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Frustration (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

So neither my senses are satisfied nor I am satisfied. So this intelligence is not coming to us. They are going on, carvita-carvaṇānām, chewing the chewed. The senses, same sense gratification in different way. In theatre, in stage, in, at home, at club—everywhere. Simply changing the platform and trying to be happy. How you can be happy? They already distasted. Does it mean that sense satisfaction in an apartment and sense satisfaction in the club is different? It is simply imagination. "Let me go to the club, let me go to the stage, let me go to this Florida beach, and let me go there, let me see the naked dance, let me see that, let me..." That's all. But the platform is there, sense gratification. But he is not intelligent that "I have satisfied my senses in so many different ways. I have served my senses in so many different ways. Neither I am satisfied, neither my senses are satsfied." Therefore the intelligent man says, "I am no more going to satisfy my senses, I will satisfy Kṛṣṇa." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then he gets full satisfaction. This is voluntary. This is called surrender, that "I have tried to satisfy my, the whims of my senses so many lives. I have become frustrated, confused. Let me try this life to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa." That's all. At least let me give a trial one life, and let me see the result.

Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:

That is also the instruction of Lord Jesus, that after gaining everything, if you lose your own soul, what is the gain? Bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām (BG 2.44). Therefore this is another kind of disqualification for advancing in spiritual consciousness, if one becomes too much attached to these material comforts of life. Therefore according to Vedic civilization, a boy is trained to become brahmacārī. Brahmacārī. Brahmacārī means complete celibacy. No sex life, no amusement. Because just to train him not to be attracted by this material sense enjoyment. Then he'll be able to grasp what is spiritual life. Therefore restriction. But if from the very childhood, in the school, college, the boys and girls are allowed to enjoy sex life, then it is very difficult to understand or to enter into spiritual life. Bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām. If we teach our children simply for sense enjoyment, how they can be spiritually advanced? The result will be confusion. Therefore in your country the hippies are there—confusion. They have been brought up in material sense enjoyment very nicely, but still, there is confusion, frustration, because he's hankering after something better. So that is spiritual happiness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So one has to understand this point and voluntarily he has to accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and then he'll find happiness. This is sure. Those who have taken to it, just ask them, just argue with them, and see actually. This is happiness.

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

So actually we are suffering, but we are accepting it as enjoying. This is called illusion. So whatever we are doing in certain type of body in this material world, that is suffering. That is not enjoying. Because why you are placed? Because I wanted to enjoy life like that. So puruṣa prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān (BG 13.22). And this profit is nothing but acceptance of the quality of material nature. And that is very practical. We can understand. Just like we are getting... I get, say, fifty-thousand dollars in a check. So I think that "I have got fifty thousand dollars." But what is this fifty thousand dollars? It is a piece of paper. You see? This is called illusion. In this way you study your life, you will see. If you are sober, if you are actually thoughtful, you will find that "This is not my life. This is not my life. But I am falsely thinking that I am enjoying life." Therefore frustration. Next stage is frustration. Everyone, we are frustrated because we are in this material world.

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

...if you love God. And because we are missing God, we are loving this thing, that thing, that thing, that thing, that thing, and frustration. That very love which is reserved for God, we are applying it in this material world: "I love my country. I love my society. I love my family. I love my dog. I love my... I love." But I am missing whom to love. That is the point. I am placing my love in so many things, and I am becoming frustrated. So when we understand the love is meant for God, that is our perfection of life. And if you love God, then you love everyone. That is perfect love. Without loving God...

Just like you are the son of your father. So when you love your father, naturally you love your brothers also because you know, "My father will be pleased." So this is love. That universal love can be possible when you actually love God. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. In material platform that is not possible. But a devotee, a pure lover of God, he loves everyone. Just like we are. Because we have tried to love God, therefore we are wandering, touring all over the world, and the same message, "Please try to love God." We have no other message because we have understood to some extent that without love of God, they are suffering. So they will be happy when they begin to love God. This is our mission.

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

What is the difference? Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. That one maintains all these innumerable living entities. Therefore in the Bible you go and ask God give us our daily bread, He is maintaining. That is the difference between God and ourself. We are maintained and God is the maintainer. We are predominated and God is the predominator. That is the difference. Otherwise He is a person, we are also persons. He is eternal, we are eternal. He is cognizant, we are cognizant.

And all the desires and propensities what God has got, we have also got. God has got this propensity to love Rādhārāṇī. We have got also the same propensity to love another young girl or young boy. So originally it is there. Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). God means from whom everything has come. So if there is a question of love, the (indistinct) a man loving a woman and woman loving a man, that is in God. It must be there. Otherwise wherefrom it has come?

But that is pure and here it is impure on account of this material contamination. The thing is there but it is contaminated. Therefore you feel frustration. So intelligence is the why shall I remain in this contaminated position? I shall go to the pure platform. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). And such persons are repeatedly chewing the chewed. One plan is made; that is frustrated. Another plan again made, again frustrated. Again plan made, again frustrated. But still, they will go on plan-making, but they will never accept the actual truth. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ: (BG 7.15) "Their knowledge has been taken away by the energy of māyā." Māyā apahṛta-jñānāḥ. Why māyā is taking away? Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Because they have taken this principle, to deny God. That's it. Only for this reason, for this fault only, the māyā is acting so severely. Māyā will never allow such person to understand the real truth. They will go on making plan-making, it will be frustrated, again plan-making, again frustrated, again frustrated.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:

He said, "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya, I am not a śūdra, I am not a brahmacārī, I am not a householder, I am not a vānaprastha, or I am not a renounced order sannyāsī." Then what You are? Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa." This should be my real identification. This is very good identification. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness we address our contemporaries as "prabhu." Prabhu means master. And the real idea is that "You are my master, I am your servant." Just the opposite number. Here, in the material world, everyone wants to place himself as the master. "I am your master, you are my servant." That is the mentality of material existence. And the spiritual existence means "I am the servant, you are the master." Just see. Just the opposite number.

The māyā's attraction, the last snare of māyā is in this material conception of life, that so many identification, "I am this," "I am that," "I am that," "I am big man," "I am rich man," "I am prime minister," then so on, so on. When we are frustrated in all these attempts, then we try to become God. I am God. This is the last snare of māyā. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy is just the opposite. What to speak of God? He is to think himself as the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of God (CC Madhya 13.80).

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:

Janma karma me divyaṁ, yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Who can know? Yo jānāti tattvataḥ, to whom Kṛṣṇa reveals, he can know. He can know what is Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as you have done this business you have understood Kṛṣṇa, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). No more birth in this material world. To take birth in this material... Because you have got this body, therefore you have to suffer threefold miseries. We foolishly... You are trying to make adjustments to become happy here. It is not possible, because this place is recommended by Kṛṣṇa: duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), it is a place of miseries. How you can become happy here? This is illusion. You can never be happy in this material world, but you are trying to become happy in so many politician, social workers, this and that, simply wasting their time. They cannot be. You have to accept the leadership of Kṛṣṇa. Then you will be happy. If you accept the leadership of rascals, fools, you cannot be happy. Demons. They'll put you into difficulties.

Now, just this evening, one gentleman was speaking about Ahmedabad, that the students have burned so many buses, they're now uncontrollable. So this is going on all over the world. People are frustrated, because on account of these rascal leaders. They are taking the position of leadership, but they're all rascals and fools, they cannot lead. If you want to be happy, take actual leadership of Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be happy. Thank you very much. (end)

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

If by frustration one commits suicide, oh, that is not the end of his miseries. He creates another misery. He creates another misery by committing suicide. Just like here, in the state law, if somebody attempts suicide and takes some poison, and if by treatment of the physician he's all right, he's again under the law, to be punished. Perhaps you know it. After curing him from that poisonous effect, he is under criminal code of the state: "Why you have attempted suicide?" Similarly, in the laws of nature, if you commit suicide, that is another criminal act. So suicidal policy, to end this misery of life, is not all. We must have, I mean to say, greater life.

In the Bhagavad-gītā you have read—already we have discussed—paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: (BG 2.59) "One has to end this miserable life after finding out a life of bliss and knowledge and eternity." That should be our... We should not be trying only to end these miseries of life, expecting something void. No. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa... This cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13), these divisions of human society, is created by the Lord because to elevate ourself from the clutches of this deluding māyā, or illusion. So just like one has to be educated from the lower class to the postgraduate class, similarly, this division of labor is there just to elevate one from the lowest stage of consciousness to the highest stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So that is a cooperation. That is a cooperation.

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

Now, just to... I have tried to explain a little portion of the Kṛṣṇa's activities. When He appeared in this world, He showed His activities just to attract us, that "You are frustrated in friendship? Come on. Make friendship with Me. Oh, you are frustrated in getting a good master? Come on. Serve Me. I am, I become your good master. Oh, you are frustrated in the love of your sons? Oh, have Me as your son." Because here we are frustrated with our sons and daughters. We expect something, but when they are grown up, they go in their own way. We are frustrated.

So accept Kṛṣṇa as son, and He'll be most obedient son just like He was playing the part before Yaśodā. Similarly, accept Kṛṣṇa as husband or lover. You'll never be frustrated. That is the whole philosophy. Anything, whatever desire you have got, you can establish a relationship with Kṛṣṇa in that desire and you'll be happy, perfectly happy, never to be cheated. So na māṁ karmā... iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti. Anyone who understands this philosophy, this transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, then what is the result? Karmabhir na sa badhyate. Because every act... We are bound up by the reaction of our past deeds. So as soon as we understand the transcendental activities of Kṛṣṇa, at once we become free from all reactions.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Bombay, April 3, 1974:

But if we misuse our intelligence and do not take advice from Kṛṣṇa and manufacture so many plans for prosperity, that will all fail. Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ (BG 9.12). That is moghāśā. Mogha means frustrated. They will be frustrated. Moghāśā. Anyone who does not take the direction of Kṛṣṇa, then whatever he is hoping, that will be frustrated. Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇaḥ. And whatever he is planning, "I will do like this, he will do like that," that will not stay. Because the māyā is there. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā. Māyā will kill all your plans. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). And if you follow Kṛṣṇa and do accordingly, then you will not be frustrated. Your life will be successful. This is the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

There are different kinds of activities—karma, jñāna, yoga, especially. Everything, all activities are grouped under three headings. One is karma, fruitive activities. People are working to get some desired result for sense gratification. That is generally. Everyone is working to get some money, and money means to satisfy senses, my demands of the senses. This is called karma.

Then, out of many millions of such karmīs, or worker, one is jñānī, or a man in knowledge. When a man comes into the platform of knowledge, when he becomes frustrated by working hard and tasting all results of karma, when one is not satisfied, then he comes to the platform of knowledge. Knowledge means inquiry—"What I am? Why I am frustrated? Why I am confused? What is my position?" That is the platform of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

But when one can understand... That is also injunction in the Vedas, that akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ: (SB 2.3.10) "Either you are desiring some material prosperity or you are desiring devotional service, or you are desiring liberation..." There are three kinds of desires. One desire is that a person wants some material opulence. And then one desires... One becomes frustrated. He wants liberation. Or another, those who are transcendentally advanced, they want to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There are three kinds of desires.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

Similarly, when everything we see in connection—nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe—in connection with Kṛṣṇa, when everything we see that "This can be utilized very nicely for Kṛṣṇa's service," that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is God consciousness, everything to see in connection with Kṛṣṇa. The Gosvāmīs, they give us this formula. Prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they say that "This world is false. This world is false." Some philosophers, they are meditating to the voidness, that "These things are all nonsense. Voidness is best." This is frustration. But we know that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa and it can be used for Kṛṣṇa. Why void? Why false? Reality. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to accept everything in reality, not false. This tape recorder machine, it is material. The Māyāvāda philosophers, they will say it is false. We say,"It is not false. It is temporary, but it can be used for Kṛṣṇa." That is the best use of a bad bargain. Similarly, this body is not false, but it is temporary. How can I say false? If I give you a nice, I mean to say, what is called?

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

Happiness which is derived by touch senses, saṁsparśajā... Saṁsparśajāḥ means happiness, so-called happiness derived by touch senses. Ye hi saṁsparśajā bhogāḥ, enjoyment. Duḥkha-yonaya eva te. Lord Kṛṣṇa says that this is not real happiness. Anything, any happiness derived out of touch sensation, that is not real happiness. Rather, that is the gate for various miseries. The whole Vedic scripture describes that happiness derived of sense perception out of the body, that is not real happiness. If we are to enjoy real happiness, then we have to transcend these bodily pleasures. Happiness is there because I am spirit soul. Actually I am full of pleasure, but because my sense of happiness is being manifested through this matter, therefore we are being frustrated in deriving real pleasure. So those who are in the, advanced in spiritual life, they are called yogis. Yoginaḥ. Ramante yoginaḥ anante (CC Madhya 9.29). Those who are spiritualists, they also enjoy. But they enjoy in the real happiness which has no end. Any happiness which is ended at a certain point, that is not happiness. That is, rather, source of distress. Ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣu ramate budhaḥ. Budhaḥ means who is learned. A learned person does not enjoy such flickering or transient happiness which is derived by sense touching.

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

Now, this process is to give up that lust and anger. But if you engage yourself direct in Kṛṣṇa consciousness the result of this process is achieved very easily. Yatendriya-mano-buddhir munir mokṣa-parāyaṇaḥ, vigatecchā. Icchā-bhaya-krodha. Icchā means we desire so many things. And in material life we shall be always afraid. Afraid. Everyone is afraid. So icchā-bhaya-krodha. Anger is unavoidable because in so many things we are frustrated in our dealing that anger is possible. But if we are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even we are put into such difficulty... I am very glad to inform you that one of our students is put into some difficulty, but he is very happy simply thinking of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Practical. He is... Not very long he is practiced the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but within a few days he has learned the art. Just now I received telephone that he said that "I am quite happy." So this is such a thing. Kṛṣṇa consciousness can get us even in the greatest... Yasmin sthite guruṇāpi duḥkhena na vicalyate (Bg. 6.20-23). Even one is situated in a very great dangerous point, still, he is not disturbed. This is such a thing, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He does not become disturbed.

Lecture on BG 6.1 -- Los Angeles, February 13, 1969:

So our whole process is to join the supreme ānandamaya, Kṛṣṇa, in His dance party. That will make us actually happy. Here we are trying to be happy by artificial means. And we are becoming frustrated. But if you actually be situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply you revive your original position, joyful, simply joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. These are the Vedānta. Because our nature is ānandamaya. People are, everyone is trying to find out. In this La Cienega Avenue there are so many restaurants, so many things and so many signboards. Why? They are advertising, "Come on, here is ānanda, here is pleasure." He's advertising, we are also doing like that. "Here is ānanda." So everyone is searching after ānanda pleasure. But there is different standard of pleasure. The same thing. Somebody are trying to find out pleasure from the material point of view, somebody's trying to find pleasure from speculation, philosophy, poetry of art. And somebody's trying to find out pleasure in the transcendental stage. Everyone is trying to find out pleasure. That is our business only. Why you are working so hard day and night? Because you know, at night, "I shall mix with that girl" or "I shall be mixed with wife, I shall enjoy." The whole, everyone is accepting all kinds of trouble to find out that pleasure.

Lecture on BG 6.6-12 -- Los Angeles, February 15, 1969:

Yes, this is very important. Now, Kṛṣṇa, we are accepting Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord. Now how we accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord. Because it is stated in the Vedic literature, just like in the Brahma-saṁhitā, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Imagination, those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance, they are imagining the form of God. And when they are confused, they say, "Oh, there is no personal God. It is all impersonal or void." That is frustration. But actually, God has got form. Why not? The Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) the Supreme Absolute Truth is that from whom or from which everything emanates. Now we have got forms. so we have also must have been, not only we, there are different kinds of forms of the living entities. Wherefrom they come? Wherefrom this form is originated? This is very common sense question. If God is not a person, then how His sons become persons? If your father is not a person, how you can become a person? This is very common question. If my father has not a form, wherefrom I get this form?But people imagine, because when they are frustrated, when they see that this form is troublesome, therefore God must be formless. That is an opposite conception of this form. But Brahma-saṁhitā says no. God has form, but He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sat, cit, ānanda. Sat means eternal. Sat means eternal, cit means knowledge and ānanda means pleasure.

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

So athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta... jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan (SB 10.14.29). Therefore it is said, "My dear Lord, a person who has received a little favor from You, he can understand You very quickly. And others who are trying to understand You by the ascending process, they may go on speculating for millions of years, they will never understand." They will never understand. They will come to the point of frustration and confusion. "Oh, God is zero." That's all, finished. If God is zero, then how from zero so many, I mean to say, figures coming out? God is zero. Bhāgavata says, Vedānta says janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Everything is generates from the Supreme. Now we have to study how it is generated. That is also explained, what is the way, what is the process, how to know it. This is Vedānta-sūtra. Vedānta means the ultimate knowledge. Veda means knowledge and anta means ultimate. So Vedānta means the ultimate knowledge. The ultimate knowledge is the Supreme Lord.

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

So long you require some material facilities, you'll get material facilities, but that is not solution of the problems of your life. Material facilities, I think you American boys and girls, you have got material facilities better than any other nation. At least better than India, that I can say by my experience. And I have traveled in so many countries, in Japan also I have seen, but still you are better positioned. But do you think you have attained peace? Can anyone of you say, "Yes, I am completely in peace." Then why the youngsters are so much frustrated and confused? So, so long we shall utilize the yoga practice, this practice, for some material facilities, there is no question of peace. Yoga practice should be performed to understand Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Or to make your lost relationship with Kṛṣṇa reestablished. That is yoga practice.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

This is our position. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. When I speak "Kṛṣṇa," means God. You know, all. It is not very difficult for Indians. So because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be disconnection. Therefore it is a stage of forgetfulness. Instead of loving Kṛṣṇa, we have expanded our love for so many things. Somebody's loving his body. Somebody's loving his family. Somebody's loving his society, community, nation, or the human society. We are trying to... We must love. There is no escape. I must love somebody, because the propensity's there. So the original love is for Kṛṣṇa. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, therefore our love is distributed in so many ways. But we are frustrated. We, we are not happy. Neither the person whom we love or the country whom we love or the society which I love, they're also not happy. Because everything is misplaced. Everything is misplaced. Just like if you water on the top of the tree or every leaf, every branch, every twig, you cannot keep the tree very fresh. But if you water on the root of the tree, it keeps fresh, always.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:

"My dear Arjuna, if you develop your attachment for Me," mayy āsakta... Mayy āsakta, "attachment to Me," God is saying. We have got attachment. Every one us has got some attachment, either for this or that. Especially our living condition means to love somebody. That love propensity, that loving propensity is there within me, within you. I want to love you or you want to love me or I want to love somebody, but I want to love; that is my hankering. But because the love is misplaced, therefore we are frustrated. Love is misplaced. The example is given in the śāstra. Just like the tree has to be watered, but if you do know the purpose of watering, where to water, then our business of watering will be misused. You cannot water on the leaves, on the twigs or on the branches. You have to pour water on the root. That is the principle. So our loving propensity, when it will be properly employed, when we try to love or develop our loving propensity for God, or directly when we learn how to love God, then our loving propensity is perfect.

Lecture on BG 7.5 -- Bombay, February 20, 1974:

When he forgets that he is servant of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes servant of so many māyā. But when he understands that "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa, and, becoming servant of Kṛṣṇa, I can become servant of others also," that is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone is a servant, but he is serving wrongly. His service is misplaced. We are simply educating people that "Your service being misplaced; therefore you are not satisfied, neither your master is satisfied. Nobody's satisfied." For example... I have repeated this example many times. Even Mahatma Gandhi, the great servant of India He served India so nicely. Still, the master was not satisfied, and the master killed him. He wanted to serve his country, but the result was that his countrymen killed him.

So this service is frustration. If you go on serving the material world, you'll be frustrated, in this way or that way. But if you serve Kṛṣṇa, the same service applied to Kṛṣṇa, your life will be successful. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that ser..., you cannot avoid service, but service other than Kṛṣṇa will be frustration. But you serve Kṛṣṇa, you'll be satisfied, the Supreme Lord will be satisfied, and your life will be successful.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 7.18 -- New York, October 12, 1966:

Now, we were discussing in our last meeting about the four classes of men who are adverse to the worship of God and four classes of men who take to the worship of God. So far four classes of men who take to worship of God, they are recommended as udārāḥ, "very magnanimous." Such people are very magnanimous. Sarva evaite. Evaite. Out of them, out of that four classes of men... Just like distressed, poverty-stricken, inquisitive and philosophers. These four classes of men, if they are pious on the background, they begin worship of God. But the distressed and the poverty-stricken may give up worship of God if they are frustrated. But those who are inquisitive and philosopher, they do not give up worship of God or research work in the science of God. They do not give up. They continue. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa says that out of these four classes, one who is in really knowledge of the science of God and searching after the truth, he is very dear to Him.

Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

Mogha-karmāṇaḥ. Mogha-karmāṇaḥ means fruitless, baffled. Whatever they are doing, doing something, but at the end they will find it is frustration. They are not happy. Take for example we have practical experience in India. Mahatma Gandhi, he was a great worker for national emancipation. You have heard his name. But at the end he was so much disgusted—that I have seen personally—wherever he used to go, he used to plug his ears like this. Why? Now, wherever he would go, thousands of people would gather and will cry, "Mahatma Gandhi ki jaya!" So the poor fellow could not sleep even. The person, as soon as there is some scent that "Mahatma Gandhi is coming here," at least five thousand people will gather and will cry, "Mahatma Gandhi ki jaya." So at the last stage of his life he could not sleep due to this crying. Just see.

Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha... (BG 9.12). vice..., rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva prakṛtiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ. Rākṣasī. Rākṣasī means those who are atheists, they are called rākṣasas. Rākṣasa and asura. Asura, they are always against God. They are called asuras. And rākṣasa means they don't believe in God. So rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva prakṛtim. Why they...? That mohinīṁ prakṛtim. They are bewildered by this illusory material energy. They are... They think, "This is all, and this life..." They do not know God. "There is no life. Let us enjoy as far as possible. Squeeze out the extract of this matter." Squeezing, squeezing, they don't... They are frustrated, frustrated, moghāśā, baffled in every respect. Squeezing to take essence of this material pleasure, they are baffled. They are baffled. Don't you see this practically? "So much money, so much I have earned." They go to enjoy, fifty thousand dollars, hundred thousand dollars, squeezing—they do not find any pleasure. Simply squeezing, squeezing. Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇaḥ. That is not the process to find out real pleasure. If you have to find out real pleasure, then you have to take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to be trained up in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will have to change your habits in this way. You will find ananta. Ramante yoginaḥ anante (CC Madhya 9.29). Unlimited happiness which will never end, never end. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande. That is real happiness that does not end. Don't you see? Is there happiness in the material world, in your sense enjoyment, which does not end? It begins and ends, say, for few minutes or few hours or few seconds. It ends. But real happiness has no end. That is real happiness.

Lecture on BG 9.18-19 -- New York, December 4, 1966:

Just like we take a sugar cane and we chew it, take out all the extra juice. I throw it in the street, and again somebody comes and chewing it. What is there? Already all the juice that contained, I have taken it. So this material life experience—chasing after woman and drinking and sense gratification and so many things, spending like anything—we have seen it, but we have not experienced any actual happiness. Still, I am trying to induce my son, my dependent, into that way. The foolish people do not think that "I have already experimented all these things. What benefit, what happiness, I have got?" This is called punaḥ punaś car..., repeatedly chewing the chewed, repeatedly. This is going on. Nobody thinks that "I have already experimented all these things. What benefit I have got? What happiness I have got? I am frustrated in my life. So why shall I induce my son? If I at all love my son, why shall I induce my son into that? Let him experiment this, Kṛṣṇa consciousness." No. Because adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram.

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

This is the fact. Just like one protects his country because he lives there. Protects his house, protects his property because he has utilization. Similarly, because we have got utility for this body, we give protection. But when the living entity is no longer there within this body, there is no question of protection. It is thrown away. Even his father, mother or relatives, they take the body and throw away. In a different way, the body is thrown away. It has no more importance. So, then ultimately it comes that you love yourself. And you love yourself, but the self is the part and parcel of the Supreme Self. Therefore you love yourself because you love the Supreme Self. So therefore, ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ. Actually, everyone has got the loving propensity because he loves Kṛṣṇa. That is natural. So Kṛṣṇa says that simply by following this process, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. Mām evaiṣyasi, you are trying to find out the supreme loveable object. So mām evaiṣyasi, come and let us live, loving one another. This is the goal of life.

