Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Material bondage (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

Even within this body, when you get clear conception that "I am not this body," and you are clearly working from the spiritual platform, as Lord Kṛṣṇa prescribes here that yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi, "Be situated in yoga and act in your daily duties," then similarly, if we practice this to work in such a way that we have to work from the spiritual platform, then your next life will be free from this material bondage and you get your freedom life.

Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

So, "O My dear son of Kuntī, anyone who knows perfectly about the Lord's incarnation, why does He come, what are His activities, and what is His original constitution, form, etc., the science of God—if anyone knows, simply by knowing, simply by knowing..., the theoretical knowledge..." What is his profit? Simply by knowing... Now, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: (BG 4.9) "Then for him the profit is that after giving up this body, he hasn't got to take birth again in this material form." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti: (BG 4.9) "He comes directly to Me." Simply by knowing. Just like you are coming here. Apart from doing any practical work... If you do some practical work, oh, it is very, very nice. Even if you do not know any practical work, simply you give your reception, aural reception, submissive aural reception, and understand that what is the nature of God, what is the nature of our self, what is the relation between God and myself, what is this world, what is my relation with this world, so many things, simply if you hear and have an idea, then, even then, you'll be free from this material bondage. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9).

Lecture on BG 3.8-13 -- New York, May 20, 1966:

So we are in so many ways indebted. Our obligations are there. But sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundam, na ṛṇī na kiṅkaraḥ. The Bhāgavata says, "If somebody fully surrenders unto the Supreme, Mukunda..." Mukunda means one who can offer you liberation from this material bondage. He is Mukunda. So if one surrenders fully unto Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa is Mukunda—then he is no longer any more indebted to all these obligations. He is immune. At one stroke he becomes liquidated from all obligation. And in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find this statement confirmed in the last portion of Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord says that ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "If you surrender unto Me..." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). The Lord says that "You have not do. You have to do nothing. You simply surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "You have got so many obligations; it is right. But it is impossible for you." Of course, there are systems how to liquidate your obligation.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Performance of yajñas has many side benefits, ultimately leading to liberation from the material bondage. By performance of sacrifice, all activities become purified as is stated in the Vedas."

Prabhupāda: Yes. When you perform... Just like we are performing here sacrifice of saṅkīrtana. Everything you will find here purified. In this temple, you go corner to corner, you'll find everything sanctified, purified. Why? Because we are, this sacrifice of saṅkīrtana is being performed. So as soon as you take up the process of sacrifice, automatically, everything will be hygienic, purified, health, wealth, everything, complete.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

So if one is actually interested how to become liberated from this material bondage, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—these are the problems—then, according to śāstra, according to mahājana, one must take to this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This is our, I mean to say, purpose.

So even Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was so learned scholar, every one of you know, and He was very popular leader at Navadvīpa. And when He was sixteen years only, He defeated one very great learned scholar, Keśava Kāśmīrī. And he was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Actually He was very learned scholar, and His explanation of one verse, ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame... He described this verse in sixty-four ways. He was such a learned scholar. So He was not a fool, but He represented the fool of this age, that "If you want liberation from material bondage...

Lecture on BG 4.1 and Review -- New York, July 13, 1966:

Last day we discussed on the last verse of the third chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. Now, today we shall begin the fourth chapter.

evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā
saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā
jahi śatruṁ mahā-bāho
kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam
(BG 3.43)

We have discussed this point that our material bondage is due to hankering and lust for dominating over the resources of matter. We are, in essence, we are pure souls, but circumstantially we are now fallen in this material bondage and therefore we are undergoing threefold miseries of material existence. And the whole Bhagavad-gītā scheme is how to get out of this material entanglement and be situated in your real spiritual life of bliss, knowledge and eternal life. That is the whole scheme of Bhagavad-gītā.

Now, the first chapter... I'm just making a summary of the three chapters which we have already finished... Now, today we are going to begin the fourth chapter.

In the first chapter the situation is created... Just like we are ordinarily entangled in family affairs. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). The bondage of accepting this material body as myself, and the extension of bodily relation is accepted as my kinsmen and the land in which the body is got, that land is supposed to be worshipable. These are analytical study of our material existence. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ. Bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). We have taken up the land as worshipable, the land of birth, which is, I mean to say, extended in the form of nationalism. This is material bondage.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

In the material condition we are simply changing our body. That is our disease. This conditional life of changing the bodies, one after another, one after... Not only human body. We may have to change to animal's body, or to another demigod's body. There are different species of life. I have several times spoken before you, that there are 8,400,000's of species of life. So our body's being changed in this circle of these 8,400,000's of different species of life. This is called our material bondage.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Purport: "The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the sixth verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage, and therefore he returns to the kingdom of God immediately after quitting his present material body. Such liberation of the living entity from material bondage is not at all easy. The impersonalist and the yogi attain liberation only after much trouble and many, many births. Even then their liberation is..."

Prabhupāda: Try to understand bondage, what is bondage. We are thinking we are very, we are free. We are declaring that "We belong to the free nation" or "free community," or everyone is seeking after freedom. But nobody is free. Nobody is free. Everyone is under the stringent laws of nature. So bondage means to remain under the condition of material laws. That is called bondage.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Bombay, March 30, 1974:

You'll find in Bombay city so many restaurants. Every step a restaurant. Eating. That is going on. Every city, all over the world. Everywhere. Eating. And then sleeping. Nice apartment. And then defense measure. And then very happily have sexual intercourse. These are the demands.

So tapasya means to reduce these. That is tapasya. Tapasya... This is the general demand of the body, and if you want to be free from this material bondage, then you have to undergo tapasya. Tapasya means these demands of the body voluntarily reducing and coming to the point of nil. That is liberation.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:

So if we want to get free, we must accept a leader who is free from this material nature. So Kṛṣṇa is free. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. The material nature is working under His direction. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā. Material nature is working under His direction. He is not under the direction of material nature. Therefore He can be our leader, and nobody else can be leader.

So if you actually want... Because by nature we have to follow some leadership, so if we actually want the leadership which will lead us to the perfect goal of life, then we have to follow Kṛṣṇa. That is a fact. If you don't follow, that depends on our discretion. Just like Arjuna. He was asked by Kṛṣṇa, "Now, what you have decided? Are you going to follow Me? Oh, you can do whatever you like. I have told you everything." So Kṛṣṇa is telling us everything in the Bhagavad-gītā. Now it is up to us to accept His leadership or not. If we accept His leadership, then we are free from this material bondage, and if we do not accept, then we can do whatever we... Kṛṣṇa does not interfere with our independence. That is a fact.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

Now, people are misled what is karma, what is actually work, and what is not work, akarma. Kiṁ karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'pi. Kavayaḥ means great sages, great saintly persons, great philosophers. They are also sometimes bewildered to understand what class of activities are genuine and what class of activities are nongenuine. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "I shall teach you what are genuine activities and what are nongenuine activities." Tat te karma pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣyase aśubhāt. Yaj jñātvā: "If you understand the principle of working, then you shall get free from the bondage, material bondage."

