabhupāda: So your name is Rādhā-gopīnātha dāsa. (japa) What are the rules and regulations?

Devotee: No meat, fish, or eggs, no illicit sex life, no intoxicants, and no gambling.

Prabhupāda: So you are Vṛndā-devī dāsī. Vṛndā-devī? Yes. Vṛndā-devī is another name of tulasī. (japa) So what are the rules?

Devotee: No illicit sex life, no intoxications, no gambling, no mental speculation, no intoxicants...

Prabhupāda: Hm, what is the name?

Devotee: ...no meat-eating, meat, fish or eggs.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Mathurā-mohana dāsa. Hare Kṛṣṇa

Devotee: Thank you very much, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (japa)

Prabhupāda: ...rules? What are the rules?

Devotee: No illicit sex, no fish, meat or eggs, no intoxicants, no gambling.

Prabhupāda: All right. Your name Ravīndranātha (pause) dāsa. (laughter)

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

Devotee: Mark Prabhu. No, Paula. (japa)

Prabhupāda: What are the rules?

Devotee: No illicit sex, no meat, fish or eggs, no gambling and no..., intoxication.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Paramahaṁsī-devī. (laughter) Don't laugh. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

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

So by discharging devotional service, you don't create another body. That means you remain in your pure, spiritual body. Otherwise, karmaṇā: you have to create another body, either human body, cat's body, dog's body, or demigod's body, fish body, tree body, so many-8,400,000 kinds of body. So unless you take to devotional service, you will have to repeat this business of transmigrating from one body to another.

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

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

rūpaṁ sa jagṛhe mātsyaṁ
cākṣuṣodadhi-samplave
nāvy āropya mahī-mayyām
apād vaivasvataṁ manum
(SB 1.3.15)

Translation: "When there was a complete inundation after the period of the Cākṣuṣa Manu and the whole world was deep within water, the Lord accepted the form of a fish and protected Vaivasvata Manu, keeping him up on a boat."

Prabhupāda: So here is history also. This Vedic history is not that for one thousand years or two thousand years. No, not like that. One period. One millennium, Brahmā's one day, it is millions and millions of years. So just like there is night after day, day after night, similarly, the Brahmā's day, Brahmā's night, that is calculated. And one Brahmā's day. You know, that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). So Brahmā's one day means one thousand times of the yugas. The yugas means the Satya-yuga, Kali-yuga, and..., Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. So Satya-yuga's duration is about 1800,000's of years. The next, Tretā-yuga, duration about 1200,000's of years. And then Dvāpara-yuga, 800,000's of years, solar years.

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

So it is, God's creation is like that. According to karma, there are different species of forms of life, but they have got all facilities to live. That is God's creation. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The direction is there, that this living entity wanted a body to swim in the sea very jubilantly, so now he has got the body of a fish. So let him live very peacefully. That is God's mercy. You take very much pleasure with that surf... What is called, in the sea?

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

Surfboard? Yes. (laughter) So if you increase your engage..., "How I shall be swimming and enjoy this sport all day and night?" then Kṛṣṇa will give you the body of a fish. (laughter) Yes. He is very kind. And you will very nicely live in the sea, always swimming without any difficulty. Every life. As you increase your propensity for a certain type of activities, nature is ready immediately: "Take this body. Why you are anxious? Take this body." Similarly, if you become anxious to have a body like Kṛṣṇa, that is also ready. Now it is your choice. If you like, you take the body of a fish, or if you like, you take the body of sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), eternal, blissful knowledge.

So we are trying to give that body. Not a fish body, cat's body, dog's body. That we have experienced, past life. We have got this life now to make discretion, to make choice, what kind of body we are going to get next. That is intelligence. That is intelligence.

Lecture on SB 1.3.24 -- Los Angeles, September 29, 1972:

This is the cause of our creation of this material body. Just like when you enter into the water, just like so many swimmers now entering within the..., you have to take a particular type of dress. As you are going to the moon planet, you have to fortify yourself with a particular type of dress. It costs about forty millions dollars? Something like that. You see? Similarly, the spirit soul... We are all spirit soul. When we want to enter this material world, we get this material body. This is the process. Now... Just like they take pleasure diving within the water, swimming like the fish. That natural tendency is there. You cannot say, "Why I have come to this material world?" Why you are swimming within the water? Why? Who has induced you? There is no such question. But the fact is as soon as you want to enter this material world, you have to accept this dress. Otherwise you cannot work here. This is the fact.

Lecture on SB 1.3.25 -- Los Angeles, September 30, 1972:

There are so many living entities. But if you preach there Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not possible Their number is far greater than human being. Still, they have no capacity. Next development, plants and trees, there also, no sensation. You cut the trees, no protest, because there is no sensation. There is practically consciousness... There is consciousness, very slight. Sir Jagadish Candra Bose has proved that when you cut tree, he feels, and that is recorded in what is called, that machine? So everyone has got consciousness. Living entity means there is consciousness. But they have their consciousness only for eating, sleeping, sex life and defending. There is consciousness amongst the fish. Their consciousness is so strong, two miles away if some big fish is coming, they can understand. Immediately they can take precaution defending. These are all described.

Lecture on SB 1.5.35 -- Vrndavana, August 16, 1974:

This kind of renunciation is not recommended by our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the Gosvāmīs recommend anāsaktasya viṣayān. You do not be attached to the demands of the body, but you utilize it for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Eating is required. If you don't eat nicely, then body cannot be maintained. But anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham. Eating is required, but not eating too much. Not eating to the taste of the tongue, unnecessarily eating meat, fish, eggs. Why? You are human being. For you Kṛṣṇa has given so much varieties of food stuff. Fruits, vegetables, nice rice, ḍāl, milk, ghee. Why should you go to the meat-eating? This is required. You eat like human being, not like cats and dogs. But eating is not prohibited. That is not our philosophy. Don't eat like cats and dogs, but eat like human being.

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

They have created the United Nations, but there is no solution because everyone is under the grip of the māyā, material energy, and they are simply creating problems. This is their business. Yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam (SB 1.7.5). Ātmānam. I am spirit soul, but I do not belong to these material qualities; still, I am thinking, ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. One cannot go beyond these three guṇas, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, or mixed. Three into three equal to nine, and again mix, nine into nine equals eighty-one. Therefore there are 8,400,000 species of living entities under the impression that "I am this; I am plant; I am fish; I am mosquito; I am man; I am demigod; I am tiger; I am Indian; I am American." In this way there are 8,400,000's of different types of identification. Therefore we find so many forms of life. Ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakaṁ manute. Yayā... This is all the work of māyā, to keep us under certain impression.

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

So the whole Vedic literature is there how to make him stop this pravṛtti-mārga. That is the whole plan. Otherwise there are many instances, loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityas tu jantuḥ. Nitya. A jantuḥ, he's called jantuḥ. Jantuḥ means animal or no intelligence. Those who are jantuḥ, they have got this tendency. Pravṛttir eṣā. What is that? Vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā: sex and meat-eating. Āmiṣa, meat, egg, fish; and madya, intoxication. This is pravṛtti. Loke vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex. Āmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā tu jantuḥ. Jantuḥ means living being, conditioned in the material world, they have got this general tendency. Pravṛtti. You will find in animals, in birds, in beasts, and beastly human being, two-legged beast... There are four-legged beasts and two-legged beasts. Four-legged beasts are the animals—cats, dogs, tigers, etc.

Lecture on SB 1.7.23 -- Vrndavana, September 20, 1976:

This rascal, he wants to wander within this material world in different capacities. Sometime he's demigod, sometime he's dog, sometime he's tree, sometime he's fish, sometime he is president, sometime he's a nonsense. In this way, in different ways, he is suffering in this material world, and Kṛṣṇa is with him, trying to get him back. And whenever there is opportunity, He's asking, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam: (BG 18.66) "You rascal, why you are suffering in this way? You give up all this nonsense business. You simply surrender to Me." That is Kṛṣṇa's ambition, that "This rascal is suffering, so better give him good instruction."

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

Everyone is, even an animal, a small insect, everyone is interested in sense enjoyment. This morning I was reading in the Bhāgavatam, one Saubhari Muni, he was a great yogi, and within the water he was executing the yoga, mystic, and he saw that the two fishes are enjoying sex. So he became sexually inclined-old man, yogi. So he went to Māndhātā king, that "You give me one daughter, your daughter." So he was within the water, old man, and old man's bodily feature is not very good. The king knew that "This is a useless person, but he is a yogi. He has come to ask me for a daughter." So he said, "Yes, you are welcome. I have got my fifty daughters. So any one will like you. You can accept. I have no objection." So Saubhari Muni understood that "The king has tactfully avoided to give his daughter." So he was a yogi. So he made himself very beautiful young man. That yogi can do that. They can change. Because we are not this body, so body is old, it can be younger; younger body can be older. Nowadays in medical science, they are also doing. A man is woman, woman is man. So body can be changed. There is no difficulty if you know the process. So he changed to be a very nice, beautiful young man. So all the fifty daughters, they became attracted. They began to fight: "Oh, he is for me. He is not for you." So anyway, he accepted all the fifty daughters. In this way he became very elevated householder. But at some time he began to think, "What is my, this enjoyment? Simply by seeing the sex affairs of the fish... I was a yogi, I was a tapasvī, I've lost everything. Now I am a householder and pet husband of these women." So he came to his senses. Again he went to the forest for tapasya.

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

So I, as spirit soul, I am individual, existing. I shall continue to exist as individual in this material world either as human being or as an animal or as demigod, or a tree, plants, fish, aquatics—so many. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. So this is going on. This is material world. And if you go to the spiritual world, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). The difference... What is the difference between the spiritual world and the material world? The difference is that if you go to the spiritual world, then you will not return again in this material world. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Spiritual life means punar janma naiti. Punar janma means this material world. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). One janma, then death, again janma, again death. And between the death and birth or birth and death there is disease and old age. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha (BG 13.9). This is our real problem.

Lecture on SB 1.8.24 -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1973:

So Karṇa was insulted during Draupadī's svayaṁvara. In the svayaṁvara... Svayaṁvara means big, big princess, very qualified princess, they used to select her own husband. Just like in your country, the selection of husband is given to the girl, as she likes. This is not very good for common, but those who are uncommon, highly qualified, one who knows how to select, to such girl the facility was given to select her husband and under very strict condition. Just like Draupadī's father made it condition—there was a fish on the ceiling, and one has to pierce the eye of the fish not directly seeing but seeing the shadow in the water down. So there were so many princes. As soon as such declaration is there, all the princes come to combat. That is kṣatriya principle.

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

Just like Kṛṣṇa appeared as the Fish Incarnation. Tad atyanta-viḍambanam (SB 1.8.30). So Kṛṣṇa's disappearance and appearance, His taking birth, these are all bewildering. It is not that... We are forced to take birth. We are, we are , we living entities, conditioned souls, we are transmigrating from one body to another, being forced by the laws of nature. But Kṛṣṇa does not appear by being forced by the laws of nature. That is the difference. Therefore those who are foolish rascals, they think that: "I have taken my birth in this world and Kṛṣṇa has also taken. Therefore I am also God." They, they do not know that you have to take birth by the force of laws of nature. You have been given the chance of very nice body, beautiful body, as American boys and girls, educated, with opulence. If you misuse it, then you are going to get another body according to your mentality.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

So actually, Kṛṣṇa has no birth. Kṛṣṇa doesn't require. He can appear in any family. He... Just like Kṛṣṇa appeared, matsya-avatāra, in the family of fish. Keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra, jaya jagadīśa hare. Kṛṣṇa took birth as a pig. Keśava dhṛta-varāha-śarīra, jaya jagadīśa hare. Kṛṣṇa is free. He can appear anywhere, everywhere. That is... Just like īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He's situated in everyone's heart. So He is with everyone's... Every living being has got Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is already there in the heart. From the heart, if He appears in front... Just like Dhruva Mahārāja. He was meditating that Viṣṇu form of Kṛṣṇa, and all of a sudden he saw that Viṣṇu is not there. Then he opened his eyes. He saw Viṣṇu is in his front. So what is the difficulty for Kṛṣṇa? If He is within the heart and if He comes in your front, is it very difficult task for Him?

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

So there are so, so big, big arrangement in the kingdom of God. So it is not very difficult for Him to give birth to Brahmā or to float this whole universe or the planets in the air. We shall have to apply our intelligence by comparative study. So if it is possible to float a big body... There are many big bodies. The whale fish, it is as big as a ship. Still, it is floating. Why? That small particle of spiritual entity is there. Therefore it is floating. Then, if the Supreme Person enters into a big lump of matter, why it will not float? What is the reason? At least I try to understand in this way.

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

So five thousand years ago Kṛṣṇa came to kill some of the demons. Not all of them were demons. But next time, when Kṛṣṇa will come, it will be only demons. Only demons. Kalki avatāra. What is that stotra? Keśava dhṛta-kalki-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. So at that time Kṛṣṇa will not preach Bhagavad-gītā. Kalki avatāra will simply come to cut the throat only. That will be the preaching. That will be preaching. Mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavālam, karālam. Karālam means death personified. Mleccha-nidhane. Mleccha means meat-eaters. Those who are meat-eaters, fish-eaters, they are mlecchas. Mleccha-yavana, they are called, according to Vedic... So people are becoming meat-eaters nowadays. I have... There is no secrecy. Formerly, at least in India, the meat-eaters used to eat meat very secretly.

Lecture on SB 1.8.35 -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1973 :

So by avidyā, by ignorance, we want to enjoy sense gratification, and we create problems. We create so many artificial work, ugra-karma. Although we are in avidyā, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa everything is very simplified. Just like anywhere, any part of the world, there is food. Everything is there, complete, pūrṇam idam, pūrṇam idam. Just like somebody is living in the Greenland, Alaska, that the atmosphere is not very favorable to our constitution, but they are living, the inhabitants there. There is some arrangement. Similarly, if you study minutely everywhere. Just like there are millions and millions of fishes in the water. If you are put on a boat, and you have to live for say one month, then you will die. You will have no food for you. But then in the..., within the water, there are millions and millions of fishes, they have got enough food. Enough food. Not a single fish will die for want of food. But if you are put into the water, you will die.

Lecture on SB 1.9.1 -- Los Angeles, May 15, 1973:

Just like Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the father of all living entities." Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). And He is accepting not only human society. Sarva-yoniṣu. Sarva-yoniṣu means in all species of life. Kṛṣṇa claims that "Fish, beginning from fish, aquatic life, these living entities, they are also My sons. The birds, they are also My sons. The beasts, they are also My sons. The trees, they are also My sons. The human beings, they are also My sons. The demigods, they are also My sons." Sarva-yoniṣu, "in every species of life." This is the conception of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

Devotee: They say it is for the purpose of eating, fish(?) are created for the purpose of eating.

