Prabhupāda: Under the circumstances the śāstra or God has given a concession that you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and gradually you will be elevated to the highest position of spiritual life. Other things you cannot follow. You are already fallen. So you take to this process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offense. And in order to save yourself from the offenses, a little austerity that you cannot have illicit sex life. Why should you have illicit sex life? Everyone's need is sex life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. These are the bodily needs. So śāstra has sanctioned, "All right. You can live peacefully by married life and have sex life for children, good children." That is allowed. But why should you have illicit sex life? What is this? Irresponsible life. "I shall not take responsibility of family life, and I shall go on as so-called bachelor and have illicit life." But that is not good. That is garhitāṁ. Na sādhu mānye: "This is not good." This is the advice of Vedic literature. Ultimately you'll suffer. You are thinking at the present moment that you are avoiding suffering because family life is very responsible life. So if you think that family life is responsible, yes, it is responsible life. If you don't take, if you cannot take the responsibility, then remain as a brahmacārī. Why should you marry? Yes. If you practice brahmācārya, then you become free, seventy-five percent freedom immediately.
Irresponsible (Conv. and Letters)
Conversations and Morning Walks
1970 Conversations and Morning Walks
Guest (4): I have got most of my queries and answers but they remain, some.
Prabhupāda: So you can inquire. But sometimes wrong report is published.
Guest (4): People releases wrong report. I am a responsible man, sir.
Prabhupāda: Yes, but some irresponsible report is published in that paper, that "Bhaktivedanta Swami says that Kṛṣṇa is everything and nothing." That...
Guest (4): The very reading was abominable.
Prabhupāda: That's it.
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Atheist class of men, who are always engaged in sinful activities, and therefore fools... They don't believe in the next life. Therefore they are fools. There is next life. They say, "Oh, we don't care for next life. Let us do whatever we like." That is a foolish proposition. Because there is next life. Just like a man he becomes irresponsible. He says, "I don't care for government or law. I can do whatever I like." That means he's risking his life. As soon as he'll be arrested, he'll be punished. Therefore he's mūḍha, rascal. Anyone who is defying the kingdom of God, he's a rascal.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Actually at the present moment, people are disturbed by unnecessary taxes, at the same time bad elements. So without proper king, without nice state, everyone is unhappy. And that is going on nowadays. In the Kali-yuga, it will go on continual, and more and more people will be unhappy.
- arājaka-bhayād eṣa
- kṛto rājātad-arhaṇaḥ
- tato 'py āsīd bhayaṁ tv adya
- kathaṁ syāt svasti dehinām
- (SB 4.14.9)
If people are disturbed in this way, both ways, from the state side and from the rogue side, then how they will live peacefully? Just like we sometimes say that if the politicians and the statesmen they are so irresponsible, fighting amongst themselves to capture the power, where is the time for them to think of people's welfare? They cannot. It is not possible.
Prabhupāda: Now there is another saintly compassion, "Never mind he has done so much mischievous activities, this king, still it is our duty to go to him and give him good advice so that all these disturbances may be stopped and people will become happy." Just mark this point that formerly the government could not be irresponsible because the saintly person, they are always thinking welfare of the people in general.
Prabhupāda: Do you like to have your son to become hip..., which are hippies? Ask on this point.
Devotee (5): Jaya Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Because we practically see, all the college students are hippies. Irresponsible vagabonds. If she wants her son to become like that, that is different thing. Irresponsible vagabonds, that is the present status of this country.
Prabhupāda: The majority of the students, they are becoming irresponsible vagabonds. Is it not?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes, correct. We all have experience in that.
Prabhupāda: Yes, if she, if she wants son to become irresponsible, irresponsible vagabond, in the association... Of course, our Dallas also we should take very much care so that we may not also produce irresponsible vagabond. So don't cause irresponsible vagabonds.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: "Do your own thing on behalf of Prabhupāda." So if he wants Prabhupāda, he must abide by the order of Prabhupāda.