Every one of us, we love Kṛṣṇa, but we are missing Him. Therefore we are placing our loving propensity wrongly, here, there, here, there, here, there, and we are becoming frustrated. Kṛṣṇa says that "If you simply follow this process, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, you come to Me, come to your original lover." So where is the difficulty? To attain the highest perfection of life, where is the difficulty? Anyone can say that "Here is the difficulty"?

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

Because we want material happiness, therefore there is difficulty. So, material happiness, you have got experience, it cannot give us satisfaction. The big, big countries, America, in Europe, and so many, they have advanced in material happiness, but actually they are not happy. Material happiness cannot give us happiness. Happiness, when we actually come to Kṛṣṇa and love Him... Happiness means also love. Either you love your family or your country or your society or your wife, your children, by loving there is happiness. But this loving process is not giving us happiness. We are becoming frustrated. Therefore the real lovable object being Kṛṣṇa, if we make progress to that point, then we shall be happy. This is the point. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.68). So if this is concluded, then where is difficulty to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness? That is my point. Now it is concluded that if we come to Kṛṣṇa and love Him, then that is the highest perfection of our life. Now to attain that highest perfection of life, where is the difficulty? That is the point I am asking.

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

Everything is said there, we are discussing one point, that, one is, if we are convinced, that requires education. Love, we are being frustrated every point. Now when the perfectional point we shall come, that is by loving the original objective. There are so many examples. Just like a child, he is not happy in another woman's lap, cries. But as soon as he comes to the lap of his own mother, he's immediately happy. So, we are trying to be happy so many ways, but we are not becoming happy. When we come to the real point of loving Kṛṣṇa... Love is there. I want to love somebody, everyone, but that is not being properly utilized. Therefore we are unhappy. So when you come to the stage of loving Kṛṣṇa, then you'll become happy. This is the point. That is being instructed by our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Now to love Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa never says that "In order to love Me, you have to go to the factory or to work somewhere fifty miles away from home." He does not say all this. Simply, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. The question may be raised that if I want to love Kṛṣṇa, then how other things will go on? This question may be raised. Kṛṣṇa never says that "You have to go to the factory, earn money, and then you can love me." He never makes this condition. Is there any condition? (laughter) Now practical person will say "If I think of Kṛṣṇa always, then wherefrom money will come?" This question may be raised. How you'll answer it?

Lecture on BG 10.3 -- New York, January 2, 1967:

So that dormant relationship is there. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. You want to serve Kṛṣṇa, but it is now covered. You want to revoke (invoke) your relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Just like a good son, if he is not mad, he is not crazy, natural affection is there for father. Natural affection is there, father. As soon as the father, the parents, call, they go. So similarly, we have got this dormant relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Simply by the spell of illusion we are thinking that "We have no connection with God or Kṛṣṇa. Let us act independently and do all foolish things and be happy." So we are unhappy; so we are frustrated; so we are full of anxieties. This is our position.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, December 29, 1972:

At the fag end of life, we are disappointed, we are frustrated. Brdhya kala aula saba sukha pāgala.(?) When we cannot again, no more, we can enjoy with our senses, then we become very much depressed. Old men. You'll find old men, those who are not spiritually inclined, they're very morose. Morose because they cannot use anymore the senses. They sometimes take medicine. But how it can be done? So drdhya kala aula.(?) So we are under this illusion. This is called māyā. We should understand that we are not this body. We are not this body. Our bodily enjoyment, sense gratification, that is illusion. In another place in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, it is said: sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. Find out that verse. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. We are trying to enjoy life with these material senses, but that is illusion, that is temporary. Temporary and illusion. Real enjoyment is with our spiritual senses.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Bombay, September 27, 1973:

Because we are all sons of Kṛṣṇa... We are wandering in this material world as mad chap. Just like a rich man's son has become mad. He leaves his home and loitering in the street and eating in the garbage. That is our position. We are the sons of the richest person. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya. Bhagavān means who is the proprietor of all riches. So we are sons of such a rich man. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanā... But we have become mad. We have become mad. We want to enjoy... Just like there are many sons. Although the father is... In America we find many. Although father is rich, millionaire, he has become a hippie, out of frustration, confusion, or some other reason. So our condition, like that. We are the sons of the richest person. Not only richest, the wisest. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya vīryasya. The most powerful, Kṛṣṇa. The most powerful, the richest, the wisest, the most beautiful. Everything, supreme degree. We are sons of such a father, but we have become mad after this material enjoyment. This is our madness.

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

So their time is now athāto brahma jijñāsā. Therefore from India, any rascal comes as yogi and sādhu and avatāra—they go. They are hankering after. We see practically this younger generation. They ask me sometimes that "Why so many younger, younger generation come to you?" Yes, they are frustrated. They are no more interested to live like their fathers and grandfathers. That is become... That has become hackneyed. The same things, same gambling, same meat-eating, same woman-huntering, and same intoxication—that has finished.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

So this is the duty. This is the duty of all responsible Indians, how to make his life perfect, utilizing Vedic knowledge, and then distribute it throughout the whole world. Because in other parts of the world they have no such advantage. Why these American boys are coming to us? Because they did not get the advantage of spiritual life, but they are seeking after spiritual life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. They are fed up with this materialistic way of life. They want something spiritual. But because there is no such information, there is no such leader, they are becoming hippies, frustrated, confused. And because here is something substantial, they are taking it. This is the secret of success of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So here it is clearly stated, daivī sampad vimokṣāya. If you do not develop your godly qualities, then there is no question of liberation. It is not a fashion, that you do anything nonsense and simply take as Vedānta and talk while smoking, and you become liberated. It is not so easy. It is not so easy. You have to form your Vedānta character; then you can understand this philosophy.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- New York, July 6, 1972:

Vedānta-sūtra philosophy was expounded by Vyāsadeva, Mahāmuni. And thinking that in future so many fools and rascals will misuse the Vedānta-sūtra as so-called Vedantists, and send all people to hell, therefore he personally wrote this commentary on Vedānta-sūtra, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyaṁ brahma-sūtrāṇāṁ vedārtha paribhṛṁhitaḥ **. This is bhāṣya. Bhāṣya means commentary. Therefore he begins from the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā, jīva, those who are conditioned souls, their only business is to enquire about self-realization. The piling of woods and stone is not advanced civilization. My Guru Mahārāja used to say, kāṭh pāthare mistri. If you are simply engaged how to have a skyscraper building, then we become craftsmen only, how to handle woods and stones, that's all. So much success but what we'll do with this woods and stones? You are spirit soul. Woods and stone will not give you any pleasure. That is not possible. You are not wood and stone, you are spirit soul, you must have spiritual food. Therefore in America especially, despite all material opulences, there you are becoming confused and frustrated and disappointed. Because woods and stone will not satisfy you. You must have spiritual food, that is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Melbourne, April 3, 1972, Lecture at Christian Monastery:

So it is stated that if you want to go to the sun planet or moon planet—there are many heavenly planets—you can go there. Yānti deva-vratā devān. Then you have to prepare in this life how to go there. You cannot go there by force, with your sputnik or some jet plane or something like that. That you cannot go. That is not possible. Therefore these people who are trying to go to the moon planet, they are now frustrated. So whatever it may be, the chance is there. We have written one small booklet in this connection: Easy Journey to Other Planets. If you like, you can read that. So there are innumerable planets, innumerable living standard, standard of living innumerable. Just like your standard of living materially is very nice or far greater than the Indian standard of life or any other standard of life, so if you go to other planets you will find still thousand times better standard of living. If you go still up, thousand times better standard of living.

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

Here it is said, dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. Hy āpavargyasya, apavarga. This pavarga I have explained several times. In Sanskrit grammar there are vargas, ka-varga, ca-varga, ṭa-varga, ta-varga, pa-varga—five vargas. So pa-varga means pa pha ba bha ma, five letters. Pa means pariśrama, hard labor. And pha means foaming. Because when you work very hard, from your mouth some foam comes out. Sometimes we see in the body of the horse, or any animal. Pa, pha, ba. Ba means vyarthatā, frustration. Instead of, in spite of working very hard, there is frustration in this material world. Pa, pha, ba, bha. Bha means bhaya, fearfulness. Although I am working very hard, still, I am fearful what will happen. I am not sure that things will be done properly, in spite of my working very hard. Pa, pha, ba, bha, and ma. Ma means mṛtyu, death. Working so hard, day and night, and still, there is death. Working so hard... The scientific world is working so hard, but the scientist is dying himself. He cannot stop death. He can create some atom bomb to kill, but he cannot create anything which will stop death. That is not possible. Therefore, this pa, pha, ba, bha, ma, these five letters represent five kinds of our activities in this material world.

So apavarga, dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. To make it nullified. No more hard labor, no more frustration, no more fearfulness, no more death. That is real problem.

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

So as God hasn't got to do anything, we, being Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel, we have got that tendency that we don't want to do anything, but we want to enjoy. Because you are part and parcel, the same quality is there. But we have fallen under certain conditions that we have to work. This is our position. We have to work very hard, so that foam will come out of the mouth, and still, we are not assured success; always fearful. And after all, working hard like this, we die. This is our position. So dharma means... To accept any kind of religion or faith means to nullify these five kinds of vargas. Hard work, foaming, fearfulness, frustration, and ultimately, death. That is the purpose of dharma. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. (aside:) Why you are making cut-cut? What is this sound? Who is doing that? Don't do it. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. To become religious means how to counteract these five principles. That is dharma. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. Na arthāya hi upakalpate. Not that by executing dharma, "I shall go to temple..."

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973:

So actually, this is the position. If we are actually tattva-jijñāsu, then we must be very careful, very careful. Especially in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that karmī-jñānī. Karmī is also wanting, and jñānī is also wanting, and yogi is also wanting. Karmī wants the comfortable position of life. That is also want. And jñānī, he is also wanting mokṣa, to merge into the existence. Because after becoming big, big man within this material, when he is frustrated, he wants to become God. That is another illusion. And how you can become God, sir? But the jñānīs they want, merge into the existence. Sāyujya-mukti. It is called sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the existence. That is Brahman. That is brahma-jñāna. And yogis, they want some magic power, mystic power. They can walk on the water, they can fly in the air, and so many things—aṇimā, laghimā, siddhi. There are eight kinds of siddhis. Prakāmya, īśitā, vaśitā. So a yogi can attain such perfection. But they are wants also. The jñānīs also want, and the karmīs, what to speak, they are simply in want. Therefore, kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva śānta (CC Madhya 19.149). A kṛṣṇa-bhakta, a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, he doesn't want anything more. He doesn't want anything more. You will never find that... Arjuna was a devotee. He was working for Kṛṣṇa so much, he was sacrificing everything. He was prepared to kill his family members and everything. Still, he never wanted anything, "Kṛṣṇa, give me this." Never. You will never find in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Delhi, November 18, 1973:

So our Gosvāmī Bhavānanda has explained about the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Bhagavān iti. But who is Bhagavān? That has been also explained. Bhagavān means ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa, complete in six opulences. He is Bhagavān. Bhaga means opulence. Just like we say bhāgyavān. This bhāgyavān word comes from bhaga. Bhaga bhavārthe śrī-karṇa(?), bhāgya. And vān is vatup, asty arthe vatup(?). If somebody possesses something, this affix vat or mat is used. So bhagavān means one who has opulences. So Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, when He was present on this planet, nobody could excel His opulences. That's a fact. Everyone knows. People want to enjoy. That is natural tendency, the association of woman. Here also we see that very, very rich men, they want to associate with nice, beautiful woman. In the Western countries I have seen. In Paris there are many clubs. So the club business is to go and enjoy the association of nice beautiful woman. So everyone knows it. So tendency is there. That is also richness. So that richness I have already explained. Here in the material world the same thing is represented pervertedly, not in actual position. Therefore we are frustrated.

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

So kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. At the present moment, 99.9%, they are śūdras. Therefore the society is chaotic condition. Therefore in your country, you are the richest country in the world, you are producing hippies, frustration, confusion. Chaotic condition. And if you continue this, then you'll lose all your opportunities. Artificially, you cannot remain opulent for many days. There were so many empires-Roman Empire, British Empire, Moghul Empire. These were artificial. If you systematically follow the Vedic principles as it is ordered by Kṛṣṇa... Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). You must divide the society according to quality and work, four classes of men: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And less than śūdra, they are neglected. Not neglected, they are incorrigible. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, even those who are incorrigible, they can be devotee.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:

Kṛṣṇa, this sound, transcendental sound. Kṛṣṇa means the highest pleasure. Highest pleasure. Everyone, every living being, is seeking after pleasure, but he does not know how to seek pleasure. Therefore in this material conception of life we are being frustrated in every step for satisfying our pleasure. Because we have no information from which platform we can have pleasure. That we are discussing for the last few weeks, that we are not this body. We are consciousness. Not exactly consciousness. Consciousness is the symptom of my real identity. I am pure soul. I am merged within this material body... And the modern material science, they have no stress of it. Therefore they are sometimes misled about this understanding of the spirit soul. But the spirit soul is a fact. And everyone can understand by the presence of consciousness. Any child can understand. The consciousness is the symptom of the spirit soul.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- Los Angeles, August 20, 1972:

The dirty thing is that "I shall be happy by material enjoyment." This is the basis of dirty things. The rascal does not know that he cannot be happy in any condition, any material condition. Brahmā is unhappy, Indra is unhappy, what to speak of you, you are teeny creature. Nobody can be happy in this material world. They must be always in anxiety because they have accepted something which will never make him happy. Therefore we have to counteract it, these dirty things, that we are trying to be happy in this material world. These dirty things are accumulated within our heart. Life after life, we have selected so many bodies. "Now I shall become tiger. I am eating flesh, but I cannot attack the animal and eat fresh blood." Kṛṣṇa is so kind: "All right I am giving you the chance to become a tiger. You become a tiger. I'll give you all nails and teeth so that you can pounce over immediately. There is no need of opening slaughterhouse; you can directly eat." You see.

So I wanted to enjoy as a tiger, I wanted to enjoy as a cat, as a dog, as a Brahmā. In so many lives, so many planets. But everywhere I have become frustrated. That is the fact. Now, in this human form of life, is the chance to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make your life perfect.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.2.33 -- Vrndavana, November 12, 1972:

Actually, the enjoyment is in my mind. That is not enjoyment. That is not enjoyment. Real enjoyment is when I am free from this embodiment of five elements, gross elements, and three subtle elements. I have entered into this, and the action and reaction of these five gross elements, three subtle elements, I am enjoying. Actually, not enjoying. This is called māyā. There is no enjoyment. It is enjoyment in the mind. The mind is also material creation. Real enjoyment is beyond these senses. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat. The real happiness is not by these gross senses. By transcendental senses, we can enjoy sukham āt..., real happiness. Therefore, because we are not in that platform of enjoying the transcendental senses, we are trying to enjoy by these gross senses, therefore we are becoming baffled and frustrated. This is the cause of frustration. Because that is not the platform of enjoyment.

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-4 -- New Vrindaban, May 22, 1969:

Just like athāto brahma jijñāsā. Atha, "now," ataḥ, "after this," brahma, "the Supreme Absolute Truth," jijñāsā, "one should inquire." Now you can explain in volumes of books athāto brahma jijñāsā. So there are different commentators, they have explained when brahma-jijñāsā should begin, when one should be prepared to inquire about the Supreme. Somebody says, "After karma-kāṇḍīya, after finishing all these sense gratificatory processes," or "After this, after this." Because the word is atha, "now, hereinafter." "Therefore." "Therefore," that's atha. This word is very significant, atha. Why "therefore"? Especially in your America—you are all American boys and girls—you should take note of this atha, "therefore." What is that "therefore"? "Therefore" means that "You have enjoyed your material life as luxuriantly as possible, but you are confused. You are not happy. You have produced hippies, frustration. Therefore." You can take this word, "therefore." Because we have failed, the Americans have failed to achieve the highest pleasure of life even by arranging all kinds of material facilities, therefore they should be eager to understand. At least, they should inquire what is the cause. (aside:) Don't bother about that.

Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:

Our question by Nārada Muni to Vyāsadeva, asking that "My dear Vyāsadeva, the author of all Vedic literature, you are such a learned scholar. You have produced such vastly, scholarly, and philosophical theses, books, and still you are not happy. So did you try to find out what is the cause?" The similar position is of the present world. There is so much advancement of scientific research, result, economic. Of course, in India there may be poverty-stricken, but in your country, you have got ample, everything ample. But still, a section is confused and frustrated. Why? The same position as Vyāsadeva, who was not satisfied even after producing so many variety of literatures in material science and philosophy and religion and... Everything was complete. So therefore Nārada Muni is asking, "My dear Vyāsadeva, you are great personality, but do you think as long as one is situated in the bodily plane or in the mental plane, does he derive any pleasure?" This is the question.

Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969:

They never never recognized, recognized. Because what they have got to do with these political affairs? Just like... They know, this is the business of the crows. The crows will take interest in such meeting. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). What these politicians will do? They'll simply make plan. That's all. Hitler will make one plan, Mussolini will make one plan, Churchill will make another plan. Your Roosevelt will make another plan, Gandhi will make another. Simply planmaking business. They will never be able to bring any peace and prosperity in the world. That is not possible. Because it is under the grip of māyā. They do not know. The peace and prosperity means surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Then you become out of the clutches of māyā. That secret they do not know. They're simply making plans. That's all. So planmaking, will always be frustrated. So simply agitation; it has no meaning. Therefore those who are transcendentalists, they know, this is crow's meeting. Sometimes, you have not seen, crows meeting. Kaw kaw kaw kaw kaw kaw kaw. They are passing resolution. You see? (laughter)

Lecture on SB 1.7.22 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1976:

So our sufferings... First of all, labor, pariśrama. Pa. You cannot get anything in this material world without laboring. That is not possible. Just like we have got this nice temple. How we have got it? Laboring. We have to collect the stone, we have to collect this brick, we have to... If I cannot work personally, then I have to engage laborer. So this temple is not by accident, automatically, by chunk it has come. No. There must be labor. Pariśrama. That is pa. Then pha. Pha, in the English you can say frustration. Or in Sanskrit the phena, and English word is foam. When you work very hard, everyone, you know, there is foam. We have generally seen, in animals there is foam, in horse. The, hard labor, very hard labor, the foam comes. So first of all, pariśrama, hard labor, then foam. Pa pha. And ba. Ba means vyarthatā. Frustration. Despite so much hard labor, still frustration. Now our leaders are advertising that "Work hard. Work hard." "Sir, I am working so hard that I am working like an ass, like an animal, and I am tired. Still I have to work hard?" "Yes." This is saṁsṛti. They are not satisfied that human being, Indians are working just like an ass, pulling ṭhelā, rickshaw, and still they're requesting work hard.

Lecture on SB 1.7.22 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1976:

So this is called vyarthatā. You work hard, hard, hard. Still you'll not be successful. You'll have to work hard. That is called pa, pha, ba. And bha, bha means fearfulness. Just like the animal is working so hard and still he's afraid. "The master may whip." "You are not working?" Phut! Phut! He has to work still. Bhaya. So that fearfulness is everywhere. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. The ox and bull, they are afraid of the driver, and we are afraid of our leader, of our government, of our so-called master and so on, so on, so on. That you cannot avoid. That is not possible. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Because we have accepted this material body, we have to be always remain in anxiety. You cannot avoid. So pa, pha, ba, bha, and at last, ma. Ma means mṛtyu. Frustration and die. And again pa, again begin with pa. This is going on. This is called Repeatedly, pa, pha, ba, bha, ma; pa, pha, ba, bha, ma.

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

Just like at the present moment. in spite of so much arrangement by the government, nice school, nice university, colleges, but they are producing hippies. They're so much frustrated. So they are now worshiping hog. Is it not? So what is the next? Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). If you associate with the hog's quality, then you are going to become a hog. Nature will give you full opportunity. "All right sir, you become a hog." Nature's arrangement is like... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. Prakṛti, nature has got three modes of nature, and as soon as you associate with one type of modes, you get the next body according to that.

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

Just like a rascal. He's simply washing the coat, but does not take care of the body. Or a bird is in the cage and if you take care of the cage and don't take care of the bird within the cage... The bird is crying: "Ka Ka. Give me food, give me food." But you are taking care of the cage. This is foolishness. So why we are unhappy? Why, in your country especially... You are supposed to be the richest country in the world. You have no scarcity. No scarcity of food, no scarcity of motor car, no scarcity of bank balance, no scarcity of sex. Everything is there, complete, in full abundance. And still why a section of people are frustrated and confused like the hippies? They are not satisfied. Why? That is the defect. Because there is no balance. You are taking care of the bodily necessities of life, but you have no information of the soul. And there is necessity of the soul also. Because soul is the real subject matter. Body is the covering only.

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

So everyone, because of that unlimited desire, one after another... This desire, when this desire fulfilled, another desire, another desire, another desire. In this way you are simply creating problems. And when the desires are not fulfilled, then we become frustrated, confused. The frustration is there. One kind of frustration, just like in your country the hippies, that is also frustration. Another kind of frustration is just like in our country, that is very old frustration, to become sannyāsī. So to become sannyāsī, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, this world is false. How it is false? He could not utilize it properly; therefore it is false. It is not false. Vaiṣṇava philosophy is, this world is not false; it is fact. But false when you think that "I am the enjoyer of this world." That is false. If we accept it, that it is Kṛṣṇa's, and you should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service, then it is not false. We have given it, this example, that these flowers, these flowers they are in the florist shop, there are so may flowers that people are purchasing, we are purchasing, others are purchasing. They are purchasing for sense gratification, and we are purchasing for Kṛṣṇa. The flower is the same.

Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Mayapura, October 16, 1974:

This is our position. Kṛṣṇa is bhoktā, and we are parts and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. That means we have to work for Kṛṣṇa. This is a fact. If you don't work for Kṛṣṇa, then you'll starve. That is the position. But these rascals, they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Exactly in the same way as these rascals, different parts of the body, limbs, they did not know that "Without satisfying the stomach, we shall die," similarly these rascals, these karmīs, these, those who have come to this material world, they do not know that without conscious, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without satisfying Kṛṣṇa, they'll simply starve. Struggle for existence. Kliśyanti. Simply their labor will be frustrated. That is the philosophy.

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

So she prays to Kṛṣṇa, "Please cut off this relationship. Let me be free." Now after becoming free, then what are you going to do? That is the question. Suppose one is employed in a firm. He feels inconvenience: "This service is not very good. Let me resign it." You resign. But if you get a better service, then that resignation is all right. And if by resigning you become unemployed, no engagement, then what is the value of such resignation? What is the value of such resignation? Similarly, those who are frustrated, confused, they don't want this material world. Just like in your country, the hippies, they are frustrated, confused. You don't want... This is don't, but what you want? That is, that they do not know. That point is missing. You say, "I don't want this." But what you want? That you do not know. That want, what you want actually, that is explained by Kuntī. Tvayi me ananya-viṣayā matir madhu-pate asakṛt: "Unto You... Let my, this family relationship affection be nil, but my relationship with You become conformed, be confirmed." Tvayi me ananya-viṣayā. "No more attraction for anything else. Only attraction for You, Kṛṣṇa."

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

If you think that this attachment and that attachment both may be made—no. That cannot go. That will be nice, not nice. Just like you ignite fire, at the same time pour water on it. Then what will be the result? The fire will not act. Similarly, if you want to renounce... Just like the Māyāvādī sannyāsī says that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "Renounce this world." They take a luṅgi,(?) a loincloth, and preach, "Who is your wife? Who is your children? Who is your country?" So many things, negative way. Bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ mūḍhā mate. This is very good, to preach renouncement of this world. But side by side we must have attachment for something. Otherwise, it will be..., it will not stay. Therefore we see so many sannyāsīs, they say brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. They give up, take sannyāsa, but after taking sannyāsa, after a few days or few years, they come back again to this material world to open hospital, philanthropic work, school. Why? If you have left this world as mithyā, as false, why you are again coming to politics, to philanthropy, sociology and so on? Why you are coming again? That is bound to be. Because we are living entity, we are active. If we simply become inactive out of frustration, then it will be failure. We must engage with activities. That activity is devotional service. This is Brahman activity. The Māyāvādīs, they do not know.