Prabhupāda: That is also in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, that jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. That we also accept. But just like jīvo jīvasya jīvanam, then why don't you eat your own son? He is also jīva. Why do you discriminate? Therefore discrimination is the better part valor. We should know, we are also eating the vegetables. What kind of jīva, living entity we shall eat, that is to be discriminated. Not that because one living entity is food for another living entity, it does not mean I shall eat my own son. I am father. We do not do that. Because we use our discrimination.

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

So we should use our discrimination. We... We, our only business is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So under Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we cannot eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa says: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You give me meat, eggs and fish." Kṛṣṇa does not say. When you have got Kṛṣṇa as your guest... Kṛṣṇa has come very kindly to be handled by you. He's unlimited. But He has agreed to become limited by your limited hands. This is Kṛṣṇa, this arcā-vigraha. Arcā-vigraha. If Kṛṣṇa, if you want to handle Kṛṣṇa is His gigantic universal form, you have no capacity. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa has become very small, and He's giving you chance to serve Him, to dress Him, to wash Him, to offer Him foodstuff, to offer ārātrika. Kṛṣṇa is giving these chances. So whatever Kṛṣṇa says. He's your guest. He has come very kindly. He says, "Give Me such kind of food." It is your duty to give such food. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalam... You cannot say, "Kṛṣṇa, this is also nice food, eggs and fish." No. That you cannot do.

Lecture on SB 1.10.13 -- Mayapura, June 26, 1973:

One does not require encouragement. One is not taught in the school how to learn sexual intercourse. No. These things are already there. Nitya, nityā hi jantoḥ. Every living entity has got these propensities: intoxication, sex intercourse. Vyavāya āmiṣa. Āmiṣa: meat-eating, fish eating. They're there already. One does not require to be educated, how to eat meat, how to drink, how to use sexual intercourse. No. It is already there. Nityā hi... Na hi tatra codanā. There is no need of encouragement. Then why the śāstra's ordering that "You eat meat in this way. You drink in this way.

Lecture on SB 1.13.15 -- Geneva, June 4, 1974:

Even sometimes, not by willing, sometimes accidentally, a devotee... Just like the other day in the meeting, somebody was giving the example, "Lord Christ, he ate fish." So he can do that. There was some necessity. But you cannot do that. So even though it is sometimes done, abominable, but still they are in exalted position. This is to be understood. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). Tejīyasām, those who are very, very powerful, anything abominable done by them, it does not contaminate. This is to be understood. But you cannot do that. You cannot imitate.

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

So this is the law of nature, that the weaker section is devoured by the stronger section. So here it is said, jalaukasāṁ jale yadvat. In the water, there are so many aquatic animals, the struggle is going on. The stronger fish eating the weaker fish. This is going on. That is the law of nature. Therefore meat-eaters, so long they are like animals, they can go on with this nature's law. You are man, you are stronger; therefore weaker animal—cows and goats—you slaughter them. They are stronger bodily, but they have no intelligence. So man has got intelligence. So if you misuse your intelligence in that way, you can do that. That is nature's law. But human being means culture, advance, in spiritual consciousness. That is human. So this consciousness is developing gradually.

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

So this varṇāśrama-dharma means cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), from the animal position of the human being, to bring him to the human position. That is varṇāśrama-dharma. Just (as in) school (or) college, to become graduate means to become distinguished from the fools and rascals. Similarly, human being does not mean the struggle for existence as the one big fish is eating another small fish, another is... No, no, that is not human. That is natural, but you have to rectify the natural position for the..., for realization of the utmost aim of life. That is human life. Not to treat like animals. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). So that spiritual consciousness begins when one understands that he is soul; he is not this body, he is spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahman means the spirit soul. And there human civilization begins. Otherwise, anārya, anārya-juṣṭam. Kṛṣṇa, when Arjuna was declining to fight, He chastised him that "This denial is anārya-juṣṭam. It is befitting for the anārya, those who are not advanced. One must do his duty.

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

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

Prabhupāda:

rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan
nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu
kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.39)

Govindam, Govinda is ādi-puruṣa. So ādi-puruṣa means the original person. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said by Kṛṣṇa Himself, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7), "I am the Supreme Person." Now there are different forms of God, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). There are different incarnations. Just like īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). That Kṛṣṇa, He is staying in everyone's heart. This is also another incarnation, antaryāmī, Supersoul incarnation. Just imagine how many. Anantyāya kalpate, these living entities are unlimited, so this incarnation, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61), the Lord in everyone's heart is staying. So how many you cannot count, there is no question. Not only that; it is said that aṇḍāntara-stham, He is staying as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu within this universe.

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

So this is the position. You create a situation of your own. Just like when the surgical operation, you have got a boil, then you... You have created by contamination, and the surgeon is simply operating. He has not created that situation. Similarly your transference to another body is not God's creation, it is your creation. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, you have seen. Why one is born in low-grade family, one is born high-grade family, one is born animal, one is born human being, one is born as demigod? Why? What is the cause? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Kāraṇam. The cause is as he has infected the modes of material nature. The material nature is going on in three modes, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. It is up to you if you associate with tamo-guṇa, then you become next life animal or tree or fish. There are so many degraded condition. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ (BG 14.18). Those who are in the darkness modes of material nature, they go down, adhaḥ. Adho gacchanti, degraded.

Lecture on SB 1.15.38 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1973:

You cannot maintain even your family, what to speak of maintain everyone. But God maintains everyone. Eko yo bahūnām, bahūnām. Bahūnām means many, unlimited. Unlimited number of living entities are there. There are millions of elephants in Africa; He is maintaining. At a time the elephant eats about forty kilograms. And who is supplying food? He is eating. The small fish in the ocean, he is also eating. A small ant within the hole of your room, you are not supplying any food, but they are... They have got their family, their friends and everything. Sometimes they come out in hundreds. (laughter) Who is maintaining? Therefore eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti: Kṛṣṇa is maintaining, God maintaining.

So the king is required because the human being has got developed consciousness. So the chance is given.

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

The capturing power and capacity is there. Even a child... In the beginning, the children, there are so many other things. But the child will capture that biscuit, because he knows it is eatable something. But he does not whether it is poison I am giving. He does not know that. That discrimination he hasn't got. But because it appears something to be eatable... The example, as I was giving in walking, that the fish, he has got enough food within the ocean. God has provided. But still, he will capture that tackle, fish-catching tackle, a little something. For taste, he will capture it, and that means lost life. Similarly, the bees, the enter the flower, a big flower like lotus flower, enjoying the smell, but in the evening, with the set of sunset, the petals close and they remain and suffocated, loses their life.

For... We have got different senses. So this bee is losing his life on account of this nostril, very powerful, wants to smell. Similarly, the fish is losing its life on account of this tongue.

Lecture on SB 1.15.50 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1973:

So when they were living incognito... Nobody could know where the Pāṇḍavas were at, they attempted to gain Draupadī in the dress of brāhmaṇas. Draupadī's father made a bet, that "This is the condition of my daughter being given to a boy." The condition was that on a ceiling a fish was hanging, and the boy who will be victorious in piercing the eyes of the fish by arrow... Not directly looking, but there was a waterpot, the reflection. He has to fix up his point by seeing the reflection down, and then he has to pierce the eye. Then Draupadī will accept. All the noted princes in those times, they kept such bet. Even Kṛṣṇa had to marry Satyabhāmā... Satyabhāmā's father also made a bet the, he kept five very strong bulls. So condition was that "Any boy who will be able to control these bulls, then I will offer my daughter to him." So all the princes who came to control the bulls, they got their hands and legs fractured by the pushing of the bull. Nobody could... Then Kṛṣṇa came. And Kṛṣṇa controlled the five bulls, expanding Himself into five strong boy, and He was offered Satyabhāmā.

Lecture on SB 1.15.50 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1973:

So this Draupadī was achieved by Arjuna by piercing the eye of the fish. So when they came home in great jubilation, Arjuna said, "Mother..." No, Yudhiṣṭhira said, "Mother, we have got a great boon today." So mother was affectionate. She said, "All right, my dear boys. Just equally share amongst your brothers." So she was only woman. So by the order of Kuntī, although Arjuna achieved the hand of Draupadī, by the order of mother, she was divided amongst the five brothers. Therefore patīnām. Patīnām. And when she was insulted, because she was lost in the gambling... Bet was that "This time if you lose, then your Draupadī should be lost." So she was lost in that way.

So Karṇa was refused to take part in the sporting, piercing the eyes of the fish, because Draupadī actually knew that "Arjuna is my real husband. So if Karṇa takes part in this sporting..." Karṇa was powerful. He would gain. But she did not like Karṇa.

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

This should be the principle of devotees. We can take part in everything—politics, sociology or philanthropism, altruism, there are so many things they have discovered—provided by taking part in that department of activities we advance our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise reject. Don't take part. You'll be implicated. There, that, that philosophy, technique: dhari' mācha nā choṅya (?) pāni, that we should fish, but don't touch the water. If on the plea of fishing, you become fall down in the water and you are gone, washed away, then what is this?

Lecture on SB 1.16.10 -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1974:

Government is giving license, "Yes, openly you can drink." Kali's influence. Meat-eating. In India, at least, we never saw big signboard in a beef shop. In upper country, even there was... Always there are meat-eaters. So the meat shop is kept out of the vision of public. I mean to say, privately one could purchase, and if one was accustomed to eat meat, he could not get the chance daily. Because in the family, no Hindu family will allow meat-eating or fish-eating. No. In our childhood we have seen, our family also. If one wanted to eat meat, then he would do it hundred miles away secretly. Nobody will know. Or he will go to some rascal hotel. That was the system. Now they are keeping chickens, everyone's roof.

Lecture on SB 1.16.16 -- Los Angeles, January 11, 1974:

There is no reaction. Just like to live within the water, you must have a particular type of body so that living within the water, you will not be infected. Just like a human being, if he artificially enters into the water, for few hours he can remain. That is also with great difficulty. He will feel bodily pain. But the fishes within the water, they are living very peacefully, happily, for hundreds of years. So this is real fact. You cannot enter into an atmosphere without being fit for living in that atmosphere. Is it very difficult to understand? Because they are going to the moon planet, why they are coming back? Because they have no arrangement to make the body fit to live there.

So God's creation is like that. You cannot by force enter into any atmosphere unless you become fit to live there. That is God's creation. By force you cannot live within water. By force the fish cannot live on the land. You'll die. Similarly, by force you cannot enter into the moon planet.

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

Now, sometimes, in..., the Christians, they say the Lord Jesus Christ sometimes ate fish. Is not that? But... Might have done so. One thing is Christ is powerful. Under certain circumstances, even if he had eaten some fish, that is not fault for him. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). In the śāstra (it) says, those who are very powerful, if they sometimes do something which is prohibited for common man, that is special case. But even if you accept that Christ ate fish, "Therefore we shall eat meat and maintain big, big slaughterhouse, although in the Bible it is clearly said 'Thou shalt not kill,' " this is not Christianity. This is against, violating the rules and regulation of Christianity. Factually, one should not kill. But under some pressure or under certain condition, if it is needed, that is another thing. But generally, one should not kill.

Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:

The physical necessities means we have already got it, but it is meant for decreasing, not increasing. Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. We have got general tendency, loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā. Everything is there in the śāstra. Nityā hi jantoḥ. Jantu means living entities. So, it is eternally existing, loke vyavāya, sex intercourse, āmiṣa, eating non-fruital things. Āmiṣa means "which is not fruits and vegetables." Meat, fish, eggs, they are called āmiṣa. And they are called nirāmiṣa. Nirāmiṣa means fruits, vegetables, milks, food grains, sugar. These are nirāmiṣa. And eggs, fish, meat and so many other things, they are called āmiṣa. So āmiṣa. Āmiṣa means these things. Sevā, eating. And vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex life. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya, intoxication. It is not that Vedic civilization did not know how to eat meat and how to drink liquor. It is all known. But they are prohibited, "Don't eat." It is not that then they were unknown, now it is discovered by scientific advancement.

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Delhi, November 7, 1973:

This whole material world is based on sex desire. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). Everywhere, either in cat society, dog society, human society, bird society, beast society, anywhere you go, even aquatics, fish, insects, flies, ants—everywhere you will find this attraction, sex attraction. This is the ādi-rasa. Everyone is trying to get some taste. So this is the beginning of taste. So we have got attraction, natural attraction. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. This material world is simply attraction of this sex life. So when they are actually unite(d) in different ways... But they must unite. Either in a legal way or illegal way, they must unite. Because attraction is there. But human civilization, they have given some law, not like cats and dogs. Just like in the morning, in the street we saw, the dogs were enjoying sex life. So in the human society, that kind of sex enjoyment, although it is now actually being done in the Western countries... I have seen it. You see? In some public parks or in beach. They don't care, becoming just like cats and dogs, no human civilization. So for human civilization, there is some restriction: the allowance, marriage. That is a civilized way. And the fact is the same, but in a civilized way there is.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

This outward dress is different. Somebody has become ant and somebody has become elephant or bigger than that, whole fish. Another fish there is timiṅgila. That perhaps we have not seen. Whale fish, some of them have seen. It is just like as big as a big house. And still, whale fish, just like you swallow up some small nut, they are called timiṅgila. So there are so many varieties of life. We do not know. But we know from the śāstras. In the śāstra we can know. Therefore we should consult Vedic literature to have full knowledge. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi: "In the water there are 900,000 species of life." Now, who can deny it? If you deny, then I shall tell you that "Go and count." (laughs) But we can get the full knowledge from the śāstra. This is called Vedic knowledge. Everything is complete.