Sudāmā: Yeah. My thing is your thing. Actually, I have nothing of my own.
Prabhupāda: No, they have been misguided. But temple closing was very irresponsible...
Prabhupāda: Now the government is so irresponsible. Just like in Nairobi, I was refused permission. You see. We spent so much money, and they did not inform before. And when I was on the airport... That also, no written order. They said, "From higher authorities it is the order that you cannot enter." Just see. Kenya. So at the present moment we have got many enemies of this movement.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: You have to engage laborer and spend two hundred rupees per head at least, including salary and food, and the production is nil. In this way, there must be ten thousand, twenty thousand expenditure. Am I right or not, that "You bring money some way from anywhere, and let us spend lavishly?" What kind of management this is? We should consider the money, after all, is earned with hard labor. So somebody will bring money with hard labor, and another body will spend like irresponsible prince; that should be stopped. That is management.
Prabhupāda: Although behind the sex life there are so many troubles, but still the rascals do not cease. Either illicit sex or legal sex... Legal sex you beget children. There are so many troubles. You have to raise them nicely, you have to give them education, you must be situated nicely. That is the duty of father. Otherwise, he would go on, begetting like cats and dogs, no responsibility. Just like some of our students, immediately married and again, "Give me sannyāsa." What is this? Irresponsible, that's all. Irresponsibility. So these things are not required at all.
Prabhupāda: After marrying they see it is very great responsibility. "Now let me take sannyāsa." That's all. Why you marry? Because he finds that after marriage there are so many difficulties. So irresponsible man. So after there is difficulties; that's a fact. So why should you go to the difficulty? Therefore the conclusion is the married life is not required. But if you cannot tolerate, all right, get this concession, live very gentlemanly. This is marriage.
Prabhupāda: Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau. This is the description of the Gosvāmīs. They are well versed in all different types of Vedic scriptures just to establish a peaceful society sad-dharma, very nice gentleman, peaceful society. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, for the benefit of the whole human society. Therefore they are honored all over the world. This is gosvāmī business, not to exploit (indistinct) live like irresponsible man, eat, drink, be merry and enjoy.
Devotee: I have seen in all the big colleges and universities in England that I have been to, that this, amongst the students, the boys and girls, it is becoming so free. It is just like a hippy commune, the universities and colleges.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They are indebted in so many ways. Therefore human being should be responsible. But the modern civilization is teaching to become irresponsible.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Trivikrama: Death is the proof that there is God.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: And the other part is that then there is another body.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: Death and then another body.
Prabhupāda: Another body, immediately. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). That is the tangible proof that there is God. You have to die and accept another body. Just like the proof of government is that you are acting irresponsibly, you must be arrested or be punished. That's all.
Amogha: They say, "We don't know what will happen after, so we'll just enjoy and have fun now, as much as possible."
Prabhupāda: So why have you come to school? Why don't you play all day?
Amogha: Because we need to get a good job so we...
Prabhupāda: Then, they are thinking of future. Now we are thinking of the future. That is ignorance—that they do not know what is future life. They are thinking of the future, that's a fact, but because they are kept in darkness, about future life, they are doing all this irresponsible work.
Prabhupāda: We are not stopping sex life. Sex life is required. But under rules. And if you enjoy illicit sex, then the whole society is spoiled. You make the innocent girls spoiled. And they have no other business than prostitution. That means you put the society into chaotic condition. The young girls they become cheap, you enjoy, then you become irresponsible.
Prabhupāda: In the material world they cannot work sincerely. (break) ...experienced when any enterprise goes under government supervision, it immediately spoiled. Nobody work sincerely. When it is a private concern, one is sincere because it is his business. If it goes wrong, he will suffer. But when it is government concern, they become irresponsible. That is the experience. Immediately, "Oh, my service is secure. I cannot be kicked out suddenly. So I may do or not do." This is going on.