We have to work in such a way that we may, may not be entangled with this material body. Otherwise, as we have explained, this body is our material bondage, and it is the result of our activities. So we have to perform our activities so nicely and so cautiously so that I may not be entangled, I may be free even in this life, and tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). I can, after leaving this present body, I'll have no more to come into this material world.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

We have to work in such a way that we may, may not be entangled with this material body. Otherwise, as we have explained, this body is our material bondage, and it is the result of our activities. So we have to perform our activities so nicely and so cautiously so that I may not be entangled, I may be free even in this life, and tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). I can, after leaving this present body, I'll have no more to come into this material world.

Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:

There are reactions of bad work, and there is reaction of good work. But a, a person who is going to be liberated from this material bondage, for him, both good work and bad work are reprehensible. There is no need of reaction of good work also. In this material world we are attached to perform good work. Not all. Those who are in the modes of goodness, they want to do some good work in the material estimation. And those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance, they do work, bad work, passionate work, work in ignorance. But those who are going to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, they have no need, either this good work or bad work.

Why? Now, either you enjoy the reaction of good work or bad work, your material bondage is there.

Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:

In the Siddhaloka planet there are also living entities or human being like us. But they are so powerful that, without any help of airplane or without any help of sputnik, they can travel from one planet to another. We have got this information. So our... When we are free from this material bondage, we have no information how much powerful we are. We are satisfied here by manufacturing something, sputnik, that we are very much satisfied that we have advanced so much in material science without knowing that without any help of this sputnik and aeroplane, I can travel all planets. That potency I have got.

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

So Bhāgavata says either you become akāma... To desire to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is no material desire. There(fore) it is called akāma. That is not material desire. And two other things, to desire for liberation and to desire for material opulence, that is material. So Bhāgavata says, akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ: (SB 2.3.10) "If you are actually advanced with knowledge, either you desire material prosperity or you desire liberation from material bondage, or you desire to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you simply try to be engaged in devotional service of the Supreme Lord." If you want any material prosperity, that can also be achieved by devotional service.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

So paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). One who is in the transcendental position, he does not discriminate in that way because he understands that they are different living entities under dress only, but he sees, visualize, the spiritual identity, and he has nothing to do with their activities. He is in transcendental position, and he is concerned with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness in his activities. He becomes callous with the activities of this world.

Just like in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta the author says that in this material world, which is illusion, our division that "This is good; this is bad," these are all mental speculation only. In the higher stage they see that in the material bondage nobody is in goodness. Everyone is in trouble. So this material calculation that "This is good, this is bad, and this is happy, and this is miserable," in the transcendental position they think that they are all equal.

Lecture on BG 7.5 -- Nairobi, November 1, 1975:

So if you study human nature, whatever there is, that is also there in God. But that is perfect and unlimited, and we have got all these chemicals qualities—very minute quantity. And in the material contact it is imperfect. So if you become liberated from the material bondage, then you become perfect. You can understand that "I am as good as God, but God is great; I am very, very small." That is self-realization.

Lecture on BG 8.21-22 -- New York, November 19, 1966:

Now, because Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is complete spirit and He's absolute, therefore His name is also spirit; His name, His form, His quality, His, I mean to say, opulence, His paraphernalia—everything is spiritual. But at the present moment, due to our material bondage or condition, we cannot understand what is spiritual. But this ignorance can be moved by this process, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. How it is? I'll give you example. Just like a man is sleeping. A man is sleeping. How you can awake him? By vibration of sound. "Mr. such-and-such, just get up. Get up! The time is up." Although he is now practically unconscious, he cannot see, he cannot, er, still, that hearing process is so prominent that a sleeping man can be awakened by vibration of sound. Similarly, the spirit soul, although it is now overpowered by this material bondage or material conditions, that spiritual consciousness can be revived by this transcendental vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. And for practical example, we are experiencing, and some of you...

Lecture on BG 16.4 -- Hawaii, January 30, 1975:

By the characteristics we can understand who is a godly man and who is a demonic man. So they are stated. And the next verse is that daivī sampad vimokṣāya. If one has these divine characteristics, then he is eligible for going to the spiritual world. Vimokṣāya. Daivī sampad vimokṣāya nibandhāya āsurī matā (BG 16.5). But these demonic characteristic, dambho darpaḥ abhimānaś ca pāruṣyam ajñānaṁ sampad āsurī, if we develop this kind of characteristic, then it is our material bondage. So we are the cause of material bondage and freedom from material world. We are, ourself, the cause. There is no other cause. Simply we have to develop either this demonic characteristic or the divine characteristic. So human life is meant for developing divine characteristic, not this demonic char... Demonic characteristic is already there.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hawaii, February 4, 1975:

The asuras, they do not know what is cleanliness, what is proper behavior. That is asuric quality. So we have explained. By asuric quality we remain conditioned with this material world. But daivī qual..., by divine quality, we can become free from this material bondage and go back to home, back to Godhead. So these things are very elaborately explained in this chapter, Sixteenth Chapter. So let us know who is demon and who is divine.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hyderabad, December 16, 1976:

So we are discussing for the last few days about the asuras, demons. (aside:) Stop. So the beginning is, na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. The asuras, they are aśuci, unclean. That is their misfortune, that they cannot understand what is the right way, what is the wrong way. So śuci, cleanliness, is the first qualification of the daiva-prakṛti or devatās. There are two classes of men. One class is devatā, and the other class asura. So asura class, they will have to suffer. They cannot get liberation from the material bondage. Mūḍhā janmani janmani mām aprāpya eva (BG 16.20). Unless we achieve the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, our sufferings in the material world will continue. It will not stop.

Lecture on BG 16.13-15 -- Hawaii, February 8, 1975:

So these are the demonic propensities, and the very thing can be changed into devotional service, and then we become devotee or demigod. So I am going tomorrow. So here you shall try to become devotee, not to think like demons. That will not help us. Then āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ. We'll remain bound up in material bondage. You cannot stop desires. That is not possible, but purify the desire. Purify the desire. Purify desire means that the same hopes, hope against hope, just to improve your position as devotee... That will help you to make your life successful.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

Pradyumna: Purport: "Religion includes four primary subjects, namely pious activities, economic development, satisfaction of the senses and, finally, liberation from material bondage." (SB 1.1.2)

Prabhupāda: So the ultimate aim is liberation from this conditional life, bondage. We are conditioned in every way, we can experience. As soon as we are embodied with a material body, immediately we are conditioned. Just like as soon as we enter in some state... Just like we have come from India. I have come from India in your state. So I am immediately conditioned by the immigration department.

So this is the material world, system. As soon as you enter a particular type of body you are conditioned.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

We are trying to be liberated from all conditions. Therefore liberation is the ultimate goal. As it is here stated, "Religion includes four primary subjects, namely, pious activities, economic development, satisfaction of the senses and, finally, liberation from material bondage."

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

You can remain in your position, but try to hear the transcendental message from realized soul. Then gradually you will be enlightened and you will be free from this knot, this material bondage.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972:

If we simply learn how to render devotional service to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ. This is actually translated into English as Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything for Kṛṣṇa. So that Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then janayaty āśu vairāgyam. Āśu, very soon, one becomes detached from this material bondage. Janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca. And jñāna, knowledge, real knowledge.