Lecture on SB 2.1.6 -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

So there are different types of birth. The so-called scientists, physicists, they do not know why there are so many varieties of life. Why not only human being? Why there is cat, there is dog, there is rat, there is fly, and there is serpent, there is tree, there is creeper, there is fish, there is so many, 8,400,000 species of life? So they are also taking their birth by father and mother. The insect or the cats and dog or human being, the process of birth is the same, father and mother, anywhere you go. Therefore one Vaiṣṇava poet has sung, janame janame sabe pitā mātā pāya, kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhaja hari ei. Everywhere, either you take birth as man or cat or dog or insect, there is father, mother. Father, mother you will get in any type of birth, but not guru and Kṛṣṇa. Therefore this birth is meant for achieving guru and Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1-4 -- Los Angeles, May 24, 1972:

Here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is recommending different demigods for different purposes because there are all classes of men. So to take immediate effect, they worship demigods. Kṣipram, very soon. Generally, people do not go to worship Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, because you cannot ask from Kṛṣṇa anything which is not good for you. Suppose you pray to Kṛṣṇa on the seaside, "Kṛṣṇa, give me a good fish. I want to catch." Kṛṣṇa will never fulfill your desire. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Because Kṛṣṇa will not give you facility for possessing anything which will ultimately cause your falldown. Kṛṣṇa knows that "If he catches a fish, then he will have to become a fish again to be caught by the same fish. So why shall I give the facility?" So therefore our policy is not to ask anything from Kṛṣṇa. He knows what is good for me; simply I have to surrender unto Him. That's all. Why shall I bother Him, "Give me this, give me that, give me that"? Na dhanaṁ na janam.

Lecture on SB 2.3.8, and Initiations -- Los Angeles, May 25, 1972:

Prabhupāda: What are the rules?

Dharma-kṣetra: No eating of meat, fish or eggs, no gambling, no intoxication, and no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: Dharma-kṣetra dāsa. Dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1). Dharma-kṣetra, "the field of religious activities."

Devotee: Patricia. Pātrī, Pātrī dāsī, Pātrī.

Prabhupāda: Pātrī. Pātrī. What are the rules?

Pātrī: No meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling or speculation, and no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. So your name is Pātrī dāsī. Su-pātrī. Pātrī means a good reservoir. Everything good is there.

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

Just like there is a bird (which) is called bat. They pass stool through the mouth. You know? Yes. So there are different processes. The fishes in the water, they touch with the wings.

Their wings are so perfect that three miles off, another big fish is coming to eat them, they can understand by the wings. Immediately, they take protection. These are all described in the Bhāgavata. You get so much perfect knowledge, scientific knowledge, of different species of life, how they are acting, how they are eating, how they are moving. All, everything is perfect there. Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhi. If you study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam perfectly, then all your education is complete. You don't require any other book to read; you get from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all material and spiritual knowledge, and at the end, Kṛṣṇa.

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

Nirguṇa means the material qualities cannot touch you. Similarly, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa also, when he is in service of Kṛṣṇa, he is also nirguṇa. The material qualities cannot touch him. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). He immediately becomes transcendental to all the material qualities. But that does not mean I cannot act in the material quality. Kṛṣṇa is working just like ordinary prince. He was born of a king, in the royal family. But He has nothing to do. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti (BG 4.14). Kṛṣṇa is not affected. Dhari māccha nāce pāni. There is a Bengali proverb that "You go to catch fish, but don't touch the water." You see? If you are clever, if you have that rod to catch fish, take out the fish, but don't touch the water. Similarly, for our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we have to go in so many places. They are all materialistic, but we cannot become materialistic. We will take some service from a person for Kṛṣṇa's service. So we'll do some good to him, but we don't accept his quality. That should be our position. So in this way we should know that bahu-rūpa ivābhāti. Ivābhāti. Iva means "just like." Ābhāti, "appears." Actually these are temporary.

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

So there are different varieties of planets. That is God's creation. This is also God's creation, that is also God's creation, but I cannot go there. Land is God's creation, water is God's creation, but you cannot live in the water, and the fish cannot live on the land. Similarly, although there are millions and trillions of planets within this universe, you have to live in that particular planet where you are destined to live. That is condition. You cannot go to the sun planet or moon planet. Otherwise what is the meaning of conditioned life? Conditioned life means you are given opportunity to live on this planet, or the other living entities, they have been given opportunity to live in the sun planet.

Lecture on SB 3.22.22 and Initiations -- Tehran, August 12, 1976:

Prabhupāda: Say it in English. No illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, no meat-eating.

Mustafa: ...and eggs and fish.

Atreya Ṛṣi: His name in Parsi, his name is Mustafa.

Prabhupāda: So his spiritual name Vallabha dāsa.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Balab?

Prabhupāda: Vallabha dāsa. Not like that, here.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Vallabha dāsa. His name is, in Parsi, Hussain. It means "all-compassionate."

Prabhupāda: So far the ten offenses, you will teach them. Your name, Śrīdhara dāsa.

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

Just like one man is suffering from disease: one contamination, then another contamination, another... This is not life. You purify yourself. And that purification begins when you accept the life of austerities, tapaḥ, tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some... This is not inconvenience. Just like in our society it is enjoined, the students, they should voluntarily accept the principle: no illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no fish-eating, no, nothing of the sort, no intoxication, and no gambling. This is tapasya. Especially for these European and American students, they are, from the beginning of their life, they are accustomed to these habits. But they have voluntarily given up on my word. And that is guru's business. So to purify so that he may be saved from this illusion—he must be purified—so this little inconvenience for higher happiness, that is desired, that is required.

Lecture on SB 3.25.11 -- Bombay, November 11, 1974:

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā there are two kinds of living entities who are living in this material... Kṣara, they have fallen down. Fallen down in this... And attracted in this tree of saṁsāra, banyan tree. This is described in the Fifteenth Chapter of... So asaṅga-kuṭhāreṇa. We have to disassociate with this tree. Asaṅga-kuṭhāreṇa. By detachment. To cut this tree, it is very difficult. But we have to become detached. Detached means... There is a Bengali proverb: dhari mach nacoi pane.(?) Means that "I'll catch the fish but will not touch the water." That is, that intelligence required. You see in the beach... Here we do not see many, many. But in America we see on the beach, old men. They have got no business. They simply waste their time catching fish. Yes. But they are not very interested in this way, nacoi pane.(?) They also touch water also.

Lecture on SB 3.25.36 -- Bombay, December 5, 1974:

So how we can imagine that "How the sun-god can be person? It is a fiery, big fire substance, and how one can live?" This is also foolishness. "Because I cannot live in the fire, therefore nobody can live in the fire." That is my foolishness. My body is not so made. Just like you cannot live in the water. It does not mean that there is no living entity in the water. It requires intelligence. Similarly, if you cannot live in the fire, it does not mean that nobody lives there. Yes. There are living entities whose body is so made. Just like the fish and other aquatics, they live. Their body is so made. This is intelligent study. Otherwise, if you simply compare with my intelligence, my position, my circumstances, and we'll conclude all others like that, that is blindness. That is not... Blindness.

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

Just like you take a big piece of paper and you tear it into small pieces and throw it; then the paper has no existence. The paper is finished. But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). He has expansion, many, many thousands, many, many millions. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart, and there are many millions and trillions of heart. Not only human being, there are animals, there are trees, plants, aquatics, fishes, so many. Anantyāya, sa anantyāya kalpate. There is no counting of the living entities. They are so... And the Paramātmā, Kṛṣṇa's another feature, He is everywhere. That does not mean the same materialistic idea that "If Kṛṣṇa has entered so many millions of heart, then where is existence of Kṛṣṇa?" This is called Māyāvāda, nirviśeṣa, "Now Kṛṣṇa is finished." No. Kṛṣṇa is not finished. Kṛṣṇa still remains. That is the Vedic injunction. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). We read this Vedic mantra; still, we think Kṛṣṇa is finished. "Because He has entered so many hearts of living entity, therefore Kṛṣṇa is finished. There is no more."

Lecture on SB 3.26.1 -- Bombay, December 13, 1974:

So that Bhagavān is speaking. Kapiladeva is that Bhagavān. Therefore He says that atha te sampravakṣyāmi. Sam means samyak. Samyak means complete. Unless one has got complete knowledge, how he can say things complete? It is not the so-called scientist: "Perhaps," "It may be." No, not that kind of knowledge, simply theorizing, "It may be like that." No. There is no question of "maybe." Exact knowledge. Exact knowledge. That is called Vedic knowledge. Just like in the Padma Purāṇa we can understand the calculation of the species of life. It is said, jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. There are aquatic living entities nine lakhs of. How many you have seen? Neither it is possible for you to go within the water and see how many different forms of fishes and aquatics are there. But in the śāstra it is said, jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. It doesn't says "about nava-lakṣāṇi," "about nine lakhs," more or less. No. Exactly. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Sthāvarāḥ means those plants and trees which cannot move, two millions, lakṣa-viṁśati, or twenty lakhs.

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

So, so far in this material conception of life there are two puruṣas, one, the living entity, and the other is the Supersoul. So above this... Living entity is the adhama-puruṣa, and the Supersoul is the madhyama-puruṣa, and Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is uttama-puruṣa, the Supreme. And in this material world the adhama-puruṣa is called also nitya-baddha. Similarly, there are other living entities in the spiritual world, they are called nitya-mukta or nitya-siddha. They never come in this material world. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī. In his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, he describes some comparison, that the sea fishes, they never come to the river. The river fishes sometimes go to the sea, but the sea fishes, they never come to the river. Similarly, there are living entities in the spiritual world. They never come in this material world. Their number is greater, at least three times greater than all the living entities within this material world. And the Supersoul, He is also living entity, but superior, Supersoul. Soul and Supersoul.

Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:

These varieties... According to the Western Darwin's theory, they do not give any nice description of the varieties. But the varieties of living entities are there before creation. They become manifest in next creation. Just like in this creation one is dying as demigod, I mean to say, at the last dissolution, and one is dying as dog, or one is dying as a fish. So when the next creation will come out, they also will come out in that way, again as fish, because his activities in the form of fish was not completed. So one has to complete the term of one particular type of body. That is the law of nature. So they remain in dormant stage in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu at the time of dissolution. Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmi... Then, at the time of creation, they come out again in the same body as it was in the last creation. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Of course, the evolution takes place, but at the time of creation the particular type of body which I inherited in my last birth or millennium I get again, and again begin evolution. This is the process, going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). The dissolution takes place.

Lecture on SB 3.26.21 -- Bombay, December 30, 1974:

So mahātmā's business is: ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate. A mahātmā has no other business than devotional service, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, always hearing about the Supreme Lord, always glorifying the Supreme Lord, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Viṣṇu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But that we do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). That we do not know. And because people, they do not know it, therefore this mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is there, just to make people enlightened, "Know it now. Know it now. In the other previous lives, cats, dogs, trees, and fishes and insects and all so many other—there are eight million, four hundred...—you could not know it. Now you have got this human form of body. Take advantage of this knowledge. Take advantage of the information given in the Vedic literature." Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata. "You have got so much advantages. Now learn them. And you have got developed consciousness, human being. Try to understand them. And then your life will be successful."

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

Because I am spirit soul, I have nothing to do with this material atmosphere. Asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ: "This spirit soul has nothing to do." But on account of his material association by different processes, we have grown this body, material body, and we are now... That is entangled. Just like a fish becomes entangled within the network, similarly, we are, we living entities, we are entangled with the network of this fabrication of this material elements. So very difficult position. Just like the fish caught up in the net of the fisherman, or māyā, similarly, we are now caught up within the network created by the material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarva... (BG 3.27). Because we associated the particular type of material modes of nature, then we are now entangled. Like the fish is entangled, similarly, we are also entangled. This material world is supposed to be like a big ocean, bhavārṇava. Arṇava means ocean, and bhava means the situation where repetition of birth and death takes place. This is called bhavārṇava. Anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Anādi karma-phale: "Before creation I had my resultant action of my activities, and somehow or other, I am now fallen in this ocean of bhavārṇava, repetition of birth and death." So as the fish, being entangled, he struggles for existence, how to get out of the net... He's not peaceful. You will find. As soon as caught he's up in the net, "Fut! Fut! Fut! Fut! Fut!" He wants to get out. So that is our struggle for existence, how to get out. We do not know.

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

So to get out of this, only the mercy of Kṛṣṇa... He can do everything. He can immediately take out from this entanglement. Otherwise how he is Almighty? I cannot get out. The fish cannot get out, but the, if the fisherman wants, he can get him out immediately and throw in the water. Then he gets life again. Similarly, if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa, He can get out immediately. And He says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66). You simply surrender. As the fisherman is seeing, "Fut! Fut! Fut!" but if the fish surrenders... He wants to surrender, but he does not know the language. Therefore he remains within the network. But if the fisherman likes, he can take it out and throw in the water. Similarly, if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa... For that surrendering process this human life is meant. In other life, the fish cannot, but I can. That is the difference between the life of the fish and my life. The fish entangled in the network, he has no power. He is doomed. So doomed, doomed, in this way, by nature's mercy, he gets evolution. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. The living entity is entangled in the network of this material nature. He has to go through nine lakhs' species of this aquatic life. There are nine lakh species of fish in the water. Who knows it? The śāstra says. One who has seen. Who has seen how many varieties of fishes are there? But there are many, many varieties. From the śāstra we get information of the whale fish, timi. And there is another fish which is called timiṅgila. Timiṅgila means he is so big that he swallows up this timi, whale fish, like a small... (makes gulping sound) Finished. (laughter) They are called timiṅgila. So you have not seen. We have not seen. But the śāstra says.

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

Unfortunately, due to the Kali-yuga, as soon as one become a big chemist, doctor of chemistry, he says, "I am God. There is no need of God." As soon as the little... Svapari jala-matrena phala phariyate.(?) You'll see the small fishes. They are practically on the edge of the water and making, "fut, fut, fut." The big fishes, they are down the water. So these so-called material chemists, they are nothing, a small fish. Those who are big chemist, big scientist... Just like Professor Einstein. He used to accept how God's brain is working. He appreciated. He was a great scientist. And the ordinary scientist also, they think that "Now we are able to do everything without God. Therefore we are bigger than God." That is not fact. You are greater scientist when by your scientific knowledge you prove the existence of God and how He is working so finely that varieties of things are coming out of material nature. That is the perfection of knowledge. Otherwise svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Hari-toṣaṇam. Unless Kṛṣṇa sees that you are trying to glorify Him by your knowledge... Then He becomes satisfied, that "I have given him some knowledge, and he is utilizing this knowledge for My glorification. He is My devotee."

