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Handcuff

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 14.133, Translation: The maidservants bound the servants of Jagannātha, handcuffed them and made them fall down at the lotus feet of the goddess of fortune. Indeed, they were arrested just like thieves who have all their riches taken away.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 3.11-19 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Their pleasures and displeasures are dependent on the performance of yajñas by human beings. Some of the yajñas are meant for satisfying the particular demigods, but even in so doing Lord Viṣṇu is worshiped in all yajñas as the chief."

Prabhupāda: Just like if you obey the department, say, the police department. You are obeying the police department means you are obeying the government. Nobody can manufacture a police department and force you to obey. Because it is one of the important department of government, therefore as soon as there is police handcuff you have to stop. You may be very rich man, millionaire, but you have to obey the orders of the police, otherwise you will be prosecuted. And wherefrom. That man is an ordinary man; simply he stops you. Why do you stop? Because you obey the government.

Similarly, all obeisances offered to the demigods, they are meant for giving obeisances to the Supreme Lord. That is the beginning.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.15.40 -- Los Angeles, December 18, 1973: So in the Bhāgavata it has been explained. Just like a man has got six wives, and when he comes from office, his six wives are waiting. One wife has captured his one hand, another wife has captured another hand. One wife has captured one leg, another one leg. In this way, some, hair... So in this way he is incapable. Everyone is asking, "You come to my room." But how he can go? He is captured. So this is the position. A materialistic person is captivated by so many objects of sense gratification. That is his prison house. The state laws, if you are criminal, they put him into the jail. But nature's law is such that you don't require... Your senses will keep you intact in jail. You don't require to be handcuffed. The senses are so strong that it will keep you in this material world, incapable. You cannot move. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14]. Guṇamayī. Guṇa means qualities. Everyone is compact, bound up by different qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. And guṇamayī means... Guṇa means rope also. In this way he was bound up by the ropes. Just like if I tie your hands and legs with rope, you are helpless, similarly, the guṇamayī, the mother nature, has tied up, and we are bound up by the laws, stringent laws of material nature. So daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot get out of it. It is not possible. How to get out of it? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. If one is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, he can get out of it. That is the only way.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975: Vāsudeva. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19]. That is mahātmā. One who knows vāsudeva sarvam iti, that mahātmā is required. And if we can serve such mahātmā, then our path of liberation, mukti, will be open. That is stated here. mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ [SB 5.5.2]. And the other way. One path to mukti, another path is bondage. Two things are there: bondage and mukti. Andhā yathāndair upanīyamānās te'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Baddhā means bound up. We are, in our material condition of life, we are bound up tight, hands and legs are bound up. We cannot do anything independently. It is not possible. That we must know. People are declaring independence. That is not possible. That is our foolishness. Baddhāḥ, uru-dāmni baddhāḥ, just like uru means this waste. If you are bound up by rope just like thieves are carried, handcuffed and bound up on the waist, what you can do? So we are uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Uru means very strong, and dāmni means rope, baddhāḥ. Just like the bulls are bound up in the nostril and the driver is moving like this, immediately he has to move this way, immediately. Although he's very strong bull, but uru-dāmni baddhāḥ.
Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Chicago, July 6, 1975: So, so long we have got this material body, it is not possible, but try to minimize. Try to minimize. Therefore Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī... He was very rich man's son. His father's income, five hundred years, ago was twelve hundred thousand rupees. So now, you know, the exchange is... What is the exchange today? It is at least five hundred times increased. Anyway, that Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, when left home... His father and uncle was very strictly observing. He was given very nice beautiful wife and very beautiful house. But he was not very much satisfied. He wanted to join Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So his father was very strictly keeping guard, that "This boy may not go out." Just like some of your parents do. (laughter) So... But this cannot be checked. So Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, after all, by some tricks—after all, he was very intelligent, rich man's son—he went away to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And his mother was advising to his father that "Why don't you handcuff this boy?" So his father was saying that "I have already handcuffed him with such beautiful wife and such beautiful residence, and he has opened this. Now what this material handcuff will do?" So anyway, he left father's home and approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was in Jagannātha Purī, and he was intrusted to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, to take care of him.