In the material knowledge, that is the cause of bondage. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said,

anitya saṁsāre moha janamiyā
jaḍa-vidyā jato māyāra vaibhava

Material knowledge, advancement of material knowledge, means more and more bondage. And advancement of spiritual knowledge means more and more liberation. But our problem is how to liberate ourselves from this material bondage. We are bound up. Just like I am a spirit soul, you are spirit soul, but we are put into this material bondage. Because we are in material bondage, therefore we have no freedom. People do not understand this. Just like spirit soul is described as sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means the spirit soul can go anywhere he likes. But due to this material bondage, because we have this material body, we are checked. Even we cannot go to the other planet. But we have got instances... Just like Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni is traveling all over the universes, not only within the material world, but in the spiritual world, because he has got spiritual body. There is no material bondage.

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

Here, in this land, Bhāratavarṣa, there is the idea of liberation, mukti. Mukti. So we should be interested in that liberation. Mumukṣava. Mumukṣa icchavaḥ, "those who are desiring." Those who want to remain within this bondage, material bondage of transmigrating from one body... Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. We are trying to improve our material condition. Sometimes we are going up, sometimes we are coming down. This is going on.

But actual life, this human form of life, is meant for to get out of this darkness of material world. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. This is the information, Vedic information: "Don't remain in this darkness." Darkness, this, this material world is dark. Just like night. It was dark. actually it was dark. And because the sunshine is there, now we are seeing each other. Actually it is dark. And dark also—ignorance. We do not know what is the aim of life. Therefore, the whole world is darkness. And the Vedic information is: "Do not remain in the darkness. Come to the light." But that education is wanting. That is called mukti, to get out of the darkness of ignorance and darkness of this material world.

Lecture on SB 1.3.17 -- Los Angeles, September 22, 1972:

Our material bondage is due to an illusion. What is that illusion? That "I am this body." Dehātma-buddhi. "I am this body, and anything which is required for this body or which I possess for the comfort of this body, that is mine." Both of them are illusion, because I am not this body; I am soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi.

Lecture on SB 1.3.23 -- Los Angeles, September 28, 1972:

We are trying to make people understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, he will become liberated from this material bondage. Actually, every one of us trying to get out of some kind of bondage. We feel that "I am bound up under certain circumstances, so I must get out." This is called ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti.

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

In human society, for at least peaceful living, the human society must have religion, dharma. And artha means economic development, good condition, economic con... That is also required. One, that the human society should be religious, they must have nice economic organization, and the kāma, they must have also nice arrangement for sense gratification. So sense gratification is not denied. Dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. And after that, when one is satisfied, when he, when one is, by religious procedure, he is satisfied in his economic development, in his satisfaction of senses, the next need is mokṣa. Mokṣa means liberation from material bondage. These are four arthas. Catur-vargaḥ puruṣārthaḥ. Puruṣārtha means the interest of the living entity. But they are not final. They are not final.

Lecture on SB 1.5.12-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 11, 1969:

One must be liberated, one must be pure, one must be dedicated to the service of the Lord, and dhṛta-vrataḥ, and one must be determined. Then he can do something to the human society. Not a conditioned soul, by whims he can manufacture something, that "I can do something to the human..." It is not possible. Here are the qualifications, that,

atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk
śuci-śravāḥ satya-rato dhṛta-vrataḥ
urukramasyākhila-bandha-muktaye...

"If you actually desire to get this suffering humanity to become liberated from all kinds of material bondage, then, samādhinā." Samādhinā: in samādhi, in trance. Samādhinā, anusmara... Here the same thing, anusmara. The, as I told you before, anu. Anu means following. Just like Vyāsadeva. Even after so many qualifications, he has a spiritual master, Nārada. Not that because he's incarnation of God, not that because he's so learned, so great scholar and śuci-śravāḥ, and dedicated his life for the benefit of the human society... So many good qualifications. Still, you see practically: he has got a spiritual master, and—Nārada—and he's giving instruction.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

So here Nārada says that akhila-bandha-muktaye: "You should present literature for the people so that they can become liberated from this conditional stage of life, not that you should more and more entangle them in this conditional..." That is the main theme of Nārada's instruction to Vyāsadeva: "Why should you present rubbish literature to continue the conditional stage?" Whole Vedic civilization is meant for giving liberation to the living entities from this material bondage. People do not know what is the aim of education. The aim of education, the aim of civilization, perfection of civilization, should be how people should get liberated from this conditional life. That is the whole scheme of Vedic civilization, to give liberation to the people.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

So any person who is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, who's acting simply for Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours, he's in samādhi. Samādhinā tad, anusmara tad-viceṣṭitam. Anusmara: "That meditation should not be manufactured by you, but under the direction of the representative of Kṛṣṇa." Therefore it is called anusmara.

Cittaga..., akhilasya bandhasya muktaye. Then again, Śrīdhara Svāmī says that "This process is for giving liberation from all kinds of material bondage." Akhilasya bandhasya muktaye tam anusmara smṛtya varṇayata.(?) And again Śrīdhara Svāmī gives note herewith that "Not only you meditate, but you preach. That will help your meditation." Just like I am speaking to you. I am meditating simultaneously. Unless I remember, how can I speak to you? Unless my attention is concentrated without any diversion in Kṛṣṇa subject matter, how can I speak to you? So that is also samādhi. Don't think that one who is simply sitting, he is in samādhi. One who is preaching, he's also in samādhi, because he's thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, how he can talk of Kṛṣṇa if he does not think of Kṛṣṇa? Śrīdhara Swami gives... Tam anusmara smṛtya varṇayata. Varṇayata means "Describe also, preach." Ity artha. Etac ca vakhyantaram iti madhyama-puruṣa-prayogaḥ.(?)

So this preaching, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23), simply hearing of Kṛṣṇa and chanting of Kṛṣṇa, preaching of Kṛṣṇa, is samādhi. And this will make one liberated, akhila-bandha-muktaye, from all kinds of bondage, material bondage.

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

Then Vyāsadeva says, Nārada Muni says, tataḥ karuṇārthe vibhu anātmanaḥ deha-vimāna athaiva guṇaiḥ satyādibhiḥ pravartamānasya guṇair janasya darśaya bhavān iti.(?) "Therefore you write literature in such a way that people will become attracted to Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord." Simply official understanding of Kṛṣṇa—"God is great" or "Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful"—but my attention is only how to improve my material condition... So this picture was given in our Back to Godhead. Perhaps you all remember that a bridegroom party was to go to the bride's home. In India the marriage party, bridegroom party, the bride, his father, his relatives, go with the bride, bridegroom, to the bride's home, and the marriage ceremony takes place there in the presence of all kinds of relatives. That is the system. So the marriage was to take place in a different village some miles away, and in Bengal the land is full of rivers. The rivers are considered to be high roads. So it was settled that the bridegroom's party will start in the evening before the marriage day and reach there in the morning and rest whole day, and in the evening the marriage will take place.