Lecture on SB 3.28.21 -- Nairobi, November 1, 1975:

Therefore our knowledge is very, very limited, poor. Poor fund of knowledge, and still we are proud. Sapari phora-phorayate.(?) Just like a small fish, you have seen in the pond. Little water, say one feet—(makes sound) "phor, phor, phor, phor." But the big fishes, they are in the deep in the water, big fish. So we take knowledge from the big fish, not from the small fish, "phor, phor, phor, phor." So phora-phorayate(?), this kind of knowledge will not satisfy us. We take from the big fish, one who knows. Then who knows? Kṛṣṇa knows. And one who knows from Kṛṣṇa, he knows. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. One who is ācāryavān, who has taken shelter of ācārya, he knows. Why? Because ācārya receives knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and he distributes knowledge to his disciple. That is perfect knowledge. Ācāryavān puruṣaḥ. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). These are the instruction.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- London, August 30, 1971:

Because as living entity with animal propensities, the animal cannot accept "don'ts." If a tiger is requested, "My dear Mr. Tiger, don't eat meat," (laughter) he cannot accept it because it is animal. But if a human being is trained up in these "do's" and "don'ts," he can accept. That is human life. And when, in spite of his difficulty, he has..., he accepts something by the order of the śāstra, by the order of the guru, that is called tapasya. Just like we are instructing our students, "My dear boys, do not have illicit sex life; do not eat meat, fish, eggs; do not indulge in intoxication, up to drinking tea and smoking; and do not indulge in gambling." Of course, it is very difficult, especially in the Western countries. Not now, some, about thirty years ago, in this city of London, one of my Godbrothers came to preach, and he met Lord Zetland. So Lord Zetland asked this Swamiji whether he can be turned into a brāhmaṇa. The Swamiji replied, "Yes, you can become a brāhmaṇa." "How?" "Now, you have to give up these four things: no illicit sex life, no meat-eating, fish-eating, no gambling, no intoxication." He said, "It is impossible." He replied, "Impossible." So actually, in the Western countries, these things are ordinary things, so they do not take it as any bad thing or any sinful, but according to Vedic śāstra, these four principles are the basic principles or the four pillars of sinful life.

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

Devotee (1): You gave some diet that we should follow. We shouldn't have meat, eggs, fish, and chicken. Can we eat cheese? I mean, is everything else possible? Can we eat anything else that isn't fish..., meat, fish, eggs and chicken? Is there anything else we should not eat in our diet?

Prabhupāda: Our program is to eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

Devotee (1): I know, but I mean if we're not in a position, like we're away from... Like we're on the road at lunchtime or something.

Prabhupāda: Lunchtime you can eat bread, butter, fruit, milk. There are so many things. Dry fruits. So there are so many. God has supplied your country is, by God's grace, you have got sufficient foodstuff. You can use potato, vegetables.

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

There is another verse in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte... That is the way of Vedic instruction. Everywhere you'll find. Labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte. After many, many births... Unfortunately, they do not believe in the next birth, or past birth—always in ignorance. But that is a fact, and we are repeatedly exemplified that I am living. Although I am changing my body, I am living. Therefore, when I change this body, I shall continue to live. This is the bare truth. Why you do not understand? Life is continuous. Simply you are changing bodies. Now how I am preparing for the next nice body which is eternal? That is the problem of human life, not that to be carried away by cats and dogs and meat and fish and everything. No. This is the main theme of this instruction, that tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena, yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Tapo divyaṁ putra, putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet. Just try to purify your existence. Just like I gave you the list of purification from lowest stage of life to the highest, so, I mean to say, as the change of body, just like change of dress, you like a nice dress, giving up the old dress, similarly, change of body is going on. You accept the first-class body next life, first-class body next life which is eternal, which is not subjected to the tribulations of this body. That should be the aim of human civilization, not that simply getting money and spending for sense gratification. That is cats' and dogs' civilization. That is not human civilization. One should utilize the opportunity.

Lecture on SB 5.5.4 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1976:

So he was given sufficient foodstuff, and simply show, he could not eat. But a big rich man. And one poor man was passing on the street, taking a fish and chanting very Not chanting; singing very jubilantly. So this gentleman saw. He said that "I have become so rich man, but I have no appetite inspite of so many nice foodstuff before me. And that poor man is carrying one fish. He's thinking that he'll go and cook it and eat it very nicely. He is so jubilant. So if I would have become a poor man like him I could have enjoyed some food." He was wishing that. Because real business is sense gratification. So in spite of his becoming so rich he could not gratify his senses. But he was

So this is the position. Everyone has got a certain type of body on account of different types of sense gratification. Otherwise why there are so many varieties? Why one is human being? Why one is a pig? Why one is a demigod? Why one is a tree? Why one is a fish? Why...? So many—8,400,000. This is all due to our desire for sense gratification. These varieties. Otherwise, one variety would have been there, existing.

Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

You know the elephant is captured for sense gratification. You know that? Elephant is captured. A big elephant, to capture, it is very difficult. But a female elephant goes there, and he comes for sex, and the female elephant goes forward. Then she brings in a place where there is a big pit and he falls down, the male elephant. Then he becomes captured. Yes. These are the nature's example, how for... And not only sex. Just like the bees. They enter into the lotus flower for eating honey, and they are enjoying. In the meantime, the lotus flower petals becomes closed. So he becomes entrapped, cannot come out, dies. The fish. The fish, how they tackle? You know? You have seen the, what is called, tackle? What is that? There is a small attractive foodstuff, and the fish comes, and as soon as he swallows, bas, he is captured. Similarly, the deers, they are also captured by the hunter. He plays nice flute, and the deers stand up. They are very much fond of music. So as soon as they stand up, entrapped. So one animal or lower than human being, they have got one sense very strong. Someone's the ear, someone's the nose, someone's the tongue, someone's the genital, in this way. But they have got one sense strong. And we, so-called civilized man, our six senses are all strong. So what is the position?

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

So this is our special opportunity after evolutionary process passing through eight million..., at least eight million different forms of life. The list is there in Padma Purāṇa. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni: "Nine lakhs' forms of life within the water." There is animal in the water which is called timiṅgila. It is so big that... We have got experience. The whale fish is very big. That whale fish is taken up by this timiṅgila fish just like a big fish swallows a small fish. Such big, big fishes are there within the... They do not come visible to the..., but there are. We get information. Timiṅgila. Many very big, big animals are there within the water, deep. So there are nine lakhs, 900,000 forms of life within the water. And then jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Then... Sthāvarā means "stand up." We have got experience. I do not know whether you have got. In our school days, if a boy is making trouble, the teacher will ask him, "Stand up on the bench." So the stand-up punishment... The trees, the plants, they are stand-up punishment. (laughter)

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

Just like the soldier. What is the duty of the soldier? Kill as many as possible the enemies. But the same soldier, if he comes back home and kills some of his men or countrymen and he is arrested and in the court, he is ordered to be hanged, and if he pleads that "I am a soldier. In the battlefield I have killed so many persons, and now I have killed one man. Why you are ordering me to be hanged?" What will be the answer of the court? The answer that "You cannot kill on principle. But you can kill on the superior order. You cannot kill by your whims." In the battlefield the commander-in-chief orders, "Yes, you kill and get gold medal." But if you think the, "I have killed so many persons in the battlefield. Here is my enemy. I kill him." No. That you cannot do. That you cannot do. This is the principle. When there is duty, that is another thing. But not whimsically. We cannot kill. Therefore Lord Jesus Christ ordered, "Thou shall not kill." This is the order. "Thou shall not kill." But we are violating the order. We are killing so many animals. So this is not good. On the plea that "Lord Christ sometimes took some fish somewhere; therefore we will have to maintain a big slaughterhouse," this is not very good logic.

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

The priests allow. The guru allow. The professional guru... His disciple will come: "Sir, doctor has advised me to take fish. Without taking fish my eyesight will be lost. He has advised. So what to do? You have asked me not to take fish. You said." "Oh, all right, I give you permission." He gives his permission. This is going on. "I give you per..." Because the guru sees that "If I say no, this rich disciple will be lost. So better let him do whatever he likes. I get my fees. That's all." This is going on. That statement of my Guru Mahārāja, "the society of the cheaters and the cheated," is a fact everywhere. In a law court also, you bribe; you get justice. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Arghyeṇa nyāya-rahitam: "If you have got no money, then you cannot get justice in this age. You cannot get justice." It is clearly stated here. That is the symptom of this age. In the law court you have to bribe.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, May 8, 1976:

The tree has taken birth. The man has taken birth. Why simply man should be saved, not the cows, not the trees? (break) He must be saved. This is the government's duty. Unnecessarily there cannot be any killing. Lord Christ also, "Thou shall not kill." Yes, this is the beginning of religious life. If you are accustomed to kill somebody, either man, animal, trees, fish, anything, there is no entrance in religious life. There is no entrance because everyone, every living entity, is son of God. Sarva-yoniṣu. You have read Bhagavad-gītā. Sarva-yoniṣu: in all sorts of body. Sarva-yoniṣu sambhavanti mūrtayo yaḥ. There are different forms of life, 8,400,000. They are all living entities, but according to karma, they have got different bodies. This is the difference. Just like we have got different dresses according to my choice, similarly, we get different bodies according to my choice.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, May 8, 1976:

Surfer, yes. (devotees laugh) Surfer. I call "sufferer." "Sea-sufferer." (laughter) Sea-surfer, it is practical because we are creating a situation by which we shall become a fish. Yes. Contamination. Just like if you purposely contaminate some disease you must suffer from that disease. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22), in the Bhagavad-gītā. Why there are different varieties of life? What is the reason? That reason means kāraṇam. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad..., kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni prakṛti-stho 'pi puruṣaḥ bhuñjante tad-guṇān. So the reason is as we are infecting. The nature's law is so perfect that you infect something, some disease, some contamination, then you must suffer. This is nature's law, automatically going on.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, May 8, 1976:

Similarly, according to the guṇas or mixture, association—kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya—we get different types of bodies. Therefore we see so many varieties of bodies. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). So the person who is taking very much pleasure, dancing in the sea like fish, so he is contaminating that modes of nature so that in next life he will become a fish. He'll be very free to dance with the ocean. (laughter) Now it will take again millions of years to come to the stage of human being. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. He has to pass through the fish life. There are 900,000 different species of life. Then you again come to the land—you become trees, plants, and so on. Two millions different forms you have to go through. That is evolution. Darwin's theory of evolution, that is not perfectly explained. It is explained in the Vedic literature.

Lecture on SB 6.1.13-14 -- Honolulu, May 14, 1976:

In Sanskrit literature every word has got particular meaning, particular thought. Therefore it is called Sanskṛta, most performed and purified literature, Sanskrit. Sanskrit means purified. Saṁskāra. Just like we offer saṁskāra at the time of initiation, purification. So our main problem is the sex life. That is... Because sex life is the basic principle of material life. Either you are human being or you are demigod or you are a bird, you are a beast, you are a fly, you are a fish, you are tree, plants—everything—the basic principle of material life is sex. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etat tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). Everything is there. You have got books. You study and follow the practice. Be little sober. It is not that you'll not be able. You'll be able. And Kṛṣṇa will help. As soon as you are very eager, then Kṛṣṇa will help.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Honolulu, May 22, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa says that "I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to Vivasvān." Vivasvān is the name of the person who is predominating in the sun globe. So we have to know from Kṛṣṇa that sun globe is not vacant. When the king is there, the other things are also; the kingdom is also there. That is a planet with fire, just like this planet is earth predominant, and that planet is fire predominant. And there are five elements: earth, water, fire... Somewhere the water predominates, somewhere the fire predominates, somewhere... We can experience. Just like on the sea, beach we go. We are standing where the earth is predominant, but just a few yards after, the water is predominant. But on the earth there are so many living entities—birds, beasts, human being—why not in the water? Where is the wrong there? It is also one of the five elements. You cannot live in the water; that does not mean others cannot live. This is common sense. They have got different body. They can live. The fish, you take out of the water—it will die. And if you are put into the water, so long you can swim... Otherwise you'll die.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Honolulu, May 28, 1976:

Paśu means life, or living entity. Paśu-ghna, ghna means killer. So unless one who is killing himself or killing this animal... Both are killing. The killing of the animal in the slaughterhouse, that is gross killing. And another killing is one who is killing himself without knowledge. That is also killing. He got this human form of life, but without sufficient knowledge he's killing himself. Mām aprāpya. He cannot understand God. That is killing himself. This human form of life was given to him by nature's way, that "Now you understand God." But he's wasting time by surfing in the water. You see? He got the chance of understanding God—he doesn't care for that. He's unnecessarily laboring whole day in the sea, so that he's developing the mentality at the time of, you think of swimming in the water, and the subtle body will carry him to the fish journey.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Honolulu, May 31, 1976:

So if you haven't got yellow fever injection, then even in the airport, there is arrangement, you have to wait in the quarantine area for six days. You'll not be allowed. So this is... As you have got the laws and the punishment in this government, so why do you think there is no punishment and there is no God? This is utopian. Don't think like that. Utopian. There is God, there is his government, there are his agents, there are witnesses, and... Otherwise why there are different varieties of life? Different varieties of life. Why? Eight million, four hundred thousand species of life. Everyone is a living being. The trees are living being, the fishes are living being, the ants are living being, the mosquitos are living being, and the human being also living being, the demigods also living being, the cats, dogs—everyone is living being. It is simply in different dresses. They're living beings. But why they are situated in different position? According to karma, punished.

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

Within this material world, there is one Siddhaloka. Siddha, caraṇa. They are called siddha means all the yogic mystic powers they have got naturally. Here in this, on the earthly planet, if we want to get some mystic power, we have to practice it by yoga, mystic exercise. But in that planet, Siddhaloka, they are born perfect. Just like if you want to swim in the water, you have to learn it; you have to practice it. But within the sea or water even a small fish, he can very expertly swim, a born qualification. You cannot go against the current of the sea or the water of the river, but a small fish takes pleasure going against the current. Tulasī dāsa has said that to go against the current is very difficult. Even an elephant is washed away. But a small fish, because he has taken shelter of the ocean, he can go against the current. This is the... So if we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then even the current is against, we can go because... The same example: the fish has taken shelter of the ocean.

Lecture on SB 6.1.42 -- Los Angeles, June 8, 1976:

So that universe is not one. We are seeing only one universe with our, these naked eyes, but when we see through the eyes of śāstra, authority... Śāstra-cakṣuṣāt. This is Vedic knowledge, that "Don't be simply after your, these defective eyes." What is the value of these eyes? There are so many things. Just like this morning we were discussing: you take photograph from the sea. What you will see? But there are many millions of fishes within the sea. What you will take, photograph? They say that "We have taken photograph on the moon planet. There is no life." What is the value of this photograph? Can you take photograph in the water, how many fishes are there? So what is the value of your photograph? This is the difficulty, that these rascals, they do not accept that they are defective. That is the difficulty. With their defective senses they are thinking, "We are perfect. Because we have got a photograph, telescope, therefore it is sufficient." It is made by you. You are defective, and whatever you make, that is defective. This is the conclusion. This is right conclusion. If blind man, if he creates some telescope or..., can he see? You are blind. What you can see? But they are taking evidence: "We have seen with photograph, with telescope."