Prabhupāda: The sex life and the aftereffects are full of miserable condition, so once they have sex life, they become, woman becomes pregnant, and the painful conditions are passed. But still, he or she is not satisfied, again takes the same thing, entailed by so many sufferings. Tṛpyanti neha kṛpana. Because he has no knowledge, he commits means the same thing again.
Jagadīśa: Chewing the chewed.
Prabhupāda: Both of them suffer. But irresponsible father avoids, then the both suffering comes on the woman. She suffers the pain, birth pain, and suffers to raise the children. And the man goes away. How they are going to solve this problem? What is their answer? They become dependent on the man during sex life and purchases the pain, birth pain, and accuses the husband. And then, when the child is born she has to take care. The father may go away. The mother cannot give up the care of the children. Out of affection, she is carrying two child. So these are the aftereffects. So can the woman avoid sex, which is entailed with so much sufferings? She submits. Where is the independent woman? Therefore, if one is spiritually advanced, then she becomes.
Prabhupāda: No one should remain idle. That is the government's duty. Bad government.
Ādi-keśava: But the government says it is every man's freedom to work or not to work.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is his irresponsible government: "It is man's freedom—he may eat or may not eat." It is saying like that.
Bhagavān: So the present system is simply expert at producing completely irresponsible people.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And they are talking of responsibility. But one who is devotee... Eh?
Bhagavān: They say we are irresponsible.
Prabhupāda: No, we are not irresponsible. We have finished all responsibility. We are not irresponsible. But we are in such a position that we have passed all these responsibilities.
Yogeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda? When you speak of taking care of your responsibilities for Kṛṣṇa, doesn't that also have a material aspect to it? Just like a parent must bring up the child, must take care of the child, train it to read, and to write, and so on...
Prabhupāda: Yes. That means we are taking care of the children—why? Just to make them Kṛṣṇa conscious, not to become cats and dogs. This is our responsibility. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious, that "Here is a child. He may be saved to make him Kṛṣṇa conscious." Therefore we are taking so much care in the Dallas. We are not irresponsible. But our responsibility is there, that "Make him Kṛṣṇa conscious."
Prabhupāda: The brāhmaṇa became by caste brāhmaṇa. He will do everything nonsense and still, he remains a brāhmaṇa. But you can introduce the original Vedic culture in this Europe and America. You have understood. You can do it. By this material civilization they will never be happy, and it is risky. That they do not know. They do not believe in the transmigration of the soul. So irresponsibly… Or just like these elderly persons, how they are wasting time.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: As soon as you irresponsible, you are sinful. (break) ...soon as you forget the simple truth that you are servant of God, you are irresponsible. Now your suffering begins. (break) ...kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare, nikaṭa-stha māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare (Prema-vivarta). Just like as citizen of your state, you have to abide by the laws of the state. As soon as you disobey, you are irresponsible. That's all. You suffer. Good citizen means who abides by the laws of the state. And as soon as you break it, immediately you are irresponsible and you must be punished.
Richard: You said in the purport that tragedies of life—I'm paraphrasing—tragedies of life such as death of even a close relative are mere incidental occurrences. Is...? But you said earlier that death to you was anything but a mere incidental occurrence, that it was the...
Prabhupāda: No, we are not irresponsible to the death. Death, although we have to meet death, we are making provision that after death we become happy. Happy, of course, for us, even in living condition or dead condition, there is happiness, but it will take time to understand. But taking superficially, death is not very pleasing, so after death, that is mentioned in the Bha.... Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9), we do not get again a material body. This is final. The material body is the cause of pains and pleasure. So if you don't get the material body, if you remain in your spiritual body, that is real enjoyment.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Actually, there is, if we think of not in terms of science, but just in terms of our day-to-day experience, in social, moral, ethical, all levels of consciousness, if one analyzes this a little carefully, the root cause of our complete ethical background at this time is mainly due to this theory that "You are from molecules, and when you finish your body you'll also go back to molecules. So don't worry about all these high-sounding philosophical words. You just enjoy whatever you want and do whatever you like to do." So this type of complete materialistic...