So they got up in a boat, and the boat was started and the, all the members of the bridegroom's party, the, they fell asleep. It was on the river. The breeze was very pleasing. And next morning when they arose, they saw they were standing on the same place. Then they were surprised, "How is that?" The boatman was asked, "How is that, we are in the same place? We have not proceeded even a few yards. How is that?" The boatman said that "We were plying the whole night. We do not know how it happened." Then one boatman found out that the anchor was not taken out. The anchor was fixed up, and the whole night they were plying meant the boat was round about the anchor only, moving, and it was... It did not go a step forward.

Similarly, if our anchor, that we want this material happiness, for which we can worship God, we may go to the temple, go to the church, offer our respect... Ārto arthārthī. That is accepted as good. But one has to go far above that position. That means if one, being distressed, approaches Kṛṣṇa, that "My Lord, I am in distress. Please help me," the qualification is good in this sense, that he, somehow or other, he has approached God. But his motive is not pure. His motive is material enjoyment. So Vyāsadeva says, "This kind of instruction in your book will not help people to come to the standard of pure devotional service, which can save him from all material bondage." That is the whole purport. Then what is to be done? The same thing, as Kṛṣṇa advises, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). You haven't got to do anything. Simply be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

So although there is bondage in the sattva-guṇa,... Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). You can be promoted to the higher planetary systems, but that is also bondage. Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). If you remain within this material world, even if you are promoted to the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, Satyaloka, still, you have to accept the material bondage, means janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Brahmā, he also dies. Although he has got very, very long duration of life, he also dies. So Kṛṣṇa therefore recommends, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: (BG 15.6) "If you come to My place, then you are no more under the laws of birth, death, old age, and disease." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). That should be the aim of life. Those... There are others who are aspiring to go to the heavenly planet or Satyaloka or Brahmaloka, but Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that "Why we should go to the heavenly planet or Brahmaloka or any other material planet? We shall go directly to the abode of Kṛṣṇa, Goloka Vṛndāvana." That is the aim of the devotees.

So that aim you can fulfill by practicing bhakti-yoga. That is mentioned here, bhaktiḥ pravṛttā ātma-rajas-tamopahā. So rajas-tamas. So long one is situated in the modes of passion and ignorance, there is no hope. There is no hope. But when one comes to the platform of sattva-guṇa, there is little hope of transcending. So bhakti-yoga is above sattva-guṇa. In the sattva-guṇa, in the modes of goodness, you can become a nice brāhmaṇa, but simply by becoming a nice brāhmaṇa you, your, you are not free from the material bondage. When you become a pure Vaiṣṇava, then you are free from the bondage of the material world. And to become Vaiṣṇava, you require this devotion, bhakti. Bhakti. Immediately, beginning of bhakti means rajas-tamopahā, upahā. One who is situated even beginning, he is above the rajas-tamo-guṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.47 -- Mayapura, October 27, 1974:

This material life means sex life. So a man is searching after woman, and woman is searching after man. This is material bondage. This is natural not only human society—in dog society. Just see. The dog is crying, is crying at night because he has lost that woman. Is it not? Just see, even in the dog, what to speak of human being. So this is material life, to be affectionate unnecessarily. Therefore devotional service means vairāgya-vidyā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed by His example how He gave up the affection of young, beautiful wife, very nice home, most affectionate mother, most influential position in the society—gave up.

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

Pravṛtti means we have got some inclination to accept something and we have disinclination to reject something. Everyone knows it. But the asuric jana, those who are asuras, demons, they do not know in which way we shall accept and in which way we shall reject. That they do not know. That is called āsura-jana. Just like we are advising our students, "Reject this: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating. Reject. And accept; chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." The demons, they do not know. They do not know it. They do not know why they are rejecting this and why they are accepting this, janā na vidur āsurāḥ. Because they are asuras. If we accept this path, then we are going to be liberated. What is that liberation? Liberation means to get out of this material bondage of body, dehino 'smin. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). This knowledge is wanting.

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

Pradyumna: "The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the sixth verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage..."

Prabhupāda: He's already liberated. If one understands this fact, that why God comes, if he is fully aware of the fact, he's already liberated, immediately.

Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:

When one chants śuddha-nāma, name, holy name of God, then he is on the platform of loving platform with Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfectional stage. And in nāmābhāsa stage, not in pure, marginal, between pure and offensive, that is mukti. You become mukta, liberated from material bondage. And if we chant offensively, then we remain in the material world. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said, nāmākāra bahira haya nāma nāhi haya(?). It is mechanical, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa," but still it is not Hare Kṛṣṇa. Nāmākāra, nāma bahira haya, nāmākāra, nāma nāhi haya.

Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:

If one can chant purified offenseless, once kṛṣṇa-nāma, he is free from all material bondage. Once only. Eka kṛṣṇa nāme yata pāpa haya, pāpī haya tata pāpa kari baro nāhi(?).

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:

First of all we have to hear. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. We acquire pious result of hearing. And the result will be manifested... Hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi...

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
(SB 1.2.17)

Then he must be free from the material bondage. That is called hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti, washed off. If it is not completely washed off, if it is partially washed off, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu... Naṣṭa-prāya means we have got all these filthy things within the heart. It is not yet cleansed fully, but even some percentage is cleansed, then... Nityaṁ bhāgavata... But how it can be cleansed? The process is to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

So we should know, whenever there is sanction in the śāstra for meat-eating, for sex intercourse, or for drinking, it is not for encouraging; it is for prohibiting, restricting. So the next question should (be), "Why it is restricted?" Restricted means so long you'll be addicted to this habit, you'll have to accept a body. So one who cannot stop it immediately, he's restricted. "All right, you want to do it. All right. Go to this demigod." That is the list. If you want this, all right, go to this demigod." Means somehow or other, this lusty person is being brought before a demigod to understand that this is not good. This is implicating. Therefore it is said akāma. If you become completely free from all material desires, or if you want that position, then come to Kṛṣṇa. No other demigod. If you actually want freedom from this material bondage, then Kṛṣṇa...

Kṛṣṇa also assures, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. These are all pāpa, sinful. Either you take the body of a Brahmā or an ant or cat or dog. All sinful. Only the person who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, he's pious. Akāma.

Lecture on SB 3.25.12 -- Bombay, November 12, 1974:

A person who is interested to enquire about the transcendental subject matter, kṛṣṇa-kathā, then the person who is questioned, he becomes very glad.

Therefore Kapiladeva, when she..., when He heard from His mother so many nice questions, "How to be delivered from this material bondage, envelopment?"... Sammoha.

atha me deva sammoham
apākraṣṭuṁ tvam arhasi
yo 'vagraho 'haṁ mametīty
etasmin yojitas tvayā

This verse we have discussed. "I have taken shelter unto You..." This is the process. The mother is not ordering the son. It doesn't matter whether he is son or somebody else. When one is interested in uttamam... Tasmād jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Śreya and preya, there are two things. Śreya and preya. Just like children, they like to play. That is called preya, preya. Very nice. But śreya means go to school and take education for future improvement of life. That is called śreya. So human being should be interested in śreya, not in preya. That is not human life. Preya means immediately gives me some sense pleasure: "Oh, it is very nice." No. That is human life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. We require these things. We require to eat something for maintaining the body. But not that we shall be accustomed to eat very palatable things.