Lecture on SB 6.1.45 -- Laguna Beach, July 26, 1975:

So what is the difference between going to the heavenly planet and going to Kṛṣṇa? The difference is ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino 'rjuna: "My dear Arjuna, if you go even to the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, you will again fall down." Then? Mad-gatvā na nivartante: "If you come to Me, you will have not..." So why not select this, that "I have to work for the next life. Why not devote this life for Kṛṣṇa? I shall go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa"? This is intelligence. I am suffering so many lives, accepting this fish life or the tree life, the plant life, the moth life, the insect life, the serpent life, the bird's life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:

Every one of us has got a particular type of body. You will never find that this man or this boy or this girl exactly of the same bodily feature. Varieties. So altogether there are classes, or species, 8,400,000. So those who are experienced, thoughtful men, by reading scripture... Just like Kṛṣṇa says that imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān. He said to the sun-god or the president of the sun planet, Vivasvān. So that means that is also a similar place like this. You cannot say there is no living entity. Anumīyate. That is intelligence. Because this planet is also one of the material things, everything is made here, earth, water, air, fire. So somewhere some element is very prominent. Here in this planet the earth is prominent. In the sun planet the fire is prominent. But that does not mean there is no living entity. This is foolishness. Anumīyate. This is intelligence, that everything within this universe, this material universe, everything is made of these five elements: earth, water, fire, air, sky. We see here practically that the aquatics, they have got a different type of body, and they are very peacefully living in the water. And if you are thrown in the water, you will die. And the fish is taken from the water; he will die. So land, water, fire—the particular type of body.

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- Detroit, June 12, 1976:

Everywhere there is control of Kṛṣṇa. So don't think that in the flower some nice color has come without any supervision or control. Don't think. That is nonsense. Not by chance. It is under Kṛṣṇa's direction. He has got artistic sense. Not like us. He can dictate to show(?) the various varieties of living entities, all varieties, trees and so many things, there are varieties. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi: nine hundred thousand different forms of fishes, from big to small. There are whale fishes. There is another big fish; they can swallow up the whale fishes, so big, jala-hasti. They are within the ocean. How many we know? We are... The Nirviśeṣa-vādīs' philosophy is like that, that on the ocean we see it is simply water. No, that is not actual vision. You should take knowledge from the experience. What is that? Now within the ocean there are nine hundred thousand different forms of life. You rascal, you are thinking that there is nothing, nirviśeṣa.

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- London, September 9, 1971:

So that we must first of all understand that we cannot be happy. The example I have given many times. Just like if you take out a fish from water, you can give it very comfortable, velvet lying down bedstead. The fish cannot be happy. It will die. Because the fish is the animal of water, it cannot be happy without water. Similarly, we are all spirit souls. Unless we are in spiritual life or in the spiritual world, we cannot be happy. That is our position. Everyone is trying for that spiritual realization, but he does not know. Therefore he is trying to be happy here in material condition. He is becoming frustrated, confused. So we have to withdraw this understanding that "We shall be very happy by making adjustment of this material world." That we have to understand first of all. Then Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be effective.

Lecture on SB 7.9.7 -- Mayapur, February 14, 1976:

You must strictly follow the regulative principles as given to you by your spiritual master, śāstra. You must follow. Then people will come in contact with you, they will be benefited. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15), and if he regularly makes sādhu-saṅgaḥ, then the effect will be he will try to become a sādhu. That is initiation. Initiation means the beginning of becoming a sādhu, not that after initiation immediately he becomes a sādhu. If he follows, just like we instruct that you chant at least sixteen rounds, you have no illicit sex, you cannot take any meat, fish, eggs, or you cannot have any intoxication up to drinking tea and smoking, and we say no gambling. This is the process of becoming a sādhu. So ādau śraddhā. This is called bhajana-kriyā.

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 6, 1968:

We are human being. We cannot see three, four miles away anything. So sense power... There are different animals who have got different kinds of sense power. Just like dogs. They can smell..., from distant place they can smell whether somebody, outsider, is coming, and he will at once begin barking. Similarly, there are fishes. They have got power of touch. The small fishes can understand that a big fish is coming from miles of distance simply by touch, by connection with water. So the sense power or living power... Suppose if somebody thinks that "I am living for a hundred years," you are living for hundred years, but you go in the forest. You will find one tree is living for seven thousand years. So these powers, by sense power, by your strength of money or by education... Everything is described.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13-14 -- Montreal, August 22, 1968:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is requesting Lord Nṛsiṁha that "Now You can become peaceful because the disturbing element, my father, is now finished." So there are two missions when Kṛṣṇa appears, incarnation: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). This material world is a field of activity for the persons who have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. But there are regulative principles, Vedic knowledge. If we act according to the regulative principle, then we can enjoy. Not actually enjoy, but we think we enjoy. Because in the material world, there is nothing enjoyable for the spirit soul. Just like a fish, it is an animal of the water. It has nothing to enjoy on the land. So if, by mistake, a fish thinks that "I shall become an elephant and enjoy in the land," that is not possible. Similarly, we spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, we are all Brahman, and we have nothing to do with this material world. But because we are Brahman... Brahman means ānandamaya. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. The Supreme Brahman is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). And we are part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. Therefore we are also sac-cid-ānanda, eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge.

Lecture on SB 7.9.40 -- Mayapur, March 18, 1976:

So I am master... I'm not master; I'm servant of the tongue. Then just below the belly there is one genital. He has used it with his wife, and still, he goes to the prostitute. Servant. "Let us have some new taste." For tasting new sex enjoyment, people simply travel from one place to another. Especially nowadays, I have got experience in Delhi. I have seen. The foreigners, they are coming, ordering the manager that "I want this, I want that, because I have come here by the dictation of my genital." People go to Paris—I know many gentlemen—for satisfying the genital. So genital has become my master, the tongue has become my master, the hand has become my master, the leg has become my master, so I am the servant of so many masters. So my position is very precarious. How can you satisfy so many masters? Eh? Even in the animal kingdom, they are also servant, but they are servant of one sense. That is also described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Just like the fish. The fish is only strongly under the servitude of the tongue. Therefore the fishing tackle gives something eatable, and the fish immediately... It is not that it is hungry, but because the fish is so greedy—something nonsense is there in tackle—he immediately..., and becomes caught up. Due to the strong inclination of eating, he loses his life.

Lecture on SB 7th Canto -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends. Śvapacam, śva means dog. Dog..., pacati, those who eat dog's flesh, they are considered very low born. There are different kinds of flesh eaters. In the Āyurveda-śāstra, they are called, those who are eating the flesh of dog, they are called śvapaca. Those who are eating the flesh of cows, they are go-kaga(?), māṁsaga(?), these are so many. But in the Manu-saṁhitā it is said that if one eats the flesh of cow, he is called go-kaga(?), if one eats the flesh of dog, he is called śvapaca, if one eats the flesh of this..., he is given description. But one who eats fish, he eats all the fleshes. matsaga-sarva-māṁsaga(?). If anyone eats fish, he eats all kinds of fleshes.

Lecture on SB 7th Canto -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

Devotee (1): Fish?

Prabhupāda: Fish, yes. Fish is abominable according to Manu-saṁhitā. matsaga-sarva-māṁsaga, tasmāt matsa vivarjet(?). Therefore, even you can eat the flesh of cow, but don't eat fish. That is the stricture in the Manu-saṁhitā. Because if you are eating dog's flesh, then you are sinful in the matter of dog's flesh only. But if you eat fish, then you become sinful of eating all kinds of flesh. Matsaga-sarva-māṁsaga(?). These are the strictures. Of course, we have nothing to do with these dog-eaters or fish-eaters or cow-eaters. We are concerned with Kṛṣṇa prasādam. We are interested in eating Kṛṣṇa's prasāda. If Kṛṣṇa says that "Give Me dog or give Me cow flesh," we shall give and eat.

Lecture on SB 7th Canto -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

We are interested in eating Kṛṣṇa's prasāda. If Kṛṣṇa says that "Give Me dog or give Me cow flesh," we shall give and eat. But not before that. So we have no quarrel with these fish-eaters or cow-eaters. We are concerned that Kṛṣṇa says patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If He likes, He can eat everything. Because when Yaśodā-mayī suspected that Kṛṣṇa has eaten earth and the boys, His playmates, were accusing Him, "Mother Yaśodā, your son has eaten earth." And Kṛṣṇa denied, "No, mother, I have not eaten." She did not believe. "All right, open Your mouth, I want to see." So when Kṛṣṇa opened, she saw all the universes within. So, therefore, what is the question of this flesh or that flesh? Everything is there. Kṛṣṇa, because He is all powerful, if He likes He can... But He does not, He does not. So He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa is giving. Kṛṣṇa is all powerful, He can do everything. He has no restriction. If He is restricted, then He is not God. He can do anything, but He does not do so because He is teaching us. You cannot say that Kṛṣṇa can eat this, therefore we can give everything. No. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. You can give vegetable, flowers, grains, milk, and we take that. So we have no quarrel with that.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, December 27, 1972:

The living entity is wandering in this way, life after life—sometimes as human being, sometimes as demigod, sometimes as brāhmaṇa, sometimes as śūdra, sometimes as tree, sometimes as insect, sometimes as fish, so many. Sometimes as birds. And in different planets also, not only in this planet. Brahmāṇḍo. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, brahmāṇḍo. Within the universe, he is traveling according to his karma.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

So the rivers merging into the ocean. Then you must take further consideration that the superficial water mixing with the ocean is again evaporated. The water is evaporated by scorching heat of the sun. Just like now we see cloud in the sky. This is nothing but evaporated water from the sea. So the water which merged into the water and into the ocean of the, water of the ocean, now it is evaporated in the sky. And again it will fall down. And then again glide to the ocean. So this is called avagamana, coming and going, coming and going. But our Vaiṣṇava philosophy is not to merge into the water, but keep your identity and go deep into the water. So that you may not be evaporated. The fish and the aquatic animals within the water, they are not evaporated. They are not going to become cloud and again fall down. Therefore Sanātana, Rūpa Gosvāmī says, "He further prays that by residing in the ocean of nectar he may always feel transcendental pleasure..."

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

Pradyumna: "Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and ācāryas or holy teachers, who are compared with sharks in the great ocean of nectar and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation. Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be compared with liberation and the rivers with all the different paths of liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water, which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information, however, that within the ocean, as within the rivers, there are innumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the ocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it."

Prabhupāda: Yes. The shark, big fish, shark, big body, they have no place to come into the river, come back. There is no place. Big crocodile, big sharks, they do not come to the river. They constantly remain in the ocean.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

This comparison that the rivers, it does matter from which way it is coming down to the sea, when they mix together, they become one. But if this comparison is taken, that the rivers merging into the sea, and when it mixes there is no separate existence of the river, but they do not see analogy. Analogy, according to law of analogy, the points of similarities must be one. Analogy is perfect when the points of similarities are there. Just like we say, "Your face is as beautiful as moon." That means the face, beauty of the face is as attractive as the moon is attractive. The points of similarity is there. We cannot say an ugly face, your face is like moon. That cannot be. That is not analogy because there is no points of similarity. That is the law of analogy. So similarly, if you make analogy that as the different rivers are, the water is coming down and mixing with the sea, then it becomes one, but there are other points. This is superficial vision. There is other points. The same water again becomes evaporated, and again thrown on the ground, and they again glide down as rivers. That is, this is a fact. But if you go deep into the water, just like the shark fish—the comparison is given there—the shark fish is never evaporated. The shark fish is within the water of the sea, and there is no question of evaporation.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

The point is that simply mixing with the sea water is not final salvation. Because the same example. The water is evaporated, again turns into cloud, then again falls, the same water again falls on the ground, then again glides down. So that is not very safe position. But if you take shelter of the ocean as a fish, then there is no question of evaporation. Just try to understand this analogy.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

Similarly, simply entering, merging to the Brahman effulgence, brahma-jyotir, that is not secure position. The secure position is within the brahma-jyotir. That is explained in the Īśopaniṣad. Within the brahma-jyotir there are planets, Vaikuṇṭha planets. So you have to take shelter in one of the planets. Just like the fish, the comparison of the fish, the shark fish. He has taken shelter of the ocean. Therefore the, for him there is no evaporation. The water, although it is also sea water, that, that is subjected to be evaporated. So simply by entering into the Brahman effulgence is not safe. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho (SB 10.2.32).

So our Bhakti-rasāmṛta teaches, just, just become a shark fish or even small fish. Actually there are many types of fishes, even a small fish, that also not become evaporated. That remains in this water, because it has taken shelter completely of the ocean. Similarly, if you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, there is no chance of falling down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Those who are not taking shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is chance of falling down. Brahmā satyaṁ jagan mithyā, they take shelter of Brahman, and reject this world, material world as mithyā, but unless they take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot stay there. He has to again come back. That is the position.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

Just like the shark fish, they do not come into the river. That means those who are nitya-mukta, eternally liberated, they do not come into this material world. They do not come. There are two kinds of living entities, nitya-mukta, nitya baddha. Nitya-baddha, we are. Those who are in this material world, we are eternally conditioned. Eternally conditioned in this way, because I am changing my body, one after another. As I am desiring, I am getting my next body. This body I am creating, my next body, again when I shall get next body, I shall create another body. So this is going on. And because it is going on, when it has begun and when it is going to end, that you do not know. Therefore it is called nitya, eternal. Actually it is not eternal, but we do not know when I have begun my material existence.

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

So this line of devotional service, there is direction in the śāstras. Therefore we have made prohibition that no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat, fish-eating, no intoxication. Even the smallest intoxication, that is also dangerous. Just like fire. Even a small particle of fire is dangerous. If you neglect it, "Oh, it is a small particle..." No. You must extinguish it. It may come out very great fire. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has advised that fire and disease and debt, don't neglect. You must clear. If you neglect a small fire, it may come out a great fire. If you, if you neglect, you have got debt, the money-lender, he's adding compound interest, one after another, one after another; it was three rupees, and after some years, it has become three hundred, by compound interest. So you should not neglect. Similarly disease. Disease also, you cannot neglect. If there is... If you think, "Oh, it is little, it doesn't matter..." No. You must finish it by treatment. That is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's advice.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975:

So in our country, muci, the cobbler, is taken as the lowest of the mankind, narādhamāḥ, because their business is when the cow dies, so the mucis are prepared to take away the dead cow or bull. They eat the flesh, and they take out the skin and the bones for their business. Muci prepare shoes. He gets the skin for nothing, without any payment. He doesn't have to invest his capital, and he nicely cleanses it, tans, and then prepares shoes and sell in the market. So get the money. And the muci class, they eat this flesh, meat. But they are given the opportunity when the cow is dead, not by slaughterhouse. That is not in the Vedic scripture. The dead animal, you can eat. Those who are fond of eating fish and meat, they can eat when the animal is dead. Not killing.