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

The lion, although so powerful, he has to find out his food—another animal to eat—with great difficulty. Not so easily. So ap... Pavarga means labor, and pha means foam, the foam. When you work very hard, from your mouth a kind of foam comes out. Pha. Pa, pha, ba. And in spite of so much hard labor, it is ba. Ba means birth, futile, useless. Pa, pha, ba. And bha, bha means fear. Bhaya, bhaya, fear. Although you are working so hard, there is always some fearfulness: "Now things will be done like this, or not like this," fearful. That is the nature. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna, bhaya. This life, this material body means eating, sleeping and fearing. This is one of the symptom. Although I am eating very nicely, I am thinking whether I am overeating so that I may not feel sick. So bhaya is always there. A bird, you'll see eating, and looking this way, that way. Why? If some enemy is not coming. So, this is bha. Pa, pha, ba, bha, and ma. At last maraṇa, mṛtyu, death. This is called pavarga. Pavarga means pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. Pa means hard labor. Pha means so hard that foam comes out of mouth. And ba means he's still frustrated. And bha means fearfulness. And ma means mṛtyu. This is the call, apavarga.

So pavarga, and just the opposite is apavarga. Just the opposite. There is no labor, there is no foam, there is no frustration, there is no fear, and there is no death. That is spiritual world.

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

The modern civilization, they are so rascals, they are expecting something utopian, that by material advancement of civilization they will be happy. Now, one gentleman, that doctor, what is his name, Ifrenzia,(?) yes, he said that in Sweden they are the richest men, but the largest number of suicide cases are there. So this kind of material richness will not help you. That will not help. Actually, practically, we are experiencing. Why their every nation is dissatisfied? Although they have materially advanced so much, but dissatis... In your country also, why this section of people have become hippies? From university student, they have become hippies. Why? Frustration. They know that "What is this life? If I am become educated, then what is my future?" There is no future. Frustrated.

Lecture on SB 1.15.24 -- Los Angeles, December 3, 1973:

Now we have to learn that we have been frustrated by serving so many things. Now we have to turn that service attitude to Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa's mission. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You are serving already. You cannot be free from service. But your service is misplaced. Therefore you just turn your service unto Me. Then you become happy." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. Because we are greedy... Just like a greedy man, he is suffering by eating more. There are so many diseases, just like diabetes or dysentery. There are so many things. These are the diseases for eating more. That's all. So we are suffering; at the same time, we are eating more. Because we are greedy, we are lusty. This is the cause. So therefore kāmād... We are serving. We are serving our lust, our greediness, and suffering. This is practical. If you have no hunger, if you eat... If you have no appetite, if you eat, then you suffer. If you infect some disease, you'll suffer. That is practical.

Lecture on SB 1.15.29 -- Los Angeles, December 7, 1973:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "The best education is that which makes one anxiety-free." That is best education. Now where is that education? Is there any education throughout the whole world, in so many universities, especially in your country there are nice, very, very... Rather, they have created so much anxieties that the boys, they are frustrated. They are giving up everything, becoming hippies. Where is anxiety-less? They increase anxiety. Increase anxiety. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. "My dear father, the best of the asuras, I think that anyone who has accepted this material body is full of anxieties." Asad-grahāt. Asad-grahāt means..., asat means temporary. Because he has accepted a body which is temporary, he is full of anxieties. That is the real problem. We, if we want to be anxiety-less, no anxiety, then we have to refuse to accept this material body. Otherwise there is no possibility. All anxieties are due to this material body. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5).

Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:

The Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Whatever you are experiencing, wherefrom it has come? It has come from the Absolute. That is the Absolute idea. But here, in the relative world, it is pervertedly reflected, and because it is not reality, therefore you are confused, baffled. So our proposition is come to the reality. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The same dancing... Just like here is a picture, Kṛṣṇa is dancing with the gopīs. We also like, anybody of us here. Even in old age they are dancing with young girls. In Paris there is club. All going to die, such old men, they are coming in the club, paying fifty dollars as entrance fee; then they have to pay for young girls and wine. But still, they come. They cannot actually enjoy. Vayasi gate kim yuvati nārī:(?) "When one is old man, what is the use of mixing with young girls?" Yes. But they like it. They like it. They pay for it. But they do not enjoy, Because if they have enjoyed, they would have been satisfied, but they are not satisfied. Frustrated.

Lecture on SB 1.16.3 -- Los Angeles, December 31, 1973:

So everyone in this material world, he does not know what is the aim of life. Unnecessarily he is making plan, this plan, that plan, this plan, that plan. And all plan is being frustrated by the laws of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Every plan will fail. And those who are plan-making persons, they are all rascals. They do not know that what kind of plan should be made. The plan should be made that everyone should be God conscious. Then every plan will be successful. Otherwise all, everything will fail.

So these sacrifices are forbidden in this age, Kali-yuga, because there is no expert brāhmaṇa who can conduct the sacrifices, neither people have got any means. Now, so far bhūri-dakṣiṇān, so there was one king. He performed this sacrifice, and by the grace of Lord Śiva, he got the information of a golden mountain. So golden mountain, he collected enough gold from that mountain, and in the sacrifice he made everything made of gold, everything. So he distributed utensils.

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

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

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

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. Therefore they are frustrated. It is not possible. Similarly, without being Kṛṣṇized, you cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, you cannot associate with Him. That is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to become perfectly Kṛṣṇa-ite, as good as Kṛṣṇa. That is purification process. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam. Nirmalam means purification. Now we are sa-malam. We have got so many dirty things with us. So one has to become nirmalam. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. First business is to become free from the designation. If you think yourself that "I am American," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Indian," "I am black," "I am white," these are all designation. So sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam, when you become transcendental to all designation, when you come to the platform to understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), then you become happy.

Lecture on SB 2.1.11 -- Los Angeles, August 1, 1970:

Again. (chants verse with devotees) Again. (everyone repeats) Etan nirvidyamānānām. There are three classes of men. One class of men, karmīs, they are trying to enjoy the material resources. Icchatām, always desire. "I want this, I want this, I want this." And another class, they are con... or rather, what is called? Frustrated. After trying utmost, "I want this, I want this, I want this," when at the end do not get anything, he is frustrated. That is called nirvidyā. "I don't want." Or actually one is satiated or disgusted. "No more material world. I don't want it." They are called nirvidyamānānām. So the one class is trying to possess and another class is trying to renounce. "I don't want." And another class is akuto-bhayam. Akuto-bhayam. Who is akuto-bhayam? Akuto-bhayam means one who does not fear. And who does not fear? Because fearfulness is one of the items of our conditional life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating. So who is without any fear? That means he's also liberated. He's not in the material platform, transcendental. Who is out of the limits of fearfulness.

Lecture on SB 2.3.2-3 -- Los Angeles, May 20, 1972:

Recently, Indira Gandhi's party became powerful. So all other men, giving resignation from other party, they took into the party of Indira Gandhi. So it is like that, merging into the existence of the powerful. So the frustrated karmīs, frustrated karmīs, when they do not find any happiness even by becoming the greatest or the topmost person, he wants to become one with God. Therefore it is said, brahma-varcasa-kāmas tu. Brahma-varcasa means effulgence. But it is kāma. That is not akāma. But a devotee is akāma, there is no kāma. He has no personal desires. His desire is only to remain eternal servant of God. That's all. That is his position. That is not desire. That is his actual position. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Kāmaye, this kāma. I no more desire for riches. Karmīs—they want money. Na dhanaṁ na janam, or they want many men to follow. Followers, they create party by political agitation.

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

Aprāṇasyeva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. Therefore your young men, young girls, they have become frustrated, in spite of all this arrangement, nice arrangement. There is no comparison of your country's arrangement. I am traveling all over the world. Such nice roads, such every... Everything nice. But why they are becoming frustrated and confused? Due to this aprāṇasya. There is no life. So life is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if you actually feel for your country, for your community, for your people, just spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They're dying. You spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They'll come again to life, and everything will be actually beautiful. That is my request. I came to your country with this mission, that "The American people, they are feeling frustration. If they take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they'll be happy, and others will be follow their example." So now, some of you, my advanced students, you have understood the philosophy. Some of you have taken sannyāsa.

So go town to town, village to village. Preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bring them to life so this frustration will be stopped. The leaders of the society, the politicians, they should take care where they are going. So it is said, kathā hari-kathodarkāḥ satāṁ syuḥ sadasi dhruvam. Therefore if we discuss this hari-kathā... We are discussing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, hari-kathā. So kathā, hari-kathā, udarkāḥ satāṁ syuḥ sadasi dhruvam. If it is discussed among devotees, then one can understand.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1969:

Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. This world is just like blazing fire. People realize it. And when they do not find any solution, they become frustrated, they become confused, they take to intoxication to forget the blazing condition of life. So actually everyone in this material world is burning in the blazing fire of material consciousness. That's a fact. Somebody is trying to solve by forgetting it through the influence of intoxication or something else artificially. That is not the solution. The real solution is to come to the original consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Actually, what is the real fact of our existence? Real fact of our existence is this consciousness. Either an animal or a man or a superman or an aquatic or a tree or a plant—any living entity—what is the ultimate stand? The ultimate stand is consciousness. The animal body is animal body so long there is consciousness. The human body is human body so long there is consciousness.

Lecture on SB 2.4.2 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1972:

They want salvation, to merge into the impersonal Brahman effulgence of the Lord. And yogis, they also want some mystic power. So karmī, jñānī, yogi—everyone wants something, but a devotee does not want anything. That is devotion. They know, "What shall I do with all these things?" They have no attraction for anything material. These are all material. Some, a better position, and in some lower position. That's all. Karmīs are entangled in this materialistic way of life, and the jñānīs, they are also some or less entangled. Because they have no idea what is God, they think God is impersonal. God is impersonal means there is no God. So if they have no idea of God, how to go back to kingdom of God? So they are also materialistic. Negation of material, negation. Because they are very much frustrated. Just like in your country, the hippies. The hippies means negation of a positive materialistic life. That's all. Negation. They are simply denying that "I, we don't want the way of life as our father and grandfathers are going on."

Lecture on SB 2.4.3-4 -- Los Angeles, June 27, 1972:

Just like Kṛṣṇa's mother. Motherly affection of Mother Yaśodā upon Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is playing as child, pleasing Mother Yaśodā. So that thing is also in this material world. Here also, the mother likes to raise his beloved child, the child also plays to give pleasure to the mother. The rasa... Rasa means the humor or mellow. Exchange between the mother and child is there and here also. Similarly friendship, similarly conjugal love. Everything, all the five rasas, mellows, are there. The impersonalists cannot understand. They're afraid of... As soon as they hear "love," "Oh, love? Here is love, frustrated. Then it is māyā. Then Kṛṣṇa's love is also māyā." Therefore they are called Māyāvādī. They are carrying this material idea to the spiritual idea. And when they cannot accommodate, they make it zero or impersonal. Śūnyavādi. That is their position. They cannot understand that these very things are existing in the spiritual world in a blissful way. So there is sex, but there is blissful sex. Not that... Here, we want to enjoy sex life, but at the same time want to get out of the result of sex life; therefore we use contraceptive tablets.

Lecture on SB 2.9.1 -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:

Karandhara: "The living entities are illusioned by the will of the Lord because they wanted to become like Him."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Karandhara: "As a person thinks of becoming a king without possessing the necessary qualifications, similarly, when the living entity desires to become the Lord Himself, he is put in a condition of dreaming that he is a king. Therefore the first sinful will of the living entity is to become the Lord, and the consequent will of the Lord is that the living entity forgets his actual life and thus dreams of the land of utopia where he may become one like the Lord. The child cries to have the moon from the mother and the mother gives the child a mirror to satisfy the crying and disturbing child with the shadow of the moon. Similarly the crying child of the Lord is given over to the shadow of the material world to lord it over as a karmī and to give this up in frustration to become one with the Lord. Both these stages are dreaming illusions only. There is no necessity of tracing out the history when the living entity desired this, but the fact is that as soon as he desired such, he was put under the control of ātma-māyā by the direction of the Lord. Therefore the living entity in his material condition is dreaming falsely that this is 'mine' and this is 'I.' The dream is that the conditioned soul thinks of his material body as 'I' or falsely thinks that he is the lord and that everything in connection with the material body is 'mine.' Thus in dream only the misconception of 'I and mine' persist life after life. This continues life after life as long as the living entity is not purely conscious of his identity as the subordinate part and parcel of the Lord. In his pure consciousness, however, there is no such misconceived dream. And in that pure conscious state the living entity does not forget that he is never the Lord, but he is eternally the servitor of the Lord in transcendental love."

Prabhupāda: That's all.

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

So there is no question of displeasure. That is Vaikuṇṭha. There is no discrepancy of the service. Just opposite. Here there is just different thing. The master is not satisfied, and the servant is also not satisfied. Servant, you go on paying him more and more, he'll..., "Oh, it is insufficient. Give me more. I will strike. I will not come. I will not work." This is the position of this material world. Everyone is giving service. And apart from master and servant, even in family the man is giving service throughout his whole life, up to the old age. And ask anybody, any member of the family, "You are satisfied?" "No." Just see. Frustration. Gandhi, he gave service to the country to the best capacity, and people appreciated. He was called Mahātmā, so on, so on. But he was killed. He was killed. So here you go on rendering service to your society, country, family or anyone, you cannot satisfy them. It is not possible—they'll never—because the place is like that, insufficiency.

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

They are seeking, and as soon as they are joined together to satisfy the sex desire, their the, I mean to say, attraction becomes more and more tight. Then ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). So as soon as they are combined, they require one house or apartment or cottage or nest. Something must be private. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra. Then to work, to earn livelihood, one must have some land. Either you construct skyscraper building or till it for get some food grain. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra, suta. Then without children, married life is frustrated. Putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam. Married life without children is void. Avidyaṁ jīvanaṁ śūnyam. If one is not educated, his life is vacate, or vacant. Avidyaṁ jīvanaṁ śūnyaṁ diśaḥ śūnyā abāndhavāḥ. And if you go to some foreign country, if there is no deva, temple, God's temple, or friend, that is also useless. And putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam. And if you have no children, the so-called married life is also void. And sarva-śūnyā daridratā. And if you are poor, in poverty, then everything is zero. Even if you have got a wife, or even if you have got education, even you have got friend, everything is... That is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's advice.

Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:

First of all try to understand what is your interest. But that you do not know. Because you are thinking falsely that "By adjustment of this material atmosphere I shall be happy." Everyone is trying. Nationally, individually, collectively, everyone is trying. But it is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It will be frustration. Therefore it is called bahir-artha-māninaḥ.

So why they are attempting this process, which will meet with frustration? That is also said: adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Because they cannot control their senses, adānta... Adānta-gobhiḥ. Go means indriya, senses, and adānta means uncontrolled. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). So in this way we are being baffled in so many ways. The only rescue is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is said, ananya-bhāvena, mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām. That is wanted. Dṛḍha-vrata. That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā. You'll find parallel passages, the same thing. Because Kṛṣṇa, or God, cannot say anything contradictory. Whatever He has said... Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of spiritual life. If you can understand Bhagavad-gītā, then you can begin Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If you have not understood Bhagavad-gītā, it is useless. You cannot understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:

You cannot manufacture dharma, just like you cannot manufacture law at your home. That will be not feasible. That will be not useful for anyone. You can make thousands of laws: "I think this should be done..." That is the fashion now. Everyone thinks in his own way. That is not philosophy. That is not law: "I think..." "We think..." No. You cannot think. What is your value? You are imperfect. Your senses are imperfect. How you can think perfect things? No, that is not possible. Therefore we have to...

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
(BG 4.34)

You have to take knowledge from the tattva-darśī, one who has seen the truth. Otherwise, you'll be frustrated. Similarly religion. Religion you cannot manufacture: "This is our religion. This is this religion, that religion, that religion." So that is not religion. Religion is this: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktim. This is religion. Anything else, that is cheating. That is not religion.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

The material position is one wants to become religious, dharma. Why? Now, he can get material opulence. Oh, why material opulences? Now, because he can gratify his senses, kāma. And when he is frustrated, then he wants mokṣa. Dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa. Generally, people are very much attached, those who are human being. Not the cats and dogs; they do not know anything. But those who are elevated in the living condition, they want to become religious or economically very prosperous, dharma artha, and good facilities for sense enjoyment. And then, after enjoying all these thing, either by frustration or by further development, they wants mukti.

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

So this is the position. Because he does not know who is guru and how to learn Bhagavad-gītā, therefore he is frustrated. Kṛṣṇa says,

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
(BG 4.34)

Even Kṛṣṇa, He is friend of Arjuna; still, Arjuna says, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Kṛṣṇa says..., Arjuna says that "Kṛṣṇa, no more friendly talking. I agree to become Your disciple." So when he agreed to become disciple of Kṛṣṇa, then He explained Bhagavad-gītā. Actually, one should not explain Bhagavad-gītā or any Vedic śāstra unless one has agreed to become a disciple. But devotees are so kind that they preach even amongst the nondisciples just to take them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, according to law, one should not speak beyond the jurisdiction of his disciple because they will not understand.

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

"Out of many millions of men," manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu, kaścid vetti..., kaścid yatati siddhaye. Generally, people are busy how to earn money, how to get money and satisfy senses. That's all. That is their end of life. Get money. Somehow or other, get money and expend for sense gratification. In America I have heard that people, they have got money. They spend fifty thousand dollars weekly for seeing naked dance. You see? So money is being misused in this way. Everyone wants sense gratification. And for sense gratification, they want money. And they are earning money somehow or other and applying that in sense gratification. But the result is confusion and frustration. That's all. Result is confusion and frustration. Therefore this is not new thing.

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

So material sense gratification will not give us real happiness. Everyone is trying to get happiness; so therefore Ṛṣabhadeva said, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Your exis... First of all, purify your existence; then talk of happiness. Happiness, if you want to enter happiness with this covered material covering, you'll never find happiness. And that is actually experience of everyone. If you say that "Yes, I am enjoying this. I am enjoying this life very nicely. I don't require to give up this material body," no. It is foolishness. You are not enjoying. You may think so, but the real problem is there. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may enjoy very nicely because you are Englishman or American, you have got money, but what about the question of death? Do you enjoy death? If a body is... Of course, one who is frustrated, one who wants to commit suicide, that is a different thing. For a sane man, does he enjoy birth, death, old age and disease? Therefore Bhagavad-gītā points out that you may feel very happy with your so-called material senses, but you should see to the real problem of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: birth, death, old age and disease.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- London, September 17, 1969:

Prabhupāda: Monte Carlo, yes. He said that there are gamblers, and one gambler loses everything, he commits suicide, immediately, and he'll go on. That's all. Nobody cares for him. He told me. It is a fact? So just see the gambling. They bring all their fortunes to stake and they lose everything. And then, out of frustration, takes revolver and shots himself, dies, and it is thrown on the street or in somewhere. Nobody cares. Just like cats and dogs. So there is free gambling in Monte Carlo?

Devotee: Very, very wealthy people, they (indistinct) there.

Devotee: There is free gambling in London.

Prabhupāda: Oh, everywhere. Any big city. In Calcutta, Bombay, everyone gambling. When you get money, then gambling. The horse race is also gambling. Horse race. This gambling, drinking, meat-eating, these things were all unknown in India. They did not know how to drink. These Britishers introduced. There is still a lane, a street, Porterly Street. There was a woman of suspicious character. She was supplied big bottles of wine, and she used to canvass rich men's son to take wine, and it was distributed free. In this way wine was distributed, and people began to drink, gradually. And I have seen a tea set committee.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

Prabhupāda: So they do not know; therefore they must search out if he is serious.

Guest (2): But is there no way of finding out what is good and bad besides obeying guru, and the because to follow the guru would obviously be to create frustration.(?)

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Is there some way to find out good without following the rules and regulations laid down by the authorities?

Prabhupāda: No, that is not possible. You cannot violate the rules and regulation. That is not possible.

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: He says that to follow the rules is to be frustrated.

Prabhupāda: Why frustrated? So many people are following the rules and regulation. What is the frustration?

Guest (2): ...if you follow rules, then isn't it obvious that you must be frustrated? You want to do something, but the rule says, "No, you must not do it."

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: And he says also in religion rules and regulations are forced upon us. And does this not bring frustration because we are doing something we may not like to do? Is that your question?

Prabhupāda: That I have already explained. This is called tapasya. You have to do something which you may not like to do. That is tapasya.

Guest (2): ...you do not like to do.

Prabhupāda: That is advised: tapo divyaṁ putrakā. Yajña-dāna-tapaḥ kriyaḥ (SB 5.5.1). This is called tapasya. I do not like to do something, but I have to do it because I have accepted somebody as authority. This is tapasya. So this has to be practiced. But it will be easier by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. There will be no Just like these boys, European, American boys. They are strictly following the rules and regulation, but it has become not very difficult, very easy, because they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the only method.

Lecture on SB 6.1.10 -- Los Angeles, June 23, 1975:

This was the statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja, that gṛha-vratānām... Those who have concluded that "We shall live in this material world and become happy here by adjustment," they are called gṛha-vratānām. Or those who have concluded that "We shall live very happily in family life," and trying to be happy, and failure, and again trying, and again trying... This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Just like a father engages his son in the same way, the same family life, same business life, same working day and night. But he does not think that "I was a married man. I got children. I have got business. I have got car. Whether I have become happy?" That he does not conclude, that "Again I am engaging my son in the same business? So why shall I be unhappy if my son has joined the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement?" No. He wants, "Please come home and again be doing the same thing. Which I have done and I am frustrated, you do the same thing and be frustrated." (laughter) This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Nobody will advise. His son will become hippie—he will tolerate: "This is modern fashion." And if he joins Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, he is unhappy, because he wants that "My son also be doing the same thing." That is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). The world is going like that. They are chewing the chewed. We are teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that "What you will gain by this material way of life? Just try to understand Kṛṣṇa, and then you will get the greatest benefit." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). The all troubles which we are suffering, that is due to our accepting this material body. That they do not know.

Lecture on SB 6.1.13-14 -- New York, July 27, 1971:

So we have been discussing this verse for the last two days. Tyāgena. Partially I have already explained: tyāga, renounce. There is some natural tendency also for renouncing. When one gets to the topmost of material opulence, immediately there is a tendency for renunciation. This hippie movement is like that. They have got a good qualification that they have renounced this materialistic way of life. Tyāgena. The, there are two kinds of tendencies: one is bhoga and one is tyāga. Bhoga means enjoyment, sense enjoyment, and tyāga means to give up this material world. But without guidance, one does not know how to renounce this material world. That is called tyāga. Bhoga and tyāga, two kinds of tendencies are going on in this material world. First of all they want to enjoy, and when they are frustrated in enjoyment, then there is renouncement. Again when they are tired of renouncement, again enjoyment. Just like the clock pendulum, this side and that side—tock, tock, tock, tock. Similarly, we are oscillating: sometimes in the platform of enjoyment and sometimes on the platform of renouncement. Two things are there in this material world. The karmīs, they are trying to enjoy this world, whole day and night that expressway, always trucks and cars are going on—sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh. Bhoga, how to enjoy, first class. Another, the hippies. They don't want to do anything. Both sides are there in your country, bhoga and tyāga.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:

So we are manufacturing so many religious system on these two platforms. One platform is how to enjoy to the fullest extent, and another platform is how to become zero, voidism. But actually, neither you are enjoyer, nor you are zero. Both of them are false. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that any religious system on the basis of this renunciation or enjoyment... When we take this material world as fact, that means we want to enjoy it. And when are frustrated then we want to make zero. So actually, it is neither zero, nor there is any cause of frustration. You have to simply to take to the right knowledge. The right knowledge is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says,

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
(BG 5.29)

If you simply understand that Kṛṣṇa is the only enjoyer, then your propensity to become false enjoyer will be vanquished, that "I am not enjoyer. Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer."

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

There is no question of mukti. Here the word is kecit kevalayā: "somebody." The purpose is that most people, they are either karmīs or jñānīs. Karmīs or jñānīs. Karmīs means those who are working very hard day and night for sense gratification, and jñānis means after being frustrated in such activities, he tries to give up this world, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. This is not jñāna, that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. If brahma is satya, then jagat is also satya. Jñāna means to know real fact. The real fact is that is (as) Brahman is satya, anything which is emanated from Brahman, that is also satya. In the Vedānta-sūtra it begins like this: athāto brahma jijñāsā. "Now we have to inquire about Brahman." So about this description, Brahman, yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. And in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Anything which is emanating... Everything which is emanating from a particular source, that is Brahman. So what is that original source of everything? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: (BG 10.8) "From Me everything is emanating." Therefore Kṛṣṇa is Parambrahman. Therefore the conclusion is that if you come to the platform of bhakti, then automatically you become liberated.