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

Mokṣa means to get relief from the material bondage. But if you do not get engagement of spiritual life, then mokṣa is also cheating because you'll fall down again.

Lecture on SB 3.25.26 -- Bombay, November 26, 1974:

Rāga means attachment, and vi means vigata. Vigata-rāga. And from virāga-vairāgya. Jñāna-vairāgya. This is wanted. Human life is meant for jñāna and vairāgya. Two things required. We are continuing this material existence on account of rāga, attachment, attachment for sense gratification. That is the cause of material bondage. Material bondage means, we have explained several times, to accept one body, then create another body.

Lecture on SB 3.25.26 -- Bombay, November 26, 1974:

hy we are getting different bodies? Because we have got different tendency for sense gratification. Indriya, aindriyāt. This is the disease, material disease. Everyone has got tendency for sense gratification, but not all of them of the same type. They have got different types. So our material bondage means these different types of sense gratification. Therefore we have to stop this. We have to be detestful from this sense gratification. Then our spiritual life will begin. That is possible by bhakti.

Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974:

So this Māyāvādī philosophy, to become one with the supreme father, is like that. They are suffering here. Kṛṣṇa has created. Kṛṣṇa created him to enjoy with his company, but he did not like that. He suffered in this material world. Now he's thinking of becoming one with the father. What is this? So this is... Therefore here it is said, naikātmatāṁ me spṛhayanti kecit. No pure devotee will desire like that. It is foolish proposal. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. They are called aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ, whose intelligence is not yet clear or purified. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. They are thinking, "Now we have become spiritually realized, vimukta, liberated from material bondage." Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Patanty adhaḥ. Now, they are thinking, "Now we are liberated. We have become Nārāyaṇa." Vimukta-māninaḥ. They are thinking like that. Actually, they are not liberated. That is another, the last snare of māyā, that "You are God." Māyā is still talking that to bewilder him. Māyā's business is to bewilder the living entity. So this is the last snare, that to become one with the Supreme. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-mā...tvayy asta-bhāvāt. Because they have no information that they can go back to home, back to Godhead, and enjoy the company of the Supreme Lord, they think that to become one with the Supreme, that is the highest perfection.

Lecture on SB 3.26.35-36 -- Bombay, January 12, 1975:

So the sat-saṅga is very important, association. Therefore we have named this, "Kṛṣṇa conscious society." Anyone can join it. It doesn't matter what he is. And actually, it is... Practically we are doing. We are collecting, recruiting members, from all parts of the world without any distinction. The distinction is there in the material platform. In the spiritual platform there is no such distinction. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. That is the vision of the devotees. They see only the spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Their sympathy is for the spirit soul, that "Here is a spirit soul, and he is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. He is now bound up by this material bondage. Let me try to rescue him." Prahlāda Mahārāja said, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). They have become foolish. They are thinking that in material bondage he will be happy. That is not possible. Therefore Vaiṣṇavas like Prahlāda Mahārāja and his followers, they very seriously think of these fallen conditioned souls and try to rescue them, and in this Kali-yuga it is very easy. As I have already explained, kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ: "In this Kali-yuga it is a ocean of fault. So many faults are there, one after another, one after another. But there is one benefit," doṣa-nidhe asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ, "very great quality." What is that? Now, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet: "He hasn't got to do anything else. If he simply chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra," kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya (SB 12.3.51), "then he becomes free from this material bondage and goes back to home, back to Godhead."

Lecture on SB 3.26.45 -- Bombay, January 20, 1975:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to know that no more greater than Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is greater than Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is equal to Kṛṣṇa. If we understand this much perfectly... We cannot understand perfectly because that is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. But as far as we have got our knowledge, if we understand this fact, that "I can never become equal with Kṛṣṇa; neither I can become greater than Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. I have to remain always subordinate to Kṛṣṇa," this is called mukti, liberation. We are entrapped in this material bondage by illusory understanding. So when we come to the right understanding, that "My position is always subordinate to Kṛṣṇa," that is called mukti.

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

o achieve love of Godhead, that is the highest perfection. Premā pum-artho mahān.

So to achieve this goal of life, premā pum-artho mahān, in this age especially, in Kali-yuga, because we cannot do any other thing, it is very, very difficult. The time is very obstacle, full of obstacles. Therefore kalau... This is the method, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam: (CC Adi 17.21) "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra," kevalam, "only." Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. In the Kali-yuga, because main business is how to get relief from this material bondage... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). People do not understand even that what is really our distress. Kṛṣṇa says, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says personally, "These are your miseries." What? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) "Repetition of birth and death. This is your real misery of life." What you are thinking of this misery or that misery? They are all temporary. They are all under the laws of material nature. You cannot get out of it. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛti will force you to do something because you have contaminated the material modes of nature. Therefore you have to act under the direction of this prakṛti, material nature. And so long you are under this material nature, you have to accept this birth, death, old age and disease. This is your real misery.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Delhi, November 28, 1975:

Tapasya means austerity, penances, voluntarily acceptance of something, some means of activity which may not be very palatable. But still, we have to do that. Just like a patient, if he is forbidden by the physician not to take a certain type of foodstuff, it may be pain... Just like typhoid fever. The doctor advises, "Don't take any solid food." But if we... I am accustomed to take paratha. So in typhoid to take paratha means death. Similarly, we have to follow the sastric injunction. If we really want to come out this material bondage... Material bondage means this body. Our real problem is this body. That we do not know. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). This will come, that "We have now become mad after sense gratification." Pramattaḥ. Pramattaḥ means prakṛṣṭa-rūpena mattaḥ. Mattaḥ means mad. And when this affix is there, prefix is there, that pra, pra means prakṛṣṭa-rūpena, sufficiently mad. So in this material world we have become sufficiently mad—not only mad, but sufficiently mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And we are engaged in activities which are forbidden. Forbidden. Just like we are drinking. This is forbidden. We are eating meat. This is forbidden. We are having illicit sex. This is forbidden. We are having gambling. This is forbidden. This is called vikarma. But because we have become mad, we are, whole human civilization is meant for these four things: illicit sex, meat-eating, and intoxication, and gambling.

So nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). So we have become mad and we are engaged in these forbidden works. If we want to get out of these clutches of material bondage, then we must stop these forbidden activities, mad, the activities of a mad man. So if you go on like that, then we shall have to accept another material body. The problem is that we are suffering threefold miseries, every one of us. Maybe the degree different, but under being intoxicated, we do not take the sufferings as sufferings. That is another madness. But the sufferings are there. That is being pointed out by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:

Now the process is prescribed how to execute this tapasya life. Ṛṣabhadeva says, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes, to get liberation, liberated from this entanglement of material life, one has to serve mahat, great saintly person. (break) Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2), vimukteḥ means for liberation. If you want to get liberation from this material bondage, repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease, and not only that, so long we live there are so many miserable conditions of life. This is called material existence. If we want to get out of this entanglement, then we must take to the service of great saintly personalities. So, that is the way for liberation, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage, and therefore he returns to the Kingdom of God immediately after quitting this present material body. (break)

Prabhupāda: Janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). How Kṛṣṇa expands Himself, how He appears, what is the nature of His body, these things if you simply understand, then you become immortal. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Just to give the people a chance to understand Kṛṣṇa then he becomes immortal. That is the mission of life. Not that to enjoy sense gratification in a polished way, but the business is the same as the dogs and hogs enjoy. That is being instructed here. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1).