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

Guest (5): Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, Hari...

Prabhupāda: No. Your answer is this, that "Why God does not...?" God wants that "These so-called brāhmaṇas who eat Jagannātha-prasāda with fish, let them remain in darkness, not to understand who is Vaiṣṇava."

Guest (5): That is true...

Prabhupāda: That is true. Take it, that. That's all. (laughter)

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.110 -- New York, July 17, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa is person, and Vivasvān the sun-god is also person. Otherwise how Kṛṣṇa could speak to him? Imaṁ vivasvate yogam. How He instructed him? Just like exactly Arjuna was instructed by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is person and Arjuna is person. Person-to-person talk. Similarly, that predominating deity in the sun planet is also a person, and there are many other persons. Just like when Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna talked, there were many, many others, individual persons. Similarly, in the sun planet, not only the sun-god himself is a person, but all the population there, they are like sun-god, made of fire, their body is made of fire, they can stay in the fire. Just like the fish, their body is so made that they can live within the water.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.113 -- London, July 23, 1976:

So we find mahad-yoni, mahā-tattva, the material elements, is the mother. Everything is coming out of the womb of the mother. Whatever we see in this creation, the plants, the trees and living entities, and we are speaking especially of the living entities, and there are 8,400,000 different forms, they are coming from earth. That we can see. It doesn't require great intelligence. Any boy can understand that it is coming out of these five elements—means earth, water... The grass is coming out of earth, the fish is coming out of the water. So we have got experiences in two elements. But we have got experience also that living entities coming out of air. So earth, water, air... There are living entities in fire also, but because our knowledge is limited, we do not see. We cannot conceive that in the fire also there can be living entities.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971:

Because it is transcendental, pure, spiritual, and we are, every one of us, hankering after to be elevated to the spiritual stage of life because we are spiritual entities. The same example, as I have repeatedly explained, that if you take a fish out of the water, however you may keep comfortably on the land, it will never be happy unless and until it is again thrown in the water. Similarly, we are all spiritual sparks, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). So however we may try to make ourself happy by material adjustment, it is not possible. We must turn to the spiritual life, or devotional... Spiritual life means devotional service. That is real spiritual life. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi-bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate. "One who is engaged in bhakti-yoga service," sa guṇan samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26), "he's already in the Brahman stage." People cannot understand how bhakti is on the Brahman platform.

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

So he was in trance, and he was a great yogi. He was meditating within water, but he... Some way or other, he was agitated by sex desire, by seeing the fish have sex intercourse. Just see. The sex power is so strong that even such a yogi who could meditate within the water, he was also agitated by sex desire. So he came out of the water and went to the king and asked him that "You give me your daughter as my wife." Oh, he was a great ṛṣi, and because he was in the water, his feature was very ugly. So the king became perplexed: "Oh, how my daughter will select such a nasty body as my son-in-law?" So he was yogi; he could understand: "Then all right..." (snaps fingers) He became very nice. Because yogis, they can do anything, very nice bodily feature. Then the king tried to avoid him, and the king told him, "Well, sir, my determination is I have got eight daughters. So I can offer my daughters to one who can become eight at least." He wanted to see how much he was yogi. And he bifurcated himself at once into eight forms.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.172 -- New York, December 14, 1966:

Generally the incarnations are divided into six divisions. What are they? Puruṣāvatāra eka, first puruṣāvatāra; second, līlāvatāra; third, guṇāvatāra; and fourth, manvantarāvatāra; and fifth, yugāvatāra; and sixth, śaktyāveśāvatāra. This is very important. This is very important. There are incarnations, six kinds of incarnations. This may be noted. First, puruṣāvatāra. Purusāvatāra, these Viṣṇus, three Viṣṇu-Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu—They are called puruṣāvatāras. God sometimes manifests Himself as incarnation of fish, incarnation of hog, incarnation of lion, incarnation of Rāma. Rāma is also puruṣāvatāra, I mean to say, līlāvatāra, Rāma. So līlāvatāra, then guṇāvatāra. Gunāvatāra is according to the modes of this material nature there are three guṇāvatāras. So first, Himself, Viṣṇu, and the second, Brahmā. Brahmā is also guṇāvatāra, incarnation of the quality. There are three qualities in the material world. Brahmā is the incarnation of the passion, mode of passion, and Viṣṇu is the incarnation of the mode of goodness, and Śiva, Lord Śiva, is the incarnation of the mode of ignorance. So all these three avatāras, although they are different manifestation of God, still, in the scriptures this is recommended that if anyone wants to get out of this material entanglement, then he has to worship These incarnation in the modes of goodness, Viṣṇu-avatāra. That is... These things are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.294-298 -- New York, December 19, 1966:

Some of the principal avatāras, they are mentioned. Matsyāvatāra. During Vaivasvata Manu there was devastation, and in that devastation, Lord took Matsyāvatāra, incarnation of fish, and He protected the Vedas.

pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedaṁ
vihita-vahitra-caritram akhedam
keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare **

The poet Jayadeva, a great devotee poet, is singing that "In the devastation, my Lord Keśava, You have assumed the form of fish." A great muni was sitting. He was meditating. And after taking his bath in the ocean, in the sea, he brought one pot of kamaṇḍalu. Kamaṇḍalu, that pot, you have seen. He found a little fish there. Then, within few seconds, that fish covered all the pot, and the muni thought, "Oh, He is growing so rapidly. All right, let Him have some big pot." So he gave Him big pot. Then again He became full. Then in this way he had to put it in the ocean, and He became oceanlike. Then he understood that He is God. So this is Godly power. He can take the shape... As the ocean is big, so He'll take and take this bigger-than-the-ocean form. But He is the maker of all forms. He has made ocean. But is it very difficult to understand how God becomes fish? That does not mean that every fish is God.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.6 -- New York, January 8, 1967:

So Kṛṣṇa is both in the spiritual world and the material world. Because we represent Kṛṣṇa, we are in this brahmāṇḍa conditioned. But there are many living entities who are eternally liberated. They never come to this. How it is, that? Just like the ocean and the rivers. In river, in the river, you will find fishes, and in the ocean you will find fishes. But the... Sometimes it may be that the fishes of the river may go to the ocean, but the fishes of the ocean never comes to the river. Never comes to the river. There is no place for them. This is a crude example. Similarly... And as the ocean is far, far greater than the river-thousands of rivers cannot be compared with the, I mean to say, measurement of the ocean—similarly, thousands and millions of this material world cannot be compared with the spiritual world. The spiritual world is so great that millions of material world taken together, it can be dropped into the spiritual world. It is such great. Therefore material world is called one-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy. And the spiritual world is called three-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.6 -- New York, January 8, 1967:

Now, this energy manifested as the living entities, they are also two kinds. What are they? Eka-nitya-mukta. One class of living entities, they are eternally liberated. Just like the fishes in the ocean. Take the ocean as the place of liberation. Sometimes the example is given that as the rivers glide down to the ocean and the water is become one... That's all right. That oneness... This is impersonal conception. Everyone goes and mixes as every river goes down to the ocean, and there is no more distinction which is the river water and which is the ocean water. They become one. That is the monistic philosophy. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy goes farther, that "Why you are satisfied with the water? Why don't you see within the water?" Within the water you will find there are big, big fishes and aquatic animals.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.6 -- New York, January 8, 1967:

They have no intelligence to see that within the ocean there is individual expansion, individual life, and they are enjoying. Similarly, in the spiritual sky there is individuality. That individuality is there. And that individuality is reciprocated between Kṛṣṇa and the individual souls. They are called nitya-mukta, eternally liberated. And the other class, who are just like in the river fishes, they are called nitya-baddha. Their, I mean to say, limited sphere in the river or in the pond or in the well... The frog philosophy. They are expanding themselves, frogs: "How much great is Atlantic Ocean?" So they are called conditioned soul. Those who are in this material world, although they are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord energy, but because they are conditioned in this material contamination, they are called, I mean to say, conditioned, conditioned by the laws of nature.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 -- New York, July 26, 1971:

Now bring any biologist to calculate how many species are there in the water. They cannot say. But here, in the Padma Purāṇa, Vedic literature, you get exact information how many species of living entities are there within the water. Everyone knows that there are living entities, full of living entities. We are catching fish, but small fishes. We have not seen. Even if we have seen the biggest fish, that is, whale... Sometimes they are as big as one big ship. But there are other fishes, we get information, they are called timiṅgila. The big fish, the whale fish, and timiṅgila means there is another big fish which swallows this timiṅgila, this whale just like anything. These informations are there. And in Calcutta Museum, in our childhood—it may be still existing—we saw one skeleton of a fish that is bigger than this room, a skeleton. It is hanging on the ceiling. So there are very, very big, big fishes. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. You get immediately information, without being a biologist, scientist, you can get information. The Darwin's theory, in most perfection, there is in the Padma Purāṇa: jīva-jatiṣu. The evolutionary theory is there. But Darwin is missing the real point: Who is, who is evolving? He's missing the spirit soul. He cannot explain. That is imperfect.

Festival Lectures

Sri Gaura-Purnima Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.38 -- Mayapur, March 16, 1976:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: "In this way, my Lord, You have appeared in different incarnations—as human beings, as animals, as a great saintly person, as demigods and as a fish and a tortoise. In this way You maintain the whole creation in different planetary systems and kill the demoniac principles in every age. My Lord, You therefore protect the principles of religion. In the age of Kali You do not assert Yourself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore You are known as Tri-yuga, or the Lord who appears in three yugas."

Prabhupāda:

itthaṁ nṛ-tiryag-ṛṣi-deva-jhaṣāvatārair
lokān vibhāvayasi haṁsi jagat pratīpān
dharmaṁ mahā-puruṣa pāsi yugānuvṛttaṁ
channaḥ kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam

So here is a very specific statement about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is avatāra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He's channa. Channa means covered, not directly, because He has appeared as a devotee. Avatāra... Rūpa Gosvāmī has found out that He's avatāra of Kṛṣṇa. All the devotees, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and in the śāstra, and the Upaniṣad, Mahābhārata, in every... Sādhu-śāstra. Avatāra should be confirmed by great devotees, personalities, and must be collaborated with the statement in the śāstra.

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

So you stop this business," Kṛṣṇa says. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "You have manufactured so many duties. That duties means you are manufacturing so many bodies. That's all." Why you have got different types of bodies? We have manufactured it. God has given us facility. I wanted to become such and such. He has given us facilities, "All right, you become such and such." If I want to become a tiger, God will give me all the facilities to become a tiger. He will give me facilities, paws and nails and teeth so that immediately I can capture any animal, and with the instruments which He has provided within my body, I can immediately scratch it into pieces and eat. Similarly, you will find... You see the cranes. They have got big beaks. Why? Because they have to catch fish from within the water, so the beak must be very long. So there is facility. The hog has different mouth because he has to eat stool. So a different kind of body.

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, June 27, 1971:

This means that we are changing bodies in every moment, every second, imperceptibly, but I, the spirit soul, exist in all circumstances. Therefore it is natural to conclude that after leaving this body I shall have another body. That's a fact. That is Vedic truth. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). The example is given that as we change our dresses; similarly, we are changing our dresses from one body to another. We have changed dresses as aquatic animals, as many fishes and aquatic animals as there are in the sea, then we are change bodies as creepers, plants and trees for many, many years. Then we change our bodies in the insect life, reptiles life, then we are change our bodies in three..., thirty hundreds of thousands of beasts, then we have got this human form of life. That is also an evolution through many uncivilized form of human life.

Ratha-yatra -- London, July 13, 1972:

God is by nature joyful. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said about the Supreme Absolute Truth, as ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), by nature joyful. Therefore, as we are part and parcel of God, our aim of life is joy. We are searching after that joyfulness within this material world, but that is not possible. Just like a fish, if it is taken from the water and put on the land, in any condition the fish will never feel joyfulness. Similarly, we are spirit souls. Somehow or other, we have come in contact with this material world. Therefore in this material world we cannot have joyfulness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. This material world is not befitting our spiritual self. Spiritual self requires spiritual joy. That is beyond these material senses. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for clearing or cleansing or purifying the senses. As soon as we purify our senses, then actually we can enjoy our spiritual sense enjoyment.

Varaha-dvadasi, Lord Varaha's Appearance Day Lecture Dasavatara-stotra Purport -- Los Angeles, February 18, 1970:

The first incarnation is the fish form.

So these prayers were offered by Jayadeva Gosvāmī. One Vaiṣṇava poet advented about seven hundred years before Lord Caitanya's appearance. He was a great devotee, and his specific poetry, Gīta-govinda, is very famous all over the world. Gīta-govinda. Gīta-govinda is the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa playing on flute about Rādhārāṇī. That is the subject matter of Gīta-govinda. The same poet, Jayadeva Gosvāmī, has offered this prayer, pralaya-payodhi-jale-dhṛtavān asi vedam **. He says, "My dear Lord, when there was devastation within this universe, everything was filled with water. At that time You saved the Vedas, stacked in a boat. And you held the boat from being drowned in the water, in the shape of a big fish." This fish first of all was caught in the waterpot just like a small fish. Then it enlarged, and the fish was kept in a bigger water reservoir. In this way the fish was increasing. Then the fish informed that "Devastation is coming. You just save all the Vedas on a boat, and I shall protect it." So Jayadeva Gosvāmī is offering prayer, "My Lord, You saved the Vedas when there was devastation in the shape of a fish."

Initiation Lectures

Initiations -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1969:

Ṛṣabhadeva: No illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Ṛṣabhadeva: No meat, fish or eggs; no gambling...

Devotee (1): Intoxication.

Ṛṣabhadeva: No intoxicants.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. So you'll remember it. All right, take it. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy.

Devotee (2): Haribol!

Initiations -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1969:

Girl: No illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, no meat, fish, or eggs.

Prabhupāda: No LSD. And no LSD also. (laughter) Come on. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Pradyumna: Kauśalyā.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Pradyumna: Kauśalyā. Kauśalyā.

Prabhupāda: Gosalya?

Pradyumna: Kauśalyā, Lord Rāmacandra's mother, Kauśalyā.