Lecture on SB 6.1.17 -- Honolulu, May 17, 1976:

Śūnyavādī-nirvāṇa means to give up material desires. It is not possible to give up desires. That is not possible. To give up desires means I am dead body, a stone. If I have got life, if I am not a stone, there must be desires. Where is the living entity who has no desires? That is not possible. If we kill somebody to make him desireless, that "If you are killed, then there will be no more desire," no, the desire will continue in the subtle body. Even one is finished, this material body... Sometimes they commit suicide out of frustration, that "This desire is not fulfilled. Let me commit suicide." No. That is ignorance. Desires continue in the subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego. And to fulfill the desire, Kṛṣṇa will give you another body. If we make a desire, it must be fulfilled and Kṛṣṇa will give you facilities. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Desire is so strong. So how to make it zero? That is not possible. To make it zero means no more material desire. That is to make zero material desires. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170).

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975:

But the thing is that we are living entities, and Kṛṣṇa is also the supreme living entity, and both of us after enjoyment... Because the same quality, we are qualitatively one. As Kṛṣṇa dances with the gopīs, we also try to dance in the ball dance, the same imitation. But the ball dance does not endure. We become frustrated, because it is only shadow. The reality is there. A shadow... Suppose you love a boy or girl. But if it is a shadow, it does not give you actual pleasure. Just like in your country, in the tailor's shop, there are so many beautiful women and beautiful man also, dressed, but nobody is attracted there because you know it is shadow. It is shadow. There is a very nice, beautiful girl in the window, and you pass on. You are not attracted, don't see even, because you know it is false, it is not reality. Again, suppose you love one girl, very nice, beautiful, and when she is dead, you are no more attached, because you know it is shadow. Why you are not attached to the same lover or beloved who is dead now? "No, no, here is your lover. Here is your beloved. Why don't you...?" "No, no, she is gone," or "He is gone." "Oh, where he is gone? He is lying there." (laughter)

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

Somebody is thinking, "I shall be happy in this way"; somebody is thinking, "I shall be happy in this way." In this way we have got different desires, and we are servant of the desires. So servant of desire means just like the street dog. He is also desiring: "If these gentleman will accept me as his dog?" But he is going there, and he is driven away: "Hut! Hut!" He is going to some house, moving his tail, "My dear sir, will you give me some food?" "No, no. Go away." We are also going also: "My dear sir, will you give me some service?" "No vacancy. Get out." This is our position. Hana māyāra dāsa kori nāna abhilāṣa. Because we are constitutionally servant of God, but we have given up that service, we have now become the servant of māyā. Therefore our life is frustrated, because you do not know "What is my actual position." Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching, that "Why you are going door to door like a dog: 'Will you give me some food, will you give me some duty? I am prepared to serve you,' and refusing, nāna abhilāṣa, and desiring again and again, this way, that way?" But I do not know what is my real destination, how I shall be happy. That information is given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "You are suffering in this way for a permanent service to become happy. Why you are going here and there? You are servant of Kṛṣṇa. Go there. Then you will be happy."

Lecture on SB 6.2.16 -- Vrndavana, September 19, 1975:

A dog can be restrained: "Don't come here." Why God can be restrained? So there is no reason. He says freely that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). He wants. We are part and parcel of God, just like sons are part and parcel of father. If the father is rich man, all-powerful, he does not like to see that his sons are loitering in the street without any food, without any shelter. He doesn't like. Father entreats, "My dear son, why you are rotting in this way? Come home. You'll be comfortable. You'll be happy." But these rascal sons will not go. They are thinking, "We shall make plan here and live peacefully." That is going on. And God is coming, Kṛṣṇa is coming, canvassing, that "Come back to home, back to Godhead," and we are not interested. We are making plan here. This is our misfortune. But this plan will be frustrated. That is the nature's law. Daivi hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Whatever plan you make, it will be frustrated. It will never be successful. Therefore śāstra says, bahir-artha-maninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Where is the destination of life, they do not know it. Na te viduḥ. These rascals, those who have come to this material world, they do not know where is the goal of life because they are rascals, mūḍha, narādhama. Kṛṣṇa is canvassing that "Give up all this nonsense business." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Nobody will hear. He will manufacture his own way. This is the disease. Why? Because under the spell of māyā.

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

Here is the perfect sense gratification, Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. The same thing as here: young boys and girls, they try to enjoy senses. But where this propensity comes from? It is coming from Kṛṣṇa. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the quality of sense gratification is there; therefore we, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the quality of sense gratification also there. But the difference is here we are trying to gratify our senses in the material world; therefore we are frustrated. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that you gratify your senses in association with Kṛṣṇa. Then it is perfect. The same example: just like this finger, the finger. There is a nice sweetball or a nice foodstuff. The finger picks it up, but it cannot enjoy. It has to be..., the foodstuff has to be, given to the stomach, and then the finger also can enjoy. Similarly, we cannot gratify our senses directly, but when we join with Kṛṣṇa, when Kṛṣṇa enjoys, then we can enjoy. This is our position. The same example: the finger independently cannot eat anything, cannot enjoy the sweetball, nice sweetballs. The finger can pick it up and put it in the stomach, and the stomach enjoys, the finger enjoys. This is our position.

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

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. As I told last night, that our students, these boys and girls, they have been very much detestful in the materialistic way of life. Otherwise, they are coming of great nation. Just these American boys and girls, their fathers and their guardians, they are not poor. There is no scarcity of food or any material enjoyment. Why they are being frustrated? In India... You may say that India is poverty-stricken. They may be frustrated due to poverty, but why American boys and girls are being frustrated? That is the proof that materialistic way of life cannot make you happy. You may go on for some time to become happy, but happiness will never come from materialistic way of life. That's a fact. So those who are trying to be happy by adjustment of materialistic way of life, they cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore these boys' and girls' frustration and confusion in the materialistic way of life is a qualification to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have got a good qualification, that they are coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

Still they became bereft of their kingdom, they lost their property, their wife was insulted, they were driven away to the forest—although Kṛṣṇa was there. This question was inquired by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja to Kṛṣṇa, "How is that?" Indirectly he inquired that "You are our friend, and why we are put into such difficulty?" So Kṛṣṇa replied to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja that "This is My special favor. This is My special favor." Sometimes we do not, we cannot understand the special favor of Kṛṣṇa. So this frustration of these boys, these American boys or English boys, in the materialistic way of life is a good sign for accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are searching after something nice. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Of course, it does not require to become poor to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but if anyone has the desire that "I will become spiritually advanced; at the same time I shall enjoy this material life," that is not possible. These are two contradictory things. You have to become determined to be happy in spiritual life. That is real happiness. And this human form of life is specially meant for coming to that standard of spiritual life by tapasya, by voluntarily rejecting materialistic way of life. Therefore you will find in the history of India many great kings, even at very young age they left. Just like Bhārata Mahārāja. Bhārata Mahārāja, at the age of twenty-four years only, he left his young wife, young children and the whole empire, Bharatvarsa, and went to the forest for meditation. There are many instances.

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

There are three qualities in the material world: goodness, passion and ignorance. Therefore they love to work very hard. And that very hard working is considered as happiness. That propensity of hard working... Just like in London you will see: everyone is engaged in hard working from the morning. You will see. All the buses and trucks, they are going with great speed, and people are going to the working office or factory. From morning til late night they are hard working, and it is called advancement of civilization. So some of them are frustrated. They don't want it. They don't want it. It will be frustration. Frustration. After all, it is hard work. Just like the hogs, they are working hard day and night for finding out "Where is stool, where is stool." That is their business. Therefore in one sense, this kind of civilization is hogs' and dogs' civilization. It is not human civilization. Human civilization means he must be sober. He should be inquisitive. A human being should be inquisitive to know "Who I am? Why I am put into this condition to work very hard to get a few breads only? Why I am this uncomfortable situation? Wherefrom I have come? Where I have to go?" These are inquiries. These inquiries are called brahma-jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra begins, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "A human being should be inquisitive to know these things: 'Who I am? Wherefrom I have come? Where I have to go? Why I am put into this uncomfortable position?' "

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 3, 1967:

So dharma, artha, kāma. Why they ask some benefit? Now, just to satisfy their senses, that's all. They have no other aim. Dharma artha kāma and mokṣa. And when they are dissatisfied or frustrated in sense gratification, then mokṣa, they want to become one with God. So dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41). These are the general demands. The lower class of men, they are simply demands of the body, something eating, something eating, defending and mating. And the higher class, little elevated, they are after religiosity and some material gain and sense gratification, or utmost, to become one with the Supreme. But they have no other idea generally. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No, above that there is another thing." That is prema, to love God. That is transcendental.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the topmost, topmost knowledge how to love God and thereby enjoy life. Because we want to love. Unfortunately The other day I was instructing my students that "You just get yourself married." Now, they were confused. Somebody said, "Where to get a nice girl?" Just see. Everyone wants to love, but frustration. The girls will say, "Where is a nice boy?" So the tendency of love is there in everywhere, either in animal or in man, but the lovable object is missing. Missing. That is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 3, 1967:

If you try to love Kṛṣṇa, then your life will be fulfilled: "Oh, here is lovable object." Premā pum-artho mahān. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is considered to be most munificent personality. Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Oh, Rūpa Gosvāmī is offering Him his obeisances, "My dear Lord, You are the most magni..., munificent..." (break) Why? Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: "You are distributing love of God, love of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya. So we want to love somebody, but we are being frustrated. But if you try to love Kṛṣṇa, either as master or as friend or as the Supreme or as husband or lover There are so many relationships. Just try to establish, find out, what is the relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and this science is being taught in the matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thank you very much.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Boston, May 8, 1968:

Better find out somebody to love. That is the problem. That is the problem of this life. Everyone is there... Now, after disappointment they say that "I had tried to find out somebody, girl or boy, to love, but I was, I mean to say, frustrated, disappointed. Now I find the dog is the best friend." Yes. Actually, they say like that. "We find the dog is the best friend." Is it not? Yes. Why? Everyone is searching after to love somebody. That's a fact. Because we are lover. Our constitutional position is lover. Prahlāda Mahārāja says that Viṣṇu, your loving object is Viṣṇu. So try to love Viṣṇu, then your life will be successful. You'll feel satisfaction. Yayātmā suprasīdati. You'll feel, "Oh, I have got something now. Now I have got this loving object." In another place Prahlāda Mahārāja said na te viduḥ svārtha gatiṁ hi viṣṇu. They do not know what is their actual loving object. That is Viṣṇu. And in the Vedic mantra, Ṛg mantra, it is said, tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Those who are demigods, they are always sūrayaḥ. Sūrayaḥ means Just like Aryans and non-Aryans. Then there's suri and asuri, or sura or asura. Asura, asura means demons, and sura, just the opposite. Or Aryans and non-Aryans. So the Aryans Aryans, the real meaning, the Sanskrit word, "Aryans," means progressive. We have historically made a class of men. No. Aryan civilization means who is progressive, advancing. They are intelligent. They are fair-complexioned. Therefore Aryan means progressive. So they know.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 12, 1968:

Religion means the characteristic. Characteristic... You cannot change your characteristic. In whatever circumstances you may be, the characteristic will continue. That is the meaning of religion. Dharmān bhāgavatān. And bhāgavatān means pertaining to God. And what is that, that characteristic of relationship between God and myself? That is called religion. Religion means that oh, characteristics of God, characteristics of the living entity, and to dovetail them. The characteristic of God is God is great. That is the characteristic. And we are small, little. This is our character. If we are not small, then why we are serving the great? Serving means there must be somebody greater than me. At least, the money is greater than me. If I don't serve the man, but the man, my master who supplies me the money, that is greater. So actually in this material world, there is no genuine service. Everyone is serving the intention of sense enjoyment. Just like from tomorrow there will be postal strike. What is that? They are not serving the government or the public. They are serving their salary. Is it not? As soon as there is some less salary, they strike. Therefore I have got my service spirit, and I have to serve somebody. That is my natural characteristic. You cannot deny it. Now you have to find out where your service should be engaged so that you may not be frustrated. That is required.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 12, 1968:

Religion means the characteristic. Characteristic... You cannot change your characteristic. In whatever circumstances you may be, the characteristic will continue. That is the meaning of religion. Dharmān bhāgavatān. And bhāgavatān means pertaining to God. And what is that, that characteristic of relationship between God and myself? That is called religion. Religion means that oh, characteristics of God, characteristics of the living entity, and to dovetail them. The characteristic of God is God is great. That is the characteristic. And we are small, little. This is our character. If we are not small, then why we are serving the great? Serving means there must be somebody greater than me. At least, the money is greater than me. If I don't serve the man, but the man, my master who supplies me the money, that is greater. So actually in this material world, there is no genuine service. Everyone is serving the intention of sense enjoyment. Just like from tomorrow there will be postal strike. What is that? They are not serving the government or the public. They are serving their salary. Is it not? As soon as there is some less salary, they strike. Therefore I have got my service spirit, and I have to serve somebody. That is my natural characteristic. You cannot deny it. Now you have to find out where your service should be engaged so that you may not be frustrated. That is required.

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

So, so far the symptoms of this age are concerned, it will gradually deteriorate, gradually. We have got experience also, practical. Things are moving very rapidly toward worst, not towards best. Things are moving very rapidly. This is the symptom of this age. So our program is that they are trying to adjust things. Things cannot be adjusted unless we stand on the spiritual platform, because the actual necessity is spiritual demand. The best example is your country. Materially, you are so much advanced. No other country can be compared. But a section of younger generation, they feel frustrated, confused. Why? They are brought up very nicely. The government system is very nice. They can get education. Everything is complete. But still, they are not happy. They are finding something else which will make them happy. Why? This is spiritual demand. Just like this child cannot express what is the trouble. May be some ant is there within the bedding, and it is cutting on his delicate body, but he cannot express what is the actual trouble. Cries, expression of difficulty.

So this frustration, confusion, is expression of spiritual unhealthiness, because actually we are spirit. That we do not know. Suppose you have got a very nice coat, and within that coat you are actually, so far we are concerned at the present moment. Now, if you simply take care of the coat and shirt, and if you don't take care of your actual person, how long you can become happy? You will feel so much inconvenience even if you have got a very nice coat. Similarly, this body, this gross body, is just like our coat. I am actually spiritual spark. This body is gross outward covering, and there is inward covering: mind, intelligence and ego. That is my shirt. So shirt and coat. And within the shirt and coat, actually I am there.

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

So, so far the symptoms of this age are concerned, it will gradually deteriorate, gradually. We have got experience also, practical. Things are moving very rapidly toward worst, not towards best. Things are moving very rapidly. This is the symptom of this age. So our program is that they are trying to adjust things. Things cannot be adjusted unless we stand on the spiritual platform, because the actual necessity is spiritual demand. The best example is your country. Materially, you are so much advanced. No other country can be compared. But a section of younger generation, they feel frustrated, confused. Why? They are brought up very nicely. The government system is very nice. They can get education. Everything is complete. But still, they are not happy. They are finding something else which will make them happy. Why? This is spiritual demand. Just like this child cannot express what is the trouble. May be some ant is there within the bedding, and it is cutting on his delicate body, but he cannot express what is the actual trouble. Cries, expression of difficulty.

So this frustration, confusion, is expression of spiritual unhealthiness, because actually we are spirit. That we do not know. Suppose you have got a very nice coat, and within that coat you are actually, so far we are concerned at the present moment. Now, if you simply take care of the coat and shirt, and if you don't take care of your actual person, how long you can become happy? You will feel so much inconvenience even if you have got a very nice coat. Similarly, this body, this gross body, is just like our coat. I am actually spiritual spark. This body is gross outward covering, and there is inward covering: mind, intelligence and ego. That is my shirt. So shirt and coat. And within the shirt and coat, actually I am there.

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

There are many examples. Just like in a nice cage, in a golden cage, there is a bird. If you don't give any food to the bird and simply wash the cage very nicely, oh, there will be always, (imitates bird:) "Chi chi chi chi chi chi." Why? The real bird is neglected. Simply outward covering. So similarly, I am spirit soul. That I forgot. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." I am not this body, not this mind. So people are trying to burnish the body and the mind. First of all they try to burnish the body. This is material civilization. Very nice clothing, very nice food, very nice apartment, very nice car, or very nice sense enjoyment—everything is very nice. But that is to this body. And when one is frustrated to this very nice arrangement, then he goes to the mind: poetry, mental speculation, LSD, marijuana, drinking, and so many things. These are all mental. Actually, happiness is not there in the body, nor in the mind. Read happiness is in the spirit. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). The real, the ultimate happiness is that which is beyond this material senses. Ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya. Atīndriya means—indriya means the senses—transcendental to the senses. That means that spiritual. There are many instructions and practical also.

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

So therefore our mission of life is how to get out of this tāpa-traya, and Prahlāda Mahārāja is giving description how we remain involved in tāpa-traya. Sarvatra tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā. Repeatedly, tāpa-traya, na nirvidyate sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ. Especially those who are family men, it is very difficult. Therefore according to Vedic civilization, after fiftieth year, one should give up the family responsibility, vānaprastha. From vana, vana means forest. And from vana the word vana has come. Prastha means "who has gone." Pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Vanaṁ vrajet means to free from all family responsibility and prepare for going back to home, back to Godhead. But those who are too much attached to family life, na nirvidyate, being repeatedly frustrated, repeatedly they are put into trouble. Still. But if one wants regular advancement of spiritual life, he must retire at the age of fifty. That is Vedic civilization. Not that unless one is killed, he's not going to retire. Even great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, he was seventy-eight years, and still he would not retire from this... Political life means greater family life. A family man is interested with his family members, and a political leader is interested with the whole, a group of family. The principle is the same.

Lecture on SB 7.7.22-26 -- San Francisco, March 10, 1967:

You were aware, but you were a little deep, deep sleep. Just like I remember my chloroform case. So I remember very slightly, but there is remembrance. The consciousness is still there, but for some time it is curbed down. So if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious once, even if at that time you are so-called unconscious, still, Kṛṣṇa is with you. He is not forgetful. He is not forgetful. Therefore He will give you the proper result. Don't think that at the, at the time of your death, because you are so completely out of consciousness, therefore there is frustration. No. There is no frustration. There is no frustration. Because your activities are already recorded by the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is situated within your heart, so therefore there is no question of frustration. You just practice. While you are in good health, while you are in good body, while you are in good consciousness, just practice this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and the result is guaranteed.

Lecture on SB 7.7.25-28 -- San Francisco, March 13, 1967:

You see, in our Society, we are all servants of God. Do you think we have got any want? We have got everything full. This Kīrtanānanda, he has gone to Montreal. He is spending five hundred dollars every month, and he went from here without a farthing. Here is the practical example. So don't think like that. God is not so poor. Everything belongs to God. So, if you are sincere, oh, God will supply you everything. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "One is engaged in My service, yoga-kṣema, for his necessities." Yoga-kṣema means "Whatever he has got, for protecting those things, and whatever he has not got, to supply those things, I am responsible." So it is the question of belief and practical engagement. The more you become faithful, the more you become convinced, "Yes, God is my master. Yes, Kṛṣṇa is my master. He's supplying everything." But he cannot be your servant. Mind that. If you make God your order-supplier—"My dear God, I am in need of something for my sense enjoyment. Please supply"—that He will not agree. Therefore those who go to God for sense enjoyment and become frustrated, they say, "There is no God."

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 4, 1968:

Just like in a diseased condition of your eyes you cannot see. In diseased condition of your hands you cannot touch. In diseased condition of your legs you cannot walk. All your senses, in diseased condition, cannot work. Similarly, in material diseased condition you cannot understand what is God. You have to cure yourself from this diseased condition. Then you will see, you will touch, you will perceive, you will know, you will feel—everything. Those who are unable to cure the disease, they want to kill. Just like a patient is suffering in very bad type of disease. The physician cannot kill, then..., cannot cure him, then he thinks, "Let me die. Let me commit suicide." So this voidism or impersonalism is a symptom of frustration, not being able to cure the disease. But actually, the living entity is eternal. Just like a rascal or foolish man thinks that "I am suffering so much. Let me commit suicide, and it will be a great relief." It is foolishness. He will be put into further torture after this life. He will become a ghost. So because they do not know that living creature is eternal, therefore they want to make the ultimate solution as void, zero. But it cannot be zero. It is not possible, because you are eternal. Therefore you have to cure. And that curing process is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (aside:) Ṛṣi Kumar? Why you are there? Come here. (chuckles) All right. Any other questions? Yes, try to understand nicely.

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

So in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the so-called religiosity, which is more or less cheating, is projjhita, prakṛṣṭa-rūpena ujjhita, is completely swept over. So dharma artha kāma mokṣa is not the highest perfection. Generally, people, they take to religiosity for material gain, artha, dharma, artha. And material gain means to satisfy the senses, kāma. And when they are frustrated in satisfying the senses, they then want mokṣa. So after keeping in mokṣa, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā... Mokṣa means this world is false, and Brahman is satya. But because he has no Brahman engagement, therefore, even after leaving everything to search out Brahman, he comes again back to this material world for philanthropy work, for feeding the poor, for hospitalization. So this is coming and going, coming and going, coming and going. So real status of perfection is that you have to transcend even this position of mokṣa. Dharmaḥ projjhita kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). The Śrīdhara Swami, a great commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he says, atra mokṣa, mokṣābhisandhy api nirastam: "Oh, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is above the idea of liberation."

Lecture on SB 7.9.10-11 -- Montreal, July 14, 1968:

Devotee: Lacking?(?)

Prabhupāda: No. The hope. Suppose you are hoping something, but will never be fulfilled. What is called?

Devotee: Frustration.

Devotee: Dreams?

Prabhupāda: No. Utopian, yes. That is the exact word. You are thinking something, building castle in the air. So Bhāgavata says durāśayā, utopian theory. He's thinking that "I shall be very great by doing this business or doing, having this education," or this or that. So many things. Everyone has got his own plan. But Bhāgavata says durāśayā, "This is utopian." Why this utopian they have taken? They are so much educated, they are so much wealthy, beautiful, and intelligent. Why durāśayā, utopian? Because bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They have taken their basic platform—the external energy. So what is the fault there? Because external energy is itself temporary. The Māyāvādī philosophy, it is called false, but we say temporary.

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

Just like Sad Guru Das Bannerjee, (indistinct), they had very good mothers, and they became very great men. Similarly, we saw one Englishman, Lord Wellington, he had a very intelligent wife and he became great man. So this prakṛti is energy. By the energy of one woman, one becomes very great. That is the material arrangement. Not only material, in the spiritual world also the same thing. Just like Kṛṣṇa is energized in the presence of Rādhārāṇī, in the presence of Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa is called Madana-mohana and Rādhārāṇī is called Madana-mohana-mohinī. So the law is the same. But here in this material world, everything is perverted. Perverted. Therefore, we do not get the real energy. There is frustration, there is confusion. So we have to come to the real platform. Disease, diseased person... A diseased person, there are nice eatable things, enjoyable things, but he cannot eat, he cannot taste it, diseased person. Liver function is not working; therefore, he cannot taste it.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:

Therefore it is to be understood that the love with Kṛṣṇa in the platform of mādhurya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, sākhya-rasa, dāsya-rasa, śānta-rasa, that is the real platform, in the spiritual world. And because the love affairs are there in the Absolute, that is reflected in this relative world. And here is also the same love is there, but it is not very palatable. It is not without any fault. There are so many faults. Therefore real love can be reciprocated with Kṛṣṇa. In the material world, there cannot be any real love. Therefore the real love cannot be appreciated with our, this material senses. Whatever we appreciate or experience by the material senses, that is not love, that is lust. Motive. There is some motive. One is friend of another person, very intimate friends, both of them have got some motive. As soon as the motive is frustrated, they separate. These things, we find. Even husband and wife, as soon as the sense gratification is disturbed, immediately there is divorce between husband and wife.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:

Therefore we have to invoke our love for Kṛṣṇa. Then our loving propensities will be actually satisfied. Otherwise we'll be frustrated. Otherwise, we'll be frustrate... That is going on. We may admit or not admit, but this frustration of love affair is going on. So if we... That same thing we repose in Kṛṣṇa. If I want to love my son, if I accept Kṛṣṇa as my son... Just like Yaśodāmayī accepted. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but by devotional service, He agrees to become a son. Just like Yaśodāmayī and Nanda Mahārāja, in their previous lives they underwent severe austerities, and their aim was that "We shall have a son like God, like Kṛṣṇa." So after their performance of austerities for many thousands of years, when Kṛṣṇa appeared before them, "What benediction you want?" so they proposed that "We want a son like You. Then we enter into family life. Otherwise not." So Kṛṣṇa said that "Why shall I get a son like Me? I shall become your son." This is the fact. Therefore, although Kṛṣṇa took His birth as the son and, sons of Devakī and Vasudeva, immediately ordered Vasudeva to transfer Him to Vṛndāvana to Yaśodā. So the pleasure of having son was enjoyed by Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja, not Devakī and Vasudeva, although they really gave birth to... And when Kṛṣṇa was grown up, then went to His real father, Vasudeva, and Devakī. So actually Kṛṣṇa's crawling, Kṛṣṇa's disturbing the mother, Kṛṣṇa's stealing the butter, and so many things, as child does, reciprocates with the father and mother, parent, these līlā was demonstrated in Vṛndāvana, although Mother Yaśodā and Vasudeva, I mean to say, Nanda Mahārāja, they were foster father and mother.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 2, 1973:

This is called illusion. He's being slapped always, he's being kicked by māyā; still he's thinking that he's independent, he's God, he's big, he's minister, he is something, something, something. This is called māyā. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This is called moha. So bhakti means to become freed from this moha, illusion. That is bhakti.

So dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). People are after these four things. Dharma. Dharma. Generally, they try to become religious for some material gain, artha. Material gain. And why artha is required? Because kāma, to fulfill our desires, for lusty desires. We require money. Dharma-artha-kāma. And when we are frustrated in enjoying this material world, then we try to become mokṣa, merge into the existence of Brahman. Brahmā satyaṁ jagan mithyā, when you are frustrated. So that kind of mokṣa... Of course, it is nice. But bhakti is beyond mokṣa. Mokṣa means brahma-bhūtaḥ, to understand that "I am Brahman." That is mokṣa. That is mukti. "I'm not this matter. I'm not this body." That is called mokṣa.

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

So we have got this loving propensity, but we do not know how to love and where our loving propensity should be reposed. That we do not know. That is Kṛṣṇa. People... The same example. Just like if you water in the root of tree, then the water is distributed all over the branches, leaves and flowers and everywhere. If you put foodstuff in the stomach, the energy's distributed all over the body. Everyone can understand this. There are... Kṛṣṇa is the root. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). He's the root. But we are neglecting the root. We are trying to pour water in the leaves. The leaf will dry, and his labor will be frustrated. That is happening. So-called humanitarian service, social service, without any touch with Kṛṣṇa... Just like watering on the tree without touching the root—it is useless labor. Similarly, you do whatever service you can do to the society, to the community, to the nation, but do it in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you're perfect. Otherwise it will remain imperfect. The persons who are, whom you are giving service, they'll never be happy, neither you'll be happy. So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that they're simply wasting their time. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). Simply wasting their time in so-called humanitarian service. They must take... Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. Everything should be in relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 5, 1973:

So nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Our love for Kṛṣṇa is there already, but it is being choked up by material conditions. I want to love, but some blind leader, he comes. He says that "You love your, this country, your society, humanity," and you love your society but you cut throat of another society. This is going on. Because it is imperfect. One side, they're teaching "Love your nation," and cut the throat of another nation. So this kind of love, or this kind of loving propensity will not be ever satisfied. We shall always remain unsatisfied, because this is artificial. The same example: If you want to love, then you have to pour water on the root of the tree. Then it will be all right. Otherwise, if you manufacture so many ways of love, then certainly you'll be confused and frustrated. (aside:) Why don't you sit down here? Come on.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 5, 1973:

Everyone has got love for Kṛṣṇa. It is not artificial thing. Everyone has got. Otherwise how these Europeans and American boys and girls (are) taking to this principle? Why they are mad after Kṛṣṇa? Because it was there. It is not... Artificially, you cannot make such thing. It is not possible. Artificially you cannot make a staunch devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Artificially, one day, two days, three days—then goes away. Just like it has become in our country. Our love is now for material happiness. Poverty for the last two thousand years or one, little above, one thousand years, India was foreign-subjugated. So they are now thinking that some way or other, if we can become like Americans, skyscraper buildings, our life will be successful. So they have... Artificially, now... They're killing their own culture and trying to imitate. This is artificial. But this artificial way, one cannot be happy. They'll be frustrated. Just (like) the Americans have become frustrated. They have got enough. What is the skyscraper buildings in Bombay? They have got hundred times skyscraper buildings in New York. Hundred times. And what is this skyscraper? Say, twenty stories? There are hundred and four,-five stories. When I first went to New York I saw one building, Empire, Empire State?

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 5, 1973:

It was hundred and two stories. Now the others, they have increased to hundred and four,-five. So... But why these American boys are frustrated. Their fathers, their grandfathers have got enough money, enough skyscraper buildings, but they are not satisfied. They don't want to work like their father and grandfather. They've left. I have got many students, my disciples, their father, very rich man, industrialist, lawyers. But they don't like.

So this kind, this kind of so-called happiness will never satisfy us. The real happiness which is within, our love, loving propensity for Kṛṣṇa, that has to be revived. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya. It is not by artificial means one becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Nobody can become a lover or devotee of anyone else by artificial means unless there is some natural tendency. So that natural tendency for, to love Kṛṣṇa is there in everyone's heart. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is how to invoke that natural tendency to love Kṛṣṇa. That is our business.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

Prabhupāda: Hm. Read it.

Pradyumna: "As far as material necessities are concerned, the human civilization at the present moment is very much advanced in living comfortably, but still we are not happy because we are missing the point. The material comforts of life alone are not sufficient to make us happy. The vivid example is America: the richest nation of the world, having all facilities for material comfort, is producing a class of men completely confused and frustrated in life. I am appealing herewith to such confused men to learn the art of devotional service as directed in The Nectar of Devotion, and I am sure that the fire of material existence burning within their hearts will be immediately extinguished. The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormant loving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancement in the materialistic way of life. The Nectar of Devotion will give us practical hints how we can live in this material world perfectly engaged in devotional service and thus fulfill all our desires in this life and in the next."

Prabhupāda: So, people are misled. They are thinking that by material comfort they will be happy. And practically we are seeing, this competition of material comfort... The capitalist and the labor class, worker class, they are fighting—strike. Actually, the propensity is that... That is explained in Marshall's theory of economics. We were student of economics. So in that book Mr. Marshall explained that the family affection is the origin of economic impetus. That's a fact. These hippies, they have no family affection. They are not married, and therefore there is no economic impetus. They can live in any way, any wretched condition of life. And one who is married, responsible man, he has got some responsibility to see that..., provided he has got affection for the family. Otherwise, practically, so-called family life, there is no affection.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

Pradyumna: "The vivid example is America: the richest nation of the world, having all facilities for material comfort, is producing a class of men completely confused and frustrated in life. I am appealing herewith to such confused men..." Oh. "The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormant loving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancement in the materialistic way of life. The Nectar of Devotion will give us practical hints how we can live in this material world perfectly engaged in devotional service and thus fulfill all our desires in this life and the next. The Nectar of Devotion is not presented to condemn..."

Prabhupāda: If you become devotee of Kṛṣṇa, all your desires will be fulfilled. That is also fact.

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhiḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta paramaṁ puruṣa
(SB 2.3.10)

It is not that... Sometimes we think like that, that "If we become devotee of God, then I'll become poor." Because Vaiṣṇavas are generally appear to be poor, so those who are after material happiness, they do not like to become Vaiṣṇavas. They become devotee of Lord Śiva, because by the grace of Lord Śiva they get all material facilities.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 10, 1973:

Sometimes captures some body to fulfill his desires, and the man becomes ghostly haunted. There are so many subtle sciences. What do they know, these so-called scientists? They're simply falsely proud, taking account of this small duration of life, for ten to twenty years, fifty years, or at most hundred years, that's all. They do not know. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). And still they're becoming guide, they're becoming swamis, they're becoming gurus, they're becoming fathers, they're becoming government. How people can be happy? Everyone is andhā, blind. They have no jñāna, no knowledge, and misleading only. So the, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. You can have unlimited ānanda, but because you are falsely trying to enjoy through this material body, therefore you are becoming confused and frustrated. That they do not know. They think, "I have got this material body, I have got some senses, let me enjoy the senses to the best possibility." But you cannot do it, because it is false, it is not real. Real senses, unless you feel sensation, that sensation, consciousness is there because the spirit soul is there. Otherwise there is no sensation, and unless you feel sensation, there is no enjoyment.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 11, 1973:

So that is the beginning of human life—religion, dharma. Then generally, because we are in the bodily concept of life, therefore economic development: "I want money. I want comfortable position, comfortable situation, so that I can eat, drink, sleep nicely." This is called economic development. So dharma, artha... Then why I don't, why I want economic development? Now kāma. Because I have got my senses, I have to gratify it. I'll gratify my senses. When my children grow up, I also give them chance to gratify their senses. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). So we think by sense gratification we shall be happy. That is called kāma. And when we are dissatisfied or frustrated by this process of sense gratification, economic development, then we give up. Brahmā satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "This is all false. Now I shall merge into Brahman." This mokṣa. But Bhāgavata says this is not life. This is not life.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

Dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41). There are, people are generally after four principles of happiness: being religious, being economically developed, being very good candidate for satisfying senses, and when one is frustrated to derive any happiness from these three principles, he wants liberation, nirbheda-brahmānu-sandhana. That is also not actual happiness, because, as I was explaining this morning, that even one merges into the Brahman effulgence after severe penances and austerity, there is chance of falling down. There is chance. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanti (SB 10.2.32). Paraṁ pada is to merge into the Brahman effulgence existence. But from there also, one falls down, as I was giving the example of many big sannyāsīs in the modern age. They are very learned scholar. They took to sannyāsa, giving up this world as false, but again, after some time, they come to politics, sociology. That means that is their falldown. Because they could not actually taste the Brahman, brahmānanda, for which they sacrificed everything... So brahmānanda is not such a thing that one will come again to this false platform which they rejected as brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. If jagat is mithyā, then why such exalted persons, who gave up everything for brahmānanda... That means they could not taste brahmānanda. Therefore they fell down.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.8 -- Vrndavana, March 15, 1974:

So wherefrom this propensity comes, dancing? That comes from the Supreme Lord. Rāsādi-vilāsa. Because Kṛṣṇa has the business of dancing and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, so we have got the same spirit of dancing. But because we are in the material world, the material covering has perverted the dancing propensity. Otherwise, wherefrom we get the idea of dancing? Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Vedānta-sūtra says that everything is born of the Absolute Truth. So unless the Absolute Truth has got this dancing propensity, wherefrom we get it? This is the logic. We cannot have anything without that thing being present in the Supreme Absolute Truth. That is the meaning of janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). But this dancing, our dancing, ball dancing, and that dancing is not the same. This is perverted reflection with inebrieties, dissatisfaction, frustration. But in the dancing of Kṛṣṇa there is no such things. No inebrieties, no frustration. Because that is not false; that is real.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.80-95 -- San Francisco, February 10, 1966:

So opulence, life, enjoyment, far, far greater than this; therefore they want to go to the heavenly planets. Similarly... These are facts. These are not, I mean to say, stories, or fiction. These are facts. Similarly, in the Koran also there is such injunction that if one follows the principles of Koran, in the next life they'll go to Hur(?), the land of the Hu(?), the same beautiful woman. Because we have got this material idea, sense gratification, and the last word in the sense gratification is sex life. That's all. So if we think that "Going to that place, I will have free sex life and beautiful man, beautiful woman, and nice drinking, nice eating," oh, so materialists, they think, "This is perfection of life. This is perfection of life." So dharma, artha, kāma, and the last stage is salvation. Salvationists. What are the salvationists? When a person becomes frustrated by become a man of religiosity, a rich man of economic development, and satisfaction of sense gratification, when he, one has seen that all these things has not given him any peace of mind, then he wants to become out of this scene and become one with the Supreme. This is called salvationist. So somebody is thinking void, somebody is thinking impersonal Brahman. So the last stage is to become extinguished in the void or impersonalism. That is called salvation. Salvation from this material entanglement.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.149-171 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1967:

Māyā, this matter, the external energy, the inferior energy, and those who want to stick to this inferior energy, never mind what class of philosopher, what section of philosophers they belong, if their idea is only within the boundary of this material energy, they are called Māyāvādī. They have no information of the spiritual energy. They are called Māyāvādī. So chiefly the impersonalists and the void philosophers, they are called Māyāvādī, because they have no other information. They want to simply negate, nullify, but they have no positive information, so they are called Māyāvādī. So the Śaṅkarites... Śaṅkarites, of course, they give positive information. Brahma satya jagan mithyā. They say that this world is false and Brahman is reality. But because we want reality in variety, therefore impersonal philosophy, although we take it as a matter of sectarian philosophy, it does not appeal to the heart because by nature we want enjoyment. And whenever there is question of enjoyment, there must be variety. Variety is the mother of enjoyment. So philosophically or theoretically, we may accept voidness, negation, out of frustration. When we are frustrated in these material varieties we adopt the suicidal policy, "Let me commit suicide, finish." This is called Māyāvāda. Actual spiritual variegatedness, unless one is informed about it and one is situated in spiritual varieties, there is no satisfaction.

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

That is the real identity of jīva. He's eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. So as soon as you accept that position, you are liberated. That is your natural position. You are constitutionally a servant. Artificially, you are thinking, "I am master." That is māyā.

kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
pāsate māyā tare japatīyā dhare

Why you are..., we have come in contact with māyā? Because artificially we're thinking that "I am the lord." Everyone is trying to be lord here in this material world. And when he's frustrated, he says, "Oh, it is false." Nobody is master. Everyone is servant. Try to understand this fact. Who is not a servant here? Is anyone, that "I am not servant, anyone's servant"? Everyone is servant. If anyone has nothing to serve, he keeps a dog and cat and becomes servant of the dog and cat. I have seen in America. He has no family responsibility; still, he keeps a dog and serves whole day, and he says, "The dog is the best friend." Because you want to serve. That is your attitude. That is your constitutional position. You want to serve; you want to love somebody. And if is misplaced, that is māyā. When it is properly done, that is liberation.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.118-119 -- New York, November 23, 1966:

But because Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, cannot be understood by any other process... It is simply waste of time. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, if you want to know God, then you have to take this process. That is a... Bhaktyaikayeśam, ābhajet tam bhaktyaikayeśaṁ guru-devatātmā: "He is the Supreme Lord, He is the Supersoul, and He is the supreme spiritual master." In this way. He's the supreme spiritual master within you. As soon as you will take to devotional service, He'll give you dictation, "You do this." What dictation? To go to hell? No. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. In the Bhagavad-gītā: "I give him intelligence." Why? What for? Yena mām upayānti te: "By which he can come back to Me." That buddhi-yogam. He'll help you. If you think something... If He takes seriously about your case, if you are fully surrendered, then He'll direct you in such a way that you cannot go elsewhere except to Him, even sometimes you may find that "He is doing something against my will." I have got my personal experience. I never tried, never accepted that I shall become a sannyāsī. And I tried my best to keep myself in this material world. And He has, several times He has frustrated me and has brought me by force (to) this life. And now I am happy. I can understand that how much favor has Kṛṣṇa showed me. Yes. I did not understand in the beginning.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966:

Now, in this age the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya, His color is, the complexion of the body is described as yellow. And what does He do? Prema-bhakti dilā loke lañā bhakta-gaṇa. His mission is to give directly the love of God. That's all. His method is so nice that one who follows His method, he very quickly, instantly, he develops love of God. And when one develops love of God, he becomes perfect. Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. We are hankering after love. We want to love somebody. That is the nature of living entity. But that love is frustrated in every step. The culmination of perfection of love can be realized when we understand, when we try to understand, and really love Kṛṣṇa. That can be achieved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness was preached by Lord Caitanya. When you become a lover of Kṛṣṇa, then all your loving propensities, all your desires, all your hankerings will be satisfied. And so long we do not understand what is love of Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we will love false things, and at the end we shall be frustrated. That is the going on. At every step we are being frustrated; still, we do not leave that path. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). We are repeating the same mistake, same mistake, in every step.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966:

Now, even a love extended, so-called love extended, that nationalism, loving the countrymen, loving the humanity, that is also not perfect. We have got practical experience. In our country, in India, Mahatma Gandhi, he loved his country very nicely. He sacrificed everything, and for thirty-five years he simply struggled for the, I mean to say, independence of his country, of his countrymen. But the result was, at the ultimate end, he was killed by his countrymen. After loving so much his country, the result was that he was killed by his country. So in this material world the love is like that. It is never perfect. It cannot be perfect. So Lord Caitanya, taking compassion on these poor fellows, He taught love of Godhead. If you love Kṛṣṇa, then you will feel pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that "Every living creature is searching after pleasure, pleasure." Therefore we have presented this small booklet, that Kṛṣṇa is the Reservoir of Pleasure. If you can love Kṛṣṇa, then you will get pleasure. Otherwise, there is no pleasure. You will be frustrated. This is a fact. If you take it, it is nice. If you don't take it, then that is your misfortune.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.11-15 -- New York, January 9, 1967:

They are satisfied in that way. Just like mother is satisfied simply by loving child, or friend is satisfied simply by loving. Of course, that sort of love is not possible in this material world, but there are some rare instances. At least we can get an idea that... Similarly, the eternal liberated souls, they are satisfied simply by loving Kṛṣṇa. That is their satisfaction. Everyone wants to love. That is natural propensity. Everyone. When there is no loving object, then in this material world we sometimes love cats and dogs. You see? Because I must love somebody. If I don't find any suitable person lovable, then I turn my love to some hobby, to some animal, like that, because the love is there. So this is dormant. Our love for Kṛṣṇa is dormant. It is within us, but because we have no information of Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are reposing our love to something which is frustration. That is not the object of love. Therefore we are frustrated. So many instances we have got, we did not describe. But here in this material world, love is 99.9% all frustration, because the love is not reposed to the proper place. The proper place is Kṛṣṇa. If we love Kṛṣṇa, then we can love everyone. Just like if we pour water on the root of the tree then the other parts of the tree, leaves and flowers and fruits and branches, automatically... So if we learn to love Kṛṣṇa, then we can perfectly love others.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 34 -- San Francisco, September 13, 1968 :

So, Kṛṣṇa is so nice. Just to attract us, that you want love, here, at Vṛndāvana, He appears at Vṛndāvana, in Vṛndāvana, and shows His līlā, His activities, just to attract us. How lovable object! You are trying to find out something lovable. You are being frustrated. Here is something complete, if you love, you will become complete. And this Govinda can be achieved simply by love. You don't require any other qualification. He is so great, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the proprietor of everything, but what does He want from you? In the Bhagavad-gītā He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). We can worship Kṛṣṇa with a little flower, with a little fruit, a little water, that's all. How universal it is! A little flower, a little fruit, a little water can be collected by any poor man. You don't require to earn many thousands of dollars to worship Kṛṣṇa. Why Kṛṣṇa will ask you, you contribute dollars, or millions of rupees? No. He is full in Himself. He has got everything, complete. So He is not beggar. But, He is beggar. In what sense? He is begging your love. Therefore He says that patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. He is not beggar from you a little flower, a little fruit, but Kṛṣṇa said, "If something should be given to Me.

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

He cannot become God, but this very endeavor, to become God, to become a competitor of God, is not very much liked. That person is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā as dviṣataḥ, envious. Tān aham dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram andhā yoniṣu (BG 16.19). Such persons, envious persons, are put into the hellish condition of life. They are envious of God's position. They want to occupy high position in this material world, and when they are frustrated, they think "Now I shall occupy the position of God." But that will be also frustrated. Nobody can become God. God is God, and living entity's living entity. He's supreme, He's infinite; we are infinitesimal. Our position is to serve God. That is our perfect position. That will make us happy. Not otherwise. Not by imitating how to become God. That is impossible. How you can become God? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). There are innumerable universes, and within the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu so many universes are coming out by exhaling. And when He inhales, so many universes are dissolved within His body. So how we can become God? God is not so cheap.

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, July 5, 1970:

In this country especially, in all other countries also, the younger generation are not very satisfied. In your country, they say that the frustrated community, the confused community, the hippies. But I have got all sympathy for these frustrated community, everywhere. They should be frustrated. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life should feel frustration. If he does not feel frustration, then it is animal life. The symptom of human life is that he should be very much pessimistic, not optimistic, of this material world. Then there is path of liberation. And if we think that we are very much happy here, that is called illusion, māyā. Nobody is actually happy here. But if anyone wrongly thinks that he is happy, that is called māyā, illusion.

So my request to you, those who are feeling frustration, confused, this is a good qualification. Good qualification in this sense: that those who are feeling frustration and confused, they are disgusted with this materialistic way of life. That is a good qualification for spiritual advancement. But if you are not properly guided, then that will be another frustration. That will be another frustration. To save you from that frustration, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has come to your country, Lord Caitanya's movement. A great devotee, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he sings, patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra: "My dear Lord, Your incarnation is to reclaim all kinds of fallen souls." Mo sama patita prabhu nā paibe āra. "But I am the most fallen. Therefore, my claim is first. Because You have advented Yourself to claim all fallen souls, I am the most fallen; therefore You take care of me first."

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, July 5, 1970:

So my request to you, those who are feeling frustration or confused, please take to this maha-mantra, chanting, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. When I was coming, I was waiting there to see the procession, so many boys and girls, they are not within our Kṛṣṇa conscious group, they are outsiders, but they are also chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very feelingly. I was very much satisfied. Therefore my request is, I have specially come to you. I was not very feeling well to come here. But because I have come to San Francisco, I must give you the message. It is very important message. Those of you who are feeling frustration and confused, kindly take to this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that's all. You... There is no expenditure, there is no loss. We are not charging anything. It is not a business, that we are asking you to pay something because I am giving this information. No. It is freely distributed. You please chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra twenty-four hours. You can work, you can walk, and at the same time chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, July 5, 1970:

So this Ratha-yātrā Festival is a mass movement for enlightening people to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We have got many other festivities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We have got Janmāṣṭamī, Śrī Rāma-navamī, Dola-yātrā, Jhulana-yātrā. So there are twelve months, but we have got twenty-four festivals as big as this Ratha-yātrā Festival. So if you kindly take to them, then as advised by Lord Caitanya, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31), you will always be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and there will be no scope of your frustration and confusion. For this purpose especially, I came in this meeting, that you kindly accept this humble instruction that wherever you may be, in whatever position, in whatever condition, you kindly chant these sixteen names (everyone chants), Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Chant again, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Again, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Thank you very much. (end)

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

This human form of life is a chance for God realization. Without God realization, our life is frustrated. We being part and parcel of God, it is our duty to understand our relationship with God and act accordingly, and then our ultimate goal of life is achieved. The ultimate goal of life is to attain eternal life, full of knowledge and bliss, sac-cid-ānanda vigraha (Bs. 5.1). Sat means eternal, ānanda means bliss and cit means knowledge. This body is just the opposite. It is not sat. This body is temporary. It is not eternal. This body is full of ignorance. There is practically no knowledge. We do not know, after closing our eyes, we do not know what is happening before our eyes. So our knowledge is always imperfect. And this life is also miserable. It is not at all blissful. Every step, there are three kinds of miserable condition: ādhyātmika, adhibautika, adhidaivika. Ādhyātmika means miseries pertaining to the body and the mind. Adhibautika means miserable condition offered by other living entities. And adhidaivika, natural disturbances. So either of these three, or at least one or two, there must be always present. This is the material condition of life. But as spirit soul, we are sac-cid-ānanda vigraha, part and parcel of sac-cid-ānanda vigraha (Bs. 5.1). Sat means eternal, cit means knowledge and bliss, and ānanda means blissfulness.