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

In last meeting we had been discussing about the path of salvation. There are two paths. One path is to salvation. Salvation means liberation from this material bondage. People do not understand what is material bondage, but those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are educated what is bondage and what is liberation.

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

In continuation of the last verse I recited day before yesterday, the second verse is suggesting how one can be liberated from this material bondage. In the first verse it was suggested that this human form of life is not meant for wasting uselesly like the animals, dogs and hogs. It should be properly utilized. The suggestion was tapa, tapasya. Tapasya means austerity, voluntarily accepting some inconvenience. This is called tapasya. Tapa, one meaning is "disturbances." Suppose I am practiced to some habit. If I am advised to give it up, it becomes little troublesome. For example, if I am habituated to smoke and somebody or higher authority says, "Don't smoke," to give up smoking is little difficult, those who are habituated to smoke. Similarly... But according to the doctor's advice if somebody has to give up smoking, he has to. Otherwise his disease may not be cured.

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

Everyone is tat-sutān, with children. Even one big economics professor, Professor Marshall, he says... I was student of economics, the Marshall book. He says that economic development begins out of family affection, family affection. That is the basis. That was his understanding, that nobody would work for livelihood unless he is attached in family. That is his proposition. So here he was attached to the family. Lālayānasya tat-sutān. Atha gṛhas kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair. Material bondage is that family affection. It is not that one has to give up this procedure. No. That is not. The Vedic civilization is so nice that you accept the platform which is suitable. The brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa... The spiritual... These are called āśrama. Āśrama means where spiritual culture is practiced. That is called āśrama. Perhaps you know this āśrama word. Āśrama means it is not a place for sense gratification; it is a place for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is āśrama.

Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Honolulu, May 23, 1976:

So this Ajāmila, he learned all this nonsense, abominable way of livelihood. And therefore his example is given, how he was downtrodden and fallen. Still by the grace of Nārāyaṇa how he was elevated, that is the itihāsa, history, which is, Sūta Gosvāmī is citing, how Kṛṣṇa consciousness is powerful. That is the motive of narrating Ajāmila ūḍha, delivering Ajāmila. So here it is said, evaṁ nivasatas tasya lālayānasya tat-sutān. Everyone is tat-sutān, his children. Even one big economic, economist professor, Prof. Marshall, he says... I was student of economics in the Marshall book. He says that economic development begins out of family affection. Family affection. That is the basis. That was his understanding, that nobody would work for livelihood unless he is attached in family. That is his proposition. So here he was attached to the family. Lālayānasya tat-sutān. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra sutāpta vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). Material bondage is that family affection. It is not that one has to give up this procedure. No, that is not.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26 -- Honolulu, May 26, 1976:

This world, what is this world, material world? The material means sex desire. That's all. The woman is hunting after man, and the man is hunting after woman. Either in human society or bird society or beast society or dog society or cat society, the principle is sex. And the human society means to understand this, that what is the basic principle of material life. If we understand it is sex, therefore we have to cut down the sex desire gradually by becoming brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is the process. Otherwise, if I do not know what is the cause of my material bondage, then how we can take remedy? This is the cause, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam. The desire is there. As soon as one is grown up, reaching youthful time, the sex desire is very strong, very strong. So they unite, a man..., a boy finds out a girl, a girl finds out a boy. They unite, and there is sex, and as soon as there is sex then there is bondage. Immediately. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitha. As soon as they unite, then the relation becomes very tight, very strong. Then, as soon as one is married, or unmarried—generally speaking married—then he wants apartment. Ato gṛha. Gṛha means apartment. So long he remains brahmacārī there is no need of apartment. He can dine right out on the street. (laughter)

Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975:

So anyone who is chanting the holy name of the Lord, he is taken care of immediately by the attendants of the Supreme Lord, especially at the time of death, because that is the last moment. The account is taken at the last moment. If you practice Hare Kṛṣṇa, naturally at the last moment you will be inclined to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). It is so nice. If we practice in this life chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then gradually my core of heart will be cleansed and everything will be manifest: my position, my duty, what is God. Everything will be manifest. It is so nice. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Because we are filled up with so many rubbish dirty things, we cannot understand the science of God. But if you be practiced to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then your heart will be cleansed and you will see things as they are. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. And as soon as we are able to see things as they are, then our material bondage is over.

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976:

So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, tār madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati ta 'ke jetā koṭhina saṁsāre. Of all the senses, the tongue is the strongest enemy, always proposing, "Eat this, eat this, eat this, eat this, eat this." Just see, for tongue, only one person eats little bit of beef only, not much. No, I have seen. A piece of beef. But for the satisfaction of the senses, thousands of innocent animals are being killed. Just see. They cannot control this, a bit of beef. They cannot control. If they decide that we shall not... We are prohibiting, "No meat-eating." So this is controlling the sense. Because unless you bring the senses under control, there is no question of spiritual advancement. Tār madhye jihvā ati. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Tṛpyanti neha kṛpana bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. The sense, the tongue, the belly, the straight line, and then the genital. If you can control the tongue, then you can control your belly and then control your genital. And that is required. Unless you can control the genital, there is no question of liberation from this material bondage. This is the principle.

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

Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. One blind leader giving, leading to other blind men. Suppose one blind man says that "All right. Come. Follow me. I shall help you crossing this street, Mulberry Street. All right." So he is blind, and the followers are also blind. The result will be that he is dashed by some motorcar or truck and they all die. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). They do not know that we are tied up very hard by the laws, stringent laws of material nature. How we can become free from this material bondage? That is not possible. You have to take instruction who is not andhā, who is not blind. That means whose eyes are open, who is liberated from this material bondage. You have to take instruction from him. Then you will understand what is your self-interest. Otherwise, if you take instruction from another blind man. You are already blind. If you take instruction from another blind man, then it will be not possible to become liberated from this material bondage.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- Vrndavana, December 8, 1975:

So we are trying to save people from this modern civilization. This is... Modern means in this age it is, excessively has increased, but this process was existent. This is the way of material life. So in the Satya-yuga it was less, in the Tretā-yuga it was more, and the Dvāpara-yuga, it is still more, and Kali-yuga, it is full. This is the difference of ages. Therefore kalau, in this age, nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Kalau saṅkīrtanaiḥ prāyaiḥ yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ. There is no hope for liberation from this material bondage except chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Other things, it is not possible. If you want to revive the old Vedic civilization, brahmacārī and gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya... These are all spoiled. Everything is spoiled. Then what is the position? Kalau śūdra samabhavaḥ. In this age simply they are śūdras. "So how the śūdras will be delivered? By your Kṛṣṇa conscious..." Yes. They'll be. Not only śūdras, those who are less than śūdras. Kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ ye 'nye ca pāpā (SB 2.4.18). Not only śūdras, the less than the pañcamas, the fifth-grade, sixth-grade, seventh-grade, tenth-grade, all rascals and all sinful men, they will be all delivered simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Pāpī tāpī yata chilo hari-nāme uddhārilo. Take this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa and your life will be saved.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