Prabhupāda: Oh, Kauśalyā. Kauśalyā. Your name is Kauśalyā. K-a-u-s-a-l-y-a, Kauśalyā. Kauśalyā was the name of Lord Rāmacandra's mother.

Initiations -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1969:

Sūri: Gambling. No gambling, no intoxication, no illicit sex, and no meat, fish...

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's all right. Thank you. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (japa) (break)

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
(devotees repeat)

Pradyumna: Joṭilā.

Prabhupāda: Your name is Joṭilā. Yes. Joṭilā and Kutilā. Joṭilā was the mother-in-law of Rādhārāṇī. (chuckles) Yes. Kṛṣṇa was not Rādhārāṇī's husband. Her husband is supposed to be somebody else. Come on. Come on. And you have bowed down? That is done. Come on. That's all right. So ten kinds of offenses, all those who are initiated today, they should avoid ten kinds of offenses.

Initiation Lecture and Bhagavan dasa's Marriage Ceremony -- New Vrindaban, June 4, 1969:

Bhagavān: No meat, fish or eggs, no intoxication, no illicit sex, and no gambling.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. So what is your name?

Bhagavān: My name is Bill.

Prabhupāda: Bill. So your spiritual name is Bhavānanda. Bhavānanda.

Devotee: There's a Bhavānanda in Los Angeles.

Prabhupāda: There is? Oh. Then give him name... Bhagavān dāsa. (devotees laugh, "Haribol!") All right. Thank you. (break) ...oṁ... Chant.

Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: No, no.

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
(devotees chant responsively) (break)

Kṛṣṇabhāmini: No meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's all.

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

When the tongue is engaged, gradually all other senses are also engaged in the service of the Lord. The tongue is the most important sense within our body; therefore for controlling our senses it is recommended that one should control first of all the tongue. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings in his song: tā'ra madhye jihvā ati lobhamaya sudurmati. Our present conditional state is like this. Śarīra avidyā-jāl, we are packed up in the network of this material body. It is just like a fish is caught within a net. Similarly, we are caught up by this network of this material body.

Initiation Sri Ranga, Romaharsana, Sridhara Dasas -- Los Angeles, July 3, 1970:

Prabhupāda: Oh, Charles. Your name is Gopāla dāsa. Come on. Govinda jaya gopāla jaya jaya. So what are the restrictions?

Gopāla: No meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex connection.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Initiations and Sannyasa -- New York, July 26, 1971:

Prabhupāda: Prayāg. Prayāg dāsī. Prayāg is the chief holy place in India, where we held our... That is Allahabad. That is Prayāg. Another name is Prayāg. Real name is Prayāg. Tīrtha-rāja, the king of pilgrimage. So you have to serve. Come on. You know the rules and regulation?

Candanācārya: Do you know the rules and regulations?

Prayāg: Yes. No illicit sex, no intoxicants, no meat, fish or eggs, and no gambling.

Prabhupāda: Next. Come on. (japa)

Aravinda: Sītā-Rāma dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Sītā-Rāma. Raghupati rāghava. Lord Rāmacandra, husband of Sītā. You are servant of Sītā-Rāma. Very high position. Come on. Hare Kṛṣṇa. You know the rules and regulations? All right. Thank you.

Initiation Lecture -- London, August 22, 1971:

No meat-eating, no eggs, no fish, no chicken, nothing of the sort. Simply vegetarian. Kṛṣṇa... Not even vegetarian; Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. We don't accept even vegetarian diet. We simply accept Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. So Kṛṣṇa-prasādam which is vegetable. Kṛṣṇa does not eat meat because He says in the Bhagavad-gītā, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa says that "Foodstuff prepared from vegetable kingdom, anyone offering Me with devotion and faith, I eat." He says, "I eat." So when Kṛṣṇa says He eats, so you should offer Him such nice prasādam so that He can eat and you take Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. So you take Kṛṣṇa-prasādam.

Initiations and Lecture Sannyasa Initiation of Sudama dasa -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Four prohibitive. What is that?

Devotee (2): No intoxication, no gambling, no eating of meat, fish, or eggs, no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: Thank you.

Initiations -- Los Angeles, May 23, 1972:

Prabhupāda: You know the rules? What is that?

Devotee: No meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no gambling.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Your name is Śuklāmbara. Śuklāmbara was a great brahmacārī devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You are servant of Śuklāmbara. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Initiations -- Los Angeles, May 23, 1972:

Prabhupāda: ... just do it nicely. You know the rules and regulation?

Will: ... meat, fish or eggs, no intoxication, no gambling, no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Thank you. Varuṇa dāsa. Varuṇadeva. Varuṇadeva is the demigod of sea? Yes. You have to control the Pacific Ocean. (laughter) Preaching. (laughter) All the Pacific islands, you have to preach. Is that all right? (laughter) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kaumadakī(?)

(another devotee is called) (japa) So you know the rules and regulations? Yes. What are they?

Sheila: ...meat, fish or eggs, no intoxication...

Prabhupāda: What is that, next? Four you have not mentioned.

Sheila: I have not mentioned four? No intoxicants, no eating meat, fish or eggs, no gambling and no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Initiations -- Los Angeles, May 23, 1972:

Prabhupāda: (japa) Hm, you know the rules? Yes.

Laura: ...no meat, fish or eggs, no intoxicants, no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: Thank you.

Devotee: Lakaṅga-mañjarī dasi ...

Prabhupāda: Lakaṅga? Lavaṅga.

Devotee: Lakaṅga ...

Prabhupāda: What is the spelling?

Devotee: L-a-k(?)-a-n-g-a. Lavaṅga. Lavaṅga-mañjarī.

Prabhupāda: Lavaṅga-mañjarī is already there. (japa) The Lavaṅga is already there. Lavaṅga mañjarī, Lavaṅga-latika. Hm? Anaṅga-mañjarī, all right? No. Anaṅga-mañjarī is there?

Devotee (2): Yes.

Prabhupāda: So all right, Lavaṅga-mañjarī. Lavaṅga-mañjarī. Assistant of Lavaṅga-latā. (japa)

Pradyumna: Robert Dorman?

Prabhupāda: (japa) You know the rules and regulations? (indistinct) And how many rounds you have to chant? Thank you. Vyāsatīrtha, one of the ācāryas in our sampradāya. Vyāsatīrtha. Remember; don't forget. (laughter)

Initiations -- Los Angeles, June 21, 1972:

Prabhupāda: So you know all the rules and regulations?

Devotee: No meat-eating, fish or eggs, no intoxication, no gambling, no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: Hm. And how many rounds you'll chant?

Devotee: At least sixteen.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Vrajeśvarī dāsī. Vrajeśvarī is the name of Rādhārāṇī. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Initiations -- Los Angeles, June 21, 1972:

Prabhupāda: (japa) So what are the rules?

Gail: No meat-eating, no meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex ...

Prabhupāda: So you're Satyadevī dāsī. Satyabhāmā was one of the wives of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then?

Śyāmasundara: Pravīnacandra?

Prabhupāda: Are you still impersonalist?

Initiations -- Los Angeles, June 21, 1972:

Prabhupāda: So what are the rules?

Pierre: No illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, no meat, fish, or eggs.

Śyāmasundara: Parvata Muni dāsa.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Parvata Muni dāsa. Parvata Muni was a great friend of Nārada Muni.

Śyāmasundara: This set of beads says Sandy Waxner on it also. Who is the other? There are two sets of beads. Who is left?

Prabhupāda: What is her name? What? I'll give her name.

Initiations -- Los Angeles, June 21, 1972:

Prabhupāda: So your name is Sāndīpani dāsī. Sāndīpani was the teacher of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He's teacher of the whole universe, but He had also a teacher. This is the example in character, that one has to accept a teacher, a spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa is giving knowledge. He's, His description is all knowledge. Samagra, full knowledge. But He is also going to a teacher's place to learn. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself; He's accepting a spiritual master, Īśvara Purī. Śrī Caitanya... Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya... Īśvara... That means Īśvara Purī became glorified by Caitanya Mahāprabhu's acceptance of him as spiritual master. But this is the etiquette, this is the Vedic principle, that even if you are God, if you, even if you know everything, still, you have to accept a teacher, a spiritual master. That is the Vedic system. So what are the rules?

Sandy: No meat, fish or eggs, no gambling, no intoxication, no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: All right, come on. So Sāndīpani dāsī. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Initiations -- San Diego, June 30, 1972:

So this practice, according to Vedic instruction... Because we have no attachment. So for making attachment, there are some regulative principles by which you can increase the attachment. Just like we say, "No illicit sex." That means... Illicit sex means those who are too much attached to sex; otherwise, there is no question of illicit sex. According to Vedic system one is married, and married means the girl has got a husband, and the boy has got a wife. So living on religious principles, they can satisfy their sex life for begetting nice children. So there is no prohibition. That is allowed. But illicit sex means your attachment for sex is increased, not for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is forbidden. No meat-eating. Meat-eating or fish-eating or egg-eating, nonvegetarian diet, it is simply attachment of the tongue.

Initiations -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1973:

Prabhupāda: Arlene. So you know the rules and regulation?

Arlene: Yes.

Prabhupāda: What are these?

Arlene: No meat-eating, fish or eggs, no intoxication, no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: How many rounds will you chant?

Arlene: Sixteen at least.

Prabhupāda: What is the...

Brahmānanda: Kīrtidā-kanyakā dāsī.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Kīrtidā dāsī.

Initiations -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1973:

Prabhupāda: What are the rules and regulations?

Michael: No eating meat, fish or eggs, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no mental speculating.

Prabhupāda: Mahājana dāsa. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Mahājana means great authority. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Initiations -- Detroit, June 15, 1976:

Prabhupāda: Tad-viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). Praṇipātena. This is praṇipāt. So what are the rules and regulations?

Jim: No eating of meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no intoxication, and no speculation.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Jiyātulya.

Prabhupāda: Jiyātulya dāsa.

Initiations -- Detroit, June 15, 1976:

Prabhupāda: (japa) What are the rules and regulations?

Lenny: No meat, fish or eggs, no intoxication, no gambling, no illicit sex.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Cakrī.

Prabhupāda: Cakrī dāsa.

Initiations -- Detroit, June 15, 1976:

Prabhupāda: What are the rules and regulations? Huh? What are the rules and regulations?

Sergio: No meat, fish or egg eating, no gambling, no intoxication, no illicit sex.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śaṅkhi.

Prabhupāda: Śaṅkha dāsa.

Initiation Lecture -- Toronto, June 17, 1976:

Voluntarily accepting some inconvenience. That is called tapasya. Generally, we want loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityasta jantu. Jantu, when one is not on the platform of spiritual understanding, they are called jantu. Jantu means anyone who has got life. The cats and dogs, they have also got life. So loke, in this material world, vyavāya āmiṣa madya sevā. Vyavāya means sex indulgence, sex life. And āmiṣa means meat, fish, egg-eating. Āmiṣa. Therefore vegetarian diet is called nirāmiṣa, not āmiṣa. So it is general tendency of the living being to become āmiṣa, to eat meat. That is the general laws of nature. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. One living entity is the life for another living entity. Ahastāni sahastānām. There are animals, two-legged animals, and there are four-legged animals.

Initiation Lecture -- Hyderabad, August 22, 1976:

The basic principles of sinful activities are mentioned in the śāstra-striya, sūnā, dyūta, pāna. Pāna means intoxication, including chewing pan and drinking tea. Chaya pāna. So one has to give up this pāna. And drinking, smoking, drinking tea, chewing pan should be given up. Pāna. This is one of the pillar of the sinful activity. And meat-eating. Meat, fish, eggs, they should be given up. And gambling, dyūta, pāna dyūta (SB 1.17.38), that should be given up. And avaidha stri-saṅgi should be given up. In this way, if you become cleansed, then... Just like if we get dry wood, then the fire ignites very easily. If we get moist wood, then it takes some time.

Delhi Initiations -- Delhi, August 31, 1976:

Prabhupāda: What are the rules and regulations?

Robin: No egg or fish, no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no intoxication, and no gambling.

Pradyumna: Atīndra dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Atīndra dāsa.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968:

That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that sahastānām ahastāni. The animals, animal who has got hands, he eats the animal who has no hand. That means four-legged animals. Ahastāni sahastānām apadāni catuṣ-padām. And the animals or living entities who cannot move, they are foodstuff of the moving. That means the grass, plants, they are the foodstuff for the cows and other animals. Nūnaṁ mahatāṁ tatra. And the big animal eats the small animal. Just like we see a big serpent is eating a small serpent, a big fish eating a small fish. So this is the law, that nūnaṁ mahatāṁ tatra jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. So one life is meant for maintaining another life. This is the law of nature.

Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969:

There is crude example. Many, you can try to understand. Just like this sun. You are seeing every day, sun. Now the sun means there are three divisions: the sunlight, sunshine; the sun globe; and the sun deity. Don't think in the sun planet there is no living entities. That is a wrong conception. As in this planet there are living entities, similarly, in the sun planet also, there are living entities, but their bodies are differently constructed. Just like your body is differently constructed. You cannot remain in the water. But the fishes, the aquatics, they can remain in the water. It is the question of construction of the body. But you cannot say that "Because I cannot live in the water, therefore nobody can live in the water." That is nonsense. This is nonsense.

Lecture (Day after Lord Rama's Appearance Day) -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1970:

...the incarnation of Godhead in the form of fish, beginning. Then Kūrma avatāra. Kūrma avatāra means the incarnation of God in the form of tortoise. Then Varāha avatāra, the incarnation of Godhead in the form of boar. Then Nṛsiṁha avatāra, incarnation of Godhead, half lion and half man. Then incarnation of Vāmanadeva, dwarf brāhmaṇa. Next incarnation is Paraśurāma, and the next incarnation, Lord Rāmacandra. You have heard the story of Rāmāyaṇa. That is the activities of Lord Rāmacandra. Last, yesterday, we observed the birth ceremony of Lord Rāmacandra. And then incarnation of Balarāma. And the next incarnation is Lord Buddha. And we are awaiting another incarnation at the last stage of this Kali-yuga. This age is called Kali-yuga.