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

That is called māyā, illusion. He's not enjoyer. He's servant. So Kṛṣṇa therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Sarva-dharmān, we have created some dharma. Some dharma is for lording it over the material nature. Karmīs. The karmīs are trying to lord it over the material nature, all resources. Working hard, day and night, how to lord it over the material world. This is one dharma. Another dharma, when the karmī's frustrated because he cannot enjoy... Because he is not enjoyer. Artificially, he is trying to enjoy. Then, when he's frustrated, then he says, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "The brahma is satya, and this world is false." Then he becomes a sannyāsī, a renouncer. But he cannot live in that renouncement platform. And then he again comes back to this material world and engages himself in some philanthropic work: "Let us open hospital. Let us open schools and college..." If the brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā... If the world is mithyā, false, why you are again, a sannyāsī, you are coming again back to this platform? That means he's not satisfied in so-called brahma satyam. Practically, he has no realization of Brahman. Therefore he comes back again. And that is, I mean to say, indicated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Persons who are thinking that "I have become liberated. I have become Nārāyaṇa. I have become God. I have become Brahman." Brahman, everyone is Brahman. That's a fact. But there is another Param Brahman. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12)—Kṛṣṇa.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971:

No, the process is, just like if you pour water on the root of the tree, the water is distributed to the leaf, branches, twigs, and they remain fresh. But if you water on the leaf only, the leaf will also dry, and the twig will be also dry. If you put your foodstuff on the stomach, then the energy will be distributed to your finger, to your hairs to your nails and everywhere. And if you take foodstuff in the hand and do not put in the stomach, it will be useless waste. So all this humanitarian service has been wasted because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They're trying so many ways to serve the human society, but they're all being frustrated in useless attempt, because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And if people are trained to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then automatically everyone will be happy. Any one who will join, one, anyone who will hear, anyone who will cooperate—everyone will be happy. So our process is natural process. You love God, and if you (are) actually expert in loving God, naturally you love everyone. Just like Kṛṣṇa conscious person, because he loves God, he loves the animals also. He loves birds, beasts, everyone. But so-called humanitarian love means they're loving some human being, but the animals are being killed. Why they do not love the animals? Because imperfect. But the Kṛṣṇa conscious person will never kill an animal or give trouble to animal even. But that is universal love. If you love only your brother or sister, that is not universal love. Universal love means you love everyone. That universal love can be developed by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not by otherwise.

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

Prabhupāda: But when they live, the tendency is there. Naturally I want to love somebody. It is not unnatural. When that love is reposed to Kṛṣṇa, that is perfect. The Māyāvādīs, they are frustrated; therefore they want to make this love into zero. They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa's love with gopīs. They think it is another edition of this material... Oh, how are you, Hayagrīva prabhu? How are you? You look better. You are looking better, brighter than when I saw you in New Vrindaban last. You have got so much talents for serving Kṛṣṇa. Everyone has got. That I am speaking. We have to utilize it. From the very beginning I met you, I instructed to edit. That was the starting of our Back to Godhead. He is good typist also. You know that? (laughter) I think he is the best of all of our men. He can type very swiftly and correctly. I think in our group Hayagrīva prabhu and Satsvarūpa Mahārāja are very good typist. And Jayādvaita I think you are also, no?

Jayādvaita: Yes.

Prabhupāda: You are good typist? (laughter) So why you have not published Bali-mardana's article?

Jayādvaita: Bali-mardana's article.

Initiation Lectures

Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968:

So many empires, they flourish sometimes. All fail. The Britishers, they were, two hundred years ago, they were planning to rule over this vast land of America. George Washington declared independence; their plan failed. Similarly, in India they were planning to exploit. Now Gandhi's movement made it fail. So this is bigger plan. Similarly smaller plan also. There are many... Individually, we make so many plans that "I shall be happy in this way, in that way, in that way." So this plan-making business is māyā, because that will never be successful. Trace out the history of the whole world. Nobody has become happy. Hitler made a plan, so great a plan. You see? He was frustrated. So the sane man, intelligent man... Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says that a person who is actually intelligent, wise... How a man becomes wise? After being baffled or frustrated many, many times, he can understand this is not the process. And the Vedānta-sūtra also places the first, athāto brahma jijñāsā. When one is frustrated in all plan-making business, for him, the Vedānta-sūtra gives him the opportunity, "Now your all plans have failed.

Initiation Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

Avacintya means beyond our conception. Even though you are able to go in high speed, and for so many years, still Kṛṣṇa remains avacintya-tattva. Nobody can find out where is Kṛṣṇa's abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Therefore, the Māyāvādīs, in desperate frustration, they say that Kṛṣṇa is impersonal, because they want to approach Kṛṣṇa by mundane activities, by mental exercise, mental gymnastic. Kṛṣṇa is not available in that way. Kṛṣṇa is available only to His devotees. Kṛṣṇa is the property of His devotee.

panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām
so 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.34)
That's all right. (chants japa with devotees)
Initiation Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

A serpent, you know some serpent has got jewels on the head. Does it mean a serpent with jewel on hood is not ferocious because he has got jewel? He's as ferocious as ordinary serpent. That these things we should know. So I do not know how this man was given shelter in our temple. Nobody could understand that "Here is a serpent," and he was accepted as Sanskrit scholar. So you should be very much careful about this thing in future.

Thank you. (break—followed by lecture excerpt)

You are spirit soul. Woods and stone will not give you any pleasure. That is not possible. You are not wood and stone. You are spirit soul. You must have spiritual food. Therefore, in America especially, despite all material opulences, they..., you are becoming confused and frustrated and disappointed. Because wood and stone will not satisfy you. You must have spiritual food. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Thank you everyone. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Deity Installation and Initiation -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972:

That is called simplicity. Then jñānam. Jñānam means knowledge, full knowledge. And vijñānam means scientific knowledge, practical application in life. That is called vijñānam. Āstikyam. Āstikyam means to have full faith in Vedic literature. That is called āstikyam. These are the signs of brāhmaṇa. So those who are going to be initiated with the sacred thread, they must always remember to follow all these rules and regulations. We should always remember that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for purifying the human society. Unless the human society is purified, there will be so many problems and disturbances in the human society. At least a certain percentage of the human society must be brāhmaṇa; otherwise the society cannot make any progress in spiritual life. And if we cannot make progress in spiritual life, then our human life is frustrated. After 8,400,000 species of life, evolution, one gets this human form of life. And if he does not properly utilize it, then he is committing suicide.

Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975:

Just like if you have got wet wood, you cannot burn it very nicely, but if you collect dry wood, you can ignite very easily. So our material life is now saturated with all kinds of sins. The four pillars of sinful life are these: illicit sex, meat-eating and intoxication and gambling. So if we stop these voluntarily, this is called austerity, austerity, tapasya. Austerity means voluntarily accept some painful condition. So those who are habituated to all these things, namely illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling, to give up these habits, it may become little painful in the beginning. But if you practice and pray to Kṛṣṇa that He will help, it is not difficult to give up these habits. And as soon as you give up this wetting process, the sinful life, then immediately you become fifty percent purified to approach God. Then, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you make further, further, more and more progress. And when you are completely free of all sinful reaction, then you understand God and you love him. In the contaminated stage, you are trying to love so many things, but you are frustrated. So if you can love God, then you will never be frustrated and your loving desires will be fulfilled. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are teaching all our students how to love God. That's all right.

So now you can go with your other function. (end)

General Lectures

Lecture -- Montreal, June 26, 1968:

Ascending process and descending process. So by ascending process, we can never come to the real knowledge. That is not possible, because our senses are imperfect. How we can ascend? Just like people are trying to ascend to the higher planetary system, but the instrument, sputnik itself, is imperfect. How you can go there? You can go 25,000 miles, again come back. Punar mūṣiko bhava. So this is going on. Because we are imperfect in every respect, so therefore we have to receive knowledge from the perfect. That is the process, real process. If your knowledge... Just like Janārdana suggested three processes, one by applying our senses, another by accepting knowledge from others, and another, rejection. Two ways. Or skepticism, make void. So this is out of frustration. So make the mind void, no more thinking. And knowledge by imperfect senses, that will always remain imperfect. And knowledge from others, that is real goal. But provided you receive that knowledge from the perfect... As we have given several times the example, just like a child wants to know who is his father. Now if he searches out "Who is my father?" he asks everybody, "Are you my father? Are you my father? Are you my father?" he will have to go on searching. Then again if he asks his neighbor, "Who is my father?" the neighbor also may not know and may give him misinformation. So that is also not possible.

Speech to Indian Audience -- Montreal, July 28, 1968:

Unfortunately, the present policy is that students are being taught to forget their old Vedic culture and try to imitate the Westernized way of life, industrial life, technical life. That is being encouraged. But here I find that the young men and young girls and boys, both, they are very much interested about Indian original culture of spiritual life. Recently, you know, some yogi came, and he simply bluffed so many people that "If you pay me thirty-five dollars, I will give you one personal mantra, and you will be in transcendental life," or so many things. So thousands and thousands of European boys and girls, as well as in America, they flocked together, but later on, they were frustrated. That means while the Indian youths are coming to the Western countries for advancement of technological knowledge, the Western boys and girls, they are hankering after spiritual life. This I have very particularly studied. I am here, not in Canada, in America. I came here in 1965, and I am studying the mind of the younger generation especially. They are hankering after something, spiritual enlightenment, not only in America, also in Europe. And they expect something from India because... It is a fact. I have read one book written by one Chinese gentleman.

Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:

So our program is to worship with love and devotion Govinda, the original person. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are teaching people to love Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Our program is to love, to place your love in the proper place. That is our program. Everyone wants to love, but he is being frustrated on account of his love being misplaced. People do not understand it. They are being taught, "First of all, you love your body." Then little extended, "You love your father and mother." Then "Love your brother and sister." Then "Love your society, love your country, love the whole human society, humanity." But all this extended love, so-called love, will not give you satisfaction unless you reach to the point to love Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be satisfied. Just like if you throw a stone on some reservoir of water, on a lake, there immediately begins a circle. The circle expands, and expanding, expanding, expanding, when the circle touches the shore, it stops. Unless the circle reaches the bank or the shore of the reservoir of the water, it goes on increasing. So we have to increase.

Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:

This is crude example. Similarly, if you love Kṛṣṇa, then your love will be expanded everywhere. Another example, just like if you love a tree, the leaves, the flowers, the branches, the trunks, the twigs, everything. You simply pour water on the root, then your loving affairs for the tree will automatically serve. If you love your countrymen, if you want to see that your countryman becomes educated, advanced economically and mentally, physically, then what you'll do? You pay tax to the government. You don't hide your income tax. You simply pay tax to the central government and it will be distributed to the educational department, to the defense department, to the hygienic department, everywhere. Therefore... These are crude examples, but actually, if you want to love everything, then you try to love Kṛṣṇa. You'll not be frustrated because that is complete. When your love is complete, then you will not be frustrated. Just like you have got complete feeding. If you are satisfied with food completely, then you say, "I am satisfied. I don't want any more."

Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:

To love your home, to love your country, to love your husband, to love your children, to love your wife, and so on, you go on, all this love, more or less they are all in the animal kingdom also. But that sort of love will not give you happiness. You'll be frustrated because this body is temporary. Therefore all these loving affairs are also temporary and they are not pure. They are simply a perverted reflection of the pure love that is existing between you and Kṛṣṇa. So if you want really peace, if you really want satisfaction, if you don't want to be confused, then try to love Kṛṣṇa. This is the plain program. Then your life will be successful. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not something manufactured to mislead and bluff the people. It is a most authorized movement. Vedic literature, the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vedānta-sūtra, Purāṇas, and many, many great saintly persons adopted this means. And the vivid example is Lord Caitanya. You see His picture, He is in the dancing mood. So you have to learn this art, then our life will be successful. You haven't got to practice anything artificial and speculating and bother your brain and... You have the instinct for loving others. That is instinctive, natural. Simply we are misplacing love and therefore we are frustrated. Frustrated. Confused. So if you don't want to be confused, if you don't want to be frustrated, then try to love Kṛṣṇa, and you'll feel yourself how you are making progress in peacefulness, in happiness, in everything that you want.

Thank you very much.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 7, 1968:

When one has reached to the material perfection, then the next business is to inquire. If we do not inquire, if we do not try to understand what is Brahman, then we must be frustrated. Because the hankering is there, advancement, advancement of knowledge. The theory of advancement of knowledge is that nobody should be satisfied by the knowledge, what he already knows. He must know more and more. So in your country in comparison to other countries at the present age, you have advanced materially very nicely. Now you take to this brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry about the Supreme Absolute: What is that Absolute? What I am? I am also Brahman. Because I am part and parcel of Brahman, therefore I am also Brahman. Just like part and parcel, a little particle of gold is also gold. It is no other thing. Similarly, we are also particle of Brahman or the Supreme. Just like the molecules of sunshine, they are also as illuminating as the sun globe, but they are very small. Similarly, we living entities, we are also the same as God. But He is just like as big as the sun globe or the deity in the sun globe, but we are small particles, the molecules of sunshine. This is the comparison between the Supreme and us. We cannot become the Supreme. At least, we don't find in authorized Vedic literature that a living entity can become as powerful as God. No. It is not possible. God is great. He's always great. Even if you are liberated from the material clutches, still He is great.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 18, 1968:

If you once come to the stage of mature stage of love, then that perfectional stage continues eternally, and your life is successful. Premā pum-artho mahān. There are many different types of perfection in this material world. Somebody is thinking, "This is perfection of life." Materialists, they are thinking, "If I can enjoy my senses very nicely, that is perfection of life." That is their point of view. And when they are frustrated, they find out, or try to find out, something better. So if he's not guided, something better means the same—sex and intoxication. That's all. Simply becomes irresponsible. That's all. Because there is no guide. He's finding out, searching out something better, but because there is no guide, he comes to the same sense or sex and intoxication—to forget. A businessman, when he's failure, so much disturbance. He tries to forget him by drinking. But this is artificial way. This is not actually the remedy. How long you can forget? Sleep—how long you can sleep? Again wake up, again you are in the same position. That is not the way. But if you come to the stage of love of Godhead, then naturally you forget all this nonsense. Naturally. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). If you find out something more palatable, more relishable, you give up nonsense things which is not so nice to taste.

Lecture to College Students -- Seattle, October 20, 1968, Introduction by Tamala Krsna:

So people may not like it. It may be very unpalatable, but the fact is like that. Satyaṁ brūyāt priyaṁ brūyāt ma brūyāt satyam abrūyāt. It is social convention that if you want to speak truth, you speak truth very palatable, flattering. Don't speak unpalatable truth. But we are not meant for that purpose, social convention. We are preacher, we are servant of God. We must speak the real truth. You may like it or may not like it, that a godless civilization cannot be happy in any stage. That is a fact. Therefore we have started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to awaken this godless civilization, that you try to love God. This is the simple fact. You have got love within you. You want to love somebody. A young boy tries to love a young girl, young girl tries to love another young boy. This is natural, because the love is there. But we have created certain circumstances that love is being frustrated. Why? Everyone is frustrated. Husband, wife, boys, girls, man to man, states to states, everywhere, the love is not being utilized properly. Why? The missing point is that we have forgotten to love the Supreme Person. That is the disease.

Lecture to College Students -- Seattle, October 20, 1968, Introduction by Tamala Krsna:

Either you are Christian or either you are Muhammadan, either you are Hindu, this characteristic will go on. Suppose today you are Christian, tomorrow you become Hindu. That service mood, that loving spirit, goes with you, either you become Hindu or Muslim or Christian. Therefore that service spirit and love, the tendency to love and service spirit, is your characteristic, and that is your religion. That is the universal form of religion. You have to apply your natural characteristic in a certain place, where you will be satisfied. Your service spirit is (indistinct). You have to apply your natural characteristic in a certain place, where you will be satisfied. Your service spirit is there, your loving spirit is there, but because it is misplaced, you are not happy, you are frustrated, you are confused. The Bhāgavata gives you indication, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is the first-class system of religion, which trains you to love God. And if you have developed that tendency to the fullest extent, to love God, then you are perfect man. And then you will feel perfection within yourself. Yayātmā suprasīdati. You are hankering after satisfaction, full satisfaction. That full satisfaction can be obtained only when you love God. That is the natural function.

Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968:

God, Kṛṣṇa, He's the original person because from the original father, you can take, from whom everyone has come. Therefore He's the oldest. Advaitam acyutam anādim ādyam. Ādyam means the original person. Man is made after God; therefore God is original person. So that person ādyam, acyutam, anādim, nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca means He is always a young man. Just like you are all young men, attractive. Young life is attractive. So that youthful age is always in the spiritual world. And as the youthful means joyful life, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt... (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). All young boys and young girls, they are after joyfulness, but they are being frustrated in this material world. That is the inebriety. The spiritual world means these things are there, but without any inebriety. Here we love. A boy loves a girl; a girl loves... But they are frustrated. After few days it is broken. Or if it is married, then again there is divorce. He finds another husband; she finds out another... Like that. These things are not there. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the love of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is never broken. Never broken. That is the significance of the spiritual... They are eternally enjoying the loving affairs. And if you qualify yourself, then you leave this material world, this interaction of the modes of material nature, and be implicated in such things and you become free, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is very nice. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious perfectly, you are no longer living in this material world. You are in the spiritual world.

Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968:

It has to be attained by tapasya. That is said tapasā. Tapasā means voluntarily being regulated. That is tapasā. Brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Brahmacaryeṇa means controlling the sex appetite. That is a brahmacārī. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca. Śamena means keeping the mind, equilibrium, without being disturbed. The process of meditation is meant for keeping the mind in equilibrium. That is śama. And dama, dama means controlling the senses. My senses are always dictating me, "Oh, you take this. You enjoy this. You do that. You do that." And I am being driven by. We are all servants of the senses. So we have become servant of senses. We have to transform to become servant of God. That's all. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. You are already servant, but you are servant of the senses, and you are being dictated and being frustrated. You become servant of God. You cannot become master. That is not your position. You have to become servant. If you don't become servant of God, then you become servant of your senses. That is your position. So those who are intelligent, so they will understand that "If I have to remain a servant, why I shall remain servant of the senses? Why not of Kṛṣṇa?" This is intelligence. This is intelligence. And those who are foolishly keeping themselves as servant of the senses, they are spoiling their life.

Thank you very much. (end)

Class in Los Angeles -- Los Angeles, November 15, 1968:

Buddha philosophy, they are also trying-nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means extinguish this. So they want to make void. All these material varieties, they want to make it zero. That is Buddha philosophy. Māyāvāda philosophy is more or less like that. It is a second edition of Buddha philosophy. Zero, but that zero is without life. Māyāvāda philosophy says, "Yes, that zero, but with life." That is the mistake. If there is life, then there must be varieties. Life without variety is not possible. Dead body without variety, not life without variety. So these are the defects of all other philosophies. They're not defects, but the class of people amongst whom the philosophy was taught, they could not understand more than that. That's all. Just like a patient too much disturbed, he wants some medicine from the physician: "Please stop my disturbance. Kill me. Kill me." Sometimes they say like that: "Give me some poison, kill me. I cannot tolerate." A physician says, "Yes, there is no need of killing. I shall give you good, healthy life." He's so much impatient, "No. I cannot tolerate. Please kill me." So this Buddha philosophy, Māyāvāda philosophy is like that. Kill him "Kill me, please. Make me zero, void." So much frustration. So much disturbance that they want to make it zero. But our philosophy is life, real life.

Press Release -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1968:

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement teaches these spiritual activities, and if one is trained up in such spiritual activities, one is transferred to the spiritual world, of which we get ample evidence from Vedic literatures and also from the Bhagavad-gītā. And the spiritually trained person can be transferred to the spiritual world easily by change of consciousness. The consciousness is always there because it is the symptom of the living spirit soul. But at the present moment the consciousness is materially contaminated. Just like pouring water, water pouring, down from the cloud is pure, distilled water, but as soon as the water comes in touch with the earth it becomes muddy immediately. Again, by filtering the same water, the original clearness can be regained. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the process of clearing the consciousness, and as soon as the consciousness clear and pure it is transferred to the spiritual world for eternal life of knowledge and bliss, which we are hankering for in this material world, and being frustrated in every step on account of material contamination. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be taken very seriously by the leaders of the human society.

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

We are, however, misled by persons and leaders who have very little connection with God, or Kṛṣṇa. Some of them are denying the existence of God, some of them are falsely trying to place themselves in place of God, some of them are in favor of the impersonal feature of God, and, at last, some of them, without being able to reach any right conclusion, are accepting the ultimate goal of life as void, or zero, in utter hopelessness and frustration. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is solid ground for understanding Kṛṣṇa, or God, directly by the simple method of chanting the holy name of God, or Kṛṣṇa. Misled by blind leaders, the followers who themselves are blind have failed to achieve the desired success, but here is a method called by the name Kṛṣṇa consciousness which is directly offered by Kṛṣṇa, and the instructions are plainly described in the Bhagavad-gītā, given to us five thousand years ago, and again confirmed by Him in the form of Lord Caitanya five hundred years ago. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a great art of life, very easy and sublime. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement gives you everything you want, without any artificial endeavor. It is transcendentally colorful and full of transcendental pleasure.

Srila Prabhupada and Disciples Speak -- New York, April 9, 1969:

There is no hindrance. But if you want at all, then there is way, this Bhagavad-gītā. And the way is very simple. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). Simply you become surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and always pray to Kṛṣṇa. Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays, hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-sutā-yuta: "My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, now You are standing before me with Rādhārāṇī, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu." Hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-suta, karuṇā karoho ei-bāro: "Many lives I have wasted in this material encagement. Life after life, I was frustrated and baffled. Now, this life I am dedicated unto You." Hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu, karuṇā karoho ei: "Now You become merciful. You are already merciful, but due to my forgetfulness, rebellious condition of life, I did not surrender unto You. Now I have come to my senses." Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). "After many, many births, so I surrender unto You. Please give me Your protection." This much. That's all. There is no necessity. Of course, not in the beginning, but actually, one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa fully, without any reservation, his life is perfect. That's all.

So keep this attitude of surrendering and then everything will come, perfection. And this remembrance also will be kept by chanting the mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Yes. Prabhati, Prabhati(?) should... Morning tune. Yes. (kīrtana) (end)

Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969:

People are after becoming religious person or economically very well situated person or desiring all facilities for sense gratification. And when one is frustrated in all these attempts, he wants to become God. You see? By meditation, he wants to become God. You see? God is not so cheap thing that simply by meditation one can become God. People do not know what is God; therefore they accept. Just in Los Angeles airport, one boy was asking, some person in your country is declaring himself as God, Meher Baba. So he asked him..., asked me, "Whether you accept Meher Baba as incarnation?" So I asked him, "What do you mean by incarnation?" So he replied that because Kṛṣṇa or God is everyone's heart, therefore everyone is incarnation. Then he... I said, "Then what is difficulty? Then we are all incarnation. What is the specific quality of Meher Baba?" Because īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). The Lord is situated in everyone's heart. The Lord is situated in the heart of cats and dogs also. Sarva-bhūtānām. Sarva-bhūtānām means all living entities. It is not that God is not situated in the cat's heart or dog's heart. He is there. Therefore he is also incarnation. If that is the formula... These impersonalists... Because... Just like in Ramakrishna mission, they say, "Because Nārāyaṇa is in everyone's heart, therefore everyone is Nārāyaṇa." This is not very good logic.

Lecture Excerpt -- Boston, May 5, 1969:

Just try to understand what sort of service is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness: no more hunger, no more demand. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi: "Oh, I am fully satisfied." Varaṁ na yāce: "I have no more demand. Finish." And if you go materially, satisfy your hunger, this, that, this, that, this, that, oh, it is simply illusion. It will never be finished. Just like you are advanced in material prosperity than other country. Does it mean that you are satisfied? Why there are hippies? Why there are so many frustrated youngsters? The richest country in the world. That, this richness of material world, the rascals, they are following that "If we become like America and some industrial, we shall become happy." That is rascaldom. Actual happiness is how you learn to love God. Then you get happy. That can be achieved without any material advancement. Anywhere you can have, without any expenditure, without any effort, without any education, without any knowledge. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you develop that love. This is the highest service to the human society. Just try to understand. Everyone will say, "Oh, I am now satisfied, fully satisfied. I don't want. No more stealing, no more pick-pocketing, no more cheating, because I have no want. Why shall I cheat? Why shall I cheat?" Everything will be complete, fully satisfied. Yayātmā suprasīdati. Suprasīdati, this very word, Sanskrit word, is there. You have to make yourself fully satisfied. Then there will be no more want. You see?

Lecture at Engagement -- Columbus, may 19, 1969:

So, how to test it? The Bhāgavata says, so long you do not come to the platform of understanding yourself, whatever you are doing, it is simply defeat. Zero. Zero has no value. If you go on adding zero, zero, zero, zero, million times, the value is zero. But, if there is zero and put on the left side one, it becomes immediately ten. Therefore, according to... Not according to. Everyone, everyone reasonable man can understand that "What I am doing? What I am gaining?" In your country especially, I see there is so much frustration among youngsters. They are finding that this is zero. Somehow or other they are trying to realize that this sort of life is zero. Actually. Human life, simply increasing the demands of our senses, these activities are zero activities. Parābhava, defeating. Yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. When a human being, as long as a human being does not inquire "What I am? Why I am suffering? I do not wish to die. Why death is enforced upon me? I do not want to be diseased. Why disease is forced upon me? I do not want to become old. Why I become old? I do not wish to die. Why I..." These things are very important questions. That is called ātma-tattvam, self-realization. Human life is meant for this purpose, enquiring self-realization. And if we do not enquire, then we are no better than animals. Animals have no power to enquire about the self. They are simply busy with the problems of the body—eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Similarly, if human body is also engaged simply for eating, sleeping, mating and defending, that is not very good civilization. That is not at all human civilization.