The other day one devotee came to me, and he was almost crying, that "My wife is suffering, and she may not live. So kindly give me some blessings." Before the death of his wife—because there was nothing serious—the wife has said, "My dear husband, I may not live very long with you," and he is so disturbed that he is thinking that "My wife may die at any moment." So this is the position. This is not very extraordinary thing. This attraction of man and women, this is material bondage. Therefore it is said, durāpūreṇa kāmena: (SB 7.6.8) this lusty desires is never fulfilled even up to the point of death. And what is this nature of this lusty desire? Moha, illusion. It is not fact. It has no substance, but it is there; that's a fact.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- Vrndavana, December 11, 1975:

If you want to get out of this material bondage, vairāgya-vidyā, then learn bhakti-yoga, vairāgya-vidyā. And how to learn? Kṛṣṇa Himself is teaching, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Just see His vairāgya. At home, the most affectionate mother, and the most beautiful young wife, Viṣṇu-priyā—He renounced everything. Tyaktvā su-dustyaja-surepsita-rājya lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam (SB 11.5.34). He became sannyāsa. In full young time, twenty-four years, having nice wife at home, very affectionate mother, they're very, mother end wife, they take care of very nicely. The home appears to be very, very happy home due to mother and due to wife. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu had both of them. Not only that—He was a learned scholar, very influential in Nabadwip. He could gather 100,000 men by His order only. He was so influential and so beautiful, so learned—everything. Su-dustyaja-surepsita-rājya lakṣmīm (SB 11.5.34). His opulence was very, very great, but He gave up. Tyaktvā tūrṇam. Similarly, the Goswamis also gave up their position. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means vairāgya-vidyā: to get detached. Don't increase attachment. Try to decrease attachment, then you'll be successful.

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.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- New Vrindaban, June 25, 1976:

So we have got everything in writing, in books, in instructions. Our duty is to take them rightly and utilize it properly, advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sneha-pāśair. Otherwise we shall be on a platform of false love. The platform of false love we know: today one pair is married, but because the love is on the false platform, the next day there is divorce. That is not love. That kind of love has no meaning, that kind of affection has no meaning. It is simply bondage. So try to... Our aim is how to become free from this material bondage and real sneha, real affection, real love should be spread. And that can be done through Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9-17 -- San Francisco, March 31, 1969:

The beginning of attachment is sex. That is described in the Bhāgavata. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī etat. The whole world is attached with one another on the basis of sex. So the sex attraction increases as we increase our products of sex. Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). The products of sex... The first combination is with wife, and then we want some apartment or place to live together; then produce children; then we want society; then we want money, wealth. In this way, go on increasing, the real purpose of life is forgotten. The real purpose of life is, especially for the human being, is how to get away from this material bondage.

Lecture on SB 7.6.11-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 27, 1976:

So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for achieving jñānam and vairāgyam. If we become too much attached to this material world... And how we become attached? The vivid description is given by Prahlāda Mahārāja. The wife, the children, the house, the animals and servants, the furniture, the dress, and so on, so on, so on, so many things. People are working so hard, day and night, only for these things. Is there not (indistinct) nice bungalow, nice animal, nice, so many things we see? What for? To increase attachment. If we increase attachment, there is no question of being freed from this material bondage. So we have to practice this detachment. So this practicing, there are many recommendations, vairāgya.

Lecture on SB 7.6.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, July 1, 1976:

As we have several times discussed, yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham: (SB 7.9.45) so-called householders are simply attracted by sexual enjoyment. Thus they keep themselves shackled in family life, and furthermore they want their children to be shackled in the same way. Playing the parts of playboys in the hands of women, they glide down to the darkest regions of material existence. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Because they are unable to control their senses, they continue a life of chewing the chewed and therefore descend to the darkest material regions. One should give up the association of such demons and adhere to the association of devotees. Thus one will be able to be liberated from material bondage.

Prabhupāda:

yato na kaścit kva ca kutracid vā
dīnaḥ svam ātmānam alam samarthaḥ
vimocituṁ kāma-dṛśāṁ vihāra-
krīḍā-mṛgo yan-nigaḍo visargaḥ
tato vidūrāt parihṛtya daityā
daityeṣu saṅgaṁ viṣayātmakeṣu
upeta nārāyaṇam ādi-devaṁ
sa mukta-saṅgair iṣito 'pavargaḥ
(SB 7.6.17-18)

So visargaḥ and apavargaḥ. Visargaḥ means creation. So the important fact is that if we are attached to the material world, maybe very minute quantity, then there will be visargaḥ. Visargaḥ means creation. We'll have to accept another body. Unless you are completely pure... Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. Śūnyam means zero.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
(Brs. 1.1.11)

So the back to home back to Godhead, we are trying. That is our ambition. But if we have got a little propensity for material enjoyment, then... We may get very better position in the material world, in the Svargaloka, heavenly planet.

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

We are working intelligently while we are awake. Just like we are not asleep, so whatever we work, oh, we work very intelligently, as far as we have got intelligence. Then when we sleep, our intelligence stops. Then mind works. So according to the mind, mind is taking me sometimes somewhere. I am thinking that "I am flying." I am thinking, "I am on somebody's place" or "I have become king." Or "I have become poverty." Or "Somebody is... Some tiger is eating me," and so many things, you sleeping, you dreaming. This is another stage, active stage. Then sleeping stage. And then another stage is which is called deep sleep, deep sleep. Just like you are under chloroform or LSD. That is a kind of sleep only. It is not, does not mean that you have become free from this material bondage. You are simply under some mental condition, sleeping condition. Suṣuptiḥ.

Lecture on SB 7.9.3 -- Mayapur, February 17, 1977:

Don't think that God is zero. No. Śūnyavādi. Everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Athāto brahma jijñāsā. You are inquiring about Brahman. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So there must be anger, not that God should be always peaceful. But the difference is His anger and His peaceful attitude produces the same result. Prahlāda Mahārāja, a devotee, He is very satisfied with Prahlāda Mahārāja and He is very much dissatisfied with his father, but result is the same: both of them got liberation. Although a devotee becomes associate whereas the demon who is killed by God, he does not become an associate... He is not qualified. But he enters into the spiritual kingdom. He gets liberation from this material bondage. So why a devotee should take the same position? Therefore, māṁ eti. Tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram. They viśate, enters, enters in the spiritual kingdom. Everyone who is liberated, he is entered.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:

We are all born ignorant. Unless there is ignorance, nobody takes birth in this material world. Anyone—may be he is Brahmā or the smallest insignificant creature like a germ or an ant—everyone has got body, a particular type of body. So anyone who has got this material body, he is more or less sinful. That is the verdict. Without being sinful, we do not get this material body. And as soon as we are out of the influence of this material energy, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). How? Māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi-bhakti-yogena. Simply by bhakti-yoga. Simply by engaging yourself cent percent, without any deviation, in the devotional service of the Lord, you immediately become freedom or liberation from this material bondage. And if you keep yourself in that position, then you are liberated in this life, and after leaving this body, you get your liberated body. That is mukti.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

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

Pradyumna:

daivī sampad vimokṣāya
nibandhāyāsurī matā
mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm
abhijāto 'si pāṇḍava
(BG 16.5)

Prabhupāda: Daivī sampad. If you acquire daivī sampad, then you become liberated from this material bondage. But if you acquire the asuric sampad, then you become entangled.