Prabhupāda: Irresponsible life.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, meaninglessness. No meaning. So it has no purpose because of this very concept.
Prabhupāda: The karmīs, Ṛṣabhadeva is warning that nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma: (SB 5.5.4) these rascals being mad after sense gratification, they are doing everything and anything irresponsibly. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Pramattaḥ means mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Things which you should not have done, but he's doing it. Why? Yad indriya-prītaya: Simply for sense gratification. Therefore, he advises, na sādhu ayam: this is not good. So why it is not good? Yata: he has already got a body, material body for which he's suffering, and he's again creating the circumstance by which he'll again get a material body and will suffer. Therefore, one should act very responsibly. Not like madmen.
Prabhupāda: Simply you just try to understand, that animal eats, you eat, and the animal sleeps, you sleep. The animals have sex, you have got sex. He also defends when he's attacked, you also defend. Then if the behavior of a living being is the same, how do you say that the animal has no soul? Why do you say like that? Irresponsibly?
Prabhupāda: Everything is being done by superior arrangement. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). People should learn all these things by practical example instead of becoming irresponsible and without any obedience to the superior law. They should learn it, but they have no intelligence. They think, "We are all free." Wherefrom the monkey is coming, why there are so many varieties of life, how it is...? What do they know? Nothing. All bluff, vague explanation and that is going on in the name of science. This is the position.
Prabhupāda: Nature's law is there, but they do not care for the nature's law. They are so irresponsible.
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
Everything is being done by nature's law, and we are strictly under nature's law. Still, we are thinking independent.
Akśayananda: They break them so easily. They cannot control them. The shell, the skin, anything, always break.
Hari-śauri: You should make some padded covers for them.
Prabhupāda: Who is doing that? Everyone is irresponsible.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Guest (2): We have read many of your publications. And I was just telling him like dharma that "Swamiji has done only one thing, that he has made the universe not only contained to India. He has made the whole world conscious about Kṛṣṇa. To know about Kṛṣṇa at least, the real Kṛṣṇa. Or the superpower. He has made this point.
Prabhupāda: Therefore we have to progress very cautiously, very cautiously, not irresponsibly. That is our point.
Prabhupāda: Politics means formerly the brāhmaṇas were the guide, teacher of the society, guide of the society. Brahminical culture. The brāhmaṇas were not interested in politics. They would give advice to the kṣatriyas, and the kṣatriyas would administer. Brāhmaṇas were not interested to take politics, from time immemorial, even during the time of Mahārāja Pṛthu. Not that the kṣatriyas were irresponsible, no. They were taking guidance from the learned brāhmaṇas, saintly persons, and they were ruling over. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was doing that. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was doing that. Lord Rāmacandra also.
Hari-śauri: It was that article on transcendental science.
Prabhupāda: And no irresponsible article should be published, strictly. It is going to be future evidence. Not whimsical.
Prabhupāda: Now he is without wife, children, such irresponsible. That is also one of the complaints. That complaint is regular in your country. Nobody takes care of wife and children.
Prabhupāda: For my youngest daughter I selected one very nice boy, rich man. She did not give. She wanted to keep her as her assistant, and she's not married.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Even now. How old? She must be forty-five years old.
Prabhupāda: Not so much. Older than Vṛndāvana.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So she must be thirty-five.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Thirty-five. Most irresponsible and lethargetic.
Prabhupāda: He's such irresponsible man. He should not be given any responsible work. Our first business should see how he is advanced in devotion. We don't want so-called scholars.
Prabhupāda: They are not old, but they have no intelligence. The hippie life spoiled them. Varṇa-saṅkara. Hippies means varṇa-saṅkara. No father, no mother, some are only children, doing irresponsible everything, making the whole situation hellish. How Bhāgavata predicted long hair? That is very astonishing. This confirms the Bhāgavata authority.