Lecture on SB 6.2.24-25 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971: You know the Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's life? A similar rasa-līlā was going on. You know that story? Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was magistrate, and one person in Orissa, he declared himself that "I am Viṣṇu," and in the village he was enticing young women and girls to dance at night. And some of them protested, and they lodged complaint to the government that "This person is doing like that." And the government commissioner, he knew that Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Kedāranātha Datta was a very elevated, religious man, and he was magistrate. So the commissioner entrusted the inquiry to Kedāranātha Datta at that time. So Kedāranātha Datta, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, took the matter and went to inquire at that, in the village of Orissa, with some constables in plain dress. So when he went there... He had some yogic power, so immediately he could say, "Oh, your name is Kedarnatha Datta. I know you are very good man, but don't be after me. You will not be happy. And I shall elevate you to become the king of this country. Don't be after me." Now, if anyone... He was Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, a strong devotee. If any other person would have been addressed like that, he would be immediately puzzled: "How this man is talking about me, that I am Kedāranātha Datta, I am magistrate and...?" So he would not do anything. But Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was so strong, he said, "Yes. Thank you very much, that I shall become king. So why don't you go to Jagannātha Purī and stay there? That is a nice pilgrimage, and you can stay there. Many holy men go there. Why you are in this village?" He wanted to drive him away from that village. "Oh, what is that Jagannātha? That is wood. I am Viṣṇu." As soon as he said, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura became fire. "Oh, this rascal is like that." He immediately ordered, "Arrest him. Arrest him." And he showed some fiery spark coming from his jāta. So the constables were hesitating to arrest him, but Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura ordered, "Yes, immediately arrest him. Handcuff." So he took him away, arrested. And as soon as he returned home, all the members of his family were in fever, high degree fever, and Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura himself was in fever. He made some trick, yogic trick. So his wife began to cry: "Oh, you have arrested one great yogi. He is Viṣṇu, and therefore we are now going to die.
Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- New Vrindaban, June 25, 1976: Actually, this material life is our bondage. It may be... Just like gold handcuff or iron handcuff. So handcuff is bondage. Either it is made of gold or iron, it doesn't matter. So we are in this material world handcuffed, imprisoned. Our aim of life is how to get out of this material bondage or prisonhouse. Prahlāda Mahārāja, in another place, when he was asked by his father what's the best education he had received from his teachers, so father asked him to explain, so the son, Prahlāda Mahārāja said that hitvātma-ghātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. This is the best thing he has learned. What is that? Hitvātma-ghāṭam gṛham andha-kūpam. Gṛha, this family life is called gṛham andha-kūpam. Just like a man fallen in the dark well, so it is sure death, ātma-ghātam. Unless we are very cautious, this gṛha-andha kūpam, this family life, is very dangerous for spiritual advancement. Therefore, according to Vedic system, it is very regulated. First of all one is trained up as a brahmacārī, not to be attached in sex life. That is brahmacārī, celibacy. Just like these boys, these children, if we train them how to remain in celibacy... They can be trained up. The first training is brahmacārī. To remain in the gurukula... They are innocent. As you train them, they will be trained up.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- September 29, 1975, Ahmedabad:

Prabhupāda: Unless one is actually spiritually situated, this material center of happiness, maithunādi, that will go anywhere. You give any color, spiritual or religious or political. You see? Why Gandhi's āśrama failed? Do you know that? This is... When Gandhi was in jail, when he came back he saw all pregnant. You did not know that?

Kartikeya: No, we imagined, but we don't have information.

Prabhupāda: That what... Gandhi said, "What is this āśrama?"

Indian man (1): No, but Gandhi... He is well known, very well known.

Prabhupāda: He is well known.

Indian man (1): Including mother Desai and all, there were lot of complaints and countercomplaints.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It cannot be. You cannot stop the sex unless you are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not possible. And that is the material bondage. In the material prisonhouse they have got so many means-big, big walls, handcuff, chain—but nature is so perfect that simply give you a beautiful woman, and you are all prisoner. Big wall, handcuff and chain—everything is complete. I think I have discussed in my recent purports.
Page Title:Handcuff
Compiler:Archana, Serene
Created:19 of Nov, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=6, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:8