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

Mukti means the jñānīs, they want to be liberated from material bondage and merge into the existence of Brahman, Absolute. That is mukti.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.2 -- Mayapur, March 26, 1975:

Sādhus, devotees, they are always anxious to see Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Their associates. They are always very much aggrieved on account of separation. To give them rejuvenation of life, Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma play Their childhood days in Vṛndāvana. And out of Vṛndāvana, beginning from Mathurā up to Dvārakā and other places, the business was vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: killing. So They have got two businesses, one for pacifying the devotees, and the other is to kill the demons. Of course, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, They are Absolute Truth. There is no difference between killing and loving. They... Absolute. Those who were killed, you know, they were also delivered from this material bondage.

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

Śrī Kṛṣṇa did not offer prema. That is also prema, the preliminary condition. He said surrender. Surrender means beginning of prema. Unless I have got love for you, why shall I surrender to you? So that is the beginning of love, surrender. So He demanded so much. But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so kind and magnanimous that in course of His chanting and dancing, He embraced everyone and gave him Kṛṣṇa-prema. That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's magnanimity. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has offered his prayer to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "People cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, and You are giving love of Kṛṣṇa." If you don't know anybody, how you can develop love for him? So just imagine how much magnanimous is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is giving such a nice process, that chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, be purified—immediately you become free from this material bondage and begin your loving service to Kṛṣṇa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's gift.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.119-121 -- New York, November 24, 1966:

So because I am a living entity, I try for so many things, for my daily bread, and I don't try to catch the mercy of sādhu and śāstra. Just see my foolishness. I, for getting a work, I flatter so many persons and put my, serving my application, but for my deliverance from the material bondage I don't care. "No, I am not going to submit to anyone. I don't require." Just see. How much foolishness there is. Just like a dog, for his bread he'll submit everyone, but for his spiritual emancipation, oh, he's not agreeing to submit. Just see the foolishness. For bread, which is already settled by the nature, he'll submit to everyone.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.313-317 -- New York, December 21, 1966:

The liberation from material bondage is called nirguṇa. Nirguṇa means the three qualities, three modes of material nature, is nullified. As soon as we are transcendental to the three modes of material nature, that is called liberation.

Festival Lectures

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Bombay, December 22, 1975:

Do not consider that "Here is a stone Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa is everything. Stone is also Kṛṣṇa; simply you have to be qualified how to talk with stone Kṛṣṇa. That is your qualification. You have to qualify yourself; otherwise Kṛṣṇa is stone, Kṛṣṇa is water, Kṛṣṇa is sky, Kṛṣṇa is everything. So this is the philosophy. Kṛṣṇa says bhūmir āpo' nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca: (BG 7.4) "I am everything." That's a fact. So why do you say there is stone Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is everything, if you have got the eyes to see, you can see Kṛṣṇa everywhere and everything.

So this is the beginning. Therefore you require pravṛtti and nivṛtti to understand how you should think, how you should live, how you should eat, how you should sleep. This training is required. Why it is required? Because to get out of this material bondage, where the birth, death, old age and disease is compulsory. If you want to avoid this, because you are eternal, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), why don't you think that "If I am eternal, why am I accepting birth, death, old age, and disease?" This is intelligence. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is Vedānta-sūtra. Now we should enquire how we can get out of this material entanglement.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Mexico, February 11, 1975, (With Spanish Translator):

So I am very glad to see you, so many Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. You have come to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So stick to the principles, then your life will be successful. The principle is to purify ourself. Just like when a man becomes sick, he has to purify himself by regulative principle, by diet, by medicine, similarly, we have got this material disease, covered by the material body, and the symptom of miseries are birth, death, old age and disease. So one who is serious about getting out of this material bondage and free from birth, death, old age and disease, so he must take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is very simple and easy. If you do not know, if you are not educated, if you have no asset, you can simply chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and if you are educated, logician, philosopher, you can read our books, which are already in fifty in number.

Arrival Lecture -- Mexico, February 11, 1975, (With Spanish Translator):

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyaḥ vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
(BG 9.32)

There is no discrimination that "This man should be allowed. This woman should not be allowed." No. Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone." Striyaḥ vaiśyās tathā śūdrās. Anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he becomes free from the material bondage and goes back to Godhead, back to home. So take seriously about this movement and execute the principle, namely no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and chant sixteen rounds.

General Lectures

City Hall Lecture -- Durban, October 7, 1975:

When I speak of Kṛṣṇa, everyone should know that Kṛṣṇa means God. So if we try to understand simply Kṛṣṇa, or God, in this life, then we become liberated. We become free from this material bondage. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is the assurance given in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa... Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Now, in truth you should understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa. And there is no difficulty. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So our only request is that you, all of you, you try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Don't interpret in a different way. Then you will understand Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, you become free from this material bondage, no more accepting... Tyaktvā deham. We have to give up this body, that is certain. The cats and dogs will also give up their body, we'll have also give... But before giving up this body, if we simply understand Kṛṣṇa, then our life becomes successful.

Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 21, 1977:

We have to execute tapasya, austerity, to purify. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). So it is not a formality. It is a process to become free from this material bondage and go back home, back to Godhead. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). We should be very serious, not that to take initiation as a matter of fashion, but it should be very carefully and seriously done. (break) Human life is meant for this purpose. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. If you do not inquire about Brahman, if you simply inquire, "Where is food? Where is sense gratification...?" The whole world is going like that. Anywhere you go, the inquiry is, "Where is sense gratification? Where is sex? Where is safety, and where is eating?" This is the inquiry generally. The cats, dogs, birds, beast—everyone is inquiring like that. In the morning you'll find the birds are chirping, "Now it is morning. Where we have to go to have our necessities of life?" This is the inquiry of this material body. But when you get this human form of body, the inquiry should be different.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Bhajahu Re Mana -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society is the swans, paramahaṁsa. Haṁsa. Haṁsa means swan. Haṁsa, this example is given because the swan knows the technique how to take milk out of water. You give the swan milk and water, it will take the milk portion and give it up the water portion. Similarly a swan, a haṁsa, paramahaṁsa, means in this human form of life, one who takes the spiritual portion of life and rejects the material portion of life, he is called haṁsa, paramahaṁsa. We are mixed. Our body is material, but I am spirit soul. So we have to know the techniques how to get out of this material bondage. That is the process of jñāna vairāgya, knowledge and renunciation.

Page Title:Material bondage (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, MadhuGopaldas
Created:13 of Jul, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=84, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:84