Lecture -- New Vrindaban, June 7, 1969:

"By this way, he becomes jolly." Because jolliness is my original consciousness, but due to my material contamination I am not jolly, I am morose, I am full of anxiety. So as soon as you become freed from this material contamination... Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. How you can become such happy mood? Bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ: by the bhakti-yoga process.

evaṁ prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ
bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ
mukta-saṅgasya jāyate
(SB 1.2.20)

Bhāgavata-tattva... This is a science to understand God. Just like you have got different departmental sciences to understand perfectly a subject matter, similarly, this bhāgavata-tattva, this truth of God, you can understand by practicing this bhakti-yoga, and you become jolly. (laughter) Yes. This is practical.

So this is a great science. It is a great science. Don't be confused and frustrated. Take this. Take this. It is very easy. You come to this temple and chant and dance and take prasādam and be jolly and be happy.

Thank you very much. That's all. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Now chant again. (end)
Lecture -- London, September 14, 1969:

That was his desire. He went to forest to undertake severe penances to see Nārāyaṇa so that he can ask from Him the benediction that he should have..., seated on the throne of his father. Because by the intrigue of his stepmother, he was rejected by his father. He wanted... That material desire we, every one of us in conditioned state, we want. Sometimes we compete. We become very much obstinate, that "I must have this," and we work very hard. Just like in Europe, that Hitler, he wanted supremacy over Europe, and he fought very valiantly. But at the end he became vanquished. Similarly, in the material world we have got so many desires and we want to fulfill it—and for which we work very hard. But at the end it becomes frustrated. That is the nature of the material world. You cannot have anything here permanent, however hard you work... You may achieve that. Not only in this material world. Even you achieve the liberation, perfectional stage, as the impersonal philosophers want. They want nirvāṇa. Just like Buddhists, they want nirvāṇa, extinction of this material conditional life. That is called nirvāṇa.

Lecture -- London, September 14, 1969:

Of course, so long we have got this material body, we have to take rest, but this rest is also not required, because in the spiritual world there is no such fatigue. Everyone is always active. So that is perfectional stage. Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ. And how one can be pacified fully? When he does not manufacture the fulfillment of desire. We manufacture. The whole material world is going on by manufacturing ideas. The so-called scientists, the so-called philosophers, poets, they are manufacturing ideas that "We shall be happy in this way, in that way." So this will not help us, this manufacturing. I may be satisfied by some manufactured ideas. Just like in U.S.A. especially, the frustrated, confused younger generation, they are manufacturing ideas that "We shall be happy in this way." But that is not possible. You cannot be happy. So long you manufacture ideas, you may be pacified for some time, but it will not exist. Therefore you have to stop this manufacturing process, that "I shall be happy in this way." No. That is called free of anxieties. If you want to manufacture, that "I shall be happy in this way," that will also create another anxiety. That will create another anxiety.

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a process by which you can transform your love from matter to God. That's all. You have got love but you are being frustrated. You are being frustrated. You are being baffled. Your love is not placed in the proper place. Therefore we have to make our choice, "Where I shall place my love?" Then I'll be satisfied. That is replied in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktiradhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
(SB 1.2.6)

Ātmā, self. Everyone is seeking after peacefulness, peacefulness of ātmā, or self. So this is the process recommended. Not recommended, it is the fact, that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6). In whatever occupation you are situated, doesn't matter. You have to see simply whether by your occupation the Supreme Lord is satisfied, or your love for the Supreme Lord is increasing. That is the test of perfection. And when your love is increased in that way, adhokṣaje ahaituki-ahaituki means without any cause, without any reason, and apratihatā, without any impediment—then you'll see yayātmā suprasīdati. Your ātmā is fully satisfied. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi. "My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I have no more any demand." The material world, material life, means simply demands, increasing the demands. That is the modern way of life, increasing artificial demand and being frustrated. That is our life. But if you want satisfaction, not frustration, not bafflement, then increase your love for God.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 6, 1971:

Now, the whole Vedic literature is meant for getting us liberated from this condition of life. So far Bhagavad-gītā is concerned, the same aim is there because at the ultimate instruction, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is the ultimate goal. We have to come to that point, to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It may take hundreds of years or hundreds of births, but unless we come to that point, our life is simply frustration. Śrama eva hi kevalam. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said,

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
śrama eva hi kevalam
(SB 1.2.8)

You can execute. You may have some particular type of religious system which you are following. It doesn't matter. But if that following your religious system, if you do not come to the point of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or if you do not become interested in the matter of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you should know it that your performances of all religious ritualistic ceremonies are simply waste of time.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 6, 1971:

One has to develop his mind being always attached to Kṛṣṇa. Āsakta. Āsakta means attachment. This āsakti is also not attained very easily, but there is a process. If we follow the process, as recommended by the authorities, then there is way. And one who is serious to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, they must follow the methods prescribed by the mahājanas. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). If you follow the footsteps of great personalities, great ācāryas, then that is the way. You don't manufacture your own way. Then you will be frustrated. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. So who can be greater mahājana than Kṛṣṇa? All mahājanas, they are great devotees of Kṛṣṇa; therefore they have become mahājanas. Just like Svayambhū, Lord Brahmā, Nārada Muni... Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ (SB 6.3.20). Śambhu, Lord Śiva. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilaḥ kaumāraḥ, kapilo manuḥ. Kaumāra, the four Kumāras, Sanat Kumāra, Sunanda, these four Kumāras, and kumāraḥ kapila, Kapiladeva, the original propounder of Sāṅkhya philosophy, Kapiladeva; and Manu, you know, Manu-saṁhitā, the law-giver to the mankind, Svayambhuva Manu, Manu. And Prahlāda Mahārāja, whose instructions we were discussing in the morning. Prahlādo janaka-rāja bhīṣma, the grandfather of the Kurus. Vaiyāsaki, Śukadeva Gosvāmī; or Bali Mahārāja, a grandson of Prahlāda Mahārāja, he is also an authority.

Lecture at Wayside Chapel -- Sydney, May 13, 1971:

The spiritual nature is... It is not in..., what is called, incompatible. Compatible. You can adjust yourself in the spiritual nature, but you cannot adjust yourself in the material nature. Therefore material nature, however you can make your plans for becoming happy, it will be frustrated. Because you do not, you cannot adjust yourself with this material nature. Just like this body. This body is a product of this material nature. Now, however you can take care of this body, however you may go on making this body very strong and stout, still, you cannot maintain it. It will be finished today or tomorrow, or a hundred years after. You cannot protect it. This is material nature. But I have got the tendency to keep my body fit, strong, and eternal. That is my tendency. People are taking so much exercise just to become very strong and stout. But nature will not allow you. However stout and strong you may be, you have to die. You have to give up this body. This body is temporary, but our tendency is to live forever. The scientists are trying how to keep this body fit. One Russian scientist said that "By material science we shall be able to keep this body forever." They may say like that, but in the history we do not find any evidence that anyone has ever been able to keep this body forever, immortal. That is not possible.

Lecture at Wayside Chapel -- Sydney, May 13, 1971:

Kṛṣṇa says, "Simply by understanding about My appearance and My activities, janma karma..." Janma means appearance, and karma means activities. Janma karma me divyam: "They are transcendental." Yo jānāti tattvataḥ: "If anyone understands in truth," tyaktvā deham, "then such person, after giving up this body," punar janma naiti, "do not come to take birth again in this material world, but he comes to Me." Mām eti. And if you come back to Kṛṣṇa, wherefrom you generated, then you become eternally living, not to come back again in this material world full of miseries and frustration.

Lecture at Wayside Chapel -- Sydney, May 13, 1971:

This material world is supposed to be blazing fire. Blazing fire. It is called blazing fire in the forest. Just like in the forest nobody goes to set fire, but it takes automatically, similarly, in this material world, however you may try to live very peacefully, it will not allow you. There will be some fire. Just like in Pakistan. All of a sudden they separated from India as Muhammadan on the basis of religion. Now they are Muhammadans, of the same religion, but they are fighting. First of all they wanted to save themselves from fighting from the Hindus. Now they are Muhammadan. They are of the same cult, same religion. Still, they are fighting. So you cannot stop this fighting. It will automatically come out. Just like the forest blazing fire. Nobody goes to set fire there, but it takes place. So this world, nature of this world, is like that. However you may be careful, however you may be peaceful, some element there will be who will put you into trouble, into frustration. That is the nature of this material world. Try to understand. But if you understand your constitutional position, what you are, then immediately this blazing fire will be extinguished and real knowledge come out.

Speech at Olympia Theater -- Paris, June 26, 1971, (with translator):

All these factors prove that we want and we are constitutionally so made that we have to render service to somebody else. But in spite of our rendering service to the best capacity, we are not satisfied nor the persons to whom we are rendering service, they are satisfied. Therefore in spite of our rendering service to one another, every one of us are frustrated. The reason is that the service which we are rendering, that is not properly placed. The method is... Just like a tree. If you want to render service to a tree, you must water to the root. If you pour water on the leaves, branches and twigs, that is not properly served. If you pour water on the root, that is the way of serving the tree. Similarly, in your body, if you supply food to the stomach, the energy will be distributed. You need not give food separately to the different parts of your body. From this example we can understand that the supreme whole, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, if He is served, then all other parts and parcels and... Just like the limbs of the body are served automatically by supplying food to the stomach, similarly, by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead everyone is served. Therefore all welfare activities, all service to the society, family, nature... (break)

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

The background is to be happy, how to become happy. But they are making planning: "I shall be happy in this way. I shall be happy in that way." Just like there is advertisement, "Come on. There are some naked girl pictures." They are inviting, "Come here. You will be happy." So we are planning for happiness. Why? Why you are searching after happiness? Because constitutionally you are happy. Just like when we fall diseased we go to the doctor, physician, to cure the disease. Why? Because constitutionally we are healthy. To remain healthy is our normal life, and to fall diseased condition, that is not normal; that is abnormal. Therefore we go to the physician, take medicine, ask treatment, "How shall I be cured?" Similarly, we are searching after happiness. Why? Because constitutional position is we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, who is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is by nature full of bliss. But our blissfulness has been disturbed. Now we shall have to find out why our happiness has been disturbed so that life after life, we are searching after happiness but we are becoming frustrated. That is our business, not to make the temporary place very comfortable.

Lecture -- London, August 11, 1971:

If you want happiness, then you must learn how to love God. You are trying to love somebody, but you are being frustrated, foiled. Because except God, nobody is loving object. And if you love God, then naturally you love everything because God is everything. The example is that if you pour water on the root of the tree, it goes everywhere—to the twigs, to the leaves, to the flowers, everywhere. But if you pour water on the leaf, it is localized. It does not spread. So we are manufacturing, inventing, so many humanitarian work, welfare work, but still, people are unhappy. Why? Because it is pouring water on the leaf, not on the root. So learn by Kṛṣṇa consciousness how to love Kṛṣṇa and how to love your country, your society, your friends, everything. But without loving Kṛṣṇa, you cannot love. This is the secret. And if you love... Just like because I love Kṛṣṇa, therefore I have come to your country. I had no business to come to your country, naturally. But we are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we love everyone. We don't make any distinction. We love animals also. We don't like to see animal killing. That is also one of our propaganda: "No meat-eating." Why? To save the animals, because we love animals also. We love even the ant—because we love Kṛṣṇa.

So this is the technique of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that if you learn how to love Kṛṣṇa, then you will love everything. Otherwise, your love will be localized and you will be frustrated. It is most scientific. And our process is very simple: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's all.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:

The modern educational system without any knowledge of Bhagavān, I may tell you frankly, not only in India, everywhere, they are practically slaughterhouse. Because in our country, it is a different thing; at least we have got the Vedic culture at home if it is not in the schools. But in other countries, because there is no bhāgavata-dharma culture, the students, although they are provided with ample opportunity for education, the nicest educational system, nice building, nice facilities, everything nice, unfortunately the products are coming out frustrated, confused young men, and some of them are called hippies. They are educated. They are coming from very nice aristocratic family. In Western countries, in comparison to our country, every home is aristocratic. At least their standard of living is so high. So what we call aristocratic, that is a common affair. So this mishappening is going on all over the Western countries. Some of them are joining us, but this is the problem. The Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends, kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). This is very, very important message. We should be careful to educate our sons, our boys, with bhāgavata-dharma from the very beginning of life. That was the Vedic system. Therefore, in the first twenty-five years of life, the children were sent to gurukula for learning this bhāgavata-dharma.

Speech at Gaudiya Math Center -- Visakhapatnam, February 19, 1972:

Therefore, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is propagated to make them understand that their endeavor to lord it over the material nature will always be frustrated. An example can be given, one gentleman has got more than one wife. So if the wives quarrel between themselves that one wife will enjoy the another or predominate over the other wives, that is not possible. Similarly, prakṛti, we are prakṛti, we cannot control over the other prakṛti. It may be I am superior prakṛti but the other is inferior prakṛti. But that does not mean one prakṛti can enjoy the other prakṛti. Therefore, this enjoying spirit should be given up. This enjoying spirit is māyā. Māyā means illusion. The same example, one woman cannot enjoy other woman. The all women is enjoyable by the man, that is the nature. Similarly, we are prakṛti, jīva, and the material world is also prakṛti. So one prakṛti cannot enjoy prakṛti. The best thing is, best adjustment is that all the prakṛtis should be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture at Auckland University -- Auckland, April 17, 1972:

The blazing fire of material existence, I was just talking this morning our Swami Hanumān Goswāmī. He was speaking that at the present moment there is a movement amongst the younger section to commit suicide. Why? Why younger section are feeling such frustration and confused in spite of so much educational institution? In your Western country there is no question of poverty. You are all well-to-do, especially... I have extensively traveled over America and Europe, especially America. They are very opulent. I have traveled in Australia and come to your country, New Zealand. So far material necessities are concerned, you are all well-to-do. So why this question of frustration as Swami Goswami Hanuman Prasāda was thinking? Now the younger generation are after suicide. I do not know if this is fact. There is some dearth. So many things are. So actually, there is no cause of frustration. There is very good news for jubilation. That is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't be frustrated. Try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, how it is scientific, how it is authorized, how it is old, and how it is accepted by great ācāryas, great stalwart learned scholars, and how it is treated by the learned section of all over the world. So our request is that younger section may not feel confused and frustration. There is very nice hope. Those who are taking to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, mostly they are younger section. Now ask them how much hopeful they are, how much jubilant they are. So my request is that—you are all young boys and girls, flowers of the country—don't feel frustration and confused. There is nice hope in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. My only request is that—you are all learned boys and girls—try to understand this philosophy and science, and you will be happy. That is my request.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

So actually we are still servant although we have rejected servitude of Kṛṣṇa. That is our rebellious condition. Every one of us, all living entities within this material world, they are more or less rebellious condition. We don't want to serve Kṛṣṇa. I want to become Kṛṣṇa. That is māyā. That is the last snare of māyā. First of all, in our karmī life we want to become master of the world. I want to lord it over the material nature. That is our struggle. Everyone is trying, "I shall become the master." Nobody wants to become servant. That is māyā. But actually he is serving. That is our position. Try to understand. We are serving our senses whimsically. I want to become this. I want to become that. First of all I want to become a big businessman, or I want to become a prime minister. I want to become the president. And when I am frustrated, then I want to become God. That want—"I want to become master"—is going on. So this is also māyā. How one can become God? Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Nobody can become equal to God or greater than God. Asamaurdha. In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa is described as asama urdha. "Nobody is equal to God, and nobody is greater than God." Asama urdha.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

Because Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself. When Kṛṣṇa said that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), many fools and rascals could not accept it. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhā duṣkṛtina narādhamāḥ. Those who are miscreants, those who are lowest of the mankind, those who have lost their knowledge, they cannot. And those who are mūḍhas, rascals, they cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa again, in the form of a Kṛṣṇa devotee, Lord Caitanya, He came. He taught how to love Kṛṣṇa. Premā pum-artho mahān. That is the philosophy of Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa-prema. You have to increase your love for Kṛṣṇa. We have got our love, dormant love, but that love is now being distributed in so many ways, and we are spoiled, we are frustrated. But if you concentrate your love, oh, upon Kṛṣṇa, then you will not only love Kṛṣṇa; you will love the whole human society, whole living entities. That is Kṛṣṇa philosophy. So the process is very easy, given by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam (CC Antya 20.12). You will increase ānandāmbudli. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. In this present age, in this Kali-yuga, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā, very simple. You may remain a family man.

Hare Krishna Festival Address -- San Diego, July 1, 1972, At Balboa Park Bowl:

So I came to your country. Your country is very nice country, America. I heard it from India. So I decided to come here because I heard that your country's very nice. And when I came here, I saw actually your country is very nice. Your cities, your buildings, your men also... Because mostly my students, they are Americans, and they help me very kindly to push on this movement. So I have studied the American life, very nice. They have good heart. So only thing is wanted—Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For want of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, despite your all opulences, you are becoming confused and frustrated. I hear that out of three, one man is a patient of a psychiatrist. Why? Why you are unhappy? Why you should be unhappy? You have got everything—enough food, enough land, enough money, enough intelligence. Why you should be unhappy? The cause you should try to find out. The cause is that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without God consciousness, nobody can be happy. That is the cause. So my request is that this movement is started from America, from New York. In 1966 I registered this movement, International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, and since then, we are spreading. In your country, we have got about fifty branches, all over the country, America. And we have got other branches also, about fifty, in Europe, in Canada, in Australia, in New Zealand, in Japan. In India also. India, of course, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is known since a very, very long time.

Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972:

They are thirsty, and they think that there is water in the desert, and they run over, but actually there is no water. The animal runs, and the water also advances. In this way, when he becomes too much fatigued, he dies. This is the exact example of this material world. We are hankering after water, we are thirsty, and we are being misled by so-called water, mirage, Just like while I was coming here, both sides, the manifestation of material civilization, electrical wire pumping station of oil, big, big motorcars light, motel, hotel and so many things... So we are thinking that these things will give us relief; our thirst will be quenched, our hankering for water will be satisfied. But it has failed. In your country especially—not in your country, in all countries—so many young flowers of your country, they are frustrated. That's a fact. (aside:) What is that sound? They are frustrated. That is a fact. You know; I know. So this kind of mirage, showing of water—actually there is no water—a shadow of water will not help us. That is a fact. But because there is shadow of water, we can understand that there is real water. It is not that the shadow of water is all in all, finished. There is water. But we have to seek out that water elsewhere, not in the desert. In the desert the shadow of water will not quench your thirst.

University Lecture -- Calcutta, January 29, 1973:

We have got now hundred and two branches all over the world. Only in America, we have got fifty branches. And other countries they have got fifty-two branches—in America, in Canada, in England, in France, in Germany, in Switzerland, in Japan, in Australia, in New Zealand. All over the world. So now we want some of the young men to come forward to become really brāhmaṇas, Vaiṣṇavas. Our Vedic culture is divided into four varṇas: brāhmaṇa kṣatriya vaiśya śūdra. Unfortunately we are simply manufacturing śūdras, not brāhmaṇas. That is the defect of modern education. Śūdra, śūdra means paricaryātmakam kāryaṁ śūdra karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). After education, every (indistinct) is hankering after a service. That is śūdra karma svabhāva-jam. This is not perfect education. There must be brāhmaṇas who are independent. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, whose name is still, still celebrated, he was prime minister of Mahārāja Candragupta, but he was not accepting a single paisa as salary. That was the, formerly, although there was monarchy, still there was a council of learned brāhmaṇas and sages. They used to advise the king. The brāhmaṇas did not take part in politics, but they gave advice, instruction to the kings, rājarṣi. Imaṁ rājarṣayoḥ viduḥ. The rājarṣi used to understand what is the values of life under the instruction of brāhmaṇas, and they execute the order of the brāhmaṇas. The people were happy. And because at the present moment such system is lost, people are confused and they are in frustration.

Lecture -- London, August 26, 1973:

We are very much embarrassed with the temporary existence of this body, say for some years, fifty years or hundred years. But as we are eternal, we are not taking care of the eternal soul, what is its need. But when a person is developed, his spiritual consciousness automatically develops. At that time, he is no more satisfied with the comforts of the material body. In the Western country, that feeling is now very prominent because there are so many confused, frustrated young men who are known as hippies. They are not satisfied with the ways of life as their fathers and grandfathers are living. They are protesting rather. That means there is spiritual starvation. Therefore we see also as soon as some swami or yogi comes from India, they flock together. They go there to receive some message, because the hankering is already there. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now you should take advantage of this hankering and the movement (of) Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is for your profit. You want something spiritual, and here is the spiritual movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply you have to study this movement very carefully and with intelligence. Then you'll understand that this is the thing we are hankering after. This is the position.

Lecture on Gurvastakam at Upsala University -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:

This Absolute Truth means wherefrom everything comes, emanates. Just like here we find love between mother and son, love between wife and husband, love between master and servant, love between friends and friends, love between master and the dog or the cat or the cow. Same thing. These are only reflection of the spiritual world. The same thing is there. Kṛṣṇa is also good lover of the animals, calves and cows. As we love here dogs and cats, Kṛṣṇa loves there cows and calves. You have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa. So the propensity to love even an animal is there. Otherwise how it can be reflected here? This is simply shadow reflection. If, in the reality, there is nothing like that, then how it can be reflected here? So everything is there. Therefore, that mellow, to understand, you have to practice. Here we have got frustration. Here we love. A man loves a woman or woman loves a man. But there is frustration. After some time, they are separated, they divorce, because it is perverted reflection. There is no real love in this material world. It is simply lust. Real love is in the spiritual world between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Real love is between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. Real love, the friendship is there between Kṛṣṇa and His cowherds boys. Real love between animal and man is there. Kṛṣṇa is loving the cows and calves. Real love between trees, flowers, water, simply that is the platform of love. That is spiritual world. Everything love.

Lecture -- Vrndavana, March 14, 1974:

So although we have got love propensity... Everyone loves somebody. But we are being frustrated, because that is not real love. Real love is to love Kṛṣṇa. You may execute your duties very nicely, but if you do not learn how to love Kṛṣṇa, this all discharging of your duties is simply working or laboring for nothing. Śrama eva hi kevalam.

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed ratiṁ yadi
śrama eva hi kevalam
(SB 1.2.8)

Śrama eva hi. So why this love is not invoked or awakened in us? Because we are covered by this material energy, and we have become conditioned by the material energy. Therefore, to purify ourself we require certain process. That process is called varṇāśrama.

Lecture on Manipur Dancing -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975:

That is the information from the Vedānta-sūtra. Ānandamaya abhyāsāt. We living entities, we are by nature blissful, seeking after happiness. But this happiness is not possible if we become compact in material activities. If you seek the happiness in the material platform, you'll be frustrated. It is to be sought after in the spiritual platform. So actually it is forbidden that sannyāsīs should not see any dancing by woman or any singing by woman, but we are not violating these rules. Just to remember that here is a hint how Kṛṣṇa is spiritually enjoying, if we see and hear on that spirit, then it is very good; otherwise it is not good. So if he is actually guided by these verses in the Vedic literature...

ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.37)
vikrīḍitaṁ vrana-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvito 'nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ pratilabhya hṛd-roga-
kāmān apahinoty āśu dhīraḥ

So we should always remember this rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir ahlādinī-śaktir asmāt. Then it will be very much beneficial.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:
Prabhupāda: He may try to get money—again I take. So in this way, when he becomes hopeless and there is no money, then he surrenders to Me." And as soon as he has no money, his so-called relatives, friends, wife, children, they neglect, "Oh, what is this man? He is useless." So he is bereft of money, he is bereft of friends, bereft of any love from wife and children, then hopelessly he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. So the plan is that: all these rascal living entities, those who are trying to be happy in this material world, nature's plan is to give him trouble—every attempt shall be frustrated, every attempt shall fail—so that he may come, after many, many births. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante (BG 7.19). So He has pointed out that there is a plan, and this is the plan: to bring you back to home, back to Godhead. It is not partial, that somebody may remain here and somebody may go to Godhead. No. The whole plan is that everyone must come back. But he is obstinate, he is obstinate. Just like a bad boy, father says, "Come on," he's not. He's crying, "No, I'll not go." But the father's only business is to drag him.
Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Prabhupāda: That's it. Yes. All the laws of nature are working (indistinct). The body is durgā, the superintendent of the fort. This is called durgā. Just like fort is very much fortified; you cannot go; they say nobody can enter, nobody can leave, like that. This is called durgā. And the superintendent is called Durgā. From durgā it has come to Durgā. She is also confidential maidservant of Kṛṣṇa, but she has got (indistinct) to punish these demons. Demon is (indistinct), that I worship his mother, but mother is engaged to punish him because (indistinct). She is giving whatever the demon wants. "Give me money. Give me good wife. Give me reputation. Give me strength." "All right," but at the same time everything is frustrated with this (indistinct). Two things are going on. One thing, that whatever he wants he is given: "I will get it." On the other side, punishment. This is nature's flow, and she is doing this under the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. "This living entity, he has, or he wants immediately to become an enjoyer, so give him all sources of material enjoyment, but at the same time go on punishing him." Just like sometimes politicians give them everything (indistinct) military force. So that is going on. And this nature is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa.

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Śyāmasundara: Otherwise where does the impersonal idea come from?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is out of frustration. We see so many things, personal, varieties, but they are not giving us satisfaction; therefore we are thinking in a negative way, impersonal. But the person is first.

Śyāmasundara: He says that men, because they are...

Prabhupāda: The atheist demons are like that. If he exists to accept God, then he cannot work irresponsibly. To facilitate his sinful activities he is denying that there is a God.

Śyāmasundara: He says that God is an absolute necessity because we cannot conceive not-God. But man, individual men, are relative truths because they are not absolutely necessary. Because I can conceive that I am not here, that I may die. So he says that we are conditioned, that men are conditioned. They are governed by the principle of sufficient (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: That we can see. There are so many politicians, they are very busy. They think that "If I do not remain in the state, everything will collapse." But when he dies, everything goes on nicely without him. That is māyā. So many politicians work so hard, up to the last point of his death he is thinking that "Without me, everything will be topsy turvy." But he dies in spite of his not willing to die. He dies, but things go on without depending on him. Therefore God's will is working, the Supreme Will. You may think so many ways—that is a different thing. Actually God's will is working.

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Śyāmasundara: He is still proceeding in his method. He comes to some good conclusions. He is trying to understand what makes men's minds work. He says that "Thus this real world becomes an ideal construction in the mind of man."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ideal construction... Here we are frustrated because everything is temporary; therefore ideal is eternal. That much we can understand. Temporary. Just like I want to live; that is my tendency. Nobody wants to die. But I am hopeless, because this body is not eternal. Therefore ideal life is eternal body.

Śyāmasundara: He says but the mind makes a mistake to apply these categories of reason to achieve transcendental knowledge. Because it realizes the futility of this...

Prabhupāda: This must be. One who goes with mental speculation, he must fail. Therefore our process is not mental speculation—to receive knowledge from the perfect.

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Prabhupāda: Because they do not know, that is vairasana(?). Nirākāra, nirākāra, the Sanskrit word... When one cannot actually specify what is the nature of God, what is the form of God, and by thinking, speculative speculating, they cannot come to the right conclusion, so out of frustration they say, "No, there is no God."

Śyāmasundara: Just like to analyze an object they would divide it up into smaller and smaller parts until they came to nothing.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: That was their process.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct). The absolute cannot be divided into parts. Nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi, in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the material thing, if you want to cut into pieces, that is (indistinct), but a spiritual being, avyaya, inexhaustible, there is no possibility of dividing the spirit into pieces. The Māyāvāda theory is that the absolute is all-pervading. Then when the question of His form, that is their poor fund of knowledge. The absolute, keeping His form as He is, He can expand Himself.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: That means that is frustration. They could not get the idea of God. This is frustration. This kind of conclusion means they try to understand God, but there was no proper understanding of God, so they have given up the idea of understanding God. So frustration, rejection by frustration is not success. The best thing is they should learn about God from God and do accordingly. That is success. So we are preaching the message of God, and people should take to it to understand God and worship Him. That is success.

Hayagrīva: Bryan, the prosecutor, chastised the Darwinists for not telling us where life began and at the same time speaking of evolution. He says, "They do not dare to tell you that it began with God and ended with God. Darwin says, 'In the beginning of all things is a mystery insoluble by us.' He does pretend to say how these things started." And he goes on...

Prabhupāda: That means imperfect knowledge. We say that material world is creation, and within the material world the living entities are allowed to act. So the living entities coming from God; therefore He says bījo aham. So God... Just like our life begins from the womb of the mother, but the father gives the bīja. The mother's womb cannot produce itself; then there was no need of father. The father gives the bīja and the mother gives the body. Similarly, the living entity, part and parcel of God, is put into the material nature, and according to his desire the material nature gives him a body. That is the beginning.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: You can see it is not predictable, it is actually happening. Everyone is trying to be happy, but he is being frustrated. Everyone can see. They are manufacturing different ways of material happiness but becoming frustrated. This is māyā's kicking. There is no question of prediction. Any man who has got a little intelligence, he can see.

Śyāmasundara: So someone can understand, someone can know what the life force is going to do in the future, how it will manifest itself in the future?

Prabhupāda: The future, because he is eternally servant of God, so now he has forgotten. He wants to become master, and the material nature is kicking him, life after life. So one day he'll come to his senses and become again, renovate himself to become servant of God.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:
Prabhupāda: So where is happiness here? The intelligent man is always pessimistic, that "First of all let us become secure," that we are trying to adjust this material position to become happy. But who is going to allow us to become happy here? This is pessimistic view. And then further advancement of knowledge is there, and when he understands the orders the orders of Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and after surrendering and understanding Him fully, then we go to the world which is full of bliss, knowledge and eternal life, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya. That is perfection of life. So unless we take a pessimistic view of this material world, we shall remain attached to it, and there will be repetition of birth and death—sometimes high-grade life, sometimes low-grade life, but this business is very, very disturbing. We make some arrangement to live here permanently, but nature will not allow us. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). We work very hard; there is unhappiness. And sometimes we may get good results, sometimes bad results, sometimes frustration, so where is happiness? Happiness is only to understand God and act according to His advice, and then go back to home, back to Godhead. That is happiness.
Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: That will never take place. Just like in a prison house, if the prisoners desire something, no, it will never furnish it. It is meant for punishment. So he'll have to abide by the desires of the jail superintendent. He cannot. Similarly, here every living entity is a prisoner. The superintendent of prisons is Durgā Devī. Durgā means fort: you cannot go out, conditioned. So therefore frustration is the law here.

Śyāmasundara: Yeah, he points that out.

Prabhupāda: So, but the thing is, that one should be rational that why there is frustration here? That "why" question is answered in the Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now it is spoiled. Kenopaniṣad. Why? That is the rationality. I don't want to be frustrated, but I am forced to be frustrated. I don't want to die, but I am forced to die. I don't want to become old, I am forced to become old. Now this rationality must be awakened to why this is happening. That is what is required. Nature is working in that way so that I may be intelligent to inquire "Why?" Then there will be question, and by questioning and answering through bona fide spiritual master, we'll come to the conclusion that what is the aim of this world.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: That is frustration. That is frustration. That is suicide. Just like one man, who is very much suffering, he does not find any other means, then he cuts his own throat or hangs himself or takes some poison. It is like this.

Śyāmasundara: Suppose now I am desiring to live so much that I am always...

Prabhupāda: You desire or you not desire, that is because you, foolishly, you do not know that you have to live, desire or not desire, because you are eternal. You have to live. But if you don't live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you will have to live in abominable condition like cats, hogs, dogs, trees, like that. We have to live. The modern civilization, they do not know that. The tree is also living, I am also living. So why these two different conditions are there? I am living, we are living, every one of us is living eternally, but according to our karma, according to our work, fruitive activities, we are getting different bodies. But we have to live. There is no question of not living.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: That is not possible. That is not possible. Even in a dream you are willing so many things. The body is sleeping, completely stopped, but still why you are dreaming? (break) ...does not inquire about his ātma-tattvam, self realization. Whatever he is acting is defeated, parābhava. He is not advancing.

Śyāmasundara: He points out that whenever we gratify our desires, that is so-called happiness, and whenever our desires are frustrated, that is suffering. But our desires are continuously frustrated, they are never satisfied. So he said that we are always suffering, and that the more intelligent a person is, the more he suffers.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Or by suffering, one's intelligence becomes manifested.

Śyāmasundara: Oh.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: Suffering sharpens the intelligence?

Prabhupāda: Yes, adverse..., blessings of adversity. Just like a businessman, one, he loses some money in some attempt, he becomes more intelligent, that "This account, business, should not be done."

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: Hitler's plan, Nazism, in so many ways, māyā has broke it into pieces. The Britishers, they also found the British empire, and māyā broke it. Roman empire... So, this frustration. But we are so fooled that in spite of repeated frustration, we are still trying to do the same thing. That is explained in the Bhāgavata, punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed. Chewing the chewed. He has been frustrated in so many ways, in sexual life, divorce this wife, again another accept, another wife. So what is the another wife? The same thing, sex, but he is making he is (indistinct): "Now again another." That is very nicely experienced in your country. In a year, three times divorce, three times accepting. That is named carvita-carvaṇānām, chewing the chewed. He should have experienced that "I am changing, but what is the change? The same sex life. So what is the use of changing?" But he has no intelligence. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). His business has become like that.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: He does not know. That is his goal.

Śyāmasundara: He says... I'll read a statement of his. He says that "The will forces a person to remain alive, even when there is nothing for which to live. It impels him to live and suffer another day, even when there is no hope or promise of any pleasant future prospects. It is like the alms which the beggar receives from life today, that he may hunger again on the morrow. For all men, irrespective of their status, the essence of life is misery and frustration."

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is a good point, but why he is hankering after something? Why he is hankering after...? He is being frustrated.

Śyāmasundara: The will. The will is...

Prabhupāda: Therefore the conclusion is: there is a goal. He is hankering after that goal. But he has not as yet approached that goal, achieved that goal. Therefore, to understand what is that goal, one should approach a spiritual master. Tad vijñānātaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet.

Śyāmasundara: He has no idea of any goal; he says that life is a waste of effort.

Prabhupāda: That means he is not a perfect philosopher. The thing is that when I am willing to have something(?) solution, there must be some solution. There must be some solution. But I do not know what is that solution.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Śyāmasundara: So what would you say, if Schopenhauer said this is the worst of all possible worlds?

Prabhupāda: Why worst? We don't say worst.

Śyāmasundara: Because it is so full of frustration.

Prabhupāda: Nothing can be worst which is created by God. Why God shall create some worst? Why he says worst? What is he...?

Śyāmasundara: Because it is so full of madness and frustration.

Prabhupāda: Actually frustration, if it is taken seriously, that frustration may make him successful. Frustration, we get so many letters from our students, frustration, but now they are thinking that they are safe. So frustration is another help, but provided we take the real shelter. Then frustration is not bad. If you are put into some dangerous position, but if you know how to save from it, that danger will be later on a feeling of pleasure. "Oh, I was put into such pleasure and I was saved in this way." (laughter)

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Hayagrīva: Well as, as to the nature of the world, Schopenhauer is vague, but he sees material life as basically irrational and whimsical.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's a fact. Therefore you are changing body. Material mind is not fixed up; rejecting and accepting. This is going on. That Māyāvāda philosophers say as well. The Buddhists also say this material pains and pleasure is account to the material combination. It does not say material combination of this body. Soul is different, but he did not say because during his time they could not understand it. So he did not say that the..., there is soul, but he simply said that this body is combination of material thing; that is the cause of pains and pleasure. So dismantle it. Let earthly part of the body go to earth, watery part of the body, let it... Nirvāṇa, that is. Then I become zero, śūnyavādī. Because he does not get any information of the soul, he takes account of the body. Analyze the body and it is composition of earth, water, air, fire, like that. So when it is dismantled, then where is pains and pleasure? That is his philosophy, śūnyavāda, make it zero.

Hayagrīva: He sees the pleasure of the world as ultimately frustrating. Eternal becoming endless flux characterizes the revelation of the inner nature of will. Finally, the same thing shows itself in human endeavors and desires, which always delude us by presenting their satisfaction as the final end of will. As soon as we attain to them, they no longer appear the same. Therefore they soon grow stale or forgotten, and though not ultimately disowned, are yet always thrown aside as vanished illusions.

Prabhupāda: So this is going on. He is getting, therefore, different types of body.

Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain:

Prabhupāda: Similarly, other individual also wants to love somebody. The loving propensity is there. So our love is now distributed in so many ways, sukha mitra... (?): to our children, to our friends, to our country, to our families, to our wives, and if somebody has nothing like that, he reposes his love to dog, to cat. So the love must be there, and it must be reposed. But you should not know; therefore we have been frustrated. But when it is done to Kṛṣṇa, (indistinct) success. So dormant love is there. (aside regarding guests-indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: He says that this state is called realization or actualization.

Prabhupāda: This is realization. Everyone knows that "I want to love somebody." So that is going on. Anyone, even animals. Even animals, they also love their cubs, their children. Dogs, cats, even tiger, they love. They, every living entity wants to love, but because the love is reposed in a wrong place, he is being frustrated.

Śyāmasundara: He says when we come to the platform of loving God...

Prabhupāda: That is perfection.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Śyāmasundara: His idea is that certain memories or painful experiences or frustrations or desires are sometimes repressed by forgetfulness. We forget them. They lie deep in our unconscious, but we cannot even remember them because they cause pain by their memory. This mechanism is called defense mechanism, forgetfulness.

Prabhupāda: No. That is not possible. There is the system that is yogic process, mechanical system to control the senses. Yoga (indistinct). Yoga means to control the senses. Yoga indriya saṁyama. So by this mechanical process of yogic exercises, one can (indistinct). One may artificially check, suppress, these tendencies, but we have many instances that even the greatest yogis like (indistinct) also failed. Our process is as it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartante. You give him a better thing, he will forget it.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: What is his philosophy?

Śyāmasundara: His philosophy is that people have neuroses or disorders of their total personality, that there is conflict, there is anxiety, there is frustration, and that all of these have origin.

Prabhupāda: But I am telling you that all these are due to sex.

Śyāmasundara: That's what Freud is also saying.

Prabhupāda: That we also say. Freud is encouraging, and our process is to stop. That is the difference. Freud says that when there is sex impulse, enjoy. (indistinct) care what it is.

Śyāmasundara: No. He doesn't say one way or the other. He is merely trying to analyze the sex impulse. He says that due to repressed childhood sex desires that these neuroses arise in a person's personality, and that by analyzing...

Prabhupāda: Our process is not repression. We don't repress. Therefore we give facility, that "You have got sex impulse. All right, you have it, but with your wife, legalized wife."

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: There are so many (indistinct), we established some of them. There are so many problems. But our program is that threefold miseries, everyone who has accepted this body has to undergo the threefold miseries. You may describe in...

Śyāmasundara: (break) ...psychoanalysis that by releasing these emotions, which have been built up due to tension, frustration, then the original shock can be released through admitting, confessing, remembering, like that.

Prabhupāda: What is the guarantee that he will not get another shock? He is getting shock after shock. You (indistinct) one and another is present.

Śyāmasundara: He attributes all of our personality conflicts to this...

Prabhupāda: But the thing is that he is trying to cure one kind of shock, but there is no guarantee that he will not have shock. So our program is total cure: no more shock. That is our program. No more shock of any kind. His treatment is useless because he cannot guarantee another shock. Ours is (indistinct). If you are situated in real Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the (indistinct) type of misery which is (indistinct) will not (indistinct). No shock at all. We are giving that in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And he is trying to cure the resultant action of one kind of shock, but there is no guarantee that another shock will not come. You will get them, one after another, one after another. That is called (indistinct). You are trying to solve one problem; another problem is there, immediately. You solve that problem, another problem is there. So how can you change them? So long as you are under condition by the material nature, shock after shock will come. (indistinct). If one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, no more shock.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: That's all. What actual benefit is derived from him?

Śyāmasundara: He has made the impression that all of our troubles are due to frustrated sex life in our childhood, and that by analyzing these activities of childhood we can rectify our situation.

Prabhupāda: That is (indistinct).

Devotee: That is why young boys and girls have increased sex life.

Prabhupāda: They are becoming hippies. What benefit is there? He has degraded the whole nation.

Śyāmasundara: I think we have many clothes out on the line.

Devotee: I don't think that in this discussion that we can convince in any way the (indistinct). I think the invalid aspects of Freud (indistinct) called irrational.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: Anxiety shall continue so long as you are in material condition. You cannot be free from anxiety in your conditioned life.

Śyāmasundara: It is because we desired something and we were always frustrated by that desire?

Prabhupāda: Frustration must be there, because you do not desire the right thing.

Śyāmasundara: So that is the basic cause of anxiety-desire?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Desiring something which is not permanent. That we call (indistinct). Suppose that I wish to live forever, but if I have accepted this material body, therefore there is no question of living forever. So I am always anxious when death should come. I am afraid of death, when the body will be destroyed. This is (indistinct). So therefore the conclusion is that anxiety is due to our acceptance of something which does not exist. This is the right definition of anxiety.

Śyāmasundara: He says that the ego develops strategies of defense against this anxiety which is entering from the id, and one of the strategies it develops is repression. Whenever there is some strong animalistic desire, the ego represses that desire in order to preserve itself.

Prabhupāda: Repression is always there. We make plans in so many ways, but by nature it is frustrated. That is repression.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: Evidently he is frustrated, without any knowledge of religion. He had no idea. He has seen that so many sentimental religious system, and he has concluded like that. But first of all let him understand what is religion. Religion cannot come into existence without understanding the idea of God. Religion without God cannot be religion. According to Vedic system, religion means the order given by God. But if one has no conception of God, that there is no question of religion. So Godless religion is, certainly, it is sentiment. That is not religion. So he has studied something which is not religion; therefore he has got so many doubts about religion. Real religion is that there is God, that is a fact, and whatever orders the God gives, that is religion. So he does not know what is God. How he will know what order He is giving? So for him everything is not religion.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: He is a, he is a crazy fellow. That's all. And all these rascal philosophers, they are more or less crazy. One who does not know what is God, what is the value of his knowledge? But our criterion of knowledge is one who has known God. As long as you do not come to that point, your knowledge is useless. Simply misleading. And that is not knowledge. It is a fact that there is some supreme controller. Now if one give education how that supreme controller is working, how He is Supreme, that is real education. And you cannot understand how the Supreme is working, you simply deny the Supreme, that is not knowledge. Supreme is there because you are controlled. How can you avoid the control? How you can say there is no supreme controller? You make a plan and it is frustrated. There is supreme controller. You are making arrangement to live here very happily; next day you die. So you are under controller. How can you deny it? So there is supreme controller. Now, knowledge means, "Who is that supreme controller? How He is controlling?" Not that deny it, "Grapes are sour." Jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, when he could not reach the grapes, he said, "Oh, there is no need of them. It is sour." Their position is like that. They cannot understand... God is there, that's a fact-supreme controller. But they cannot explain, neither they can understand. There is jackal struggle. Jackal jumping, jumping; when he cannot get the, reach the grapes, he says, " Why (indistinct)? It is sour." Their conclusion is like that. They cannot understand what is God, how He is acting, what is religion, and they are defying, "There is no need of religion, there is no need of God." Jackal struggling, that's all. Jackal struggling is no philosophy. (end)

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) and it is not possible. Similarly, one cannot give up his religion. And what is that religion? That religion is service. If that is religion, then he wants to give service to the humanity by his proposition, and that is his religion. Why he is giving this philosophy, writing this book? He wants to give some service to the humanity. That is (the) idea. So everyone is trying to give some service. The father is trying to give some service (to) the family, the statesman is trying to give some service to his country. (indistinct) Then he is also trying to give some service to the whole humanity. So this service spirit is always there. Either you become a Karl Marx, or you become Stalin, or you become Gandhi, or you become whatever you may be, the service spirit is there. In the family also, the father wants to give service. In state also, the prime minister wants to give some service. So this service spirit will be there. Now, we are giving service to so many things, and we are becoming confused and (indistinct). Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that you give up all other service, give Me service, I will (indistinct). You cannot remain without giving service. That's a fact. Either you give service to your country or to your family or even you have to give service to a dog. That you cannot do. Therefore the service is not... You may be a Hindu,you may be a Muslim, you may be anything, but that service spirit is there. And that service spirit is religion. But actually, by rendering service to so many objectives, we are frustrated. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66), you give service to Me and you'll be (indistinct).

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Śyāmasundara: Everyone wants to become godly...

Prabhupāda: No, no. The desire, desire means that he has lost his real happiness. His real happiness is with God, dancing with God. Just like gopīs, they are dancing with God. That is real happiness. That is his nature. Ānandamayaḥ abhyāsāt. Vedānta-sūtra says that "By nature he wants ānanda, ānanda." But because he is seeking ānanda in a perverted way, he is being confused and frustrated. Therefore he is thinking "Not this stage, that stage will give me happiness." So when he goes to that stage, he again finds unhappiness. Because he is wrongly selecting, that "This is the stage of my happiness."

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are confused and frustrated. This is called māyā.

Śyāmasundara: Their advancement is misplaced.

Prabhupāda: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, māyār bośe yāccho bese kācho hābuḍubu bhāi. Just like one man is being carried away by the waves and he is sometimes dipping, sometimes coming out, sometimes dipping, sometimes... So our position is like that, that we are being carried away by the waves of this material nature and we are sometimes being drowned, sometimes coming out. When we come out, we breathe little. We think, "We are now happy." He forgets that "Again I shall have to be drowned." So in this way we struggle. This is called struggle for existence. And "fittest" means when we come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, then our fitness is spiritual. That's all.

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Prabhupāda: That is... Yes. That is his life, to cooperate with God. That is his real life. But here in this material world he is simply noncooperating. He's simply noncooperating. Unless he is noncooperating, why Kṛṣṇa says that "You surrender unto Me." That is simply noncoop... Anything here, karma, jñāna, yoga, anything... Other animal life, you throw away. Even in the higher level of human life, where karma is regulated, jñāna is there, knowledge is there, and yoga is there, but because there is no surrender to Kṛṣṇa, they will not help you to become happy. So that... Caitanya-caritāmṛta says bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakale aśānta. Aśānta means restless. Restless. Bhukti means karmīs. They want simply sense enjoyment. They are called karmīs. And mukti, the jñānīs, they want mukta, mukti. So they also want something. The karmīs, they want everything for sense gratification. When they fail sense gratification, then one wants mukti. That is also another demand. Another demand. Ordinarily, they are demanding, "Give me nice building. Give me nice motor car, nice wife, nice money, bank balance, give me this, give me this, give me this." Dhanaṁ dehi rūpaṁ dehi rūpapati bhājaṁ dehi yaśo dehi. Dehi dehi dehi. This is karmī. And when he is frustrated, after asking many, many times, even becoming Birla, he is not satisfied, then next he wants, "I want mukti." That is also another demand, subtle demand. And the yogis, they also demanding, "Give me this mystic power. I shall become smaller than the smallest, heavier than the heaviest. I can fly. I can walk over the water." These are yoga-siddhis, eight kind of yoga-siddhis. So they are also demanding.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Bhajahu Re Mana -- San Francisco, March 16, 1967:
So Govinda dāsa, poet and devotee, is advising, durlabha mānava-janama sat-saṅge: "You have got this very nice, rare human body. Now associate with devotees and engage your mind on the fearless lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa." He is requesting his mind.

Then he is pointing out the frustration of life. What is that? Śīta ātapa bāta bariṣaṇa e dina jāminī jāgi re. Śīta means winter. Ātapa means summer, when there is scorching sunshine. Śīta ātapa bāta, cold, bariṣaṇa, torrents of rain. So these disturbances are always there. Sometimes it is severe cold. Sometimes it is scorching heat. Sometimes there is torrents of rain. Sometimes this or that is going on. So he says, śīta ātapa bāta bariṣaṇa e dina jāminī jāgi re. Whole day and night, people are working very hard without caring, severe cold, severe heat, and torrents of rain, and keeping night, going to the desert, going underneath the sea—everywhere they are so busy. Śīta ātapa bāta bariṣaṇa e dina jāminī jāgi re. There is night duty and so many other engagements.

Page Title:Frustration (Lectures)
Compiler:Mayapur
Created:23 of Sep, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=213, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:213