Prabhupāda: These Englishmen were very much eager to know the man who is working, whether he's family man, because a family man will never become irresponsible. And this is very, very much visible fact in India. A very poor man, if he's family man, he'll work. It is the family affection.
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
I wish that a personality like you may accept the head man ship of this institution and conduct the missionary work in a suitable manner befitting the time circumstances of the modern civilization. The old way of leaving the matter to the irresponsible class of men will not help the preaching work of this important mission. Responsible gentlemen who are managing all other affairs, must also take up the responsibility of this branch of activity and then it will successful. The present world situation is too much entangled. It is the duty of all sane men to loosen the tightened condition by the simple method of Bhagavad-gita and the result is sure to be successful.
1968 Correspondence
Follow the rules and regulations strictly. If you want sex life, you are at liberty to get yourself married. But don't have illicit sex with some Maya's representative. That won't help you in your spiritual advancement. We don't forbid sex life, but we cannot allow illicit sex. For a young man it is very difficult to check sex desire, therefore best thing is for him to get himself married, and live like a responsible gentleman. Irresponsible man cannot make progress materially, or spiritually.
Regarding the location of your temple: I can understand that the students are not very happy neighbors. Practically they are not students. Because the system in your country to allow the boys and girls enjoying sex life from the very early age makes them most irresponsible and careless. Student life means complete celibacy, but that is not observed in your country, rather they are indirectly encouraged by distribution of contraceptive pills. If things are allowed to go on like this, the future of the Western world is very dark.
1969 Correspondence
I am surprised that such bogus letters have come from parties claiming to belong to our centers. Our disciple Krishna das is in Germany, not in Montreal. Anyway, such irresponsible letters dispatched from our temples must be stopped immediately. I shall be glad to hear from you about this by return of post. If somebody is unauthorizedly using our stationeries and writing letters to responsible quarters, with no sanction from us, then such persons must be avoided.
1971 Correspondence
So far the chief guest is concerned, I have written Tamala that if Indira Gandhi or some nice donor is not available, then forget this function. I was in Calcutta when there was an attempt to post one literature in which it was falsely declared that Indira Gandhi was to perform the corner stone ceremony, and I objected. Everything should be done very carefully. We are increasing in volume and we have got some prestige. Nothing should be done irresponsibly.
Your duty is to take charge of your wife. So you can stick to your job and maintain your wife and family and give as fast as possible to the Hamburg temple. You cannot be irresponsible to your wife and child. That is not allowed. If you can go with your wife to Munich to open a center there certainly I have no objection. That is a different thing. But you cannot leave your wife to go to Munich.
1973 Correspondence
1974 Correspondence
I am very sorry that your husband Mahatma das has taken my letter to him in the wrong way and has told you to get married to another man although you are only 20 years old and have a 7 month old son. This is a most irresponsible and nonsensical proposal on his part. I never wrote or intended that he should leave you. He can stay out and distribute books on sankirtana, but for that he can remain grhastha, nor does it means he perpetually remains on sankirtana party forgetting his responsibilities. You write that you badly need your husbands instruction and security, therefore, this is natural, so he may go on sankirtana but he must also spend time with you as you require, not in the mood of sense gratification but for cooperation in Krsna Consciousness.
So you may take this letter to the president of the temple and he must do the needful so that Mahatma das does not set an irresponsible example. For your own part, do not be bewildered. Go on chanting Hare Krsna and simply trust in Krsna as the dearmost friend.
1977 Correspondence
I am glad to hear you are enlivened at becoming editor of Back to Godhead magazine. This magazine must be edited very carefully. Nothing irresponsible should be printed, because in the future the articles in Back to Godhead will be taken as Vedic evidence. I am asking the GBC members to also concern themselves with the content of the magazine to assure that it meets the standards I am describing.
| Page Title: | Irresponsible (Conv. and Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Priya |
| Created: | 11 of Jun, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=40, Let=9 |
| No. of Quotes: | 49 |