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

I have brought with me forty American, European, Canadian students, and they will be exemplary teachers. You can see from their faces how they are advanced in spiritual consciousness, how they have accepted these principles of Vaiṣṇavism. They are no longer meat-eaters. They don't touch meat, egg, or fish, nothing of the sort. They have given up drinking habit or any kind of intoxications. They do not accept even tea, coffee and cigarette, and they do not take part in gambling, neither they have any illicit sex life. And they are observing ekādaśī days and other Vaiṣṇava festivals like Janmāṣṭamī, Śrī Rāma-navamī, and every temple, they are following the same principles. And gradually we are increasing the number.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for reviving that lost consciousness. That lost consciousness. We have lost this consciousness that "I am the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the supreme blissful enjoyer, but somehow or other, being complicated within this matter, I am suffering. I am trying to become happy with this material atmosphere, which is not possible." Just like if you are put into the water you may be very nice swimmer, but you cannot be happy there because the water is not your place. You are a living entity of the land. Similarly, a fish, if you take out of the water and give it a velvet bedding, "My dear fish, you lie down here, on the velvet," he'll die because the condition is different. Similarly, we are spirit soul, Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. So unless we go back to Kṛṣṇa, just like the gopīs or the cowherds boy, we cannot be happy. There is no possibility.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 12, 1971:

The another instruction is that Parīkṣit Mahārāja had notice for seven days' duration of life, but we do not know whether seven days or seven minutes. It may be I am speaking now, immediately I can stop, because I am completely under the control of the material nature. You know perhaps that one big officer of Indian government, I think he was the Commander in Chief or something like that, he was eating in the feast in Japan, and on the table he died while eating. There was some trouble in the throat by eating fish, and some trouble was there, and he suffocated, died immediately.

Lecture -- Visakhapatnam, February 18, 1972:

All my students and followers in Europe and America, they are ninety-nine percent all young men, young girls. They are not old, rejected persons. They are the flowers of the country. They have joined this movement, and they have taken it seriously. Seriously in this sense that whenever a body comes to me for becoming my disciple, my first principle is that you must give up illicit sex life. You must give up meat eating, fish eating, egg eating, all this nonsense. You must give up gambling. You must give up all kinds of intoxication up to the point of drinking coffee, tea, and smoking. They give up. Therefore, they have taken seriously.

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

So in some of the planets earth is prominent, some of the planets water is prominent, some of the planets the fire is prominent. In this way these five elements, gross elements... Every planet in the material world is made of these five gross elements. So just like here also we can experience that some of the living entities, just like the fishes, they are living in the water very peacefully. But if you are put into the water, you will not be comfortable. Perhaps you will die. Similarly, if the fishes are taken—that also we experienced—from the water, they will die on the land. Here we can see that some of the living entities, they can live comfortably within water. Some of the living entities, they can live comfortably on land, some of them in the air. Similarly, why not some of them in fire? Because after all, fire is also one of the material elements. So according to Vedic scripture there is life in the sun planet also. They have got fiery bodies. That's all. That is the difference. Just like the fishes here we see they have got watery bodies, similarly, one may have got fiery body. From logic, from argument, we cannot deny that.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972:

There are many animals, they have got... Just like a bird. He can fly in the sky without any mechanical arrangement. He has got the potency. You cannot. If you want to fly in the sky, then you have to make some machine. But a small insect, he is flying very freely, without any mechanical... You cannot make such a small machine like an insect. That is not. But God has given him potency, although he's a very insignificant small ant, insect, he can very freely fly. You cannot live within the water. If you want to live within the water, you have to make so many arrangements, submarine and this and that, so many things. But a small fish, he doesn't care even the ocean. Playing. A small fish.

Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972:

Actual fact is described in the Purāṇas, where it is described, aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu. Jīva-jāti, different species of life. There are 8,400,000's of different species of life. Aśītiṁ catura. Aśītim means eighty, and catura means four. Eighty-four, lakṣāṁs, 100,000. Jīva-jātiṣu, there are different species of life. They are developing. Because after devastation, the whole universe is filled up with water. So in the water the first living beings are the fishes or the aquatics. Then that fish or aquatic means a living entity embodied by that fish body. Just like we are now, every one of us... I am also a soul, you are also a soul. We are embodied by this body, human form of body. Similarly, we had to accept the body of a fish.

University Lecture -- Calcutta, January 29, 1973:

So the human form of life is especially meant for tapasya. Tapo divyam. Here it is said: tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). We are hankering after happiness, but happiness cannot be enjoyed so long our existence is not purified. So for purification of our existence we have to undergo tapasya. So we are introducing this tapasya in nutshell. We are asking our students four principles, four regulative principles. No illicit sex life. Beyond marriage life, there is no sex. No intoxication, up to smoking and drinking tea. No meat-eating. No eggs, no fish. And no gambling. We are... And chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. These five principles we are teaching. These four regulative principles, refraining from sinful activities. These are the basic pillars of sinful activities: illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful life. That is... We get from the śāstra. Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he enunciated that Kali Yuga. He was... He ordered Kali Yuga, Kali, to live in these places. When he was ordered to go out of his kingdom, he said, "My dear Lord, everywhere is your kingdom. Where shall I live?" So he ordered him that "You live in these places, striyaḥ sūnā pānaṁ dyūtaṁ yatra pāpaś catur-vidhaḥ."

Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974:

So we are under the material energy at the present moment. So we have to transfer ourself to the spiritual energy, because we are spirit. Just like you take the fish on the land. Because land is not the place for the fish, however you try to make him comfortable, he will never be comfortable. You throw him in the water—he is comfortable. Similarly, we are spirit. We are now encaged within this material body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). So our business should be how to get out of this material energy and put ourself under the spiritual energy.

Lecture -- Honolulu, May 25, 1975:

When magic is required, Kṛṣṇa plays. Kṛṣṇa is called Yogeśvara. Yoga is mystic power, and He is the Yogeśvara, master of yoga, mystic power. Yatra yogeśvaraḥ hariḥ. Just like Kṛṣṇa was on the chariot of the Kurukṣetra battle, Arjuna. Arjuna was facing enemies, big, big enemies like Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Dronācārya, and many other who were very very powerful. Arjuna was nothing before them. They are compared with timiṅgila, timiṅgila, a big fish which swallows up the whale fishes. So Mahārāja Parīkṣit said that "Although they were timiṅgila-like, they could kill thousands of Arjuna, but still, because You were protecting him, sitting on his chariot, they were killed; Arjuna was not killed."

Evening Address to Pandas and Scholars -- Jagannatha Puri, January 26, 1977:

So I have specially come to request you to remove this restriction and be friendly to the foreign devotees. And you also come there, see how there are so many Jagannātha temples, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temples, how They are being worshiped, how these foreigners, they have become pure Vaiṣṇava. They are strictly observing the four principles of sinful life by negation: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no fish-eating, no egg-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. They are purified. And Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī openly says, tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām. So there is authority.

Departure Talks

Departure Lecture -- London, March 12, 1975:

For the Māyāvādī who wants to become one with the Supreme... You can become one. One means the same thing, a small portion of the water. But our philosophy is not to mix up with the water superficially but enter into the water and live there like fish, big, big fish. That is our philosophy. What is the use of becoming one with the water? Go within the water and live there like a whale fish, perpetually. That is our philosophy. So that is secure philosophy, because as soon as actually you become a big fish within the water, there is no question of evaporation. But if you live, remain superficially on the water, then you will be evaporated again and again thrown outside, then again come as river. So your coming and going, repetition of birth and death, will not stop. But one should become a big fish, there is no evaporation.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Prabhupāda: That is explained in Bhagavad-gītā,

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
(BG 18.61)

That the body is a machine. The soul wanted to walk or move in a certain specific way, and He has given these instructions. Just like if you want to go by car, the car is there; if you want to go by bus, the bus is there; if you want to go by railway, the railway is there; if you want to fly by airship, the airship is there. Similarly, the soul is desiring in a particular way, and God is supplying through His material agent a..., that particular type of body. Therefore the bird is flying, the fish is within the water, and the uncivilized men or animals within the forest and civilized men in the city. In this way different, 8,400,000's of different bodies are there according to the desire of the soul, and the machine of the body is supplied by nature under the order of God.

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Śyāmasundara: So he says that man tends to create ideas about the universe which transcend the bounds of experience, and this is what he calls the third stage, or the transcendental dialectic. He says these ideas which transcend the bounds of experience are the realm of pure reason. He calls it pure reason, or transcendental reason. And these are not fictions, but these spring from the very nature of reason itself, these transcendental ideas.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That I already explained: transcendental. We are seeking eternity. I find myself as a soul; I am eternal; so I must seek an eternal world. This is not my place. I am eternal. The same example: just like fish taken from the water, he is not finding comfortable life. So when the fish is thrown in the water, then it is comfortable. Similarly, I am spirit soul. I am not feeling comfortable with this material body. Therefore the right conclusion is how to go to the spiritual world or attain a spiritual body. That information we are getting from Bhagavad-gītā, that one who understands Kṛṣṇa or develops his love for Kṛṣṇa, how to see Kṛṣṇa, then he gets a spiritual body to see Kṛṣṇa.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: Bones, that's all right. There are many... We also say from the Vedic śāstra there is fish, timiṅgila, which can swallow up big, big whales, you see. That is also very big. And there is Varāha incarnation, He picked up the whole earth on the tusk. How much big the Varāha animal was to show that it can pick up the whole earth, earthly planet just like a ball. He cannot imagine such big animals.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: But you should give example which is proper.

Śyāmasundara: All right. There is a fish called a lungfish, which... Most fish have gills, they breathe underwater with their gills, they extract oxygen from water. But there's one fish in Africa that has developed lungs, so that, because it lives in an area where the water sometimes goes away, so it must be able to breathe oxygen from the air. So they say out of millions of fish in that water, one happened to have a pair of lungs, so he survived.

Prabhupāda: So we say that means he was already existing. We say there are 900,000 of species of fishes. He may be one of them, that's all.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: The selection of the species of life. I can select. From fish, I can become man; from man I can become fish.

Śyāmasundara: So that fish desired to survive in that condition.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: I see.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Hayagrīva: He speaks of sleep. He said, "The need for sleep is directly proportionate to the intensity of the brain life, thus the clearness of the consciousness. Those animals whose brain life is weak and dull sleep little and lightly, for example reptiles and fishes. Animals of considerable intelligence sleep deeply and long. Men also require more sleep the more developed both as regards quantity and quality, and the more active their brain is. The more completely awake a man is, the clearer and more lively his consciousness, the greater for him is the necessity of sleep, thus the deeper and longer he sleeps."

Prabhupāda: Those who are ignorant and materially covered, they sleep more. Those who are spiritually enlightened, they sleep less. Sleep is the necessity of the body, not of the soul. So those who are advanced in the platform of spiritual identity, they do not require sleeping, as we find from the life of Rūpa Gosvāmī. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **: they conquered over sleeping, eating, mating. That is spiritual life. To sleep is waste of time, so those who are actually interested in spiritual life, they adjust life in such a way that almost they sleep nil.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: ...to spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is very horrible for him. But in this life he became very proud, "I don't care for God, I am independent," and so on, so on, so on, talking like a crazy fellow. But after death he has to accept a body as dictated by nature: "My dear sir, you have worked like a dog, you become a dog. You liked this surfing in the sea, now you become a fish." That will be given by the superior order. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). You have worked in a certain way. Now, by superior, super, superior dictation you will accept a type of body naturally. If you have infected some disease, when you are attacked by the disease you cannot protest because you have got already infected. Similarly, we are creating our next body, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). We are keeping ourself in touch with a certain type of modes of material nature. That means we are creating our next body.

Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:

Prabhupāda: That means a rascal. A rascal can say that "I appeared without father and mother." That's not possible. So we say that everyone appears, not only human being. All animals, all plants, trees, everywhere—there are 8,400,000 species of life—they have appeared from these material elements. Either from the water... The fishes is appearing in the water, and the plants and trees, they are appearing on the land, and then insects, birds and everything. Everything is appearing. So material nature is the mother. That is accepted. So as soon as you accept mother there must be father. Where you get this conception that we are appearing without father and mother? How it, how it is possible?

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Prabhupāda: Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavanti. That is the Vedic injunction, that people are searching after knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, so when one understands the Absolute Truth, then he understands everything. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavanti. And Bhāgavata says, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: (SB 7.5.31) "They are trying to approach the objective, but they do not know the objective is Viṣṇu." Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ: "They are simply trying to adjust by so many revolutions, these material things." But he has no knowledge that he is spiritual being. Unless he goes back to the spiritual world and associates with the supreme spirit, God, there is no question of happiness. Exactly, if you have taken a fish from the water, there is no question of happiness of this fish unless it is again thrown into the water.

Philosophy Discussion on St. Augustine:

Hayagrīva: He says, uh... (break) He says..., this is, this is Augustine writing. He said, "Some people try to stretch the prohibition 'Thou shalt not kill' to cover beasts and cattle and make it unlawful to kill any such animal, but then why not include plants and anything rooted in and feeding on the soil? After all, things like this, though devoid of feeling, are said to have life and therefore can die and so be killed by violent treatment."

Prabhupāda: No, that is not Vedic philosophy. Vedic philosophy admits that one living entity is the food for another living entity. That is natural. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,

ahastāni sahastānām
apadāni catuṣ-padām
phalgūni tatra mahatāṁ
jīvo jīvasya jīvanam

Those who have got hands, they eat the animals without hands, only four legs, and the four-legged animals eats the animals which cannot move—that means plants and vegetables. Similarly, the weak is the food for the strong. In this way there is natural law that one living entity is food for another living entity. But our philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy, is not based on this platform, that plant life is not sensitive and animal life is more sensitive or human life is more sensitive. We take all of them as life, either human being or animal or plants or fish, it doesn't matter. That is inevitable.

Philosophy Discussion on Blaise Pascal:

Prabhupāda: Mūḍhā janmani janmani mām aprāpyaiva (BG 16.20). Because he does not get under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, so life after life he is trying to be happy and he is becoming baffled. He is manufacturing new way of sporting—sometimes diving in the water, sometimes flying in the air. So this sporting, as soon as, according to his desire, God is supplying, "All right, you want to fly, you become a bird. You want to dive in the water, all right, you become a fish, big fish." So God is giving you and trying to see whether giving up all this nonsense plan he comes to God and surrenders unto Him: "Sir, I have, I have tried all my plan; I could not become happy. Now, my Lord, you say that 'You give up all this nonsense business, you surrender unto Me, I will make you happy.' " Then he becomes happy. For this message, God comes. Because this rascal will not do according to the desire of God; therefore God comes personally and teaches him—as Lord Rāmacandra, as Lord Kṛṣṇa, as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and He, They, He gives the same instruction, that "You surrender unto Me and act according to My instruction; you will be happy." But he will not do that.

Page Title:Fish (Lectures)
Compiler:Rishab, Mayapur
Created:08 of Jun, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=225, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:225